How Many Styles At Once?

[Tiger1962]

For me, I think two is the maximum. I don't like my attention and focus to be spread out over too many different things at one time. I guess it really boils down to knowing yourself and your abilities and determining just how fully you want to master each art's subtleties.

Ed

I agree and I add that they should be different styles otherwise it may easily creaty body mechancs confusion!

I agree.

[Mistassailant5]

I train in 3 martial arts. You have to work harder but I think it gives me an appropriate defense in more situations

[quinteros1963]

Take a look at some of the more sucessful fighters in the UFC. Machida, Silva, St. Pierre, and Jon jones. These guys balance multiple styes; some even have black belts in these styles. Therefore I say it is very possible. A very good friend of mine is an instructor and has black belts in various styles. He teaches all of them combined in one system (submissions, karate, weapons and hand to hand combat. I say it is very possible to learn more than one style.

[ninjanurse]

If they are all combined into one style isn't it then "one" style?

Does taking techniques from a style qualify as studying the style?

[bushido_man96]

Does taking techniques from a style qualify as studying the style?

It depends on the extent to which the style was studied before the techniques are "taken." Several styles can be studied for years at a time, and then the Bruce Lee motto of "take what is useful, discard the rest" can be applied. So I'd say this can vary.

[Nevinyrral]

And I'd say it depends on what styles someone choses. For example if you take karate, kickboxing and boxing then each one has something similar with the other and you can improve one by practicing the other.

[shikantaza]

Concentrate on full contact (jissen kumite) karate first. After a solid base, add judo/jiu-jitsu.

Amazing to me how the majority of karate-ka are not actually interested in learning how to fight (AKA self-defense), to learn to build confidence by managing fears and risks to injury: Nice that they pay tuition, but that's the down side of having to pay bills and make a profit.

[Groinstrike]

The system which i am part of attempts to take everything that is combatively effective no matter what the style is. In this vain, i suppose a person could blend together many styles at once. Thats the whole idea behind a system like Jeet Kune Do, keep what works, throw out what doesn't.

[brickshooter]

Assuming that there's 6 training days in a week, I'd say that 3 is the maximum. The reason is that I don't see how one can be effective training less than 2 times per week in anything.

[bushido_man96]

If you could train all 6 days. I'm having a good week if I get two days in at a class.