Women Representing Martial Arts
In today’s society, men are looked upon as the authority in martial arts. Women can be just
as accomplished and successful in martial arts as men. Many women are equally respected
and are making great contributions in today’s martial arts society. Many martial arts
competitions have changed their policies and allow women to participate in professional fighting
organizations, such as the Ultimate Fighter Championship (UFC) and main events in many
martial arts tournaments. Today women’s training is equally as challenging as their male
counterparts. In my experience with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I have been trained as hard, if not
harder by my professor then many of the male students. When preparing for a competition I am
as dedicated and motivated as any male competitor. To all martial artists, it is referred to as “a
way of life,” and I completely agree. With the right amount of dedication and mindset, women
can develop their skills and be technically equivalent to any male practitioner.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a combat sport that is focused on grappling and ground fighting. In
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a smaller person is able to defend themselves against a bigger, stronger
attacker. It focuses on the use of leverage, technique, balance and control of your
opponent. These techniques are practical in allowing a smaller, weaker person to have a better
chance in defending themselves against a larger opponent. In jiu jitsu and submission wrestling,
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Amanda never gave up trying to join the boys wrestling team, I never let the men at my academy
bring me down; I pushed myself and became stronger each time. OpposingViews.
I think women who want to get into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu shouldn’t feel intimidated by men.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is for everyone. As referring back to my thesis, with the right amount of
dedication and mindset, women can develop their skills and be technically equivalent
to any male practitioner. I strongly agree with that, I have mentioned many well respected
women in the arts including myself who have proven ourselves. I am There are no exceptions to
this claim. Today, under the lipstick and the make-up lies the alter ego of a kimono sporting
warrior that is equally able to take on the world. I believe that I have supported it in many ways.
The movie "Girl Fight" did an excellent job of depicting how one person dealt with and overcame gender stereotypes. The movie depicts the struggle of a high school girl, Diana Guzman, to overcome gender buriers and become a boxer. Her mother having died when she was young, she lives with her father and younger brother, Tiny. The father forces the son to take boxing lessons because he feels that it is important that Tiny know how to defend himself. However Diana cannot even tell her father that she wants money to take boxing lessons. Her father constantly hassles her about behaving more like a "girl" i.e., wearing skirts and giving more consideration to her appearance. He does not think it at all important that Diana should know how to defend herself as well, even though she obviously lives in the same dangerous neighborhood as her brother.
Have you ever wondered, “What is the difference between MMA and boxing?” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights originated as hand-to-hand combat performed as a sport called Pankration from the greek words Pan and Kratas, meaning “all powers” (Shamrock). Often a practitioner of one of the skill groups in martial arts challenged a practitioner of a different skill for ultimate bragging rights (Shamrock). In 393C.E. Roman emperor Theodosius the first banned the Olympic games,spelling the end of Pankration as a popular sport (Shamrock). This style of fighting later resurfaced in the twentieth century in Brazil via a combat sport known as vale tudo”,anything goes” (“Encyclopedia Britannica”). MMA
The class begins with middle punches. This entails bringing the left foot out into a sitting stance where our legs reflect a person riding a horse. The hip is rotated backwards then propelled forwards as the fist on the belt twists towards our imaginary opponent in front of us. Then Master Copper pairs each student with a partner of equal height to practice kicks. When my partner extends his sidekick, the crusty dirt on the sole of his foot brushes past my eyes, and the speed of the kick creates a breeze of stale air. In the middle of class, we incorporate the punching bags into our workout. The low belts use the tall, thin sun colored bag, and the high belts utilize the thick, blood colored bag. However, the black belts utilize “Bob the Bully”, the tan, lifelike bag with dense padding and broad shoulders. After six hours of school and at least four hours of homework, punching and kicking the toned face and rippling abs of Bob brings a substantial amount of satisfaction. As my knuckles make contact with Bob’s rigid jaw, I grit my teeth and each blow connects with more power than the last. Beads of sweat roll down my face as Bob’s head shifts from side to side following each blast of force. The instep of my foot creates indents in the sides of Bob as my half turning kicks
Masculinity’s need for femininity has been a concept that I have witnessed in my own experiences; for example: gender-based spaces. I believe the most prominent example of this in my own life takes place in weight room here at UW-Whitewater. As a particularly male dominated space, it is very easy to feel intimidated. Most of the men present will either make girls who are also there for the same purpose as them feel as if they are in the way, or perhaps worse, they will be very intrusive and assume that their assistance is required. Both of these aspects are a factor in male masculinity’s need for femininity. For one, a feminine, female-identifying person such as myself partaking in the same activities that are often thought of as “manly” takes away the sacredness that such an activity only “belongs” to men. Moreover, my own independence as a woman, especially in a male-dominated z...
First of all, gender roles are a very important issue. According to Diana's father and most of the coaches working at the gym, boxing was "a man's sport." In the film Girlfight, Diana was only seen fighting one other girl, while all of her other competitors were male. Furthermore, Diana was the only female practicing at the Brooklyn boxing gym. For anyone walking into the gym, the idea that boxing is in the male realm become perpetuated.
