Why Girls Dont Fight

[chop chop]

There has been a lot of talk of the forum lately as two why girls dont compete more, although I train loads and love sparring and fighting I havent competed in years (most comps were full contact but only very little mma). The main reasons are:

1: Work - Going into uni and shift work with bruises and black eyes etc was fine, but the job that I do now involves a lot of face to face meetings, and I know that there would be more than a few raised eyebrows if I came into the office beaten up. I know there are alternatives such as no ground and pound etc, but I know that I wouldnt be satisfied with doing just that and not going or it 100%

2: The Hubby- He just doesnt get the fighting thing at all, and just worries all the time that I will "get my face smashed in"! The student instructor relationship may be easier for support, but it just doesnt work for everyone.

3: I have encountered some right twats when competing, including having some down right abusive texts etc sent by coaches when I have lost. Not a great why of helping to increase females in the sport.

My office job has also meant that I am way over weight, by 10kgs, and at the moment I am just way to lazy to loose the weight!!

I love womens fighting and enjoy following the girls, and altough the above sounds like a pile of shit excuses I bet a lot of girls will feel the same about some of them.

x

Originally Posted by chop chop

There has been a lot of talk of the forum lately as two why girls dont compete more, although I train loads and love sparring and fighting I havent competed in years (most comps were full contact but only very little mma). The main reasons are:

1: Work - Going into uni and shift work with bruises and black eyes etc was fine, but the job that I do now involves a lot of face to face meetings, and I know that there would be more than a few raised eyebrows if I came into the office beaten up. I know there are alternatives such as no ground and pound etc, but I know that I wouldnt be satisfied with doing just that and not going or it 100%

2: The Hubby- He just doesnt get the fighting thing at all, and just worries all the time that I will "get my face smashed in"! The student instructor relationship may be easier for support, but it just doesnt work for everyone.

3: I have encountered some right twats when competing, including having some down right abusive texts etc sent by coaches when I have lost. Not a great why of helping to increase females in the sport.

My office job has also meant that I am way over weight, by 10kgs, and at the moment I am just way to lazy to loose the weight!!

I love womens fighting and enjoy following the girls, and altough the above sounds like a pile of shit excuses I bet a lot of girls will feel the same about some of them.
x

No. .

[blodwyn]

I hear excuses like these everyday from both Male and Female students.

You fight for you.

Basically if you want it enough you'll do it....

You'll lose the weight
You'll dismiss the texts
You'll train and get support from your peers - the people in the gym that see you work your arse off to get where you want to be. Yes it would be nice if husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend would show some support but it's not a perfect world.

and Bruises on the face - well at least we have make up !!!

[donna]

Originally Posted by chop chop

There has been a lot of talk of the forum lately as two why girls dont compete more, although I train loads and love sparring and fighting I havent competed in years (most comps were full contact but only very little mma). The main reasons are:

1: Work - Going into uni and shift work with bruises and black eyes etc was fine, but the job that I do now involves a lot of face to face meetings, and I know that there would be more than a few raised eyebrows if I came into the office beaten up. I know there are alternatives such as no ground and pound etc, but I know that I wouldnt be satisfied with doing just that and not going or it 100%

2: The Hubby- He just doesnt get the fighting thing at all, and just worries all the time that I will "get my face smashed in"! The student instructor relationship may be easier for support, but it just doesnt work for everyone.

3: I have encountered some right twats when competing, including having some down right abusive texts etc sent by coaches when I have lost. Not a great why of helping to increase females in the sport.

My office job has also meant that I am way over weight, by 10kgs, and at the moment I am just way to lazy to loose the weight!!

I love womens fighting and enjoy following the girls, and altough the above sounds like a pile of shit excuses I bet a lot of girls will feel the same about some of them.

x

um............no

[chop chop]

Originally Posted by blodwyn

and Bruises on the face - well at least we have make up !!!

lol!
I suck at applying foundation!


I know that you should fight for yourself, however so many fighters (me included) will only compete for a few fights, due to life and priorities changing. The people like Rosi are exceptions. Wouldnt helping to understand the reasons why help improve female mma??

For those that said no, are you still active fighters.
If yes how do you balance fighting with work, if no why are you inactive?

[blodwyn]

Originally Posted by chop chop

I know that you should fight for yourself, however so many fighters (me included) will only compete for a few fights, due to life and priorities changing. The people like Rosi are exceptions. Wouldnt helping to understand the reasons why help improve female mma??

For those that said no, are you still active fighters.
If yes how do you balance fighting with work, if no why are you inactive?

I think "in general" people will compete for a few fights not just women.

