Spread too thin?

[JoeBSU]

Does it strike anyone else as a little odd how some people study 5, 6 or even more MA's? I mean I completely understand the usefulness of knowing more than one style, but how good are you really going to get without focus?

[jedimc]

Does it strike anyone else as a little odd how some people study 5, 6 or even more MA's? I mean I completely understand the usefulness of knowing more than one style, but how good are you really going to get without focus?

Many have done them over time, some a couple at the same time, if you feel comfortable and got a deep pocket then go for it.

[1kickKO]

I study jujitsu and karate, but both out of the same style. I know that a few martial arts are good to crosstrain in, but there is a limit sometimes on people I believe where they can't focus..for me it would be about 3-4. I like to get good at just a couple things, than to vary at a lot of things and not be so good at all of them.

[Skeptic 2004]

This sounds like something I'm sure has been talked about before, but I'm relatively new here so I'll add my two cents.

 

(I'm sure this has been said before, but I'll say it again) In my opinion, before branching out into other styles, one should build a solid foundation in a single style. Building a good foundation in one art first hopefully builds one's ability to think critically about an art; once these thinking skills are mastered, they are easy to apply to other arts.

 

Cross training in other styles is very important in order to understand and appreciate your own foundation (or if you're one of the unfortunate progeny of McDojo to abandon it) and to facilitate your personal MA growth. In Okinawa once many of the old guys had trained under one style in their youth, building a solid foundation, they travelled and trained in something else; many ventured to China to learn other things. However, when cross training, I think people spread themselves too thin when they don't think critically about their MA and become "technique collectors" at best and "technique imitators" at worst. Knowing the techniques from six different styles or being able to imitate a move very well isn't a substitute for critical thinking skills.

 

At one time I was training AKS, BJJ, JKD, and Muay Thai all at once (I had just started training AKS and found a neighboring gym where the other three were being taught daily; I thought it would be a good idea to expose myself to as much as possible...I was young...and stupid...and still am ). Lacking a solid foundation in any of the four and not having developed any critical thinking skills in terms of MA I didn't take away much of anything. To this day I hardly remember anything I learned from any of them. I was spread too thin.

[krzychicano]

I dont know if I could ever do that. I know there are people that do it over a period of many years but to try and do multiple at once to me is a waste of time. JMHO.

[SevenStar]

I wouldn't see it as a waste of time as long as they don't conflict. For example, thai boxing and tai kwon do. different kicking methods, some different power generation methods, different sparring methods, etc. If you are training both at once, you may get confused, as one teacher tells you to do it one way, and the other teacher tell you another.

 

However, if they are two unrelated styles - thai boxing and judo, for example, there is very little crossover, and confusion shouldn't be an issue.

[shotochem]

Greetings,

 

 

 

My personal feeling is that you really need to become proficient in 1 art

 

(at least to BB level)before you start to dabble in others. If you branch out too soon you run the risk of not really understanding your base art. We all modify and adapt our own personal styles to some extent but when it comes down to it myself and the next Shotkan practicioner are still Shotokan. My son had trained with me in Shotokan then he switched to TKD. To his instructor whenever he would punch or go into stances he would still show

 

a little bit of Shotokan. His "Base" art. He still looks like TKD but when you look at him next to the others he looks slightly different.

[SevenStar]

what your son does is the exact reason why I said they should be unrelated styles.

[karatekid1975]

I studied three arts officially. When I took TSD, it was mixed with other stuff so that don't count LOL. Then I moved and started TKD. I studied Judo for a short time (hopefully getting back into that soon) while doing TKD. But I never studied more than two arts at once.

 

I think it would be very confusing, specially if the arts are very similar. I took totally different styles (Judo and TKD) and I thought they went well together, and didn't confuse me one bit.

[krzychicano]

I think taking two completely different arts at the same time is an even greater mistake. You could end up getting all confused and my personal belief is that they will end up having to choose one between the other because they both present a different focus point and any true martial art is a handful can you imagine taking two completely different systems and trying to memorize and master their forms and techniques.