Differences between a male and a female martial artist

[ladyhawk]

We have fun bashing the opposite gender with funny sarcastic remarks but seriously, what gender specific characteristics do you consider to be the differences between a male and a female martial artist?

I had someone mention to me that guys are more difficult to teach in the beginning because they
have already been influenceed on how to fight by
their father, older brother, etc. and sometimes
there is a conflict in methods. You have to untrain them before you can teach them.
Women generally don't grow up in such a physical
environment and begin learning with a more open
mind because they don't have any previous influences.

Opinions, thought, ideas...any other differences?

Whattcha Think?

[Saz]

Well, we're just better martial artists all round really... ;)

Seriously though, from what I've observed in the dojo, women seem to be more keen to learn than men. Some men can be afraid to ask for help for fear of looking like they don't know the techniquie, whereas women seem to have less of a problem with asking if their technique is correct. Has anyone else noticed this, or is this just my dojo?

One distinctly female characteristic that I've noticed both my training partner and myself doing is holding back when we attack during sparring. We've both said we do this out of fear of hurting the other person, something that doesn't seem to concern the lads at all! They just beat the hell out of each other and enjoy it :)

[Mark]

One distinctly female characteristic that I've noticed both my training partner and myself doing is holding back when we attack during sparring

I've noticed this also, when I am paired up with a woman to practice a technique they put very little effort into it. I tell them feel free to give it their all, and when they see how powerful they can be they get a kick out of beating up a guy 3 times their size.;)

My judo sensei allowes the girls to grow out there fingernails and toenails, do other dojos allow this?

[waya]

There are alot of pros and cons to both men and women that I've noticed...... The biggest with men I think is ego... How many men do you see look at another guy and say "yes, he could kick my ass"? Generally males don't want to think or admit that someone else is better. Women tend to flow in movement better, but their body mechanics aren't exactly set up naturally to perform combat techniques (hence the term "hit like a girl"). These I think are the two biggest I have noticed. Males can also be less likely to listen to instruction for a while because of the ego thing again, whereas a woman will listen and try to get it right (unless it is more than one woman at once, then most tend to giggle and play instead of paying attention, and guys that are fairly new can be distracted by the females or boasting and showing off to other guys instead of doing what they're supposed to be working on right). Definitely a complex topic lol.

Mark,
I have never trained in a school that allowed nails on male or female students, they are a real risk for injury (I nearly had stitches in my ankle due to this recently) and also are a health risk if they cut someone because they are harder to keep clean.

Rob

[ladyhawk]

Mark,
Fingernails and Toenails can be wicked weapons but
we keep them trimmed to minimize unnecessary bloodshed in the dojo. Also, no jewelry allowed
to be worn while training.

******
Even though men claim the prize for the biggest ego I think an ego in general is counter productive in a person's training.

LOL! I have heard women mumble "sorry" after they make a good strike in sparring.

[Jack]

I didn't have the time to read all of the responses here, but here are some experiences I have had regarding this topic.

When holding kicking bags for each other, a female held the bag for me. I started to do my roundhouse kicks into it and she started protesting asking me to 'not kick so hard', even though I wasnt battering her or the bag yet. The instructor(male) came over and held the bag for me so I could throw everything I had at it with him pushing me to kick faster with more accuracy and power.

Another instance during sparring, I go against the same lady that was holding the bag for me and she asks me to be nice. I ease up a little bit but because I wanted to challenge her and maybe 'toughen' her up, I didn't go too nice. Don't get the wrong idea I didnt start battering her around, I stuck to semi-contact power but I fought her pretty much how I'd fight a guy and it looked like she was about to cry.

It's likely just the women at my dojang, but a lot of them tend to use this club as a way to socialise and have fun, and not to get stuck into some real training.

Peace.

[Freeform]

The thing that I've notced is that while women tend to pay more attention in class, if they don't 'get' a technique they'll just wait and ask for help whereas guys will try and work it out (potentially a danger).

Thoughts?

[ladyhawk]

Originally posted by Freeform
The thing that I've notced is that while women tend to pay more attention in class, if they don't 'get' a technique they'll just wait and ask for help whereas guys will try and work it out (potentially a danger).

Thoughts?

LOL! It's that darn "ego" thing.
Heaven forbid a guy should say he doesn't get it.

[ladyhawk]

Geez Jack, Be nice! LOL!

Why is she in there pretending to be involved in
a physical contact sport if she is not willing to
learn to take it as well as give it.

