Fenris-wolf

You know what? I fully agree. It is more predominant in women, but men can be in equally bad situations and what is worse they do not get the sympathy a woman gets.

Haha, that's cool, just kinda sounded from the phrasing like maybe you didn't know.

This is a very interesting thread! I played soccer most of my life, but never all that seriously. So I'm finding right now that these level of dedication does not come easily. I'm fine with coming to class 4, 5, even 8 times a week, but when it comes to self-discipline outside of the dojo... It is hard. I want to be the best fighter I can be, so that means running, and doing weights, and running some more... I HATE running. I like sprinting, that's fun, but I am very bad at long distance. Not that I'm writing this just to feel sorry for myself, but when I listen to the other people in my club talking I do find it interesting to see the difference. Having said that, MA has always come naturally to me, maybe since I've been playfighting with my father since age dot, so I'm not quite in the "feeling completely un-co" catagory

P.S. (Wow, I'm feeling verbose today!) I really appreciate your point Quest33, I think that is really important too. Too many girls go to a self defence course and then think they can fend off an attacker - I also think it is very important woman learn how to take a hit. You know how it is when you first start full contact sparring (maybe) and you just don't know how to react to being punched in the face. If someone hit me, I would hit them straight back. The advantage the attacker has is that moment of shock and confusion, and considering a lot of rapists etc. are pretty much bullies, having someone look straight back at them and attack is going to take away a lot of their power. OK, I'm spent!

Alright, for a start... I know where you're coming from. The first couple of kickboxing fights I went to I was just cringing at the lack of skill from the women I saw. But you're being stupid and offensive if you think seeing some bad fights from women means no women can fight well. Moreover, the comment about "just wishing they could go for the hair" really P*SSES ME OFF. I am a woman (wow, scary huh?), and I'll tell you what, I haven't pulled anybody's hair since I was ten and one of the boys in my class pulled my hair. I have had only one fight, but I'll tell you what, I won by punching her, punching her some more and then kneeing the cr*p out of her. And I was tidy. So don't you dare make patronising generalisations just because you were lucky enough to grow up as a male!! And just to extend my rant a little... I do think a lot of the time (within my experience) women are let in the ring too early, possibly because their instructors don't take womens fights as seriously? (This is only some clubs) Also, some clubs don't have women sparring men. I think this seriously impedes your skill. But then I do a full contact MA. Well, back to the topic... I've never actually seen any sparring or fights where a woman is obviously kicking some male posterior , but the other day I was sparring with one of the guys in my class who has a tendency to start hitting harder when he's losing rather than using skill. Being taller and with more reach and power it kinda started to get on my nerves. So I baisically responded in kind, throwing back two straights, a hook and a left head cut kick in the smoothest, fastest fashion I have ever achieved (I was so happy!), putting him on the back foot. Before it could go any further though our instructor calls a time. Yay me. BTW, there was no hard feelings, he congratulated me on how good it was - he's certainly no stranger to being hit hard.

Ahhh... I just love the sweet little innocent-looking girls who kick *ss!

Well, I'll tell you what, I am not flexible! I am strong ("for a woman"... dammit, it's true ), and I am aggressive. Yes, weight matters, but I find height matters more (of course, I do a stand up art). But I can certainly hold my own against the men in my club and few of them go soft on me. On the other hand I wouldn't like to fight them... Speaking of which, I was talking about that the other day with my mate after class. I was saying how happy I had felt when one of the guys (who is a very good fighter! About 2kg lighter than me) had said to my bf (before we were going out) that he reckons I could fight men and he's afraid of grappling with me And I was saying how one day when I'm a better fighter I'd like to fight men (good luck finding guys of course: if you win you bet up a girl and if I win you got beaten up by a girl!) and he was saying about Lucia Riker (is that right? - the boxer) had pretty much run out of female opponents and so she had a fight with a man. She was an incredible boxer, he was kind so-so, everybody figured she would kick his *rse. Well, she got she got done over apparently. And I find that very interesting. Sure, men have higher muscle to body fat ratio, which makes you stronger and faster for your body weight, but IMO any obstacle should be able to be overcome, surely she could have won? It seems odd? Maybe with experience she could fight men. Opinions on the matter welcomed

Hahahahahahaha... I know this is an oooold post, but just btw honey, NZers speak English. We were/are a British colony. Just kinda reminded me of a story my bf told me about when he was in the USA and a woman commented on how he had really great English. He said that she did too and when she said that "we speak English in America" he pointed out that we do too. Oh, I wish I could have seen her face.... And kind of randomly, he had a Canadian say to him (when he was visiting the Empire State Building or something) "Wow, check out that accent! You must be from way down South!" Oh yeah. Waaaaay down south Hahahahaha. OK, I'm spent

You know, I never thought about it like that? Every time I think about being provoked into a fight it has always bothered me that one of my main strengths is pretty well out (I do not want to break my fist on anybodys face!) and also that if they throw the first punch but you dodge it and then kick their * you'll still look bad... Being female and not that big I don't particularly want to give them a chance to get into a strong position. Locks being an alternative is a very good idea! Seriously, Guy_who_fights , thats given me some real food for thought. Thanks!

