By taking a look at different fighting styles it is easy to see that all of the classical one-dimensional styles is missing something that’s pretty important. In some, like judo, wrestling, aikido striking is missing whereas other styles, like muay thai, boxing or taekwondo, lack takedowns and grappling. And this is fine as long as there is no mistake in defining these styles as sports rather than combat systems.

Any existing combative art or system was created to give it’s practitioner the necessary skills and confidence to withstand and survive life threatening situations. The ability for individuals to adapt to their environment is a condition of survival, this remains true whether it be learning how to swim, grow food, build shelter or develop effective self-defense techniques. Bearing this in mind, it is essential to understand that you may never know who your attacker is, or what they know and are willing to do to you. This is reality, so the best thing is to be prepared and ready for anything by having the necessary effective techniques and strategies (striking, takedowns, clinch and grappling).

Historically each martial art was developed to deal with certain encounters within a particular range and most of them work pretty well at what they’re supposed to do. So comparing karate with judo, or boxing with wrestling is a pointless task and reminding of a kid who want to know which is stronger, the elephant or the whale. Any adult knows that such a comparison is silly, since a whale lives in the sea and an elephant lives on land. So, will the whale leap onto the land to fight the elephant, or will the elephant dive into the ocean to meet the whale? Similarly, all one-dimensional martial arts are nothing but the specific tools and techniques to deal with only a predefined fragment of reality. They are reduced to partial systems, segments of something that used to be, and still needs to be, whole. Do you really believe that you can take your bicycle to pieces, then pick up any single part that’s lying around and ride it just as well as the whole bike itself? Of course not, but isn’t that exactly what happens when you only train in a partial one-dimensional style, rather than a complete (MMA) system?

All of the martial arts schools which don’t teach the techniques which complete it as a practical fighting art, are trying to sell you SINGLE PIECES and SPARE PARTS while telling that you are actually buying a WHOLE bicycle. They show you how nicely their “product” works inside the school, but take a second to ask your “master” if whatever he is selling you has ever been tested outdoors? The chances are it hasn’t, at least not in the last hundred years or so. What’s worse is that many of them don’t even care. After all, these days it’s about belts, rankings and popularity. So when you start practicing martial arts you have TWO paths in front of you. The FIRST and most popular, is to become a “practitioner” in comfortable studio, obtain your black belt in a few years and enjoy having the younger students bow to you all the time. The SECOND is to train hard to fight anyone anywhere under any rules. But remember no belts and bowing because there are no seniors as everyone is equal. Just be sure to realise that these are the only important choices you have. It’s more important to train effectively than fall pray to the well marketed “deadly art of the ninja”, “kung fu death touch” or “how to be a taekwondo black belt in three easy steps”. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?