JKD.
I'm a certified JKD instructor under two well known adherents.
The hardest part about learning JKD is to find a good instructor. Look for someone who teaches Jeet Kune Do Concepts as opposed to straight up JKD (also called Jun Fan Kung Fu). Jun Fan is what Bruce originally taught, JKD concepts is what Dan Inosanto developed later on. Anyone who teaches JKD Concepts can also teach Jun Fan, but not the other way around.
JKD is ONLY about practical self-defense. It has no sport element. It has no katas. What it does have is lots of sparring and some very unique training tools and exercises. In fact, the big secret to JKD is the way people train in it, and this can only be done in very small classes or one on one. So if an instructor has more than 12 people in a class, don't bother with it. And if they're wearing any uniforms, doing katas, or worshipping the dojo, walk away. Also ask them how soon they do full contact. If its more than six or seven months, then they probably aren't teaching JKD, and if they're out of shape, you may also want to think twice about it.
Most people who teach JKD Concepts (if they're under Vunak) teach a variation of RAT (Rapid Assault Tactics). If you're only interested in the fastest way to gain some sort of self-defense knowledge, go find a RAT course. It's actually very sophisticated, but quick to learn. Getting good at it, of course, takes time but it is probably the most effective quick learn system out there.
As for JKD Concepts being a kitchen sink approach, well, I understand why people think that. It has a lot of tools taken from other martial arts. The idea is simple -- if it works, use it.
Again, the real brilliance of JKD Concepts is in the training methodology, not in the techniques. I've studied perhaps a dozen different martial arts and am certified to teach three. When it comes right down to it, any system that encompasses all of the different ranges usually has more than enough techniques to be effective. Its the training methodology that's lacking.
When people have a smattering of JKD classes, all they see are the techniques. They don't have a firm grasp of the methodology because they haven't been exposed to all of it. Becoming really profficient at JKD takes a very long time.
JKD is primarily about attribute training. It also encompasses all ranges of fighting. Developing attributes in one range, let alone all of them, is difficult, especially in the beginning. Once students get a firm handle on the training mechanisms (usually takes about two years of private lessons), the rest of the training goes much faster.
My theory on self-defense is quite simple. If you need to learn how to fight very quickly, take a RAT course, start western boxing (or Muay Thai, etc), or join an MMA school (in that order). In other words, do something that involves a lot of actually fighting. If you want to be a complete fighter and end up being much better than you were in the beginning, then go for JKD Concepts.
A note about instruction in JKD: If someone is a FULL instructor under Paul Vunak or one of his students (a number of his students were better than him) from the late 90s, they can fight. If they're a student under Dan Inosanto, they can teach. Look for someone who is either one of their students or studied under one of their students for a long period of time. What you want is the original curriculum that they learned. Regardless of the camp, the beginning lessons are all composed of similar elements. The best way to test this is to take a couple of lessons then map them to elements from RAT, which is widely available online. If those elements aren't there, then they probably aren't teaching what you want.
