Originally Posted by Terumoto

I disagree with what you said about "true masters." If a true master had no style or form, he would not be a master. Martial arts masters often dabble in other styles in their lifetime, but stick to one style to master. Being a master doesnt mean having no pre-defined style or form. It means that they can flow freely and naturally from any kick, punch, throw or block and adapt to any situation. Utilizing the tools their art has to offer, they read their opponent and counter that movement with whatever movement they have mastered that would be effective in that situation. Being a master means you can pull off techniques at full efficiency autonomously.

If someone is a master of a style, it doesnt just mean they know all the techniques of that style flawlessly. It also has an inner aspect, their mind is just as disciplined as their body when it comes to fighting.

What you said is probably the case with martial arts students, but not every single person that practices martial arts.

It also depends on the style... For example modern day Karate is basically almost always taught as a competition art. Even though some moves in it may be effective in a fight situation, ultimately it would only give a slight advantage. A style like Bujinkan Taijutsu is designed to be an effective combat style. It focuses on attacking weak points of the body, working with gravity to ground your opponent, a lot of pressure point strikes, grabs, pins, and holds. It is designed to quickly render the opponent unable to attack. Its the same with styles like Muay Thai, that are designed to quickly fuck up opponents so they cant fight (im talking about the original muay thai, the kind that is used in thai boxing is very different).