- This topic has 14 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 2 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I’d like to hear some experiences from females in KM.
I’m pretty new. Maybe 4 months.
We do some exercises where a full sized male is running towards me, full on, and I’m supposed to hit or kick him or sometimes run through him instead.
I have a problem with this exercise in that I’m 135lbs and most males significantly outweigh me. Seems like straight up physics. I’m better off dodging, not throwing a leg out and getting it ripped off, or pretending I’m a linebacker.
After having someone (male) repeatedly trying to run me over, I had a near meltdown.
Mostly, I like KM, love challenging myself, and am okay with practicing attacks with males or females. But if I see a male, running full speed at me, I don’t think anything in the world can persuade me that it’s okay to kick him rather than get out of the way.
I’m curious on thoughts about this topic, or any other female related KM topics.
Re: Women in KM?
Welcome to the forum,
Defensive with front kicks – drive me nuts still. I’ve definitely lost my balance more than once. It does take practice and getting over someone coming at you. Later, that’s your foundation for when someone comes at you with say, a knife for instance.
You’re being too hard on yourself. Some folks take longer to get it than others-that’s the way it is. I thought hubby and I couldn’t make it to level 3-proved THAT wrong:D:.
Yeah, in real life if you can get away first, by all means do. You have to be ready though for that chance that you can’t. The 4th saying in my sig line explain this well :wav:
Re: Women in KM?
Phoebe –
I’ll try to answer your question from an instructor’s point of view. Please keep in mind that I have no idea as to the exact context of the drill you were involved in.
If I had a 200 lb. man charging at a 120 lb. female, I’d be looking for the female to get off the train tracks and attack from the side or behind. As Ryan Hoover often says, “Why stand in front of a guy and fight all of him when I can move to the side and fight half of him?”
My goal as an instructor is to train my students under some stressful conditions so that they will be prepared for the reality of an attack. A bad guy would be very likely to attempt to charge you and overpower you with an attack. If you haven’t faced some attacks like that in training, you won’t have a plan for a real-life situation. So, as MJ said, a defensive front kick to create distance and stop the attack (for the moment, at least) could be used as a first line of defense, followed by an aggressive attack on your part to turn the tables on the aggressor.
I hope that this helps. Please stay with it – some of the best students we train are smaller women with big fight in them!
Re: Women in KM?
I agree with MJ and Steve; move if you can. It is also worth noting that you may not always be able to move out of the way, either because there isn’t time or there isn’t room. Also, remember, in class you are kicking a pad, not a person.
Re: Women in KM?
Steve, if I throw a front kick at a literal freight train, my leg will get shredded to bits.
I’m not convinced it’s much different with a 250lb guy running at me.
Instinct says, DODGE.
Physics would seem to agree.
There’s been a few exercises where this has come up. One wasn’t about front kicks, so much as just running across a room and damn the torpedos if anyone was in the way. I’d dodge instead of play linebacker. But the point was not to dodge, it was to run and if someone got in your way, “run them over.”
I’m not going to be terribly effective in running over guys that outweight me and have that much height on me.
I have great days in KM where I love it, love the aggression, love to really get in there and fight. But so often, I think if I weren’t under contract, I’d quit.
If I try to spar with my SO, I lose….big time. And none of the KM techniques that help in class, seem to do much. He’s much bigger than me. And again, it seems like simple physics.
I figure my only real advantages are:
– tactical surprise (no one would expect me to fight back)
– weapons (I carry a kubotan nearly all the time, and often have a pistol)Realistically? Learning to be aggressive was something I needed. But if someone is intent on hurting me, and I’m empty handed, I’m probably going to lose.
Re: Women in KM?
Phoebe –
I get what you’re saying about the laws of physics. And I agree. Getting off the train tracks is the only thing that makes sense in the context you’ve laid out.
I also think that you’d do better in a bad situation than you think that you would. Here’s why: Most people (not just women) are not mentally prepared for the terror of a violent encounter. They freeze. They turtle. They wish the problem away. Due to just the small bit of training that you’ve have to date, you’re already well ahead of the vast majority who have never undertaken something like Krav Maga.
Krav Maga helps motivate people not to be victims. It gives you a response to a threat. Why do we do a million groin kicks? So that when it’s game time, that kick becomes automatic! We made t-shirts for our women’s self-defense class that say, “Get in touch with your inner bitch!” It’s our mantra in that class! Refuse to be a victim! Turn the tables on an attacker. Most bad guys are not ready for that. Train to strike at the groin, the knees, the eyes, the throat, the ears, the back of the neck. Learn to use your knees, elbows, head, etc. as weapons. Give yourself permission to utilize something nearby as a weapon to save your life. This is what Krav Maga is all about!
I urge you to keep training. Also, I’d suggest that you talk with your instructor about your concerns and get her / his input. They’ll help you out, I’m sure. And please keep us posted. We all want you to succeed.
Re: Women in KM?
Woman, listen to these guys. I’ve had the honor to train with Ryan and he and Steve have given wonderful advice since I’ve been here.
