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Only one passing mention of martial arts so far? Consider Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is certainly not safe but is very grounding. After spending all your waking

Only one passing mention of martial arts so far? Consider Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is certainly not safe but is very grounding. After spending all your waking hours at a computer, grappling presses your soul back into your body. It's a very different kind of socialising, mutually-exhausted extremely-physical and in my experience very wholesome, even if the injury risk is higher than nearly every other hobby. (And you guarantee getting every airborne infection. I got two serious colds and the bona-fide flu this winter; still worth it.)

_jss 7mo ago
Or try the other side of the spectrum and pick up tai chi. I started practicing almost 15 years ago (grudgingly) and it's surprisingly great! Happy to help find a place that fits. In my experience, martial arts schools are very much a vibe-compatibility thing.
lukew3 7mo ago
I think rock-climbing fills a similar void for me. It's social, physical, and mental, and has a progression to it where I feel like I've gained something after every session. Plus you can take your skills outside and enjoy nature and travel with friends
throw-qqqqq 7mo ago
> Consider Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is certainly not safe but is very grounding What :D? I would say BJJ is an exceptionally safe martial art in that you can spar at 90-95% and not get hurt at all. Muay Thai or boxing sparring gives you regular bruises in comparison. At least that’s my experience.
- Smaug123 7mo ago
  Sure, for a martial art it's pretty safe - still in a different league from (say) bouldering or lifting, though! And in solo sports, you can almost completely set your own safety budget, whereas in martial arts there's a large irreducible lump of danger from "the other person lacks the control to do something safely". The only other person I know in person who does BJJ who I didn't meet at BJJ is a brown belt, and just got a four-month leg injury during a routine rolling session; I myself am only just over a five-month chest injury that was probably from someone very heavy simply throwing himself down on top of me when I didn't react in time (obviously he shouldn't have done that, but I can't control what other people do). Also how on earth are you managing not to get bruises at BJJ?! My legs are covered in them after pretty much every session just from sustained pressure.
  - throw-qqqqq 7mo ago
    Wow okay. Maybe my club is “gentle”, I’ve never had a single injury from BJJ. I’ve had some from lifting weights. I see your point about solo sports. > Also how on earth are you managing not to get bruises at BJJ Oh I get “finger marks” on the arms for sure, but never got a black eye or a nosebleed from BJJ. I got that quite regularly from boxing and muay thai/MMA training.
    - Smaug123 7mo ago
      Fair enough, I got three black eyes within my first three months! The injury situation definitely gets better as you improve and when you train with more skilled people.

_jss 7mo ago

Or try the other side of the spectrum and pick up tai chi. I started practicing almost 15 years ago (grudgingly) and it's surprisingly great! Happy to help find a place that fits. In my experience, martial arts schools are very much a vibe-compatibility thing.

lukew3 7mo ago

I think rock-climbing fills a similar void for me. It's social, physical, and mental, and has a progression to it where I feel like I've gained something after every session. Plus you can take your skills outside and enjoy nature and travel with friends

throw-qqqqq 7mo ago

> Consider Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is certainly not safe but is very grounding What :D? I would say BJJ is an exceptionally safe martial art in that you can spar at 90-95% and not get hurt at all. Muay Thai or boxing sparring gives you regular bruises in comparison. At least that’s my experience.

Smaug123 7mo ago
Sure, for a martial art it's pretty safe - still in a different league from (say) bouldering or lifting, though! And in solo sports, you can almost completely set your own safety budget, whereas in martial arts there's a large irreducible lump of danger from "the other person lacks the control to do something safely". The only other person I know in person who does BJJ who I didn't meet at BJJ is a brown belt, and just got a four-month leg injury during a routine rolling session; I myself am only just over a five-month chest injury that was probably from someone very heavy simply throwing himself down on top of me when I didn't react in time (obviously he shouldn't have done that, but I can't control what other people do). Also how on earth are you managing not to get bruises at BJJ?! My legs are covered in them after pretty much every session just from sustained pressure.
- throw-qqqqq 7mo ago
  Wow okay. Maybe my club is “gentle”, I’ve never had a single injury from BJJ. I’ve had some from lifting weights. I see your point about solo sports. > Also how on earth are you managing not to get bruises at BJJ Oh I get “finger marks” on the arms for sure, but never got a black eye or a nosebleed from BJJ. I got that quite regularly from boxing and muay thai/MMA training.
  - Smaug123 7mo ago
    Fair enough, I got three black eyes within my first three months! The injury situation definitely gets better as you improve and when you train with more skilled people.