There are many reasons, in my opinion, why female martial artists stand out or make a difference.  Here are three things that impact my opinion the most.

1. They train.

In my martial art career, I have been fortunate enough to meet some very awesome female martial artists and female martial art instructors.These are important relationships to me because in the big scheme of things, there are not a lot of us out there. Because of that, martial arts women are naturally empowered and seen by other women and girls as role models.  Only a select few of the entire population of women actually train in the martial arts, although the numbers seem to be increasing.  My image of “The Martial Arts Woman” would be significantly less interesting if every woman trained.  Everyone wants to know more about women who train, why they train, and how they train.

Martial arts women train right alongside the men.  There are times when they may only work with another female partner if a particular grab or technique is compromising or would make them uncomfortable to learn it with a male partner.  This is rarely the case.  Generally, men and women work together and they learn better that way.  The woman starts to understand how to cope with a man, where his weaknesses are, and how to use his body to her advantage in defense.  Working with varying shapes and sizes helps women tremendously because their attacker is not going to be a predictable size.

Men cannot help but consider this female martial artist partner akin to their mother, sister, or daughter.  They want to know that there are avenues of escape and fighting techniques that really work for the women in their lives.  Men usually have no difficulty training with a female martial artist to allow her to achieve her potential, because she represents “every woman” he knows and loves. Most male partners want their female partners to find success, partly for this reason.  It is unspoken, but it is there.

In the dojo, the martial arts woman needs to prove something to herself.  When she practices, she gives her all.  She does not want to train just for fun.  She is not only seeking remedies for potential attacks, but she has a personal goal in mind.  When asked why they want to take a martial art, most women reply that they want a black belt as the ultimate goal.  They train for more than fitness, losing weight, or even self defense.  They train for the kind of personal achievement that encompasses all of those things, and more.

The female martial artist rules because she’s in the game.  She wants to learn every intricate detail of training that she can get. She wants to be fierce, determined, and prepared.  She is not interested in mediocrity and knows what she wants.

2. They bond.

Female martial artists have many similarities to male martial artists; but there are some straight up differences that I’ve noticed.  While male martial artists are competitive even with each other, trying to out-win the other or do a better job while practicing as a pair or team, female martial artists have a whole different approach.

I’ve seen it in young girls to teens, to adult women in class.  While the guys spend their efforts on executing quickly and precisely and individually, the female martial artists help each other.  They will stop what they are doing to show the technique to another student or to each other; they look for better ways of performing a skill; try to fix their own inadequacies; and undeniably work as a team.  In a line for a kata practice, they are more in unison and in sync than the men.  They find a group tempo to follow and act as a cohesive unit.

It is not the only time in sports that I’ve seen a different type of relationship between the female athletes and male athletes.  My sons were basketball players for years.  The biggest frustration for them was the “ball hog” or the player who would not pass the ball.  Every team had one.  Or, there were friends on the team who excluded other players from the plays because they would rather pass to their friends than other players. The girls’ teams, though, were different in this regard. The girls diligently passed the ball from one to the other until the time was ripe to take a shot.  They didn’t rush it.  There was a thought process and a patience because they were rooting for each other.

Men and women are different, but one is not better than the other.  They have different reactions and behaviors in the same situations.

Female martial artists rule because they not only help each other, they bond as if a team, and each member wants the others to succeed.  I find the same to be true with my female martial arts friends on social media.  I see fewer negative comments from the martial arts women about certain topics that seem important to the men, and the women frequently provide positive and generous feedback to each other.  Maybe their connection happens because their role as a woman in society expects it; or maybe because they realize they are much stronger when bonded together.   For them, there’s no ball hogging on the martial art court.

3. They Discover.

The martial arts woman is not generally a fighter at heart.  She is not taught ahead of her martial arts practice to exert force or to be fierce.  Any beginning martial art student can view karate skills as somewhat robotic or as an exercise or activity.   Eventually its mental and physical components are explored more fully.

The martial art woman discovers that what she at first thought was the art of self-defense is actually the art of fighting.  She starts to explore her mindset because no one ever told her that she was capable of more than just defense.  She must learn the counter attacks and she can only do that once she believes in herself and that’s what this learning is all about; the physical application and the mental acceptance.

The exploration continues in her mind.  She learns that there is a lot more to this art than she ever realized. Yes, some movements are memorized, like a dance of sorts, but when she uses focus and puts forth a great effort, she begins to change.  Everything she believed about herself is shattered.  She is not weak, incapable, or unpredictable.  She must break character from everything she has ever known or learned about being a woman and to her surprise, it is a very positive realization.  She discovers not who she thought she was, but who she really is.

A martial art is nothing without a practitioner; and a practitioner is nothing without her martial art. A female martial artist rules because she views her martial art training as a discovery.  She investigates its true personal meaning through an exploration of her own values and belief systems and she learns to adapt.  While men think nothing of being involved in a martial art, the “martial” part of it is new to the female practitioner.  The concept of being a “fighter” in a martial art equates to learning to be a “fighter” in life and that is where the biggest discovery takes place.

As a female martial artist, a friend, a role model, and a woman, I believe in applying martial arts to my daily life.  I have personally trained, bonded, and discovered through my practice and my mindset.  There is no turning back to who I was prior to delving into the martial arts, and in all honesty I have no desire to ever be that person again.

Female martial artists rule and I’m proud to be one.

Andrea