A question for true martial artist.?

Question

This was a question i was asked and it made me think, so maybe it will make you think.
What are some of the weaknesses of your style, and besides your art what would like to study and why?

I understand no art is better, but almost all of us feel a bigger pull from one art over the other.

EX.) i like kung fu, which i studied, and i also like judo, which i study
scince i have did kung fu longer, it is my reflexive defense.
But the techniques need to be updated.
i would like to study muay thai for its pwerful techniques.

Answer 1

a true martial artist knows the weaknesses in his and other styles and fixes it when they intergrate it into thier own style.being a martial artist isn't just about belts and styles it's about learning from someone whether it be the highest rank or the lowest rank.it's about learning from our mistakes and our experiences,it's about being staunch when were right but admiting it when were wrong,and when were wrong and it breaks something(its a metphor)we fix it without pointing the finger at anyone else.i could go on with this all day and the majority of ppl who read wont have a clue what i'm talking about because they are not most likely never will be ma.in short it's about the man or women inside not just the style or the application.a lot of ppl look up to martial artists and respect them,not just because thier scared but because they expect them to have morals,ethics and principles which most ppl lack these days.
being a martial artist is a way of life not just being able to hit or kick someone,martial arts is just a tool the martial artist uses to achieve his goals.

Answer 2

The weakness of my style is me. But as for the actual martial art itself then (and going on what people are saying, that a martial artist should know ground work, striking, grappling and throws) I would have to say that it has no weaknesses. As far as that can be said. It is a Kung Fu we have to learn everything. The kung fu is made up of 8 mother arts which contain everything needed. The knowledge can be supplemented but it is not found lacking. There is no other art I would like to study. Maybe learn a form or weapon that I thought have some good qualities to it but to go and put my all into another system, then no. No other is as appealing.

As for going to Muay Thai for more powerful kicks, maybe you just haven't been taught how to kick properly yet.

Answer 3

My "Root" style is Tae Kwon Do
But I must say up front The first school I attended,in 1970,was
like no other I have seen since.
The school was: "Master Young Ik Suh's Tae Kwon Do"
in Burbank,CA.
I never once saw a chest protector,head gear,or any of the
usual items seen in today's Tae Kwon Do schools.
We were never taken to "Tae Kwon Do" tournaments,only
"open style" tournaments,(Karate tournaments).
Our best Black Belt ,Ray Suapaia, won the "Internationals
Karate Tournament" at Long Beach Ca. defeating
Darnell Garcia for the "International Grand Champion" Trophy
It took two students to carry it out to our van.
We were taught "many" hand techniques,"spinning elbows"
and "sweeps"
You all are saying "this is all some thrown together stuff"
Well then explain how Master Young Ik Suh was the "current"
President of the American Tae Kwon Do association when I
Trained there.
After here I trained under Bill Ryusaki in kenpo Karate,then Grab Arts,Boxing,and back to Tae Kwon Do.
I was lucky that my first school was not the traditional
Tae Kwon Do school.
The weakness of Tae Kwon Do is in the 75% legs 25%
hands.Another is the restriction on hand techniques to the
face,in training and tournaments.another is the chest protector.Another is lack of ground skills.As a competitive sport Tae Kwon Do is fine,just like Boxing is fine.
But as a "Well Rounded" self defense system it is lacking.

Many years ago I was told by a "Top Professional" that
a "Good" Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do,with at least 10 years training in Western American Boxing makes for a well rounded fighter.
I think to some extent this still holds,but where are the
ground skills?

All styles have their pluses and minuses,only through
"Cross Training" can you achive a more complete system.

Answer 4

I train in Taekwondo and I belive that many people consider it useless and sport like because many people who practice Taekwondo would not be able to know how to use it in a fight like UFC or something. ITF is great for a quick self defence but many people use too much kicking when it's a real fight and not sparring. I have an urge to study all the martial arts: kenjitsu, iajitsu, karate, kung fu, jujitsu, judo, aikido, ninjitsu, taekkyon, etc.

Answer 5

Well i have studied jiu-jitsu, aikido, judo. And wrestled since 9. Obviously i am not a stand up fighter, although i can through my hands, i just prefer to do it on the ground, where the head takes the full force of the punch. I would match up best with a kick boxer or a boxer, but this would also be the most dangerous. I would have to be Leary of there hands knees and legs. I have learned to counter allot of these strikes, but you can always be caught.
I would say the perfect fighter would be trained in three disciplines, kickboxing for strikes, FREESTYLE wrestling for take downs, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu for submissions.

Answer 6

your right ... no single " traditional" art is better that the next but when efective things are pulled from those traditional style and incorporated with others also taking the fact that we are not in the 15BC i do believe that I what I study and what Frank shamrock and other MMA -ers & csw-ers do is the perfect new aged art for self defense...
I could just study Aikido ,Judo and mauy thai that would be sufficiant but I want to learn ground work too.
csw and mma has no week points its battle tested and made for fighting full contact like in real life. its not for everyone but its worth for others to at least give it a try and that way you can make an educated decission from there.

Answer 7

For me, I wouldn't mind learning some Muay Thai myself for more power in my strikes, Brazilian Jujitsu (for it's use of quick transitioning, and set up techniques) would definitely be in the top 5 disciplines that I'd like to study, and quite possibly a kung fu discipline like Wing Chun, or even Wushu (for the fluidity aspects for sharper techniques). maybe even some Shotokan, Goju Ryu, or Kenpo, there's quite a few that I'd love to study, just to add to my own repertoire.

Some of the weaknesses of what I've studied is often the "flashy" kicking techniques since Tang Soo Do and TKD are so similar in nature.

Hapkido does have some weaknesses ( like the ability to lock in a technique quickly) but it's a fairly well rounded discipline with it's direct nature.

Answer 8

WOW! A real question!!
I am a Shotokan instructor who has cross trained in a number of other styles as well, specifically to get rid of those weaknesses. In Shotokan, my opinion is that the style is too rigid and immobile. That rigidity makes for awesome power and stability, but the downfall is mobility. Performing kata, the stances are very wide and low, but once kumite comes around, I am upright and shortened- ready to move any direction I need to as quickly as I can.
GREAT Question- "Know yourself and know your enemy...in a thousand battles how can you lose?"
Sensei Cox

Answer 9

Well i wouldnt say my style has a weakness because its extremely well rounded except maybe that we do some risky moves that can pay off well but are risky of being counterpunched. But then again thats not really my styles weakness as much as mine because its really all about timing. You can do a tornado 540 on somebody just make sure they are recoiling or way past out of energy. Well there is one weakness now that i think of it. We dont know how to use hadokens

Answer 10

My main form is aikido...it's good in defensive points but it lacks the aggrressive attacks, which can be possibly required in some point in time. If I were to study some other art, I think I would study BJJ, because of it's realistic impressive attacks, which will also not take me away from the joint manipulations like in aikido...i can still learn new locking variations.