Fighting--Should I do it?

I've been very interested in competitive fighting (something like karate, mixed martial arts, kung-fu, or boxing) for years, and I've always wanted to take a class. I was hesitant for two reasons: I am a girl, and I have a small stature (I stand at about 5'0 give or take an inch, and weigh about 100 pounds). I have been told that, because of my gender and size, I won't be taken seriously if I do decide to take a class (mixed martial arts and boxing in particular).

I'm curious, should I just go ahead and do it, or leave well enough alone?

I've been very interested in competitive fighting (something like karate, mixed martial arts, kung-fu, or boxing) for years, and I've always wanted to take a class. I was hesitant for two reasons: I am a girl, and I have a small stature (I stand at about 5'0 give or take an inch, and weigh about 100 pounds). I have been told that, because of my gender and size, I won't be taken seriously if I do decide to take a class (mixed martial arts and boxing in particular).

I'm curious, should I just go ahead and do it, or leave well enough alone?

Well what if you are not taken seriously? If you can deal with that (as a possiblity) then I see it as a good opportunity.

go train, have fun, enjoy!

before you actually compete in a real fight, it will be a long journey and lots of stuff can happen.

by the time you are qualified (if that ever happen) you may or may not change your mind.

either way there is nothing wrong with athletic competition, by training for it, you will practice dealing with all kind of negative emotions (like anger, impatience), practice humility (getting beat up a bit), get in a great shape and perhaps build long lasting healthy habits (eating well and exercising), and perhaps make a bunch of friends in the process.

Who's told you that? wombat's doos....

did you know that most Chinese and Japanese people (the countries these martial arts originated in) are below average height?
And that in every single Martial Art movie you see nowadays, there are accomplished female 'Masters'?
And that in sporting events women play an active, prominent and medal-winning role?

So... what's stopping you again?

Girls shouldn't fight, it's unladylike.

you have a point....

but when it's for real, nobody should fight.

I say do it. Maybe try to find a style that focuses more on technique and finesse than power.

Good exercise either way.

I was kidding of course. Fight girls are hot.

Definitly go for your dreams - you only remember living once - I have both trained with and taught women of various sizes - all have been awesome and its great to have a mixed class of all ages, sexes and backgrounds... great fitness tool and also (hopefully never happens) in this modern world not completely without its uses...

Thanks for all the responses. Yeah, I think I'll go for it. I was just having second thoughts. Also, because I am perceived as extremely girly and nonathletic (and short) my friends gave me a lot of shit and I think I let it get to me.

And ahahaha, unladylike! Don't care about that bit of it.

Go kick some arse... I see nothing wrong with it when it is done out of sport or art instead of anger. If it is what you want to do, use the negatism people place on you about your height and weight to your advantage... its an opportunity to overcome a perceived limitation, a nice challenge and a win win situation in that you have nothing to lose.

Kick ass grl!

I tend to agree... train; it'll be good for you. As someone who used to be very involved with a Judo/Jujitsu club, I can tell you that competitors come in all sizes and shapes.

That being said, for mixed martial arts and/or boxing, trained or not, it might be difficult to find competitors your size and weight class. However, you'll definitely find others to compete with in Judo, Jujitsu, Kung Fu, and Karate. Just think about these events in the Olympics; lots of different weight classes.

Martial art is not to be taken seriously. otherwise your super power can wanna be brought out to its ultimation. however, if you would to try fighting on the bed, that kind of ultimation is more lasting bliss :D

@PietroPumokin, we need you back man!

ittybittybat said:

I've been very interested in competitive fighting (something like karate, mixed martial arts, kung-fu, or boxing) for years, and I've always wanted to take a class. I was hesitant for two reasons: I am a girl, and I have a small stature (I stand at about 5'0 give or take an inch, and weigh about 100 pounds). I have been told that, because of my gender and size, I won't be taken seriously if I do decide to take a class (mixed martial arts and boxing in particular).

You need to go there and observe very closely any classes you are interested in taking.
You need to go there and observe very closely any instructors you are considering as your teachers.
You also need to seriously consider whether you are more interested in fighting for self defense or in fighting for "fun," for competition...
because there is a huge difference between those two.

