All martial arts are good and effective. There's no such thing as a bad martial art, it all depends on the teacher. And yes, Aikido is also very effective, you falsely said otherwise. All martial arts are good, the only thing that is important is that you find a good instructor.
Now to answer your other questions:
-All martial arts essentially have multiple opponent defense, but not all teach it, so that depends on the school and instructor, not the style.
-Don't think that just because you are small or a girl that you need to pick a certain martial art. All martial arts are adaptable to any person, big or small, male or female.
Again, the style of martial arts does not matter, the school and instructor do, so search for a good school with a good instructor and you'll be all set as long as you train right.
Now go forth, and choose wisely.
I am going to start out this post by telling you I am a 21 year old girl, I'm 5' 6', and I weigh 145 lbs. The biggest difference between you and me is that I weigh a little more than you, and that is probably because I have more muscle weight than you. I have been in several different martial arts for the past eleven years. I am all about people being able to further their personal protection by taking a martial art because there are bad people out there. I especially applaud you for thinking about taking krav mega.
I know in the additional details you told us not to recommend Krav Mega because you are going to take some classes, but I would like to expound on why Krav would be your best option in my opinion. I am a black belt in taekwondo, but I have taken a couple of classes in Krav Mega. The workouts that I endured for Krav kicked my butt. During the training they get you to the point of feeling exhausted feeling like you can't do any more, and then they make you do combatives (combat techniques). The reason why they do that is so that your body knows what it will feel like to be in a high stress situation. The exhaustion simulates the adrenaline rush you would feel during a life threatening situation. Most people who are in life threatening situations will freeze because their body was not trained properly for those situations. That is the flaw in some martial arts.
If you are serious about wanting to further your understanding of martial arts to protect yourself, you will need to take more than a few classes in any martial art. Like I said before I have been in several different martial arts for eleven years, and I know that I am able to defend myself and others against an adult aggressor. Being able to use your martial arts training for self defense is a life long training that you need to maintain. A metaphor that I have told people is that I will always be a black belt until the day I die even if I stop training. That does not mean that I am always going to be at a black belt level. If I quit my techniques will decrease in quality the longer I wait to get back in. The same would be for you. If you want the assurance that you would be able to defend yourself in the street, you will need to maintain your training so that you can stay at your peak.
I think Krav Mega is the ultimate self defense training because it originates from Israel. Israelies teach Krav to the military, so that they can keep bad people out. They broke down how the human body reacts to a high stress situations, and they simulate that in their training. In high stress situations a human's body will not have fine motor skills, so Krav focuses on big, strong, fast movements to effective areas. That is why I think Krav Mega is best for self defense. I hope this helped you consider continuing your martial arts training.
Judo, BJJ, and Aikido all rely on leverage and technique, and using the opponent's force against them. Hardly any strength is required. If you plan to cross train with a striking art, anything will do you well so long as you find yourself a good school, and more importantly a good instructor. Don't lose motivation because of slow progression. It will pay off as you continue over the years.
I'm sure Krav Maga will give you what you are looking for, but as Martial Arts you may wanna try Judo, jeet kun do (used by bruce lee and crated by a woman about your size), Ninjutsu (ninja Martial Art).
As well you can try Kyusho-Jitsu, a Martial Art focused on pressure points where you don't need to be strong.
I'm a Martial Arts Instructor and I teach Capoeira, MMA, BJJ, Box, Self defense (Krav Maga style).
U can also try MMA, It's great! ; )
All the stuff you say you want sounds like aikido. Krav maga is based on be stronger, meaner and in better shape which is all good advice. Anything you like and get good at can help you. If you think muay thai is useful but hate going, then it's useless to you.
See what is available in your area. Go watch a class or two. Discuss what you want out of the arts with the instructor. Decide what you think you will enjoy. Most instructors will at least let you try a free class if not a few, then decide what seems the best for you.
Systema, jkd, Krav Maga, bjj and yes aikido...all that compliant flipping around is needed to get out of wristlocks (this is the only legal way to get out of one if ur stuck) and its all about unbalancing ur opponent...yes some of the strikes aren't tiptop but that's just demonstration and safety...we are told to hit the nose or headbutt in the street if we want the opponents wrist or elbow to come into view so it could be broken in lock... In aikido usually the opponent throws himself
not style made someone expert but his dicipline, choose anything MA you want and focus there
Krav Maga, jeet kune do, Escrima/kali/arnis,
i would like to be able to defend myself against more than one person at a time and obviously would like something to apply to real life situations (i've heard aikido is not really applicable?)
i would also like to be able to use the opponent's strength against them (or a martial art in which my strength isn't very important as i'm small and not very strong).
something which teaches speed and agility but also like balance and composure etc.
i'm not planning on being in many fights but i think it's best to assume that i'm going to be fighing a lot (prepare for the worst)
i'm a 16 year old girl and i'm 5'5 and 118 lbs so i don't think using my strength or weight or size is really an option for me?
also please don't think i'm doing this just for fighting - i'm really interested in this kind of stuff and really respect it but i've never been able to involve myself in it
okay thanks.
if you need any more details just ask? idk.
thanks
