Do you think it's appropriate for women to train with men?

[sensei8]

Everything in the martial arts is game; no boundries. Therefore, in the martial arts, there's NO such things as...opps!!

[ps1]

Sensei8, I love your attitude on this issue! People in class NOT hitting me in the sternum because it's too close to the breast does not do me any favors. Quite the contrary! I need to get USED to it. And I don't like the unfair advantage it gives me over other students in kumite.

And this is why you have the potential to be a good martial artist.

[evergrey]

Thank you, ps1!

[skullsplitter]

Our school has mixed sparring from the youngest kids all the way up to the oldest adults. The owner is a woman and she will not accept the boys taking it easy on the girls during sparring for the very reason of you never what gender an attacker will be.

That was a hard hurdle for my son when he started, because we always taught him to teach women with respect. Took him a while before he was comfortable with hitting or kicking a girl in class.

Same with the possible "inapprorpriate" touching. The instructors were working on self defense with the kids and he was to grab her in the chest/neck area. He was so unsure about doing it. Finally the girl he was paired up with just grabbed his hand and put it where it was supposed to be.

There is a lot of culture to overcome with the sparring and touching.

[Patrick]

I really like this thread and thank you to everyone who has contributed to it so far. Congrats Biskit!

Patrick

[sensei8]

There is a lot of culture to overcome with the sparring and touching.

That's a very important and valid point!

[Blade96]

i regularly train with guys. Its shotokan, not bjj but it helps girls a lot as everyone said.

Grats on 2nd place.

[pittbullJudoka]

Congrats on you victories. One for getting you mom to realize you position on the sport and two on your second place in the tourny. I don't see anything wrong with training with females. My self there are certain things myself try not to do if ever training with a female. If grappling or striking I try not to hit them high in the chest in the area of the breast for ovious reasons. when on the ground I never place my hands in the same area even if it means loosing certain moves. My reasoning for this is I don't want to make the female uncomfortable by placing my hands on her breast and I think it would make me feel a little odd as well. Not high crotch take downs, and definately no triangles. This also help be by adding a degree of difficulty for myself which is good.

If everyone men and women both conducts themselves as adults there will be no problems with coed training.

[Rateh]

One of our beginner training drills is to have the attacker come toward the student, and the defender put their hands out in the attackers face, palms toward the attacker, and yell stop.

I was practicing this with a 4 year old boy, who hit me in the chest with his palm instead of putting his hands in my face. He was just trying to do the drill, not trying to be inappropriate in any way. Rather than explain to him that you don't touch girls there, I just demonstrated why it is important to put your hands in the attackers face instead. No one was offended, no harm done.

When it comes to girls working with boys, or men working with women, no one need be offended. So long as everyone has good intentions and uses common sense there shouldn't be any problems.

[bushido_man96]

Congrats on your performance. Also good that your mom understands things better now, too.