Each martial art has strengths and weaknesses, and learning from a variety of styles will help to bridge the gap, but they will also give you the ability to adapt to an ever changing and increasingly hostile world.  Successful and professional martial artists are known to have mastered various styles of martial arts that got them to where they are today.  Anyone who really wants to excel in the martial arts and make it a life-long pursuit would do well to study various styles of fighting.
Raymond Daniels would be a great example as the top rated sport karate fighter in the world.  He holds at least three black belts in a few styles of traditional martial arts.  Who can forget Bruce Lee?  Lee was the pioneer in bringing martial arts to the United States and he developed Jeet Kune Do which was a form Mixed Martial Arts in its day.
There is one particular style of martial arts I want to share with you I had the pleasure of learning by one of my students, Samuel Schmitt.  The style, Krav Maga derives from street-fighting skills by Imi Licthenfeld, a Slovakian-Israeli martial artist.  Krav Maga exists to deal with today’s real world violent situations and proves to be one of the best self defense systems to date.
In class, we experienced various methods to protect ourselves in a variety of scenarios and against a variety of attacks.  We were introduced to learning how to defend against armed and unarmed threats, terroristic threats, and how to identify threats using Krav Maga as a resource.  We also learn to interact with your environment to prevent us from being a potential target and victim.
Krav Maga is a martial art that can apply to everyone.  It does not matter if you are athletic, out of shape, disabled, or an experienced martial artist.  Self defense is a basic, God-given, human right, and Krav Maga provides an opportunity to meet that right so everyone can learn to defend their own lives and those of others.  If you have ever been interested in learning a martial art, you cannot go wrong with Krav Maga.
If you live in the Twin Cities and are interested in Krav Maga, I would highly recommend checking out Krav Maga Chaska.  I had the opportunity to meet the head instructors and have great respect for what they are doing in the community.
Dangerous and violent confrontations are becoming increasingly more prevalent around the world and in the United States.  Adapting your training strategies is vital for your survival in an ever changing world. If you find yourself in harm’s way, it is better to know you have prepared yourself beforehand in a threatening situation then to come up empty handed and a victim.
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Krav Maga. Last modified December 29, 2013.  Web.