What is a great martial art to train in?

There is NO Most effective Martial Art in the world, if there was every military in the world would be doing it. There will be many answers saying this style is great or that sport is awesome, but styles are not effective, PEOPLE are. Most traditionally taught styles include at least the basics of all aspects of combat.

It is MUCH more important to have a qualified, competent instructor and to be dedicated in your practice than what the particular style is. Chose between instructors / schools rather than styles.

Most classes will let you try a class or two free. Go check out the classes in your area and chose based on the instructor not the style.

There is no best style or greatest

Most people will tell you there style is the best or they heard such and such is a great style,

The style is not important, what matters is how good your instructor is and how you train. The style is secondary, they all have there pro's and con's there are no superior styles.

If you have an instructor that can’t teach you how to fight, regardless of the style, what good would it do you?

Choose a school with a good instructor in the end that’s all that matters, that and how you train.

Its the person that has the ability to fight not the style

If there was a best style every military and police academy would be using the same one as it stands they each have there own or use different ones.

Your size has nothing to do with the style you want to choose. People that think that your size and body type determine the style know little to nothing about martial arts

Krav Maga is a combat martial art-if your looking to kill someone that's the one. If your looking for sport or self defense, try to find an MMA school. One that teaches various arts from boxing, ju jitsu, kenpo and such. To stay in one style will limit you tremendously. Take the time to find a reputable school and instructor. Just because they think they can fight doesn't mean they can teach. Avoid branded schools that associate with a particular promotion as well. Find someone who can judge your abilities and desires and fit you with a particular work out and education regiment. Most guys your size tend to avoid the more fluid styles like kung fu or other soft styles just because of the dynamics of it all. Mix it up and try a few then you decide what works best for you.

Dance?? How can you dance when you don't have good footwork, balance and coordination to begin with? What you are really seeking are personal skills and attributes that need to be developed BEFORE you do anything else. I think some basic exercises like stepping and sliding, circular stepping, walking on a line on the floor, standing on one leg would best serve your footwork rather than just dancing. If you have two left feet to begin with, you'll be sloppy in dancing as well as martial arts. In traditional martial arts, you can usually break them down by two categories - hard and soft styles. Hard arts are usually direct, linear, powerful styles like karate, TKD, some styles of Kung Fu, Muay Thai, etc. Soft styles are more receptive, circular and flowing in movements. Tai Chi, Judo, Aikido are some good examples. Depending on what type of style you choose, you will have to develop that particular type of footwork for that specific art. Dancing alone may not help with your particular footwork, but it might develop grace, balance, flow that could be beneficial for you. Jean Claude Van Damme studied ballet as well a karate, probably explaining why his kicks are so incredibly graceful. However, there are billions of martial artists out there that have never touched a day of ballet in their life. That means their skills came not from dancing but intense development through other avenues. Can dancing evolve from martial arts? Sure. Breakdancing came about from the mimicked movements of capoeira. Can martial arts help with dancing? Sure... I know for a fact from my own personal experience, studying Aikido has actually made me a better ballroom dancer. Aikido is about circular energy and flow and it's movements mimic the elegant flow of ballroom dancing. You don't go against your partner, you flow with them. Hope this helps. Again, dancing alone will not necessary develop great footwork in martial arts. These are attributes that should be cultivated through exercises and drills.

The greatest martial art to train in is the one you enjoy and love. Or more importantly, it's the one closest to your location. MMA competition requires stand up and ground skills so as long as you address these two areas thoroughly, you should be fine.

Bingo - GravMaga I hear nothing but good things about the Israeli Art.

Other then that anyone serious about self-defense should think A) Boxing B) Wrestling or C) Mai Tai, ( one thing in most fights, it ends up on the Ground ) most street fights last approximately 2 minutes, you want to be able to defend on your feet and rolling around on the ground, for best advantage those are my choices,