You Wouldn’t Karate Chop a Boxer…
Martial arts get compared constantly, but is there a best fighting style? Is that even the right question?
If you look at the comments in any online conversation about martial arts comparisons, you will invariably find people comparing one style to another, with all manner of logic and evidence justifying why their martial art of choice is superior.
They are always wrong.
I can say this confidently because the fact that they are comparing martial arts styles and declaring one to be superior at all shows they are starting from a flawed premise.
It helps to think of martial arts as tools. You have many tools, and each tool serves a specific purpose. Hammers are for nails, for example, while screwdrivers are for screws.
Screwdrivers are unquestionably better than hammers when it comes to screwing things together. Does that make the screwdriver superior to a hammer? Of course!
Well… if you’re screwing things together.
The key factor about martial arts is that they have a purpose, and they are supposed be good at that purpose. So let’s consider the purposes of some of the more commonly discussed martial arts.
