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A
review and commentary concerning articles published
within Martial Arts Magazines and how they might apply
to Aikido and self-defense training.
A subject that has been the center of hot debate is
woman and self-defense training. Kathy Long, a
five-time kick-boxing champion wrote a very good
article, titled “Male Instructors vs. Female
Instructors,” in the August 2002 edition of Black
Belt Magazine. Women who seek training in Aikido
face a number of choices. They can train with a female
instructor one-on-one, training with a male instructor,
train in a all female class, or train in a coed class
containing both men and women. Apparently, women do not
respond as well to instruction from men as they do
instruction from a female instructor. She has been told
she inspires the women because she exhibits herself as a
strong, confident woman. Also, training with another
woman allows a woman to work around her physical
limitations and turn them to her advantage. There are
some advantages to women training with women at the
beginning of their self-defense training. However,
women will reach a point that they must train with men.
Once they have the basics down, they should train with
men and women in a coed class.
There are many advantages to training in the coed
class. If a student trains with only one person, the
woman can become accustomed to working with that
person. She does not prepare herself for the
eventuality of having to defend against others of
different sizes and shapes. Kathy Long believes training
with me allows a woman to gain insight into how the male
attacker thinks and tell you where men are most
vulnerable. She states, “for example, a guy could tell
you what goes on during an attack emotionally and
physically, how a man sizes up a victim and how me might
pursue a woman to force her to have sex. He may be able
to teach you the best ways to defend against different
types of predators in different situations.” Also,
training in a coed class gives you a chance to feel what
it is like to train with a variety of partners of
different size and gender. The female student will
also learn what it is like to fight a man on a physical
level and what it is like on a mental level. The
student must be sure to train with instructors that will
help them overcome a strength disadvantage. Train with
men that are tall, skinny, fat, and short to maximize
your training opportunities.
Mimi Lessos, a professional wrestler who trained with
Gene LaBell for 15 years, was interviewed in the
September 2002 edition of Black Belt Magazine.
She stated that if the techniques that are taught in
martial arts classes do not function when an average
woman attempts to apply them then they may be wasting
their time if they are learning a martial art for
self-defense. She states, “women who are training to
develop their strength and martial arts techniques need
not be overly concerned about losing their femininity.
It is very import to a woman who fights and trains to
stay feminine and vulnerable – but know in her heart
that she can kick butt. To have both sides – the
masculine and the feminine – is very important to
women.”
Kathy Long in the October 2002 edition explores some
truths and misconceptions. One of the truths is that
women are not as strong as men are. However, that
should not stop women from training in Aikido as it will
give them confidence and help them understand what they
are capable of. Women can learn to maximize their
potential and overcome their strength handicap. Many
believe that women are too fragile to practice martial
arts. Kathy Long indicates that sadly this may be a true
statement. She indicates many women are uncomfortable
with their bodies and don’t realize that they possess
some strength. They also believe they can’t train in
the martial arts because it is not feminine enough and
they are not good enough. Often girls are raised to be
victims by their parents expecting to be taken care of.
Women also make better students than men. Men usually
have to deal with their ego and have trouble just
listening to instructions. They are so worried about
looking good or hitting hard they forget to follow
instructions. It takes men longer to learn a new
technique because they watch the instructor demonstrate
the technique then say to themselves that they got it.
It takes time for men to settle down and focus on what
they have learned. Women make better students because
they do not mind listening, asking questions, and doing
the technique the way it was taught.
The important point of these articles is that women can
train in the martial arts and still remain women.
Further, that while it is a good idea for women at the
beginning of their training to practice with other
women, at some point women must begin training with
men. Unless a woman trains with men, she will never
discover how to overcome her physical disadvantage (in
most cases). If she does not train for self-defense,
then she has wasted her martial arts training and will
be unprepared for an actual confrontation. Further, if a
woman does not train in the martial arts she may be
perpetuating a victim mentality. I believe that Aikido
gives a woman the tools that she needs to help protect
herself and still maintain her femininity.
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