I KNOW it’s not normal to let someone try to attack you. It bugs the crap out of me still. You’ll get your body to where if someone attacks, it won’t let someone touch you without a hell of a fight.
If you can get away, go for it but if you can’t don’t be a sitting duck:wav:
Steve-any more shirts left? I’d take a largerofl2rofl2
Re: Women in KM?
quote mara_jade:Steve-any more shirts left? I’d take a largerofl2rofl2Funny you should mention that! I’m bringing one for you. In trade, I’ll expect a PM to tell us the things we shouldn’t miss in San Antonio!
Re: Women in KM?
Yeah, I’m DA WOMAN-LOL!!!rofl2rofl2rofl2 I’ll go find the PDF with the FTF schedule to see what free time y’all have 😉
Ahhh..Rodeo’s coming ;)- Pardon the thread Hijack Phoebe
http://www.sarodeo.com/livestock_show/schedule.html
Re: Women in KM?
I thought I’d add my own .02 worth here.
Lately there aren’t many women training in level 2 or higher classes at my school. I’m a level 2 student. And sometimes, when some of us roll out of bed to take a 7am class, it may be just me..being the only woman with 4 or 5 guys much bigger than me.
This morning is a perfect example..my usual training partner (a woman) had an early morning meeting at her office and couldn’t make it, so it was me..and 3 other guys. All of whom are much bigger than I am. Our instructor had us doing combatives and then we’d have go get on the ground and try to get our opponent on his back. Me…there was no way I was going to win and my partner (who probably outweighs me by at least 40 or 50 pounds) was skilled in groundfighting. So, there I was….about to be pinned and miraculously got out of it with a simple buck, trap and roll. I think he was as suprised as I was that it worked..and by that point, I was feeling like I could’ve gotten out of the situation with a few key strikes and gotten home safely.
With all due respect, I think you may be psyching yourself out and automatically putting yourself in at a mental disadvantage from the get go. Sometimes you can’t dodge…a guy’s gonna come up to you and grab you before you even realize what’s happening. Don’t mentally give up before you’re even in the situation.
Did I know my training partner was going to kick my butt…of course. Did I let his size and weight advantage dissuade me from giving it my all? Nope. I even learned a thing or two after all was said and done.
Hang in there and give it a chance.
Re: Women in KM?
BPeeps
Just wanted to say BRAVO to you
You are why we teach, you are what Krav Maga is all about. You gave good advice and let us all know how you tackle obstacles!Well done
JL
Re: Women in KM?
Steve and Ryan are absolutely right. In fact, I asked a similar question in training where they were both present, and Ryan paired me with the biggest guy in the room. It was a round kick defense, not a front kick, but same theory. Did I mention I am a 5 foot tall woman? GET OUT OF THE WAY! I couldn’t feel my leg for three days! It didn’t break, but it did hurt. ALOT. There is no failure in running. Rule #1 of self defense, is don’t put yourself in that situation, if you can help it. Thank you Mr. Hoover. Life long lesson learned!
Re: Women in KM?
Phoebe –
As stated I hope you’ve spoken to your instructor about this issue. I’ve been doing krav for 3 years. James does an all level lunch class (I ADORE it & have done it religiously since starting) and it’s usually all guys and me. Those first 4-6 months of class I was terrified before every class. BUT I wanted it – because those guys didn’t go light on me. I learned I had to and COULD go at their speed & intensity. But, trust me, it took every ounce of will power to NOT run out class (James – I will admit I ran out of Expert ONCE so blah, lol)Keep at it Phoebe. It WILL get easier. You WILL learn that you’ve got the demon bitch in you & you will not let those big guys hurt you.
Congratulations!
And Steve – that saying is AWESOME!!! I don’t think you’re coming to CO for WC otherwise I’d tell you to bring them here – cuz we’ve got some bitches 😀
Re: Women in KM?
J Millar is one of my favorite Krav ladies of all time, btw! She doesn’t back down from anyone!
Jenn – I pray the day will come when I can darken the doorstep of Colorado Krav Maga!
Re: Women in KM?
quote Phoebe:I have great days in KM where I love it, love the aggression, love to really get in there and fight. But so often, I think if I weren’t under contract, I’d quit.Realistically? Learning to be aggressive was something I needed. But if someone is intent on hurting me, and I’m empty handed, I’m probably going to lose.
I’m so sorry to hear you say that. You have to get out of this mindset. It is important in your training to take yourself out of your comfort zone and train in situations that scare you or make you uncomfortable. No one likes these situations and some of the drills can be very daunting, but it’s this type of training that will help you on the streets and will give you the confidence it seems that you need. I’m 5’3 and 110lbs. I’m getting ready for my blue belt exam and I’m the only female at my level in my school. Needless to say, I get tossed around and bruised up quite a bit. I used to absolutely hate it. There were days that I thought this just sucks and I’m tired of getting my ass handed to me. But I can tell you Phoebe, I seriously doubt someone my size is going to attack me out on the street. If I am attacked it’s going to be by someone much bigger and stronger and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to know how to defend myself. Don’t give up on yourself or Krav. Train as hard as you can and in as many different scenarios as possible. Your life may depend on it one day.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
