cross train?

[MFGQ]

Hi to all!!

 

I have a problem, i am now practising goju ryu karate, but i wanted to practice another martial art to compliment it, i was thinking on something like brazilian jiu jitsu, but my sensei told me that i should do a martial art good and then when i have experience then try other martial arts to help me develop some skills but have like a principal martial art and others to compliment it... what do you think about that?

[White_Tiger]

I think most people usually spend some time with one style before taking on another. I say give it a try if you have the time to devote to both.

 

Good Luck!

[MenteReligieuse]

Well I only been doig kung fu for a few months and recently took a freestyle combat class at my kwan (covers grapplings, groundwork, Sparring à la Sanda) and I think it compliments it well. I say grab the basics behind your "main" MA first then you may switch if you like/have time/have money.

[P.A.L]

IMHO BJJ or Judo(Particularly the concepts of falling and throws) is a good choice , I used to practice BJJ ,actually with my shorin-ryu sensei ,he took all of us with him to BJJ for 6 months now we practice ground fighting in our shorin ryu class as well as regular grappling of tuite. if you ask your sensei about tuite you will be surprised about the depth of grappling in okinawan karate(I would add Wado-ryu to this list too) . Now for us as karate ka learning ground fighting is useful at least as sensei Darrell Craig(very knowledgeable master in Kendo and other Jap. MA) says “you get some idea of what they are capable of” .

[Karategurl]

Hey MFGQ im in the same boat you are... trying to decide to go train in another martial art.. however i have been doing goju ryu for almost a year now so i definitly have the basics down. Though wonder if i should start a new MA before or after i get my black belt 3 yrs from now..

[VinnieDaChin]

bjj is the way to go!

[WannabeChamp]

Hi to all!!

 

I have a problem, i am now practising goju ryu karate, but i wanted to practice another martial art to compliment it, i was thinking on something like brazilian jiu jitsu, but my sensei told me that i should do a martial art good and then when i have experience then try other martial arts to help me develop some skills but have like a principal martial art and others to compliment it... what do you think about that?

Well I wouldn't think of it till I was atleast a 1st degree black belt. Sure at first you'll have advantages but you'll find that the serious black belts who later "cross train" do better and seem to learn faster. I'd listen to your sensai belive me I want to pick up jujitsu/judo but I must first master my current tas before trying to master another..

[ladyj]

I think it's great to want to branch out and compliment the current style but you should be very careful when doing this. What generally happens or from what I have seen as an instructor, most students who branch out unless they are a seasoned black belt tend to mix the techniques. Most students can not separate the two styles and so the techniques they will become an odd mixture, and you will not progress at either style.

[aefibird]

I'd say to wait until you were a brown or black belt before training in another style. However, cross training can be beneficial at earlier stages as long as the two MA's that you are studying are so different that you couldn't get them mixed up.

 

What evrer you decide to cross-train in, good luck!

[SloMo]

I envy anybody who can find the time to train in two arts at the same time!

 

Another thing to be careful of is where the two arts moght not compliment each other. It could be as simple as the way a stance is done. A lot of MA is based on body learning. Your body "knows" how to fall into a particular stance without you having to think about it. But is the two styles do a stance that are similar to each other you could wind up doing it incorrectly for one style. Not to say it cannot be done. If you have the time to devote to it then I that's great!