July Newsletter from Rifkin Professional Karate--Please READ

Women in the Martial Arts
an excerp from e-ssortment, online periodical

Even in today's supposedly enlightened society, a woman starting in any martial arts training program is often subjected to many responses from friends, family, and co-workers. These responses are often based upon misinformation and prejudicial born myths. A few of these myths are covered below:

1. Martial arts training make women become unfeminine - This myth is so hard to kill even though Shaolin nuns were practicing the martial arts over a thousand years ago. Vulnerability may work well in the movies and romance novels but on the street it can get you killed. When a woman learns martial arts, she also learns self-defense, self-confidence and self-esteem. These things do not make her less a woman, in fact, the allow her to be able to go out in life with less fear and with a warmer and more open attitude.

2. Martial arts training is 100% effective in any given situation - All too many women AND men believe this one. Regardless of what how well a technique works in a martial arts class or seminar, no single technique is going to work in any and every situation. The important thing to remember is to have back up techniques and to be able to execute them without hesitation or thought.

3. Karate or any type of martial arts training is too rough for women. They get knocked around and hurt - Most schools require padding during any type of sparring activity. This protection is also used during tournament fighting. Any type of physical training can be rough on women but in martial arts the woman will be taught how to train properly. How to move, hit, punch, kick, fall and avoid an opponent. Jogging and tennis may be considered more "feminine" but even these can pose opportunities for injury. How many joggers or tennis players learn to fall in case of a misstep?

4. Martial arts make women more aggressive - True martial arts training and discipline teaches the women and me to control themselves, their temper, and anger. It also teaches patience. Just because a woman has the right to say no and proceeds to do so doesn't make her aggressive, hard, unyielding or the term that comes up so often and rhymes with witch.

5. She will be able to defeat a man-Pound for pound in a wrestling match; a woman usually won't be able to beat the man. On the other hand, martial arts training will teach ways to work around this problem. Many styles will teach leverage or joint locking techniques that will even out the competition.

6. Women martial artists are coarse, unattractive women - For those who believe this, take a long and hard look at black belt champions and movie stars Rene Russo, Cynthia Rothrock and Kathy Long. In an incident a few years ago, a man who was much larger and more aggressive decided to take issue with Ms. Long's driving on a Los Angeles freeway. After causing her to pull off to the side of the road, he became hostile with her up until the time the full contact, Black Belt Hall of Fame winner laid him out on the side of the freeway.

7. Martial arts training pose a threat to a relationship - A loving spouse or significant other will understand and support the woman in her training, perhaps even take an interest and participate. For those who are in abusive relationships, martial arts training can aid in building enough self-confidence and self-esteem to move on from the abuse. For those who stay in the relationship, it can at least help by giving options on self-defense. It may also cause the abuser to pause and think before striking out.

There is no reason for the prejudice, animosity and ridicule many women put up with simply because they choose to study the martial arts. The women are not becoming unwomanly, joining a secret cult society or even trying to promote the woman's movement by showing how tough they can be. They are simply learning a means of self-preservation by doing something they enjoy while also bettering their health and general level of fitness.