Women's Perceptions in Martial Arts!

[Tom Yum]

I started this one to see what the ladies think about some of the following topics:

Martial Arts (in general)
Self-Defense
Ring Fighting (boxing, MuayThai/Kickboxing)
Getting comfortable with contact
Martial Arts as fitness or art
Feeling while practicing MA
Others perceptions of your MA and training

OK its time to let the flood gates open and say anything about MA. Go!!!!

[platinum_angel]

i don't think alot of ladies post here. just my opinion

[ryanhall]

Go to www.senshido.com and ask for Helen Stratzl. Seriously.

[Szczepankiewicz]

As a feminine male, what is you opinion Ryan????

[ryanhall]

I wish I knew how feminine males wrote. If I did, I'd say something that was both funny as hell and psychologically and emotionally crushing for you. I obviously don't have a diverse enough group of friends. Damn. Why not ask Platinum Angel? He openly likes smeg-ma, so he almost certainly has experience w/ other gentlemen.

[Tom Yum]

Thanks for the link.

[platinum_angel]

He openly likes smeg-ma, so he almost certainly has experience w/ other gentlemen.

now that was just plain foul ryan i am sickened.

[fighting_angel]

That's a list and a half!

Martial Arts (in general)
I think they're fun but there are so many and they're so different it's hard to have one opinion on all of them- but it's good there's such a mixture cuz there's something for everybody

Self-Defense
I think it's best learned through taking a martial art where you learn to hit and get hit and so fight back and is based more on what works and less on flashy techniques

Ring Fighting (boxing, MuayThai/Kickboxing)
I used to do competetive judo when I was younger and am hoping to get some fights in when I get a bit better. I think some people like fighting and others don't. A lot of girls worry about getting bashed up.

Getting comfortable with contact
Don't think that's any different for women or men, it's just at my school at least there are enough guys that they can train together and often I'm the only girl so you have to be comfortable with close contact with someone of the opposite sense. To be honest I think the blokes are more uncomfortable than me when we grapple together- it takes new guys a while to realise I'm not made of porcelain

Martial Arts as fitness or art
Why can't it be both. I suppose it depends which MA you're looking at, something like Tae Bo (yes I know not REALLY a martial art) is all fitness but for a lot of women is a good intro to MA and makes them think about doing something else whereas something like Aikido or Kendo has a much bigger art side

Feeling while practicing MA
I enjoy it, it's fun and a challenge and a far cry from aerobics class....though something an hour into a circuits session I wonder why I do it....

Others perceptions of your MA and training
Sometimes guys don't take me very seriously but people who I've trained with for a while know that I leave the girlie girl at the door and come to train jsut the same as anyone else. People I know who don't train find my stories of one handed press-ups and assorted bruises a bit confusing but there u go.

hope these are the sort of opinions u wanted

C

[Tom Yum]

Cool, thanks!

[Dark_Sunshine]

Martial Arts (in general):
Physical activity is something all humans need, and many of us are detracted through the archaic institutions of phys-ed class. Martial arts provide an individual-based exercise system (this is for all of us who were the last ones picked for baseball in grade nine gym!), which like other sports raises self-confidence levels, the added benefit being that, if taught properly, MA provide practical defense tactics. Unlike other sports, there is also a lot of room for variation, as each MA has something different to offer (boxing vs. kung fu vs. wrestling, etc...) More of a life path than anything else, once you've fallen for one martial art you're on an endless quest.
Self-Defense:
An important beneficial effect of martial arts training. I think the concept of self-defense is more multi-faceted than the popular eight-hour seminars would have us believe. It's not just about being able to do that throw five or six times in a room against another female; it's about an intimate connection with your physical abilities, constant practice, and a calm, intensely focused mindset, not to mention perpetual awareness of the world around you (something like nine out of ten assaults are preventable).
Ring Fighting:
A highly commendable athletic pursuit. However I find sometimes that when people are too focused on their particular MA they are easy to attack in "unconventional" ways (i.e. get a TKD practitioner to the ground and they're toast).
Contact:
As much a male issue as female: most of the guys I know "won't hit girls", most girls I know "don't want to be violent". For training purposes these attitudes have to be dispensed of, as far as I'm concerned no one of either gender is capable of fighting back if they're not attacked full-force.
This issue is more or less relevant depending on what martial art is being studied: a striking art like karate or taekwondo allows a potential victim to injure an attacker at a considerably longer range than a grappling art like brazilian jiujitsu. BJJ is very counter-instinctive in that the defendant pulls the would-be attacker in closely, rather than distancing themselves, so in that case high levels of contact in training is necessary for the development of a comfort level with the technique.
That said, in striking arts I find it easier to progress to a higher level of contact gradually- many female white belts have problems hitting a target hard, these problems should evaporate by blue or brown belt.
Martial Arts as fitness or art:
There is no reason why martial arts cannot fulfill both of these functions. In order to be able to fight/defend oneself effectively, one must be in good shape physically. However, the defendant must also be mentally calm in order to fight off an attacker; this is where the focused, art component of martial art study comes in. It comes down to knowledge of one's body and its abilities.
Feelings:
Because Martial Arts are challenging on a very individual level, pushing oneself is rarely done "for the team". They allow for gradual development at a pace consistent with the practitioner's abilities.
Stress relief is also key, picturing the boss, boyfriend, whatever, on the pad and suddenly the punches come flying...
It all comes down to finding out what will trigger the red mist .

