Anybody into Martial Arts?

Preface: I'm not, asides from a few years of Karate in my teens, and again in my 20's. I had a sparring partner for a little while who was a highly-trained Aikido black-belt.

But, these days I've been contemplating squeezing in my already super-busy schedule some training--but don't know which one. I think I've narrowed it down to Brazilian Ju-jitsu, Israeli Krav Maga (sp?), Japanese Aikido, or Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. The hardest part I think is finding a good studio within reasonable driving range.

Opinions?

well, aikido is very forgiving on the body in the long term, its less impact, that is the only martial art that i have tried so far,
now i am thinking of getting into kendo and iaido, i heard from my aikido teacher that its good exercise and good toning workout.

i'm still a wing chun student.. which i've been told is the base for bruce lee's jeet kune do..
i can tell you krav maga is very badass.. i believe it was created by imi lichtenfield, incorperating alot of street fighting.. i recall the name as he was an instructor for the israeli defense force..
it's supposed to be applicable from points of disadvantage..
if you decide to take this i'd think it'd be fruitful to take another martial art also..
jeet kune do might not be ideal, as it's principle is based on the freedom of not having a style at all.. "absorb what is useful, reject what is useless".. altho i find it great for philosophy.. you could base jeet kune do on grappling or striking, or both.. whatever you find the most useful.. also, studying jeet kune do you'll be encouraged to study many other styles.. you should make sure you have a decent amount of time to dedicate to it, both physically and mentally..
and aikido.. the oldest developer i'm aware of is morehei ueshaba.. the whole point is to avert any attack with minimal damage to your attacker.. it was developed that way, mainly due to ueshaba's religious beliefs, and respecting all life.. it's based on jiu jitsu, with less striking.. altho there are many violent throws and joint-locks that can do some major damage, if the force were required..
if you're leaning toward that, might i reccomend hapkido? hapkido gets its grappling techniques from aiki jiu jitsu, which in turn was the predecessor to aikido.. you'll learn to use striking and grappling techniques to compliment eachother.. it's a very crafty martial art, as any one of your movements could be setting up your opponent for an attack (a kick may set up a punch.. a punch may set up a throw, or a joint lock).. it's also famous for allowing you to control your opponent's body, somewhat.. by keeping them off balance, or moving them in directions you find more suitable to attack/defend from.. and a hapkido practitioner also learns to counter attacks using opposite techniques.. i believe you also learn a bit of pressure point targeting..

any style you choose to study will help you be able to defend yourself and attack provided you practice until it becomes second nature. other than knowing your technique its all about nerves. unless you regularly get into fights its really hard to prepare for something as scary as a street fight. i don't care what anyone says, it is frightening. with a little techniqe and a lot of nerve you can pretty much handle any encounter. except being jumped by a group of guys. then you just run. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif

If you don't mind doing hundreds or thousands of punches and kicks, karate or kung-fu might be for you. If you want to tie someone in a knot, then go for ju-jitsu. Find a style you like and visit different schools. I found out that the way a teacher and his assistants teach can be just as important as the style, make sure you'll fit in.

Another vote for Aikido. I took Shao Lin once...didn't do it for me. Screaming and yelling, posing, lightning-fast punches and the death stare don't really interest me. If I want to punch somebody, I think I can handle that with minimal training. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif And if I want a workout, I'll go work out. For me, a martial art is TRAINING, and nothing more.

I like Aikido for its simplicity, its fluid motion, its efficiency. And from a legal standpoint, Aikido is defensive in nature, and doesn't make you look like a psycho-ninja to 12 of your peers.

But above all, I think finding the right instructor is the most important. You can study the baddest form around, but if you can't get answers to your questions, you're wasting your time.

I have been training in the Defensor Method of Kali under Guro Stephen Yarnell for 4 years. Maha Guro Defensor has come in for some seminars that I have attended.