Martial Arts?

WeekendNachos00

WeekendNachos00

Registrant
Has anyone tried martial arts as a form of recovery? I used to be much more athletic when I was younger, but I despised sports that involved any sort of contact, or working within a large group. I'm 27 now and I've loved watching MMA for at least 10 years, and I've been thinking a lot about kickboxing or BJJ as a way to stay fit and get more comfortable with physical touch. Has anyone else tried this? And if so, please share your experience, success story or otherwise.
 
I’m a 10 year BJJ purple belt. I really enjoy it, obviously, and for me it is a way to get hard exercise that “centers me” emotionally. I think I also enjoy the non-sexual male contact.

Most places have a free trial period. Go get your ass kicked (and you will), then see if you like it.

I have also done Muay Thai kickboxing but, for me, BJJ is my jam.
 
I would strongly suggest you join and hope that you already have. I'm 55 and practice Muay Thai as well as Karate. I'm an Orange belt in Ryusyokai Karate, an obscure form from Okinawa that has it roots in White Crane Kung Fu. My training is core to my recovery. I release negative energy into the pads or a partners body.
 
I did Muay Thai for a while, and have helped me a lot in a period when I was not even aware of my struggles with trauma.
 
I started Kung-Fu lessons some months before acknowledging the abuses.
It is helping immensely, to rebuild self esteem (that dropped down recently due to issues coming to the surface).
Also, it trains the mind, so you learn to control your thoughts and also emotions as a consequence; it helps in daily life too.
 
I just googled local kung fu schools and it was very fulfilling. I already feel more zen.
 
I’m a third degree black belt in Tang Soo Do. I haven’t taken any lessons or practiced since the end of 2019. Originally I wanted a break after nearly ten years of constant training because I had just gotten a part time job as well as helping my dad out with his business and I was burning myself out and I felt completely drained some days and losing focus in my training. I needed a break to regroup my focus and thoughts and I thought a year should be enough time off. Then Covid happened and from there I was swamped at work and I got so used to not training. I’d like to go back but right now I’m afraid that I’ll just burn myself out quickly again.
 
WeekendNachos00 said:
Has anyone tried martial arts as a form of recovery? I used to be much more athletic when I was younger, but I despised sports that involved any sort of contact, or working within a large group. I'm 27 now and I've loved watching MMA for at least 10 years, and I've been thinking a lot about kickboxing or BJJ as a way to stay fit and get more comfortable with physical touch. Has anyone else tried this? And if so, please share your experience, success story or otherwise.
Click to expand...
I have I need to get back into it
 
I took some introductory lessons in hopkito a couple decades ago. It did help me be more confident for a short time. I wish I could afford to go back to it. It is a personal thing as far as it working and working well. I would say try it. You can always walk away if it becomes to much.
 
I did taekwondo when I was 7-8 and then after a break, I picked it back up at 12 and have been doing it ever since. Well, technically, I took a 5-year break after high school, but I continued to practice on my own. I am now a master and teach more than I practice, but that is about to change.
I have felt that I have let myself go and need to train more :)
There is no better feeling than after a tough kicking workout, going home, and just passing out on the couch. Kinda lets my mind just shut off.
 
I originally took Tang Soo Do in high school but when I was a couple of tests away from getting my black belt, my abuser made me quit which really really upset me. Taking Tang Soo Do lessons and earning the belts actually gave me some self confidence that I was good at something and was something that I could call my own without anyone comparing me to my sister as she never took any lessons from it before. I went back to it as a 25 year old after my abuser had physically attacked me and I wanted to finally get my black belt and be able to defend myself in case she ever ran into me again and tried to hurt me. Since I was gone for eight years, I had forgotten most of my training and made an unusual decision to start my training all over again by being a white belt and I think this was a good decision as I was able to relearn everything at a reasonable pace and hone my skills. My instructor was surprised when I told him that I wanted to do this and let me and I think that I was the only student of his that re-enrolled in his dojo that was a white belt twice and took all of the color belt tests a second time by choice and not because of failing the test. It helped me not to be so afraid of leaving my apartment again after I had escaped from my abuser. I stopped going to class three years ago because I originally wanted a one year break as I had just gotten a part time job and I was also helping my dad out during the day at his auto repair shop and I was burning myself out rather quickly. I needed time to recover mentally as I was losing my focus and just struggling to keep up with so many things at once. Then Covid happened and I was afraid to go back because I work in a nursing home and didn’t want to get any of the residents there sick.
 
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