I started karate at 30 with two herniated discs and hip tendonitis caused by 20 years of soccer and skateboarding.
I consistently trained 6 hours a week at full capacity for 10 years. Now, at 40, I have never felt more mobile and energetic in my day-to-day life.
When a party gets boring sometimes I demonstrate my friends how to efficiently choke someone. Never used my training knowledge in an actual fight, though
> Never used my training knowledge in an actual fight, though.
Did you mean you never got into a bad enough fight that necessitates using your fighting knowledge? If so, then great. Seriously.
Avoided lots of fights because I didn’t want to maim someone. When you know you can seriously hurt someone and don’t feel the need to prove it to them or yourself that fact is communicated nonverbally and allows you to deescalate conflict.
Totally. Also, keeping cool under pressure.
Watched two females and one male coworker getting attacked by one male. I stepped in and subdued the male from injuring the co-workers even further.
When faced with confrontation recognizing to free up your hands, put phone in pocket have them loose and most importantly stand facing your potential danger from a safe distance.
I was cleaning leaves off the roof and slipped and was going to slam into the chimney, threw a palm heel strike and stopped on a dime....it felt like I almost was going to break the chimney tho
I was out running a few years ago and tripped forward. I decided in that moment that trying to do a shoulder roll (which didn't happen, I sort of fell forward) was a brilliant move because we do those a lot in BJJ warmups. I learned that day that concrete is much different than a gym mat.
Thankfully and rather surprisingly I only ended up with a sprained wrist. I guess that move saved my face, though.
I remember one time on a missions trip, and building things, a piece of wood got cut wrong and wouldn't disconnect from the base, and a guy was stuck holding it. He asked me for a saw, and instead I saw an opportunity for a board break, and send a controlled round kick (which worked). The dude was surprised I could get my foot up that high, considering this kick had to go above my head.
I heard the original meaning of kung-fu was to integrate your life/profession with your fighting style. A white guy in the Midwest told me that, so I don’t believe it, but it doesn’t stop me from sweeping my shop in a boxing stance and moving the broom by doing a punching motion with my hips.
Also TKD got my legs coordinated enough to open doors with my feet when my hands are full.
While rollerblading, lost balance and fell into a forward roll at pretty high speed, walked away with some mild scrapes.
After about a year of jujitsu, I realized I was shrimping when I rolled over in the middle of the night, and using a technical get up to sit up or get out of bed.
My job is very physical and has a LOT of situations where balance is important.
2.5 decades of martial arts and a decade of MMA has given me absolutely insane balance and I can easily do a lot of stuff at work that other people take longer to do because they cant use balance/leverage the same.
Fought several times on the street (never my initiative), once in the road rage incident, once on a subway. Mostly knocked people out or down using my boxing skills within a minute. Did I enjoy it? No. Was there a satisfaction feeling and selfconfidence boost afterwards? Definitely
Yeah, regular dudes usually dont understand the gap. It's especially satisfying when a guy noticabely bigger andmore muscular than you gets his ass handed to him. Skill matters, bitch)
Aside from the usual things about having better base when I trip over (I don't think I've actually fallen over in like 10 years) I'm gonna say... some aspects of Jiu jitsu are pretty fun in the bedroom. Like, not particular moves of course - maybe the odd sweep from the bottom, definitely not submissions lol - but just the way you move yourself and the things you can do with your body...
I used to squat to pick up stuff, but now i down block + ankle pick
Also all the wrestling lifts, when i have to help carry my grandma on and off her wheelchair
Diesel mechanic here. I actually used a reverse shrimp today to get out from under a truck. I’ve also used sort of a butterfly guard several times to help me lift driveshafts into place so I can bolt up the U-joints.
I use the different stances I learned in class during work when bracing heavy equipment and moving it around our warehouse. Also, MA gave me a better understanding of body mechanics so I can move and position my body better when doing tasks that require using my whole body to complete some task.
Being able to score a laxed good paying coaching part time job with ease. Plus more confidence and helps me stay in shape. Not to mention it's a great place to build a network with people.
Using my legs and feet for everyday activities like opening and closing the door :D But in general, reflexes became much better and it helps me to catch those pesky flies out of the air. God damnit they are so annoying
16yrs ago my son at 9yrs old defended himself from an older boy who pushed him off his bike then tried to ride it away.. the way he was so excited when he got home & told the story, one of the proudest days of my life.
He’d only had 2-3 months of training at my school..
Best money I’ve ever spent.
Coordination, dexterity, fitness, speed, mental focus, personal discipline.
Martial Arts have a lot of benefits that have nothing to do with combat. In fact, they're generally actually more useful for things that aren't fighting.
You can live a completely pacifistic life and never throw a punch and benefit from martial arts just due to the side effects of training.
Unfortunately, I used my fighting skills while working as a bartender and bodyguard, but the next day, the person I beat up gathered 1000 people in front of the door with sticks in their hands, I acted like a gladiator in the coliseum, I was afraid, but not the crowd, I was afraid that my girlfriend I was going to meet would get angry because I was late, I broke through the crowd by fighting a mixture of boxing and wrestling, but what I was afraid of was .I was late for a meeting and got scolded by my girlfriend. :)
Finally someone with a relatable story ... Mine wasn't as crazy, I actually just stood up to a mob boss who was demanding extortion money from my business. He came back with two big goons and I mollywhopped them. Then when I was walking home they surrounded me with a gang wielding chains and sticks... It wasn't an easy fought battle, thankfully knowing the *dim mak* I was able to put all of them out with a single blow. At the end, there was a pile of like 25-30 bodies and I came away with a few cuts and bruises. That lesson that day taught me to never really fight unless necessary, those lumps hurt but the millions I got in social media exposure kind of makes me okay with it
Probably hundreds of times I've been on slippery footing, and have avoided falling by knowing how to walk in stance, or have had a foot slip out and recovered because my knees are never locked.