I've had guys slid me across the floor driving kicks into the bag that I was putting my weight into.

[Mark]

Fingernails and Toenails can be wicked weapons

I agree, but their are only two girls who train in my dojo, maybe 8 or 9 years old. I guess since their young my sensei gives them leniency.

[Melanie]

I have noticed on occassion that the men when they first start in the dojo I am in tend to go lighter with the women. However, we have 3 firmly established women in the dojo now (including me) and when they realise we are going to hit them pretty hard they tend to get the drift we're not there to play patta cake :D

Admittedly though, we are not there to get the living daylights kicked out of us either. It takes some time for male and female to learn control in basics and in sparring. I agree with the comments made that the majority of women do not come from as volatile a background as some men - so maybe we don't need "re-trainng" as much.

[Jack]

Originally posted by ladyhawk
Geez Jack, Be nice! LOL!

Why is she in there pretending to be involved in
a physical contact sport if she is not willing to
learn to take it as well as give it.

I've had guys slid me across the floor driving kicks into the bag that I was putting my weight into.


LOL. :D

Another example of the women at our dojang from last night. We were drilling basic knee techniques alongside the front and roundhouse kicks. It was the toughest lesson I've ever had, I left aching everywhere, pulled hamstring, and a bloody clump of flesh hanging off the bottom of one of my big toes (I was holding a bag and was kicked hard, my feet slipped and the floor decided to tear at my feet as I went skidding backwards). After the lesson, I was talking to one of the women and she said she would have liked to have had a male in the group, since (in her own words) 'When theres another woman holding the bag we don't want to hurt them or anything, but if there's a man holding it we'll go ahead and kick it.' - I mean, wha-? Not only did their group not want to take it, but they didn't want to give it either? I'm confused.

I'm not trying to say men are better than women, it's probably just some of the individuals in our club. :)

[ladyhawk]

Originally posted by Jack


After the lesson, I was talking to one of the women and she said she would have liked to have had a male in the group, since (in her own words) 'When theres another woman holding the bag we don't want to hurt them or anything, but if there's a man holding it we'll go ahead and kick it.' - I mean, wha-? Not only did their group not want to take it, but they didn't want to give it either? I'm confused.

I'm not trying to say men are better than women, it's probably just some of the individuals in our club. :)

I think they are just using that as an excuse.
When I hold the bag for another woman, I'll instigate them into trying harder. "Come on,
is that all you can do". It is easy and fun to instigate a young teen male because of "ego".
Now, when I start instigating the adult men
that is when I usually go sliding backwards
with impact.

As far as men being better then women, I think both have good and not so good qualities but regardless of gender if your heart is not in
your training, it'll show.

[KarateKid1975]

Jeez, I must be a rare one LOL. I go all out (specially with the guys) while sparring/bag work. I get mad because, yes, most the females don't wanna "get hit". When holding the tartgets, they "back up" or flinch and complain that I kick too hard. And I'm female! I perfer to be partnered with a guy. I can take a hit as well as give it, so it works out well (for me and my partner).

As far as the long nails, no. I don't have them. Never did. I was a musician (which I couldn't grow my nails), and now, for safty reasons in the dojang, I don't grow them now. I seen one lady scratch someone in the dojang before, and it wasn't pretty, so that's one reason I don't.

[ladyhawk]

Laurie
We are not all that rare. I know quite a few
very good female martial artist that can take
it as well as give it.

I'm not out to take someone's head off but I
will give them one hell of a controlled challenge.
By this I mean, I take into consideration the individual's rank and abilities and adjust my challenge accordingly.

Now when I come against someone with skills superior to mine. I give them everything I got,
taking control into consideration.

I do know some (male and female) that would prefer not to partner up with the highly skilled. Me, I
jump at the chance to get my butt kick by those that are well seasoned. They have incredible control and I learn so much from them.

[KarateKid1975]

LOL you sound like me, Ladyhawk. I'm the same way. Sometimes I think I have a sign on my head (with the blackbelts) that says kick my a$$ LOL. All kidding aside, I do the same. I adjust to my partner's rank. I don't go all out on beginners, but I do with senior ranks. But it's also fun, because they (seniors) teach me good combos that they do, and they benfit because they know I'm not affraid of getting my a$$ kicked, so they can "practice", too. I'm glad to hear we are not the only ones (females) that like to "fight" hehehehe

[Rowlie]

Being new to Shotokan the one observation I have made about the differences between men and women seems to be flexibility. The women are much more flexible when it come to kicking. Something to do with the hips? But then everyone is much more flexible than me!

