Defending against a female assailant

[username8517]

Foreword: Before I get into the post I would like to comment that this thread is not to talk about beating women, domenstic violence, etc etc. Also this will touch upon such topics as gender equality and such, which is why it is here in the MA & Politics section.

What this thread is about is to see how many people would treat women the same in a street fight as they would their male counterpart.

Taking myself for example, if I were to be confronted by a woman throwing haymakers, kicks, etc.; I would ultimately aim to end the situation in the most humane situation possible--probably some kind of joint lock.

And if I find myself confronted in a life or death situation with a woman brandishing a weapon, I would like to ultimately think I would treat the situation no different than if I was being attacked by a man. However, I cannot gaurantee I wouldn't hesitate to drop a woman with a hard strike like I would a man. And as we all know, if a life or death situation, we cannot afford to hesitate.

Speaking from a male perspective, I have often heard growing up that you shouldn't hit women as it's not the chivelrous thing to do, women are weaker, so on and so on.

Yes women are genearlly weaker and smaller than me, but that's just a generalization. I know a few women who can whoop some male butt in a fight. But those women are ones who have trained to fight and are generally the minority of the female population that I see enter our dojo doors (as most drop out--just like men ). And in reality size and strength does present a distinct advantage in a fight, especially if it's against an unskilled defender.

However, I find myself somewhat perplexed by the ideas of guys wanting to uphold the idea of chiverly if they're being attacked by a female. After all chivelry comes from a time when women were suppossed to be prim, proper, and "domesticated". However, as society has progressed and women have stepped up into roles that have been denied to them in the past, their actions have too. Today it's much more common to see women fight with their fists than you would have seen 50+ years ago.

So should the idea of chivelry be upheld if you're attacked by a woman? And if so, why? I guess that is my question at heart. Would you show the same restraint to a guy attacking you who stands 5'3" and weighs 120 lbs?

I am inclined to say no as it shouldn't matter who attacks you, as you have a right to defend yourself. The key thing to remember, regardless of the gender attacking you is that you should only respond according the level of violence presented to you. However, from the way I was brought up I honesty don't know if I would be able to mentally seperate the fact that my attacker was a female if confronted by a woman waving a knife at me.

Let's hear your thoughts and opinions on the matter.

[bushido_man96]

If a woman came at me with fists flying, I would most likely do some defensive maneuvers/blocking, and then just try to get a hold of her and restrain her until some help showed up. If she had a weapon, then I am not sure.

The only problem is that if something like this happens in a public venue, only so many people will see the altercation begin. Which means by the time everyone sees what is going on, they are going to assume that a guy has attacked a woman, and she is fighting him off, therefore making you the target of a bunch of hacked off men that now think of you as someone who attacks women.

Lose/lose, just about any way you look at it.

[username8517]

The only problem is that if something like this happens in a public venue, only so many people will see the altercation begin. Which means by the time everyone sees what is going on, they are going to assume that a guy has attacked a woman, and she is fighting him off, therefore making you the target of a bunch of hacked off men that now think of you as someone who attacks women.

Didn't even think of that. Good point.

[lordtariel]

As Brian said, a guy is immediately at a disadvantage when defending against a woman. The fact of the matter is, unless there are witnesses who say otherwise, the police will are far more likely to side with a woman a majority of the time in a non-domestic dispute... especially if she's bruised or cut or you're obviously stronger than her.(I don't have any statistical data on this and might be wrong, but I have witnessed this happening before)

Your best bet is to make as big of a scene as possible, yelling, trying to get people to notice what's going on. If it's safe to do so, stay wholly defensive, yelling verbal warnings to leave you alone or go away until you have some witnesses.

Try blocking the exact same spot on an incoming strike with good, solid blocks. If you continue to strike the same spot on the block, it will really start to hurt after a while.

Another way to deal with it is to just run away... if they're 5'3" and 120 and you're big and trained, outrunning them might be a practical way to go.

[Soo Min]

As a female, I don't pay much attention to the "don't hit a girl" rule. The only thing about it iI like s that it makes guys aware that females often aren't as aggressive as they are. My brother likes to randomly punch his friends on the arm. Even though I like to spar and do martial arts, I find that is extremely annoying to have to block him every three seconds. He doesn't get that I, as a girl, don't find it fun to hit each other on the arm.

Now, in the real world or martial arts, what difference does it make if someone is male or female? If you find yourself in a bad situation, you probably should avoid fighting as much as possible, or try to end it in a "humane" way (trying not to cause real damage). I believe you should think that of either girl or guy.

Guys seem to have real problems hitting a girl in fights or whatever but most females I've met (and this is just a generalization) either don't care, or will laugh at the stupid males. So don't feel bad about it, because if a female is attacking you, I'm sure she's not expecting you to be kind to her because she's female.

[bushido_man96]

As a female, I don't pay much attention to the "don't hit a girl" rule. The only thing about it iI like s that it makes guys aware that females often aren't as aggressive as they are. My brother likes to randomly punch his friends on the arm. Even though I like to spar and do martial arts, I find that is extremely annoying to have to block him every three seconds. He doesn't get that I, as a girl, don't find it fun to hit each other on the arm.

Now, in the real world or martial arts, what difference does it make if someone is male or female? If you find yourself in a bad situation, you probably should avoid fighting as much as possible, or try to end it in a "humane" way (trying not to cause real damage). I believe you should think that of either girl or guy.

Guys seem to have real problems hitting a girl in fights or whatever but most females I've met (and this is just a generalization) either don't care, or will laugh at the stupid males. So don't feel bad about it, because if a female is attacking you, I'm sure she's not expecting you to be kind to her because she's female.

That is an interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing, Soo Min! It definetely gives us food for thought.

[Ace2021]

If a girl was just mad at me for whatever reason, or crazy, and came at me with hay-makers, I'm sorry to say, but I would just run. I wouldn't risk defending and looking like the aggressor. (This is assuming I'm faster) Then I'd call her after the feud and try to talk..

If not, joint-lock.

If she came at me with a weapon (knife, something short), I'd Mawashi geri gedan (take out her legs), restrain her, and escort her to the police. Hopefully they believed me, because if she was crazy to try to kill once, she'd most likely try to kill again.

[KaratekaAndy]

I wouldn't hit a woman - in any circumstance - it's how I was raised.

I would just try to restrain her and call the police.

[obiwansbane]

ah you guys are such gentlemen... if some chick tried to attack me, it would depend on the situations

With witnesses = solid kick to the stomach, send her flying back if she comes back kick again (of course this is once you've gotten rid of any actual weapons other than her fists)

without witnesses = make sure they see her hit me first, then kick her to the stomach....

kicks to the stomach always seem to work in slowing down ure opponents attack... (from what ive seen) they hurt, and cause them to get winded even if its very slightly, they wont rush in right away giving u time to laugh in their face

[lordtariel]

I wouldn't hit a woman - in any circumstance - it's how I was raised.

I would just try to restrain her and call the police.

What do you do then when she starts screaming rape?