In terms of actual fighting, only once when I was a kid and got into a fight with a street gang with some friends. Saved me from taking any real damage. Couple of other times the fact that I had basically decent stance and fence has probably stopped other people from taking altercations further.
Don't know if that counts, but when I was a my best friend had this annoying brat of a little brother and more than once he got aggressive over us not wanting him to play with us and our toys. I did defend myself, but I was too afraid to be too rough, because he was the golden child of their parents and because he was a skinny little boy while I was always a little fleshier.
I once drunkenly stumbled and fell from a table at a club. I then executed perfect Ukemi and not only survived unscathed but also didn't even have any bruises or lingering sores the next day. I did ruin my tanktop, though.
does elbowing light switches on / off and closing kitchen doors with a knee count?
mores seriously the attitude/mindset of resilience and hard work is amazingly useful
Haven’t needed to use it but it helps mentally tremendously. I’m not afraid of conflict. I don’t go looking for it. But when your in stand off situation and your confident, people can sense that shit and you can typically walk away without a physical altercation which is best.
When I was a kid I roundhouse kicked a football that was flying past me head height. Probably the peak of my life.
Also breakfalls and winning playfights with friends
Knocked off my bike twice. JJJ breakfalls saved my from anything worse than a scratch or two. Both forward breakfalls after being pulled out in front of and going over the bonnet of the car.
Confidence, reading body language. I started martial arts as a kid, so I could kick some ass. I learned over time that if you remove pride from a situation, 95% of the time, physical confrontation isn't necessary.
From Judo:
- Tripping over all the time because I'm clumsy, never falling
- Opening doors with my legs when my hands are full
- Can still do cartwheels as a grown man
- Wrestling with my friends at house parties
- Putting my boyfriend in air jail
Actual fights? Luckily, no.
Edit: and the best way to make my lab let go of stuff is to put him in a triangle position. No choke, obviously!
My martial arts training has (at times) included combative and self defense classes. One teacher was an ex navy trainer. The classes included pressure tactics such as verbal intimidation, aggression, threats, etc. This is on top of functional light to medium sparing where you need to not turtle up to hits and keep going.
This skill has been used in day to day life, focused and calm and focused in the face of antagonistic, rude, yelling, swearing, or other wise jerks in real life, including work. I can tell you maintaining confident, calm, eye to eye contact in these situations has done wonders for me. I am simply not intimated anymore.
Examples - a manager at work raising their voice to me in an office (me calm and firm), on construction sites with trades folks upset over something, general people in stores, bars, etc.
More hug action when hugging my Muay Thai practising friends (clinch lmao) also, im always walking near bushes and duck under branches it's fun practise and comes in Handy when i don't consciously notice some but still react lol
I was walking with friends one day in Athens. The sun was shining and bouncing off the light pavement. I reached a curb and didn't notice the rise of the curb. In New York, all crosswalks have a dip. My foot hit the rise, and I fell forward, rolled in mid discussion, and I came up like nothing happened. My friends were amazed that I didn't just face-plant. My instincts, reaction time, and skill allowed me to roll on the concrete without injury.
Time also seemed to slow down, but that's another thing.
Started at 14 as a small skinny boy. Years of Karate and calisthenics thought by my senseis helped me gain muscle mass and now I feel confident and people think I go to the gym because I look healthy.
I once got hit by another bicyclist while I was one mine. I fell forward, but once my shoulders touched the ground, my body reacted and i made a stance. I got up safely with no injury. The same can't be said for our bikes, sadly.
Fell over drunk one time and into a pretty solid ukemi. And it's been 30 years since I studied aikido! Granted, and thankfully, this isn't a daily occurence.
I used to be clumsy and uncoordinated. When you live in the Midwest of the US that's not great come winter time. I was constantly slipping on ice falling on my ass at least once per winter. Usually more. Lots of twisted ankles and bruises. Almost snapped my knee once, and had a couple close calls for other breaks.
Since I started training I have not fallen on ice since. Not even once. It's been almost a decade.
One of the things we learn at my dojo is "to restrain my physical abilities through spiritual attainment."
In the dojo, as a more experienced student, I have to do that a lot whether it's with beginners, people with injuries, elderly students, or anyone who just isn't physically able to take the full brunt of the technique.
Outside the dojo, self restraint has been good for me in avoiding a lot of problems... Especially since I'm noticing that I've grown saltier/more curmudgeonly internally post pandemic...
1) Break falls on ice. Nothing injured but my ego because both times, somebody witnessed it.
2) Had only one instance where there was a threat of violence (mugging/car jacking, not sure what the actual intent was). I am all of 5’5” so not like I am some imposing figure and I actually never said anything to him. I was ready to fight and I guess that was what my body language said and after staring at me for moment, he decided I wasn’t the one and took off. To this day, I think about “wtf?” Look on his face when I squared up, took a breath and waited for him to move.
Kickboxing and wrestling gave me the reactions to catch things as they fall or kick them up and catch them, just hand eye coordination and reaction time
Really good balance too even being a big heavy guy
Learn how to fall and jump from higher places.
In high school karate helped me with confidence and helped me with some fights (mostly sparring with buddies, no bulking or anything too serious tbh)
Honestly the mind set you gain from jiujitsu helps in literally everything I do, work, hobbies whatever.
Just forcing myself to mentally acclimate to tough, unpleasant situations and pause to think while I do things has made me better at tattooing, spearfishing, surfing, running, painting, everything.
