from one to more than one style

[aefibird]

This only really applies to people who currently only train in one style and have only ever trained in one style.

 

Would you be willing to train in another style as well as your current one?

 

If not, why not? If so, why and which additional style would you pick?

 

To those people who have already added other styles to your initial martial art, why did you choose the additional/extra art that you did choose? Do you think that your secondary choice of martial art goes well with your first art? If not, what are the main problems you have in training in two or more arts?

[Rotten Head Fok]

I have trained primarily in CLF, I learned TCC because it inhances my primary MA. I have thought about learning other styles because they each have their strong points. I like the idea of loyalty to one style, but then we are in the year 2004 and I think that we as individuals are capable of living "our lifes" here and now in "our time" since life is always reinventing itself I don't see it as unnatural to want to learn two styles or more. Most of the passed masters I done any research on, they two learned ma's from many resources and created something new(Choy-Li-Fut being an example.)

 

I think the difficult part would be keeping philosophies from two or more styles in balance with one-another or straight in one's mind.

 

Would I learn a different style ? Yes

 

Which one ? BJJ, Why ? If my fight goes on the ground I feel BJJ would help me tremendously.

[Luckykboxer]

well from one who trains in multiples...

 

I started in kenpo karate.

 

I was always interested in fighting even before karate though and a natural progression was full contact fighting.

 

I did pit fighting for a while and was impressed with kickboxing and had the honor of training with a world champion.

 

the muay thai style seemed to mesh very well with Kenpo, as the muay thai style was great offensively and kenpo great defensively.

 

as i fought more i eventually took some boxing training, just kind of happened. I fought a few times and never really liked it. I always felt i had to hold back cause i wanted to use feet elbows and knees.

 

but it did help alot with my footwork, and in seeing openings, didnt hurt my existing training at all.

 

eventually as i fought more and turned back into MMA and no holds barred fighting i had to deal wiht the ground game and thus started Jiu Jitsu, which was the last range that i really needed work with.

 

I have found that all muay thai, kenpo, and jiu jitsu meshed well together.

 

boxing helped out with the other styles, but i wasnt happy with boxing as the other styles made me want to do more then was allowed in boxing.

 

So i have since stopped training with boxing completely.

 

basically i have all ranges covered.

 

I have circular and linear movements.

 

And all forms of kicking and striking.

 

footwork of all kinds.

 

I think that eventually after I advance farther in Jiu Jitsu I want to add Aikido to my repretoire.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I've only trained in one system for nearly 30 years now. From other martial arts that I've seen over the year, the only other one I would consider to enhance what I already know would be jujitsu for the ground grappling.

 

We do ground work already, but I would say that it is the weakest area of the system in my opinion.

[italian_guy]

My story with multiple martial arts is the following (in brief):

 

I started with kickboxing (3/2003).

 

After some time my Gym opened also a JKD/Kali-escrima course I joined and I liked it a lot because it was very self-defence oriented and matched very well with my kickboxing which was somehow sport-oriented.

 

Unfortunately after 1 months we were only 2 students and the class was closed. Later on I tried Tai chi chuan and I found it interesting because it is a great exercise and it is an art which also complements well any other art (although it takes very long to be self defence effective). Then I started to consider a more complete art, kickboxing is (as I said) quite competition oriented and if you don't compete you feel you are missing something so I changed my kickboxing with go-ju ryu karate which I also like very much and I think match quite well with TCC. On top of this in my karate class we have one instructor which also is a JJJ instructor and holds a black belt in aikido, so he often does grappling seminar in order to broaden our instruction.

 

I feel quite well with my MA instruction now and I think that cross-training

 

is beneficial.

[WapCaplet]

I've been taking Shotokan karate for almost 2 years and it's the only style I have ever studied. I'm pretty sure I will stick with just the one MA at least until I have my black belt, perhaps longer. I don't think I want to confuse my mind or body while I'm still learning what being a martial artist is.

 

However, I would eventually be interested in taking another style, just so I can broaden my understanding and knowledge of different martial arts. I know that no single MA is the end-all-be-all, so I know I can find a martial art with strengths in those areas that Shotokan might be weak.

 

I originally considered TKD when I first set out to take a martial art, but ended up in Shotokan purely by chance. There just happened to be a karate class taking place in the hall of the church I attend, so I thought I'd check it out. Haven't looked back. I'm sure it's not the best karate school in the world, but I'm enjoying it, the instructor is very knowledgeable, the price is right, and I'm in better shape than I have ever been. I just love taking karate.

 

What martial art would best compliment Shotokan?

 

Wap

[aefibird]

What martial art would best compliment Shotokan?

 

Something grappeling based, seen as Shotokan is primarily a striking art. Even though grappling and groud work is there in Shotokan, it's not usually as widely studied as the striking side. Something like BJJ, JJJ or Aikido would work well.

 

Also, a weapons art (if your branch os SHotokan doesn't train with weapons) such as a Filipino martial art or Okinawan kobudo.