Two art dilema .....

[karatekid1975]

Thanks

[HAPKIDO-KID]

You can only give true mening to one art at a time, get your bb in TKD, then venture into JJ.

Then choose one art, it is unwise to walk more than one path at a time!

[Ottman]

Hapkido-Kid, I'm sorry, but I have to completely disagree with you. Cross training in different arts has done nothing to hinder my training at all. In fact the exact opposite is true. The path we walk on (that I walk on anyway) is not split up by different styles. It is the path of a martial artist trying to be the best he can be, and every different style I study only helps me refine my skills. Right now I am actively studying TKD, BJJ, Kendo, Capoeira, and Jeet Kune Do principals, all simultaneously, and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm even thinking of adding Aikido to the mix as well. Studying all of these different styles gives me a way to sort out what works for me and what doesn't, and allows me to find true meaning in my own martial arts.

[Red J]

KK,

I think you should stick with TKD and definitely get ranked as BB. You are so close. From there you should re-access what you want to do.

Just a thought, since your instructor is an hour away, you may want to explore schools that have a heavy JJ flavor along with the stand up. That way you would have the best of both worlds. You never know when a new teacher will show up (my experience has been it's when the student is ready). In your case your previous experience has gotten you to this point in your journey and who really knows where it will take you. You are one who, IMO, is enjoying the ride.

You don't know how many hits it will take to incapacitate someone, but you do know that if you throw them to the ground and apply a choke or submission, they cannot hit you back, and you will have control of the situation. I believe it's only natural for someone experienced in striking arts to gravitate towards grappling and throwing arts once they understand the limitations of striking as a defensive tactic.

I'm following you here and would like to add that a well rounded MA could and probably would transition between hitting/striking/felling/grappling to control the situation with the proper amount of force needed.

Striking is for offense. Grappling and throwing is for defense. I like to be proficient in both just in case,

I'm getting this too, but you can hardly say that throwing someone to the ground and choking them out or submitting them is defensive. Grappling and felling can be extremely offensive but yet at the same time be defensive in the way of a lock or hold as you alluded to as opposed to a knock out blow. The same could be said about striking/kicking. A shot to the solar plexus versus a stike to the throat comes to mind or a stop kick to the hip to break balance versus a snap to the groin. I'm not really disagreeing with you, just your semantics. And yes, I also like proficiency in each and would recommend it to any serious MA.

[Red J]

Of course it all falls under the title of "Self Defense".

[karatekid1975]

KK,

I think you should stick with TKD and definitely get ranked as BB. You are so close. From there you should re-access what you want to do.

Just a thought, since your instructor is an hour away, you may want to explore schools that have a heavy JJ flavor along with the stand up. That way you would have the best of both worlds. You never know when a new teacher will show up (my experience has been it's when the student is ready). In your case your previous experience has gotten you to this point in your journey and who really knows where it will take you. You are one who, IMO, is enjoying the ride.

Thanks Red J I had to take a short break from MA do to a knee injury, so I had a lot of time to think (still am, actually). I may start a new thread in the Korean forum about what I'm thinking about. We'll see. But thanks for your advice

[Ottman]

Striking is for offense. Grappling and throwing is for defense. I like to be proficient in both just in case,

I'm getting this too, but you can hardly say that throwing someone to the ground and choking them out or submitting them is defensive. Grappling and felling can be extremely offensive but yet at the same time be defensive in the way of a lock or hold as you alluded to as opposed to a knock out blow. The same could be said about striking/kicking. A shot to the solar plexus versus a stike to the throat comes to mind or a stop kick to the hip to break balance versus a snap to the groin. I'm not really disagreeing with you, just your semantics. And yes, I also like proficiency in each and would recommend it to any serious MA.

I understand where you're coming from Red. The point I was making was that I think that it's a lot easier to act defensively with throws and locks than it is with strikes. I came to this conclusion after starting BJJ, and understanding the contrast between striking arts, and grappling arts (which I'll use to encompass all non-striking styles), and I also am not disagreeing with what you've said.

Sure you can control the force with which, and the area you decide to strike, but in all, striking is a more hostile activity. You can use it for defense, but you still have to batter someone, regardless of how much power you use, in order to use a strike. While you can certainly cause major damage with throws, locks, and chokes, it's easier (IMO) to control the hostility of a situation with grappling arts than with striking arts. Rather than get into a striking battle with an opponent, in which adrenaline levels rise, and therefore control usually declines, using grappling techniques to stop that type of escalation is, in my mind, far more defensive, and far more in contol method of handling the situation than using striking. I guess I'm coming at it from more of an Aikido school of thought, but then that's where the semantics come in don't they? I personally, would reserve the use of striking as a last resort on the street, partly because I don't wish to hurt anyone and feel I can better prevent injury to an opponent using grappling methods, and partly because self defense laws for martial artists in most states seem to favor the criminals, rather than the victims. I don't want to get pinned with any 'assault with a deadly weapon' charges in the act of defending myself just because I have a black belt in TKD. But this is a whole other issue, so I'll stop myself before going off on some crazy rant about self defense laws.

[karatekid1975]

Ok, I'm not agrueing that stuff here. But I do have to say that I'm taking a break from TKD. Indefinitely? I don't know. I'm going to take another month off, and see ..... Meanwhile, I'll still do Jujitsu once per week.

[johnnymac]

well here's my 2 cents.

I would get BB in TKD then walk away and practice Jujitsu. The reason for this is because at least you would have the satisfaction that you made BB in TKD, and that experience will help you in Jujitsu more than you know.

John

[Red J]

Ok, I'm not agrueing that stuff here. But I do have to say that I'm taking a break from TKD. Indefinitely? I don't know. I'm going to take another month off, and see ..... Meanwhile, I'll still do Jujitsu once per week.

Keep us updated. I also agree with johnnymac. The TKD BB will be an accomplishment that you will deserve. I know how close you are.

Anyway, sorry for the mini-hijack of your thread.