Do NOT sign up for anything where students go sparring with one another long before they have developed the coordination and the skill level to be able to pull their punches and kicks and spar safely.
Do NOT sign up for anything where the instructor assures you that students sparring with one another long before they have developed the coordination and skill level necessary to do so with any degree of safety is "all perfectly well and good because we use really big protective pads here."
Pads do not protect against ligament injury, and ligament injuries can be quite permanent.

Yes, indeed, Bruce taught Linda...
but you'll have to look long and hard to find anybody even remotely comparable to Bruce as a teacher...
and don't settle for less...
because at 100 lbs,(unless you've got a whole lot of speed and a whole lot of flexibility to get out of the way) if anybody lands anything on you (and it happens all the time by accident when even skilled students are not always sufficiently skilled to do any better), you're going to be hurting.

Iktomi said:

Girls shouldn't fight, it's unladylike.

Males traditionally spar and wrestle and fight for fun and to establish dominance.
Females traditionally fight because their lives and/or the lives of their loved ones depend on it, and they do not fight for fun; they fight to kill.

Females can fight like hell with their words in my experience!!

go for it, I encourage learning. I will however point out that Karate and kickboxing are sadly not as street practical as they are ring practical, much like many martial arts that are taught outside of their homelands. Don't get develop a sense of security just because you can fight in the ring if you are going to do this.

Best of luck and keep us updated :)

searchingone said:

I will however point out that Karate and kickboxing are sadly not as street practical as they are ring practical, much like many martial arts that are taught outside of their homelands. Don't get develop a sense of security just because you can fight in the ring if you are going to do this.

Yes. Absolutely.
You must choose if you are fighting for fun and competition
or fighting for self defense.
There is a huge difference, and you must choose.

The origin of martial arts are mental therapy through physical wellness of strokings. Those strokes are formlessly driven innately along with naturely omni om :D its super beauty the way it was displaying but over the years of mental corruption, it becomes “gangsterism“ defence and attacks that never a good rest for their mind. Martial artists competition is not about the hit on opponent but how one withstand the blow physically and painlessly from the protection of its inner flow of omni energy. Disclaimer notice as i am no martial expert imagining the expertise of all martial masters in its origin. :D

aura said:

Iktomi said:

Girls shouldn't fight, it's unladylike.

Males traditionally spar and wrestle and fight for fun and to establish dominance.
Females traditionally fight because their lives and/or the lives of their loved ones depend on it, and they do not fight for fun; they fight to kill.

Are you saying that it's ladylike to kill. Where do you live?

aura said:

You need to go there and observe very closely any classes you are interested in taking.
You need to go there and observe very closely any instructors you are considering as your teachers.
You also need to seriously consider whether you are more interested in fighting for self defense or in fighting for "fun," for competition...
because there is a huge difference between those two.

Do NOT sign up for anything where students go sparring with one another long before they have developed the coordination and the skill level to be able to pull their punches and kicks and spar safely.
Do NOT sign up for anything where the instructor assures you that students sparring with one another long before they have developed the coordination and skill level necessary to do so with any degree of safety is "all perfectly well and good because we use really big protective pads here."
Pads do not protect against ligament injury, and ligament injuries can be quite permanent.

Yes, indeed, Bruce taught Linda...
but you'll have to look long and hard to find anybody even remotely comparable to Bruce as a teacher...
and don't settle for less...
because at 100 lbs,(unless you've got a whole lot of speed and a whole lot of flexibility to get out of the way) if anybody lands anything on you (and it happens all the time by accident when even skilled students are not always sufficiently skilled to do any better), you're going to be hurting.

Great suggestion. I think I'll do that. To be honest, I want to learn for both self-defense and competitive fun. I've always liked rough-housing for the most part, and I've always been very fascinated with the discipline, skill, determination, and effort that goes into learning and practicing a fighting style.

I realize this means I am going to take (more than) a few blows and have to actually work. And that's the part I like about it. But yeah, I don't want to sign up for a class that turns out to be shitty and a waste of money. I've heard the horror stories from bad teachers to "I think I'm badass and don't have to follow the rules" students.

I've actually been trying to build up strength and flexibility by stretching everyday to get my splits, and doing as many push-ups as I can until my arms give out.

