RobinT830 Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I am female and I like to spar. I always have since I was yellow belt. There are several women who do not like it. It sometimes is a lack of confidence. They have said " I am not sure what to throw ". We start out with 6 foot sparring, no contact at all with the lower belts until they have better control and understanding. We are equals. If they are afraid of sweating or messing up there hair, karate is probably not for them. "If it is not hard, it is not worth doing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_karateka Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I've always loved sparring! My first time sparring was at my first tournament --- talk about double pressure! I was a yellow belt and the others in the division were orange belts ( i think there was one white belt) --- I ended up getting 2nd place in an overtime / sudden death face off --- I was sooo close to first --- but still psyched for my first time. I was so nervous and only wanted to do kata -- I guess my instructor saw something in me and paid for my extra registration ticket. Its definately fun --- I'm one of 2 girls that show up consistently for class so I'm usually sparring other guys and I love it KarateForums.com Sempai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karatekid1975 Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I seen Kita spar once. She kicks major butt! She's definitely not lying Laurie F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_karateka Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Haha thanks Laurie! Them where the good ol days!!! I'm thinking about coming up to Roch in mid-December we'll have to get together! Anyway --- I digress---- sparing is cool! KarateForums.com Sempai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorinryu Sensei Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 When I have a woman in class..or any new student for that matter..the first person they spar is always me! As any instructor will probably tell you, the most dangerous person in that dojo during sparring iasn't necessarily the sensei or senior student, but rather is the person that doesn't know what they are doing..aka---the newbie! No control, bad/no technique, trying to "nail the sensei" to impress him (can hurt sometimes), etc. I am very gentle and talkative to new people sparring for the 1st time. Coaching and telling them to toss a kick or punch. I usually don't try to block real hard unless they are coming at me hard and fast, then I defend myself! lol I also toss in some kicks/punches of my own..slow at first, and faster if they can handle it. A lot of the time with women their first time out, they are afraid of throwing any technique at me, but I've found one thing that is GUARANTEED to get a woman to start fighting back. And that is...give her little slaps to the top of her head..yep, right on top! Not hard slaps, just fast taps. Just keep doing that every now and then..talking to them as you do ("You're head is exposed..block!")..and when they continually raise their hands to keep from getting slapped on the top of the head..then fake to the head and slap their stomach. Trust me..for some reason..women do NOT like to be slapped on the head, and they will come after you pretty darn quick when you do! My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinT830 Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I agree, I do not like to be hit in the head PERIOD! That is funny though. "If it is not hard, it is not worth doing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backfist Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 When it's sparring day, there seems to be a huge decline in female attendance. WHY is that? In a word, confidence. Start out with a women's sparring night or women's sparring hour. Once people show interest, they'll be more confident about sparring in general. So Many Masters; So Few Students Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorinryu Sensei Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 When it's sparring day, there seems to be a huge decline in female attendance. WHY is that? In a word, confidence. Start out with a women's sparring night or women's sparring hour. Once people show interest, they'll be more confident about sparring in general. Now I find that interesting. with few exceptions, every woman I've ever had in class, once they learn how to do it, LOVES to spar!!! I could get into some storys about 5'3" Judy P. or 5'10" Jenni S. kicking most of the guys butts in class..but I'll refrain. My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backfist Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I'm sure that there are exceptions abounding. The main question, however (why more women than men tend to shy away from sparring) does have some anectdotal accuracy. And in my 25 years of MA training, there was something to this phenomenon. And since I'm short, women who were novice at sparring always seemed to gain their confidence on me. Thus, my comments about confidence. So Many Masters; So Few Students Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorinryu Sensei Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 I would imagine it would depend a lot on the rules governing the sparring, the attitude of the sensei in charge, and general class attitude. If you have a bunch of testosterone high jocks in class that resent a woman in class, they can make it very intimidating for a woman. I won't allow that sort of attitude in my class. I enjoy women in class because they tend to learn faster, be more receptive to concepts, and I feel are there for better reasons than a lot of the men. My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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