This is somewhat of a relic from my days as a Journalism and Creative Writing student – I thought I’d spruce it up a little and post it here, since I reckon being informed is always a good thing…

Self-defense is a huge topic these days.  One of the issues within that topic is whether learning self-defense skills are worth it for a woman, as we are normally the “weaker sex”.  However, I believe that women in general can benefit from learning martial arts – the reasons are numerous, and not least for self-defense.  A close friend who is a 1^st Dan Black belt (Shodan – JKA/ Shotokan) in Karate, says that “Self-defense in this day and age has become as much of a necessity as it was in the time it was created”.  Self-defense skills are largely the main reason many people do martial arts, but as you will see later in this post, there is a lot more to be gained.

A major part of martial arts is fitness.  We can benefit from weight-loss and muscle-building (or “toning”, in case you think you’ll end up looking like Godzilla) and in turn facilitate a healthier lifestyle.  Martial arts also build one’s character, and boosts self-confidence.  And, even though we are the “weaker sex”, once you know where and how to hit an attacker, you have a good chance of getting away (and doing some damage, for those of you who are a little more vindictive).  Some martial arts teach you to use your fully body weight behind each strike, while others teach you to use pressure points and an attacker’s own strength against him/ her, making you more effective.

All of this takes practice, however, and dojos (or training facilities) can be found in most towns and cities.  The costs vary, and are different for each style (you have to buy special gear for some styles).  All you have to do is make a decision of which style of martial arts would suit you best, be it Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Taekwondo, Kickboxing, or any of the numerous other styles available, and make contact with one of the instructors.

For example, Jiu-Jitsu is mainly a non-striking but full contact grappling/ submission martial art, while Kickboxing is full-contact striking.  Karate includes both full-contact and semi-contact styles – and also focuses on non-contact techniques such as kata, which is a sequence of “choreographed moves” performed alone or in a team (unison kata).  Taekwondo is a style similar to karate, but it is distinguished from it by its kicking techniques.

Some styles encourage competition, believing it encourages sportsmanship and more efficient fighting skills. It is also a great way of assessing whether your months of training have paid off.  Others discourage this, believing in concentrating on the more traditional aspects of martial arts rather than on winning trophies (such as building moral character).  Many forms of martial arts combine competition and traditional forms, however, so a person gets the benefits of both.

There are a few pros and cons for each, but the main thing to think about is: how effective will YOU be at the end of the day?  Full-contact martial arts can be a bit hair-raising, as I found out a number of years ago when I joined a Kickboxing dojo.  Having come from a traditional Shotokan Karate background, and not being much of a fighter myself, the full-contact punches and kicks came as shock.  Needless to say, in a way, Karate never prepared me for this.  However, I don’t want it to seem as though this is a usual case – if I actually enjoyed that aspect of martial arts, I wouldn’t have come off “second best”.  That is one of the cons I experienced – however I have to admit that one of the main reasons for joining was to overcome my “fear” of fighting, which actually worked, somewhat!

A huge benefit of non-contact or semi-contact martial arts, however, is the discipline and good technique that you start to develop.  Oh, and being able to block…

One of the pros of full-contact martial arts which I have found very useful, is body conditioning.  A very good sentiment learned in Kickboxing is that you can condition your body to take hits, but not your face, and therefore you should protect your face at all times. It’s not something that comes naturally when you are used to another style (or haven’t done martial arts before), but you are literally forced to get the hang of it very quickly. A good friend of mine who is a Shodan (1^st Dan Black belt – Shuriken) in Kickboxing, says that, “Defence and self-awareness becomes second nature and in an attack on the street the habitual training comes handy – you may surprise the attacker simply in reaction. As much as we would all like to stick around and beat the s#$t out of the attacker,  realistically he/ she is usually stronger than you and the best idea is to react defensively, and do what is necessary to get yourself out of the situation as quickly as possible”.

The nice thing about most martial arts dojos is that you will never get thrown in the deep end, and people are always willing to help where they can.  As with any sport, you get the people who really get into the sport to excel at either competition or to attain higher belt levels, and the people who just do it for the fitness or fun of it (and of course for the self-defense). My friend warns, however, that you should bear in mind if you are joining a Kickboxing dojo it is literally about kicking and boxing, not ballet, and you will be expected to eventually get into a ring and fight someone.

Something that is especially fun is Tae Bo, and even though this completely non-contact, you still benefit from learning various aspects of self-defense (if not always “good” technique – a particular bugbear of mine, coming from a very traditional background, but that’s just me).  It is really fast-paced, and is excellent as a cardiovascular and toning workout.  You also have the added benefit of working out to music, which is quite motivating.

So, should you be thinking of taking up martial arts at some stage, keep a few fundamental things in mind:

• Do you want to learn a full-, semi-, or non-contact form of martial arts?
• Do you want to learn grappling, striking, weaponry, or a mixture of these?
• Do you want to train to take part in competitions, or focus on the more traditional aspects?
• Do you only want to learn basic self-defense, and not take it up as a sport?

There is a vast amount of information about martial arts available on the Internet, and in libraries, and if you are interested in taking part in a particular style, their details can be found in your local phone book/ online.  You can also speak to friends and relatives who may already do a martial art, and go along to a class with them.  This is sometimes easier, as you don’t feel alone and/ or intimidated, and there is someone to support you as you progress.  There are also many self-defense workshops available, should you only want to learn the basics in order to defend yourself in case of attack.

Remember:  Taking up a martial art is a personal decision, and it’s not “for” everyone.  However, it is nice to be informed, and also nice to know that you can learn the skills to protect yourself, no matter who you are. Whichever style you choose, you can only learn (and, most importantly, benefit) from what you experience.

As the saying goes: “What you put in, you will get out.”

Note: this was written as a “submission for a women’s magazine” as part of my coursework, hence the target audience – however, I think the advice pertains to everyone (so gentlemen, please don’t feel left out 🙂 ).