Re: What's the best martial arts?

Graham Wills <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> I guess where you say 'practical', what you are suggesting is that someone
> choose a school for their kids that uses a style most likely to be able to
> defeat someone else in unarmed, one-on-one combat where both opponents are
> well aware of each other?

Not necessarily "well aware of each other"...grappling arts offer good
suggestions when you've been taken by surprise and thrown to the ground.

> I see this suggestion a lot on this group, and while it's certainly one 
> way to choose a style, it's not what I would call 'practical', since 
> that situation is rather unlikely actually to occur.

It's probably more likely to occur for kids than for adult.  Schoolyard
"bully" fights are somewhat common, generally unarmed, and not fights to the
death.  A little grappling technique can go a long way.

> If this definition of practical is what you want, buy your kid a handgun or
> find someone to teach them knife-fighting.  My definition of practical is
> more prosaic. 'Practical' means you can stick with it; it works for your
> lifestyle and fits your goals.  My goal is not to be the best one-on-one
> unarmed combatant in a controlled situation; it's to be physically,
> mentally and spiritually fit.

That seems on the surface to make sense...but if you explore further, all your
words work just fine for pretty much any athletic activity.  Why are you
limiting yourself to martial arts?  If you don't care about combat, then why
don't you consider cross-country running, or ballet, or soccer, as possible
alterative activities to TKD?

Generally, when people want to practice a martial art, there is _some_ goal
there that they can learn to fight in a violent encounter.  Is it so wrong to
measure how effective the potential arts are at this goal?

> 1) Kicks. They are just plain fun.
> They are massively impractical. Every teacher I 
> have had has said: "if you get in a real fight, keep your feet on the 
> floor". They're just fun!

Soccer is also fun, and the aerobic training and running practice is probably
more practical (to run away from an opponent) than kicking.  So why not play
soccer instead of learning to kick to the head?

> 2) Sport-based. Unlike 'practical' martial arts, whose teachers rarely 
> have great experience of what their goal is, sport-based martial arts 
> teachers who tell you something works for their target applciation have 
> great experience with the application.

"Practical" and "sport-based" are not opposites.  TKD is indeed a non-practical
sport-based art, but there are plenty of sport-based arts (boxing, Judo,
wrestling, BJJ) that are highly practical.

> The best martial art for you is one you will enjoy doing, 
> that will improve you physically and at least do no mental or spiritual 
> harm, and that you can make work within your lifestyle and other 
> commitments.

I agree with you that if you don't enjoy the practice enough to continue
training, then it doesn't matter how good the art is -- you'll never see the
benefits.

        -- Don
_______________________________________________________________________________
Don Geddis                    [EMAIL PROTECTED]                 http://bjj.org/