Females can be strong but they have to work at it much harder than males because males are just naturally stronger. This is because, “Men are 50 percent stronger than women in brute strength” (drjamesdobson.org). Men are stronger than women because the sex hormone testosterone, is found in high levels in men which gives them a head start in building muscle, “The sex hormone has anabolic effects, meaning it promotes muscle development. Secreted by the pituitary gland, testosterone binds to skeletal fiber cells and stimulates the growth of proteins, the building blocks of meaty muscles” [source: Roundy](science.how...
The way individuals discipline their body is analogous to how they act towards the idea of power and status. How bodies are trained to emit gender distinctions is similar to how people tend to clothe their bodies. The way people tend to “sit, stand, gesture, walk, and throw” are different depending on their performance of masculinity or femininity (Martin 297). Women’s bodies tend to be more “confined, their movements restricted (Martin 297).” The term “femininity” defines the idea that the female sex is perceived with specific traits and characteristics. Crossing their legs, sitting up straight, having a softer voice and light footsteps are all ways in which women become naturally embedded to the gender norms. She is ascribed to be more gentle, nurturing, and emotional, and weak. These traits she attains are given by society the moment she is born, creating an idealized sexually more inferior identity than that of a male. By analyzing the socially constructed gender profile of men, it is easy to see how society creates a more dominant and powerful facade. They are stereotyped to being more aggressive, highly sexual, strong, competitive, emotionless, and in control. These socially constructed differences confines males and females to particular character profiles that limit their equality as a whole. The bodies are gendered “as a product of social doing; constituted through interaction (West and Zimmerman 175).” The way male and female establish their gender order in society correlates to their mentality as a whole. Overall masculinity is more valued than femininity in society. Masculinity correlates to gender privilege. An inequality that gives males the access to more power, resources and positions due to the traditional notions of gender roles. Men are given a greater advantage because he is deemed more capable to fend for himself. He is given greater power in the working field and
In summary, Despite opponents argue, fans want to see thunderous dunks and incredible athleticism over the lesser abilities of females, male competitions is more intense and there is more at risk, and male driven associations produce more revenue than female driven associations. It is apparent that male and females are built differently therefore they have different abilities, females go through the same types of events and often have more on the line, and female athletics aren 't given the same recognition or praise. Then, maybe one day female will receive the same amount of pay as their male counterparts. As, Vera Nazarian once implied, “A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human.”
...ing on strong: Gender and sexuality in twentieth-century women's sport. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
the contrary to this belief, martial arts has had a rich history in a religious aspect as well. One
Ronda Rousey has had a major impact on women’s participation and interest in the sport of MMA. Mixed Martial Arts or MMA is the most violent sport there is today. Over the past 20 years Mixed Martial Arts has risen in popularity. MMA is seen as a male dominated sport though women’s participation in the sports has gone up recently. On February 23, 2013 two women were featured on the main fight card for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The fight in which Ronda Rousey defeated Liz Carmouche was a huge success. This fight was the first of its kind, for the previously all male UFC. Women have been competing in MMA since the mid-1990s, though for year’s women fighters were fighting in Japan. The first women’s MMA fight in the United States of
...her heritage and the rich history of womankind. The female athlete must be sensitive to this and show that, even as she succeeds in a traditionally male arena, she can satisfy this most basic of feminine ideals.
In Taiko drumming there is a doctrine that overlays the performance of this art form that can be explained through the phrase of “getting it right” (Bender, 2012, p.122) by which drummers inherit a particular form of drumming from their predecessors. Performers aim to perfect this form over continuous years of practice and never deviate from the norm, embellishment is not encouraged. This particular form requires power in the lower half of the body, “the bottom”, that moves through the upper body and into the arms to cause heavy strikes against the drum head (Bender, 2012, p.122). Both the doctrine of performance and the form of drumming are based firmly in expectations of performance that are based deeply in male capabilities, and on the perceived lack of female physical ability. Throughout the world of Taiko, most believe that women are unable to perfect the form needed to excel at drumming, with sentiments like “women are not endowed with the same kind of natural muscular beauty as men” (Bender, 2012, p.164) and that “women ought to just dance” (Bender, 2012, p.155). This
Capoeira: The Fight for Freedom Brazilian slaves trained capoeira to physically prepare themselves against the colonizers. West African slaves brought in by Portuguese colonizers created capoeira in Brazil’s rural areas during the 16th century. Capoeira became a mix of candomblé’s ijexá rhythm and movements, Yoruban’s cultural rhyme, Bantu’s berimbau, Portuguese’s viola, and Brazilian native’s literary composition of songs (Decânio, 2005). These slaves were extremely prohibited from practicing martial arts; therefore, capoeira emerged as a secrecy fighting style through dance.
If women are interested in combat positions, then they should be expected to perform at the same level physically ...