Training Women in the Martial Arts: A Special Journey

This succinct book is unabashedly, and refreshingly, fearless. The authors state three aims: - inspire more women to train in martial arts, - help those who know women martial artists be better at supporting them, and - educate those who teach women in martial arts and self-defense about the reality of violence against women today. Sounds great, but what's so fearless and refreshing about that? One would think that with women's breakthroughs into the martial arts over the last several decades, obstacles facing women in martial arts would have faded away by now. Yet even though more women than ever are beginning martial arts training, fewer stay with it for a significant length of time compared to their male counterparts. This book is fearless and refreshing because Lawler and Kamienski pinpoint not only reasons that individual women may choose to stay or leave training, but also societal structures that encourage women to forego learning crucial skills involving strength, confidence, and safety. The authors are not afraid to use the "f" word (feminist) many times. They even describe our social structure as "patriarchal." These days, that's refreshing. And fearless. And, alas, accurate. The first chapter enumerates some reasons that women begin martial arts training. It includes what to look for in a school that will welcome women. The three middle chapters ("Gender Roles," "Power Dynamics," and "Hierarchies and Rank") each deal with the particular way that women can find themselves frustrated, sometimes without really knowing why. These chapters build on each other. I know women, as I'm sure you do, who believe that gender roles have no real power today. To the contrary, the authors point out the everyday interactions with families, friends, coworkers, other students, bosses, and others whose purpose is to keep us in gender/role boxes that are comfortable to others. The authors give suggestions on how to better recognize these interactions as well as steps to counteract them. In fact, the last chapter discusses ways the authors have, in their seminars and schools, instituted change. Any martial arts instructor who teaches women's self-defense read this book, and read it again. Streaming throughout this book are stories and statistics on violence against women, from desensitizing annoyances to outright assault. Many women enter martial arts because of their experiences with violence, or because of the experiences with violence they wish to never have. The authors make a clear distinction between the skills taught in martial arts and self-defense training. They give a lot of information on what needs to be included for a great self-defense program for women. Kamienski in particular is well-educated in women's self-defense issues and is certified as a self-defense instructor by the National Women's Martial Arts Federation (the premier and most rigorous organization that reviews and certifies self-defense i

I am not a martial artist, yet MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN: A Practical Guide both intrigued and entertained me. Lawler obviously has a zany sense of humor and the many personal anecdotes that she included in her text made MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN a very enjoyable read. The chapter on self-defense contains plenty of practical information about self-defense techniques that any woman could use, even if she is not well-versed in martial arts. And the chapter on physical concerns includes many warm up exercises that would benefit any athlete, not just a martial artist. For someone like me, who is curious about martial arts but has no background in them, MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN is a perfect beginner's book. Yet enough solid information is presented to satisfy the most avid female martial artist.

Jennifer Lawler seems to be a proficient writer about martial arts. I had bought my wife the book about TKD and woman before we found this. The wife claims that both books are good but that this one answers more questions about what women face going into the martial arts. She has loaned it out which is always a good sign. I looked through it and wished that I had found it sooner. Worth buying.

Lawler's book is definitely biased when it comes to martial arts styles--nearly every technique she describes or warning she gives is obviously more pertinent for taekwondo artists than for any other kind. But she puts her comments about troublesome male sparring partners clearly in context. For example: "Certain guys at certain ages and at certain ranks develop an attitude problem toward women" (p. 132), and "even in the most female-friendly school [and Lawler does not equate *female-friendly* with *wimpy*], women occasionally encounter men who have a condescending or belittling attitude toward them" (p. 34). Both the world of business and the world of martial arts are still mostly populated and run by men. Some female martial artists may never have to deal with prejudice against them, but again, if the pattern holds true, most of us women will at some point have the pleasure of being bullied or denigrated, even in the martial arts. I appreciate Lawler's attempt to put such negative experiences in context, and to give us some idea of how to deal with such a problem if (or when?) it arises.Reviewer Keith Nelson ([email protected]) wilfully misinterpreted the "rib-cracking" incident. Lawler asserts that her sparring partner "kept walking into [her] reverse punch" (p. 69), but then takes full responsibility for not having enough control to keep from breaking his ribs anyway. She describes how "appalled" she was that she had allowed the injury to occur. She relates how she lost her nerve and was encouraged and coached by *both female and male* sparring partners until she got it back. Then (and only then, because Lawler herself didn't label this man as a bully until hearing it from other women), she reveals that the sparring partner she injured was notorious for sparring too hard with partners he felt were less capable than he was. He quit coming to classes after Lawler broke his ribs. She says: "Occasionally, justice is served in the martial arts, and though I was still wrong and at fault for not using better control and for causing an injury, I felt oddly relieved. It was somehow appropriate that I, who didn't know the man's background, actually served to help him understand what it was like when your partner sparred too hard" (70).It seems to me that Lawler took full responsibility for her own error, while acknowledging that bullying and inappropriate aggression lead only to trouble and should not be tolerated. She encourages women to take problems with bullying, etc., to their instructors first and foremost, and then describes other reasonable tactics women can use if their sparring partners refuse to follow the rules.On the positive side, Lawler repeatedly encourages female martial artists to practice with both female and male martial artists, in order to develop a range of sparring abilities. She relates stories of positive experiences with both female and male sparring partners.Summation: Maybe the book should have been titled "Tae Kwon Do

I am not a martial artist, yet MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN: A Practical Guide both intrigued and entertained me. Lawler obviously has a zany sense of humor and the many personal anecdotes that she included in her text made MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN a very enjoyable read. The chapter on self-defense contains plenty of practical information about self-defense techniques that any woman could use, even if she is not well-versed in martial arts. And the chapter on physical concerns includes many warm up exercises that would benefit any athlete, not just a martial artist. For someone like me, who is curious about martial arts but has no background in them, MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN is a perfect beginner's book. Yet enough solid information is presented to satisfy the most avid female martial artist