Martial Arts and Sport Fighting

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Moving to Denver - do I change styles?

mfanyafujo
mfanyafujo Posts: 232 Member
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Hello all. I'm moving to Denver soon from Florida. I currently train in Choy Lay Fut kung fu. I love the style, and I love my instructor, and I feel like this is my core martial art that I want to study all my life. However, there are no Choy Lay Fut schools in Denver. I can take up another style of kung fu or transition to a completely different art.

My goal would be to fill gaps in my current knowledge/experience without compromising what I already know. I have been considering switching my focus to internal arts like tai chi or qigong, and continuing to practice external techniques on my own. But I also would like a lot more practice with fighting and groundwork.

Any suggestions/tips/advice? Anyone care to share stories about their own transitions? Recommendations for styles that will complement what I am currently studying? I think, ultimately, what I do will rest largely on the caliber of the instructor, but I'd still like your opinions! (And if anyone has specific knowledge of the schools in Denver, I'd love to hear from you too).

Replies

  • j75j75
    j75j75 Posts: 854 Member
    I would go ahead and try something completely different. When I moved to Southern California for a few years (from Northern California) I studied a few different arts. It was dramatically different from what I was used to, but ultimately I was able to improve on a lot of things because let's face it, different arts focus on different aspects of the martial arts; hell even different schools within the same art can be dramatically different.

    Look at this way, this is a chance for you to choose another art that compliments what you have already learned and help to fill in any gaps that you feel you may have. Best of luck to you in your move.
  • mfanyafujo
    mfanyafujo Posts: 232 Member
    Thanks, I do think it would be fun and educational to just do something completely new. I will certainly consider it.

    Anyone else have any thoughts/suggestions? Surely a few of you have changed schools/styles before.
  • kendrafallon
    kendrafallon Posts: 1,030 Member
    Anyone else have any thoughts/suggestions? Surely a few of you have changed schools/styles before.
    Do a some trial classes of different arts and or styles and see what clicks. Admittedly it's hard to judge on the basis of one class, but you never know.

    I've not had to move (yet) but when I was forced to take a break from TKD (health issues my instructor couldn't deal with) I did Jiu Jitsu for a while which is completely different to TKD. Just my health got in the way again :ohwell: By the time I was sorted, my TKD instructor was willing to have me back and I didn't have the time to make a commitment to both.

    Saying that, my life circumstances are changing again and I've already spoken to the Jiu Jitsu club about coming back.
  • JBuck1914
    JBuck1914 Posts: 81 Member
    Well good luck with you move. It's funny you brought this up because I changed arts a few times and found that I really enjoyed each one for different reasons. It's funny how some arts use similar techniques; I started with Aikido as a youth, then transitioned to Hapkido drastic change to Krav Maga and I like them all equally but, they all use some of the same techniques just taught differently. So, I say give it a try if you are looking for another art maybe look to something like BJJ to add the additional ground work you want or Aikido, Judo to go with the striking you learned from Kung Fu. Of course, you could look at Wing Chun possibly if that's an option in Denver too if you want to stay in the world of Kung Fu.

    Good luck with your transition and the most important thing is to just be open-minded to the new art and try not to compare them to each other too much. Have fun.

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