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If just briefly, I should say first that I came to combat quite late. At one moment I just realized that I had to participate in sports in order to be in a good physical shape. I chose a self-defense class. Not just a regular self-defense but also one where ancient martial techniques were taught. "Transmitters" of these forgotten techniques just appeared when the democracy had come to our country and they started to actively propagandize them. As far as I know, such martial arts forms (Russian style) exist not only in Russia but also in the USA. It was later when I realized that the "roots" of martial arts located in the East, in China. But from practical point of view, the most useful are contemporary universal systems, which attempt to summarize all experiences and to select the most suitable techniques for any cases of self-defense. I changed a few clubs and trainers (I am grateful for the knowledge all of them have given to me). Eventually, I stopped on the technique that combines the both grappling and punching skills. Currently I am training in jiu-jitsu and kempo.
I am a winner of the VIII International Martial Arts Festival, in karate semi-contact nomination. Prizewinner of tournament in jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and Sanda.
Sanda is a Chinese kickboxing style where throws are used as well as punches and kicks. It's difficult to explain in a few words what Kempo is. It's a combat style using hitting technique slightly different from the traditional karate; it uses chops and low throws. A lot of attention is paid to working with weapon. To learn more it's better to visit the site Russian Kempo school (in Russian).
First of all, I expect that right conditions will be made in the club for regular sparring. People, who claim they participate in combat sports but avoid trying themselves in practice, surprise me. Combat without real practice is a kind of dancing. Exactly like the joke says: “boxers in absentia”. After enough girls have gathered there we will be able to solve the problem of sparring. I think it will improve our results. Besides, I expect we will be able to realize the other goals, which are designated in the state of the club “Namazon”. I won’t list them, they are shown at the WEB site and everyone who is interested could see them.
I hope so... But the promoters and the girls must accomplish a lot of work in order to earn real money.
As to women, I will be happy to give them private wrestling matches. I am not sure it will be interesting if a totally unskilled woman comes for wrestling first time but I still would offer it. By the way, time-to-time messages appear on your message board or on the forum in which men announce that they want to see their girl friends wrestle with other women… Please convince your girl friend call us and we will try to find her a matching opponent. But it’s a big difference between participating in real combative activities and discussing female combat problems sitting at the computer…
As to men, I also would be able to give them a match (that’s what some of them asked for on your forum and the message board). I will even try to resist as much as I can. But you should take into account that I am a woman after all and my abilities in this area are limited. I don’t want to bump into a 200-pound athlete-sadist.
Their usual reaction is a surprise. The most of men have a wrong picture of what a combative woman looks like.
You shouldn’t ask this question anymore. Why it’s unusual activity? Nowadays quite many girls participate in combative sports. Moreover, I would advise women to start doing wrestling instead of attending fitness or gym training. It’s a good opportunity to get an appropriate physical load and to get rid of excessive weight. You will be able to strengthen your muscles, to get some self-defense skills (which might stand in good stead), and to save some money (training in wrestling is far less expensive than fitness). Besides, fitness and training in gym are quite monotonous and boring activities. In wrestling you will have much more fun. In order not to be embarrassed under men’s looks you can start in a women only club like our club.
Definitely, this is just my personal opinion. I'll try to substantiate it. Why a woman goes to a fitness class of gym? I think the main reason is to improve her figure, remove excessive weight, to strengthen some muscles. There is even the term - fitness like woman. It can be achieved by persistent work. Human organism is adjusted under external conditions (loads). Depending of load types certain muscle groups get reinforced. To achieve real results and not to harm yourself you must be careful with loads. It's well-known that you really need a qualified trainer in the gym who is able to determine what exercises suit a particular person. But in any case, all those external loads are artificial.
What is wrestling (grappling)? This is one of the most natural physical exercises for human body. It's natural because humans like any other live creatures grow accustomed to it inherently. With progress of the civilization people have less and less necessities to fight or wrestle, so it becomes more difficult for them to have stocky muscles, handsome body and good moving coordination. So, wrestling classes and training give you the same as you could get in fitness club or in gym only if the classes are right organized. In other words, your opponent is the most natural and universal "exercise equipment".
There are two groups of combat sports: contact and non-contact contests. The non-contact combat classes are similar to dancing or fitness classes. By the way, there are fitness exercises, are claimed as combative moves (punches and kicks), for instance, Taibo. So, if you don't intend to wrestle or fight with someone you can be in the non-contact combat. The advantage of that will be similar to one of fitness. You will be taught how to "dance" and if you are lucky and manage to find a good class, you will get the same knowledge as a martial art student learns.
Contact combat sports may be separated into three groups: wrestling, punches/kicks, and mixed fighting. In the mixed fighting the both wrestling and hitting techniques are used. When doing wrestling you can get the greatest loads. In punch/kick combat loads are quite monotonous, like in boxing. Such combat forms are good for character hardening though. Actually, you can start from any combat form and any of them will be at least as effective as fitness. But wrestling is the most effective all the same.
I got the answer on this question reading the materials on your site. There are many photographs representing wrestling of quite mature women. And nothing wrong with that…
And is it possible to be in any sport after giving birth? I would say yes after a while. It helps restore the organism. It's well-known that many famous female athletes come back to sports after having a baby. Wrestling is one of the sports too.