[Andy Murray]

Hi Folks,

As an Instructor, I have to say that it's down to percentages. 80% of men and women are destined to be in the MA for a very short period of time.

The 20 % remaining are those with the right attributes or potential, regardless of sex.

Women grasp concepts more easily than men. Where men tend to respond to instruction with a preconceived idea of the answer, Women tend to strive more for the lesson.

If I could only take the brain from some of the women I have met, and put it into the body of some of the men I have met, then I could manufacture the perfect M Artist.

Phyically women are more flexible than men, and in the 20% I referred to they are often more agressive than the men. Looking at nature for a second, you will often find the female of the species is more deadly than the male. The Male lion is an imposing figure, and postures agressively. When it comes to hunting and killing though, the male lion is still in bed while the female is co-operating as part of the pride in promoting survival.

I do feel that men are genetically stronger though, and have inherently better timing and coordination.

Any woman who trains MA, and competes with men is a force to be reckoned with.

I am most intrigued to find that the men who are part of the 80% are the ones who post most on the web, while we only tend to see women from the 20 % posting.

Says a lot.

I love women. :D

Andy

[ladyhawk]

Hi Andy,
You made some very good points. I'm curious why you say men have "inherently better timing and coordination".

[Andy Murray]

Hi Ladybird,

sheesh, and I thought I had been tactfull through and through.

I would further qualify that statement by saying ' of the women in the MA I have met and taught' the men have 'inherently better timing and coordination.

It's probably nothing to do with gender. Men tend to be involved with more activities that promote these factors than women do from an early age. They are asked to test their strength and endurance against other men as soon as they can walk. There are a far higher percentage of men involved in sport etc. So when these men and women arrive at a Dojo or whatever, the women are 'usually' more difficult to correct in terms of posture and biomechanics.

Hope that helps my meaning.

Andy

[ladyhawk]

Hmmm, interesting! I've never noticed.
Why do you say women are more difficult to correct? Is it because of our physical build and the fact that we weren't conditioned as we grew up?

[Andy Murray]

Why do you say women are more difficult to correct?

Men can use similar analogies. When one man says to another "increase the torque in the technique", he is likely to be understood, where an explanation geared up to a Womans mentality would be better for a woman. Men usually have a higher vocabulary of appropriate biomechanics than women. Though this is in itself a problem, as women have less to unlearn.

Womens problem in the MA is probably Men in truth, he he he.

Regards

Andy

[ladyhawk]

LOL! Communication break down or language barrier.
We just haven't figured out your grunts yet.

[Andy Murray]

Hi,

I give lot of credit to women, and anyone with pysical or mental impairment who takes up the MA.

One of the main reasons everyone doesn't do MA is fear. People of sound mind and body, or with Natural Strength and ability have far less to fear in taking up an MA than people with less going for them in ability etc.

The best students of MA I have come across, are people with some form of physical or mental disability, or women. They have the Natural gift of using determination to overcome obstacles. I have been lucky to have some amazing female students, and to come across so many dedicated and driven females in the MA, on this forum and in the non-cyber world.

Not enough of these women struggle on to teach IMHO.

Andy

[Thomas Vince]

Okay ladies how many of you were tree climbers and played in the sand with trucks?

I find that women who are not so dainty usually do best in the martial arts. When a high maintenance women comes through the door with her perfect skirt, perfect hair, perfect nails, i already know she will not join my school, but I am sure she will find an american Karate school belt factory that she will just love! So I send her on her way. Now I am not saying that you need to be brutes, but you have to be close to really continue martial arts. There are definate characteristics regarding the women involved in martial arts. Most of the time women get involved to better themselves emotionally, the physical part comes later. If a women wants to learn to defend herself she is usually not willing to do what it takes to be real about it. I enjoy women who will fight back, they don't have to be martial artists they just have to be that spirited. That is the difference, do they have the spirit to fight back, and unfortunately most do not that is why they are targets. I have the toughest 15 year old girl I have ever seen, and I have a 48 year old who will fight like she is fighting for her life everytime, they are vicious and thats why they survive in my schools. As far as Men, "hopeless", they get fat, they get lazy, they can't pay attention, they constantly convince themselves that they are something they are not, little boys that still pretend and play games in thier head. They seek self gratification and a build up of their own ego because of real fears they don't want to admit. I get sick of the ego and I will not tolerate it. When a new person comes in I am civil, polite, and professional, but if he is an ass%ole I ask him to leave I don't want to polute the rest of the group with his or her crap. There are those however that become martial artists and those are very dangerous men. Hopefully maturity and humbleness follow that ability, because if not they are merely a dangerous adult with a child like mind. Sorry I was so tough on this but people in general are lazy, weak, undisciplined and followers not leaders. That is why I do what I do, and I will always have job security. My favorites are the guys who because they have a great career or lots of money have this great big ego because they play the game inside thier mind that money is power and influence. This may be true to a certain point but real power is when "pure knuckles meet pure flesh." And that my friends can never be disputed if you have the mind to understand it.

