Who here on the forum practices any type of martial arts.  Or have practiced in the past.  If you have practiced in the past.  Why have you quit.  You know that nj will not give you a ccw.  So your next bet deal is to be practiced in a form of martial arts.    Myself.  I’ve done a few.  But i stick with jui jitsu.  Cage fighter.  Im sure you you can comment.  As per your name

About 8 years of Shindo-Ryu Kickboxing when I lived in Elizabeth and did not want to get beat up in the ghetto.  Did some boxing recently... (classes, training.... not fights).

Nice.  So why did you stop?

13 hours ago, Golf battery said:

Nice.  So why did you stop?

#1... moved out of the ghetto. (and the dojo was too far to drive to).

#2 hurt my knee a tad with hockey and my kneck while doing jumps into rolls.

Did do a few months of Tae Kwon Do about 2 or 3 years ago but the fact that it was sooo different from Kickboxing... i.e. you generally don't use your hands and it was also very high impact on the knees.  

Sorry to hear about the injuries.  In any martial arts you’re going to have injuries.  The more you progress the less injuries you get.   As you progress its just soreness. Which is good. 

12 minutes ago, Golf battery said:

Sorry to hear about the injuries.  In any martial arts you’re going to have injuries.  The more you progress the less injuries you get.   As you progress its just soreness. Which is good. 

Oh absolutely.  That is a given.  

The neck healed up just fine but the knee still bugs depending on the activity.

The higher impact Tae Kwon Do with the way their kicks are hyper extended was just too much pressure on the patella.

Boxing I can usually do a few hours and it is fine and I enjoy that quite a bit more...

But to answer your question, absolute felt more comfortable and safer being able to know how to defend self in worst case... heck, knowing the easier ways to subdue someone or that it only takes a few lbs of pressure to break some knees... you feel quite a bit better. lol.

Comfortable against a gun?  No.  A Knife... yep. And all of that just builds up and is ingrained in you.

The big thing for me was that it taught situational awareness.  And no, much like with guns, I never had the urge to just go beat someone down.  Did help me twice in a self defense situation.   In both cases was over in a few seconds. 

10 years of Tae Kwon Do...still practicing and hold the rank of decided 2nd degree black belt.  absolutely love it and will never stop; that is unless my body gives up.  

Much like Maks, it’s taught me to be aware of my surroundings and have the confidence to know i can defend myself.   While I’m not the tallest, my legs are definitely longer than most peoples arms and that allows me to keep a safe distance but still “reach” my target.

i even have my 3 kids involved.  All three are various levels of black belts with my oldest being a 2nd degree and now heavily into BJJ.

I stuck with bjj.  Cause most likely if you’re really in a fight.  Its going to the ground.  Gracie barra princeton now.  Prior i was in ricardo almeidas school.  Before that.  Princeton academy of martial arts.  Rick tucci owned it.  Second down from bruce lee.  Instructed by dan inosanti.  Im at gracie barra cause its ten mins away.  Working out well.  

3 hours ago, Golf battery said:

I stuck with bjj.  Cause most likely if you’re really in a fight.  Its going to the ground

True statement.

 

I was very involved in a very traditional Japanese karate dojo back in high school.  Left after it appeared to me that it was turning into a cult.

I take kickboxing classes but its just hitting a bag, not the same.

Very interested in trying jujitsu/bjj but fear that at my age I’m just going to end up wrecking myself.  

Nah.  Take it slow.  Im 50 now.  I go about 3 times a week.   

Thats the thing about jui jitsu.  It wont hurt you like all the other martial arts. 

3 hours ago, Golf battery said:

 It wont hurt you like all the other martial arts. 

I listen to the Joe Rogan podcast a lot, and that’s the opposite of what he says.  But maybe because he’s training at a different level.

Nice to see several taekwondo practitioners.  I've practiced, competed, and taught most of my younger life and also dabbled a lot in Muay Thai.  

Having hand to hand experience absolutely changes your perception of social situations and can be a huge confidence booster.  Learning in a full contact setting also gives you a nice edge if you're ever in a position to use it.  

After a bad back injury, which ironically wasn't training related, I had to give up the lifestyle for a while, but the intuition you gain is always there.  

In hindsight, I wish I had focused on Muay Thai over all else as a kid.  It's much more effective on the street compared to other traditional martial arts.

 

6 hours ago, DirtyDigz said:

I was very involved in a very traditional Japanese karate dojo back in high school.  Left after it appeared to me that it was turning into a cult.

I take kickboxing classes but its just hitting a bag, not the same.

Very interested in trying jujitsu/bjj but fear that at my age I’m just going to end up wrecking myself.  

BJJ + yoga is fantastic for older individuals with joint/flexibility issues.  Building core strength and increasing flexibility is life changing as age progresses

I had taken Rex Kwon Do for a few years, helped me a lot.

A

32 minutes ago, Ray Ray said:

I had taken Rex Kwon Do for a few years, helped me a lot.

A

Are you sure it’s not galleria ninjitsu?

Thanks zeke.   Always adding some professional insight.   You have alot of energy.  Why the he’ll don’t you try some martial arts?   Not marital arts   That’s for nighttime for you and the mrs’s.  Noo.  You’re not too old.