Since it seems there are a lot of questions about choosing a martial art/combat sport I figured a make a trade about recommendations, why I recommend them and what to avoid.
In know Particular order I recommend these martial arts.
Traditional Martial Arts:
Kyokushin- Kyokushin is a form of karate. But before you dismiss this martial art, this isn't your typical Kata based, air dancing, poses based martial art. This is legit karate, that is probably closer to Irish bare knuckle boxing than Shotokan. Kyokushin is unique as its a bareknuckle stand up fighting based martial art with a really strong focus on full contact sparring and fighting. Do to the martial arts rough style many Pro Kyokushins fighters compete in K-1 fights. Yes Kyokushin does have the belt system (though usually far less belts than TKD or Shotokan, in Japan only White, Grey, Brown and Black exist. Else were White, red, blue, yellow, green, brown and of course black exist. A few schools have more). My personal favorite aspect of Kyokushin is the fact it requires fighters to get close and to take hard punches and kicks from close range. It makes you tough.
The art has a strong focus on conditioning (pushups on knuckles, sit ups, bag work, taking hits to build up a pain tolerance).
Fights are in your face and look like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7atKdsB5zjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNBRlJPBuuM
If you are a late 90's/ early 2000s kid Kyokushin is the closest you will ever get to DBZ in real life. The only two drawbacks to Kyokushin are one: no face hitting is allowed. Two because its a bare knuckle its rare in the US. Its a rough martial art to get insurance coverage for and a few Dojos have been sued out of business.
McDojos Level: Low. McDojos tend to be rare for Kyokushin as the association (IKO) strongly encourages full contact sparring and tournaments, However, McDojos do exist. Most aren't the kind that charge you an arm and a leg for everything but are the type that only focus on Kata and forms. If the Kyokushin dojo doesn't offer any sparring or doesn't send any fighters to compete in IKO, USKK avoid them.
How to tell if the Dojo is legit: Ask if they are affiliated with the IKO or USKK (confirm affiliation on your own with either organization) and make sure sparring and fighting are the main enthisis of their dojo. Ask if they compete regularly in tournaments and kumites.
Plus: Full contact, bare knuckle fighting. Drawbacks: No face punches, no ground fighting, extremely rare in the US.
Sanshou/ Sanda
Sanda is basicly a form a Kung Fu that is very close to Kickboxing. In China its commonly thought along side Kung Fu but not so much here in the US. Protective gloves are worn, sometimes chest protectors and helmets sometimes no. Fights are very similar to Muay Tai, except Chinese.
Condition work should be apart of training (similar to kick boxing with some Kung Fu thrown in), fights are gloved but are full contact and look like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNcyXmCOx_Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meEdJ54RVfA
Like Kyokushin, Sanda/San Shou seems to be rare in the US with it only existing largely in Chinese neighborhoods (though there are exceptions). Many a times, Sanda is part of a Kung Fu school's curriculum a great Kung Fu school will late you train only in Sanda. Though its rare, its more common that Kyokushin.
McDojo level: Low, they exist. Mostly Kung Fu dojos that only occasionally offer Sanda and force you to do months (or years) of Kung Fu or you have to reach a certain level of Kung Fu before they let you do Sanda. If they don't let you do Sanda from the start, avoid it.
Muay Tai:
Muay Tai is a stand up kick boxing style martial art from Thailand. Its know for its hard punches, hard elbows bloody kicks and its clinching. Muay Thai requires hours of training and condition to be good but it will make you tough. Its bloody and has become an important part of MMA stand up in recent years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEyw47vyEIk
McDojo Level: Not sure. The sport's popularity has grown a lot in the US over the last few years. I'm sure all Muay Thai McDojo's offer full contact (they have no choice) but some may be the kind of McDojo that charges you for everything.
Western Style Arts/Combat Sports
Boxing Boxing is probably my top choice for a combat sport. It me be old, doesn't contain a lot of fancy moves but its highly effective. It forces you to be tough and to be a man. It forces you to take punishment and dish it back out. Boxing is mean, rough and still the ultimate combat sport. Because of the contact, you develop fighting instincts Do to its sheer toughness and fighting instincts aside from MMA fighters, boxers still seem to do the best at defending themselves on the street.
McDojo Level: Medium. Since boxing is extremely popular, in recent years the rise of "Cardio boxing" and no contact style boxing GYMs that are geared toward Women and office workers. Make sure the GYM or club has a focus on full contact boxing. Avoid boxing programs offered by fitness centers or health clubs as these are mostly workout programs. Not necessarly a McDojo trait but boxing clubs can be the most expensive with many clubs charging $100 - $150 a month and many require a minimum three month initial contract to begin.