You try saying that in my gym and you'll end up getting a rather nasty workout TKD style that will leave you having to wring your clothes out. Really? Because my personal opinion of TKD is that it's great... If you train in Korea. Most of the western dojos seem to be pretty soft. Believe it or not I'm not trying to be offensive. I would be really interested to spar you guys, a pity that you live so far away! Because I have yet to see a TKD practitioner I think could get in the ring and succeed. Never mind the street. What kind of training do you guys do?

Yeah, I reckon go for it. You might decide after that maybe you should train more! Personally I don't think once a week is enough even if you're not competing, but whatever floats you boat

Oops, double post

Seriously, Jeffrogers, were you serious? I personally think that so long as you're not harming anybody (and I hope y'all know what I mean by that ) do what you enjoy! Problems with people thinking that they can defend themselves when quite frankly they have no chance... happen. But usually that is because the way the dojo is run, regardless of competitions. Also, I don't understand how point sparring could possibly be the spirit of MA. If anything, full contact sparring would be the spirit of MA. Not to say that's what I believe. And on a tangent, I compete in MT, which is heavily watered down from the original, btw -has anyone here seen Burmese Boxing? Anyway, the way we fight has rules, and as far as it goes is pretty safe, and I think that it's a fun (depending on your personality) way to test your skills. It's pretty much as close as you can get to a "real" fight without risking serious injury. And this applies to other MAs full contact comps too. Just what I think, feel free to disagree

Well, I actually know someone (a ninjitsu sensei, 4th dan, used to be in Australian SAS... ) who is trying for UFC. He went over to Japan or wherever it was at the end of last year and had a fight. If they like him, he gets to enter the comp. and go on TV this year. I say good luck, but you're going to need a lot more experience (and a lot of work) before you're ready! And yeah, talk to your sensei, but you should really look into training at a MMA gym as well

I know it's not the topic, and I also know where you're coming from because despite being a girl I prefer to spar with men (I know they won't complain!). But you're working on the assumption you can "crush them"... As for my class, it's actually run by the University and so we have a high "beginner" turnover. At the two classes (out of ten-ish) we hold up at the Uni there are about even numbers, but in terms of "serious" practicioners... Well, it's abou 4:20, and since all the other girls are holidaying/injured, at the moment I'm the only woman!

Yup, both my mother and my grandmother have done that. Can't say I've personally had the pleasure, but I'm pretty sure it seldom causes majoy damage. Don't hold me to that though!

Oo, I hate it when someone says something naughty then edits it... And I miss it! Yeah, in my MT class we're told to breathe out (quite vigourously!) with every hit given and received, which I do. But as for a proper kiai, I've always felt like a moron and can't do it properly. There is one brown belt in the Judo club that shares our dojo that has THE most impressive one I've ever heard. Kinda hard to discribe. LOUD. Also, I think that women are somewhat disadvantaged (this is a personal whinge, not a predjudice, me being female!), because I think the best kiais have to be low, and it's hard to get a good pitch with a female larynx!

Nice Budderfly, I like that. I haven't been with my boyfriend for long enough to know.... But fingers crossed! I may not be old, but I have always been a cynic and this rather abrupt introduction to love (hey, what's this feeling ) has kinda scr*wed me up! I still don't believe in "true" love or "soulmates", but I do believe in love, no matter how much the scientist in me grumbles and protests.

As I don't know the "full story" I can't really say... But it does sound pretty dodgy. Why? And in reply to the main topic, no we don't have any racism in our club. Although there was this unfortunate incident where one of the women left because her boyfriend had a chip on his shoulder. To elaborate: She's asked our instructor about fighting and he said he didn't think she was ready. The next session, he worked her really hard and seperated her from everyone else to do some hardout stamina. Unfortunately when she told her boyfriend about it he went mental saying Mark (trainer) was rascist (they're both Maori) and she shouldn't go back again. That really p*ssed me off! Because (a) it was pretty obvious he was just testing her out to see how her fitness etc was (b) she didn't even talk to Mark about it, just stopped going and she was doing really well © Mark, rascist? Good god, his girlfriend's Chinese and none of the other Chinese/Japanese/Maori/Samoan people in our club have had a problem!! I mean, come on. We lost a good woman (we don't have many serious ladies) because her boyfriend's a paranoid t*sser!

