Cross Training: How Many Fighting Styles Should I Learn?

People often asking me these:

"How you learn so many martial arts without overtraining?"

"How many fighting styles should i learn?"

First, i learned many fighting styles one by one for years, not trained those all in same period.

For example, i learned Jeet Kune Do in 2017 (asked by my friends to train together for fun) after i graduated from Kickboxing club in 2013. I never joining / training at 2 dojos in same time to avoid overtraining problems (unfocus, confusion, fatique and injury).

Second, learn 1 fighting style is already enough. Honestly, i only training 1 fighting style when i training alone at home in holiday. This “Secret” style is my primary fighting style, because in deep of my heart i love this fighting style so much.

Focus in 1 martial art dojo is better than training in 100 dojos for nothing.

But if you wanna try cross training so much. Let me give you some advice.

First advice, you must have 1 martial art basic first. Before doing cross training, you must mastering 1 fighting style first. If you master 1 martial art, then learning other martial art style will easier like playing (because you already know the basic principe of martial art training right?).

Second advice, you must learn new martial art which have different focus – different skill with your old martial art. For examples:

- After mastering kicking art like Taekwondo, you can try learning punching art like Boxing to improve your close range combat skill.

- After mastering punching art like Panantukan, you can try learning kicking art like Savate to improve your close range combat skill.

- After mastering balanced striking art like Kickboxing, you can try learning throwing art like Aikido to improve your clinch range combat skill.

- After mastering throwing art like Wrestling, you can try learning balanced striking art like Jeet Kune Do to improve your mid range combat skill.

If you do cross training at new martial art club which have same focus with your old martial art, that will wasting your money because you will not learn new martial art knowledges much, you will only get new little experience for fun.