Martial Arts - Of Man and Woman
Martial Arts - Of Man and Woman Category, group, coed, per gender, etc., it would seem that any subject could be looked upon from many perspectives. Separation of race seems to be no longer a barrier as so much separation of gender. Each gender has to be separated in terms of lavatory/restroom, undergarments, and hygiene. However, there are physical differences between men and women. Physical differences do obviously exist between men and women (well, duh!), and we're all very pleased about that, I'm sure. But these differences do play out in other ways... beyond the obvious genitalia. Men are larger (10 to 11 cm more), heavier (of approximately 13 kilos), and have a muscular mass more than the women. Men are 10-15% larger than women, and 30% stronger, especially in the upper body. Men have larger hearts and lungs, and their higher levels of testosterone cause them to produce greater amounts of red blood cells. All of this translates into men being able to take in and distribute more oxygen to the cells of his body than a woman can (though this difference decreases between highly trained male and female athletes). The above differences in intake and delivery of oxygen translate into some other aspects of performance—if a man jogs along at about 50% of his capacity, a woman will need to work at over 70% of her capacity to keep up! However, if the men and the women are equal out of glycogen, the subject of endurance is rather favorable to the women. Women have fewer slow twitch muscle fibers (the muscle cells that work best for endurance activities). However, the fact that women have a higher percentage of body fat than men means they can supply fuel to our muscles longer than men. Research at Northwester University indicated that in an analysis of world-record times in events on land, in water, or on ice, the longer the event the better the women perform. In running, swimming and speed skating, the differences in times and distance turned in by men vs. women diminished the longer the event lasted. Men have better distance vision and depth perception, and usually better vision in lighted environments. Women have better night vision, see better at the red end of the light spectrum, and have better visual memory. Women are more sensitive to sound than men, and when women begin to lose their hearing, they lose it more gradually across all wavelengths, while men are more likely to lose it from the high or low tones of the hearing range. Women are better able to recall a face from the voice alone than men, and are able to remember faces better. There are some evolutionary issues going on here, obviously. Women may complain about a physical pain before men, but research indicates they are better able to cope with the emotional aspects of dealing with pain. For example, after a day of arthritic pain, female subjects reported less negative moods than male arthritic subjects. Women also do a better job of employing strategies to deal with pain, such as relaxation, meditation or distractions (preparing for childbirth, for example) than do men. Now, what does this all mean in terms of Men and Women Martial Artists? Can it be said that men are better martial artists because of strength? Can it be said, that women can be better because of endurance and tolerance? Can a woman acquire ability and actually employ the techniques and methods of her art to a real-life physical confrontation? If martial arts enable a smaller male to overcome a larger one, can this apperception be applied for women? Under discussion, these questions emasculate, pun intended, the essence of the martial spirit in both men and women. Women in martial arts frequently receive some disparagement and cynicism. Some of this comes from other women, who think it is appalling for a woman to study a fighting method. Some of this comes from the casual observer. And a large part of it comes from chauvinistic males. Thinking that a woman may have a natural limitation, perhaps due to the lack of strength and size, could neglect any chances of one being able to overcome the odds, or the opponent. This can challenge countless concepts within many martial art systems/styles. It would also seem that training teaches the martial artist to rely not only on strength and speed, but also upon accuracy, flexibility, discipline, perseverance, and intelligence. In other words, some martial arts teach the power of yielding, of sinking roots, and of strategy. Somewhat the later following the cliché'-"Brains over brawn". The martial way, would seem to have one study and apply a cornucopia of resources. Such as quick and low, hard and soft, aggressiveness and yielding. The martial artist gives life to a part of themselves that otherwise remain dormant and useless. The martial way is for the martial artist to defeat their weakness from within so that they may not be defeated from weakness in the outer. Men and women both know that greater strength and size give an undeniable advantage, and that it is important to develop the potential of muscular power. However, to believe that this constituent, along with endless hours of hardcore conditioning, seems to be a calumniation of the martial way. But, we have to be mindful here for that brute strength, couple with some experience, can overwhelm the weaker with semi-adequate experience. Women have a strong intuition, easily retain proper balance, and can generate immense power from the hips. Speaking of intuition, a woman is quick to sense weakness in her opponent. She can develop a tremendous sensitivity, such that her opponent is helpless against her knowledge of where and when to strike. She can also take advantage of his overconfidence and has a better position for the element of surprise. Women in training must explore their own inner worth and follow a path of their own, without being distracted by the path of their male peers. Women should not forsake those arts that can benefit a smaller person verses a larger with an attitude that she has something to prove. As with a mindset, if a man can do it, so can they. In other words, women should not strive to learn any particular martial art because a man does it. Just like separate lavatory/restroom, undergarments, and a woman has to undergo a more specialized training regiment. A woman should not train to become like a man, she should train to become the woman she is. Do you think females, pound for pund, could actually overcome and defeat men? Given that both are untrained and/or equally trained, that a female may not be up to being par with a male's strength?