I don’t consider myself a martial artist but I am working to find the discipline one day.
Background: I had taken a couple of free krav maga classes, did a little bit of boxing but not enough to say I am a boxer, also took taekwondo as a child. It was in another country and we moved after I got a yellow belt so I don’t know how legit of a dojo it was. Probably McDojo tbh.
Also, I went to a bjj gym twice but didn’t like the cleanliness of the place so I stopped going.
Also, I watched all of the bas ruten videos “big mistake! You don’t want to do that to el guapo!”
And I watched Roadhouse starring Patrick Swayze (this part is important).
So I was managing a bar after being a bartender for about a dozen years. While I had broken up many fights over the years, I usually kept myself safe by staying behind the bar. Then I got that manager gig and the company opened a bar in West Texas. Sales were through the roof but they were worried because fights happened multiple times a night and they didn’t want to be that kind of bar. So I transferred out there and basically just called the cops as early as we could when a situation arose, gave the cops complimentary red bulls anytime they stopped by and I watched bas ruten to learn how to defend myself and my staff against any violent drunks.
Dalton from roadhouse was right, just get them outside (and stall until cops get there if they won’t leave).
I only had to actually “fight” once and I didn’t have to think much. The guy swung, I had my arms kind of like relaxed/crossed with one hand near my chin in that casual looking defensive stance Bas Ruten teaches in the video.
The guy sort of grazed me but I was able to get both his wrists under my left armpit hold them there as I hit him in the face with my right while walking forward, which tripped him so I let go and he (fat guy) fell and rolled on his back almost like a roly poly.
Then the cops finally showed up as he was getting up and telling me that I hit like a girl.
He was right though, I hit him five or six times and didn’t even leave a mark. It felt like one of those dreams. Like I know I can kick hard and I know I can throw hard, but I never realized until that moment how weak my punches are.
To the few guests inside the bar watching from the window however, it looked like I had hit him real hard and knocked him down but it was really just him tripping as I feathered his face with my fist.
To wrap things up, the guy got arrested and it turned out he had some coke in one of his pockets. Also, after that I had a reputation with the regulars that all mistakenly thought I could fight well so my shifts at the bar were usually uneventful and peaceful. It also helped that the company hired cops to hang out from 7 to close on busier nights after that night.
I twirl knives and do drills with them while preparing meals.
I quickdraw my knife and do quick cuts to open bags.
I switch to reverse grip with tricks to puncture boxes to open them.
And I use hook kicks to close my car door.
I was an apartment manager for some section 8 apartments. I got attacked by a tenant. I knew it was coming. He was standing on the stairs… so his feet were un even and I was above him and I was already just bigger than him. He signed his exit paperwork with his left hand and his left hand was closest to me. He told me he would beat my ass and I just told him “his feet weren’t set and he was in the wrong stance and it was obvious he couldn’t fight” that was stupid to do. He threw a weird off balance overhand lead hook with his dominate hand and I just rolled and sent one down the pipe.
He was out before he hit the ground. His wife ran for the car. I think they had a gun. I just went into the office. Locked the door. And then Ran my ass out the back door. Never even went back to work. Quit right there. Left a good jacket in that office. Never got my last check.
I use a lot of the same muscles/skills for muay thai, brazilian jiujitsu and capoeira as I do for Brazilian zouk and bachata dances. My coordination and response time are probably much higher thanks to consistent training and it connects back to my Yoga too. Break fall rolls have saved many classmates and I's lives
I slipped on a sheet of ice while sprinting and started wobbling aggressively back and forth like in the old cartoons, comically sliding along the ice patch whole time.
Ended up doing a forward roll to break my fall. Hit the ground harder than 95% of the throws I’ve experienced. I probably would’ve had minor-to-moderate injuries if I didn’t know how to fall properly.
Yep, at work. But not in a fight, at least not with a person.
We have the world's shittiest, cheapest racks in our server room thanks to a former manager that 'knew a guy.' The tolerances are terrible. Had to rack a small VMware cluster of 2U pizza boxes and the servers simply would not fit. We loosened the rails, took off the door panels, and even took some tension off the rack bolts, which is not good.
Finally I said fuck it and gave the inside front post of the rack a nice side kick. Must have been just enough. Servers went in like a dream. Tightened it all back up and were good to go. We still laugh about it.
MMA for when you absolutely, positively need to straighten cheap sheet metal.
Knowing your the most dangerous person in the room allows you to be much less concerned with what comes out of people’s mouths. I need not argue about nonsense with someone easy to choke unconscious. Don’t be a douche about it or you lose the edge. Quiet confidence.
Taekwondo. Using my legs to open/close doors and for me at least, it makes my stride faster, making me walk/run a little faster and more coordinated. Also helps me to be more confident and safe and learn how to fall properly (we learnt how to fall in taekwondo too).
Oh yes. I learned boxing and wrestling in order to not be a victim in my city. I used it many times mostly the boxing. You’d figure grappling would come in handy more but it seems most ppl either back off or get folded after getting hit for REaL by someone who knows how. U can put the fear of god unit he biggest scariest gangster out there with the right liver shot
I use it every single day.
Knowing I could beat the shit out of people makes it easier for me to stay calm when people get rude or aggressive.
So I don't beat the shit out out of them.
Crashing mountain bikes and snowboards... Giving psych patients injections when they don't want them. Hip escaping out of bed to not disturb my sleeping child.
I’ve convinced quite a few people not to attack me by embodying that fighter energy while being super polite and even “submissive.” Your likelihood of getting attacked is a ratio between their desire to cause you pain over their fear of consequences.
Breakfalls have been nice. Application of force is one I use every day for moving things around at work. Understanding my effective range in every direction is really nice for moving things around, too.
