Seperate classes for men & women

[kick_so_hard]

Hi All,

Does anyone run their classes segregated? It is my intention to do so for a number of reasons but am wondering if anyone else does and students/prospective students react to this?

[Mike N]

I have thought about it when I get in a position I can have multiple sessions daily or more days a week.
I find that women don't like to work with guys. I don't know if its an image thing or what. I helped with a self defense class at our community college and you would almost have to force them to grab a partner of opposite gender.
when we grappled we allowed girls to pair with girls exclusively.
I don't know if it is kuddy factor or just uncomfortable. I think after a girl get into a class and gets comfortable they aren't as resistant to working in with the guys. It is always fun when a girl mixes it up with the guys and shows up some of the guys.

[Scott Bolinger]

I usually don't seperate boys and girls. If I do seperate classe it might be starting new members on a seperate class untill they reach a orange belt, then they have the option to join the advanced class. Or I may seperate by age. Like 12 and under go into one class and 13 and up go into a different class.

[blackmoon]

I know this post is a bit late but I feel compelled to reply.

My experience, as a female student in MMA, is that females don't train hard enough. My first gym, which I trained at for about 12 months, was only a small gym, with about 6-8 members at any given time. I was the only woman, the youngest member, AND the most inexperienced of them all for nine months. Until another new member showed up when I was about 9 months in, almost all of these guys had been bouncers, amatuer fighters, or both.

Every class, I would get hit. Hard. Every class, I would learn to hit hard. And then harder. We weren't trying to, or going to, knock each other out, but at the same time we were taught to train hard. During my training, on two separate occaisons I was given black eyes by the head teacher.

And you know what? After a couple of years of Japanese Martial Arts, I really felt like it was good for me. At first it felt almost too hard, but... dude, there, I learned to fight.

Unfortunately the head teacher fell on hard times with his job so we had to stop training for a while - I certainly hope to get back there soon.

Because my current gym... it's not bad, by any standard, the martial artists have good technique and some fantastic fitness...

But, I'm always paired with the girls. They always fight soft. Most of them are afraid to hit me, and I am expected by them to go soft on them. Same with the guys, on the rare occaision I'm paired with them. It's really frustrating, because I feel like the guys are getting better training.

And I can see that the girls, are doing it because that's how girls are taught to act. It's how I would have acted too, had I started training there.

I think girls, maybe at first, should train with other girls, to get them comfortable...

But separating classes is doing a disservice to them. Women martial artists often need to be taught with the guys, so they learn to really fight. Sure, let them train with each other, but also pair them up with the big scary guys.

Because, y'know what? I've been hit by some of the biggest, scariest guys I know. I've rolled with guys that could beat me in arm wrestles if I had four clones to help me. And now, big scary guys aren't so big and scary.