Martial arts question

[laundrycrisis]

If a child is already doing Shotokan Karate - kata only - would it cause big problems to add another martial art (Kyuki-Do) ?   The karate class is a daytime class for homeschoolers with a wonderful instructor.  He does not want to quit this class as he has already passed two belt tests.  But the Kyuki-Do academy can offer some things that the karate instructor does not.  Would it be a huge mistake to try to do both - keep him in the daytime homeschool karate class, and also start spending some time in Kyuki-Do classes ?

 

The Kyuki-Do academy may have these benefits I am thinking of ...  more opportunities to meet local kids he might have some things in common with (the karate dojo is further from our area), and a more varied and intense study of martial arts (the karate dojo is very laid back, and kata only, and this child is interested in doing more and something more intense.)

 

Thanks !

[kiana]

For me studying two martial arts was sort of like studying two foreign languages. It was difficult at the beginning to learn to switch between them, but over time it improved.

 

I would, however, make sure that both instructors are okay with it.

[JustEm]

Sounds very doable.  My dh is a martial arts instructor(Chinese martial arts)  and there are many different styles just in Chinese martial arts alone that his school teachers.  They are all very different from one another but all the students learn them while training. They don't learn them at the same time but for big tests like their black sash tests they have to perform 10 different styles as part of the test.  They may not master every style but its certainly doable, my husband has as has his Instructor.

[Mnemosyne]

The only issue I ever had was dealing with muscle recovery and such... make sure those muscles have time to recover!

 

It'll be harder at first to switch between the two, but will get easier over time.

[rutamattatt]

I agree with the others.  I go to one school whose curriculum is a mix of several styles, and in any class we do some of this and some of that.  Can be confusing as different styles of martial arts have different nuances to remember, but it is neat to learn that too.  Definitely doable, but might want to check with instructors too.  Sounds like a great opportunity for a few reasons!

 

[Paige]

He should ask both instructors if they are ok with it. My DS wanted to add karate onto taekwondo and the karate instructor didn't want him to sign up unless he quit taekwondo. So, we passed. I thought it was rude and narrow-minded of the instructor, but I'm glad I was up front and asked before signing up rather than there be an uncomfortable situation later. The karate instructor knew DS took taekwondo when we visited for a trial class (DS obviously was no newbie to martial arts) but he thought DS was considering switching instead of adding a new style.

[emzhengjiu]

My daughter studies karate.  I think studying more than one style would be very difficult for a beginner, but more doable for someone who is proficient in the first style. 

[laundrycrisis]

Thank you for your advice ! I will call the Kyuki-Do academy and ask. If they are okay with him staying in karate for now (it is a daytime class that will never cause a schedule conflict with evening or weekend classes at the academy), I will arrange a time for us to visit and watch a class.