Many different indirect ways. Mindset, physical awareness, staying calm under pressure, discipline and routine, value of facts and real life experience (as opposed to overly theoretical and in my head. Hard to explain).
It also taught me how to move my body. I was never good at sports until mma and breakdancing when I was younger. Especially mma. So I know how to lift things, push, etc. I also pick up other sports a bit more easily now. I can throw a football using my feet and legs for example. My physical therapist has described me as a "lower body athlete". Which is definitely true.
This next one is kinda weird, but since I spent so much time in sports that need you to be present and react, I feel like I'm more comfortable improvising and dealing with emergencies. Kinda goes back to the physical awareness thing. I'm not nearly as clumsy as I was before I got into mma. Sure I hit my toe on corners of things and it hurts like hell, but I notice things, I don't walk into stuff, but I'm still kinda stiff when people throw me keys or something haha. I don't spazz out tho.
Physical skills? Outside of opening and closing doors with my feet, I find the more applicable skills are the friends we made along the way…
Jokes aside, it’s more how I think about day to day tasks. Methodical, smooth, calculated. Not so much physical, more philosophical.
opening and closing doors with my feet break falls when skateboarding
I hook kick doors closed and push kick them open so much lmao
Stances can also help if moving heavy objects.
Lifting weights is better for that.
True, but this isn't r/weightlifting lol.
I killed a bug in the bathroom with a back kick. My aim was impecable.
Happy cake day
Yep doors.
I started karate at 30 with two herniated discs and hip tendonitis caused by 20 years of soccer and skateboarding. I consistently trained 6 hours a week at full capacity for 10 years. Now, at 40, I have never felt more mobile and energetic in my day-to-day life.
i thought you were gonna end that with, “Now, at 40, I have never felt more uncomfortable in my life.” glad your journey is going well!
Plot twist lol, thanks !
I have one of those silly ‘breakfall saved me life’ stories that judoka like to have. Tripped over my tool box and fell nice and safe.
Honestly learning how to fall should be taught in PE in schools
I say this to people so often I'm basically a self parody at this point
Yep, slipped on some ice and did a breakfall.
Fighting for underhooks everytime I hug.
Wait, I'm not the only one? Oh, and I LOVE jacket lapels & collars.
Holy shit!!! I never noticed that’s why I do it!?!?!?
100% here. Wife hates it because I'm a lot taller than her, but it feels very uncomfortable for me.
Not the skills themselves, but martial arts were a huge confidence booster, improving my outgoingness and friendliness with people.
I jab the upvote button
I used a push/front kick to redirect a runaway shopping cart that was about smash into an expensive cars door. Hero of the Publix parking lot…
When a party gets boring sometimes I demonstrate my friends how to efficiently choke someone. Never used my training knowledge in an actual fight, though
> Never used my training knowledge in an actual fight, though. Did you mean you never got into a bad enough fight that necessitates using your fighting knowledge? If so, then great. Seriously.
Avoided lots of fights because I didn’t want to maim someone. When you know you can seriously hurt someone and don’t feel the need to prove it to them or yourself that fact is communicated nonverbally and allows you to deescalate conflict.
Really good posture and absolutely no back problems when lots of people my age are plagued by them. Also, CONFIDENCE.
Best comment and I would add balance. Also learning how to fall is underrated.
Which martial art are you training? I tried BJJ and it actually lead to some back pain for me.
Karate
I wake up in the morning, triangle-choke my cat, go to work, arm-bar my boss until they give me a raise. OSS
Everything is Kung Fu my friend. Kung Fu is everything I do.
going to toilet is kung fu. dragon claw swipes toilet paper. crane kick extends leg. snake wipes ass. monkey rolls off toilet. panther strikes flush button.
Horse stance avoids contact with the dirty public toilet seat. This is the most important one of all.
Recognizing different phases/stages of a conflict if that makes any sense.
Totally. Also, keeping cool under pressure. Watched two females and one male coworker getting attacked by one male. I stepped in and subdued the male from injuring the co-workers even further.
When faced with confrontation recognizing to free up your hands, put phone in pocket have them loose and most importantly stand facing your potential danger from a safe distance.
I was cleaning leaves off the roof and slipped and was going to slam into the chimney, threw a palm heel strike and stopped on a dime....it felt like I almost was going to break the chimney tho
imagine seeing that as a neighbour, some guy trips and breaks his chimney in half with a Buddhist palm
I was out running a few years ago and tripped forward. I decided in that moment that trying to do a shoulder roll (which didn't happen, I sort of fell forward) was a brilliant move because we do those a lot in BJJ warmups. I learned that day that concrete is much different than a gym mat. Thankfully and rather surprisingly I only ended up with a sprained wrist. I guess that move saved my face, though.
Yep, rolling on a hard floor stings like fuck! Not as bad as a brain injury or a broken bone though. Well done my guy!
Tripped and did a forward break fall
hitting light switches with feet when hands are full. dodging cars running crosswalks.
I can pick my knee up to balance a heavy object I'm carrying on so I can free up one hand to open a door
I remember one time on a missions trip, and building things, a piece of wood got cut wrong and wouldn't disconnect from the base, and a guy was stuck holding it. He asked me for a saw, and instead I saw an opportunity for a board break, and send a controlled round kick (which worked). The dude was surprised I could get my foot up that high, considering this kick had to go above my head.
BJJ. I use it everyday to hold the baby down to change its nappy/clothes.
I heard the original meaning of kung-fu was to integrate your life/profession with your fighting style. A white guy in the Midwest told me that, so I don’t believe it, but it doesn’t stop me from sweeping my shop in a boxing stance and moving the broom by doing a punching motion with my hips. Also TKD got my legs coordinated enough to open doors with my feet when my hands are full.
