There are many people who want to learn two martial arts at once, and with the increased amount of martial arts out there, many people do. It’s understandable when you want to find the best martial art for you, and it can be a bit intimidating when you don’t know everything about the one you’re currently studying. Also, some schools may frown upon you learning a second martial art out of frustration.
However, picking up a second martial art is not really that big of an issue. You see, if your first martial art is a striking or grappling art style (like karate, boxing, or Silat), then learning another striking or grappling style will only add to your skillset.
Let’s say your first martial art is Silat, a form of martial arts( What is Silat?). Silat is a good all-rounder striking art and it teaches you how to strike and defend well. If you were to go for another striking style like Krav Maga, kung fu, Wing Chun, or muay thai, then you will simply learn additional striking combinations and fighting tactics that may help expand your knowledge base for karate as well.
If your first martial art is one that can be used in conjunction with a weapon (like silat), then learning another weapon-based style is always useful.
Why pick up another martial art?
Because most martial arts are too specialized, picking up another martial art will allow you to become more versatile and get another perspective.
The best example I can think of is Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. BJJ is all about taking martial artist down to the ground and beating them up with submission holds (arm bars, shoulder locks, chokes etc.), while Muay Thai is all about standing up and striking someone with punches and kicks.
Now if you’re in a fight and your opponent wants to take you down, but you’ve trained in BJJ, then you’ve got some pretty good chances of beating him on the ground. However, if he’s just a better fighter than you or if he’s stronger then he may still be able to beat you on the ground. But now what happens if you’re able to stand up? If he proves to be a weak fighter on his feet, then you should have a significant advantage in fighting him.
So basically by training in multiple martial arts styles, one for standing up and one for grappling on the ground, you increase your odds of being able to deal with any situation that might come your way.
What is MMA?
MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts which is where your one training consists of a combination of different styles of martial arts. MMA is an excellent idea for self-defense training. I personally know two people who were attacked and defended themselves, both with success. One of them was a black belt in Taekwondo and the other had been doing boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
MMA, as opposed to traditional martial arts, will focus on all aspects of combat more than just one, which is a huge advantage in real-life circumstances. A boxer can be taken down by a wrestler and then defeated on the ground. A wrestler can be counterattacked by strikes while trying to close the distance to take his opponent down, etc. Therefore knowing how to box, kickbox, wrestle and Jiu-Jitsu is extremely useful.
I think no system is better than another since they all have their advantages and disadvantages but that being said, from my experience MMA fighters are more well-rounded in terms of striking, wrestling, and submissions (not necessarily every single detail of each art).
Conclusion
The biggest thing you have to remember while learning two martial arts at once is that you can potentially end up spreading yourself too thin. That’s why it is especially recommended that beginners stick to one martial art for a year or two before looking into learning other styles. Once you’ve learned the very basics of your first style and understand it well, then you should be ready for something new. When looking for Kids martial arts and Adult Martial Arts Warrior Silat Martial Arts in Springfield, Ohio is a great option for advanced and beginning martial artist!
