The Best Martial Art

1/21/07

What is the best martial art?

The best martial art is the martial art that... wins most sporting events, is most used by police, is most used by armed forces, focuses on techniques banned in martial arts competitions, is most successful against a single opponent, is most successful against multiple opponents, is practiced by most people, uses weapons, trains full contact, trains full resistance, has the most 'you got owned!' videos on YouTube, has the least damning videos on YouTube, trains the largest muscles in the body, has the most emphasis on defense, trains to deliver the most power, you have successfully used in a real-life self defense situation, you can practice throughout your whole life, has the most impressive philosophy, is least interested in strength, gets you in the most meditative state, has the most discipline, has a standardized syllabus all over the world, is the most affordable, is the oldest, practices in a nice environment/facility, is the newest, takes the longest time to master, takes the least amount of time to master, is the most convenient geographically, is held at the most convenient times, is heavily recommended by your friends, confers the most cardiovascular benefits, suits your body type, is open to all ages and genders, originated from a culture you are really interested in, trains using realistic environment and parameters, has the least fraud in it, has the lowest injury rate, is most aesthetic, or simply the one you enjoy.

Actually, the answer to each one of these criteria is most likely a different martial art. That is, "best" is relative to specifics.

Consider this: the best martial art is the martial art that meets the most of the above criteria, at a given time, for you. Good? Good.