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Being new to Martial Arts, I've been trying to narrow down the choices of a good one to choose. Mostly I'm limited by what is available of course. But I primarily want something that is very good for self-defense on the street. I think I've narrowed it down to Wing Chun as my choice, as I am going to visit a school for the first time today before making my decision. I've asked in other places on this forum, and from what I gather that Wing Chun is very good for this, which is one of the reasons I may choose it. However, any more specifics on the style I have no idea about. What kind of art is it, I've heard it's mostly up close stuff. What are your thoughts on Wing Chun and its effectiveness? What about in a sport situation? I'm not too concerned with the most effective ring fighting technique, in sport situations as much; but rather with it's effectiveness in self defense. Is this a good choice? I am also considering Jeet Kun Do, although it may be harder to find a good school for me, and perhaps Muay Thai (sorry if misspelled) but I'm not sure if there are too many places that teach MT where I live. Thanks in advance!

Thanks again for the replies. Having narrowed down what I'm looking for, it greatly differs from what my wife wants. Most likely she'll be taking something completely different or not at all. I wouldn't mind starting the hard stuff right away, but I am definetely looking at this for the long term, so it's not an urgent thing. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. I've been leaning towards Wing Chun, and perhaps Jeet Kun Do. There are a few different places where I live that teach these so these may be good choices for me because they are available. I think I've found a Wing Chun dojo that has what I want. My wife, however wants something different. She doesn't want to have (especially) full contact sparring, or a very minimal or no sparring at all. So that brings up more questions, as to which arts (if any) would be best for her? Are there MA's and dojo's that don't have sparring? Since I'm not too knowledgable about the different styles, are there some that practice more on forms and less on sparring? Since she doesn't really want to "trade punches", (to me, this seems to defeat the purpose of even doing a martial art) but I was hoping maybe there was still stuff out there she could do. Perhaps something along the lines of tai-bo or some aerobic kickboxing type things would be better for her. But if there is a style that would work for her I would like to know. edit: Thanks so much for the advice, it has really helped me narrow down my choices. And plus following the above guidelines I may have found a place that is just right! Hopefully I will find out soon

Finally got caught up on the reading... This thread has helped me quite a bit, I'm definetely looking to starting a MA and I've had some questions on which one to choose, limited by what I actually have access to of course. I've seen Wing Chun show up frequently on people's lists so I'm definetely leaning towards that as one of my choices. It sounds like what I am looking for, and I think there are a few places where I live that teach it. So I may be in luck!

Thanks for the reply! I'm glad you asked those questions. I know this is a tough one to get a clear cut answer on. There are so many variables to consider, personal preferences and style. But I would love to hear any feedback from as many people in their respective arts as I can. Even letting me know which MA's I should already rule out is a great start for me. Avoiding the wrong choice is something I'm shooting for. For question 1: I'm definetely more interested in striking techniques than taking the fight to the ground. No. 2 is kind of both ways for me. I can only speculate which training style will better prepare me. I'm assuming a focus on fighting as opposed to forms/katas would be more of what I'm looking for. But I would be happy doing either. I definetely want something that practices realistic combat. Full contact would be great with me, and actually preferable. It's something that I've always looked forward in doing one day, now that I have the means and access to take up a martial art, it's something I've always wanted to do. Anything that increases my chance to defend my family and myself I will be a much happier, confident person. Which is definetely what I want to achieve. But not knowing the details of each martial art, it's hard for me to know what fits these general guidelines. And if there are any other questions/preferances you guys need from me just let me know!!

Hey, I'm brand new to martial arts, and I've been trying to do some research on what would be the right martial art for me (and my wife). I am hoping everyone can help me out. I've briefly read through some of the threads, like some of the top 10 combative MA's and such. Basically, I am looking for the right MA for my wife and I. Some of the threads I noticed a lot of martial art styles mentioned that I had never heard of before, and I'm not sure I even have access to. What I am wanting is something that is very self-defense oriented. I've heard some types of MA are better at this than others. I want something that leans more toward effective fighting and defense in real life situations, and not necessarily for competition. Hence why I posted this in the Combative forum. My wife also is wanting to learn a great self defense art. What would be most effective self defense MA for her as a small sized woman? Most of the types that we have access to are: (various forms of Karate), Taekwondo, Judo, Tai Chi, Hapkido, Chin na, Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Chi Kung, and I thought I saw Jeet Kun Do. I have no idea which would be the best for what we're looking for. But just a guideline would at least help me narrow this down. I'm leaning toward Karate. How does it rank as far as self-defense/combat compared to the others I listed? I know there are a whole list of issues I need to consider before actually choosing an art much less the right dojo. But who better to ask than people who actually study and train in these arts right? It may be the case that any of them are fine and can't go wrong with picking one over the other. But if there are any MA's that stand out above the rest for what we're looking for, or any feedback anyone can get me I am most appreciative. Thanks in advance!