[Andy Murray]

Thomas,

You are the man!

Respect.

Andy

[KarateKid1975]

I am a tom-boy, Thomas :D I climbed trees, played with my brother's trucks (we used to argue over them LOL), I hated barbies (I used to break the heads off hehehehe), I played sports in school. I don't have a problem with getting under a hood of a car and getting my nails dirty (what nails hehehe). Speaking of which, I need to put in a new muffler on my car this weekend.

I hate dressing up to this day. Give me a pear of comfy broken-in jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers any day of the week (shorts in the summer). I don't even wear make-up. The only thing I do is shave my legs and shape my eyebrows. That's as far as I go as far as girly stuff. Oh and I wear jewelry sometimes, but it's mainly a bracelet, and my yin and yang leather chained necklace. When I do dress up, it's usually a pair of slacks, loafers, and a blouse. That's it. I have a hair style that I can "wash and wear". One length, and straight. I just wash it, comb it, and go. It dries on its own. I just throw my hair in a ponytail most of the time LOL.

As far as MA goes, like I said before, I don't mind getting my arse kicked by the BB's hehehehehe. But I won't run LOL.

[Thomas Vince]

See that, I told you. I like Laurie!
Hooray for the Tom boys!

[ladyhawk]

Originally posted by Thomas Vince
Okay ladies how many of you were tree climbers and played in the sand with trucks?


Oh, Me Me! Only it was matchbox cars in the dirt,
sometimes mud and my brother and I had an awesome tree house. I never thought about it but you're right. My rough and tumble childhood conditioned me to be comfortable in my martial arts training.

Laurie,
Yep, gotta shave those legs, never know who's
gonna have hold of one in class. LOL!
I consider myself a blue jean baby but I enjoy
dressing up on occasion, no heels. I too, have wash and wear hair almost to my waist and have never worn makeup. My nails are short but I paint them an outrageous color when I compete. Kind of like putting on war paint.

[Thomas Vince]

See see, I told you, I told you!!!!!!!!!!!
Hooray for the Tom boys!

Now seriously look at the characteristics and now try to instill the qualities, are they that much different.

LadyHawk you really made me laugh with the
"Oh, me, me" stuff. I am glad that you joined this forum you are funny!

[KarateKid1975]

Ladyhawk, are we related ?????? We are too much a like LOL. (high 5's Ladyhawk :D )

Good thing my boyfriend loves me the way I am, cause he couldn't get me in a dress LOL (I'm the better kicker ;) hehehehe).

Oh and as far as belching goes, I belch like a truck driver hehehehe. When I burp in the bar, people look at him, not me LOL.

[KarateKid1975]

Oh, and thanks Thomas :) High 5's ya.

[ladyhawk]

Originally posted by KarateKid1975
Ladyhawk, are we related ?????? We are too much a like LOL. (high 5's Ladyhawk :D )


Of course we are related. We're an elite group of individuals of various styles held together by the bond of martial arts.


"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."

-Richard David Bach (b. 1936)
American author, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"

[ladyhawk]

Originally posted by Thomas Vince
See see, I told you, I told you!!!!!!!!!!!
Hooray for the Tom boys!

Now seriously look at the characteristics and now try to instill the qualities, are they that much different.

LadyHawk you really made me laugh with the
"Oh, me, me" stuff. I am glad that you joined this forum you are funny!

Yeah, and falling out of a tree brings a whole new meaning to the concept of breakfall.

I've always said that a female karateka (martial artist, I don't want to leave anybody out)is not
your average female.

[KarateKid1975]

I totally agree with you, Ladyhawk :)

[KickChick]

Good thread ladyhawk....needs to resurface again.

So tell me .... (I already know though) everyone..... let's continue on that train of thought...

what makes a female karateka (or male) different than your average female/male??

