It Will Show Her She is a Strong Competitor
Thoughts from the “KARATE GUY”:
Girls are often thought of as the weaker sex. They grow up hearing things like: “You can’t do that, you’re not strong enough.” “Girls can’t do that, only boys can.” “You’re just a girl!” Most hear it so often that they even start to believe it.
One thing that I like about martial arts is that the moment you tell a girl that she isn’t good enough, or she is “just a girl ” it’s just about the same time that she puts her foot upside your face and proves that she’s just as good as you are, if not better. Martial arts offers her the vehicle to prove that no matter how small she is, she is still a force to be reckoned with. One of the most impressive forces in the world is dynamite. A small simple stick set off by a tiny little charge that creates such a huge impact on the world around it. She is dynamite.
I can walk around my martial arts school and look at the banners on the wall and see names like Jocelyn, Santana, Frankie, Kayla, Caroline, Beka, and the list goes on of all the girls who have competed and won regional championships, state championships, national championships, and world championships, and yes, the are all “just girls“.
You may say that they won them by doing “graceful” activities such as forms and you are partially correct. But they also won championships in weapons competitions using weapons such as a bo staff, double nunchucks, sword, and even small bladed hand held sickle called a Kamas. They also won them in fighting arts such as point fighting, kickboxing style continous fighting, and submission grappling. Oh and before you say they have only competed individually, they also won them in team competitions, and yes they are all “just girls“.
As I write this I’m also reading your mind. Your thinking, “Well Mr. KARATE GUY that’s all well and good, but they never competed against the boys!” You are correct….oh wait, no you’re not. In most martial arts competitions, girls will compete against boys up to a certain age. They compete against boys in forms, weapons, and sparring. Once they’re old enough and boys and girls are separated, then you find them competing against each other in what tournaments call grand champion. Grand Champion is where you will see all of the top champions of all age divisions, male and females going against each other for the title of Tournament Grand Champion. Over the years we have seen some of the best grand champions be as we have been saying “just girls“.
If I have seen anything in my time as a martial artist, a competitor, and an instructor, I’ve seen that no matter how small and weak she may look, she can still compete with the boys. One thing I have seen as a father of two girls who have been or are currently still training in martial arts is that they possess a spirit inside them that says that no matter what, I will never be held back from doing what I want just because I’m “just a girl“. Martial arts has given them the confidence to believe deep down inside themselves that they are not “just a girl“. They are a force to be reckoned with. They are a small bundle of confidence set off by a tiny fuse of will power ready to create a huge impact on the world around them. They are NOT just girls, they are dynamite!
As a dad of those two beautiful sticks of dynamite, l am proud to know that they have the confidence to not only stand up to the boys in their life, but they will also feel confident in their skills and abilities to compete against them in this never ending real world competition we call life.
In part 5 of this 6 part series…. It Will Show Her She is a Strong Competitor
The article by Century Martial Arts:
While young boys are regularly encouraged to embrace their competitive side, this is too often not viewed as “feminine” and girls are discouraged from pursuing competition with the same zeal. With martial arts, young girls can compete and apply the skills they learned in a nurturing setting where investing in sporting accomplishment is not discouraged.
Also, in many athletic activities, especially as children age, males claim the upper hand: they are on average larger and have more muscle than females. However, many martial arts competitions, such as karate forms (called kata), are based on how well you can perform a technique. If she chooses to compete in these contests, she will be able to get compete against her male peers without her gender being seen as a disadvantage – something she should get used to. For stuff, like, you know, job applications. Promotions. Kind of important stuff.
A special thanks to Century Martial Arts for this amazing content in this article!
Charles Ruth is a husband, father of three, and the owner and Master Instructor of Fusion Martial Arts in Dandridge, Tennessee. His primary focus is to help today’s youth become inspired to live their best life through martial arts.
The Karate Guy 