Practising multiple styles?

[parkerlineage]

My three cents about cross training:

1) Pick styles that will compliment your own. For example, it would be a waste of your time to take Tae Kwon Do, because it's so similar. Take a hand style, like a hardstyle karate, or a grappling style.

2) Make sure you're confident in your original style. I didn't even dream of cross training until I had been a black belt in my style for 3 years. Of course, I may have waited longer than I needed to, and it's probably different for everybody, but take it into consideration. Otherwise, you will end up messing up one or both of your styles.

3) Make sure your instructor is okay with it, first. Some old-school instructors aren't cool with you training around. I'm not saying it's good or bad either way, but make sure you're not going to burn any bridges you don't want to.[/i]

[Scotty]

^^ I agree totally here.

One of the biggest worries with cross training is confusion. I strongly advice everyone to not start thinking about another style until after they have reached a high level in their first style. I train in karate, and started to do some Wing Chun with a friend who taught me privately. However as my blackbelt in karate is coming up this winter, he has stopped teaching me so I can focus on the karate. The last thing I want is to show up on my black belt grading and use techniques from a different style!

[Myth]

Okay, I think the confusion part is quite completly out when I take for instance judo, as it is mostly grappling. And also I really wonder my instructor's view, as many people practising TSD used to practised judo first and then switched to TSD. And they have negative views on it mostly, probably they'd find it very strange that I would do judo...

Also judo, for as far as I know, won't provide more on the karate part, but at least, it would help on ground fights. Which is actually what I miss in Tang Soo Do, TSD is great without it, but I'm not

[alsey]

i think with TSD and judo you'll be fine. they're very different styles...you're not going to get confused between a roundhouse kick and a hip throw.

[Shotokan-kez]

I have always practised shotokan karate but i have always wanted to try TKD or thai boxing. I'm going for 1st kyu soon but i still don't feel ready to take on another MA. I have decided when i reach shodan i may look into TKD. I simply didnt want to get mixed up, i take my MA very seriously and wanted to concentrate on what i was doing. Many people though can cope quite well with different MA's, of course for me it was the financial side as well. Good luck with all your training!

Kez xx

[JMP MT]

At the martial arts school that I attended the teacher taught several martial art styles and had the students take them all right from the beginning, I stopped training there due to an injury and have since decided not to go back at all because I was not getting anything out of the training, could multiple styles from the start have been detrimental to my training?

[danbong]

Studying multiple styles can be very good for you, *but* studying multiple styles too early can be bad for your development. It's not just a matter of confusion. The big problem is it takes a great deal of concentrated effort to become truely skilled in just one style. To get really good you have to do a whole lot more training than just attending class. In fact, perhaps you should ask your instructor for a recommendation on how you should be training on the days you don't have class.

I think Parkerlineage has the right idea. If you train hard, about two or three years after you reach black belt you should be ready to train in another style.

[Azula]

Hello, I just started Aikido(white) and had been doing a style of Gosoku-Ryu for a couple of months now(yellow). Gosoku-Ryu is a style made up from Soke Takayuki Kubota, and he owns 54 dojos of which the dojo I go to is the headquarters and so I get some training from him everyday. The style is a mixture of Goju-Ryu karate, Shotokan karate, Aikido, and Judo.

Belt System for Gosoku-ryu:

White - no rank

Yellow 1st - 10th kyu

Yellow 2nd - 9th kyu

Orange - 8th kyu

Blue - 7th kyu

Purple - 6th kyu

Green 1st - 5th kyu

Green 2nd - 4th kyu

Brown 1st - 3rd kyu

Brown 2nd - 2nd kyu

Brown 3rd - 1st kyu

Azula

[bushido_man96]

Welcome to the forums, Myth! Glad to have you.

As far as your training questions go, I think cross training in judo would not give you too much trouble, as they cover different aspects. However, there is a lot of other good advice given here, so think about it, and decide on what you think is best for you.

Good luck in training!

[Azula]

Im considering mixing Aikido with Goju-Ryu style karate in the future. Would this be a good mix? could it be possible?