i dont know if someone would actually end up in a situation like this but i know that wing tsun would help out.
I grew up boxing, started at the age of 8 did golden gloves, etc. As a total body and cardio workout I think it is incomparable. It is also great to teach you basic footwork, balance, and build upper and lower body strength. If any of these things are your goal, then boxing is definitely a great choice. I would highly recommend the Main Street gym in downtown Houston. If your goal is to learn a fighting style that is purely functional ( and extremely effective) that you can become proficient in a relatively short amount of time then I would highly recommend Krav Maga. Google it, there is a national website, with links for Houston and when I studied it I believe they taught classes at any of the one 2 one gyms that were convenient for you.
krav maga is cool, and it's a workout. I went to a few classes just for fun...I was tired about 10 minutes in. So good for that purpose also..
The different styles of Tai Chi gets little attention as martial arts (maybe because you only see it on those crappy Merck pharmaceutical commercials or as practiced by really old people in parks), but they're about as traditional as you can get. Chen style Tai Chi is a blend of the more graceful fluid movements and more powerful, explosive kicks/punches... and like other martial arts, you get to play with weapons as you progress. Woohoo! If you're in Houston, see my signature for one of the most influential teachers in the US, but here's more info about the style: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_style_Tai_Chi_Chuan
Double Elbow, imo. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YbzcWm0PxuQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YbzcWm0PxuQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Try Sombo out. It's a Russian martial art. It has some similarities to BJJ but its modernized. I only know about it because of Fedor, but I think he's one of the few that actually practices it in MMA still. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombo
there is no best fighting styles. it's all up to the fighters. as much as i would like to say Chinese fighting styles are the best i'm biased. a superior fighter trained in 'crappy styles' beat fighters trained in 'good styles'. you should try a few and see what you likes the most. i personally prefer styles focus on weapon combats (sabers, swords, sticks).
IT depends on what you are interested in. If it's for self defense, I would do boxing. If you want health, first and the rest second I would do Kung Fu. I believe that Houston as at least one legit Shaolin Temple. It will take a long time to get anywhere with that for self-defense, but for agility, grace, self confidence, concentration, physical fitness etc. it can't be beat, IMO.
If you are interested in fighting MMA (Mixed martial arts) I would learn wrestling as a foundation before BJJ or even Muay Thai.
Most gyms give you a free trial class. Try out the ones you are most interested in. Usually you'll learn you have a preference. I'm doing Krav Maga, but I started MMA about a month ago, mainly because it's conveniently located to work and more interesting to me. I'd love to try Western boxing, judo, and jujitsu though, if I had more time. Maybe even Jeet Kune Do or Kali.