I think it's something they can turn around and say they have done, not everyone wants to compete Professionally, this is their choice, I dont think it is a female only thing..

I have been competing for a number of years and love it. When my hours at work changed and I couldn't make a class I would replicate a previous class I had done (to my best ability/facility) when I got home, and/or run before work. There is no reason not to compete if you really want to - only excuses.

[quote=chop chop;145709]lol!
I suck at applying foundation!


I know that you should fight for yourself, however so many fighters (me included) will only compete for a few fights, due to life and priorities changing. The people like Rosi are exceptions. Wouldnt helping to understand the reasons why help improve female mma??

For those that said no, are you still active fighters.
If yes how do you balance fighting with work, if no why are you inactive?[/QUOTE]


I train everyday MA, weights or cardio and I teach all this arround working 12 hour shifts. No will will match me due to my age. I started MMA 8 years ago and was considered too old then. if you are young and fit there's no reason not to get off your backside train and compete.

[markjitsu]

Originally Posted by chop chop

1. it's just too hard
2. i don't really want to
3. i'm fat and lazy

i'm sure it's the same for all girls - now i'm off to paint my fat nails and eat chocolate.............
x

..................

[Femme-ma]

Originally Posted by chop chop

1: Work

I'm not too sure about this one. If you're going all out all of the time, you're just going to collect injuries. Realistically, I've collected more sprains, mat burns and body bruises than facial bruises. Plus, lots of people occaisionally pick up bruises due to sports. The best ones that I have seen have been from rugby. These are tolerated, so unless you make an issue of your choice of sport at work, most employers will understand if you occaisionally have a knock. If you don't discuss it too much at work, the assumption is normally that you got an accidental knock at a karate class. But really, it is a reasonably infrequent occurance unless you are competing, when you can always choose to take a few days off afterwards so you don't have to turn up with a shiner.

Originally Posted by chop chop

2: The Hubby- He just doesnt get the fighting thing at all.

My other half doesn't get it either. We just have an agreement that he doesn't want to come to competitions or fights with me. Although he did manage to knock me up so I couldn't fight pretty quickly after I started fighting.

That said, it is still less socially acceptable for women to be involved in combat sports than it is for men. You can see it in some of the reactions tothe Aisling Daly / Aysen Berik fight. Some women are going tp get more pressure from their partners than others. Although, I know guys with the same issue too! It would be good if social pressures didn't exist for women but realistically, they do.

Originally Posted by chop chop

3: I have encountered some right twats when competing.

That's a real shame. Maybe it goes back to social perceptions. Are women competitors seen as easier to get an edge on pschologically? Personally, I find discouragement like that is a motivator but I am peverse.

I still think one of the main reasons for a smaller range of female competitors is that it is harder to get women through the door of a club and to encourage them in a very male environment if they do decide to train.

[Rosi]

Actually, I think the OP makes a very valid point, although not one that is unique to women. Everyone, male or female, has lots of reasons not to fight. And if you, personally, don't want to do it badly enough to find a way past the reasons why not - then you shouldn't do it. The only good reason to fight is because YOU want to.

The guys and girls that do fight don't have fewer reasons not to - it's just that they do want it badly enough.

The fight I'm most proud of is the one I fought seven months after having a baby (by c-section). Aside from recovering from surgery, losing the weight, getting back in shape, there was the whole thing of finding time and energy to train while having a baby to look after.... I'd be up all night with a teething six month old, then have to be in the gym at 9 the next morning to spar. And if you think turning up to work with a black eye is a problem, try explaining it to your baby's health visitor. I've trained for fights in the middle of major personal upheaval that I can't even talk about on here. I've sat for days in hotel rooms on the other side of the world, hungry, thirsty and terrified. I've put up with being yelled at in training by my (then) ex (who, for the record, is an excellent coach... but still...)

I'm not saying all this to get a pat on the back. I didn't do it to impress anybody else. I did it for me. I wanted to do it badly enough, so I found a way. And it's not really that different from anyone else who fights.

Watching the other guys and girls on our team compete, everyone who gets in that ring or cage makes sacrifices to do it. Whether that sacrifice is not spending time with their family, strain on relationships, no social life, waking up every morning in pain, starving yourself to make weight, risking injury, the pain, exhaustion, emotional stress of training for a fight, sleepless nights.... everyone has their own personal demons to overcome and goes through their own individual hell in the run up to a fight.

But - to quote Abraham Maslow - “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.”

And a fighter must fight.

If that doesn't stir anything inside you, if you don't feel an urge, bordering on an obsession, to fight - then you probably shouldn't be doing it. All that means is that you're probably rather more normal and well balanced than those of us who do. Congratulations. Just don't attribute that to being female.