How to Cross Train Martial Arts | ART OF ONE DOJO

In the landscape of martial arts debates, spiraling around the topic of which art is better than which art, a segue into the discussion of cross-training is inevitable. I get messages all the time with people asking for advice about mixing arts together, so today we're going to explore how cross-training makes you better at martial arts and how to get the most out of it. So why do we cross-train, and how does it make us better at the martial arts? Well, we've stated this before, but every martial art has its own area of focus and specialized training. While many arts can have multiple focuses, there isn't a single art that covers all aspects of training at a top level. It's a balance of knowing your goals and matching them up with the arts that provide a focus that aligns with those goals. Today's video aims to help that transition into cross-training or offering some tips to enhance those of you who already are. Now we're going to look at some of the obstacles you're going to face, some behaviors you absolutely want to avoid, and some tips on how to effectively blend multiple arts together. Learning how to overcome obstacles is one of the most valued skills a martial artist can employ. Obstacles are everywhere, whether they be life challenges, scheduling conflicts, or another person physically trying to harm you. And one of the hardest obstacles, however, I feel is our own perception and expectations. We are creatures of habit, and when we get used to doing something one way, a gear shift can be jarring. This is a reality in cross-training. When you have experience or familiarity in one art and you cross-train into something different, you are bound to face a little bit of culture shock. Class traditions, warm-ups, lesson structure, and even technique application may be completely different than what you were used to at your previous school. And that's totally fine, and this serves as a great mental exercise for us to learn to adapt to a new situation. This is especially true if the two arts you're training in are drastically different from another. If you come from a boxing background and you're going into traditional karate or going from a weapons art into BJJ, it's going to be a very different experience. And it's okay to feel like a beginner. Heck, I don't know about all you guys out there, but I find that I learn more when I realize I don't know much. It's okay to feel like a novice, which just means you are encountering new information, and this is an opportunity to process it and hopefully pick up some new knowledge. If you are taking two arts that are really similar, then a good exercise would be to compare the differences. I have talked to some people who are going to two different MMA schools or two different Shotokan schools. Perhaps one is more competitive based and the other one more self-defense. It may be worth taking a step back and comparing the systems side by side to determine if there's enough differences to justify investing your time there. Another big obstacle is that in many cases, if you have experience in one martial art and you start training in another, a lot of ideas, principles, and applications may outright contradict what you have previously learned. This too is okay. These are all opportunities to step outside of your comfort zone and look at things from a different perspective. Learn a new way, examine why it's done that way, and compare it to what you learned. What are the similarities and differences? Remember when you cross train, you're not replacing what you've learned, but rather adding to it, so embrace that change. This seems very simple and obvious, yet it's also very easy to fall into this trap. If you are someone who has spent 10, 15, 20 years or more in an art, and then you go out to a new school, it's not so easy to leave your previous training at the door. It's likely going to stick with you and emerge in many drills. And that's fine, as long as you recognize this and can keep it in check. There's another point to this that I want to address because I have unfortunately seen this happen on multiple occasions. I don't care what rank or experience you have in another art, when you start over at a new school, do not impose your previous training onto lessons being taught to you. Many instructors will value and respect what you've already learned, so try to show the same respect to them. If they do a similar technique differently than what you already know, follow along with how they teach it, and then ask relevant questions if you feel that you want to follow up. Maybe there's a reason it's different, maybe it's better than the way you did it, or maybe not. Perhaps it's specific to an individual circumstance. You joined the school to learn new things, so try a different perspective. If you still feel it's not the way you prefer to do it, fine, make a mental note of that. Again, it doesn't replace or overwrite what you already know, it's additional information, and it's up to you to choose what you want to retain. But being that guy that says, actually it's done like this, doesn't show class, it just makes you an ass. Now if you truly do have a question or conflict with the material, then talk to the instructor about it, in private. After class, explain your concerns on the differences. Perhaps there's more insight to get on it, but don't be that jerk that corrects the instructor in front of the class. Don't teach or instruct a class unless you've been asked to do so, or got permission from the instructor. It's okay to share ideas when the time is appropriate, but