How to tell if it's legit: Check their Facebook page if they have one. If they have pictures of boxers sparring at their gym and participating in local Hotel and Casino fights they are legit. Ask to if they compete in local tournaments. For some reason in the US a lot of legit boxing gyms have a strong tie to a heritage or race. Example in the North East plenty of the best GYMs are the ones that call themselves an Irish gym or an Italian Gym or an Puerto Rican gym or a black gym. Something about fighting in the style of your heritage makes boxers train harder and tougher (again this only seems to apply to the Northeastern US, mainly the NYC, Philly and Boston areas).
Kick Boxing- boxing's leggy cousin. Real kickboxing like it's older cousin can be tough and in your face. Honestly I don't have much experience in following kick boxing and I don't know as much about. Real western is probably similar Muay Thai and Sanda (it evolved from Sanda).
McDojo Level: High. Sadly in recent years most kickboxing has become dominated by the health center, crossfit, workout culture. While real full kickboxing does still exist this cardio workout form aimed at twenty something year old girls trying to stay in shape. From what I've been told from my friend who does Muay Thai is that many of the girls who attend those classes are Ballet Dancers, Models and girls who care about their appearance to stay thin. So maybe if you do legit Kick Boxing or Muay Thai you can cross train at one of these places and game a bit?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu- Do to its popularity in dominating UFC and other forms of MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has probably become the most practiced martial art in the US behind TKD. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is rough and it humbles you. In the beginning you will be chocked out and tap out a lot but it makes you tough and determined.
McDojo Level: Low. It is impossible to teach BJJ without rolling and putting students into the ground fighting. However, there are BJJ dojos that charge ridiculous amounts of money (some as high as $300 a month). Its next to impossible to teach this art without actually sparring.
Look for the Gracie family Dojos, they have a reputation build up from winning BJJ tournaments and of course many of the early UFC fights in the 90s.
Arts to Avoid:
TaeKwonDo- In the early 20th century it was a very legit art. Sadly its been water down more than American lite beer. This day in age its only designed for fitness and olympic point fighting.
Shotokan- Much like TKD in the early to mid 20th Century, Shotokan was the form of karate to learn. Some legit Dojos still exist in America that offer full contact sparring but majority only focus on Katas. Lots and lots and lots and lots of Katas.
Dojos simply labeled Karate but don't say which style.
No sparring Kung Fu- Much like Shotokan many Kung Fu schools only focus on doing forms (tiger stance, wolf stance, crane stance, etc). If the Kung Fu school doesn't offer San Shou, Sanda or Lei Tai sparring avoid it.
Tai Chi: I don't believe Tai Chi was ever a real martial art. I believe it was simply a fitness program for old Chinese people.
If your an Australia avoid Yellow Bambo- Just youtube them, you will see why.
Judo- while a few legit Judo dojos exist most have cut out ground fighting. Most Judo dojos or nothing more than simply flips and throwing guys on the ground but unlike BJJ doesn't teach you to fight on the ground.
Hapkido- In Korea Hapkido is very similar to Kyokushin mixed with Judo. Full contact sparring is common, sometimes bare knuckle, sometimes with gloves. HOWEVER, the US most Hapkido is simply TKD labeled Hapkido.
AVOID ANY DOJO THAT DOES NOT OFFER FULL CONTACT SPARRING!
Oh yeah, if you are in college avoid your colleges martial art programs. Most offer no sparring or simply TDK Olympic style sparring. Most college Karate, Kung Fu and TDK are dominated by SJW, Feminists and Anime Nerds who don't want to put any work into becoming an effective fighter. Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOm6aF_xzb8
As for other martial arts such as Kempo, Krav Maga, Akido, Kendo, silat, Samboo, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Shaolin Kung Fu I have no experience with and I don't know anyone who does.
I personally have tried:
As a young kid:
Shotokan- hated it, nothing but poses and katas thought it was boring.
TKD- hated it, mostly poses and forms. Only the teenagers and adults sparred regularly. (and it was olympic point sparring).
Backyard Boxing- Fun but got in a lot of trouble.
As a teen:
Kyokushin- My personal favorite of all the traditional martial arts. Only did it for 9 months till my local Dojo was sued out of business. The Sensei/owner technically won the lawsuit but legal fees forced him to shut down and he never reopened. Its been 7 years.
