A while back, I got in a email disagreement with a taiji teacher. He informed me that if we ever met up, we could spar to settle the disagreement. But he was also quick to inform me that could include anything except going to the ground. He said he was no good at that. Now I ask you, had we have met up, what is the first thing you think I would have done? 
In order to be generally competent in fighting, you can’t be deficient in any one area. You may not be a specialist at all or even any particular area. But you can’t have gaping holes in what you’re capable of doing, especially if it’s likely that you will encounter those kinds of techniques. For example, not having ANY ability at ground grappling in today’s world is a pretty big risk, martially speaking.
And yet, this general competency goes against the grain of training seriously in one martial art. If you look at any traditional art, they become more and more specialized as they advance. In this respect, taijiquan and BJJ are no different. But if you continue to progress in that one art, there will be a pull to become more and more specialized, likely to the detriment of your overall abilities. You only have so much time, right?
So what are you going to do — be as widely and as generally competent as you can in meeting the widest variety of attacks or will you choose to specialize in one area? Are you comfortable being called a “jack of all trades, master of none” or will you choose a niche and say “I can’t master everything”?
15 responses so far ↓
1 Cyril // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Depends on what you are looking for. But if you are training for fighting you better be good in every way. Mastering shoulder strike is great but will lead you nowhere if that’s your only good move.
As a friend of mine is always saying : the last one standing is the winner. Everything else is meaningless.
2 William // Jul 9, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Dave,
I like to have a base art like Xingyi which oncludes the stand up and some grappling, mixing it up with Shuai Jiao and some understanding of BJJ. Few people have the time, talent or luck to start early in order to master more than one system, but that does not mean one should do just one thing and neglect the other ranges of figthing. Is not how many techniques you know but master the ones you are confortable with and can use in real figthing
3 neijia // Jul 9, 2008 at 11:15 pm
How about “jack of all trades, master of one”?
4 Joseph T. Oliva Arriola // Jul 10, 2008 at 12:02 am
Dave,
Hehehehehe…groundfighting is that the answer?
Hmmmm…jack of all trades master of none or master of a specific niche. Dave…we need not limit ourselves by time and space…
In the beginning, all martial arts look different and uniquely purposeful. In the middle, they are the same…they work or they don’t work.
Near the end, we discover that “it” was never the style or linage or even the teacher. It’s the “person” who wields the weapon with result.
So, if you ground fight, make sure your opponent isn’t an expert at “Winning”.
5 Chris McKenna // Jul 10, 2008 at 12:48 am
Most people who have real jobs, relationships and lives and have 1-2 hours a day to practice.
Many people who claim interest in the martial arts can’t even pull that off.
Professional martial artists (whether they are 17th century caravan guards or 21st century UFC fighters) find ways to spend as many waking hours training as possible (often 6-7 and up).
So many of these discussions come down to the differences in experience and orientation between these two groups.
In his latest book, Adam Tsu, who has trained just about every northern style in existence and admits that his fighting ability has benefited immensly from the cross-training, recommends that most people should try to focus on one art.
Why? It’s not because of traditionalism or purity. It’s because if you have your hour and a half a day before your desk job (again, assuming you can get up at 5am and do it… most people I know cannot do this even if they say they want to), it is going to take several years before even the jing level of an art like ba gua comes alive in you.
If this you, then you have to be very careful that you are allowing whatever you are working on to come to fruition before you “jump” arts. Don’t confuse the drive for versatility with attention defict disorder.
6 YMAA.com // Jul 10, 2008 at 1:07 am
Yes, its true…taiji doesn’t have a lot of techniques for groundfighting…but some very fun (and painful) ways to put someone on the ground:
New video preview trailer with many brutal takedowns
http://www.ymaa.com/publishing/dvd/taichi_DVD/taiji_wrestling_shuai_jiao
7 David // Jul 10, 2008 at 1:09 am
In the end, these discussions always seem to boil down to the surface of the topic, never deeper. Health, combat, philosophy, all of life is not about technique, it’s about the natural state of our being and how to gain deeper and deeper levels of awareness of this reality. Taiji is not about learning a skill set, it is about becoming more aware of, and relating to, reality “the way it is”. Whether you’re standing, sitting, on your back, on your head, the principles of relaxation, balance, wuwei stay exactly the same. If we continually debate which technique is better in which range, we will lose all the deeper understandings that are available - that is what degrades your martial ability, your health. “It is like a finger pointing at the moon. If you focus on the finger, you lose sight of all the heavenly glory”. I am aware that I will have many people disregard this, and that’s okay… but true mastery (if that can even happen) is about Being, not Doing.
