Cross Training

We never thought of cross training, we just wanted to do as much as possible.
This article is about our experience in cross training.
The main reason why my brother Lun and I cross train in different arts is because the fact that we could be repressive martial artists!

We started Martial Arts in 1983,it was a style called Choshin Kai Karate at the local pub across from our parents' fish and chip shop. It was the upstairs of that pub I can always remember the smell of beer and cigarettes as we made our way up the stairs.

Choshin Kai Karate, as well as having elements of traditional karate was very free as in had elements of many styles such as Wing Chun and on occasions invited Thai boxers to spar. Our instructor was a guy called Ian Hansen,who I think became a policeman. Choshin Kai however was graded by none other than Steve Powell,who runs the JKD in Manchester today!It was this grounding in our first experiences that led us to be exposed to different arts and therefore respecting all arts.

In a way we were lucky that this karate school happened to be across the road from us. From an early age we realised that there was a lot to explore. However the club closed after a couple of years or so after we started(but we carried on elsewhere) and my brother was studying and helping out more and more in our busy chip shop. We did dabble in Chinese Kick boxing but it didn't give the same vibe as our previous class. My brother when he went to University did several styles on and off however it was not as consistent as we do now.

It was when I finished my degree that I seriously took up Martial Arts again with my brother. Eskrima,JKD,Capoeira,Brazillian Jiu Jitsu and stand up fighting are our current arts. However in the past four years we dipped into ITF Tae Kwon Do,WTF Tae Kwon Do,Wing Chun and Goju Ryu Karate.

However some people have asked why do so many when you can just concerntrate on one.
Well the answer to that is that we find it fun!The classes I go to our relatively cheap and they are convenient for me. To me some classes offer more than others in fact they all do.

Capoeria offers aerobic exercises and keeps you generally flexible. It works a lot on strengthening on all parts of the body, such as arms and shoulders for acrobatic purposes. It also helps with awareness and alertness in sparring. It can also improve footwork as the whole point of sparring (or playing the game as it is known in Capoeira) is to evade and attack. It is truly an "art" in a literal sense as we practice to perform and we don't really concentrate on the martial applications.

Eskrima offers me more of a Martial application. Warriors Eskrima covers stick, double stick, knife, sword and empty hand. Therefore offers good grounding in weaponry. It is very much more technique based, but the instructor is putting a lot more conditioning into it as a build up to our next grading.

JKD offers more emphasis on self defence techniques and focus mitt drills. Again very condition based training and as it is based on concepts they are many different elements of various martial arts are picked up including Silat, Thai Boxing etc. We also do a lot of pad-work in JKD.

Standup fighting/Brazillian Jiu Jitsu. I banded these together as it is taught by the same instructor. Stand up fighting offers great drills on attacking and defence elements derived from kick boxing and boxing and from the clinch. BJJ offers a great work out and helps us with our groundwork.

So the importance of cross training is to have a knowledge of several arts, my original plan was to eventually concentrate on one. As my plan was to pick one art from several like someone goes to University picking their favourite subject to study and stay in that field. However instead of having one I now want to learn several, money and time permitting! But in all seriousness I believe each of the arts I do has something benifical and different to offer.


Please comment on your thoughts on cross training.
Thanks
Kit