Martial Arts - Of Man and Woman Category, group, coed, per gender, etc., it would seem that any subject could be looked upon from many perspectives. Separation of race seems to be no longer a barrier as so much separation of gender. Each gender has to be separated in terms of lavatory/restroom, undergarments, and hygiene. However, there are physical differences between men and women. Physical differences do obviously exist between men and women (well, duh!), and we're all very pleased about that, I'm sure. But these differences do play out in other ways... beyond the obvious genitalia. Men are larger (10 to 11 cm more), heavier (of approximately 13 kilos), and have a muscular mass more than the women. Men are 10-15% larger than women, and 30% stronger, especially in the upper body. Men have larger hearts and lungs, and their higher levels of testosterone cause them to produce greater amounts of red blood cells. All of this translates into men being able to take in and distribute more oxygen to the cells of his body than a woman can (though this difference decreases between highly trained male and female athletes). The above differences in intake and delivery of oxygen translate into some other aspects of performance—if a man jogs along at about 50% of his capacity, a woman will need to work at over 70% of her capacity to keep up! However, if the men and the women are equal out of glycogen, the subject of endurance is rather favorable to the women. Women have fewer slow twitch muscle fibers (the muscle cells that work best for endurance activities). However, the fact that women have a higher percentage of body fat than men means they can supply fuel to our muscles longer than men. Research at Northwester University indicated that in an analysis of world-record times in events on land, in water, or on ice, the longer the event the better the women perform. In running, swimming and speed skating, the differences in times and distance turned in by men vs. women diminished the longer the event lasted. Men have better distance vision and depth perception, and usually better vision in lighted environments. Women have better night vision, see better at the red end of the light spectrum, and have better visual memory. Women are more sensitive to sound than men, and when women begin to lose their hearing, they lose it more gradually across all wavelengths, while men are more likely to lose it from the high or low tones of the hearing range. Women are better able to recall a face from the voice alone than men, and are able to remember faces better. There are some evolutionary issues going on here, obviously. Women may complain about a physical pain before men, but research indicates they are better able to cope with the emotional aspects of dealing with pain. For example, after a day of arthritic pain, female subjects reported less negative moods than male arthritic subjects. Women also do a better job of employing strategies to deal with pain, such as relaxation, meditation or distractions (preparing for childbirth, for example) than do men. Now, what does this all mean in terms of Men and Women Martial Artists? Can it be said that men are better martial artists because of strength? Can it be said, that women can be better because of endurance and tolerance? Can a woman acquire ability and actually employ the techniques and methods of her art to a real-life physical confrontation? If martial arts enable a smaller male to overcome a larger one, can this apperception be applied for women? Under discussion, these questions emasculate, pun intended, the essence of the martial spirit in both men and women. Women in martial arts frequently receive some disparagement and cynicism. Some of this comes from other women, who think it is appalling for a woman to study a fighting method. Some of this comes from the casual observer. And a large part of it comes from chauvinistic males. Thinking that a woman may have a natural limitation, perhaps due to the lack of strength and size, could neglect any chances of one being able to overcome the odds, or the opponent. This can challenge countless concepts within many martial art systems/styles. It would also seem that training teaches the martial artist to rely not only on strength and speed, but also upon accuracy, flexibility, discipline, perseverance, and intelligence. In other words, some martial arts teach the power of yielding, of sinking roots, and of strategy. Somewhat the later following the cliché'-"Brains over brawn". The martial way, would seem to have one study and apply a cornucopia of resources. Such as quick and low, hard and soft, aggressiveness and yielding. The martial artist gives life to a part of themselves that otherwise remain dormant and useless. The martial way is for the martial artist to defeat their weakness from within so that they may not be defeated from weakness in the outer. Men and women both know that greater strength and size give an undeniable advantage, and that it is important to develop the potential of muscular power. However, to believe that this constituent, along with endless hours of hardcore conditioning, seems to be a calumniation of the martial way. But, we have to be mindful here for that brute strength, couple with some experience, can overwhelm the weaker with semi-adequate experience. Women have a strong intuition, easily retain proper balance, and can generate immense power from the hips. Speaking of intuition, a woman is quick to sense weakness in her opponent. She can develop a tremendous sensitivity, such that her opponent is helpless against her knowledge of where and when to strike. She can also take advantage of his overconfidence and has a better position for the element of surprise. Women in training must explore their own inner worth and follow a path of their own, without being distracted by the path of their male peers. Women should not forsake those arts that can benefit a smaller person verses a larger with an attitude that she has something to prove. As with a mindset, if a man can do it, so can they. In other words, women should not strive to learn any particular martial art because a man does it. Just like separate lavatory/restroom, undergarments, and a woman has to undergo a more specialized training regiment. A woman should not train to become like a man, she should train to become the woman she is. Do you think females, pound for pund, could actually overcome and defeat men? Given that both are untrained and/or equally trained, that a female may not be up to being par with a male's strength?