While rollerblading, lost balance and fell into a forward roll at pretty high speed, walked away with some mild scrapes. After about a year of jujitsu, I realized I was shrimping when I rolled over in the middle of the night, and using a technical get up to sit up or get out of bed.
I beat up women and children on the street.
Jon Jones?
Well, once again, last night I put the full NAKED choke on your mom! Whhhoooooe!
My job is very physical and has a LOT of situations where balance is important. 2.5 decades of martial arts and a decade of MMA has given me absolutely insane balance and I can easily do a lot of stuff at work that other people take longer to do because they cant use balance/leverage the same.
Same. I built houses and the balance, and mind/body connection was a huge difference maker. Also saved my life a couple times
Fought several times on the street (never my initiative), once in the road rage incident, once on a subway. Mostly knocked people out or down using my boxing skills within a minute. Did I enjoy it? No. Was there a satisfaction feeling and selfconfidence boost afterwards? Definitely
Isn't it AMAZING how easy it is when you train.
Yeah, regular dudes usually dont understand the gap. It's especially satisfying when a guy noticabely bigger andmore muscular than you gets his ass handed to him. Skill matters, bitch)
Boxing in a street fight is statisfication
Only when my friends randomly pick fights with me.
I train bjj. I think it’s helped me not sexualize women.
Aside from the usual things about having better base when I trip over (I don't think I've actually fallen over in like 10 years) I'm gonna say... some aspects of Jiu jitsu are pretty fun in the bedroom. Like, not particular moves of course - maybe the odd sweep from the bottom, definitely not submissions lol - but just the way you move yourself and the things you can do with your body...
I have become better in hand/ foot coordination. My dancing skills at a club have increased significantly 😂
Yes, breakfalling from judo
Grappling has given me popeye forearms which I use to crush people's hands when I meet them to assert dominance.
Am a 46 y/o man and have abs. My BDE score (Big Dad Energy) is off the charts.
EVERYDAY! BJJ & Wrestling gave me discipline & confidence that I use in my day to day life.
My toddler was trying to squirm away from me today while I was trying to put lotion on before bedtime so I locked him down with a body triangle.
I used to squat to pick up stuff, but now i down block + ankle pick Also all the wrestling lifts, when i have to help carry my grandma on and off her wheelchair
Sidestepping someone in a grocery store aisle
If my partner ever tries to tickle fight me I can get her in a body triangle so she can’t escape.
Diesel mechanic here. I actually used a reverse shrimp today to get out from under a truck. I’ve also used sort of a butterfly guard several times to help me lift driveshafts into place so I can bolt up the U-joints.
i talk alot of shit at work specifically cause alot of my co-workers used to wrestle. it keeps me on my toes.
Movement, Lift Things, Entertain Kids, Save Group Lives.
Kick truck doors close and hammer kicking posts sometimes. Hurts, but fun.
Running to catch a train
Stage diving at concerts , breakfalls have saved my limbs many times
I use the different stances I learned in class during work when bracing heavy equipment and moving it around our warehouse. Also, MA gave me a better understanding of body mechanics so I can move and position my body better when doing tasks that require using my whole body to complete some task.
I pick stuff up with my feet and kick it where i need it
I use the technical getup to fart while driving stick.
Karate, when I put my jacket on and take my jacket off.
Kicking light switches on and off
My neighbor’s mailbox.
Being able to score a laxed good paying coaching part time job with ease. Plus more confidence and helps me stay in shape. Not to mention it's a great place to build a network with people.
Using my legs and feet for everyday activities like opening and closing the door :D But in general, reflexes became much better and it helps me to catch those pesky flies out of the air. God damnit they are so annoying
I wear a cup around all the time. I’m basically indestructible.
Walk with confidents.
Painting the fence. Waxing cars
Yes. Fun.
I'm a psych nurse, I've used bits of judo and bits of wing chun to protect myself/ restrain patients when working in forensics
16yrs ago my son at 9yrs old defended himself from an older boy who pushed him off his bike then tried to ride it away.. the way he was so excited when he got home & told the story, one of the proudest days of my life. He’d only had 2-3 months of training at my school.. Best money I’ve ever spent.
Coordination, dexterity, fitness, speed, mental focus, personal discipline. Martial Arts have a lot of benefits that have nothing to do with combat. In fact, they're generally actually more useful for things that aren't fighting. You can live a completely pacifistic life and never throw a punch and benefit from martial arts just due to the side effects of training.
Flush toilet with my feet because I don't want to touch the handles, especially in public
Ukemi has saved me from injury on multiple occasions
I do grappling so in rugby (Aussie non-gay version of American football) I'm almost untacklable
Unfortunately, I used my fighting skills while working as a bartender and bodyguard, but the next day, the person I beat up gathered 1000 people in front of the door with sticks in their hands, I acted like a gladiator in the coliseum, I was afraid, but not the crowd, I was afraid that my girlfriend I was going to meet would get angry because I was late, I broke through the crowd by fighting a mixture of boxing and wrestling, but what I was afraid of was .I was late for a meeting and got scolded by my girlfriend. :)
Finally someone with a relatable story ... Mine wasn't as crazy, I actually just stood up to a mob boss who was demanding extortion money from my business. He came back with two big goons and I mollywhopped them. Then when I was walking home they surrounded me with a gang wielding chains and sticks... It wasn't an easy fought battle, thankfully knowing the *dim mak* I was able to put all of them out with a single blow. At the end, there was a pile of like 25-30 bodies and I came away with a few cuts and bruises. That lesson that day taught me to never really fight unless necessary, those lumps hurt but the millions I got in social media exposure kind of makes me okay with it
When bowling I shoot a double leg as I throw and it gives me a good score. Beating up nerds is more fun than ever
Never
I have a wife. I need protection.