[Kinjiro Tsukasa]

I'm not a karateka, so I'll just say "martial artist". In my own case, the difference is that I didn't grow up learning how to fight like the guys did (oh, girls just didn't do those things back then! We didn't do much of anything physical back then.) So now, I have a lot of ground to make up. I will go all out in the dojo (to the limits of my puny but getting-better abilities), and so does the only other woman in the class. Usually it's me having to tell the guys "You can do better than that". I prefer to be paired up with the bigger and/or stronger guys; then I know I can go all out without hurting them (I'm not the tiny, petite type, and we do a fair amount of grappling).

I wasn't a traditional tomboy growing up, but now there's nothing about me to suggest "girly girl." I rarely wear dresses, never wear nylons, heels, or makeup, have very short wash-and-wear hair, etc. FWIW.

[Knight_Errant]

I rarely wear dresses, never wear nylons, heels, or makeup
Though I have on no less than three well-documented separate occasions. Don't ask.

[Joe karate]

As far as girls being easy to teach? Easier than guys? Well i don't think so. Many of our girl students have the most to unlearn. They have to unlearn all of those girly girl things they do, even the "tough" girls. Not that they cannot be great martial artists i just think they are for the most part harder to train.

Girls may even learn technique or form faster than guys but the application sometimes eludes them. Mostly they aren't physical enough or lack attitude.

However once we break down the girl's inhibitions she becomes just as good as anyone else.

[TAPOUT]

in my opinion i think girls can be just as good as some guys

[Kinjiro Tsukasa]

Originally posted by Knight_errant
Though I have on no less than three well-documented separate occasions. Don't ask.
I won't ask -- but you can tell me anyway, if you want! (PM or e-mail OK!) ;)

There are no children in my class; hence, no girls, just two adult women and mostly adult (and some older teenager) guys. That may make a difference when it comes to the sillier, girly-type behaviors. Grown women have mostly gotten over that sort of thing, I think (at least in the dojo).

I'm one of the two women in my class, and we both have plenty of attitude (I've been told I have attitude by my Sensei).

[DeLamar.J]

Women seem more flexible and have better cordination and balence. Most of the time they have a better attitude too. Guys are stronger and hit alot harder to make up for our lacking areas.

[Bon]

Seriously though, from what I've observed in the dojo, women seem to be more keen to learn than men.

I'd think the majority of martial artists being men would show otherwise :D

[Tireces]

I think trying to slap traits on people solely because of their gender is foolish. There are women who are strong, and guys who are weak (believe me, I KNOW). Likewise, both genders have their fair share of people who arent focussed enough. Yes, men on average are stronger than women. But thats just about it. Women don't have something built in that makes them care more than men do, and I see plenty of guys who dont hesitate to ask how something is done or to see it again.

[Sweeet]

I think that the reason that women martial artists are generally 'better' in a number of areas is because of the simple reason that they are the cream of the crop out of women. Far fewer women, these days, seriously train for a good period of time in martial arts than do men, so therefore generally the ones that do do that are the ones with the natural abilities and inclanations necessary for them to 'stick it out' in a primarily men's world of martial arts.

In my experience, girls have far superior form to men, and are willing to work harder, on average - because they want to be better than their male counterparts (you know it ;)) and they have to to perfect their technique to compensate for lack of natural strength!

The girls (and women) tend to be much 'wimpier' in their execution of any given technique, but they remember the intracies of it better than most men that execute it on me. IMO.

[booksie_girl]

I wasn't a tomboy, but I wan't a 'girly' girl either, I climbed trees, and was always athletic, and I enjoyed dolls as much as toy cars. As a little child, I always enjoyed beating boys more than I enjoyed beating girls, and that has, to a degree stayed with me.

I'm only a teenage girl, but in bodywieght exercises in the dojang I am one of the best. Why? Because I put in more effort than the guys do, and more out of class training. Why? I think it's got something to do with the fact that as a girl, I feel I need to prove that I have a right to be there.

I like working with guys better than with girls, because with guys, both of us tend to go harder. However, I'd say that I'm more worried about hurting the other person than being hurt myself, one of the 'girly' characteristics.

I'm not a natural fighter, and tend to hold back a lot during sparring. I know I'll never be great, I don't have that instinct, but I'll try and become the best that I can be, and I will become good enough to beat at least some of those guys.

And flexibility:D. My flexibility is the envy of the (predominantly male) dojang.

[Bon]

Killer instinct is a state of mind!

