Womens self defence

should women be taught seperate from men or encouraged to join a mixed class?

I have done classes which were women only and they always go down well. but I am not sure about the encouragement side. If they are ok with it then fine, but encouraging a woman to do a mixed class can be daunting for some.

Some women we taught were either mentally abused, physically picked on, etc etc. so having other men in class partnering up was a terrifying prospect for them. But I know women who do not mind training in a mixed class I just suppose it depends on the woman and the situation.

And if a woman does pair off with a man, she has the ability to then guage how well what she is learning will work on someone who is likely to be more than a match for her physically. the same as a guy in class when he pairs with someone out of his weight division.

Craig

hey guys,
integration all the way!
some of the most amazing and inspirational people/martial artists i know are women,i would defy anyone to stand in front of Sharon Thompson for a sparring session and finish it thinking there was a weaker sex!One of the people i consider as one of my instructors is the amazing Diana Rathbone from MKG.This lady has overcome some serious troubles in her life and is not a natural athlete but would destroy many i know in all ranges of combat.Include such home grown talent such as Sarah Kelly,Rachel MacCleod & Troy Titus Adams just from the JKD family and we should not question whether we should train with these killers!
seriously though i believe we all from beginner to instructor,male or female,adult or child have something to add and a hell of a lot to learn from the arts!
hope this helps guys
mick x
also as an aside Mr.Paul Finn is hosting the legendary Ibu Rita Suwanda of mande muda fame on the 14/15 of feb in Kent....Jimmy Smith from the discovery channel fight quest series told me she was the toughest instructor he trained with over the whole series....how's that for the weaker sex?
details on www.karasackali.com

Amen to that Mick

Nice post mate

Craig

it depends on the woman and what she is expecting and what she needs

theres a world of difference between a 'martial arts' type class and a specific 'womens' self- defence class....
no hard or fast rule in my book

Very true dave
it does all depend on what the individual requires......for me thats the beauty of training,for some its 2 hours a week and others its a lifestyle.Me? I go for somewhere in between!
Hope things are better sir
take care
mick x

I agree that it depends on what she is expecting and what she needs. But there's a special class that is taught by a woman, just for women.

I've been teaching a group of women (Mainly care workers) every month for over 2 years on a women only basis and only recently started to intergrate some of their training with men. It was a case of the right time to do so, as their inhibitions lessened and their confidence grew.

In my experience, I've found very few women sustain attendance at weekly mixed classes, due to many factors, but the monthly extended classes work extremly well.