A comment on one of my recent articles stated; “Come step onto a jiu-jitsu mat and you’ll will be humbled. I guarantee it.”
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A great many people are dying to be reassured that their martial art is the best and most effective. They evidently believe that their martial art is superior to all others because of the wonderful techniques that automatically assure them victory in any fight. Frankly they have watched too many movies.
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The truth is that there is no such thing as the best martial art. Most are good if the instruction is good, and the student works hard and practices diligently. No magic is involved but sweat, determination and understanding. Certainly some techniques are better than others and suit some students better than others, but that means nothing if you don’t train hard and often.
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Bragging rights without the requisite work, sacrifice, and effort means absolutely nothing.
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Of course EGO is often involved as well. The attitude that; “my style is best because I practice it”, is quite prevalent among a number of martial artists. However, they are making a serious mistake that can cost them dearly when taken outside their comfort zone.
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Some martial arts may be better than others, but in what scenario, what context? And only if the student makes them so, through hard work over time.
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Comparing martial arts efficacy in the context of sport with one on one matches, weight divisions, lots of rules, clean fighting space, safety gear and a referee, with any real form of self-defense, the comparisons are just ridiculous.
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Different styles do different things, some are less practical outside their own environment and rules, it doesn’t necessarily make them good or bad. To make something good or bad you need criteria and context. But to state that if you don’t practice their martial art, your martial art is ineffective, is absolute nonsense.
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Some of the practices in my dojo would not be allowed in many dojo, schools, Gyms or in any sporting context…..
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Spitting, biting, eye gouging, striking and grabbing the throat, ripping at the testicles, clawing, pinching, twisting the flesh, fish hooking, hair pulling, the list goes on (which includes throws, locks and groundwork).
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(Before I get jumped on) We are NOT better than anyone else, we practice for certain scenarios which simply does not fit into any sporting context.
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Would the jiu-jitsu guy allow me to use my weapons of defense on his mat? Of course not. If I follow his “rules”, of course he may “win”. But, everything has to be put into context.
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Some martial artists have some insanely stupid things to say about something they should be knowledgeable about.
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In my opinion, no style or system is better than another. What matters is to benefit from an open, considered, comprehensive, and continuously enriched teaching. The quality of the teacher / teaching matters much more than the style.
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The differences from one school to another are substantial and the key is open-mindedness. Of course, this doesn’t mean changing your method, your dojo, your teacher, or the martial art you practice. It simply means to be constantly thinking about how to improve your own practice, and stop with the ego related asinine diatribe. I guess you can’t fix stupid!
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