OK, I'm going with 5-10... It's not the same as doing aerobics or tae bo! While the child is not going to be able to really delve into the deeper aspects of MA it will teach them discipline and give them a huge physical advantage as they get older. Has it occurred to anybody that most MA have been traditionally taught from a young age? I think that a lot of the issues bothering the people here who are against children learning would be null if the school is well run and their sensei knows what they're doing. Teaching a 6 year old is not telling them they could beat anybody up, it is giving them wonderful ground work for when they get older, and theoretically teaching them not only how to fight, but when not to.

They all sound good really. The floor-to-ceiling/whatever you wanna call it is good. Frustrating! But as for sparring, you may notice that the best guys are yes, relaxed, but also very good at reading people. You know when you're sparring someone so much better than you that you see the punch coming and still can't avoid it? (Curses! ) Seriously, try watching the people who have been fighting for 10 years. They react better not just because they're quick but also because they can see what you're going to do, sometimes before you even decide to do it.

I don't know how many people here have been watching K1, but has anybody else noticed that the entire competition seems to be becoming a farce? It's always obviously been audience-orientated, what with the 1-knee rule etc, but recently the rules seem to have become optional. Take the NZ-Australia K1 that was on recently. One of the NZ competitors, Te Rangi, broke the rules, blatantly about 3 times and got nothing! (To my horror as a NZer. He's never been very good, but this was painful) To be precise, he threw in a punch well after the ref had seperated them, breaking his opponent's nose. He should have been disqualified, but all they did was give his opponent (No, I can't remember his name. It was Greek I think) a 5 min recovery time. Then two or three times he turned his back, holding onto the ropes, which should have got him an 8-count. If it had been Muay Thai the stupid prat would have had the back of his head smacked in! And he kept deliberately falling over whenever he was losing (which was often). Not illegal, but annoying!! And then the ref had the gall to give his opponent an 8-count for hitting Te Rangi "on the ground" when he was blatantly on the way down, which is not illegal. This after the debacle with the sumo wrestler Japan (at least I understand that, even if it's disgusting) leaves me with little respect for K1 right now!

All this advice sounds pretty good, and my experience isn't really extensive enough to know "the best", but I guess that's a matter of opinion anyway. Muay Thai and and Brazilian Jui Jitsu are a good choice because Muay Thai is (one of) the best stand up arts you can do, while BJJ would be IMO the best grappling MA. Interestingly, in an autobiography written by an ex-bouncer in England, he says that boxing is probably the most effective simply because in a street fight you usually don't have the range for kicks and if you're grappling you're tied up with one opponent. Of course, if you do Muay Thai there's always the joy of knees and elbows, elbows especially because they are powerful, short-range and you won't break your fist! In the end I think the main thing is to do something with full contact sparring, to give you a safe place to see what you can handle and how effective you are. Good luck!

OK, so I have issues with a couple of posts, I may as well start there. Is not!! I actually do Muay Thai, as opposed to American Kickboxing, but I would not go so far as to call either a "sport"! I mean, my club is certainly less... spiritual, less formal than either the Karate or Judo clubs I have been in, and personally I would prefer that was not the case but it is more than a sport. Even though many of our members are completely disinterested in that side of MA, I believe that a really good fighter must be at "inner peace" or suchlike. There is a feeling from MA that is really incomparible, even to the most enjoyable sport. And since taking up a full-contact MA I could never turn back - nothing shows more explicitly that "no strategy survives the first engagement" than sparring and fighting. Thank you Ah... Yes it is. Sorry, I happen to know a guy who's a Mormon (he's my -athiest- partner's best friend actually), and I wouldn't say it's nothing like Christianity. Now, I'm neither a Mormon nor a Christian of any description, but from the discussions I have had with this man the way I would sum it up is that the primary difference between the two (and of course there are a lot of differences btw a Catholic, Anglican, Presbetarian etc etc etc) is that the Mormons believe in modern prophets. And Mormon's aren't as weird as you think. I don't know whether you know any or not CapitalKarate, but this man is very religious and until I found out I would never have put him as a Mormon! As for the actual topic of the forum! Well, I definately agree. (I'm a woman BTW.) Any relationship is based on communication and shared interests certainly contribute toward that. And since MA is such a personal and enduring interest, it certainly helps if they're at least interested! On the other hand I can understand Shotochem's view on being seperate - at least in seperate disciplines/dojos, because my partner trains with me, and while I don't mind, I prefer not to train with him. On a random note, he gets in trouble with him female friends for hitting me. Poor thing, no one believes him when he says I'd be angry if he didn't!

That's very dodgy! We pay $40 a month for up to 10 training sessions a week (or more if you need it), or $100 for three months. Plus it's $60 a trimester for students. We ARE very cheap and since Muay Thai doesn't have belts we don't have grading fees (which BTW I'm not totally opposed to in a MA where there are grades), but it sounds like you're being ripped off BlitzCraig. When I did (Seido) karate the grading fees got pretty steep around black belt but I felt happy with what I was paying, but you obviously aren't. Maybe you should shop around for a better school!