Answering this question I'd like to refer to my own experience. As I already said, the body reacts on external influences and impacts. If such influences are not large the organism manages to adjust. When I just came into combat any minor hit, push or pinch caused bruises on my body. But in a while (quite soon by the way) bruises stopped appearing. There is some possibility of more serious injuries but I think it's not greater than when you are in other sports. You can overexert your self in a gym. You can fall from a bike or when ice skating. End so on…
Another thing. Many people think that if a woman starts participating in combative sports her musculature will be developed too much. Dear women it does not happen! Definitely, muscles are strengthened but their volume is not increase dramatically. The arms will be strong but they will be women's arms.
I had a couple of fights in my childhood. But who hasn’t had them? If you asked me if classmates beat me I would answer “no”. Usually I was the one who beat but it happened very rarely.
No, I didn’t participate in different sports seriously. As I said, I tried to train in some forms of combative sports. I think all combative sports are quite similar. But it’s difficult to win right away in a new combative sport but you should try. Although some problems might come across. For instance, I am training in karate where hits to head are allowed by arms, so I am used to that. And if I compete in a different form of karate where only kicks to head are allowed I could predict the result: I won’t restrain myself and I will be driven out for the rule violations.
Kickboxing is good but I like jiu-jitsu a little bit more because in it you can use not only punches and kicks but also grappling techniques. I hope, the most exciting will be “no-hold barred” fights according to the rules that are being developed in the club.
No, I am not..
The combative sport I participate in hardly may be called “semi-contact”. Punches and kicks are allowed as well as throws. The only thing is that fighters must have protective helmets with face covering screens as well as traditional breast protectors for women. Sometimes knockdowns happen during contests because the screen protects face from an injury but doesn’t prevent knockdowns. So, I guess, the term “semi” in this particular case just indicates existing of the helmet with the screen.
The tight body contact doesn’t embarrass me. I am into jiu-jitsu all the same and I am used to that.
No, I don’t think so. Any person should act differently in different situation: sometimes decisively, sometimes softly. It’s true not just for women but for men too. You can change your behavior depending on the situation. Martial arts help to elaborate such abilities. On the ring (tatami) you have to show some toughness but after the bout has been over you would come back to a normal (quite “soft”) condition.
If I were afraid I wouldn’t even be into combative sports. Right? Maybe I am wrong but… if you think too much, you shouldn’t use taxicabs either, which get into accidents quite often. Then you shouldn’t use subway… It’s better not to think about such things though.
Quite easily. Moreover, I guess opposite poles are attracted. I want my man to respect my activities.
I thing that bout hasn’t occurred yet.
Your WEB site is really dedicated to female combat and you have demonstrated on your WEB pages that female combat has its long history and that women ever did this. At least that’s how I understood. Combative forms were different in different times. In Sparta they did wrestling, boxing, and pancration. It was long ago. Then the historical age comes when women were unable not just to be into sports but it was dangerous for them to be even born. Inquisition. Witch hunting… Then the Renaissance came again. I learned from your site that women fought in duels… So, my answer on this question is the following. Women always participated in combative activities when they had at least a little opportunity to do that. See the WEB site “Female Single Combat Club”.
In order to participate in combative sports a woman (as well as a man) should have certain character features. A physique has nothing to do with the matter. But talent helps to reach high levels in any activity.
There are no such competitions around where men would compete against women in full strength. Probably, there are some shows like that but I doubt whether real mixed competitions even exist.
Regarding the Romanov’s statement, I guess he misinterpreted what he had come across. There are definitely more emotions in female combat. First of all, women are more emotional than men. Then, as I said, women compete each other much more seldom than men. And while a physical contest is considered as an ordinary work by the well-known wrestler, for women it is always an important event.
Let men decide what is appropriate for them and what is not.
An average man is bigger and stronger than an average woman. That’s how our world is organized, so it’s natural. But I wouldn’t name that a physical superiority. Women have longer life expectancy that men and they can better adapt to difficulties of life.
I think women can do whatever they want to do. If they like it and if they are successful in it, why not? But I don’t think we have to follow men in every activity. If feminism is about equal rights of women and men in the society I support it.
Yes, sometimes I wrestle with friend for fun.
I have a good sense to that. Your site helped me to realize that. I think it’s natural because aggression and sexuality have common by nature. As to me personally, during a contest I still think how to win. Actually, I don’t think about anything but just wrestle (or fight). In fact, in order to experience such emotions as you described, it’s better to watch combat rather than to participate in it.
Usually eroticism is considered with regard to women. Men watch and women perform. Although… this is changing now. I guess there are such shows for women and gays where men play principal roles. I haven’t been interested in this subject but I am sure there are mud-wrestling shows where men wrestle. After all, men’s striptease exists…
I should admit it happens sometimes.
I don’t fight on the street. I prefer to solve conflicts peacefully. But if someone hurts me I hope I would be able to stand for myself.
On the Namazon's forum I told about defending from a hoodlum. If it can be counted as a real fight the answer is “yes”. Without the combat skills I hardly would be able to parry that attack.
I have lived independently for a while.
У меня есть две собаки. I have two dogs.
The site is great. I have learned a lot from it. You could see that even during our conversation I often referred to the site. I don’t see any materials that I don’t like, although I like some of them more, some of them less. Of course, my opinion wouldn’t coincide with opinions of any other visitors. But in general, everything is good.
In May 2004 IX International Martial Arts Festival were held in Saint-Petersburg where martial artists from about 20 countries were competing. Sanda competitions were organized for the first time and Oksana managed to be second there. We congratulate her with such a successive debut.
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