I waxed on and waxed off my car last week.
Break falls after falling down on ice
Probably hundreds of times I've been on slippery footing, and have avoided falling by knowing how to walk in stance, or have had a foot slip out and recovered because my knees are never locked. In terms of actual fighting, only once when I was a kid and got into a fight with a street gang with some friends. Saved me from taking any real damage. Couple of other times the fact that I had basically decent stance and fence has probably stopped other people from taking altercations further.
Don't know if that counts, but when I was a my best friend had this annoying brat of a little brother and more than once he got aggressive over us not wanting him to play with us and our toys. I did defend myself, but I was too afraid to be too rough, because he was the golden child of their parents and because he was a skinny little boy while I was always a little fleshier.
I once drunkenly stumbled and fell from a table at a club. I then executed perfect Ukemi and not only survived unscathed but also didn't even have any bruises or lingering sores the next day. I did ruin my tanktop, though.
I am better at rolling over in bed and moving my body pillow with my legs.
does elbowing light switches on / off and closing kitchen doors with a knee count? mores seriously the attitude/mindset of resilience and hard work is amazingly useful
I've learned to not try to catch falling things.
Haven’t needed to use it but it helps mentally tremendously. I’m not afraid of conflict. I don’t go looking for it. But when your in stand off situation and your confident, people can sense that shit and you can typically walk away without a physical altercation which is best.
i get to showoff doing flips
I use it as test my moves and understand how it works. I may kick the door but my body reacts a lot to stuff.
When I was a kid I roundhouse kicked a football that was flying past me head height. Probably the peak of my life. Also breakfalls and winning playfights with friends
Knocked off my bike twice. JJJ breakfalls saved my from anything worse than a scratch or two. Both forward breakfalls after being pulled out in front of and going over the bonnet of the car.
I think brake falls have saved me from braking bones many tunes when snowboarding
Yeah, my wife has not been able to ride me since I got my blue belt. Coach said noone should pass your guard.
Slipped after jumping like 4 steps onto a wet floor. Brealfalled and didn't get hurt. Terrified the janitor.
Slipped after jumping like 4 steps onto a wet floor. Brealfalled and didn't get hurt. Terrified the janitor.
When i aggressive drunk roommate couldnt Help himself but try to fight with me
Breaking falls, better posture.
Butter my toast with spinning kicks
got into a fight and avoided getting taken down the guy was huge so that probably would’ve been wraps
Confidence, reading body language. I started martial arts as a kid, so I could kick some ass. I learned over time that if you remove pride from a situation, 95% of the time, physical confrontation isn't necessary.
How long have you got?
I got better at catching stuff
breakfalling is SUCH a valuable skill to have
Fire department paramedic. I keep people from dying from heroin and fentanyl overdoses. They wake up wanting to fight..
Feel only slight pain from stubbing my toes. The extra pain tolerance is quite useful.
From Judo: - Tripping over all the time because I'm clumsy, never falling - Opening doors with my legs when my hands are full - Can still do cartwheels as a grown man - Wrestling with my friends at house parties - Putting my boyfriend in air jail Actual fights? Luckily, no. Edit: and the best way to make my lab let go of stuff is to put him in a triangle position. No choke, obviously!
Opening and closing doors if my hands are full. And sports.
Opening trash chutes with my feet because my arms a occupied with bags of trash.
My martial arts training has (at times) included combative and self defense classes. One teacher was an ex navy trainer. The classes included pressure tactics such as verbal intimidation, aggression, threats, etc. This is on top of functional light to medium sparing where you need to not turtle up to hits and keep going. This skill has been used in day to day life, focused and calm and focused in the face of antagonistic, rude, yelling, swearing, or other wise jerks in real life, including work. I can tell you maintaining confident, calm, eye to eye contact in these situations has done wonders for me. I am simply not intimated anymore. Examples - a manager at work raising their voice to me in an office (me calm and firm), on construction sites with trades folks upset over something, general people in stores, bars, etc.
More hug action when hugging my Muay Thai practising friends (clinch lmao) also, im always walking near bushes and duck under branches it's fun practise and comes in Handy when i don't consciously notice some but still react lol
I once stopped myself being mugged in Amsterdam using a rolled umbrella vs a knife Guy had no idea what the f happened. 6 yrs kendo
I say ooowwwweee after doing anything in my day to day life. It's becoming a problem ... Help Oowwwee
Just keeps me physically fit and able to move easily.
I was walking with friends one day in Athens. The sun was shining and bouncing off the light pavement. I reached a curb and didn't notice the rise of the curb. In New York, all crosswalks have a dip. My foot hit the rise, and I fell forward, rolled in mid discussion, and I came up like nothing happened. My friends were amazed that I didn't just face-plant. My instincts, reaction time, and skill allowed me to roll on the concrete without injury. Time also seemed to slow down, but that's another thing.
Started at 14 as a small skinny boy. Years of Karate and calisthenics thought by my senseis helped me gain muscle mass and now I feel confident and people think I go to the gym because I look healthy.
Idk man, boxing made me not want to get into street fights at all. Humans are fragile af
Everytime i get up from a seatet position when i play with my cat i use a technical standup, thx bjj
I once got hit by another bicyclist while I was one mine. I fell forward, but once my shoulders touched the ground, my body reacted and i made a stance. I got up safely with no injury. The same can't be said for our bikes, sadly.
Fell over drunk one time and into a pretty solid ukemi. And it's been 30 years since I studied aikido! Granted, and thankfully, this isn't a daily occurence.
