I believe there are two kinds of women in the world: those who train Jiu-Jitsu, and those who need to. If you’re at all interested in self defense, you should know that most fights end up on the ground. Add to that the chance of sexual assault, and it becomes clear why women need to know how to defend themselves from the ground. Yet very few women, even those involved in the martial arts, have that kind of knowledge. I train Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate, and as Shihan likes to say “It’s all in there”, meaning that we have throws, joint locks, chokes, etc. included in our system. This is true, but we rarely get a chance to actually work on them. Just like with all things, without practice we cannot become proficient. Even in Judo they don’t have the time to work on Ne Waza as much as they would like. This is evidenced by the Judoka who come to Jiu-Jitsu before a tournament to firm up their ground game.So, this begs the question, if ground defense is so important, why don’t more women learn Jiu-Jitsu? In the interest of full disclosure, I have been to a few classes, but I do not train Jiu-Jitsu. The reason for this is (insert excuse here). However, I realize that it is something that is lacking in my own training, and something that I want to do. When I’ve mentioned this to some female Karateka, the reaction I’ve gotten is that I must be some kind of alien. Lets face it, Jiu-Jitsu can be a very uncomfortable undertaking for anyone, but most classes are 99% male. For a lot of women, the idea of wrestling unknown men is not a pleasant one. Besides, as Amy W. says, you guys are heavy! My thoughts on it are this: if you have no experience doing it, and are uncomfortable with it, how are you going to react when faced with a real life situation, and someone who’s trying to hurt you? The only way I learned to stop closing my eyes and flinching when someone threw a punch to my head was by having someone throw about 2,000 punches to my head until I got used to it.
To all my sisters out there...yes, it’s uncomfortable and awkward. Yes, they are strong and heavy. But wouldn’t you rather learn to handle that in a safe environment? Even if you never have to use what you learn on the street, which is hopefully the case, there is still one more reason to train. Every woman I know who has done Jiu-Jitsu agrees, it is super fun…are we really going to let the guys keep that all to themselves?
In this spirit, I wrote a haiku:
They may be stronger
But we are more flexible
And can make them tap
But we are more flexible
And can make them tap
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10 comments:
I have tried numerous times to get women to show up to class and it's more difficult than escaping Conan's arm triangles.
However, rather than being uncomfortable fighting strange men on the ground, most women I've talked to don't want to end up getting all muscular and bulky. That's their main fear; looking like a UFC heavyweight. The fact of the matter is that if you cross train in another art, you will lose weight. I lost 15 pounds in a scary amount of time (eating gravy fries, no less) just by picking up boxing.
I realize this is much less serious than what Gina was talking about, but when nine out of ten women I talk to give me the same excuse, I think I should address the issue. Hopefully more women come to class and realize what an effective, fun, and eye-opening art it is.
I really like this, my wife recently had our second child, and she has talked to me about coming and learning Jiu Jitsu. I told here that that would be a great idea! I, myself have lost weight and really toned up since joining the Dojo. I will make sure she reads this post when she gets home from work, she would really relate!
Great article. Loved the haiku! Here's the thing women need to understand: if you train against men who ARE heavy and big and who can hurt you, then you're preparing yourself for the real world. In fact, the less slack they cut you, the better off your training, 'cause if that day ever comes, you will have practicied that 2,000 times and won't flinch. Well, much!
Nice article, Gina! You should consider leading the charge to recruit and help start a womens-only intro to JJ. After the intro, they would most likely be much more comfortable in the dojo and see what Conan's classes are about. I would bet that most of them would stick around and train in the normal classes. As you know, the hardest part of ANY martial art is walkin through the dojo door for the first time. After that it's all down hill from there! If a female from the dojo, such as yourself and/or Deputy Amy, facilitated this type of intro with Conan's JJ class, I think you'd have a huge success. Just my two cents worth but I think you've "knocked" on a door that if opened, would have huge potential for females coming into the dojo to train JJ. Again, nice article!
Oh, by the way. . . I have a tasty sidekick just waiting to be served to you, Gina! Hungry???
What a very well written and meaningful post, Gina! It's nice to have you on board. Amy is planning on organizing a women's Jiu-Jitsu class...details to follow.
Good job Gina. Hey, Giles you're all talk and no action. Gina would knock you out and put you out of action for good! We're waiting for you in sparring class.
Thank you for the article. I am about 3 1/2 years into BJJ and took it up when I was 50(1?). I am one of two women at our academy. A male colleague got me into it. I have been fortunate to have instructors who embrace all kinds of students. My fellow students at the academy (Go Hybrid, Roanoke, VA)are great. I have learned the hard way to communicate with those I roll with-but it was an invaluable lesson!
Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback. And Ken, I couldn't have said it better myself!
Guess I'll have to come back to sparring class to shut some mouths. Ken and Gina have made the "list"...especially you, Ken, as you've had several shots at the title but you're still on the outside looking in!! All done by an old man to boot!
more words from "The Great Brian Jiles"
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