don't just start instructing, correcting, or leading other students because you feel that you know better. Remember, your classmates are trying to learn their own material, so throwing a new material unsolicited is not always appreciated. Additionally, just because you are a black belt in another art, doesn't mean you're qualified to correct or teach students in a new art yet. Don't pull your previous rank, don't abuse the new students, don't challenge the higher rank students or the Otherwise, why are you even there? One of the keys to cross training probably has to be the ability to take both arts that you learn and mesh them together so that they complement each other. If you stick around to the end of the video, I'll tell you how I was able to adapt my Kempo to MMA classes that we had, and also how I currently blend it with Jiu Jitsu. If you choose to start a different art in order to fill a hole or weakness, then this process may be easier. This is one reason why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and other grappling arts blend extremely well to striking arts. A strong ground game mixed with a strong stand-up system can be a winning combination. So the first thing to do is identify the focus of each art, make a list of the strengths and weaknesses of each, and see if one art's strength can fill in another art's weakness. In the grappling and striking scenario, the switch is pretty easy. You stay on your feet, you know, using what you know, but if the fight goes to the ground, well then you switch to that material that excels in that. But it's not always about flipping a switch. You may not always be exclusively in boxing mode and then flip a switch and then suddenly be in Shotokan mode, or flip a switch and be in Judo mode. Learning when to use which technique can be one of the most important aspects of cross-training. This means that you should experiment, blend ideas together, swap moves out, and try to see how they work in a pressure-tested scenario such as sparring. You may find that you prefer a set of blocks for Muay Thai, but you like the kicks in Tae Kwon Do. Maybe you like Kempo sequences, but you want to apply more boxing strikes into the mix. Or maybe you are learning a weapons art that you want to blend with a foundational art. Learn both and start mixing and swapping to see what gels and what doesn't. Try to look at things from a different perspective too. You might not always realize similarities at face value. For example, most MMA or BJJ guys feel that they don't need to learn Wing Chun, but a lot of the same concepts overlap. Wing Chun is also known for Chi Sao, or Sticky Hands Drills, which teaches sensitivity, draining, and flow drills. It may seem completely different, but it can be incredibly useful when rolling in BJJ because much of grappling stems from the ability to feel your opponent shift weight, telegraph moves, and you should be able to sense and read direct moves and find the path of least resistance. So what do Wing Chun and BJJ have in common? Well, they both train in sensitivity and reading your opponent, and you should be able to conduct a sparring or rolling match in both with your eyes completely closed. They may be distinctly different arts at face value, but sometimes a change in perspective can help you find overlapping concepts that will fortify your technique and fighting skills. So how did I make my personal blend work? I trained in traditional Ed Parker Kenpo for several years before we switched over to Kenpo 5.0 by Jeff Speakman, and this added in a lot of ground techniques. This was very valuable because we learned how to transition from stand up to ground fighting. You know, the best way to defend against ground fighting is to learn how to ground fight. Saying, oh, well, I don't need to learn that because we do X, Y, Z instead, can sometimes leave you vulnerable. My instructor brought us concepts from MMA as he started to train his fighters, so we'd have separate MMA classes back to back with our Kenpo classes. The traditional technique sequences weren't always working in MMA sparring, but he taught us the principles of what each Kenpo technique specifically taught and then showed us how to apply the same ideas in an MMA environment. When I started with Japanese Jiu Jitsu, it was so different than Kenpo, but it opened a completely different door. It helped me understand stand up grappling, limb manipulation, throws, and restraints better. Kenpo has some Judo infused in it, so I saw a lot of overlaps, but I found that each art really complemented the other. I found that I could use Kenpo moves and strikes to position my opponent into more favorable positions for throws and takedowns, and I learned how to use limb manipulation and grappling to make better Kenpo transitions. It was truly an eye-opening experience, and I continue to be amazed at how well the material can blend if you just spend a little bit of time with it. I did teach a seminar a couple of years ago that is available exclusively for our Patreon and YouTube Black Belt members that demonstrates some ideas on how to use Jiu Jitsu and Kenpo together, and you can sign up on our membership pages for access to that. I would, of course, love to hear your experiences and tips on when it comes to cross-training. What are some of the weirdest combinations you've played around with and got working? I'd love to hear your stories below. If you want to expand on this, we did an episode that covered attending seminars and how to get the most out of them to enhance our own training, so be sure to check that one out. Thanks for watching!