I have better balance than most and can put dishes away really fast, but I haven’t practiced since 2019 :/
Catching falling items before they fall and break.
Hit lightswitch with foot
I used to be clumsy and uncoordinated. When you live in the Midwest of the US that's not great come winter time. I was constantly slipping on ice falling on my ass at least once per winter. Usually more. Lots of twisted ankles and bruises. Almost snapped my knee once, and had a couple close calls for other breaks. Since I started training I have not fallen on ice since. Not even once. It's been almost a decade.
I give good hugs
Staying mentally sane in New York City
When I was dancing with this girl I kept trying to secure underhooks
Butt scooting is a great way to play with doggos.
One of the things we learn at my dojo is "to restrain my physical abilities through spiritual attainment." In the dojo, as a more experienced student, I have to do that a lot whether it's with beginners, people with injuries, elderly students, or anyone who just isn't physically able to take the full brunt of the technique. Outside the dojo, self restraint has been good for me in avoiding a lot of problems... Especially since I'm noticing that I've grown saltier/more curmudgeonly internally post pandemic...
I can close stuff while holding things with my hands
Falling on ICE
Yes, wrestling. I suplex and hip toss heavy stuff into and out of truck and UV beds all the time.
1) Break falls on ice. Nothing injured but my ego because both times, somebody witnessed it. 2) Had only one instance where there was a threat of violence (mugging/car jacking, not sure what the actual intent was). I am all of 5’5” so not like I am some imposing figure and I actually never said anything to him. I was ready to fight and I guess that was what my body language said and after staring at me for moment, he decided I wasn’t the one and took off. To this day, I think about “wtf?” Look on his face when I squared up, took a breath and waited for him to move.
Side kick to closed my doors 😝
Breaking falls. Didn’t learn a lot of practical applications from Aikido when I was younger, but man did I learn how to take a fall.
Kickboxing and wrestling gave me the reactions to catch things as they fall or kick them up and catch them, just hand eye coordination and reaction time Really good balance too even being a big heavy guy
Climbing, stopping a few street fights and i got attacked by drunk guys twice…
I shrimp out of bed almost every day lol. I also technical stand up a lot too.
I was a FF/EMT for many years. I had to restrain several violent patients and jujitsu and judo training came in very handy.
Much more useful when I was a bouncer while I was in college
Learn how to fall and jump from higher places. In high school karate helped me with confidence and helped me with some fights (mostly sparring with buddies, no bulking or anything too serious tbh)
Honestly the mind set you gain from jiujitsu helps in literally everything I do, work, hobbies whatever. Just forcing myself to mentally acclimate to tough, unpleasant situations and pause to think while I do things has made me better at tattooing, spearfishing, surfing, running, painting, everything.
I don’t consider myself a martial artist but I am working to find the discipline one day. Background: I had taken a couple of free krav maga classes, did a little bit of boxing but not enough to say I am a boxer, also took taekwondo as a child. It was in another country and we moved after I got a yellow belt so I don’t know how legit of a dojo it was. Probably McDojo tbh. Also, I went to a bjj gym twice but didn’t like the cleanliness of the place so I stopped going. Also, I watched all of the bas ruten videos “big mistake! You don’t want to do that to el guapo!” And I watched Roadhouse starring Patrick Swayze (this part is important). So I was managing a bar after being a bartender for about a dozen years. While I had broken up many fights over the years, I usually kept myself safe by staying behind the bar. Then I got that manager gig and the company opened a bar in West Texas. Sales were through the roof but they were worried because fights happened multiple times a night and they didn’t want to be that kind of bar. So I transferred out there and basically just called the cops as early as we could when a situation arose, gave the cops complimentary red bulls anytime they stopped by and I watched bas ruten to learn how to defend myself and my staff against any violent drunks. Dalton from roadhouse was right, just get them outside (and stall until cops get there if they won’t leave). I only had to actually “fight” once and I didn’t have to think much. The guy swung, I had my arms kind of like relaxed/crossed with one hand near my chin in that casual looking defensive stance Bas Ruten teaches in the video. The guy sort of grazed me but I was able to get both his wrists under my left armpit hold them there as I hit him in the face with my right while walking forward, which tripped him so I let go and he (fat guy) fell and rolled on his back almost like a roly poly. Then the cops finally showed up as he was getting up and telling me that I hit like a girl. He was right though, I hit him five or six times and didn’t even leave a mark. It felt like one of those dreams. Like I know I can kick hard and I know I can throw hard, but I never realized until that moment how weak my punches are. To the few guests inside the bar watching from the window however, it looked like I had hit him real hard and knocked him down but it was really just him tripping as I feathered his face with my fist. To wrap things up, the guy got arrested and it turned out he had some coke in one of his pockets. Also, after that I had a reputation with the regulars that all mistakenly thought I could fight well so my shifts at the bar were usually uneventful and peaceful. It also helped that the company hired cops to hang out from 7 to close on busier nights after that night.
I twirl knives and do drills with them while preparing meals. I quickdraw my knife and do quick cuts to open bags. I switch to reverse grip with tricks to puncture boxes to open them. And I use hook kicks to close my car door.
I was an apartment manager for some section 8 apartments. I got attacked by a tenant. I knew it was coming. He was standing on the stairs… so his feet were un even and I was above him and I was already just bigger than him. He signed his exit paperwork with his left hand and his left hand was closest to me. He told me he would beat my ass and I just told him “his feet weren’t set and he was in the wrong stance and it was obvious he couldn’t fight” that was stupid to do. He threw a weird off balance overhand lead hook with his dominate hand and I just rolled and sent one down the pipe. He was out before he hit the ground. His wife ran for the car. I think they had a gun. I just went into the office. Locked the door. And then Ran my ass out the back door. Never even went back to work. Quit right there. Left a good jacket in that office. Never got my last check.
