McDojos and 'The Worst Martial Art': A Controversial Question

I love Moot-fu.
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Has anyone mentioned clackledocking yet?
We learned an exercise at clackledocking that was much like sticking hands. It's called 'wandering hands', but HR describe it as 'inappropriate touching'
 
I've been on these boards for a while, though I don't really post as much as I should. I've noticed that a lot of people around here hold the firm opinion that no art is better than another, and that it all depends on the student's effort and willingness to learn. Although I can see the immediate appeal of this point of view, and the fact that it prevents a lot of arguments and useless insults, I have to disagree.
Asking what the best martial art is is like asking what the best sports team is, every year it's different. What also should be taken into account is that arts evolve over time, take for instance Gracie Jiu Jitsu, an art that has become famous for its effectiveness, if you ask any of the Gracies they will tell you that Gracie Jiu Jitsu is very different now than it was back in say the 70s or earlier. So that's something else to be aware of that arts are changing and evolving which is part of why the so called "best" martial art is always going to be a different art from time to time.
Another issue often talked about on this forum is that of McDojos. I'm sure we've all encountered them at one point or another in training, and have been angered by their treatment of classic martial arts such as karate, or by their home-brewed, 'ultimate fighting systems'. My question concerns the latter. The instructors at these McDojos often piece together their own martial art from what they believe to be the best parts of others. What results is usually, in my opinion, a poor martial art. It lacks integrity, the philosophy and psychology behind martial arts that have taken hundreds of years to develop.

To say that the 'ultimate fighting system' invented by someone with 5 years of martial arts experience is just as good a martial art as Karate, Tae Kwon Do, or Muay Thai is, I feel, to make a grave insult to these martial arts. So that's where I stand on that issue. Do you think that absolutely any martial art is as good as any other, or do you make exceptions?
Such schools probably don't last long.
 
What's better, pizza or burgers?

Well... who's making them?

If it's Wendy's vs Pizza Hut, I'm choosing burgers. If it's Domino's vs McDonald's, I'm choosing pizza.

I suppose we can look at martial arts the same way.

You might be a boxer at a local gym and say that boxing is better than BJJ. Would you be ready to test that against a Gracie?

You might train in BJJ at a local gym and say that it's better than boxing. Would you be ready to test that against Usyk or Joshua?
 

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