oh my god there a some really ignorant people here.....
ok... go to sherdog.com and just hang around the standup technique forum as well as grappling forum for a few weeks and then come back and tell me Shotokan is deadly or that Judo is used in full-contact events....
screw all that sh!t....
to my main point again.... decide what you want to do and what you expect to get out of martial arts and find something that fits that description
if you want realistic self-defense, try brazilian jujutsu and boxing... the only draw-back is if there are multiple attackers.... (and there almost always are)
muay thai is also very effective... but you have to adapt it to make it work on the street since its mainly for the ring.... like kicking to the groin, eye-gouging, grappling, biting...ect..ect..
kung-fu, wing chung, and definitly tai chi are NOT effective fighting arts..... at least not any more.... how many kung fu guys do YOU see in UFC or ANY full-contact event...?
none whatsover....
there is something to be said about training for the situation.... against a resisting opponent... thats the problem with alot of martial arts today... aka- McDojos, they don't train realisticly (sp?)
let me give you an example... you teacher is showing you the next technique... he has a guy stand passivly in front of him while he says "Ok grab my wrist" so the guy grabs his wrist but still just stands there holding the teachers wrist.... then the teacher shows you how to break his grip of your wrist and put him in an arm lock....
see something wrong with this...?? NO ONE is going to stand still during a violent encounter and let you put them in an arm lock..... they will be punching you in the face, kicking, scratching, screaming and head butting your a$$ into oblivion while your trying to arm lock him...
Best,
Jin
ps--- get a new handle bastard! ... lol...