Advertising your Abilities

Discussion in 'Women's Self Defence' started by illyria1013, Apr 12, 2004.

  1. Monty

    Monty Valued Member

    I don't think t-shirts and such have any effect on a would be mugger.
    If it were so, why teach self defense .... we could just hand out t-shirts instead :)

    No, seriously ...
    In my opinion the true effect is in self confidence. You can put the nastiest Martial Arts t-shirt on a person, but if that person has no self confidence, he/she will still be a potential victim.
    I always wear a dojo t-shirt (well ... not always), but the fact that I have never been attacked ... I think ... has a lot more to do with the self confidence of having spent 22 years in a dojo, than my clothing.

    I would say .... if you havn't yet reached a certain level of self confidence, you'll be a victim no matter what you wear .... and in that case, it's a lot better to NOT show the attacker that you have any kind of knowledge of the martial arts .... that will only make the attacker cautious, and maybe even more violent. And your best weapon .... surprise .... will be lost.

    Once you've reached that level of self confidence ... by all means ... wear that dojo t-shirt. It's a great advertisement for your school. People will most likely see a person that just radiates confidence, and they'll relate that to the t-shirt.
    And with confidence like that, there's a great chance the mugger will find a nother victim .... dojo t-shirt or not.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2004
  2. xubis

    xubis New Member

    We have a woman at our class that has he gloves sticking out of her bag a little just to warn people :-D I think it would warn the majority of people off, but then it could also attract a minority
     
  3. Nukie

    Nukie New Member

    I find guys who wear clothes advertising their martial arts club are generally doing it to impress the ladies, or to show off to other guys that they study a martial art and 'can fight'.

    I've seen guys posin in the pub in their tkd gi's... and to some people they could have looked quite intimidating .. some pointed and laughed... but i'd seen them trainin before.. and they where white belts.. ?

    So i think the martial arts outfits are sometimes used to enhance image rather than to deter wouldbe muggers etc..

    On the other hand, i'd say girls would definitely benefit from wearin these clothes as majority of guys are gonna stay well away from a girl if they think for a second that she was well trained at self defense!

    There are of course the minority of guys who will still confront a girl regardless of her skills and for that part, she best hope she's as good as her tshirt says she is!
     
  4. Fistfighter

    Fistfighter New Member

    My opinion is that "advertising" would mainly discourage the would be (male) attackers. I think most attacks at females happen because attackes asses their victims as easy targets. No man wants to have a risk of losin to a female
    Fistfighter
     
  5. Monty

    Monty Valued Member

    So ... you honestly believe that you can cut down the number of attacks on women, just by handing out t-shirts that mention martial arts ??

    I'm sorry .... I just don't think it works that way.

    Yep, an attacker judges his victim, but not on clothing (well, at least in most cases). It's a question of radiating self confidence. If the t-shirt gives you that confidence, I'm sure it works.
    I just believe it's the other way around ... you practice, you gain confidence in your skills, THEN you advertise.
     
  6. alienladd

    alienladd I come in peace

     
  7. Jiraiya

    Jiraiya Valued Member

    I have to agree with this sentiment. I think "target selection" has more to do with body language and how a woman carries herself. Kind of creepy talking about it, but there it is. Clothing doesn't really matter. I don't think it would ever hurt to wear something advertising possible martial arts skill. T-shirt is probably fine.

    My thinking is that a man selecting a woman to mug would not look at martial arts clothing as an incentive to attack. Even so, I still probably wouldn't go around wearing a belt that isn't black. And no, I'm not suggesting people who aren't ranked at black put on a black belt for show. That would be stupid.
     
  8. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    I have to say I prefer having the suprise element as an extra weapon.
    I've had 2 people try and mug me whilst I had my back to them when withdrawing cash at 3am.
    They didn't expect me to turn around and block the punch heading to the back of my head. The shock on his face was classic, I decided that I didn't need to follow through after that.
    he decided to carry on down the street after that.

    I don't know of any other situations people have encountered whilst having indication of MA training on display.
     
  9. supervole

    supervole New Member

    I think most muggers are oppurtunists and the reason why they would target a women is because they believe them to be easy prey. If a women is wearing a gi or MA t-shirt it may sometimes make the would-be attacker turn away. Sometimes is better than never.

    I don't think an attacker would be more difficult to handle if he knew you did MA, because if he attacks you he obviously doesn't respect your ability or MA.

    Mev.
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2004
  10. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    I agree with this, I've had conversations with people (who didn't know I did MA) who were boasting about how they thought they could take on a black belt, a violent character, but not as skilled as he thought - it seemed he was brainwashed by someone who had convinced him MA was useless.
     
  11. wrydolphin

    wrydolphin Pirates... yaarrrr Supporter

    At some point, women (and men, for that matter) advertise their ability anyway, simply by how they move and walk. It goes down to the act like a victim, and you'll end up being a victim thing. That said, I don't know as to how having a martial arts shirt will hurt you. I know that there are lots of stories out there about guys getting into fights because of martial arts training being known or advertised in some fasion, but I have never heard of that happening to a girl and have never had it happen to me. Criminals pick the easy targets, at this point, until proved wrong, I am all for not looking like a good pick.
     
