Do people that take fighting lessons, fight more?

OP, this could also be an outlet for people who enjoy the art of fighting. UFC is essentially a sanctioned fight club. The desire to practice your technique against an equal opponent and wanting to beat the crap out of someone in a bar fight are two different personalities. Giving your all for (3) five minute rounds of fighting will certainly test your fitness level.

UFC is a sports organization for elite professional fighters.

That's like saying the NFL is essentially a sanctioned hand egg club.

Of course with any professional sport, no John or Jane Doe can walk off the street to participate. But there is a progression if you favor fighting, and UFC originated with the fight club approach and held circuits that you could enter to ultimately end up in a televised event. The NFL has no such opportunities.

This person exudes the personality that likes to pick a fight

I have only used the psychological aspects of Aikido to defuse potentially violent situations, never had to actually use physical skills.

I did use fencing skills once in college to drive intruders (who kicked in my door) out of my room with a foil.

I don't think it makes you fight more. But it allows you to remain calm and not get defensive prematurely in dangerous situations. Remaining calm can help prevent escalation.

PS: I think part of it is that someone spoiling for a fight expects you to respond to them emotionally. When you don't, it goes "off-script" and they don't know what to do next. If they fail to scare you they also wonder why you aren't scared--if you have skills or are secretly carrying mace, taser, or gun.

I like Aikido because the techniques try to avoid damaging your attacker, so you are not afraid to use them if the person you must get physical with is a loved one who is drunk and stupid, or a mentally disabled friend or relative who's temporarily lost their temper.

Look at what martial arts disciplines are available in your area. View videos of each art online to see which most appeal to you. If more than one dojo offers the art(s) you favor, watch one or more lessons before signing up. You most likely will be working with your teacher for several years, so it is important to choose a dojo and an art that suits your innate disposition.

I suggest choosing an art with a philosophical basis that focuses on "conflict resolution" (eg: aikido, judo, jiu-jitsu, shaolin kung fu, wing chun, kempo...) over a modern one that emphasizes "winning" such as MMA, or krav maga (developed for warfare).

Tae Kwon Do is the "Starbucks" of martial arts--there seems to be a dojo on every corner--but quality of teaching varies widely so if that is the art that interests you be sure to do your research before choosing your dojo. Some are good, some others seem to hand out rankings based on how long you have been paying them rather than what skill you've achieved.

No, not necessarily. My gym happens to offer Krav Maga classes which I started taking and I think the benefits are twofold: great workouts as well as offering practical ways to defend oneself. Watching the news, there seems to be no shortage of whackjobs out there. While I'm not looking for a fight, I will fully defend myself if that person is an active a threat to me.

No, not necessarily. My gym happens to offer Krav Maga classes which I started taking and I think the benefits are twofold: great workouts as well as offering practical ways to defend oneself. Watching the news, there seems to be no shortage of whackjobs out there. While I'm not looking for a fight, I will fully defend myself if that person is an active a threat to me.

The problem with Krav Maga is that it can be so devastating that you might choose not to use it rather than cause permanent damage to an attacker whose goal is fairly trivial (ie: a wallet with $20 in it, an iPhone that can be turned off remotely...).

In my life since college (school was in a dangerous town), I haven't had to physically defend myself from strangers. But I have had friends, relatives (via alcohol), and mentally challenged folks (via their disorder) melt-down and try to do stupid things (eg: drive drunk, rockclimb drunk..) from which they needed to be physically stopped for their own protection. Some of the harder arts that rely upon doing physical damage to be effective are not very useful in those situations.

Add: I think it may differ for men and women, too. Men are more likely to be attacked in the course of a robbery or in a situation of male ego-conflict/"bar fight", where you really don't care too much about the damage your attacker takes. Women are more likely to be attacked for sexual reasons where the attacker is someone known to them and the parameters of "attack" are a bit ambiguous. If a guy you don't like grabs your knee at a party, breaking their leg might be a bit extreme as a response. But if you are able to remove their hand while deploying an abundance of ki, they'll probably get the hint that if they were considering using force later you'll kick their butt.

I've been practicing karate (some judo, some point sparing, recently viking wrestling!!) for 14+ years. I would say that, unless you want to fight people a lot now, the exact opposite is likely true. Obviously if you're looking to beat people up practicing will make you better at it. However, if you are more normal, and interested in technique, fitness, having fun, and kicking *kitten* is a safe environment, it will not make you more likely to fight. Most martial arts instill ideals of respect and control over letting adrenaline win and getting into fights.

We practice that you always walk away from a fight if you can, and if you can't walk away you run away. It's only if it's impossible to run away that you stand your ground. Also, our dojo has a standard policy that if anyone gets in a real fight they are not welcome back, no matter what. Maybe a fight is worth it, e.g., your life or a loved one's is at risk, probably not though. Most people could go their entire life without getting in a fight.