Who would win a fight, a lion or a shark?

Quite a few years ago I watched amazed as a high-level BJJ competitor and instructor did some padwork. It was shocking in its awfulness. He had no concept of how to throw a strike correctly and his footwork was that of a complete beginner. It was odd to watch as this man is an absolute force of nature in BJJ. His skill and ability makes him one of the best and people pay vast amounts of money for his teaching. I do not say this to belittle him or a system, more to highlight the differences in what we learn and compete in.

The age-old question of whose style is best was allegedly put to bed in 1993 when the UFC came into being. Here, at last, was a platform where styles could be tested, and bullshit was beaten. But wait MMA has now become a style of its own and the world of martial arts once again is engulfed in the most pointless question in the history of pointless questions. Which style is the best?

Traditionalists argue that modern martial arts are nothing more than a surface knowledge, a jack of all trades with a bad attitude and no respect.

Combatives and self-defence guys argue that their pre-emptive strike and tactical pants would stop the fight before it started and anyway sport fighting isn’t real.

Sports fighters say that without honing your skills and forging your mind and body in the fires of competition you will never be tested and therefore has no credibility.

Streetfighters say that headbutts, aggression and overwhelming force will win the day.

But who is right?

We can agree that the styles have differences in both the physical and the mental. The aggression of Krav Maga is countered by the lifetime study of drawing the sword in Iaido. The brutality and conditioning of a Kyokushin fighter next to the grace and athleticism of a wushu expert or the internal workings of chi placed against pressure points and Meridian lines. Some want a purely physical approach, others a kind of moving Zen where the art is for art sake.

Is one better than the other? Does one way of doing things outweigh all others?

 I think the beauty of martial arts is the many diverse flavours that they come in. If you want to immerse yourself in a culture and spend hours going through the historical aspects of an art, you can. If you want to test yourself against other like-minded people in an arena of your choosing, you can. If you wish to better your health and stimulate your mind, you can do that too. Training in any form is inclusive and regardless of what our training goals are we can all agree that just being involved in martial arts is a positive in our lives. Some people want to fight, others to learn, others to make friends and others for health reasons. Their reasons are no less important than mine.

But who would win, a lion or a shark? That is still the question after all.

I suppose that would depend on where you put them😊

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