the question that could start a massive debate

[sinthetik_mistik]

As we all know, there are a ton of martial arts out there. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and vary greatly in how they work. Here is my question, in your opinion, which martial art, overall and in every way, is the greatest martial art ever? not just for one situation, but overall in all situations and in all ways... which martial art is superior to all others? I know, if people respond to this, a lot of people are gonna say that there is not one martial art that is superior to the rest... but I am curious to know that if you had to choose one martial art for all purposes, which one would you choose? If people reply to this post please agree to disagree, I am not trying to start some huge flame war argument.

 

[Langenschwert]

None. This is a nonsensical question because violence is a social phenomenon and any martial art develops in a certain context. There is no martial art that covers everything. Some are quite comprehensive, but outside of their intended context they are less effective. No martial art can develop without context.

In a similar vein, you can't say that a hammer is a "better" tool than a saw. No martial art covers all purposes. Even a well-rounded MMA fighter will find himself out of his depth in a rapier duel.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

None. This is a nonsensical question because violence is a social phenomenon and any martial art develops in a certain context. There is no martial art that covers everything. Some are quite comprehensive, but outside of their intended context they are less effective. No martial art can develop without context.

In a similar vein, you can't say that a hammer is a "better" tool than a saw. No martial art covers all purposes. Even a well-rounded MMA fighter will find himself out of his depth in a rapier duel.

Yes, no martial art covers everything.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

Yes, no martial art covers everything.

I was just trying to see which martial art people would choose if they had to choose one

 

[Langenschwert]

Yes, no martial art covers everything.

So then it really comes down to what threats the individual thinks he or she is most likely to face, assuming self-defence. It also depends on the build of the individual and local laws. If you can carry weapons, then that becomes a consideration. If you can't, then that is also something to consider. Local laws on levels of force are also important when selecting a martial art.

I train MA a lot. I train HEMA, Judo, Modern Combatives, Battojutsu and a bit of Irish Stick. There's still stuff I'm missing, though I can "get by" in a lot of different situations. I don't have much of a no-gi ground game, for example. My sword & buckler fencing leaves a lot to be desired too. I train each of those arts for varying reasons.

There's the rub... you can be a specialist and be flummoxed when taken out of your element, or you can be a generalist and get beaten down by specialists if you can't take them out of their comfort zone.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

So then it really comes down to what threats the individual thinks he or she is most likely to face, assuming self-defence. It also depends on the build of the individual and local laws. If you can carry weapons, then that becomes a consideration. If you can't, then that is also something to consider. Local laws on levels of force are also important when selecting a martial art.

I train MA a lot. I train HEMA, Judo, Modern Combatives, Battojutsu and a bit of Irish Stick. There's still stuff I'm missing, though I can "get by" in a lot of different situations. I don't have much of a no-gi ground game, for example. My sword & buckler fencing leaves a lot to be desired too. I train each of those arts for varying reasons.

There's the rub... you can be a specialist and be flummoxed when taken out of your element, or you can be a generalist and get beaten down by specialists if you can't take them out of their comfort zone.

maybe you're right and it is a nonsensical question. the very reason i posted it is because it is damn near impossible to answer. make people think, and think hard. its easy to say which martial art is better for varying reasons, like boxing for punching, or BJJ for grappling, or whatever. I just thought the fact that it is such a difficult question to answer would make it thought provoking. but maybe its not difficult, maybe its impossible

 

[Langenschwert]

I was just trying to see which martial art people would choose if they had to choose one

That's a fair question, but it's going to come down to "the one they like best".

My HEMA stuff is fairly comprehensive, dealing with a variety of weapons, some knife defence and stand-up grappling. It would suffice if I trained the grappling really really hard. The issue is the knife defence is against daggers, and doesn't work as well against say a tactical folder. Should the zombie apocalypse ever happen, I'm in good shape though! There's not much for striking in the medieval sources though. Just to soften up a person to throw them, so there's a weakness.

My modern combatives itself is a combination of a variety of sources already.

FMA can be quite good for all-round martial arts training. They're probably going to be as close as you're going to get.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

That's a fair question, but it's going to come down to "the one they like best".

My HEMA stuff is fairly comprehensive, dealing with a variety of weapons, some knife defence and stand-up grappling. It would suffice if I trained the grappling really really hard. The issue is the knife defence is against daggers, and doesn't work as well against say a tactical folder. Should the zombie apocalypse ever happen, I'm in good shape though! There's not much for striking in the medieval sources though. Just to soften up a person to throw them, so there's a weakness.

My modern combatives itself is a combination of a variety of sources already.

FMA can be quite good for all-round martial arts training. They're probably going to be as close as you're going to get.

cool! you are the first person I have met who practices Historical European Martial Arts. it sounds fierce! regrettably i know little about it but i can learn. One school i was thinking about taking taught Kali the Philippino weapons martial art, i saw some videos and the speed and precision was amazing! thanks for sharing

 

[Buka]

American Karate, of course. Far superior to everything else out there. Why, you might ask.

1. We count in English, well, in American, anyway. Saves time not learning to count in another language - giving you more time to think up stories to tell your buddies how cool you were in class last night.

