Times are changing! Women are accepted more these days in male dominated sports, although you do still find your male sceptics. Husbands and boyfriends tend to belittle or intimidate their partners when they find out they are learning martial arts, with the normal comments, “Women can’t fight. I’d like to see you try it on me!”

It is a bad mistake, guys, to under estimate the abilities of women in martial arts! This is a fact proved many a time when coming face to face in a sparring session.

The Truth!

The male is normally quite condescending, holding back their fighting techniques, lowering their guard and taking it easy. It is not long before they realize that they have to keep their guard up if they do not want to get caught with a barrage of punches and kicks.

I myself was guilty of this in my early days, until I got caught with a punch on the nose giving me a nose bleed, a mistake I would never make again.

Never under estimate a woman!

It is not necessarily just size and strength that are the basics of success in martial arts, but the combination of speed, technique, good fitness, flexibility and mental discipline. These are all important aspects of martial arts training for women and men alike. Just because you think women are petite in stature, you would be silly to think they could not hurt you.

Power comes from good technique.

Dave Gentry and Leanne Phillips demonstrating the lead jab.

So What's In It For the Gals?

So here we are. Another New Year, and all thinking about our new year’s resolution! Most commonly it is to get fit and lose that unwanted weight, bulging belly and cellulite legs. Most of us after a week or so back at work will be back in the old routine, and the New Year’s resolution will soon be forgotten.

Have a re-think! You know that you really want to be fitter, healthier and look good so why not make a New Year’s resolution daily and introduce something new into your fitness regime.

Martial arts are just one of many ways of getting fitter and healthier, being very popular with the male population. A lot of women also show an interest in taking up this exciting sport, but tend to shy away because they think it is male dominated.

Untrue!

It is true to say that as recently as 15 years ago you would not see very many females participating in martial arts, but walk into a dojo, church hall, or local community centre these days and you will see 30 to 40 % of students are now women.

The reason being, simply, that martial arts offer one of the best overall body workouts that you can get, hitting every part of the body. Hence you will reap the rewards of weight loss, defined body tone, improved stamina, good body co-ordination, increased flexibility and best of all a greater sense of well being.

Charlotte Bennett demonstrating a counter attack against a lead right jab with a lead hook to the face and left side kick to the stomach.

Leanne Phillips demonstrating how to counter a left lead jab with a front left push kick to the stomach.

Looks Like The Women Are Here to Stay!

A few days into the New Year and I am already receiving calls for my classes, something I was expecting. Believe it or not all the calls have been from women!

In the next few weeks I will be seeing perfectly manicured painted long nails, flash hairdos and a little bit of makeup on angelic faces. I will not under estimate any of these ladies' abilities!

They remind me of the first time my Pink Army Ladies Demo Team turned up to class. These are girls that have progressed through the belt system into accomplished martial artists. Four young ladies who now tour the country showing off their martial arts skills incorporating dance moves in spectacular routines. All four are qualified coaches,lady kickboxing instructors in the making, who in the future will run their own classes.

GIRL POWER !

One of the girls (Leanne Phillips) has a natural ability in martial arts has become PKA British junior kickboxing champion twice. She had to fight males as well as females to obtain these titles.

Left to right : Faye Mandell, Leanne Phillips, Charlotte Bennett and Jemma Bulstrode.
THE PINK ARMY DEMO TEAM

The other three girls (Charlotte Bennett, Jemma Bulstrode and Faye Mandell) have all obtained the level of purple belt through hard work and dedication to the sport. Asking them why they chose kickboxing instead of say karate, Tae Kwon Do etc, they told me that it was cardio-vascular element that attracted them to kickboxing and it has helped them to tone up, lose weight and get fit. They also thought it easier to learn than other styles because of the complicated Kata’s that the more traditional styles incorporate in their systems.

Women seem to enjoy the high intensity of kickboxing training hence the high numbers of females now participating in the sport. They also love pink, so if you are a male instructor get used to seeing the use of pink related equipment. It’s only a colour!

Tips to Get Started

The best way to find a local martial arts class near to you is by researching on the internet. Log in the style you want to try whether it is Kickboxing, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Judo or Ju-Jitsu.

Or if you like, have a go at a few different martial arts to see what style suits you best. Most clubs will give you a trial lesson before committing yourself to them.

Whilst attending a class session, ask yourself whether you would feel comfortable working with the people and instructor that train and teach there. Will they get the best out of you! A good club should point out to you that you can only try your best, and the only person that can really push you is yourself, guided of course by expert instruction.

Feel the atmosphere of the class, is it run in a friendly manner, as nobody likes a macho instructor.

Does the class session take pride in its safety measures and emphasise good techniques in exercise as well as the martial arts skills in all techniques used. Is there good communication within the class, as this is another factor of a safe environment to train in?

Does the instructor have the relevant insurance in place to run a club?

These are just a few important points to remember when making your final decision on your chosen club. It is better to take your time and shop around.

The Sky Is the Limit!

You will see over the next month a lot of advertising on health, diet and fitness through various forms of advertising. They will not all be for you, so why not give martial arts a thought. It is great for women, men and children.

Have a goal like obtaining a black belt in the future. Working towards your goals will keep you motivated, as it takes a few years to get to that high level. Remember the longer you keep training the longer you will stay fit and healthy. What the mind can believe the body can achieve! You only get good results out of something if you put the right amount of effort into it. We all tend to set our own barriers in life. When participating in martial arts it prompts us into a positive mental attitude that makes these barriers vanish.

Best of luck and see you all at a class soon.

Happy New Year from myself and the Pink Army Kickboxing Demo Team.

Train Hard ! Fight Hard ! Sleep Easy !

(www.kickboxing-london.co.uk)
(www.pka-kickboxing.com)