Martial arts is certainly beneficial from the start but I don't think it starts to become truly 2nd nature in a fight situation until after years of consistent training. Before that you know everything consciously, and while your skills do improve (for example throwing blows/blocking etc) the ability to control your adrenaline and think clearly about what you're doing is definitely limited I think. It wasn't until the last few years of my training where I really started to feel in control of myself and didn't revert back to crazy mode when I got frustrated or angry in a competition/fight.