2. We watch TV and read magazines (also in English) and memorize the names of Martial people, places and things so we sound like we know what we're talking about. At least to each other....and our moms.

3. We don't do much Kata, except for the advanced Morphing Kata which changes everytime you do it. Or at least everytime you show your girlfriend's friends.

4. We talk a real good fight.

5. Superior weaponry. Plastic forks and knives. You can even take them on an airplane, you know, in case they run out.

 

[zzj]

Yellow bamboo is like the best, most powerfulest martial art like ever

 

[elder999]

"Some people can go thru their whole lives with just a damn good left hook. Live a long, prosperous and healthy life. But in training doctrine, better said is - the theory of "best training doctrine" - you need to box. If you need to box then you must kick box. If you need kickboxing, then you need to know takedowns. Then you must ground wrestle. BUT! If you ground fight, you also need to add "ground n pound" to it. Then, of course, you need to really worry about weapons. BUT...but, certainly...there are indeed people...who manage to go through their entire lives, successfully with just a terrific, left hook."
W. "hock" Hochheim

 

[crazydiamond]

"Flying ...Drone technique".

It requires a keen eye, and nimble wrists to deliver precise strikes which can eliminate your enemy where ever they are positioned - with no possible risk to you.

If this was available in Japan or China hundreds of years ago - you think there would have ever been ninjas and samurai? Nah - just nerds with remote controls.

 

[RTKDCMB]

I was just trying to see which martial art people would choose if they had to choose one

My guess would be the one they already chose.

 

[Hanzou]

If we're to be honest with ourselves, its probably MMA, since it merges many potent styles and properly combines grappling and striking.

 

[Langenschwert]

cool! you are the first person I have met who practices Historical European Martial Arts. it sounds fierce! regrettably i know little about it but i can learn. One school i was thinking about taking taught Kali the Philippino weapons martial art, i saw some videos and the speed and precision was amazing! thanks for sharing

There's nothing like a few pounds of steel flying at your head say 40 mph to keep you alert. If you start HEMA, do some research on the club, as they are not all created equal and have different goals. Some are tournament-focused, others are more like classical kenjutsu. Both can be good. Some are specific to time period, others more eclectic.

There are a number of FMA, and most of them do weapons quite well. The only issues of the legality of using it in self-defence. If you constantly to disarm a knife and stab the guy with it in a lethal manner (aka "return to sender"), and you do it in real life, that's an issue. I did FMA as a kid, and quite liked it.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

If we're to be honest with ourselves, its probably MMA, since it merges many potent styles and properly combines grappling and striking.

is MMA considered a single martial art or a combination of martial arts? i'm not sure. If it is a single martial art, then in my opinion it is without a doubt the best martial art. However, if it is considered a combo of multiple martial arts and not a single art then I would probably go with Krav Maga... in my opinion Krav Maga is a comprehensive martial art that comes closer to covering all the basics than any other martial art... except MMA, but now i'm going around in circles lol

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

is MMA considered a single martial art or a combination of martial arts? i'm not sure. If it is a single martial art, then in my opinion it is without a doubt the best martial art. However, if it is considered a combo of multiple martial arts and not a single art then I would probably go with Krav Maga... in my opinion Krav Maga is a comprehensive martial art that comes closer to covering all the basics than any other martial art... except MMA, but now i'm going around in circles lol

i meant bases not basics sorry

 

[Langenschwert]

If we're to be honest with ourselves, its probably MMA, since it merges many potent styles and properly combines grappling and striking.

There are a number of things MMA training doesn't cover: de-escalation, multiple opponents, weapons, and environmental conditions (obstacles, poor lighting, poor footing etc). A good MMA fighter is in a better position to learn those things than most, but it bears mentioning.

 

[sinthetik_mistik]

There are a number of things MMA training doesn't cover: de-escalation, multiple opponents, weapons, and environmental conditions (obstacles, poor lighting, poor footing etc). A good MMA fighter is in a better position to learn those things than most, but it bears mentioning.

that depends also though. grappling martial arts such as BJJ or Judo are not effective against multiple opponents... but how about Kickboxing or Muay Thai? Another thing is how you define MMA. there are certain styles most commonly used in MMA. however, any style can be added and it would still be MMA. that right there is why MMA is so formidable, whatever uses it is lacking, just add on a martial art that provides it with that usage. I know a school that doesn't call itself MMA, but it teaches five different martial arts... isn't that kind of MMA? the reason i bring this up is because one of the styles it teaches is Filipino weapons training, so the lack of weapons training you mentioned is right there. so idk... i'm kind of rambling now...but you bring up a good point.but even if it doesn't cover everything you mentioned, it still covers more bases than any other martial art for sure... that is if you consider MMA a martial art and not a combination of martial arts. i guess in reality it is both. what blows my mind about MMA is how hard people must have to train to excel at 3-4 different kinds of martial arts... one martial art is hard enough! unless of course your Chuck Norris

 

[hoshin1600]

i dont see what the problem is.

best martial art ever...one word....................Amerido-te "best of all. worst of none"

ok thats more than one word but you know what im saying. everything else is just BS.