Anyone else enjoying martial arts?

[Boris Goodenough]

I've been doing Krav Maga for just under 1 year, going to my practitioner level 2 graduation in May. I've been enjoying it greatly, knowing you're not completely defenseless and it's really really good exercise. thankfully I haven't had to use it yet.
So a few questions:
If you have have been doing a martial art, what have you been doing?
For how long have you been doing it?
How much do you enjoy?
Have you ever had the need to use it in real life (not matches)?

 

[Karhukonna]

I used to do some Wado-ryu karate several years ago. I did it for one year, I think. It got a bit boring, so I got into Hokutoryu jujutsu. I did that for a couple of years, but I've been taking a break for quite a while now, actually.

I really like jujutsu, our style is a bit more practical than more traditional styles, so it has a lot of sparring and good ol' fashioned fightin'. I've never had to use my skills in a fistfight, but training has given me a very imposing stance, which has helped avoid confrontation. I used to challenge everyone around for some wrestling and stuff during my military service, but after a while no one wanted to fight me anymore... =(

 

[Risingblade]

I used to do Taekwondo but that was years ago. I never really got that far with it because I got lazy. It was pretty fun though, good exercise too. I remember always feeling pumped up after practice.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

I have been doing Karate for about 10 years now, did some Muay Thai and kickboxing, had a year of military self-defense training and now I am back to Karate, though I usually focus on kumite instead of katas.

 

[aba1]

I have been doing Judo since I was 7 and I am 23 so 16 years now. I am sorta on a off peak right now though cause I am so busy with school. I also find I tend to teach more than anything but I mean it is only natural after so long.

 

[Keoul]

Use to go to Taekwondoe.
It was pretty fun but it didn't feel... real I guess, people were always too timid when we had to spar and basically all we did was exercises like push ups and learn patterns. Basically stuff I could do on my own so I left. Still have the uniform though, looks pretty swanky.

 

[Denamic]

Used to do Judo for a couple of years as a kid, but the club shut down/relocated after the owner moved, so couldn't keep doing that. Probably just as well, because I was also playing hockey. Hockey practice 5 days a week on top of 2 days per week of Judo. Not to mention that I got everywhere with my bicycle. I broke every sprint time record my 6th to 9th grade school had when I was in the 8th grade. If I had to describe the physical condition I was in back then with a word, I'd use 'olympic'. Yet my dad was still always complaining at me that I only sit inside and play games. Some people are really hard to please.

Nowadays, I get winded by stairs...

 

[l3o2828]

I used to do Karate.
It was so much fun. Sadly i had to quit it due to schedule problems...I really hated highschool for eating off all of my free time.

 

[uzo]

Currently 33 yrs old ... done various forms of martial arts over the years. Mostly Japanese schools of thought however. Most recently studied eishinryu (?pM?¬) (<-- dunno if those kanji will turn up on Escapist) Iaido in Osaka. But I've moved back to Australia and with the pressures of family and work I don't have time to formally train anymore.

I very much enjoyed martial arts.

I have a son I would like to do martial arts. That said, I also have a soon-to-be-daughter on the way (due early April) who I will most certainly encourage to follow at least some of the arts I followed.

In fact, I may well force her to. I'd say I will likely be more strict on my daughter than my son because she will never have the simple advantage of size and strength that my son will have.

EDIT: Ha I guess those kanji didn't work.

 

[Phasmal]

I went to one kick-boxing lesson but I had to do everything backwards because I'm left-handed, I was the only lefty there so it was a little embarrassing. I admire those who do it though, I had a friend who did karate who used to show me her kicks.

I do wonder how useful a martial art would be in a real fight, though, when it's more kicky-bitey-scratchy.

 

[Kyrinn]

I practiced Kendo for about a year and a half. I was getting halfway decent too and my instructors said I had potential. Unfortunately my arthritis got worse and I had to quit. I've since changed meds and am mostly back to normal. I've always thought about going back and practicing but I don't know. I really enjoyed it at the time but it's been more than 2 years since I stopped. I'm out of shape and out of practice

 

[FeraIMuse]

I studied Bao Ding Shuai Chiao for a couple of years while I lived in Texas, (essentially Chinese speed-grappling.) Our instructor also included elements of Baji, Long-Fist, and Mantis, as well, to help us gain familiarity on how to strike properly... although he was known as saying more than once, 'If you can't knock them out with one hit, then don't waste the energy to hit.' I guess when you've been practicing/teaching for over forty years, you can say stuff like that. It was an awesome time, and if I get my current medical-conditions cleared up and move back to Texas, I'd love to either go back to class with him, or one of his 'fellow teachers', if he's retired. When you get a chance to sit back and think about a lot of aspects of martial-arts, at least from a physiological stand-point, you realize that it's not all that complicated. And yes, I've had to use it to defend myself on more than one occasion. Didn't take long. A reason why it's 'speed-grappling'. :-D

 

[Username Redacted]

I've been doing Brazilian Jui Jitsu for ~6 years. I find it to, when not working with a complete spazz, to be very relaxing. That said, on the opposite end of the spectrum to relaxing, I've been looking at competing again and thus have been putting a bit more time into training of late.