Kyokushin cross-training

[ryan213]

Hey all,

I am just wonderring what your opinions are when it comes to a Muay Thai practitioner cross-training in Kyokushin, and/or a Kyokushin practitioner cross-training in Muay Thai?

Iv'e decided I would like to take up Kyokushin, but I have also arranged training in Muay Thai.

What are the fors and againsts in your opinion/experience?

It is my opinion that these two styles would complement each other.

[buckette]

i trained in kickboxing/muay thai for about 6 months before i started kyokushin. Personally i felt the kickboxing background helped when i started kyokushin but i decided to focus on karate more (because there is so, so much to learn) and eventually dropped the kickboxing/muay thai from my training regime.

After grasping the basic concepts of kyokushin and getting reasonably confident with my techniques, i started slowly reintroducing kickboxing to my training. I felt that i had to be pretty good at one style, before i could begin another. At the moment, most of my training is aimed at preparing my body for black belt grading. I am trying to build fitness, stamina, conditioning etc, while getting better at fighting.

Once in a while i'll do a kickboxing/muay thai class, but you have to be able to adapt. They are similar in many ways, but also different in many ways. The sparring style is different, and while they can complement each other, it's important to be able to distinguish between the two. For example, shita tsuki's are not really common in muay thai, where they can be very effective in kyokushin.

Speaking only from personal experience (sorry no scientific back-up or anything), my advice would be to maybe try both, but to fully concentrate on one style, then introduce the other when you are a little bit more proficient in the first style, so that you can adapt between the two styles.

[Shokei Marcsui]

Originally Posted by Buckette

I felt that i had to be pretty good at one style, before i could begin another.

That sums it all up as the reason why you do not train in two martial arts at one time. Better to excel at one, than to be mediocre at two.