I have encountered martial artists who like to focus on the differences between martial arts. I think these martial artists are done to distinguish their martial art from the “other” martial art. Often, it serves as the premise of an argument proving the superiority of their martial art over the “other” martial art. They are overlooking the power of similarities!

I think there is more to be gained from seeing the similarities between martial arts. Some call it “making the connections.” The late Professor Remy A. Presas often emphasized connecting with his students. “It is all de same” he often exclaimed when pointing out the connection.  For example, he would often highlight the similarities between single sinawali and the down block of karate.

Doesn’t single sinawali look like the karate down block? Why, yes! See the video here.

Those of us who encountered the Professor for the first time were often astonished at his ability to highlight the similarities between the arts and see the possibility of a vastly expanded understanding of the principles, concepts, and techniques of disparate martial arts.

This was one of the underlying themes of the Professor’s joint seminars with GM George Dillman and GM Wally Jay. Often, overlapping concepts of their respective martial arts resonated with the seminar attendees and considerably expanded their knowledge base.

I recently attended a Silat Suffian Bela Diri seminar taught by Maul Mornie. During the two-day seminar, I saw a lot of overlap between Modern Arnis and Vee Jiu Jitsu. Thanks to the influence of Professor Presas, Master Chuck Gauss, and Master Ken Smith, I am much more prone to look for connections and similarities, knowing that doing so will expand my knowledge.

If, instead, you are prone to looking for the differences between your style and others, you may be missing out on opportunities to stretch your martial horizons. Most of the time, the problem is not so much as the martial art itself but has much more to do with the practitioner. I find that many martial artists often handcuff themselves regarding self-education. When they nitpick at other martial arts, it may signify that their cups are not empty.

Think less of the differences and focus more on the similarities. Once you do that, you will see the connections.

There are several ways in which you can look for similarities and hence the connections:

(1) Go to a martial art seminar outside of your style: Look for similarities of movement and motion and build on that. You never know what could happen. Some are life-changing. For example, Master Chuck Gauss and Master Ken Smith’s martial arts paths underwent a profound change attending a seminar by the late Professor Remy A. Presas. As a result, they started seeing the connections. So a seminar may be worthwhile!

(2) Watch videos of other martial arts: Check out YouTube or instructional videos and look for connections. This could be a good alternative if you cannot afford to attend a seminar or if a seminar is too far from you. Or you could watch YouTube videos in conjunction with a seminar. For example, after attending his two-day seminar, I watched several of Maul Mornie’s YouTube videos to remind myself of some of the material he covered.

(3) If you have studied a base art and started studying a second martial art, start consciously looking for the connections. Your patience may be tried sometimes, but stick with it, and you’ll eventually see the connections. For example, it took a while, but once I saw the similarity between single sinawali and the down block (see the gif above), the possibilities of techniques expanded.

(4) Train with an instructor who excels at highlighting the similarities between martial arts. Why not? If you have a prior martial arts background and you have the opportunity to train with a talented instructor, take it! An instructor who embraces the connection and shows them to you is GOLD! Don’t pass up the chance.

Bottom line, look for the similarities rather than the differences, and you’ll start making the connections. I tell you, those “aha” moments are quite fun! You’re only robbing yourself if you look only for the differences.

In short, the power of similarities is too obvious to ignore. Let’s hear your comments! 

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