Styles of martial arts

[DeLamar.J]

Styles are good because it allows you to train specifically in one aspect of martial arts. What makes styles bad is when people see a certain style as the only way, or the best way. I like styles because when I want to work on throws, I can talk to a Judo expert, if I want hands I can talk to a Wing Chun expert, if I need to improve my grappling, then I find a Brazilian Jujitsu expert.
No martial artist is an expert in all ways of fighting, there just isn't enough time in the human life span to achieve this. But when you need to train a certain way, you can see a master of a specific style of fighting, which is very good in my opinion. There is no best style, but there are certain styles that benefit certain types of people.
For example, if you are not aggressive, and just can't seem to bring yourself to be aggressive, thai boxing might not be the stlye for you. Maybe Aikido would be better because it is more of a soft style that uses aggression against it's opponent.
I am a very big supporter of the JKD philosophy, and I know that JKD is not big on styles. But styles are a very good thing to have because it creates experts in a certain way of fighting, which helps everyone defeat their biggest weakeness, whatever that might be depending on your body structure, wieght, mental abillity, strength, ect. There is always a style war going on, and I just wanted to post this to help people understand that there is no best style.
The best thing you can do is be as well rounded as possible,
know your weaknesses, and what styles would best remedy those weaknesses. Everyone lacks in one way or another, and I bet there is a style out there with a master that specializes in defeating that weakness. Being a great martial artist requires much self honesty, because without self honesty you can never reach your full potential. You must be able to look at yourself and say, I really suck at this, or that, and I need to work on it. Then do your research and find out which style you need to crosstrain in.
I hope this helps the STYLE war, and brings a higher understanding that each style is just a small piece of a very large whole.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I agree with what you are saying, although I wasn't aware of a style war.

I have always said there are no bad martial arts just bad martial artists. If you train you get better and there are many different approaches to training, all which can be of benefit.

I have learned from all styles I have trained and I have also learned a lot from sparring people that do styles other than mine.

But I also see nothing wrong with studying one style and only one style for your entire life. There are a lot of very good martial artists from Japan and China that do exactly that.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Interesting way to look at "Styles"? ...these is also? ....new as well as old "Styles"

Being a little stylist....and fashionable? .......the old works for me! ....Aloha

 

[DeLamar.J]

I agree with what you are saying, although I wasn't aware of a style war.

I have always said there are no bad martial arts just bad martial artists. If you train you get better and there are many different approaches to training, all which can be of benefit.

I have learned from all styles I have trained and I have also learned a lot from sparring people that do styles other than mine.

But I also see nothing wrong with studying one style and only one style for your entire life. There are a lot of very good martial artists from Japan and China that do exactly that.

I dont feel there is anything wrong with someone training in one style their whole life, as long as its not me. But I am very glad people do train in only one style, because then I can gain from their expertise in certain areas. If everyone trained the way I did, then there wouldnt be such individuals to train with that are experts in a certain style of fighting.
Personally, I try to get what I can from a style, then move on. I realize that there are certain techniques that reqire years of training to become useful, and that will come in time. Each style has a set of basics that can be learned pretty quickly, just the basis of that way of fighting. If I spend my whole life doing Goju Karate, then learn the basic moves of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, the basic punches of boxing, play aound with some sticky hands, learn the first 5 throws in Judo, and learn some 3 strar drills from some Shaolin KungFu guys, I then have alot of great tools at my disposal that are easy to learn the basis of.
I have never trained in a style that I could not get a basic and useful grasp of within the time frame of 2 to 3 months. Just the basics of boxing can be picked up sooooo quickly, and that is such a valuble tool people neglect to learn. I have told many of my students to take a break from my teaching for a while, and join the local boxing gym for a month, then they come back twice as effective as before. Could I have taught them basic boxing? Yes. but I'm not a specialist in boxing, and you should learn basic boxing from a specialist first, so you have a credible source to modify it into your way of fighting. You should never modify something into your way from someones elses modified way, thats why you need specialists in certain styles.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I dont feel there is anything wrong with someone training in one style their whole life, as long as its not me. But I am very glad people do train in only one style, because then I can gain from their expertise in certain areas. If everyone trained the way I did, then there wouldnt be such individuals to train with that are experts in a certain style of fighting.
Personally, I try to get what I can from a style, then move on. I realize that there are certain techniques that reqire years of training to become useful, and that will come in time. Each style has a set of basics that can be learned pretty quickly, just the basis of that way of fighting. If I spend my whole life doing Goju Karate, then learn the basic moves of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, the basic punches of boxing, play aound with some sticky hands, learn the first 5 throws in Judo, and learn some 3 strar drills from some Shaolin KungFu guys, I then have alot of great tools at my disposal that are easy to learn the basis of.
I have never trained in a style that I could not get a basic and useful grasp of within the time frame of 2 to 3 months. Just the basics of boxing can be picked up sooooo quickly, and that is such a valuble tool people neglect to learn. I have told many of my students to take a break from my teaching for a while, and join the local boxing gym for a month, then they come back twice as effective as before. Could I have taught them basic boxing? Yes. but I'm not a specialist in boxing, and you should learn basic boxing from a specialist first, so you have a credible source to modify it into your way of fighting. You should never modify something into your way from someones elses modified way, thats why you need specialists in certain styles.

I did something similar for a little while a few year back (10), and it can be a great way to learn different points of view on martial arts in general and if that is what works that is great. And I agree that if you want the basics you should learn from a specialist in the given style you wish to study.

But eventually I decided to focus, kinda-sorta. I focused on CMA and then brought it down more to internal CMA (Xingyi, Tai Chi and Bagua). And then Traditional Yang Tai Chi (Yang Cheng fu). You can gain a lot from focusing, but you an also get caught up and fed up with the politics of a thing that way as well.

I decided after years of basically training one style that for me it was best to widen that focus back to internal CMA (Xingyi, Tai Chi and possibly Bagua). And I am also looking at widen the Tai Chi aspect from the traditional Yang Cheng Fu line and looking into the traditional Yang Banhou line and considering Cheng Man-ch'ing style. I do believe you can gain a lot from a different point of view.

Actually I think that is a long way around to say, yup, I agree with you.

 

[CuongNhuka]

The true masters say there is only one style, only one school. And we are all masters of that school. the only differnice between Wing Chun and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu is what they mainly deal with. And yet these same masters say no one does the same style, for no two people can do the same thing the same way. :asian:
Sorry I felt like being enlightened on you guys for a little while. Don't worry, I'll go back to being my normal sentinet self. but there is no self (laughing chaoticly), lol.

Sweet Brighit Bless your Blade,

John