[ladyhawk]

Speaking of state of mind I believe all martial artists, regardless of gender go thru various stages of physical, mental and spiritual growth. We are not the same people we were when we first started training in martial arts. Our bodies became stronger and healthier, we have more confidence, our senses have sharpened and we seem to have more patience. Our attitudes about ourselves and our martial artist lifestyle improves with our growth.

There are many types of martial artists, from the kid that thinks it's cool to be like a martial artist movie star to the more serious martial artist that has chosen it as their lifestyle. It is the resposibility of the seasoned, knowledgable martial artists to guide these individuals in finding their own path. This is sometimes a difficult task but if you keep an open mind the teacher can learn much from his/her student.

[fateddie]

size + strength.

+ long hair (mostly) that get's stuck under your knees when grappling. that's a pain.

technique has to be good to counter the lack of size and strength. tho i seldom find it does (-ducks-).

alll that said, it's much nicer being pinned down by a female... ;) ;)

[Kinjiro Tsukasa]

And it's lovely pinning down a guy! :D

In my dojo, long hair has to be tied back, so there is less chance of it getting caught under your knees. Doesn't affect me; mine is short. No long fingernails allowed in the dojo, either.

[cal_JJJ]

Over the decades, I've noticed that ......

where I train: jujitsu, females tend to be more susceptible to wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries, and guys seem to get a lot of knee and lower back injuries.

where I train, females that have athletic backgrounds stay longer, often longer than guys who don't have athletic backgrounds.

in my experience, females seem to take injuries harder than males, mentally.

Small schools w/ a family enviroment have higher graduation % of females.

Jujitsu schools that I visit run about 10 to 20% females, where as the Aikido schools that I visit run about 40 to 50% females.

Females tend to become fragile in their old age sooner than males

[KickChick]

Originally posted by Sweeet
Far fewer women, these days, seriously train for a good period of time in martial arts than do men, so therefore generally the ones that do do that are the ones with the natural abilities and inclanations necessary for them to 'stick it out' in a primarily men's world of martial arts

I find that to be absolutely true.

Since I have been training... I've seen more than a few women (both young & old) come and go. Martial art training requires a lot of dedication and hard workand some don't realize the amount of physical effort involved....many woman drop out of training because it does become too rough. So yeah, you're left with the "cream of the crop" so-to-speak.

I find that the female martial artist does have one crucial flaw....
They don't give themselves enough credit for what they are able to do well, but almost always focus on the things that they cannot do well in comparision to their male counterparts (I know, I was guilty of this early on) . This is another reason females get discouraged and quit.

Really the only limitations we have are the ones we put on ourselves ... put in that extra effort into improving the areas of training in which you are lacking..... whether you are female or male!

http://www.martialinfo.com/banners/women.jpg

[2wirin]

I don't really take the reality of pros and cons regarding the gender of the MA practitioner, I've noticed that there are obvious stages undergone by both sexes.. after "joining a dojo" comes "understanding the basics", acceptance and tolerance to pain, gaining skill and confidence, realization of potentials.. THEN comes the "embracing and honing the skills" after this stage gender is already out of question, you will be facing somebody who have a fighting skill and is capable of doing you a lot of harm in or out the dojo, period. but if just for LOL ..yeah youre right, to a man, there is the "inflated ego" that could hinder during training, errr... would the driving force in a female MA be considered "phallic-envy" or "hate-dad syndrome?".....just for laughs!

[KickChick]

Originally posted by 2wirin
errr... would the driving force in a female MA be considered "phallic-envy" or "hate-dad syndrome?".....just for laughs!

In one word,,,, "NO" (I'm not laughing!) ... that's ridiculous

[Knight_Errant]

would the driving force in a female MA be considered "phallic-envy" or "hate-dad syndrome?".....just for laughs!
o_O
I'm going to leave that for the female MAs to flame.

[Chlo]

would the driving force in a female MA be considered "phallic-envy" or "hate-dad syndrome?".....just for laughs!

LOL I think not ... maybe more like proving those things don't matter and we can be as good

[Saz]

Originally posted by 2wirin
would the driving force in a female MA be considered "phallic-envy" or "hate-dad syndrome?".....just for laughs!

<sarcasm>You hit the nail right on the head there. We really have no other aims in training</sacrasm>

:rolleyes:

[Bigfoot]

If students are willing to learn I would say the biggest difference between a male and a female student is the shape of their groin protector. Otherwise I can only generalize about men and women or about big and small people, young and old people, quick and slow people and so on. Every student is different and I try to help each student become the best that they can be.

