Martial art recommendations?

[Yesman]

I've been toying with the thought lately of picking one up. It's hard for me to say what exactly I'm after. I know that the grappling of Judo doesn't interest me too much, and that's about it. I'm not focused either on what will be most beneficial in a real life situation (not that I'm against that, yeah?). "Agility" and "swiftness" are the main things that come to mind when I think about what I'd like. I know that's very vague, and can be applied to most, but, eh, it's all I can offer.

From a quick googling, what's available in my area is: karate, aikido, ninjutsu, kung fu, tai chi, MMA and capoeira. But feel free to write about things you're familiar with and like, even if not on the list.

[msterswrdsmn]

Eh. It depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for something practical? Take up boxing and stick with that until you get comfortable with that.

No, seriously. I've done martial arts for my whole life, and a lot, and i mean A LOT of the people that have only done dojo-training get stomped by boxers for the simple fact they're not used to getting hit. Blackbelts included. Its not just the fact they're getting hit physically; the mindset they've had while they trained just didn't prepare them.

Boxing in a series of rounds also ups your anareobic energy system, which is something a lot of dojos won't work effectively.

Also, agility and swiftness are the last thing you should focus on. If you're just getting into it, you're going to have to start slow to work on technique. Speed and whatnot come long, LONG after you've developed proper technique.

That said.

Look around. Find places that teach, and ask if you can do a sit-in. Basically, you show up for a lesson, sit on the sidelines, and watch. Pay attention to how they teach as well as the style.

As for the style itself...are you looking for something with a particular emphasis? when you say "swift and agile" are you talking about something high-energy with a lot of movement?

[Stath]

I used to do a few regular amateur classes in MMA. Used to being key word, now I sit on my arse all day drinking mountain dew and eating cheetos. ANYWAY. Can I possibly state that out of the selection you have, MMA may~ be my lowest pick on the ladder?

It's excellent fitness and topnotch cardio, but kind of boring and technical, focused on counters, grapples, explosive muscle power and whatnot, not so much speed and agility. That being said I don't want to dissuade you from something you might find heaps of fun!

[msterswrdsmn]

karate, aikido, ninjutsu, kung fu, tai chi, MMA and capoeira

Going off this list...(sorry, I skipped that earlier)

Capoeria is probably going to be the highest energy and involves the most movement. Its also going to be the hardest to pick up. You need excellent stamina and flexibility.

AVOID ninjutsu. If you're just getting into martial arts, you probably don't know how to spot the warning signs of a really bad dojo (McDojo). Ninjutsu is one of the most common "crappy dojo that wants your money" style.

Tai Chi is probably going to bore you. Its very slow and focuses largely on fluid, accurate movements in forms (katas...whatever). My wife picked it up and it frusturated the hell out of her because she kept rushing. She got even more annoyed when I showed her how slow you have to move at times.

MMA is a hit or miss. How good a place is depends on the people there; some people are very, very good. Others...well. Remember when you were a kid and all the other kids would pretend to be WWE wrestlers hitting each other in some kids backyard? Yeah. Like that.

Karate...do a sit in. Its not as bad as ninjutsu, but there are a lot of crappy karate/taekwondo dojos. In particular, watch how the teacher interacts with the students. Avoid places that constantly throw around "we teach you how to fight in the real world" phrase (unless they add the "...and avoid a lawsuit in the process." Seriously). Its a generic catchphrase that gets thrown around, but is more likely to get you in trouble than help you.

Other red flags are "deadly secret techniques", "ancient secrets", and "get a black belt in a year or less".

Aikido might frustrate you to, if you didn't like Judo.

[vaclavc]

I agree with msterswrdsmn, boxing is the most practical "martial art" to learn. Judo is also rather practical. These two have one thing in common - frequent an somewhat realistic sparring.
Reading your list I would personally avoid aikido, ninjutsu, kung fu, tai chi, capoeira.
-V-

[The Pretty Prince of Parties]

I've been doing martial arts (Isshin-ryu Karate and WTF Tae Kwon Do) for about four years now, and I can tell you that masterswordsman is right about Karate. There are a lot of bad dojos, and a lot of bad teachers - but if you manage to find one (I'm fairly certain I have!) it's fantastic. Turned me from a lazy bastard into a focused, successful college student - and it took most of my flab and turned it into nice, lean muscle. Tae Kwon Do is far from practical, but it's fun, a great workout, good for personal discipline and a challenge. Also great for building flexibility, since it's hard to kick properly without it.

I'll echo master again, and say that it's very important to not just do traditional training. I started going to the MMA sparring classes my dojo offered (they basically just put out an invitation to local schools of various styles to come on in and get some extra practice once a week) when I was a white belt. I probably didn't land a solid hit on anyone for the first six months, but I picked up a skill I still hold as extremely important: I can take a punch and keep going.

[Xarge VI]

I would suggest Kyusho Jitsu Tuite (Could be Kyusho-jutsu, not sure). It's a modern style of martial arts built from the old ones obviously.
It teaches the control of your opponent's nerve points and limbs, allowing to take down your opponents without causing damage, it sure hurts but it doesn't cause physical damage when done right.

