What the old "pumping the brakes" technique did was allow the wheels to rotate for a fraction, just so any steering input could then actually steer the car. It also prevented a "runaway skid", where the tire's rubber compound actually melts and acts as a lubricant, prolonging the sliding of a locked-up tire. This is *exactly* the function of ABS. ABS does NOT stop you any faster than a properly-executed "threshold brake" maneuver, as a matter or fact, it's very slightly longer...
BUT... (and it's a really BIG "but"):
1) Very VERY few people (even trained race drivers) can keep the tires on that fine edge between rotating and locking, on every surface, every time. Add in long trips with waning concentration, and give the "nod" to ABS, which can do *very nearly* the same thing.
2) With ABS "pumping the brakes" for you, your mind is freed for "evasive maneuver calcs" - meaning STEER TO AVOID! In a vehicle with ABS, the preferred, instructed technique is "mash brake and steer" in that situation. Do NOT forget the "...and steer" part!!!! That's pretty much the whole point of ABS!
3) There are VERY few situations where NOT having ABS will physically stop you faster, aside from a trained driver threshold braking on a known surface. The main one is loose, granular surfaces (not snow, but dirt/gravel), where a wheel which has stoppped rotating can "dig in" and form a berm ahead of itself. Another is "mixed surfaces", where early ABS systems cause all wheels (or both wheels on an axle) to "pump" the same, regardless of friction coefficient. 4-channel ABS systems (like the Soul's, I believe) don't have this shortcoming.
All for now...