[tai-gip]

there is no differance except for the standerd steriotypical misconceptions.... size dosnt matter (at least for everyone who is smaller than someone else i hope so..... not to many bands of midgets attacking people in my area) stenght dosnt matter (love seeing little kids throw adults around using the correct technniques) and womens bodys are actualy desinged more for endurance than males...(imagine a male having his time of the month or giving birth) this is martial arts here not just fighting the person with the better technique wins be they man women or child...
for eg im 5'11" (and a bit lol) i weight about 8o kilos
my gf is 5'6" and about 58 kilos ...... she kicks my damn but ....
ohh actualy maybe the women are a little slyer conning the men but a scared women is just a scared person in sparring who hasnt seen guys run...

[tl Eric]

I agree with Tai-gip. Our si sook's daughter about 18 is an instructor at our temple and she doesn't seem to have any trouble with us guys. Strength and power are definately not everything in Martial arts. You have to use proper technique and mix some yin in with your yang to become a well rounded practitioner because you can't always rely on strength.

[snake_vs_crane]

i could clear this up with a few informative pics, but id probably be banned...

[Xia]

Lets just say a male could defeat a female, but they move faster, and would deal somewhat more damage...there is no Female Bruce Lee.

[Saz]

I'm pretty sure many of us would disagree with you on that point Xia. There are plenty of excelllent female martial artists around.

Bruce Lee was not the be all and end all of Martial arts.

[Xia]

That is what I saying, I'll be more front next time.

[neryo_tkd]

come on people, there are great martial artists, both male and female. when we started sparring i was really crazy, i loved it a lot, and wasn't afraid of anyone. everyone in my group was afraid of me. they didn't want to spar with me because i regularly kicked their ass. that is why my instructor let me spar with the more experienced ones and that was a good thing. i wasn't better than them but i was holding up pretty good, and i gained a lot of experience. i thought that guys are tougher in sparring, but believe me it's not true. when i started sparring with those more experienced girls, black belts, and i was only a petty colored belt at the time, they showed me that they mean business and it made me work harder and harder. and after several competitions the coach of the national team started calling me 'leech' because many times it happened that i defeated my oponents with a lof of their blood on the tatami. so, let's not make a difference between male and female martial artists.

[shotokanwarrior]

Yo, Neryo, you sound like me. I love to fight the senior lads at my dojo. They're fun, they hit hard.

would the driving force in a female MA be considered "phallic-envy" or "hate-dad syndrome?".....just for laughs!

*SW whips out her submachine gun*

BANGBANGBANGJUDDER

[Freeform]

Shotokanwarrior. Why do you insist on opening up ancient threads? Your just looking for arguements and fuelling your 'Angry-Teenage-Girl-who-seems-to-have-been-14-for-the-last-two-years' reputation.

[wcrevdonner]

I gotta say that I don't think there are too many decent threads open at the moment - however this seems like one of the better ones!

IMHO, women seem to be much more technically adept than men - they pick up techniques faster. However, I don't see enough of them 'fighting' for want of a better word, so I sometimes wonder about application.

I think the women who do hit harder are few and far between, but this I think is the down to the way they we perceive social relationships - from what I know, mens sr's are based more on power - ie if I can beat you I am better than you in some way, whereas womens tend to be more understanding, only using violence as a last option. therefore when you spar, as a man its hard not to use ego since you're looking to be dominant, whilst women will look at it from more of a technical aspect. Both have their pro's and cons...

[Freeform]

IMHO, women seem to be much more technically adept than men - they pick up techniques faster.

I found that's because there is no egotistical machosim found in their learning.

However, I don't see enough of them 'fighting' for want of a better word, so I sometimes wonder about application.

The sole drawback of a lack of egotistical machosim?

[shotokanwarrior]

Your just looking for arguements and fuelling your 'Angry-Teenage-Girl-who-seems-to-have-been-14-for-the-last-two-years' reputation.

Actually, I posted because I thought it looked like a rather sane and amenable thread and a refreshing change from the incessant flame wars that start up when this subject gets raised. So there's no need to get so obnoxious with me.

[Freeform]

So there's no need to get so obnoxious with me.

I wasn't being obnoxious, if I was being obnoxious I'd have closed the thread, which would be a shame, because it is a good thread.

I just feel that you do your own opinions some damage sometimes with your 'In-your-face-I've-been-14-for-the-last-two-years-rage'.

Sometimes being nice to people helps you to change their opinion ;) How many 'Female based MA threads' have we seen closed because they degenerate into name-calling between the same two or three members...

