Any art that concentrates on full contact, full speed training is never, EVER useless on the street. See also Boxing, Judo, BJJ, Kali, et al.
If your art does not practice hitting and being hit, throwing and being thrown and how to keep your head in a stressful situation you are NOT training self defense.
What makes BJJ a superior art in the minds of many? The techniques? The fancy gi's? Nope, it's the philosophy. The way the Gracies train, their work ethics, their standards, the whole method of combining leverage and efficiency of motion makes GJJ a powerful art to train in.
In an earlier thread I commented how I thought the self-defense techniques in the book Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Practice was a J O K E. After some discussion, I went back and checked it out again.
I wasn't entirely wrong, but I am sure I spoke out of context. I was looking at the pictures without studying the accompanying text. I saw one of the Gracies standing with his head down and figured that was a BAD thing to do in self defense. Of course, he was exaggerating the motion to make a point in the sequence.
Getting back to my point, as I have stipulated over and over again: Full contact, full speed, grappling and striking and moving AND adrenal stress control should all be addressed in the art. Otherwise, how can you call it self defense.
I don't think Aikido or Hapkido address all of these factors in and of themselves. But neither does Muay Thai or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, does it? Any system worth it's salt is going to include and emphasize cross training in a complimentary style.
Except for Hozhinjitsu of course, that is the only COMPLETE art!
Szczepankiewicz the Vociferous