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Which Martial Art is the Best?

All martial arts have their good points and bad points. With the Americanization of the martial arts over the last 50 years, it has become difficult to categorize many martial arts because of so much influence of style on each other.

In the past, Taekwondo schools only taught strictly Taekwondo techniques. Now Taekwondo schools teach grappling, weapons, Jujitsu, etc. Tai boxers were known for keeping their hands very high and outwardly extended. With their circular fighting style, this worked well as a defense strategy. Now, as kick boxers are infiltrating the sport using their straight line techniques, Tai boxers are bringing in their elbows like a boxer. They have also started using their hands more like a boxer to generate more power.

Martial art students, and instructors, are becoming more open minded about other styles and they tend to use what works. Not everyone is built the same nor may they perform all the techniques the same as the next person.

Each martial art has its own particular attributes that do not necessarily make the art better or worse than other arts. If you do not enjoy full-contract fighting, do not join a kickboxing school. If do not enjoy physical contact, do not join a Judo or grappling school.

Most martial arts instructors respect other arts and do not bad mouth them. They will tell you the good and bad points as they understand them, give you their opinion as to which one is best for you, and then let you make your own decision as to which one you want to study.

It Is Not That Complicated

It seems that in an attempt to be different from the competition, some martial art styles try to make the simplest of things seem complicated and mystical. For example, they take a high block/reverse punch combination and turn it into something called "Tall dragon whips tail." Each technique, each sequence of combinations, every movement, every stance, etc. is given some mystical terminology. When an attacker steps forward with a punch, instead of instinctively reacting with basic techniques you have perfected, now you must think whether the situation calls for a "Tall dragon whips tail" or a "Cow jumps over moon" or a "Mace from hell." Then, on top of all this mumbo jumbo, some styles add more gibberish by inventing new terms to make simple actions or concepts seem complicated and scientific. For instance, here is a quote that explains how to fight multiple opponents:

"...the key to multiple opponents is both the Gaseous Expansion of Motion-Kenpo, and the Control manipulation as found in Sublevel Four Kenpo. However, because of the methods utilized in the teaching of Sublevel Four Kenpo, the base or Default Technique actually encompasses all the tools necessary to affect Gaseous Expansion as well. In most instances an alteration of timing in conjunction with minor orbital, and angle adjustments is all that is really necessary, with a contraction or change in the utilization of Destructive Sequencing Timing."

As children, we invented secret words and other nonsense to make ourselves seem important amongst our peers. Most of us grew out of this, but some of us did not. Do not be mislead by a lot of nonsense. The martial arts are not complicated or mystical; boxing has survived for centuries with only five simple punches. Some martial arts specialize in one aspect of fighting, such as weapons, grappling, kicking, etc., and some use combinations of fighting methods, but they are all simple to explain and understand. The confusion comes from self-centered instructors who think they have some special insight into empty hand fighting that no one else has noticed in the millions of years of hand-to-hand combat.

You do not need pompous masters expelling pseudo intellectual gibberish to become a great martial artist. All you need are an instructor who teaches you good techniques and basic concepts of fighting, and a lot of hard work and experience. It is not that complicated.

• Young, R. W. (1999). History and Overview of the Martial Arts.

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