@aura: I would agree with your statement about girls fighting to kill, not for fun, usually. Most of the girls I know that took some sort of fighting class did it because they wanted to know how to defend themselves. I don't know if this is true, but they guys I've talked to said that they would be more hesitant to kill someone in a fight, and most of the girls I've talked to said they wouldn't give it a second thought. I mean I would, because I don't like hurting people (haha, and I want to do competitive fighting, right?), but that's just me.

^^ Haha, those are cute.

The second one is not cute.
In the second one, that complete idiot is trying to impress the world with how well he can throw his qi, by throwing his qi against a baby, a growing developing vulnerable baby with absolutely no way to protect his qi!
That idiot is assaulting that baby's qi! It's NOT funny. What he is doing can negatively affect that baby's neurological, emotional, mental, and social development...
That man is not FIT to EVER be LEFT ALONE WITH A BABY
and he deserves a couple of cracked ribs from the qi effects of "enraged mother defending her baby."

Spaceless said:

Martial art is not to be taken seriously. otherwise your super power can wanna be brought out to its ultimation. however, if you would to try fighting on the bed, that kind of ultimation is more lasting bliss :D

"Fighting on the bed" does NOT lead to "lasting bliss."
"Fighting on the bed" constitutes SEXUAL ASSAULT and/or RAPE...
and if you want to play that game....
you had better be prepared to lose a testicle.

I still thought they were both funny, and I don't think the second one was meant to be taken seriously...

A dad having fun together with his child. Is the baby afraid? I don't think so.
I suggest judo. It is very well regulated and offers everything. Conditioning, full contact competition with strict referees. Very useful for self defense.

Spaceless said:

Martial art is not to be taken seriously. otherwise your super power can wanna be brought out to its ultimation. however, if you would to try fighting on the bed, that kind of ultimation is more lasting bliss :D

Crass. Not to mention sexist, since I highly doubt you would have dared say that to me.

Hubris said:

Spaceless said:

Martial art is not to be taken seriously. otherwise your super power can wanna be brought out to its ultimation. however, if you would to try fighting on the bed, that kind of ultimation is more lasting bliss :D

Crass. Not to mention sexist, since I highly doubt you would have dared say that to me.

At least you understood what he said.

Hi, late to the conversation but I haven't been here much lately.

I have been training in the martial arts for about twenty years and I have seen a lot of people achieve great things from a small stature (gender generally doesn't come into it). You do have to choose you art wisely though, assuming that you have the luxury of choice. For a smaller person I would not suggest an art where height, reach and bodyweight confer significant advantages so MMA and arts such as BJJ or Boxing in gyms that don't separate weight classes are not ideal. That is not to say that you couldn't learn much from them, just that you will have to show some fortitude to build up skill without being overly discouraged.

Other arts suitable for you would be Wing Chun Kung Fu (very popular with women due to the legend), Karate (especially Shotokan and Wado Ryu), Taekwondo, Hapkido and Aikido. Kendo is good but difficult to find and expensive and I don't really have enough experience of other forms of Kung Fu to share. I am told that Philippino, Indonesian and Malaysian arts are good for smaller people but as a big'un myself I don't know from personal experience.

Give it a go, but be aware that a sense of humour and an adventurous streak are essential.

Jeffrey said:

Females can fight like hell with their words in my experience!!

I wouldn't dare make a comment like that....

Spiny :D

Hubris said:

Spaceless said:

Martial art is not to be taken seriously. otherwise your super power can wanna be brought out to its ultimation. however, if you would to try fighting on the bed, that kind of ultimation is more lasting bliss :D

Crass. Not to mention sexist, since I highly doubt you would have dared say that to me.

Yeah, dude. You look like you can handle yourself in a brawl...watch out spaceless :)

@ittybittybat kick ass girl and have fun doing it. I figure being small has alot of advantages.

If all else fails, you are closer to the testicles.

Hey that's how much self defense I know.

@Lady_Alison Haha, thanks. That's always a guaranteed way of defending yourself.

ZenBadger said:

Give it a go, but be aware that a sense of humour and an adventurous streak are essential.

I have both. Trust me, I'm very silly.