On a side note, perhaps the reason many ladies don't post here is the remarkable proliferation of uninformed, offensive remarks about women's strength versus men's. I think such arguments (provokations?) are irrelevant: the reality is, women get attacked and would like to defend themselves. Rather than condescension we should be met with constructive advice and quality instruction.

[Tom Yum]

<>

I agree. This is certainly the thread and forum to do so. Someday I would like to teach a self-defense class, but I need experience teaching first and my priority at this time is in the ring.

One thing about this forum is that you have to roll with the punches. Take some of the views with a grain of salt. And do start your own threads; that's the only way to get women to speak up on the board.

[Flipper]

Martial Arts (in general):

I have tried four different MA's, but am comfortable with the one I am practicing now. This is mainly because it incorporates alot of different MA's into the one style. All I can say is that I have meet some interesting personalities while doing MA's.

Self-Defense:

Depends on what style you practice and how seriously you practice it really. Reality is that MA's don't make you superhuman, they just give you a skill set. If you don't have the will to use it or don't really know how to use it, then MA's are not going to do you much good in a self-defense situation. <"Hang on a minute... Now, how did the wrist lock go again?">

Ring Fighting (boxing, MuayThai/Kickboxing):

Have watched it a couple of times. Wasn't every interested by it. I'm only interesting in kickboxing for as much as it helps me with my kicks.

Getting comfortable with contact:

Guys with guys don't have a problem as far as I can tell. Girls with girls don't have a problem. Guys and girls, it depends on the individuals. Some guys don't want to hurt the girls, which is one factor. Personally, I feel that in MA's it is important to get used to contact, and to know the difference between different types of contact, so you are not surprised by aggressive contact and can react in an appropriate fashion if need by.

Martial Arts as fitness or art:

Unless there is a beginner’s class that helps to start you fitness off, it is not generally a good idea to start a MA’s without a certain level of fitness already up you sleeve. To do so, opens yourself up to the increased chance of injury.

If you were already reasonable fit, you would still need to do additional training outside of class to keep your fitness at an acceptable level, because most MA’s won’t do that for you. The additional training outside class makes it easier to do MA’s by increasing your strength, increasing cardio fitness and flexibility. To expect to get that from a MA’s within the 1-2 hours of class while actually learning the MA, is not a reasonable expectation. For fitness, try Taebo. For an art, try MA’s.

Feeling while practicing MA:

Amusement, exhilaration, exhaustion, pain.

Others perceptions of your MA and training:

Not really sure what you mean.

[cakegirl]

Re: Women's Perceptions in Martial Arts!

Martial Arts (in general)
I am obsessed with Martial Arts! I train and work at my karate school every day (except Sunday, because it's closed then). I train in BJJ 3 times per week, and have mats installed in my garage so I can practice with a couple of friends.

Self-Defense
I think it is vital for everybody to learn, but it's ignored in many MA curricula. People seem to think that if you learn an 'art', you will somehow, by osmosis, learn the practical SD aspects. Particularly obvious in old-school arts like karate, TKD, etc, but also in eg BJJ, boxing, etc, where everyone's all hard core, but nobody's really given any thought to what they would do on a rough surface, against multiple attackers, whether a particular submission would work against an armed attacker, etc. So I think that SD is related to MA, but it's not one and the same.

Ring Fighting (boxing, MuayThai/Kickboxing)
Love it! Can't get enough of it! I compete in karate and ground fighting tournaments as often as I can, and I love watching other types of ring fighting - boxing, UFC, etc.

Getting comfortable with contact
Hart to answer - I am already comfortable with it! In my karate school, we take things in baby steps - our white belts learn SD moves that only involve wrist grabs. Gradually, the contact escalates until people going for their black belts are grappling on the ground, sparring with full body contact, etc.

Martial Arts as fitness or art
MA as an art. Fitness comes along with it, but is not why I do it. In fact, I started working on fitness separate to the MA, to help out the MA side - joined a gym, started running, got a personal trainer - and now my Shotokan looks like Shotokan, because my legs are stronger and my posture is better!

Feeling while practicing MA
When practicing, I am totally focussed on what I'm doing, and that's the best!

Others perceptions of your MA and training
If I hear another person say "Well, I'd better not get you angry!" after they find out my hobbies, I swear I'm going to bust out with "YOU ALREADY HAVE" and then eat their skull.

I oscilate between smiling sweetly and laughing and pretending they haven't said the stupidest thing I've heard that day, and looking them dead in the eye and telling them that they're damn right, and that my shoes may look sexy, but they won't think that when my stiletto is entering their temple.

Cakegirl

[Mr. Heel Hook]

Re: Re: Women's Perceptions in Martial Arts!

Originally posted by cakegirl
[B]

I oscilate between smiling sweetly and laughing and pretending they haven't said the stupidest thing I've heard that day, and looking them dead in the eye and telling them that they're damn right, and that my shoes may look sexy, but they won't think that when my stiletto is entering their temple.

Cakegirl

Wow, it's nice to see a lady here with some friggen self confidence!

[cakegirl]

Re: Re: Re: Women's Perceptions in Martial Arts!

Originally posted by Mr. Heel Hook
Wow, it's nice to see a lady here with some friggen self confidence!

Got oodles of that, Mr. Heel Hook!