I'll try not to be redundant of those that have posted before. However, allow me to throw out a few thoughs at the risk of stepping on a few toes.
There are three basic types of systems.
Traditional martial arts.
Martial sports.
Modern combat systems.
Each has it plusses and minuses. Traditional martial arts are a link to the past with a lot of history, usually require a lot of disipline and can be very physcilly demanding. They can also be quite satisfying if you master one. However they are typically designed for the culture of the time and many of the techniques are not really relevant in today's world. But if the tradition and disipline appeal to you, by all means train. It is far better than sitting on the couch and day dreaming about being able to pull your gun on somebody.
Martial sports are far more previlant in this country today. And they are just that, a sport. You are training to score a point, not win a fight. Most schools that teach martial sports will have a certain element of self defense to them but don't take it all that seriously. Have you ever been in a Tae Kwon Do class where the concepts of avoidance and awareness were discussed? Not me.
Modern H2H systems are ugly, brutal and some are very effective. You don't need to be in good shape for modern self defense. The fight should be over in ten seconds or so and just about anybody can go full bore that long. Mindset and a small but effective number of techniques are normal in modern combat classes. Most are done seminar style and last a week. I don't reall like the approach because they are perishable skills but the cost of regular training in many systems like SCARS is prohibitive. Still there is a reason that the Navy SEALS train with Jerry Peterson in his SCARS system.
All that being said, most people who train serioulsy with good schools for several years CAN take care of them selves in most H2H situations. But it does take anywhere from two to five years of hard training to reach that point, depending on a large number of factors.
I took my first martial arts class at the age of 13, I'm now 48 and still training. As one person stated, it becomes a way of life as much as anything else.
Keep an open mind, be realistic, adn train hard.
