Doing Different Styles at the Same Time?

[shane23ss]

I would suggest JJ for good rolling abilities on the ground. For kicking and stretching you just need the right person to help you out with kicking set. :asian:

Yeah, that's basiclly what I'm looking for. No disrespect at all intended to my instructor, but he spent several years body building and I believe at some cost to his flexibility, so we didn't spend a lot of time on our flexibility. Obviously Kenpo isn't a "high kicking" system, but maybe if I spent some time with some one who is a "kicker" it would make me more proficient and comfortable with my feet.

 

[jfarnsworth]

Yeah, that's basiclly what I'm looking for. No disrespect at all intended to my instructor, but he spent several years body building and I believe at some cost to his flexibility, so we didn't spend a lot of time on our flexibility. Obviously Kenpo isn't a "high kicking" system, but maybe if I spent some time with some one who is a "kicker" it would make me more proficient and comfortable with my feet.

I wasn't trying to disrespect your instructor either :asian: . I don't know you or him to make that assumption. However you can change kicking set to suit your needs. Besides, the only way to get better is to have someone better than you pushing you to achieve your goals.

 

[Ceicei]

The four kicking sets are usually done with kicks at various heights; however, the sets can be done with properly formed high kicks. That definitely would help with the "stretch" you're seeking, especially if in a linear fashion all the way across the mat.

- Ceicei

 

[shane23ss]

I wasn't trying to disrespect your instructor either :asian: . I don't know you or him to make that assumption. However you can change kicking set to suit your needs. Besides, the only way to get better is to have someone better than you pushing you to achieve your goals.

No, I wasn't implying that you were. You actually said what I was trying to say, just couldnt find the words, "that you need someone better than you to push you". Exactly what I meant. I need a "kicker" to teach me.:asian:

 

[Adept]

I train kung fu to learn kung fu, not to integrate it with my TKD. Unlike some others, I'm do MA for the spiritual understanding, and without fully understanding the unpolluted spirit of the martial art that I practice, I feel that I don't progress on my path. Sure, the high side kick is a fast, strong technique, but it isn't a part of my style of kung fu (as far as I've seen), so I'd like to avoid it until my kung fu is strong too.

Fair enough. No disrespect was intended, only curiosity.

 

[Mark Lynn]

I have trained in multiple styles at the same time but not in the way that An Eternal Student is going about it.

I agree with eveyone who has said you need to have a strong base or foundation in an art and then branch out and study or cross train in another system. Studying about different styles and their former masters (Grandmasters or founders of a system) has lead me to believe that they did this as well. And from their studying different systems we have the martial systems we call "Tradtional" today that we are trying to keep pure.

However only in a few cases do I run across one of the founders/grandmasters/head honchos etc. etc. who created their system but in their begingings studied multiple systems at the same time. I have run across references of some people studying say karate and taking Kendo or Jodo at the same time but not really karate and say Judo.

My question is does studying multiple systems in the beginings of your martial art path cause you brain lock when you need to use it? I mean if someone grabs your wrist/forearm when executing a block do you hit them or lock them? Will you hesitate for a brief moment in time while you body processes what you should do? However if you only trained in a striking art you would probably hit the person and likewise if you trained in a grappling art you would lock/throw/grapple/release or what ever.

No disrespect intended
Mark

 

[Adept]

y question is does studying multiple systems in the beginings of your martial art path cause you brain lock when you need to use it? I mean if someone grabs your wrist/forearm when executing a block do you hit them or lock them? Will you hesitate for a brief moment in time while you body processes what you should do? However if you only trained in a striking art you would probably hit the person and likewise if you trained in a grappling art you would lock/throw/grapple/release or what ever.

No disrespect intended
Mark

Well, in the situation you outline you have multiple courses of action. It is important to remember this is no different from studying a single style. They grab your wrist, and being trained in striking, you strike. But do you strike to the axilla? The sternum? The clavicle? The jaw? The temple? Do you use a knife hand strike? A palm heel strike? A hammerfist? A regular fist? Do you kick instead? If so, where? Using what kick?

If one was to freeze with indecision whenever a decision was to be made, one would never be able to learn any art, be it a single one or multiple ones.

 

[Drac]

I see nothing wrong with doing more than 1 style. I do feel though, that the student should have a very good base in 1 art first, before taking on something else.
Mike

I must agree...Have a good understanding of one before attempting to start another, but that's just my opinion...

 

[MichiganTKD]

Our Instructor told us not to begin another martial art until you attain 4th Dan in this one (TKD). After 1st Dan, you are now ready to really begin learning the Art. You are learning new techniques, how to apply them, philosophy, history, and advanced free fighting. In short, you are learning the Way of Life of TKD. If you start practing a new style every chance you get, your energy will become so divided that you are only skimming the surface of several arts, as opposed to becoming well grounded in one style. That takes years to do. Some people rush to study as many arts as they can in an attempt to cover all bases and situations. This is impossible.
I'm not saying you can't study more than one style. I am saying you need to give yourself time to develop a good grounding in your primary art (more than a few years BYW), before rushing off to diversify the portfolio.

 

[Mark Lynn]

Well, in the situation you outline you have multiple courses of action. It is important to remember this is no different from studying a single style. They grab your wrist, and being trained in striking, you strike. But do you strike to the axilla? The sternum? The clavicle? The jaw? The temple? Do you use a knife hand strike? A palm heel strike? A hammerfist? A regular fist? Do you kick instead? If so, where? Using what kick?

If one was to freeze with indecision whenever a decision was to be made, one would never be able to learn any art, be it a single one or multiple ones.

Adept

I understand your point. However what I was meaning in the begining, as a begining martial artist if you go to a grappling type of an art then you will be taught to do a grappling type of a move for self defense. If you are taking a striking type of an art then you will be taught to hit. There is different stratigies/reasons etc. etc. for each. It's that type of indescion/hesitation that I was referring to.

An example: Two different arts take Modern Arnis and JKD. You are delivering a back hand strike (angle 2, a back fist, what ever) and it gets blocked and the person grabs your forearm/wrist area. In JKD what I've seen is to release the hand and or hit (either by the releasing hand, or the hand that was held etc. etc. in a multitude of ways). In Modern arnis GM Remy would show to go for a bent wrist lock by grabbing the blocking wrist and rolling your forearm over there by locking it.

Both valid if trained. As a beginner you have watched both and trained both seen the instructors do it. So your hand gets grabbed what do you do?

If you have had a strong base in one system that probably would be your default and you would resort to that in a stressful situation. Both systems trained equally and for the same amount of time I was wondering if that would cause a brain freeze if only for a moment.

with respect
Mark

 

[Adept]

Both valid if trained. As a beginner you have watched both and trained both seen the instructors do it. So your hand gets grabbed what do you do?

If you have had a strong base in one system that probably would be your default and you would resort to that in a stressful situation. Both systems trained equally and for the same amount of time I was wondering if that would cause a brain freeze if only for a moment.

with respect
Mark

It depends. The decision you are required to make is using the exact same parts of the brain as all the other decisions you are required to make during a sparring match, or during a fight. Deciding whether to strike or to grab is no different than deciding to kick or to punch, or to use a finger jab or a back fist. All decisions are made in a split second, and you make whatever decision seems best to you.

So what it comes down to is the tiny details, such as height and weight advantages, peripheral details, stances, history, etc. The option of having a second available technique that is 100% as effective as the first one should not cause a person to freeze, unless that person has a problem with their decision making process.