Martial Art vs. Martial Art
Okay, so in an attempt to get the TRMK community pumping again, and as a martial artist who's curious to know how mine pits against another, I would like to know. Which martial art, do you believe, do we believe, is the better one? Now, I did see the National Geographic show Fight Science (which you can view on youtube at any time) and it stated that Ninjutsu (Spelled ninjitsu on the show, and I've given up on trying to discuss with anyone how it's actually spelled, because really it doesn't matter anymore) has the perfect balance (literally) of power, speed and prowess.
However, there have been cases where a ninjutsu practitioner has fallen to one of another school, and even to a random street thug. Now, experience and skill must logically be taken into consideration, as must the option that whoever they were fighting may have had a weapon of some sort and the practitioner simply failed to disarm it.
Now, according to Fight Science, the basic necessities of a fight (Strength in punch and kick, speed, locks and throws) are separated into a certain martial art, and here are what Fight Science says are the kings of their respective forms
Most powerful punch................................Boxing
Most powerful kick.................................. Muay Thai
Fastest striker....................................... Tae Kwon Do
Most Balanced........................................ Ninjutsu
Joint locks............................................. Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu
Now, unfortunately for many of us who are childhood fans of the martial art, and the first martial arts we were exposed to were most likely Kung Fu and Karate, neither of them won any of the fields. Now, Kung Fu was runner up in both fastest striker and most balanced (shockingly enough, in the pseudo-balance form of Drunken Boxing, made popular by Jackie Chan) Karate, I believe, came up second in most powerful punch.
Okay, so here's the test here: we're going to discuss, like the mature responsible people I know and have seen us be, what we think are the best martial arts, and if one could possibly be the best of them all. Now, please refrain from saying stuff like "Well, what if a 10th kyu ninjutsu guy fought a black belt Tae Kwon Do master?" This is all hypothetical stuff here, no one martial art can be perfect for everyone, as not everyone is built the same way. Here we're dealing with two fighters. Both equally experienced, but equally skilled, but in different martial arts
Now, since I don't want people constantly spewing out random facts about martial arts, I'm going to post a bit of them and their history here. Now, I realize that there's no way I can possibly post about all of them, but I will post as many as I can.
So let's start with the most famous ones
Kung Fu
Pretty much laid down the foundation for all martial arts. Invented by Bodidharma and taught to the Shaolin Monks, it is a quick martial art that deals out many blows in a matter of seconds. There are billions of off-shoots from Kung Fu, such as Drunken Boxing and Monkey, and all of them master a certain area. Not the strongest of the martial arts, in fact the weakest, but definitely one preferred by many. Perfect for people with flexible body parts, light weight, and are low in height, but not restricted to them. Balance is also a big part of this martial art
Next up we have the Okinawan native martial art.
Karate
Widely hailed as the most popular martial art in the world. When someone says "Martial arts" they think of a muscle bound man in a white gi with a black belt. That's usually what you see in Karate. Mostly a striking martial art, Karate practitioners practice punching from a solid stance, rolling the fists outward as they punch. The martial art takes great pride in it's powerful punches, but also incorporates acrobatic kicks, grappling, joint-locks, and vital strikes. Basically anybody can practice karate, but muscle and speed must either be attained or already acquired when practicing karate.
Tai Chi
Yeah, Tai Chi, not really a martial art you see people using in MMA or on the street, as it is considered by many to be an easy martial art, one practiced mostly for spiritual enlightenment. Ordinarilly I might look this over, but I think that, as it strongly enforces the proper control of "chi" and relaxation of the mind and muscles, it could be just as formidable as boxing or muay thai, as many a time has a fighter fallen just because his body was pumping too much adrenaline and he was struck dumbfounded when faced with a calm and collected martial artist (see Karate Kid 3). People who practice this martial art are usually the same as those who practice kung fu, but as it's an easy martial art, the odds that it would be restricted to the slim and the fit is very slim.
Hapkido
A Korean martial art. I personally don't know ALL about this martial art, but I do get the basic gist of it. It employs the same basic moves as Karate, strikes, kicks, joint-locks, throws and pressure points, but it's way of incorporating them is entirely different. Hapkido relies on a more circular way of avoiding and fighting, known as gyoko (encircling method) Many of the moves start out at long range or arm length distances, but end with the practitioner close to the oppoent for a pressure point strike, or a take down. Mainly a leveraging martial art, those who practice don't have to be especially strong, but must have a good sense of leveraging.
Kapap (Krav Panim el Panim)
An Israeli martial art. Mainly an amalgation of judo and jiu-jitsu, but to an extreme version. Practitioners train of peak physical endurance, and seek to master skill with modern weaponry, such as handguns and knifes. The martial art is employed by the Israel Defense Force.
Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu
A martial art I spent a year training in but simply could not get good at. Absolutely no strikes are taught in the art. Grappling is employed, but the main goal is to get the fighter to the ground. Once there, choke holds and jointlocks are usually enforced, causing the target great pain. Mainly seen in UFC and MMA, this art has become less and less of an art and more and more of a sport. Very ruled down, as it is a tournament art, and is therefore usually not one people use on the street. Practitioners must usually be fairly strong and have a decent amount of weight.
Jujutsu
The father of Jiu-Jitsu, an art from Japan, and the fighting style of the samurai. The art usually focuses on counter techniques, and DOES use strikes and kicks, but unlike Jiu-jitsu is unruled, so gougings and bitings are permitted. The art was proven to work well against other samurai, as it taught to attack vital pressure points such as the eyes, the nerve bundle underneath the ear, or the respiratory nerve located near the armpit, which would have been uncovered by a samurai's body armor. Many schools of jujutsu also teach weaponry, which is logical to expect, as the art was employed by the samurai, who carried katana and tanto, normally. The strikes in jujutsu are normally limited, as samurai usually had a weapon so strikes were unnecessary. Throws are also prominent in the martial art.
Taekwondo
The way of the hand and foot, literally. A Korean martial art, also the fastest martial art in the world. It prides itself in its speed and incredibly deadly kicks. These kicks include turning, front, side and back kicks. Taekwondo heavily relies on being flexible. The martial art is the most prominently practiced martial art in the United States, and can be found during the Olympic games.
Ninjutsu (Ninjitsu)
The art of deception. A very different art in that it is taught with limited to no kata, and constantly aims to have the practitioner seem as though the moves are accidental. The moves include powerful weight strikes (strikes thrown from the weight of the body rather than mass of the muscles) intense bone locks as well as joint locks, and powerful acrobatics. Balance is this martial art's strongest point, as many of the moves must give the attacker the image that the ninja (anyone who practices ninjutsu will be called a ninja here, for simplicity's sake) is offbalance, or otherwise hurt. As stated above, it is the art of deception, and many feints as well as pseudo-fallings are incorporated. Speed is normally a trait found in practitioners, but isn't necessary. Strength is heavily discouraged, as even the most conditioned bodies are succeptible to damage from joint locks, eye strikes, or even groin attacks.