And the more I study it, the more I'm leaning towards kung-fu. I didn't know this, but there's actually a Kung-Fu place in Detroit where I live. :)

aura said:

The second one is not cute.
In the second one, that complete idiot is trying to impress the world with how well he can throw his qi, by throwing his qi against a baby, a growing developing vulnerable baby with absolutely no way to protect his qi!
That idiot is assaulting that baby's qi! It's NOT funny. What he is doing can negatively affect that baby's neurological, emotional, mental, and social development...
That man is not FIT to EVER be LEFT ALONE WITH A BABY
.

My Dad use to do this to me all the time, but the odd thing is, that over time I had built up a tolerance... It really does not effect me anymore. :)

Sounds good, do you know what style?

What's, what's a 'qi'?

@ZenBadger I have no idea, honestly. I actually don't even know where to begin...

@ittybittybat I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but if you learn Kung Fu, you will not be kicking any ass, but you will be learning a very impressive art. Kung Fu is considered a "soft form" , while the Korean and Japanese forms are considered "hard" which focuses more on sparring.

Then you have Jujitsu... Forget the art, just learn what works to win a fight

Really? I have a friend from Japan who told me that karate (only japanese fighting form I know) is a lot less focused on sparring, and more focused on art, and that kung-fu was the other way.

But then again she has no formal training so...*shrugs*. Hey, slightly random, but what is Tai Chi?

ittybittybat said:

Really? I have a friend from Japan who told me that karate (only japanese fighting form I know) is a lot less focused on sparring, and more focused on art, and that kung-fu was the other way.

But then again she has no formal training so...*shrugs*. Hey, slightly random, but what is Tai Chi?

Interesting... I've taken Tang Soo Do (Korean) and we were very active in sparring tournaments, and the Kung Fu guys would come wearing their silk but only participating in the Kata competitions, which were fascinating to watch... I also took some Kenpo Karate, which is Japanese with Chinese origions, and even though it felt like a "hard form" in which I translated in my head into a form that could be used for sparring for points, we never participated in tournaments, so you may very well be correct in that.

I really enjoyed the philosphy behind the Kenpo training... strike to allow an opportunity to get away, and the Sensei really focused on techniques for the smaller, weaker individual dealing with larger opponents.

Tai chi is a very good meditative practice and an awesome martial art for combat - but it is very very slow - it will take you 10 years odd before youre anywhere near combat application.

I started with Judo - not a combat form but it was good grounding - whatever you start with is fine - like anything, you get out of it what you put in.

The comment on baby and qi was hilarious... I've been neck deep in martial arts for 25 years odd and still the elusive hadoken escapes me... think the baby was safe there!

Lady_Alison said:

Hubris said:

Spaceless said:

Martial art is not to be taken seriously. otherwise your super power can wanna be brought out to its ultimation. however, if you would to try fighting on the bed, that kind of ultimation is more lasting bliss :D

Crass. Not to mention sexist, since I highly doubt you would have dared say that to me.

Yeah, dude. You look like you can handle yourself in a brawl...watch out spaceless :)

I do not believe in violence, in fact I feel that no one has the right to lay their hands on another, except in case of self-defense. My point was that his crass remark would not have been made to a man, and was because she is female. I took offense to his intimation that she would be better off in the bedroom than engaging in a sport.

ittybittybat said:

I still thought they were both funny

robot said:

A dad having fun together with his child. Is the baby afraid? I don't think so.

Zero said:

The comment on baby and qi was hilarious... I've been neck deep in martial arts for 25 years odd and still the elusive hadoken escapes me... think the baby was safe there!

Aspiring martial artists take a closer look...
Was the baby "playing" with his father?
No. The baby was not engaged with the father. The baby was engaged with his toy and was ignoring the father completely.

What exactly caused the baby to fall over?
The father did not touch the baby. The baby fell over because all the muscles of the baby's back contracted hard enough and fast enough to throw him back from a securely seated position to land flat on his back.

Is the baby most likely right or left handed?
The baby is most likely right handed, as the muscles of his back contracted harder on his right side, causing him to both twist and fall to his right side, indicating that the muscles on his right side are more developed than those on his left. More developed muscles on the right side indicates right-side dominance: right-handedness.

