I want to take up self defence cles - tae kwondo or kickboxing - as a muslim should I abstain?

I would say yes to taking martial arts cles it is a discipline of the mind and body not to be taken as a religion i took cles in the USA and there were mixed and male and female only cles i would recommend thi chi or whu shu or kung fu these are all effective arts of self defence and a lot less harsh than tae kwondo kick boxing can be physically demanding but is very effective when applied properly