How long does it take to learn a style well?

[NewSc2]

I know there are many factors dealing with my question, but the reason I ask is because I've been wanting to learn several styles, but I don't want to learn them all at once.

I want to start out with boxing because I love the workout and I want to improve my street fighting techniques, but I'd like to look into more complex martial arts such as capoeira, jiu jitsu, and krav maga, or perhaps more mental martial arts such as tai chi.

If I wanted to just grasp the basics of say, boxing and krav maga, how long would I spend on each? In the long run, I'd like to master a certain style, and not just touch on a few, but for now I'd like to just learn the basics of street fighting styles.

[johndoch]

Welcome to MAP Newsc2

Any art can take a lifetime to learn. You say that you want to get into the complex arts, well sorry to say mate they are all complex.

If its basics you want to learn then you will probably find that the basics are what most arts are based on and can take years to master. Even then lack of practise will mean that you will lose what you've gained in learning the basics pretty quickly.

[WhiteWizard]

a big thing is how good the person teaching you is as this can make things seem simpler but master isn't a great word for it really as very few could actually master and art

[Matt_Bernius]

I guess it breaks down like this:

To learn a style in order to practically use it----
Results vary based on how much you put in. There's an old phrase that you need to do a technique at least 3000 times to being to really burn it into "muscle memory." Then it's another 10,000 times to burn in into "cellular memory."

But someone can learn the basics of a martial art in about six months to a year (note that by basics I mean the most core material, no jump spinnin' stuff here).

But to truely know those basics (or the complete system for that matter), it truely is a lifetime persuit. Because with every learning you also discover how much you don't know. And every technique can always be improved.

Just take the case of a historic martial arts figure: Musashi (Japanese swordsman who wrote the book of Five Rings) was a master duelist by his early twenties. By 29, when he retired from dueling he was one of the, if not the, premier swordsmen of Japan. However, he admits in the book that he did not truely understand what he was doing until he was in his fifties.

The martial arts are all about Kaizen (continuous gradual improvement). As such, if you're a true student, your a student for life.

[NewSc2]

Thanks a lot for your replies. I understand that if I only practice a style for a year, I will not be a master. I personally don't have the time to master several different styles, but I kind of wanted to get a grasp of a few before deciding whether or not martial arts was for me, and before settling on a certain style that I preferred to learn for a long time.