The ”Most Effective” Martial Arts Technique or Who’s “The Fastest Gun Alive?”

The "Best" Aikido Technique: Who is the Fastest Gun?

In the 1950’s movie “The Fastest Gun Alive”, Broderick Crawford portrayed the outlaw. He claimed to be the fastest gun alive but was taunted by one of the town folk who asserted “no matter how fast ya are, there always someone faster’n you”. In the end story’s central character, Glen Ford, out draws and shoots him.

Are Aikido Technique Better or Worse Than Other Martial Arts?

Which art is ”superior” is an age-old question that is the center of much discussion by martial artists who are focused on a specific martial art. So many bad martial arts movies show one dojo sending its best guy to another school for a showdown to settle it once and for all. Of course, it only answers the question of who had superior skills on a given day. YouTube is full of clips that pit combatants from different arts against each other in an attempt to address “the big question”. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu vs. Karate, Aikido vs. BJJ, the permutations are endless. Regardless of the outcome of an individual encounter, such match ups can never settle the issue for the same reason that Broderick Crawford’s loss in the gunfight didn’t prove who was the fastest gun alive (you have to keep “proving it”). Even within an apparently “no holds barred” match like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the title belt is elusive even to high-level competitors such as Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell.

Part of the answer to the question is that it is dependent on on your frame of reference. It involves asking oneself “what is the goal for martial arts training?” Is it so that you can enter a bar, pick a fight and kick someone’s butt or are you interested in how your training can help the lives of others? Even if you could beat someone up, does that prove you are “better than they are” or does that make you the just fastest gun in the West…that day? The truth is that most of the popular martial arts have virtues AND limitations. Judo has rules that prevent striking but an accomplished practitioner, such as Rhadi Ferguson, can definitely do substantial damage by throwing a person directly on his head, even if he had to take many strikes to “get inside”. Striking arts such as Karate or Jeet Kune Do, can be very effective in self-defense. However, if taken to the ground by a skillful opponent, all of these techniques would be rendered ineffective. Even MMA has specific rules of competition, which exclude certain blows and even if they were allowed, how would these techniques hold up against an expert with a knife, not to mention a gun. Many arts focus on one-to-one competition, but how would these arts hold up with multiple attackers? If one’s goal is to dispatch (kill) an opponent, then joining the Special Forces might be the most appropriate choice.

Aikido Techniques: The Best Depends on Your Goals

In conclusion, to answer the question “which art is the best” we need to look at ourselves objectively and ask “what are the core beliefs that provide the framework for this comparison?” The answer is that the best martial art is the one that gives you what you are looking for. Under the right conditions and in the hands of the right person, each art can be effective in self-defense. For those interested in a very physical workout, Judo or Jiu Jitsu can give you a real run for your money. If you are not as interested in grappling, an art like Karate, or Tae Kwon Do may be what you are looking for. If you search for an art with a spiritual dimension, Aikido may be worth looking into. Trying to “prove” that one art is better would be the same as saying the heavy weight champ in the UFC would remain so…forever. The answer then lies in the attitude of respect that many of these arts include in their fundamental training. Respect means accepting that each person takes martial arts for reasons and that purpose is valid from their perspective.

Dan Kudo Sensei trains and teaches in Santa Ana, California, located in Orange County, and holds the rank of Yondan (fourth degree black belt).  Click here to read an article on how true power is generated through Aikido Techniques.