As an adult: Traditional Boxing.
The others are all what friends of mine have tried.
In know Particular order I recommend these martial arts.
Traditional Martial Arts:
Kyokushin- Kyokushin is a form of karate. But before you dismiss this martial art, this isn't your typical Kata based, air dancing, poses based martial art. This is legit karate, that is probably closer to Irish bare knuckle boxing than Shotokan. Kyokushin is unique as its a bareknuckle stand up fighting based martial art with a really strong focus on full contact sparring and fighting. Do to the martial arts rough style many Pro Kyokushins fighters compete in K-1 fights. Yes Kyokushin does have the belt system (though usually far less belts than TKD or Shotokan, in Japan only White, Grey, Brown and Black exist. Else were White, red, blue, yellow, green, brown and of course black exist. A few schools have more). My personal favorite aspect of Kyokushin is the fact it requires fighters to get close and to take hard punches and kicks from close range. It makes you tough.
The art has a strong focus on conditioning (pushups on knuckles, sit ups, bag work, taking hits to build up a pain tolerance).
Fights are in your face and look like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7atKdsB5zjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNBRlJPBuuM
If you are a late 90's/ early 2000s kid Kyokushin is the closest you will ever get to DBZ in real life. The only two drawbacks to Kyokushin are one: no face hitting is allowed. Two because its a bare knuckle its rare in the US. Its a rough martial art to get insurance coverage for and a few Dojos have been sued out of business.
McDojos Level: Low. McDojos tend to be rare for Kyokushin as the association (IKO) strongly encourages full contact sparring and tournaments, However, McDojos do exist. Most aren't the kind that charge you an arm and a leg for everything but are the type that only focus on Kata and forms. If the Kyokushin dojo doesn't offer any sparring or doesn't send any fighters to compete in IKO, USKK avoid them.
How to tell if the Dojo is legit: Ask if they are affiliated with the IKO or USKK (confirm affiliation on your own with either organization) and make sure sparring and fighting are the main enthisis of their dojo. Ask if they compete regularly in tournaments and kumites.
Plus: Full contact, bare knuckle fighting. Drawbacks: No face punches, no ground fighting, extremely rare in the US.
Sanshou/ Sanda
Sanda is basicly a form a Kung Fu that is very close to Kickboxing. In China its commonly thought along side Kung Fu but not so much here in the US. Protective gloves are worn, sometimes chest protectors and helmets sometimes no. Fights are very similar to Muay Tai, except Chinese.
Condition work should be apart of training (similar to kick boxing with some Kung Fu thrown in), fights are gloved but are full contact and look like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNcyXmCOx_Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meEdJ54RVfA
Like Kyokushin, Sanda/San Shou seems to be rare in the US with it only existing largely in Chinese neighborhoods (though there are exceptions). Many a times, Sanda is part of a Kung Fu school's curriculum a great Kung Fu school will late you train only in Sanda. Though its rare, its more common that Kyokushin.
McDojo level: Low, they exist. Mostly Kung Fu dojos that only occasionally offer Sanda and force you to do months (or years) of Kung Fu or you have to reach a certain level of Kung Fu before they let you do Sanda. If they don't let you do Sanda from the start, avoid it.
Muay Tai:
Muay Tai is a stand up kick boxing style martial art from Thailand. Its know for its hard punches, hard elbows bloody kicks and its clinching. Muay Thai requires hours of training and condition to be good but it will make you tough. Its bloody and has become an important part of MMA stand up in recent years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEyw47vyEIk
McDojo Level: Not sure. The sport's popularity has grown a lot in the US over the last few years. I'm sure all Muay Thai McDojo's offer full contact (they have no choice) but some may be the kind of McDojo that charges you for everything.
Western Style Arts/Combat Sports
Boxing Boxing is probably my top choice for a combat sport. It me be old, doesn't contain a lot of fancy moves but its highly effective. It forces you to be tough and to be a man. It forces you to take punishment and dish it back out. Boxing is mean, rough and still the ultimate combat sport. Because of the contact, you develop fighting instincts Do to its sheer toughness and fighting instincts aside from MMA fighters, boxers still seem to do the best at defending themselves on the street.
McDojo Level: Medium. Since boxing is extremely popular, in recent years the rise of "Cardio boxing" and no contact style boxing GYMs that are geared toward Women and office workers. Make sure the GYM or club has a focus on full contact boxing. Avoid boxing programs offered by fitness centers or health clubs as these are mostly workout programs. Not necessarly a McDojo trait but boxing clubs can be the most expensive with many clubs charging $100 - $150 a month and many require a minimum three month initial contract to begin.
