[Maniac with a Chainsword]

I want to start learning some sort of martial art, to help me get in shape, and because it seems like a good thing to know. Unfortunately, I don't really know much about them, so I'm looking for info here. If its important, here's some info about me:
-5 feet 10 inches tall, 175 pounds or about 1.8 meters 80 kilos
-decent physical condition, but a bit overweight
-good hand-eye coordination and strong legs
-untrained, but pretty good at grapples/throws (compared to my also untrained friends)
I also enjoy sunsets and long walks on the beach.

So, any recommendations?

[Zen]

Jujitsu is good. Graplling and throwing your opponent = AWESOME!

[ForbiddenKnowledge]

I would reccomend Eskrima - something I want to start for pretty much the same reasons. Its a weapon based art, using 2 knives, or batons. Used in a lot of movies recently IIRC (RE:Extinction, Stargate Atlantis, Tomb Raider, Equilibreum)

[Grey Knight]

JUDO ;D

[DakkaDakkaDude]

Although Tae Kwon Do is a relatively weaker martial art, it relies on strong legs... you may want to consider that. However, I like the sound of Jujitsu for you because it's grapple-oriented.

[Restayvien]

Yeah, either that or Judo. Strong legs + short and stocky mean you have a lower centre of gravity and are more stable on your feet, so throws and grapples should be right down your street. Personally I love Tae Kwon Do, but then I am quite tall and skinny. :P
Eskrima looks cool, but I'm not sure how much your body type is suited to it, and it's not particularly great unless you have a pair of clubs or blades on you.

[arguleon-veq]

Depends what you really want it for and what country you live in?

You want it to get in shape, you say it would be useful to know, do you mean in terms of actually defending yourself? if so. The best for those two would be a combo of -

Wrestling - [Probably folk/freestyle although Greco is fine]
Boxing - Could go for Kickboxing or Muay Thai, regular boxing is fine though.

You take those two, and within 6 months you will wipe the floor with any traditional martial artists. Guaranteed.

They are both the hands down best for getting you in shape and effectiveness [unless you take down a BJJ guy].

If your in the UK, take BJJ over wrestling as there is just no decent wrestling here.

I personally cant stand TKD, most Karate, Kung Fu etc or weapon based martial arts. They will never be effective unless you carry said weapon with you. If you take a stick based weapon martial arts, your best just getting some body armour, some gloves and a face saver helmet, getting sticks and just fighting your mates. Full contact sparring is the only way to have an effective martial art, if the martial art you take doesnt have it, it doesnt work.

People have mentioned Judo. Its a pretty good base, improves functional strength, has some limited submissions and actually teaches how to get the person into a position where you can submit them, pretty well. Judo isn't bad.

[khanaris]

I don't really like the culture associated with boxing, at least not around here. Decent wrestling groups can get pretty hard to find in the US beyond the college level, although you can't beat it if you are looking for a career as a bouncer. Boxing classes are generally offered at any area gym. But for both of these styles, I think a lot of depends on your attitude. If you are not an inherently competitive person, I would probably avoid them. I like kickboxing is a lot better than traditional boxing. Boxing is like fencing in that it has basically become a sport rather than a martial art.

If you want to focus on self defense, I would learn Aikido. For that single purpose it is pretty much the most effective style ever devised. Neither boxing, nor wrestling, nor any of the eastern styles like karate or tae kwon do are of much use against it given an equivalent level of experience. The downside, of course, is that you have to defend yourself with it by not getting hit or taken down, while continually redirecting an opponent until they get tired (at which point you can switch to something else). It is almost entirely a defensive style. You do learn basic offensive taijutsu, but only so that you can help your classmates practice the actual techniques. So it helps to combine it with an offensive style like Judo. If all you know is Aikido, you are relying on being attacked first. I wouldn't suggest it for exercise, though. It is driven by technique and philosophy, and doesn't really emphasize pure physical fitness.

I agree with Veq about styles involving weapons. They are fun to play around with, but they aren't really any better exercise than unarmed styles and you can't use them for self defense. Even if you did come up with a suitable prop, you really couldn't use it in your own defense without it being considered assault.

Basic karate is fairly good for exercise, and it can be quite relaxing once you become fairly good at it. It is also much easier to practice on your own, and involves a very wide range of muscle groups.

One other style to mention is kendo. If you can find a school, it is one of the more psychologically rewarding styles you can take, as well as being very good for all-around exercise. It is completely useless for self-defense, but the mental aspects of it do translate very well into other styles. It is a good deal more composed than other weapon-based styles, but it is almost invariably taught through sparring rather than through form practice. But unlike boxing, it emphasizes personal development rather than winning or losing matches. This is regretably changing in the US as it slowly follows the same path as karate and judo, but the style has resisted Americanization better than most.

[BrownKnight]

Capoeira is a great suprise art requiring strong legs. Great for suprising an opponent, knocking them down, and getting the (expletive) out of there. It is also a tremendous workout.

Escrima can build terrific hand speed, perhaps better than any other art, but it's main focus is using weapons, so it's real life usage is limited.

Judo and Aikido Together combine very well. Aikido is, as Khanaris suggests, one of the best defensive arts, and Judo teaches submission holds, grappling, and throws that can be used when your opponent tires. The philosophy of each is similar, and Judo can be quite a workout, if you have the right instructor.

My best advice is to learn about the teacher of the art before you take lessons, as some teachers only teach sport or competition versions of the art. This is especially true of Judo, because there are three forms of Judo. One is a combat art, that is what you want. The second is the sport, so there are limits as to the combat uses, so that nobody gets hurt in a demonstration. The third form is like American pro wrestling, scripted before hand, with the moves made to look good to an audience. The wrong teacher can cost you both time and money without giving you any worthwile results.

[arguleon-veq]

I totally and utterly disagree on Aikido being an 'effective' 'defensive' art. You get in a fight, you get hit. I dont care who you are, how fast you are, what you know. You get hit. It's not like the movies.

Once you do, all that silly Klkn you learn in Aikido goes straight out the window. Nothing is practiced at full speed and with full force. That is why it doesn't work. If it was practiced that way, there would be nobody teaching it because it would be obvious to the students that is all nonesense.

'Neither boxing, nor wrestling, nor any of the eastern styles like karate or tae kwon do are of much use against it given an equivalent level of experience.'

That is rubbish. I would be ecstatic if the greatest Aikido master in the world bet me my £5000 that ive saved up that he could beat me using Aikido. All my savings and I wouldn't think twice about jumping at that offer. He would get hit and hurt, badly, by anybody that knows anything about striking. He'd be hit easily enough by people that know NOTHING about striking. It would be ten times worse if it was a grappler he went up against, there is almost nothing you can do to stop a proper takedown unless you know how to sprawl or are super athletic. They do not teach you how to sprawl in Aikido. Grappling arts are so effective because you get hit in fights no matter the skill disparity, grappling stops the other person throwing those strikes with any great power.

Aikido, is a myth.

Dont buy in to it threadstarter, go and pick something that is actually proved to work, in live situations. Arts that are pressure tested. That have documented proof in performance against other fighting styles.