Rounding out as a fighter?

Question

I have recently become fascinated with self-improvement and martial arts and would like to explore some styles.

I have done Tae Kwon Do for over 6 years, but I feel that in my current dojo there is a lack of competition and ways to test myself.

I was researching Wing Chun and I am now very interested in the style and it's philosophies. I have found a Sifu who I think might be very good as he trained directly under Sifu Lo Man Kam, and believes that the key to using Wing Chun in a fight successfully is the mastery of and knowing when to be soft or hard. So I am going to take a look into this school this Thursday and I am looking forward to it very much.

However I still have a thirst for more. What is another style that would cover for all the weaknesses within my base of Tae Kwon Do and my new fascination with Wing Chun?

I'm thinking about Aikido because I have found a sensei in Aikido who was an apprentice and preferred partner at international seminars of Morihiro Saito. The only problem is that the dojo is a bit far from where I live...

Answer 1

Your interest in Wing Chun is great actually. I'm not in Wing Chun, but I've been taking Tae Kwon Do just as you have. I recently stopped TKD, and I have moved on to two other arts.

The answer is simple: Try Wing Chun out for yourself. Take some classes, and see if you like it. You have enough Martial Arts experience to determine whether or not you like the curriculum, and that's not about style necessarily.

My brother and his best friend (Who live in Kentucky while I live in Florida) both do Wing Chun as their base art for hand striking, and Tae Kwon Do as their base art for leg striking. They read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do early on, and they know effective fighting in all ranges not because they took those two styles, but the Tao taught them to become fluid in what they know. They've moved on to Jujutsu, Muay Thai (Which has now put them at a point where low kicks are essential weapons), Capoeira, and a little wrestling. It isn't about the styles though: It's about the fighting ranges.

Tae Kwon Do is a great standup style when it is taught correctly. Any style can be good when taught correctly, and is practical for the person in question.

It's great that you want to keep moving on, and you understand that your art (And hopefully that every art) has perks and flaws based on its nature.

I think you should take Wing Chun, but I will tell you about what I'm taking currently:
Kyukido is a Korean martial art. It means "The sudden burst or explosive force that comes from succesful execution of any fighting technique." It combines concepts from Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido in the beginning, and it later moves on to Judo and Jujutsu concepts. The groundfighting isn't too great, but it is sure to help you in the close range, as it teaches throwing and entry-level grappling.

I'm also taking Hapkido. It's a Korean art (That I am 90% sure you've heard of before :p) that is centered around striking, submissions, throws, and joint locks/ joint manipulation. Aikido and Hapkido are both derived from the same Martial Art: Daito- Ryu Aikijujutsu.
It's a good complement not only because the striking has similar properties to Tae Kwon Do (Though it is more about the hip because the kicks are defensive [You strike to stop your opponent, so than you can apply one of many joint locks/submission/joint manipulation/throws]), but because a good school will teach throwing, and submissions, adding more to your fighting. Of course, that isn't very style dependent because you can learn the same thing in Jujutsu, Wrestling, Sambo, Systema, and so on.

I know after I am proficient in both styles, I still will not be well in all fighting ranges. I plan on moving to grappling, and hopefully some more striking. Wing Chun is great in my opinion (My brother and his friend had some psychotically quick hands! :P), but no schools near me: Wah Wah Wahhhh... :p
But I do have BJJ and Japanese Jujutsu. That might be next! ^_^

You should really just look for a good school, a good teacher, and look for what fighting ranges you want to be proficient in. You don't have to be well off in all, but that is a desirable trait.

Good luck.

Answer 2

If you've learned about Wing Chun and you are very interested in it, why not start there with your pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement?

I, personally, started off on a path similar to yours and I found Wing Chun through a friend. It's a great art that, when you study seriously, can certainly fill any gap that you may have in your initial training.

If you are looking for a particular style or feel...then you may want to figure out what it is that you are looking for and start there. If you want more grappling, look into brazilian jiu jitsu. If you want more of something else just think about what it is and start researching. However, I do feel a need to say that once you've trained long enough in Wing Chun you'll find that they do cover all of the bases.

Answer 3

Yeah, whatever you're interested in, study. Follow your interests and you'll gain a lot out of the styles. If you study something you're not interested in, you won't.
So, you take Tae Kwon Do, a Korean style, and are expanding with a Chinese style, Wing Chun. If you have the time, you can expand that further with a Japanese style (you mentioned Aikido) an Okinawan Karate (Isshinryu, Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu) and even a western style like Fencing or Boxing.

Answer 4

Well Muay Thai would be a good change of pace for you along with Judo or Jujitsu to cover the grappling aspect, or if you're not into Muay Thai, western boxing would also be good for balancing your mostly kicking techniques in TKD. Although if the credentials of the Aikido sensei you mentioned is genuine, then I'd definitely recommend you take that despite the distance, since Saito sensei is one of the original students of the founder along with Gozo Shioda who teaches Aikido techniques as close to the art as the founder taught them, meaning with practical hard application and not the watered down version seen in most dojos today.

Answer 5

I recommend looking into hapkido which would be a nice fit for your TKD background, not be overly oppositional to lessons learned in Wing Chun and meet your hard/soft and competitive wishes.

Hapkido has a nice fit of grappling, striking, blocking styles, and of course locks and throws. Progressive (or Modern , or sometimes Combat ) Hapkido also tend to include study of firearms i.e. today's weaponry. Hapkido also includes falls, and rolls both absent or largely unimportant to both TKD and Wing Chun. A variety of conventional hand to hand weapons are normally covered in a the curriculum of a hapkido student.


To those wishes I add my own - best wishes.

Answer 6

Id say you are on your way to being one. The ability to kick, elbow, and knee is going to be less important than your ability to defend kicks, elbows, and knees. So you may want to look into a little Muay Thai later on down the road when you get better at boxing and Jiu-Jitsu. If for no other reason than to learn some defense. You also probably want to look into learning a some takedowns. I have no problem as a Jiu-Jitsu guy admitting most of us have crap takedowns compared to other grappling styles. If you are still in high school take advantage of the opportunity to wrestle while you have the chance, pick boxing and BJJ back up in the off seasons. The opportunity to learn wrestling after Highschool is rare. I've run into some really good BJJ guys who wished they had wrestled in HS. If you're not in HS look into some Judo(again later on down the road).

Answer 7

Hapkido

Adapted from the orginal Aikido and teaches you proper self defense including defense against all other martial arts

Answer 8

YES! MUAY THAI! actually, how about capeoira?

Answer 9

I would suggestone of four styles.
kajukenbo
jujitsu
kenpo
judo