Okinawan Fighting Art "Ti": Self-Defense Gender Differences

When you begin to feel like you are a tough guy, a warrior, a master of the martial arts or that you have lived a tough life, just take a moment and get some perspective with the following:

I've stopped knives that were coming to disembowel me

I've clawed for my gun while bullets ripped past me

I've dodged as someone tried to put an ax in my skull

I've fought screaming steel and left rubber on the road to avoid death

I've clawed broken glass out of my body after their opening attack failed

I've spit blood and body parts and broke strangle holds before gouging eyes

I've charged into fires, fought through blizzards and run from tornados

I've survived being hunted by gangs, killers and contract killers

The streets were my home, I hunted in the night and was hunted in turn

Please don't brag to me that you're a survivor because someone hit you. And don't tell me how 'tough' you are because of your training. As much as I've been through I know people who have survived much, much worse. - Marc MacYoung

WARNING, CAVEAT AND NOTE

The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books. Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.

Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.

“What you are reading right now is a blog. It’s written and posted by me, because I want to. I get no financial remuneration for writing it. I don’t have to meet anyone’s criteria in order to post it. Not only I don’t have an employer or publisher, but I’m not even constrained by having to please an audience. If people won’t like it, they won’t read it, but I won’t lose anything by it. Provided I don’t break any laws (libel, incitement to violence, etc.), I can post whatever I want. This means that I can write openly and honestly, however controversial my opinions may be. It also means that I could write total bullshit; there is no quality control. I could be biased. I could be insane. I could be trolling. … not all sources are equivalent, and all sources have their pros and cons. These needs to be taken into account when evaluating information, and all information should be evaluated.” - God’s Bastard, Sourcing Sources (this applies to this and other blogs by me as well; if you follow the idea's, advice or information you are on your own, don't come crying to me, it is all on you do do the work to make sure it works for you!)

“You should prepare yourself to dedicate at least five or six years to your training and practice to understand the philosophy and physiokinetics of martial arts and karate so that you can understand the true spirit of everything and dedicate your mind, body and spirit to the discipline of the art.” - cejames (note: you are on your own, make sure you get expert hands-on guidance in all things martial and self-defense)

“All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.” - Montaigne

I am not a leading authority on any one discipline that I write about and teach, it is my hope and wish that with all the subjects I have studied it provides me an advantage point that I offer in as clear and cohesive writings as possible in introducing the matters in my materials. I hope to serve as one who inspires direction in the practitioner so they can go on to discover greater teachers and professionals that will build on this fundamental foundation. Find the authorities and synthesize a wholehearted and holistic concept, perception and belief that will not drive your practices but rather inspire them to evolve, grow and prosper. My efforts are born of those who are more experienced and knowledgable than I. I hope you find that path! See the bibliography I provide for an initial list of experts, professionals and masters of the subjects.

Self-Defense Gender Differences

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

In a recent article I wrote about self-defense for women but with the understanding that I had little to no experience especially as it pertains to the differences of the gender under tutelage. I was riding along in the local BART train to work this morning when I observed a woman, yes an attractive woman to me, who stood about six feet tall and probably weighed in at almost 200 pounds and she was athletic, in shape, and moved well.

What it made me think of was, “What would be the differences between her and a male who were taking a self-defense training course?”

I first considered the academics of the study and find there is no difference.
I then considered the study of knowledge and understanding toward avoidance and deescalation if confronted with conflict and possibly violence and find there is no difference.
Of course the next step is to consider the physical aspects of self-defense so I thought of the fundamental principles applications along with methodologies and force types and levels and find any differences mostly insignificant.

Notes: Yes, there are differences such as the most obvious regarding upper body strengths of the genders but if we come back and focus on applying force, power, multiple methodologies and force levels and types in self-defense then there are no apparent, to me, differences. It is no different to me that the size, structure and body types of the male gender. It is apparent that adjustments are made such as one methodology might be more effective and efficient for a small slight male vs. a lager and more muscular male. Yet, that would be the only difference but that has nothing to do with gender.

Women still carry a total weight and mass, they all have different sizes, weights and body masses from small petite to larger more athletic. Like the differences to the males gender the same overall differences apply to the female gender as long as they are taught the fundamental principles along with the multiple methodologies as well as the type and levels of force. Then all of the practitioners have to learn about how the totality of self-defense is applied to any given situation. I don’t even need to teach them one principle, etc., to another because during training they will discover for themselves what is effective, for them, and what is not especially learning to apply them to their one major threat - larger males with stronger muscles, etc.

