Training with Women

[Ian]

What's your attitude on training with women? I'm not talking about girlfriends or spouses but people in your class.

For me, I try to completely forget about gender when I'm training. Many women are more capable than men, so there's no reason to treat then like delicate flowers. Rather, the need for soft work should depend on things like decency, lack of ego, and just being aware of what your training partner needs, rather than on gender.

So I don't think it's a good idea to tone things way down just because you're training with a woman.

Also, I don't think it's a good idea to entirely avoid touching things like her breasts or crotch, in the same way that you wouldn't do that with a guy (when training with guys, sometimes you're gonna kick em in the grouch, and you're definitely going to shove them or punch them in the chest).

It goes without saying, though, that lingering on those areas just because she's a woman and you want to cop a feel is deep within pervert territory, and should be actively discouraged by all members of the class.

[RobP2]

I've found that the majority of women are not comfortbale with the contact levels we have in class. There have been 3 exceptions, all trained well and got a lot from their training. Other than that, none have come for more than one lesson. There was one lady in particular who, on the phone was most vociferous about learning "real self defence" and "getting stuck in" . She actually left half way through a class on groundwork and grappling. Sometimes it's not just the physical contact, it's falling or rolling on the floor. In some ways women and men are no different - it's more comfortable to boxercise and think you are learning defence than actually address the issues

There are a few women training in Moscow and I also have a great clip on a video somewhere of a woman "operative", which is quite scary lol.

[GrahamB]

These two Chinese girls showed up to my class recently - very small and with seemingly no upper body strength at all. We were working on headlock escapes (inspired by the thread on RSF) and we were doing the one where you roll backwards and throw the person headlocking you - and blam! This little lady threw this guy down on the mat with the power of 6 men - we were all amazed!

Turns out she grew up with 3 older brothers

I do have a few regular women who come to my Tai Chi class, and have been doing for a few years now. I let them decide what level they'd like to participate in the "marital" stuff at. That seems to work. (Although to be honest, I take the same approach with everybody, male or female).

If I had to generalise I'd say that I've found that the women I've taught have had no problem punching and kicking people or pads - it's learning to breakfall and roll that really puts them off.

[WongYing]

For women, you can give them one of the short body san da body protectors to wear. This gives a level of comfort against any direct chest contact, while still allowing work to be done in that area. For those that have wanted it I have found it works well in my classes and allows the freedom to non gender restricted with applications.

You can also offer them a female groin guard, it again offers them that extra level of physical separation while allowing ground work. Men could also wear a groin guard to offer them same level of separation when working with women

[Bao]

A year ago or so, a gorgeus super hot chic turned up in my class. Not good. I couldn't focus...

[yusuf]

A year ago or so, a gorgeus super hot chic turned up in my class. Not good. I couldn't focus...

one should never sleep with anyone in the teachers class

[Bao]

A year ago or so, a gorgeus super hot chic turned up in my class. Not good. I couldn't focus...

one should never sleep with anyone in the teachers class

My class, I am the teacher and I sleep with who ever I want!

---- NOT! I am married.

[yusuf]

A year ago or so, a gorgeus super hot chic turned up in my class. Not good. I couldn't focus...

one should never sleep with anyone in the teachers class

My class, I am the teacher and I sleep with who ever I want!

---- NOT! I am married.

I actually had a woman in my teachers class ask me privately if I could help her find the Hui Yin point

[edededed]

You could have privately told her, "it's the place between your frontal and rear nether regions" (or something like that) - solved!

[Darth Rock&Roll]

yusuf- I'm pretty sure she was coming on to you.

[Ron Panunto]

I trained with a really cute girl in a taiji class for quite a few months until she dropped out. About a year later she showed up in one of my favorite go-go bars as a nude dancer. If I had only known!

[JusticeZero]

I don't tend to have so much trouble with contact and such, given the structure we use, but I have a lot of problems with women trying to beg off from exercises because they are delicate flowers with no strength who can't do X because they're a girl. they actually say that kind of thing. Come on, people, cartwheeling motions with your head on the ground suck for everyone, no matter what you have between your legs. And yes, I do notice when I say 'Ginga over here till I tell you to stop' and you stop and stand gawking while i'm correcting someone else's form. No, you aren't allowed to stop when you feel a twinge of fatigue just because of your gender. 'Oh, but i'm a girl, it's different.' I'm not asking you to lift weights with your third leg here! ...sigh.

[GrahamB]

I trained with a really cute girl in a taiji class for quite a few months until she dropped out. About a year later she showed up in one of my favorite go-go bars as a nude dancer. If I had only known!

Yep - you could have given her some better career advice.

[DeusTrismegistus]

Its kind of funny. The adult classes have only 1 woman and have always had a couple but not very many and they don't stick with it long term usually. The kids class on the other hand is about 50/50. The girls do better than the boys IMO.

Training with women I try to be careful to make sure they are comfortable and not worried about inappropriate contact. This can take some time. Most women it needs to be built up to with gradual contact to build trust.

[downwardspiral]

dont do it.