Does the baby enjoy this treatment?
The baby, flat on his back and facing right, still refuses to engage the father.
The baby does not smile, coo, and extend his arms toward the father to repeat this performance in the least. The baby, having fallen back totally facing right, refuses to engage the father, immediately flipping completely to his left in order to engage the only other person in the room, the one holding the camera. The baby is not smiling. The filming abruptly ends right there.

Take a look at it from the baby's point of view...
What if it were you?
You are sitting at your desk engaged with your computer...
Your large intimidating boss suddenly throws his hands up right in front of your face...
Your startle/fear reaction is to pull backwards hard and fast...
twisting your back toward your dominant side because your dominant side has got heavier muscles because you use it more than your non-dominant side...
Your reaction is hard enough and fast enough to drop you out of your office chair and onto your back on the floor.
You do not engage your boss, but instead turn to some bystander filming this for an internet audience telling you that your boss is just "playing" with you and that this is oh so fun and funny to watch.
What a pity the filming ends so abruptly, completely failing to record your expressed delight with this fun game.

The greatest skill of a martial artist isn't kicking the ceiling.
The greatest skill of a martial artist is observation.

Telly03 said:

My Dad use to do this to me all the time, but the odd thing is, that over time I had built up a tolerance... It really does not effect me anymore.

A coworker said that his father had also been that way... that he too had built up a tolerance for such behavior, and that nothing affects him anymore. He is pushing 60 and it truly does seem as though nothing affects him anymore... except for the fact
that somehow he just never developed the trust, communication, and interpersonal skills necessary to create a successful intimate relationship with another human being.

Perhaps this is the cause for my frequent indigestion?

The fact the the baby is ignoring his father could mean one of two things.
One, that he is repeating something that he has done before and is not surprised by it, is perhaps humoring his dad. That's what it looks like to me. There does not seem to be much impact. As if he is falling back on cue. Like a game.
Or two, this is the first time the father has tried this. In which case why does the baby not react with fear or pain. Also why would the person filming (likely the mother) stand by for what could be a dangerous experiment.
Perhaps because both these people are irresponsible dangerous fiends. If so why is the baby playing normally and ignoring these people if he is accustomed to being harmed by them?
There is not enough information to go on to accuse this man of being an unfit father.
When my kids were babies and young kids they loved rough and tumble play. Did their muscles clench up? You bet.

@hubris oh ...:)...still wouldn't want to piss you off...

robot said:

One, that he is repeating something that he has done before and is not surprised by it, is perhaps humoring his dad. That's what it looks like to me. There does not seem to be much impact. As if he is falling back on cue. Like a game....
...When my kids were babies and young kids they loved rough and tumble play.

It has apparently been so very long since your own children were babies that you sadly fail to realize
1. what a 5 or 6 month old baby looks like
2. that one NEVER engages in "rough and tumble play" with such a young baby
3. that such a young baby has absolutely NO concept of "humoring" anybody
4. that such a young baby cannot be trained to twist abruptly and "fall back on cue like a game" like some professional Hollywood stuntman completely miming the reception of some non-existent physical blow
5. that "rough and tumble play" with children involves mutual consensual physical contact and mutual consensual engagement.
6. that the mutual physical contact of "rough and tumble play" must also be mutually respectful, safe, and developmental age-appropriate
7. that bodily muscles suddenly clenching up violently in the body of a human being WITHOUT ANY PHYSICAL CONTACT OR PHYSICAL STRESS APPLIED WHATSOEVER TO THAT BODY is a clinical sign of SHOCK and EMOTIONAL DISTRESS

The baby reacts with shock, and the filming very abruptly stops before the baby cries. Take a look at his face, take a look at his eyes; he is just about to blow.

Surprisingly although my own children are adults, I have a niece and two nephews under three years old.
Granted much of what you have said about age appropriate play is true, you have not answered my points about the baby's calm demeanor prior to the "assault".
I also dispute that the baby is "about to blow". Perhaps spaceless can provide a link for that clip so we can view more of it. If that baby bursts into tears, I will agree with everything you have said.
Atm I would say the boy chased by the chicken is more likely to be scarred for life especially if the chicken caught up to him.