Now, the one step taken in self-defense regarding the gender difference is one that is psychological in nature. This is the only area that I can perceive, at my current level of knowledge and experience, that warrants close scrutiny and a totally different training model making gender now critical to the practitioner who is female.

Why, because, at least in my days, females are socially conditioned differently, drastically different, and with one caveat for today that social conditioning seems to have changed - for some. When it comes to attitudes and how one perceives and reacts to things involving conflict and especially violence then the psychological aspects of learning, training, practice and most important applications becomes critical to my mind. This is where other more appropriate programs that come to mind such as one I recently received an email is being provided to the female gender where I work just for that purpose, to provide the female gender a more “appropriate program” that is not found in many self-defense programs especially those tied to martial disciplines and karate.

UNDERSTAND, I know there are always exceptions to the rule regarding both genders. In general and fundamentally if I were teaching self-defense in the dojo today the gender factor, except from a psychological social conditioning perspective, would not be different and both genders would train and practice together on the dojo floor. First, men need to know and understand that their perceptions of women and their capability to apply force and power physically is just as effective and efficient when they apply the physiokinetics properly toward using mass, movement, etc., to apply multiple methodologies they have found effective for them as individuals as what men apply in violent applications.

UNDERSTAND, there are many “What-if’s” that can be used to argue against what I am implying here in this article but we all know that there are what-if “Monkey’s dancing” at every seminar and program due to the various reasons one’s does that dance (Yes, I tend to do a what if thing but more academically in articles like in my blogs but on the dojo floor, not so much - focus grasshopper, on fundamental principles and force levels and types, etc., for self-defense.

Now, you karate folks are going to start in on kata bunkai and how when applied differ because of the obvious differences in genders but if you really allow an open mind you may be able to see how this can be true BECAUSE in the end the full spectrum of self-defense applies to all genders regardless.

EXAMPLES:

1. Physiokinetics are the same for both genders, i.e., structure is structure; alignment is alignment; breathing is breathing; posture is posture; centerline is centerline; axis is axis; sequential locking and sequential relaxation is sequential locking and sequential relaxation; centeredness is centeredness; centripetal force is centripetal force and so on down the line.

2. Multiple methodologies are the same for both genders, i.e., impacts are impacts; drives (pushes) are drives (pushes); pulls are pulls; twists are twists; takedowns/throws and compressions are takedowns/throws and compressions, etc.

3. Types of forces are the same for both genders, i.e., spiraling is spiraling; scissoring is scissoring; carving is carving and shearing is shearing.

4. Levels of force are the same for both genders as dictated by the situation, force disparities, legal and legal system laws and requirements, perceptions of those who respond from the legal system and so on, i.e., see Rory Miller’s and Marc MacYoung’s books regarding the use of force at levels appropriate to the forces applied against you, etc.

5. How one applies self-defense is the same for both genders, i.e., the facts of any given situation, the individual perceptions in those situations, the impressions, interactions and observations, etc., based on experiences, knowledge and understandings all in self-defense do not depend on gender.

6. How adrenal stress-conditions/chemical dumps effect humans are the same for both genders.

7. Sensory stimuli and input to our brains are the same for both genders, i.e., we hear, we see, we touch, we smell and we taste pretty much the same except how we perceive, orient and decide a course of action where the psychological conditioning of genders in a social sense may effect distinctions made and so on.

So, in the fundamental sense gender distinctions really don’t matter in self-defense. As students continue to study and become aware of and understand how conflict and violence work the fense involved from a full spectrum of self-defense has no gender specificity until you begin to get to the particulars differing psychologically and socially toward each gender, etc.

What I perceive happening is our pension to gravitate toward beliefs and how those are created, set and rendered in life that we become caught up in a restrictive thought process binding us to beliefs that genders are unique and different yet in self-defense at such a fundamental level - not so much.

As I discovered, initially and this may change, in the program I mentioned being offered where I work one woman who took the course familiar with the works and training of both Mr. Miller and Mr. MacYoung, two of many such professionals, the program in question followed their methods pretty close.

A Thought: Marc MacYoung uses a test to see if something falls into self-defense, the wheelbarrow test. Maybe if it cannot be placed in a wheelbarrow we can assume it is not gender specific or effected by but simply a psychological thing. Gotta think a bit more about that one.

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)