You can't go wrong with either, as long as the instructor is good. I will warn you that there are "MMA" schools popping up all over with dubious credentials. Very often it's a TKD school with an instructor who claims to have been "grappling all his life" or that the original TKD (or whatever) has grappling in it, hidden in the forms or something.

Look for reputable teachers who will proudly tell you who taught them. Anyone who claims their lineage is a secret shouldn't get any of your money.

Chimp for the win.

Seriously, if the fighter is not fully aware and skilled in eye gouging, biting, scrotal ripping, improvised weapons, and running away he will get his ass beat on the street.

I pick Jiu Jitsu with a dose of the above.

If you want to take something that applies to street scenarios (real-life application), I would strongly suggest Krav Maga.

...there's just no comparison with the efficiency and direct contact you learn with Krav Maga in dealing with adversity, plus you learn effective moves quicker. I personally train for the life or death situation........not the fight scenario. I don't have time to try and fight somebody in the real world, anything can happen in a fight. And I'll just stop there...

So, I guess it's all in what you want to be able to accomplish when confronted on the street; there's some crazy bastards out there that don't stop.

Make sure it's real world training. I've visited many gyms who 'claim' real world training, but it's nothing but
TKD or watered down BJJ. The gym, or instructor, should have training in adverse conditions, as well as
in different environments. Most gyms/instructors as well as many students don't want to train hard. They
want an easy work out and they don't want to get bruised If you are serious, avoid those places.

You should train in the:
Dark,
Rain,
Under duress
When exhausted
etc..

You should also train in cramped quarters. At LMI, here in the Cleveland area, we have a 4x8 foot
padded room we train in to simulate being attacked in a bathroom stall, stair case or between two
parked vehicles.

Your targets should be:
Groin ripping
Eye gouging
cheeck tearing
ear ripping
throat crushing
bitting
etc..

If you are grappling with someone, why not reach down and grap his jewels and YANK them off or
reach around and gouge his eyes out. Remember, he is trying to kill you. Your job is to stop him
by any means neccessary. THERE ARE NO RULES,,

When you are looking for somewhere to train, make sure the instructor is good. There are alot of
nice gyms out there with fancy stuff, but like mentioned above,, It's the instructor,, not the school

Never,,
When your life is threatened, do everything you can.Going for the eyes and throat may not stop someone,, but may give you time to get away,, Same thing with going for the cheeks and/or ears, it may not stop the fight, but if it is a target that is available, and by tearing at them gives you the oportunity to do something else, WHY NOT. Attacking and ripping off body parts also has a psychological effect on some attackers.

A guy wearing jeans and you go for their jewels,, yeah, if you can grab them, great,, if not, great, JUST SMASH THEM, More and more guys are wearing sweats these days,, especially on warmer days,, or they are wearing shorts. Again, it is a target.

I have seen so many guys get hit by fists that simply stand there that I don't recommend just standing there and trying to hit someone who is trying to kill you. Especially if you carry a firearm or edged weapon. Hitting a head is much like hitting a brick wall. If you shatter your own hand in the fight, that will greatly reduce your effectiveness during the fight. Also, if attacker comes into you, because of past training, you may not have enough 'distance' to hit or kick. He/she may have already grabbed onto you. Your hands are free to do something and hitting may just not be the best option,, but tearing, biting, eye gouging, kneeing, etc.... may get attacker off you long enough so you can strike with elbows, palms, hammer fists, back hands, more knees, etc.. (if your are trained to use these tools)

Hitting is actually an art form. It takes time to learn to hit. It takes speed and power to actually hit someone and make it hurt. Same with a kick. I have seen many guys get kicked where it counts and guess what, because of dermination, they keep fighting. Hiting / punching / kicking someone is great if you are young, not injured, strong, quick and have no disabilities that may prevent you from hitting someone,, BUT... what about the senior citizen who can't hit hard enough to hurt a 23 year old,, or the 20 year old college girl who only weighs 110 lbs and her attacker is 250 lbs. Sometiimes hitting just isn't going to work like it does on tv. I've seen some big guys (military and LE) come through that didn't have a clue how to properly hit or kick.

