Do you think those who study and practice martial arts and self-defense are generally paranoid and fearful?

I’ve never gotten that impression at all.

I know some people go into martial arts to learn discipline.

I did for a couple of years.

I wanted a hard workout class, and I went to a Krav Maga session with a friend. They worked us so hard I almost puked. But it was so much fun I kept going, and soon was able to do two consecutive classes, or even three in a day.

I appreciate the self defense aspect. Before the class I would have been bewildered if someone picked a fight with me, but now I’ve spent many many hours hitting and kicking people, and getting hit and kicked. So if I couldn’t get away I could hold my own.

But the big benefit was the exercise, working much harder than I ever could outside a class.

I had to stop contact sports for medical reasons, and switched to a fitness class with various weights and exercises.

I can work just as hard, but it’s more of a chore. Fighting people is simply a lot more fun.

I don’t know, but at one point I insisted on being allowed to go to a martial class because I was paranoid of being attacked. Then I learned that my chance of being attacked was very low, as long as I follow the safety rules, and I dropped the idea.

Not anymore. Most people signing their kids up for the local McDojo are doing so mostly because everyone else is, and partially because literally everyone gets a black belt and a trophy as long as they pay dues long enough.

Nope, it’s just another thing like soccer.

Not my experience. Everyone I know, with one exception, is aggressive, short tempered, and wanting to show off. The one exception is a police officer.

No, not at all.

In fact, like most people I know who carry weapons, I don’t do that out of fear – and absolutely not out of “paranoia” – at all. It’s not that I carry a weapon because I have any specific fear or even a generalized fear. I enjoy going to new places and meeting new people, and my attitude is generally one of openness and trust. But I also realize that not everyone is as trustworthy as I am, and I’m also kind of a “sheepdog among sheep” very often. So I carry a weapon – or two or three. (Partly because not every threat is a lethal threat, so lethal weapons aren’t always the answer to a real or perceived threat, either.)

For example, getting away from the “personal security” aspect of your question, I also have formal safety training, have been First Aid certified and have had Red Cross “Lifesaver” training (and while that is no longer current, I have no doubt that I could perform “lifesaving” acts in the water and swim a mile or more if I needed to). Part of my current job is “EHS Supervisor” (Environment, Health & Safety). That’s a job that I neither wanted nor applied for, but the position opened up, and my boss appointed me “because you’re the only one in our group who can fill it as it demands”, and I have grown into it. Partly because of all of the training that I’ve had, and life experiences before that which have led me to this age, this position, and this responsibility, “I get it”.

I see threats and hazards – real ones, not imaginary and not phantoms in my own head – that I never would have seen while I was younger. I can (and do) explain in concrete terms why certain acts and behaviors are risky, and I can recommend courses of action, behavioral and policy changes, that can mitigate risk and hazard.

Does that make me “fearful” of hazards in the construction industry where I work? I don’t think so. I am wholly respectful of the dangers inherent in our industry; I am experienced enough to know where risk may reside that others seem to accept sometimes “because it has always been that way”, and I am committed to making the projects that I touch safer, cleaner and “better than it was when I got here”. That’s not paranoia; that’s taking responsibility.

I think a lot of people who learn effective self defense, whether they would verbalize it this way or not, generally feel the same way.

I took an Aikido class once. Based on where I was working at the time, it was very convenient to go to the class and then go from the class to work.

I rarely thought of the self-defense aspects of Aikido. To me it was more like an exercise or dance class. The flow of motion is good for the soul. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. I got the impression that the others in the class felt the way that I did. I regret that I did not continue going.

No. It’s much more about folks with a common interest, as with any other club.

I know more adults who do because of fear than who do for other reasons.

No. It is primarily about spiritual and physical enlightenment, to bring all aspects of self together in harmony. Watch “Kung Fu.”

My reasons for practicing: fun, fitness, and defense skills. It is something I endeavored to do ever since I can remember (I am in my late 40’s).

I never approached the arts out of fear of any sort, I think the motivation is more the opposite. I sought the teaching to become better.

I have known a few smaller guys who studied martial arts to defend themselves. As kids, they’d been schoolyard bully-bait (a bully always goes after someone who appears to be weak or vulnerable). Their parents supported martial arts, paying for and driving them to/from lessons, so that childhood wouldn’t be many years of pure hell.

As for adults, I think that they practice martial arts for exercise, fitness, physical discipline, and enjoyment.

I appreciate your answers everyone. Thank you.

Welcome to Fluther @GLOOM!

@dammitjanetfromvegas Thanks!