Joking aside. In this day in age, you shouldn't need to ever figt but if you want to get in shape and build some cordination, I would recommend boxing or muay thai and Brazilian Juijitsu. I would do the boxing first since it will get you in shape more than any other MA.
I actually took Shaolin lessons when I was a kid.. 1-3rd grade-ish. I dropped that like it was hot. It was fun while it lasted though. I believe they're all the same. My brother took Wushu.. and it's not much different than Shaolin (At least I think).. even though he can still beat me up. I think you should try Thai Boxing.. like the one from Ong Bak. That or Capoeira. Those look fun.
thai boxing is pretty effective and great for conditioning. I did capoeira, its a lot of fun, very impressive to watch, gets you in great shape...but if you can win a fight with capoeira, you could have probably won without it, too (probably because you were physically superior). cap has tons of weaknesses, is inefficient when it comes to short strikes, has little to no defense and is a huge waste of energy for a drawn out fight. but its perty.
As someone who has taken quite a few forms - all they are really good for is conditioning. Other than that they are useless. I took 2 years of Krav Maga, but if you think the bull**** they teach you will work if someone pulls a gun or knife on you - you are making a dangerous mistake. You want to get ready for a fight? Spar. Go to a boxing gym. Learn what it's like to get hit in the face and then try to hit back. Anything else is useless - all the MMA, BJJ, Krav Maga, etc is pointless in a street fight unless you can take a hit and keep going...
yup... i actually saw a very small guy beat up a 6 footer using thai boxing. he did cheated though. he started out by kicking the guys knee caps and broke them so the guy's legs literally bent forward. that was one of the craziest things i've every saw.