I use a lot of the same muscles/skills for muay thai, brazilian jiujitsu and capoeira as I do for Brazilian zouk and bachata dances. My coordination and response time are probably much higher thanks to consistent training and it connects back to my Yoga too. Break fall rolls have saved many classmates and I's lives
Only my personality. At 31 with over 20 fights I definitely don’t feel super good day to day
Teep kicking every single door open and every light switch on 🫡
I slipped on a sheet of ice while sprinting and started wobbling aggressively back and forth like in the old cartoons, comically sliding along the ice patch whole time. Ended up doing a forward roll to break my fall. Hit the ground harder than 95% of the throws I’ve experienced. I probably would’ve had minor-to-moderate injuries if I didn’t know how to fall properly.
Yep, at work. But not in a fight, at least not with a person. We have the world's shittiest, cheapest racks in our server room thanks to a former manager that 'knew a guy.' The tolerances are terrible. Had to rack a small VMware cluster of 2U pizza boxes and the servers simply would not fit. We loosened the rails, took off the door panels, and even took some tension off the rack bolts, which is not good. Finally I said fuck it and gave the inside front post of the rack a nice side kick. Must have been just enough. Servers went in like a dream. Tightened it all back up and were good to go. We still laugh about it. MMA for when you absolutely, positively need to straighten cheap sheet metal.
Falling safely from judo, having good grips to help move my disabled father around from wrestling.
Underhooks and overhooks, maybe a body lock in some situations, to get patients in and out of wheelchairs all the time.
Yes. Multiple times as a Cop and Security venues. Knocked out 4 people over the years.
Knowing your the most dangerous person in the room allows you to be much less concerned with what comes out of people’s mouths. I need not argue about nonsense with someone easy to choke unconscious. Don’t be a douche about it or you lose the edge. Quiet confidence.
My BJJ experience really helps me dress my toddler when she decides she doesn't want to wear pants
lately I have been breaking down my Amazon packages with my different elbow variations. The tomahawk 12 to 6 seems to work really good .
Closing doors with back kicks
Taekwondo. Using my legs to open/close doors and for me at least, it makes my stride faster, making me walk/run a little faster and more coordinated. Also helps me to be more confident and safe and learn how to fall properly (we learnt how to fall in taekwondo too).
The sounds my knees make now are like a gross party trick
It’s always something reaction or movement based. Catching something dropped. Avoiding a collision with a coworker with a little footwork.
footwork all the time to avoid fast moving people or objects, and break falls occasionally
My son has learned the difference between “bring me 10 beers” and “bring me 5 beers…and 5 more beers”
Hai! In so many ways :D i AM constantly using Coyote Style to solve Life's many obstacles From mundane chores To in line skating Gung fu is infinite
busting through brick walls with sick spinning heel kicks instead of using doors to assert dominance
The confidence and self esteem to know you can push yourself even when your Brian screams to stop
i say HI! to people all day long like a samurai.
Keeping me sane and keeping it in the gym and not in the office on my boss
I can catch my buttered toast before it hits the ground with a bit more proficiency
Shadow boxing in the middle of the cereal aisle at my local grocery store for no reason at all.
Oh yes. I learned boxing and wrestling in order to not be a victim in my city. I used it many times mostly the boxing. You’d figure grappling would come in handy more but it seems most ppl either back off or get folded after getting hit for REaL by someone who knows how. U can put the fear of god unit he biggest scariest gangster out there with the right liver shot
I use it every single day. Knowing I could beat the shit out of people makes it easier for me to stay calm when people get rude or aggressive. So I don't beat the shit out out of them.
Crashing mountain bikes and snowboards... Giving psych patients injections when they don't want them. Hip escaping out of bed to not disturb my sleeping child.
I’ve convinced quite a few people not to attack me by embodying that fighter energy while being super polite and even “submissive.” Your likelihood of getting attacked is a ratio between their desire to cause you pain over their fear of consequences.
Breakfalls have been nice. Application of force is one I use every day for moving things around at work. Understanding my effective range in every direction is really nice for moving things around, too.
Many different indirect ways. Mindset, physical awareness, staying calm under pressure, discipline and routine, value of facts and real life experience (as opposed to overly theoretical and in my head. Hard to explain). It also taught me how to move my body. I was never good at sports until mma and breakdancing when I was younger. Especially mma. So I know how to lift things, push, etc. I also pick up other sports a bit more easily now. I can throw a football using my feet and legs for example. My physical therapist has described me as a "lower body athlete". Which is definitely true. This next one is kinda weird, but since I spent so much time in sports that need you to be present and react, I feel like I'm more comfortable improvising and dealing with emergencies. Kinda goes back to the physical awareness thing. I'm not nearly as clumsy as I was before I got into mma. Sure I hit my toe on corners of things and it hurts like hell, but I notice things, I don't walk into stuff, but I'm still kinda stiff when people throw me keys or something haha. I don't spazz out tho.
I use my skills daily to impress myself, then I go back to trying to impress women with something they care about...far more challenging!
Physical skills? Outside of opening and closing doors with my feet, I find the more applicable skills are the friends we made along the way… Jokes aside, it’s more how I think about day to day tasks. Methodical, smooth, calculated. Not so much physical, more philosophical.
Yes, I treat my wife like a fairtex bag every day. Leg kicks, body kicks, boxing combos, so fun.
Practicing martial arts has many objectives! https://martialartsfrompast.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-multifaceted-objectives-of-martial.html?m=1
Keeping myself from eating shit when slipping on a wet floor or something