Quality Vs. Quantity

So how many martial arts techniques are there anyway? And how many do you have to know?
This is an age old question: the question of quality vs. quantity. Although many practitioners advocate learning many techniques, as many as one hundred or more, I don't agree with this idea. A martial artist is better off discarding the techniques that don't fit his or her physical make up and fighting mentality and instead, focus in on a few techniques that work well for that individual.

You will be able to tell very quickly which techniques work for you and which don't. I would recommend taking five or six techniques to start with and practice them until you have really become efficient with each one. Then, learn at least one or two combinations to use with each technique. Think of it as a one of those nine digit electronic locks for your car door. There are only nine digits but it is nearly impossible to break the code because of the incredible amount of combinations there are. Similarly, you may only have a few techniques but you can hit your opponent with many different combinations. And it doesn't stop there. There are multiple angles to fire each technique from as well as many ways to set up an opponent for each technique.
(I will write on this subject later in detail)

Don't be afraid to have a trade mark technique. This can work in your favor. Many times an opponent will be over anxiously looking for you to fire that one particular technique and this will leave them vulnerable to a sneak attack. Muhammad Ali would frequently establish his famous jab as his principle weapon and when his opponents started looking for him to throw it, he would switch up and hit them with a sneaky right hand or 45 punch.
Being known for a few techniques may also force an individual to continually increase the skill and deceptive methods with which they are delivered. This has made for some exceptional fighters.

I primarily use only ten striking techniques in sparring/competitive style matches. I have four hand techniques: a forward hand strike, straight right, hook, and uppercut. And I primarily use six kicking techniques: a side kick, round kick, hook kick, front kick, spin back kick, and spin hook kick. Early on when I began my only formal training (Tae Kwon Do), there were many more techniques I was made to try and learn. Out of respect for my instructor I practiced each one diligently. But many of them just didn't seem to work for me. For example, to this day I still hate using the ax kick and the crescent kick. I have never once scored on anybody with them. So I cut them out of my training regimen. I only use them today for theatrical purposes.

Many people believe this shows lack of dedication to the art. I believe it shows an effective training practice that prevents a waste of time. After all, as it was once said...
"I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks, but the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times".