  12. KungFuGirl

    KungFuGirl Valued Member

    I walk to and from my MA class in my uniform. I totally carry myself differently when I wear it. I feel way more confident. Apparently confidence is a huge deterent to rapist. They want someone that looks scared since it's about power 99.9% of the time.

    Also I agree with the guys, if a guy wears his MA gear out other guys (idiots) will often challenge him. I've seen it happen many time where they're like "Oh you think you're tough?" and they try to pick a fight or something stupid.

    For females, I definitely don't think it is a disadvantage to "advertize". Obviously not bragging but like a t-shirt or something. This actually would discourage alot of rapists/muggers and the ones that it DOES NOT discourage aren't going to "prepare themselves more". They are the ones that assume MA is nothing and that they can still easily overpower you.
     
  13. rtkd-badger

    rtkd-badger Fundimentaly Manipulated

    I'm with the majority on this one, if your a guy and you dont want trouble then dont where your MA gear out in public, I mean lets face it there are a lot of idiots out there with something to prove, I have actually been hassled by a cop simply because I was pulled over one night on my way to training and was wearing my uniform. On the other hand if your female I think it would have its advantages.
     
  14. EarthElement

    EarthElement New Member

    haha I'd be more than happy to advertise. Escpecially when the style you do is very well feared and respected. After all, how many people do you know who would wanna go at it with a boxer? :woo:
     
  15. juan ramirez

    juan ramirez New Member

    who cares about stickers or trinkets. DONT ADVERTISE YOURSELF. most women have little or no situational awareness. They either are not aware of the attention they garner or their too proud of it. If women could see through the eyes of a rapist robber ect their conduct would change drasticaly.
     
  16. KungFuGirl

    KungFuGirl Valued Member


    Excuse me, but who are you to say that most women have little situational awareness. That's quite a blanketing generalization that you have made.

    As well, so far every one of your posts that I have read has been bashing women. Why don't you keep your sexist comments to yourself eh?

    So far in your posts I have learned:

    -women don't pay attention
    -women are weak
    -women don't know how to take care of themselves

    etc, etc.

    I don't know what your problem is, but I find that your posts are more insultory than insightful or helpful.
     
  17. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

    Juan>
    You're seriously argueing that women should change the way they dress because they 'lure' men? Why not go all the way and get them to wear headscarves and bhurkas too?
     
  18. Matt_Bernius

    Matt_Bernius a student and a teacher

    To steer this back in a more sensical direction, I think you'll find that most people don't realize how vulnerable they make themselves.

    The larger issue, in the case of women, is that some aspects of dress and accessories, can make them more vulnerable. For example:

    1. High heels and some skirts do limit mobility.
    2. Some women carry large purses that keys easily get lost in or are easy to snatch.

    I'm not posting this as a generalization of women or to suggest that it's someone's fault that bad things happen to them. But people should be aware of their habits and potential weak spots, because social preditors are.

    A handy exercise is to spend some time in crowded spots and look at people with a preditor mentality. It sounds terrible, but it is a very enlightening exercise. You begin to see habits like, sorting through wallets and purses with one's head down, or talking on a cell phone oblivious to your surroundings that separate people from the crowd.

    Does all of that mean that someone should be afraid of the outside world? No. But every effort should be taken to stack the odds in your favor. And understanding victim behavior and preditor mindset helps you avoid making yourself appear to be a possible mark.

    - Matt
     
  19. Saz

    Saz Nerd Admin

    Very true...

    I've spotted one thing doing this. Women often stand by their cars, looking down and rumaging around in their hangbags, often with the car door open and the keys in their hand.

    Plenty of places for an attacker to hide (behind other cars) and an open vehicle to drag their victim into if they want to.

    Look for stuff once you're inside the car with the doors locked.
     
  20. kmclye

    kmclye New Member

    In general I tend to agree with those who do not advocate advertising one's participation in MA.

    First, I train in FMA and I don't want anyone, including the police, thinking that I'm carrying an illegal weapon in my pocket just because they see my club T-shirt. Secondly, if you are successfully robbed, the disgrace/embarrassment to the club/yourself is doubled (leaving aside the major traumas of a more injurious attack)!

    The main thing is not to look like a victim.

    I don't mean to sound pat. I've travelled alone in Europe, Asia, Africa, India and South America over the last 20 years and have never faced the threat of an attack (pickpocketed yes, some you win, some you lose...), even when living in New York City! Obviously I don't walk on dark streets alone in a strange city. However, in addition, it is relatively for someone small to look nondescript and insignificant and slip under the radar. Alternatively, when a situation calls for extra alertness towards potential physical danger, the awareness shows. Either way, one doesn't show up on the potential victim roster. Wearing anything that advertises MA training reduces your ability to escape notice, and it doesn't seem to me to add anything to the awareness that would make a would-be attacker wary.
     

Share This Page