[QUOTE=Shossain;741158] in my opinion it is possible to be a master without cross training and winning against people doing cross training..
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Very true. I’d wager some of the best masters would be those that kept to their bread and butter.
But at the same time, if you really enjoy MA, and not just one particular MA, dabbling here and there gives you a wider scope of MA appreciation. Plus, it really shows you how much many MA’s have in common, and it opens up options in the forms/drills you already practice. It kind of broadens the horizon, so to speak.
Question. So how long should one practice on art before training in another. ? 6 months of J.J then 4 months of Kempo followed by etc..Kempo instructor would say achieve brown belt before attempting anything else.. So where would the line be drawn ? Old question: when practicing new style: Praying Mantis . cross train with forms known from previous style and modify the form itself to suit the new style ? . Cross training is an unlimited view ,and to me the only way.You would also read that in the day of the Samurai some fell into Zen Practice tea ceremony and even poetry and so on.. Did Chinese style suffer the same sissyfication? . So many questions so pass the bottle.
I would say: keep each style it’s own style. Do your Longfist the way your Longfist teacher says, and don’t mix in some kempo. Power distribution does change between styles, so to maximize it, you have to keep to structural basics. But then play with them in your own way, to make them natural for you. They might actually blend, who knows? You’ll learn something. But usually, cross-training really improves your knowledge of fighting theory, whcih will really open up what you already know. You’ll see why certain things in Longfist are the way they art, and how they like/unlike Kempo, for instance. And you’ll often find…hey, I already knew that…I just didn’t know I did…I just do it slightly different.