[lisa mc]

In my opinion we grade and have belt/ring systems in place to distinguish our levels of ability, you will learn something from every oponent that you face- weather they are black belt or white belt, Male or Female. This should be the end of the debate, however, in my experience;

Some guys feel bad about going all out on women, that is understandable becasue of social/moral reasons, but in the ring this is just a weakness to them!! This is a sport at the end of the day - you play your strengths and pray on your opponents weakness. :rolleyes:

P.S I am no tom boy- that is another untrue stereotype! I wear high heels, make up, and love dressing up. - But in the ring thats irrelevant!! x

[BoredNow]

Thanks SW for raising this thread from the dead - it made me laugh.

It was all those comments about "me I'm so tough I don't wear makeup" near the start. Like you can't hit hard and wear makeup and heels!

I can also run (and kick) in my 2" heels, and I wear makeup to class and apparently I hit hard. That's another comment that makes me laugh - like I'm supposed to hit less hard??

[KickChick]

We can all learn alot from this thread in order to coexist happily in the dojang

Man< --->Woman
According to traditional Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are the two primal cosmic principles of the universe. Yin (Mandarin for moon) is the passive, female principle.
Yang (Mandarin for sun) is the active, masculine principle.
Yin and Yang shows the perfect balance between opposites (man & woman), and the great forces of the universe.

This portrays that there is no "real" masculine or feminine nature, but that each contains a part of the other. The two are contained in one circle, showing that both powers are in one cycle. Instead of these two being held in antagonism, they are held together to show the that they are mutually interdependent partners.

I tend to believe that they each lend their own special characteristics to create the power of balance within the martial arts http://board.jokaroo.com/images/smilies/yin-yang.gif

I can't believe some of the comments having looked back through all the older posts on this thread,
Especially "I find that women who are not so dainty usually do best in the martial arts. I mean do you guys really believe that????

[Nick K]

I find that men who aren't dainty do well too!

[Ghost Frog]

Well said, KC. :Angel:

..there is no Female Bruce Lee.

<---- My favourite comment. Without wishing to hurt people's feelings, could I point out that there is no male Bruce Lee, and hasn't been since 1973. It seems that even he found the role too demanding.

All these "there are no female [Insert extreme physical specimen/ elite soldier job]" arguments are just stupid. The majority of people, men and women will never approach the standards of these few. As the new adverts for the Royal Marines point out, "99.9% need not apply". However, 99.9% of people can participate in a martial art and gain benefit from it, and we need to encourage them to do so.

[KickChick]

I find that men who aren't dainty do well too!


LOL .... funny! ;)

I suppose "dainty" may not be the correct word. Possibly "feminine" is more like it.
I believe it is possible for a woman to retain her female characteristics and still kick butt.... in fact, don't you think there is something even more alluring in that ;)

[Ghost Frog]

I believe it is possible for a woman to retain her female characteristics and still kick butt.... in fact, don't you think there is something even more alluring in that ;) There are tons of websites whose owners obviously share that opinion, KC, but I can't possibly link to them from here. ;)

[Nick K]

:rolleyes: You are so right..Sigh.

[KickChick]

There are tons of websites whose owners obviously share that opinion, KC, but I can't possibly link to them from here. ;)

yeah .... but are they real???? ... martial artists, that is ;) :D
:Angel:

[Ikken Hisatsu]

female martial artists dont have a thingy

[Scarlet Mist]

female martial artists dont have a thingy

Exactly. Also, they have breasts.

[Freeform]

Exactly. Also, they have breasts.

I've met many male ones that had those as well.

Conditioning boys, got to keep the body tight! ;)

[Pat OMalley]

LOL .... funny! ;)

I suppose "dainty" may not be the correct word. Possibly "feminine" is more like it.
I believe it is possible for a woman to retain her female characteristics and still kick butt.... in fact, don't you think there is something even more alluring in that ;)It is, that's why I married one. Very feminine and a great kicker of butts with the titles to show for it too.

Women who can kick butts and stay feminine are tops in my books and you would be surprised just how many of them there are, just pop over to the martial arts babes thread and you will see what I mean.

Regards

Pat

[shotokanwarrior]

I can also run (and kick) in my 2" heels

Me too, I'm really into 'Matrix' fashion - black high heels and loads of tight fitting clothes and I wear my hair scraped back with loads of gel like Carrie Anne Moss - and I've had even black belts tell me I'm 'scary'.