8 Dojo Rat // Jul 10, 2008 at 1:18 am
Dave;
If we ever meet up, I intend to challenge you to a Beer drinking contest.
*Only no falling down on the ground*
My toolbox of arts has changed and grown as I’ve moved around and had the opportunity to train with different people and styles.
9 Chris | Martial Development // Jul 10, 2008 at 3:25 am
Well, you only have one body, and body transformation technologies tend not to mix well. So the mixed martial artist has to admit that, at some level, they prefer accumulating techniques to perfecting them.
10 Joseph T. Oliva Arriola // Jul 10, 2008 at 4:01 am
Absorb, Adapt, Subtract and Always Utility
I now longer use a slide rule, an cassette deck or a flying spinning hook kick. Though, I always go back to carrying a big stick.
A wrist or elbow lock:
1. Standing vertically (self)
2. Using push hands (two man)
3. Using footwook (to change locations, multiple attack)
4. Using the plate glass window (using objects)
5. Using the wall (to imprison vertically)
6. Using the ground (to imprison to employ gravity horizontally)
No matter the name, the style, the linage, the teacher, on the ground, in the air, while kicking and punching…it is still a wrist/elbow technique.
11 wayne hansen // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:06 am
i had been out injured while playing rugby and was about to come back and play.the hard man from the other side knew i had a dislocated shoulder and had let it be known that was his area of focus.so before the game i went out of the dressing shed to let my girlfriend strap up my right shoulder where it could be seen by the hard man.however it was the left shoulder that i had injured.it was not necessary to use this misdirection because he was kncked out in the first ten minutes and did not finnish the game.
your challenger may be a master of ground fighting or might like you to concentrate on trying to take him down.
then again if he knocks you out at the start it might not matter that he cant fight on the ground.
an old chinese saying is clap in the east attack i the west.
but then again anyone who issues challenges over the web or tells you how deadly they are wont have much to start with.
if you all had good teachers you would not find it necessary to ask what to train because you would be so busy trying to keep up with their teaching it would not come up.
12 Meow // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:45 am
joseph, its a coordination of the weapon and the user (the sword has a spirit too right)
ground is somewhat good, without the rules and the different terrain one fights on irl, its utility largely goes out the window (altho im all for the differing ranges etc)
i say all ma are the same, there isnt this big crosstraining of techniques (alot of the koryu arts have a wide range of skills (bow, horse, sword, spear etc) it depends on the situation its going to be used, i bet when wing chun was made, people didnt fight on the ground so often, hence not in the system, as time progresses and we find different methods etc, its only natural to fill the gaps
as to what to practice, do high percentage techniques that cover a wide range of situations and then just practice more (if you get rid of the unnecessary (cough*forms*cough) and adopt more efficient methods of training, you can easily become profficient in months
13 Joseph T. Oliva Arriola // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:17 am
“Its the coordination of the weapon and the user (the sword as a spirit too… right)”
Meow…This is a topic I have endeavovered to “confirm” all throughout my life. I hope I have more time to “learn”. I often tell my students never never allow others to touch your weapons unless they are within your circle. Their energy will affect the “sentience” that your weapon acquires as it is used.
Likewise, in the push hands touching another “being” means taking in their negativity and converting it to your “utility”. To get better you must take risks.
Certainly, a good teacher can make someone proficient physically in less than a day. But, in depth “understanding” may take much more than a day. It might even take 9 lifetimes.
I don’t mean to be cute or “sounding” magical. But, make no doubt that their is a “spiritual” level.
14 Hermann // Jul 10, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Dojo Rat,
if the challange ever happens in Taiwan, let`s have a threesome. But beware, I`ve a natural advantage, as I`m a born Bavarian from Munich!
Otherwise, I concure with “jack of all trades, master of one”. Know how to defend against other styles, but attack in your expertice.
15 B_Wutang // Jul 10, 2008 at 11:47 pm
It depends on how much one cares about “traditional” in “traditional martial arts” .
FYI - You might be interested in this 11 part series that was just put up by a teacher in Canada on YouTube - It’s called “My View on Internal Martial Arts” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G0cf92jiqQ
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