My personal answer is not very practical at all; they may look impressive with their fancy roundhouse kicks, high flying kicks and loud screams, but these types of martial art are often not applicable in the real world for the so-called average person.

The only realistic and practical self-defense system that I have truly experienced is Wing Tsun (WT) Kung-Fu.
Like many people who love martial arts, I started my training with one of those over advertised branches of martial art - Shaolin Hung Gar Kung-Fu.
Within ten months I learned all the basic blocks, punches, kicks, horse-stances and various methods of mediation.

I have also learned the first level form in Hung Gar Kung-Fu. It did not take long for me to realize that the traditional philosophical thinking behind Kung-Fu and other styles of martial art would be not applicable in the real world - if we talk about realistic self-defense.

For a small framed person like me, a hard Kung-Fu style would not really help me to defend against an faster, stronger and more aggressive attacker.
I spent a year training in the traditional Kung-Fu before switching to WT.

Unlike other styles of self-defense, WT employs four basic and logical principles: "Go Forward!" (aggressive forward defense), "Stay With What Comes!" ("sticky" or clinging arms), "Yielding To A Greater Force" adjust to the situation and "Close The Gap".

If dazzling the crowd with exorbitant moves is your main objective, then any styles of martial art will do. However, if your primary goal is to defend yourself, then WT is the most profound realistic self-defense.

For years I have wondered how did the legendary Bruce Lee develop such an enormous amount of power in his famous one-inch-punch. How could a small framed person as he has had such an extraordinary power? Recently my WT instructor, Ralph Haenel, explained and demonstrated the lovely one inch punch on me and of course much heavier students. I was sent rolling half way across the room!
Believe me; I have never felt any kind of punch like it before. While the other styles emphasize on brute power that so many people lack, WT focuses on soft relaxing power that everybody has which makes it ideal for anyone. This essential relaxed power is employed in the one inch punch and in other dangerous WT strikes.

Although I have been training with Ralph for only three short months, the instructor-student relationship is very close both on and off training. With my previous Kung-Fu training, the close Sifu - student bond was missing even though I was enrolled in private lessons. Personally, I believe that in order for me to excel in anything I do, whether it is martial art, school or work, this type of friendship must exist.

If you are not convince by now that the typical styles of self-defense are unrealistic and impractical, just watch Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament.
All the participants in UFC are black belts and experts in board-breaking; all can "wow" us with their fancy moves and loud screams that we are so used to see on TV's and in movies, yet they cannot apply their technical training in a fighting tournament where this is no rules and protective gears.

Martial arts are dead; people are alive. With those styles of martial art, people have to adjust to which ever style they are training in which make them unadaptable and unadjustable to the unpredictable possible confrontations on the streets.
However, with WT a realistic self-defense, the system adjusts to you that means you will be more versatile and more adapted to the real life situation.

WT stresses the philosophy of "brain over brawn" which enables me to defend myself against any opponent.

With this type of realistic self-defense, I was not programmed with a specific type of defense against a supposedly predictable attack which I experienced with my previous Kung-Fu training; on the streets the incoming attacks are unpredictable.

With WT, I simply react and apply the four fundamental principles to any assaulting situation. It does not matter whether you are in a rule regulated tournament or on the streets.

The result for your opponent is the same: pure defeat!

Please click here to view three photos.