I practised European Kyusho Jitsu Tuite myself and I really like it. Especially the finger locks that allows you to take down an opponent with only one hand.

[Dalek Caan]

I've been doing Shotokan Karate for a while now (currently on a break as I am in Portugal) and am part of SKIF, which is the world-wide federation of Shotokan Karate professionals. If you aim for Karate, make sure you find a dojo that is part of some sort of big union. That often provides a solid standard of training, in many aspects.

That said, Karate starts off with getting a feel for your own body, strengthening muscles and getting the feel for precision and effective use of muscle-power. It takes a really long time to master it (I do think it's very similar in other martial though), for a black belt given by SKIF you need to train at least 8 years.

I can't tell you so much about other Karate styles, there are a few major ones which differ in technique and focus. At the end, it's all Karate.

Personally, I found it to be meditative too, since you really learn to focus. If you have a good trainer they will teach you about the lifestyle aspect of Karate too. Since that is what it is, part of a lifestyle. If you want to adopt that or focus on the sportive aspect of Karate is entirely up to you. In my own dojo, there are people who have adopted a few aspects of Karate which are more theoretical and/or spiritual. But again, if you want to practice it simply as a sport or for self-defense, you're good to go too. Usually, trainers will support you in whatever you choose...

Here you can find some stuff about SKIF and Shotokan Karate.
This link really gives a good view of how big SKIF actually is

[P Three]

Kali. *Sage nod*

Expanding:
Capoeira is wonderful. I love it. I love the community and the basis of it. It's also a craptastic martial art. If you're in it for the art and brotherhood of it, I couldn't be more enthusiastic a supporter.

I don't favour traditional martial arts, and I've done a ton of them. They're too rooted in routine (katas, etc) and lack a flow that even resembles actual fighting, IMO. Great for discipline...not so much for practical use. Not to say I'd pick a fight with Jackie Chan or anything, but you get my point. I do like Kali or Silat. They still have set movements, but they're more loose. Trying to unlearn traditional stuff to learn Kali has been an absolute pain.

[Twily]

If you're looking for one designed around defending yourself as well as doing so quickly and effectively even against an armed opponent, krav maga(or a similar variant) is easily the first I'd recommend. It was originally designed for a military, in case that gives you an idea of what it's like.

If you're looking for a more traditional and relaxing sort of thing, karate, is never a bad starting place. I toke it for a few years, and it was quite fun. There's a fairly even balance of cool moves, learning when not to fight(although I was in a 12ish year old class at the time so this may vary), defending yourself, and performance

[Razmo_de]

Expanding:
Capoeira is wonderful. I love it. I love the community and the basis of it. It's also a craptastic martial art. If you're in it for the art and brotherhood of it, I couldn't be more enthusiastic a supporter.

Capoeira sure has some nice, athletic movements. I'd say give it a try, if your main goal is personal agility and healthiness.

[P Three]

And you will be able to put your feet behind your head, twice. So there's that whole "insane flexibility" thing too. Plus the singing and playing and just generally having a great time.

[He Gazed Out Over the Endless Twilight]

If you can find it, and if you want all the above plus one hell of a workout, try Muay Thai. I did Muay Thai for 4 years and it's been some of the most fun I've had. Do note, it's an incredibly violent sport and you will most likely break something in practice alone. I was lucky not to break anything, but the snapkicks followed by sparring tends to be the thing that breaks people's shinbones in an instant.

Do not go for Muay Thai if blood makes you queasy. You'll bleed plenty. Boxing is also the other good alternative. Both of these are practical to know. If some drunk jumps you, both will put them to the ground in a second and not want to get back up with you.

[Marsi]

basically what mstrswordsman said - boxing is the most applicable. Could probably learn more about fighting from watching world star hip hop than most martial arts (and at the same time see what happens to people who think they're naruto in a fight against someone who actually knows how to fight)

[Kuma]

[msterswrdsmn]

(and at the same time see what happens to people who think they're naruto in a fight against someone who actually knows how to fight)

It looks something like this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7157QMW9abM

Not sure if the other guy actually knew how to fight; the guy that gets knocked out did something really, really stupid.

[The Pretty Prince of Parties]

Can confirm, I've done this in real life. Was a fellow in sparring that decided to get overly fancy, so I did something that my friend's tai chi ch'uan instructor calls "looking for presents". I sat back, and just let him move right into my kick. Was funny.

Had the fellow teach me some capoeira basics afterwards - it was good fun.

[P Three]

Just, like it's been said before, I can't stress enough.

Whatever form you pick, RESEARCH THE TEACHER. I know in our dinky little town, we have had at least 2 scam artists and a "teacher" who was not worth their salt. You definitely don't want to learn from people like that, it's a waste of money and you can end up hurting yourself or someone else.

[High Primate]

Boxing.

[Tirithiel]

Kali. *Sage nod*

This!