[igk]

Which is kind of...ok? I studied ewto wing chun, and in our small "fight club" I always came out pretty well against the boxer/kick boxers if the group. So I'd say there are definitely"effective" styles, based on anecdotal evidence. A lot also depends on what you want to learn. If you want flashy moves, do gymnastics and learn wushu. I wanted a soft, but "effective" style, a friend of mine wanted power and hard hitting, so he went thaiboxing...so people will learn what they want, as always living styles today can be archived and resurrected later, or they can morph and survive