Would you ever consider taking up martial arts?

Yes or no?

Yes. Not so much for self defense but more so as a form of discipline, mental focus, and exercise.

I did for a while, but I didn't get very far. It was OK, but then I dove headfirst into swimming had to make some cuts to other activities (swimming isn't a one-season sport).

I took it up as a hobby when I was a young child. Karate and Judo.

However, though it can be fun. Eastern martial arts are not the best excercise out there and are a terrible form of self defense.

There is no one to fight up here, just grass, and sheep.

No.

My uncle taught me a bit when i was young, he was a black belt. He taught me how to use an aggressor momentum against them.

@micha_93: I'd rather not,I used to learn it when I was a kid,and never again these days,because of my emotional instability,what about you yourself? asking basic questions like these doesn't mean it's always for others,it must also from the one who ask.

@Maroxad:

Really. No many Gung Fu practitioners that would call that poppycock.

Yes. Did so a long time ago, although not with a TMA.

@Iszdope:

You are never too old. There are documented stories of guys in their 70's taking up BJJ. Locally there a instructor who is now a 2nd Dan who took up Japanese Karate in his 60's. Needed something to do in retirement. Ed O'Neill took up Gracie BJJ at 46, now a Black belt.

@Iszdope:

Yeah maybe lol, no that one myself :D

@Iszdope:

What I would dearly love to be able to do now would be Suntukan (Panantukan Western term), but not much near where I am in the UK, mostly up in London. Recently a bit of Wing Chun.

@Iszdope:

Yes, trained with a disciple at Grandmaster Yip Man's school. Went on to form Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. Suntukan Filipino boxing utilising elbows and kness etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnbiiT3UCFE

i always wanted to. only thing i took was jiu jitsu in my early 20s. only lasted about a month. lol. too expensive

My boyfriend actually has his brown belt in jiu-jitsu (he's close to procuring a black belt), and he tells me that everything he's learned would not be applicable in a real fight.

Krav Maga or a basic self-defense class, he says, is far more practical than any martial arts.

lol....It's not just for combat, your overall mental and physical health can benefit from good training.

That is true, but JKD and a few other modern systems mirror the same concept. I practice an older form of MMA, my philosophy is simple when it comes to combat, keep it simple, focused and direct. But most of the time, a truly disciplined person knows how to avoid conflicts.

I was taught a few moves and know what to do in a fight.

I am a 1st degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do(Defensive type Karate) and used to teach Karate as my first job for about 5-6 years. It is a good workout and fun, also know a bit of Krav Maga as well as other styles. Haven't gone back to doing it in a dojo way too expensive and I don't have the time with my career anyway to keep going though I was close to my 2nd degree.

Deff yes.

Yes.But only if beautiful,big breasted naked woman was teaching it.I would be the Best student in my class. :)

Do you consider kickboxing a martial art?

Well if he means traditional martial arts, then things like kickboxing, mma or krav maga don't count, but yeah, I consider kickboxing martial arts, so I already do practice one.

I took a street fighting/kung fu class in an underground fight club for a few months. After a few street brawls I decide it wasn't for me though due to the off chance of one of the opponents packing a concealable weapon to use if he/she began losing the rumble and myself getting critically injured. Saw a couple people cut open pretty bad by opponents who had a small prison style shank hidden in case of emergency. I retired with 3 wins, 2 losses and 4 draws. Draws were where we had to split and run to a safe house or our match was interrupted by the authorities, in which the protocol was nobody talked or pressed charges and we called it even until our master's came and paid the bail. We then paid back the bail by conducting training sessions for up and coming students or performed duties around the club.

I'm a Red tag in Traditional TaeKwonDo but I stopped as too many boys were sticking their sweaty armpits in my face.

@thegerg: Hmm, it might not be a proper or ideal way to separate them, but I was thinking of things like different styles of kung fu or kendo as "traditional".

No one is actually chasing you for doing underground fight clubs. It only reflects on your NHS records if you UK or your private health insurance premiums increasing if your in places like the US. It's a bit different if your doing betting games and fights to the death or total KO, getting lots of money involved, or having two pregnant women fight it out until one has a miscarriage, then yes maybe your little organisation has a chance of a stake-out operation by the police.

I'm surprised you got the time for Gamespot forums. Thought you be tied up, you know, riding around on a Harley Davidson with your gang, wearing shades with pump action shot-guns by your side, ready to deal with anyone who glances with you the wrong way, you big hard man you.

Seriously, no one cares about a bunch of people play-fighting. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye you know.

I won't speak about martial arts from any other continent because I kinda hardly know about them. At most I'd venture to say that Capoeira could be another one that I know of.

Looking into it, there's plenty of martial arts from Africa, western European countries and other places, which isn't much of a surprise; I've just never heard about them.

Not really Martial Arts but just good old Military hand-to-hand combat is all I'm good at.

I did taekwondo when I was in middle school... I didn't really care for it. I would love to take on boxing or something similar, but I'm just not very disciplined.

No. I am already a master at the Immobile Arts. Anything else would conflict with those teachings.

It requires great discipline and mental strength to be a master of those arts :O

Nope.

Speaking of "discipline" ... reminds of that Southpark episode , damn hilarious.

All of this is quite interesting stuff that you have typed up but the keywords were "took" and "for a few months". After training intensely and living on the edge for a while it definitely took its toll. One particular brawl left my kid brother in a coma for nearly a week and he now suffers from PTSD. I participated in a couple more meet ups and then retired myself.

Video games are a good way to escape reality in a safe environment and after what our crew went through I wouldn't wish it on anyone in the end. I would admit now that although I was tough as nails with a DGAF attitude I was an idiot.

As for your comments about me being a "hard man" your little insult seems like it was a description of Arnold Schwarzeneggar in Terminator 2. I don't condone the use of firearms or any weapons and don't wear shades as that would be a safety hazard if shit hit the fan. It definitely wasn't "play fighting", sometimes I would simply demonstrate my power and agility on a speed bag and the opponents would just slunk off into the shadows. I'm retired and gaming is the life I now live.

Some might consider wrestling (folkstyle) to be a martial art, which I competed in from 5th through 12 grades. Had it been as widely available when i was younger, I probably would have trained pretty seriously in jiu jitsu.

I used to do Philippino Arnis. Got pretty far before my instructor moved away. I'm looking to do Historical European Martial Arts next year. I love sparring with weapons.

I'd rather take up archery. It could come in handy one day as it's own form of lethal combat.