In a real fight,, trying to stop someone by simply using one technnique, or thinking that one dynamic, perfectly executed hit will work is a misconception that hollywood tells. Do what it takes, and once you attack, ATTACK and don't stop until the attacker has stopped. There may be more than one attacker

Most fights end up on the ground,, so why not learn to fight on the ground ? Alot of the MMA guys will tell you that as well. The ground scares alot of guys so that is where they don't want to go there,, but if the odds are that I may go to the ground in a fight, you better believe I will be able to fight there.

There are alot of styles today that focus too much on 'hitting' and 'choking'. These are great in the ring or on the mats,, but on the streets, there are no refs and you shouldn't worry about being disqualified.

When you go and learn, learn as many different styles as you can. Don't just focus on one or two styles, or one or two gyms. Learn as much as you can and remember that having the right mind set is better than having the right technique. The mind set will help you avoid the situation if possible and will help you go home. The techniques only help the mind accomplish it's goals

For endurance,, MMA, MT are both great,, but you may also want to try Crossfit.

oh yes, A senior with knowledge and determination is a good thing,, and a surprise to todays
young punks.

I have a friend who just turned 65 and walks with a cane. I feel sorry for the poor sap who
ever tries to take his wallet

They all work

selecting a system and putting all you have into it is imortant. muay thai will give you a well rounded stand up system and develop your kicks. If you LIVE in the gym then you will definitly get exposure to ground fighting techniques such as wrestling ,jiu jitsu, and sambo...stay late, ask questions, and kiss shins... often

Pick one art (muay thai or bjj or mma) as a primary.

Do at least one of the other two for at least a year - preferably three years.
Get to a point to where you are comfortable in striking range and grappling range - standing and on the ground.
Have a couple of solutions for each of the major bad positions an opponent might put you in (or get into via luck).
Get to a point where you understand angles, distance, timing, and positions.

Groin shots, gouging eyes, etc. are good - unless the other guy has a dominant position. These tactics are NOT a magic wand.

Live practice (sparring) is critical.

Can anyone here tell me the difference between Japanese Jui Jitsu and BJJ? I have BB's in Hawaiian Kajukenbo and Japanese Jui Jitsu. I'm currently living in Guam and want to start training here. I have found a few BJJ schools, but I havn't had the chance to sit in and see for myself what the style difference is.

If you look into MT try and find a Kru who is a instructor under Ajarn Chai Sirisute (check the thai boxing association of america TBA website). You will start to notice a trend that most of these instructors are also trained under Erik Paulson for MMA/CSW (Brock Lesnar and other UFC/MMA pro fighters trainer) and Guro Dan Inosanto (Bruce Lee's training partner) for kali/FMA/Silat.

I highly recommend MT as a practical form of stand up self defense. There arent many flashy moves or elaborate blocking methods, its barebones and to the point and you dont need years of training to apply it correctly. That being said, some jiu jitsu/CSW training is invaluable for those times you cant keep the fight standing.

I also highly recommend Kali/Eskrima as a secondary art if you can find an instructor (look for Guro Dan, Doce parese, sayoc, dog brothers instructors). The timing, awareness, and multiple opponent training you pick up from stick/knife sparring is amazing. And most people i know carry a knife for defense, perfect way to learn to actually use it.

The school i train at teaches MT, Kali, Sayoc Kali, and MMA/CSW and has a blend class also strictly for street/self defense applications of the techniques we learn.

Silly computer...it must stutter.....can't waste a post. I was talking on the phone with Larry Hartsell a while after training with him. We wound up talking about who we learned from...mine was Bob Popilock, his was Bruce Lee. But our conversations were the same....not about movies and fights but wisdom passed down...
I saw a newspaper article about and Air Force Sgt in Texas. He had saved the life of a man in a gas station fire. All he care about was that the life was saved, not credit or honors....he was my student, I knew I had trained him right.

I taught a guy that trained with Rorian, one on one....he was great on the ground....but to get the guy there or deal with two....not good....they teach a form that is steeped in mat work....never go to the ground in a street fight, be prepared to , but don;t go there.