How to tell if it's legit: Check their Facebook page if they have one. If they have pictures of boxers sparring at their gym and participating in local Hotel and Casino fights they are legit. Ask to if they compete in local tournaments. For some reason in the US a lot of legit boxing gyms have a strong tie to a heritage or race. Example in the North East plenty of the best GYMs are the ones that call themselves an Irish gym or an Italian Gym or an Puerto Rican gym or a black gym. Something about fighting in the style of your heritage makes boxers train harder and tougher (again this only seems to apply to the Northeastern US, mainly the NYC, Philly and Boston areas).
Kick Boxing- boxing's leggy cousin. Real kickboxing like it's older cousin can be tough and in your face. Honestly I don't have much experience in following kick boxing and I don't know as much about. Real western is probably similar Muay Thai and Sanda (it evolved from Sanda).
McDojo Level: High. Sadly in recent years most kickboxing has become dominated by the health center, crossfit, workout culture. While real full kickboxing does still exist this cardio workout form aimed at twenty something year old girls trying to stay in shape. From what I've been told from my friend who does Muay Thai is that many of the girls who attend those classes are Ballet Dancers, Models and girls who care about their appearance to stay thin. So maybe if you do legit Kick Boxing or Muay Thai you can cross train at one of these places and game a bit?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu- Do to its popularity in dominating UFC and other forms of MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has probably become the most practiced martial art in the US behind TKD. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is rough and it humbles you. In the beginning you will be chocked out and tap out a lot but it makes you tough and determined.
McDojo Level: Low. It is impossible to teach BJJ without rolling and putting students into the ground fighting. However, there are BJJ dojos that charge ridiculous amounts of money (some as high as $300 a month). Its next to impossible to teach this art without actually sparring.
Look for the Gracie family Dojos, they have a reputation build up from winning BJJ tournaments and of course many of the early UFC fights in the 90s.
Arts to Avoid:
TaeKwonDo- In the early 20th century it was a very legit art. Sadly its been water down more than American lite beer. This day in age its only designed for fitness and olympic point fighting.
Shotokan- Much like TKD in the early to mid 20th Century, Shotokan was the form of karate to learn. Some legit Dojos still exist in America that offer full contact sparring but majority only focus on Katas. Lots and lots and lots and lots of Katas.
Dojos simply labeled Karate but don't say which style.
No sparring Kung Fu- Much like Shotokan many Kung Fu schools only focus on doing forms (tiger stance, wolf stance, crane stance, etc). If the Kung Fu school doesn't offer San Shou, Sanda or Lei Tai sparring avoid it.
Tai Chi: I don't believe Tai Chi was ever a real martial art. I believe it was simply a fitness program for old Chinese people.
If your an Australia avoid Yellow Bambo- Just youtube them, you will see why.
Judo- while a few legit Judo dojos exist most have cut out ground fighting. Most Judo dojos or nothing more than simply flips and throwing guys on the ground but unlike BJJ doesn't teach you to fight on the ground.
Hapkido- In Korea Hapkido is very similar to Kyokushin mixed with Judo. Full contact sparring is common, sometimes bare knuckle, sometimes with gloves. HOWEVER, the US most Hapkido is simply TKD labeled Hapkido.
AVOID ANY DOJO THAT DOES NOT OFFER FULL CONTACT SPARRING!
Oh yeah, if you are in college avoid your colleges martial art programs. Most offer no sparring or simply TDK Olympic style sparring. Most college Karate, Kung Fu and TDK are dominated by SJW, Feminists and Anime Nerds who don't want to put any work into becoming an effective fighter. Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOm6aF_xzb8
As for other martial arts such as Kempo, Krav Maga, Akido, Kendo, silat, Samboo, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Shaolin Kung Fu I have no experience with and I don't know anyone who does.
I personally have tried:
As a young kid:
Shotokan- hated it, nothing but poses and katas thought it was boring.
TKD- hated it, mostly poses and forms. Only the teenagers and adults sparred regularly. (and it was olympic point sparring).
Backyard Boxing- Fun but got in a lot of trouble.
As a teen:
Kyokushin- My personal favorite of all the traditional martial arts. Only did it for 9 months till my local Dojo was sued out of business. The Sensei/owner technically won the lawsuit but legal fees forced him to shut down and he never reopened. Its been 7 years.
As an adult: Traditional Boxing.
The others are all what friends of mine have tried.