Is it better to be in one type of martial arts, or more than one?

Question

Is it better to be in one type of martial arts, or more than one?

Answer 1

I am sure that the phrase “jack of all trades and the master of none” was not invented to be used for a person you were pleased with, for if you were, you wouldn’t, for sure, call him jack. You would definitely use something more euphemistic. For example, “someone who is more than decent in several fields but hasn’t really gained the expertise in many of them.” So no doubt, the phrase has a pejorative connotation. But this leads to the following important question - Is being a jack of all trades really inferior to being the master of one (or more)?

The choice is yours.

Answer 2

You can only chase one chicken at atime grasshopper..... Should you chase more than one??? They all go into only one pot my friend... Concentrate on one center and one center only.....

Answer 3

It depends.... for example, if you're good at Judo and Wrestling, that's great, but you would be far more effective with a striking art in your arsenal, diversity is good, but it gets redundant if you take many classes in grappling and none in striking, the same goes for Striking and no grappling. The point of being in many martial arts is to be well rounded, although, some details may be taken in, such as the circle walking in Bagua, the Kicks in Taekwondo, the Effectiveness in Krav Maga, all of those are striking arts but with vastly different concepts.

Answer 4

I think you should take a defense one where you can give them a blow and scare them off. My dad is a 2nd degree black belt in Taiki Odo Shod-On and is the sensai of the class.

Answer 5

if you are planning to fight mma is better to cross train, like that you can become a complete figther. i got thought judo and karate by my dad since i started walking, took a couple of boxing classes to have good stand up. but if your just focused on one specicfic categorie of martial art's stick to that one.

Answer 6

If your just starting out "def" just 1 for now. If you later choose to add a supplementary style then thats fine.

For instance Kungfu and Judo, or any other styles.

Make sure you build a good basis before starting another martial art or you will just confuse yourself.

GL

Answer 7

I would say more than one, I myself have studied 11 different syles of martial arts and I have my 2 favorites. It doesnt hurt to study and practice other forms if your not looking to rank. It also gives a broader view of your own ability. If you can match 2 styles of martial arts together and use them effectively you could be a force not to be taken lightly. Hapkido and Savate are my chosen styles and they prove very effective.

Answer 8

Diversity rules!  But you'll have to keep it straight for competitions right.

Answer 9

Mike Tyson only knows one "martial art," and in his prime he could have smacked the c**p out of any modern MMA fighter.  In China there is a saying;

"it is better to do one technique 10,000 times, than to know 10,000 techniques practiced only one time."

Kung Fu wisdom dictates that when a style gets too big, where will you find time to practice it?  The Shaolin monks had a diverse arsenal because they dedicated their entire lives to spiritual pursuits and Kung Fu, most of us will not at any point in time have that kind of time, and if you do have the misfortune of being unemployed after college, because you did not spend your childhood in the Shaolin temple, you will not have the mental or physical strength to train all day without doing damage to your body.

Even MMA fighters slowly built themselves up to where they are.  The ability to endure 8 hours of training only comes from years of practice and slowly building your way up there you know, even naturally athletic men and women need to slowly climb up to push their body's limits.  Its better just to pick one or two and get really good at them, or better yet just one period.

The most complete style, would have to be Shaolin Kung Fu, and if you combined the forms and techniques with the Charles Atlas system, you'll have it all man; strength, speed, agility, balance, coordination, focus, flexibility, the works.  Shaolin Kung Fu has 5 forms, each form dedicated to developing the body to handle a given aspect of a conflict.

One animal form develops speed, another develops power, another develops I believe mobility, still another develops agility, and though I'm not sure, the Dragon form is all about meditation, because I know the Dragon is an animal connected to "heaven" in Buddhism so it stands to reason that the Dragon form would be the meditative form in Shaolin Kung Fu although this is just speculation of mine, you'll have to call the Shaolin center in New York and ask them yourself.

So, let me see here; agility, speed, power, mobility, and focus.  One animal, for every aspect of fighting; in a nutshell that is Shaolin Kung Fu.

A Shaolin monk wants the agility of a monkey, the striking speed of a mantis (I believe its mantis in the south, but snake in the north), the power of a tiger, the mobile gracefulness of a crane, and the mental focus of the dragon.

If I had to answer that question it almost sounds like I'm trying to sell you Shaolin Kung Fu even though that b*****d Yang Ming isn't paying me!

Hey though I respect the martial art, despite the fact that Tai Chi Chuan is stronger and more effective in the hands of an expert.  I like Shaolin because of its completeness; most martial arts froms in most styles are restricted only to power, only to speed and so on.

Karate for example, is all about power delivered at maximum speed, but there is little in the form of evasive maneuvers, dodging, or mobility.  Hey for a guy built like a tank, like your typical Okinawan or a person of Hawaiian ancestry that works great but for the rest of us, we need something a little more 3 dimensional.  Ultimately though, whatever is available to you, is what's available to you, so just make do with what you've got and make it a point to practice.

What style you take up is worthless ultimately if you don't practice and meditate.

later.

Answer 10

I would say to master moves form various differant arts to eprfection. Take what is usefull to you, reject what isn't , add what is uniquely your own.

Answer 11

hi sorry about you lost cat

Answer 12

start with 1, after u have mastered it, then try another 1