More than 1 style!?!

[Dobbersky]

How can anyone study more than 1 style for a substained length of time without them merging into one by the individual.

I at one time studied Ashihara Karate, Muay Thai, Tang Soo Do, Jujitsu and Aikido all at the same Time!!!

i found that many of the styles had overlaps so I started to "drop" the arts 1 by 1 depending on what I felt was necessary.

I practice 1 style, my style, which is now a hybrid of everything I have done before.

Does anyone else feel the same or does anyone practice mutiple style WITHOUT any issues or "contradictions in the techniques or Kata/Forms

Thanks

[tallgeese]

No. Easy answer.

While I have, on multiple occasions, studied multiple arts, I've never "kept them straight".

Quite frankly, I've never tried. For the longest time, my sole goal with martial arts was combative efficiency, this means that stylistic boundaries are a distant secondary concern to building a working aggression response.

Even now, when my primary focus is BJJ, my self defense response is a flow between my other arts and ground work. It's been highly beneficial, in that regard, to not strive to separate arts.

But again, it depends on your goal. I've grown past the "there is only one reason to train" phase. Depending on what you're doing it for, that effort might make sense.

[ps1]

I hold black belts in 3 very different systems, teaching certificates in 4 weapon systems, and a brown belt in BJJ.

I could easily teach each system on it's own. Not a problem.

That said, for my personal use, I have merged what I like from each system. But that's because I know what works for me, my body style, my flexibility, my strength and speed. I know I like grappling alot. I used my footwork from shotokan along with the speedy kicks from kung fu in order to get in range for the clinch. Once there, I use BJJ almost exclusively. But that may not work for everyone.

I feel instructors do a disservice to their students when they don't separate the information for the student to decide what works best for them.

[tallgeese]

ps1, I gotta give you props for keeping everything delineated. I'll tell you flat out right now that I can't tell you exactly the line between the two forms of kempo I hold rank in. I'd have a hard time teaching each individually.

That said, if someone comes and trains with me, they are getting a set of tactics that have been field tested and work in combative situations. If the student is looking for self defense as a goal, then there's really no disservice done. when we talk about letting students choose for themselves, this too is an acceptable approach, just with less clear lines of lineage. Guys looking to train traditionally aren't really lining up to train the places I do anyway. Again, we look at what the goals of the students are.

For me, I take the principles from Bujin, and the mindset from Gokei (my two kempo based arts) as the most fundamental parts of my response paradigm. Tactics from both (which overlap considerably) get used as needed. My hands and elbows are heavily influenced by my time in boxing and MT respectively. Clinch work from my dirty boxing phase of mma. Past that, I too have come to relay almost exclusively on my BJJ once tight.

Kicking has become less and less of an option for me lately (although I did my fair share in my first are and later in MT) . Largely due to the environment I work in. When I deploy martial arts, it's usually at work, meaning a bat belt full of gear, heavy boots, and body armor. This makes kicking challenging, even low line stuff. Given the crash and close mentality of a lot of guys you run into, picking feet up just isn't as safe an option as resorting to BJJ. It's also much more in line with the eventual control I'm expected to exercise on a suspect.

So my responses have changed to match the environment. The same will happen (maybe for different reasons) for students as well. Everyone will match up their needs to the background of arts they've studied. While studying multiple arts is a great way to do this, training with an individual who has done so, and can present multiple options in a codified and sensical manner isn't a bad thing either.

[sojobo]

Personally, I'd rather be a good 4th dan in one style, rather that a 1st dan in 4 different styles.

But to each their own.

Sojobo

[tallgeese]

Certainly, there's nothing wrong with that. And nothing will give you an in depth understanding of a certain aspect of fighting that attaining that level of commitment to an art.

Depending on your goals, this may be the perfect avenue for someone. The downside to this, if it's in your goal set to be well rounded, you might not have certain aspects covered. For instance, a 4th dan in karate probably won't make you real proficient in ground work. Attaining the ability to fight professionally in an MMA gym won't give you weapons skills. You'll need to look outside a single art if you want prep in multiple areas to a degree past the most basic idea of that specialty.

But again, it's about one's goals.

[ShoriKid]

The only systems I've trained that I could completely separate were so wildly divergent that it wasn't hard to do. Stand up work isn't that hard to keep divided from ground work. Past that, it gets really hard to keep things clearly divided. I've always found myself looking at material from the different arts and wondering where it fits into the other. And where it fits into my over all approach to a fight/self defense.

I think that's a normal progression for anyone who is training seriously in multiple systems. Things blend in application, if not in instruction, as a natural way the mind works. If it's ingrained thoroughly, it's going to come out when it's needed. Not when you're thinking, "Okay, the TKD kicking method fits here, but then I need to switch stance to use my boxing footwork."

When we slip between two things that are being taught that have very similar methods of execution, but with enough difference in approach to matter we say we're getting chocolate in our peanut butter. Two really good things we love separately that go great together.

[Dobbersky]

Personally, I'd rather be a good 4th dan in one style, rather that a 1st dan in 4 different styles.

But to each their own.

Sojobo

Sojobo-san, lol, in which one of the styles that you practice is this statement aimed at hehehehehe

[bushido_man96]

Personally, I'd rather be a good 4th dan in one style, rather that a 1st dan in 4 different styles.

But to each their own.

Sojobo

I can see your point here. But, I don't think that just because one spends times in multiple styles means that their overall skill level is being diluted. Yes, it does become tougher to devote more time to one of the styles, but, like tallgeese has mentioned, one's goals have to be kept in mind when doing things like this.

As to answer the OP, when I do TKD, its easy to just do TKD in class. The curriculum, and the adherence to it, makes this pretty easy. But, there are times when I'm working on something, and I can see a place where something I've learned in DT, Hapkido, or Aikido, might be good in a transition, or in facilitating a technique or finish. I think as one continues to grow and learn, its only natural for one to become his own style, and to apply things thus.

[sensei8]

Can it be done? Sure, but keeping each MA true to itself without interacting, I believe that would be a challenge, even for the most seasoned practitioner.

Intertwining the arts one is learning/had learned is natural in any MA because the desire to make whatever one has learned/learning their own, well, that would be difficult to resist. If one is to be honest with themselves.

Every Shindokan practitioner is encouraged to taste and see that the other MA's are good, or at least worth trying 'it' on for size.

I learned TKD at the same time I was learning Shindokan. Yes, I already was a junior black belt, but nonetheless, I took 1 year of TKD at the same time as Shindokan. That wasn't easy for me to do. The dominate art was Shindokan and not TKD because Shindokan is my core style. I was always wanting to bring TKD into Shindokan and vice versa because they both appealed to me.

I'd do some Shindokan during a TKD class and vice versa but my Dai-Soke and GM Young Ik Suh allowed it, but only during free open workouts, not while I was in class. I respect both arts and I still use them both whenever I feel it's necessary.

Good luck and please let us know how it's working out for you.