This question has been around for centuries and perhaps it is one of those questions that keeps generating controversy and futile, useless arguments and will continue to do so for years to come.

A street fighter in a tough neighborhood would not be too concerned about this. He would know his environment well and know when to fight, when not to fight, and whom to fight. Probably he would not be constrained by morality nor any type of honor. His only objective would be survival.

Last year there was an article written by a former Tae Kwon Do classmate. The article talked about a particular Tae Kwon Do style, and one of the statements was “we have the best style”. At first I shook my head, smiled, and remembered my days when I did not know any better. Quite a statement I thought considering the number of good martial arts styles and systems there exist in the world. After reflecting a bit, I tried to find some veracity in these words. I thought if he expects to use his techniques effectively and prevail or survive in a real situation, then certainly he needs to be convinced his system would work in all situations and environments. In that context the style may be the best..for him, but what about other styles?

If you were to ask a boxer this question, what kind of answer do you think you would get? Or even better get in the ring with a boxer and see what happens. If you ask a Karate master, or a Wing Chun practitioner, or a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt, what do you think their answers would be? How about an MMA veteran? Their answers would be, Boxing, Karate, Wing Chun, Jiu-jitsu, and MMA. One more time I ask this question, who is right? How can I know? And one more time I answer, they are all correct.

The mistake many people make when engaging in this type of argument is that they fail to realize that this question is not an absolute question but rather a very personal one, a relative question. So you should ask relative to what? Martial arts styles and systems were developed by different people from different cultures all over the world and at different periods of time. Martial arts systems are dependent on the environment, the opponent, the particular situation, the prevailing culture, and on the practitioner.

You might be the best kicker in the world, but kicks will not help you if you are fighting in 5 inches of mud or snow, or if you are surrounded by obstacles or the terrain is so unforgiving (or slippery) that raising your leg would compromise your balance. You could be wearing tight or heavy pants that day. Kicking requires more space than boxing. Similarly, you may be the best grappler, but if you find yourself in a knife-based culture where fighters are used to carrying more than one concealed knife, you may not be able nor have a desire to grapple under these conditions. A weapon changes the whole situation and narrows down the menu of available techniques you may use. Does this mean that kicking and grappling styles are to be discarded? Definitely NOT.

Let's use a college education again as an analogy to illustrate the point. We tend to think that the university makes the student and the professional when it is the other way around. Prestigious universities try to attract the best students because they know they will make them look good. For instance since Albert Einstein graduated from The Swiss Federal Polytechnic School, this particular school would attract the best scientific talent without much effort and especially if there are no other schools offering the same programs. In all this we tend to ignore that Einstein's brilliant work started while he was working as a clerk at a patent office.

Similarly, if a French fencer beat an Italian Fencer in the world championship, it would mean that French fencing is a superior fencing style. Most talented young fencers would practice French fencing until the day the championship goes to an Italian or a Spanish fencer.

The martial art does not make the martial artist. The martial artist makes the martial art. If you can make your martial art work for you consistently and effectively, and you prevail, then for the rest of your life you will have found the best martial art. The fact that a grappler today beats the kicker or the trapper beats the boxer, does not guarantee that the roles will not be reversed tomorrow. The UFC has proved this.

So when someone says “Aikido or Wing Chun or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the best martial art there is”, he is stepping into dangerous waters. These are all great systems, but to make them work in all situations will take a great practitioner. So what he is really saying is that he knows of a practitioner who is an outstanding martial artist who found a way to use Aikido (or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Kali) tools effectively. This individual has discovered a set of techniques that fit his physical and mental attributes and bind them together.

What you really want to learn is the method this individual used. What process helped him to find his self expression regardless of the art. So, if you were to say instead “Kali or Karate or Aikido is the best martial art for me”, you would be on the right track to finding the best martial art.

St Louis Kali Silat Martial Arts – March 27^th, 2011

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