Best Martial Arts Style – Think Tactic Instead of Style

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Are you interested in discovering what's the best martial arts style?

As a martial-arts author and teacher, I am asked my opinion on the best martial-arts style. Actually, it's a trick question ….

I would tend to distrust any style who practiceers claim it's the best. Without, of course, the very nature of the style is for you to go out and explore other systems and styles.

You have to be familiar with different fighting styles, and be able to switch gears in an instant. You have to study the tactics, techniques, tactics, and strategies of what others are doing.

For example, once you know how another style attacks with straight, vertical punches, then you can develop a tactic specifically for taking their style of punches. And once you have a tactic, you can practice turning it into a response.

Tactics or Reaction-Response in a Fight?

Ultimately, you do not want to do too much tactical planning in the middle of a fight. You need to practice generalizing your techniques, so they fit a variety of situations. In this way, you'll begin to have reaction-responses that work against more isolated techniques.

Look for generalized responses that:

* Can be executed quickly

* Work from a variety of positions

* Will not leave your arms or legs crossed or in other bad positions

* Are short sequences – long, memorized series of techniques are "sketchy"

When should you learn new moves?

Make sure that you do not add tactics too quickly into your repertoire of fighting moves and strategies. It's much better to thoroughly understand one or two principles of fighting, than to familiarize with a 100 techniques that you could never make work in a real situation.

How fast should you add to your martial techniques, moves, strategies, and tactics?

Incorporate the new, as the old becomes practical. In other words, once you can really use what you've got, then you can add more to the mix.

And do not always think of it as adding, rather … improving.