Self-Defense/Martial Arts - who practices?

[Faldoe]

I've been considering getting into some type of MA or self-defense course. I'm not exactly which might be best. I'm interested in both for a number of reasons: better connection with my body/awareness/ability, confidence, self defense abilities, of course. I don't work out that often I'm in good shape, I guess.

[goroth]

I have a black belt in kyokushin karate. It's been many years since I practised, but it has profoundly shaped my psyche and my body (in a good way!).

If you could get one thing out of your training, above all else, what would it be?

[Faldoe]

In addition to what I mentioned? To have a more integrated being/connection with my body and mind and to push my self physically. I hope it would also in turn help with anxiety.

[Chankgeez]

I'm not a practitioner, but I've always wanted to learn an internal form of Kung Fu. (I have done some Qigong, but that's definitely not a marital art.)

[Monarch]

For confidence and self-defense abilities Krav Maga is maybe most practical for real situations.

[KaosCill8r]

I studied Ju-Jitsu for quite a few years. It is a great all round system. If you are learning for self defence, then learn a system that pays a lot of attention to ground combat. Nearly all fights end up on the ground within 30 seconds and being able to grapple will put you well ahead. I recommend Brazilian Ju-Jitsu. But don't put all your eggs in one basket. Take some boxing lessons as well.
At the end of the day though, the best defence is just not to be there. Meaning if you can sense something happening and you have a chance to fuck off before the shit starts then do so. If you can't leave, then fight like your life depends on it. Because it just might.

[HeavyXIII]

Everyone with experience has given great advice, so I hope I'm bringing something new to the table:

If you really want useful application, take from a place that commonly utilizes sparring. Safety is key with sparring though, and many hole in the wall MMA places let their fighters beat on each other like they're really fighting. That's not helpful, injuries slow down progress and learning is more important than toughness (at least to a beginner IMO). You probably don't want to end up at a place that looks like it's out of The Foot Fist Way either, though.

Grappling knowledge is key, but on it's own is of limited effectiveness. I practiced some combination of Judo, BJJ and Sambo; ground fighting is important, and although many fights end on the ground, I've never seen a real fight that started there. Any place that teaches striking and standing grappling/defense will be helpful. I sucked at boxing, but the drills were incredibly helpful.

The other factor for me is cost. I'm not rich, and cannot justify spending ~$2000 on programs that can't accommodate people who aren't beginners. I don't need another uniform, 4th set of pads and another set of belts. I was lucky in college: my instructor trained me for ~$50/month, and eventually let me train for free once I was helping with children's classes. I'm probably biased though.

Class size has effects too. I think having a variety of classmates helps encourage adaptability, although smaller classes mean you get more personal instruction from someone experienced.

Quick notes:
Don't be afraid to mix styles
Don't waste money on some crazy program
Don't be afraid to do trials with several places. Comfort is pretty important.
Be open minded. You can start anywhere!

Off OP topic:

I have a black belt in kyokushin karate. It's been many years since I practised, but it has profoundly shaped my psyche and my body (in a good way!).

What was that like? My instructor competed at I believe the international level, but always trained us on mats. I see those videos of Kyokushin guys having it out bare knuckle and wince. Mad props.

Sorry if any of that sounded preachy, I haven't trained or discussed training in a couple of years.

[goroth]

In addition to what I mentioned? To have a more integrated being/connection with my body and mind and to push my self physically. I hope it would also in turn help with anxiety.

What I meant was more "what is the most important thing?". Any martial art that isn't some new fanlged bullshit offering you x amount of skills in x amount of time is probably going to deliver you a whole bunch of benefits, most of the ones you named. So working out the most important one is going to help narrow it down.

If you are looking for spiritual development then I'd look at a traditional style of karate, or kendo, jujitsu. If you want to go all hippy maybe Aikido.
Fitness then kickboxing is pretty awesome. As long as the dude running it isn't a dick. Which sadly is not the easiest requirement to fulfill as it does seem to attract a certain sort of person.

Self defence, then something that involves ranged attacks and groundwork. But self defence is a bit of a red herring, as it takes so many years to develop the muscle memory to allow you to apply your knowledge in a controlled way in a random fight or flight situation. So I wouldn't necessarily focus on that.

For me, the most important aspect is two-fold: One is avoiding martial arts that are solely sports-styled. I think there is too much interesting stuff other aspects of martial arts that you miss when you focus on the competitive side of it.
The other is finding a style that is full contact, or close enough. This point goes hand in hand with the point above about avoiding sports-style martial arts, but for me being able to train in an environment where, in a respectful and very controlled way, your mind is forced to deal with physical discomfort I think is the key for developing spiritually (and physically). It's about learning your own boundaries, testing them, pushing them, controlling fear, adrenaline etc. All of these aspects are really helpful in everyday life. That is also why I think choosing a traditional martial art is helpful, as it creates a good framework for that process - a much more positive one than simply wanting to learn to beat the shit out of someone.

Which I guess leads me to my final point - go to the dojo, meet the Sensai and the sempais, get a feel for the vibe and the culture that they bring to it. Even within a given style you will find certain dojos have a certain vibe and attract a certain person, which affects the way they train and how you learn. If it doesn't gel with you don't waste your time there. One of the critical markers is how children/younger people and women participate, especially in a semi or full contact environment. Obviously I wasn't kicking the shit out of kids when I was 6, but as you get older you learn to handle contact more. How the sensai handles that is indicative of how he or she approaches their training as a whole. Similarly with regard to women: the amount of men between 15 and 35 who want to learn how to hit each other harder is apparently limitless. You are always going to attract guys, regardless of what martial art it is. But being able to attract, and retain, female martial artists is a sign that the dojo has more going for it than just the fighting.

@heavy: You build up your strength in your wrists and knuckles, and you aren't allowed to strike with your hands above the shoulders. And for long sparring sessions we'd often use light gloves anyway. I've never really thought about it as it's all I know. I quite liked the fact that hand and elbow strikes to the head were off limits, meaning that you mostly avoided the problems with boxing etc (long term brain injury, boxer's nose etc) but the fact that you could get knocked out by a decent head kick gave sparring increased... I dunno... urgency. Which getting back to discipline was a really important thing. When you got tired, and your form got worse, or you let your guard drop, you could get knocked out (or at least in training cop a light kick around your ears to remind you).

Given that the only martial art I really know is Kyokushin (shit, I don't even know that much about other karate styles) I can't recommend it enough. At least in my dojo I found a great blend of tradition, respect (self respect, respect for others), discipline but also real world applicable skills. But I think you could find that in any number of cool martial arts, depending on the sensai.

[Chankgeez]

I think this's what goroth's talkin' about:

[goroth]

A picture's worth a thousand words buddy

[snipelfritz]

I've thought a little bit about taking something up to help get in shape. Traditional exercise is torture to me. :c

Problem is I don't have any regular time off that I could commit to classes.

Used to do tae kwon do in like middle school.

[Faldoe]

Thanks, y'all.

Money definitely is a factor so I may have to look into taking classes at a community college or something - though I wonder if that is counter productive.

I'm not looking to pick fights or anything like that.

I think both having the skills necessary - should the circumstances arise where using them is needed - and improving my overall awareness and abilies of mind/body are what interest me. And to get my ass kicked - in training, to toughen up and work on admitting/accepting when I make mistakes - that is often a difficult thing for me to do, and since I'll be new to it, I'll ultimately have situations like that arise.