Presentation - Women in Taekwondo Initiative

Click above to start video.

Note: I am battling a cold, so I am stuffy. There are quite a few pauses in the audio in the presentation above as I try not to sneeze or cough. Sorry in advance.

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art I study and teach. Taekwondo involves self-defense and fighting, but that's not all it encompasses. It's a lot more than just kicks and punches. We strive to become better people, instill positive values, teach people to be humble and respectful to all. I know I have become a better person since I have started training in Taekwondo. I have learned a lot about self-control, patience, and the power of kindness.

Our mission is to see underprivileged children have the opportunity to participate in Taekwondo. Women in Taekwondo provide children who require the most attention and resources.  

We want to give hope and provide the tools children need for a better life with our service. Recent studies indicate that children are less physically fit today than in past generations. Child obesity is at an all time high. There are a number of factors that contribute to child obesity and my foundation wants to help them active so that they can live happier, healthier, and longer lives.

Taekwondo will provide improved their physical fitness, it enhances their self-esteem, improves their concentration, and build their confidence and social skills.

In addition, our foundation assists women in a number of ways. Women In Taekwondo want to empower women teach them fundamentals of safety and self-defense for those who can not find those resource readily available. For example, women are still victims of kidnap and rape after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, these women need our help. They need health services, medical aid, and we want to go in and empower these women.

On average it costs about $2000 dollars a year for children to train in Taekwondo.  We raise fund and donations are used to provide children scholarships to train in classes, we provide underprivileged children and women free classes in Taekwondo. 

We know that providing the Taekwondo philosophy of courtesy, integrity, respect, perseverance, self-control, and determination will benefit children and women positively and greatly.

Nikita vs Her Boyfriend

It's going to be a year since we started training in Taekwondo. I convinced my partner of 12 years that he and I should practice martial arts. We both have always had an immense respect for the art, but never fufilled our goal of practicing it until now.

We both practice at the dojo three times a week and we both help our Master teach children once or twice a week and practice daily at home.

Though we practice the same amount of times a week there are key differences between us. He is more inclined to want to work on the punching bag. His punches are more powerful and more accurate than mine. I am more inclined to want to practice my flexbility by stretching in ways he cannot, and I work on small details in form, like the exact placement of hands and feet.

Other key differences are:

Nikita
I am naturally more flexible than he is.
I am better at forms (chorographed movements)
I can kick higher.
I have better balance.

Boyfriend
He has powerful punches and kicks.
He can do more push-ups.
He has better snap.
He is better at sparring than I am.

These are just a few quick things I have noticed and my Master has noted to us too. My partner needs to practice my positive attributes and I need to practice his. If I were to combine his skills with mine I would be a much better martial artist.

I often wonder why his punches are stronger than mine.

On a poll on Debate.org readers were asked "Are men stronger than women?" and 69% of responders said "Yes".  Many responders felt that it was "obvious" and "known" that men were naturally stronger than women.

There was a study from the US National Strength and Conditioning Foundation that indicated that "although women and men have the same muscle strength, the reason many men appear stronger is that they have more muscle mass and have a higher lean body mass-to-fat ratio, and have different fat distribution in the body than women do. Women’s muscles have the exact same strength as men do, and it is in fat distribution and lean body mass where they are different."

"From 1970 to the late 1990s, the Military and Army conducted numerous tests to determine whether the physiological differences between men and women in upper-body strength, stamina, endurance, speed, and coordination were genetically determined or the product of a less active culture among women and, therefore, subject to change through proper conditioning programs,” a 2004 Army study said. “Test results varied widely except in the case of upper-body strength, which, it was generally agreed, seldom reached the male level among females.” ( Thompson, 2013)

I found many articles with differing opinions and studies, some showing how women are just as strong as men and some proving that women were not as strong as men.

Men appear stronger because they have more muscle mass than women do. I know of a woman bodybuilder who weighs 240 pounds and can bench press 625 lbs.  Let's say she competed against a man who weighs 350 pounds and bench presses 800 lbs.

Is he stronger than she is?

Many people would say yes and that's a misconception. You might think he is stronger than she is, but that is incorrect. You need to look at weight of the person and the percentage of weight being lifted.

And she actually is lifting more weight based on her body weight lifted.

What do you think? Are men stronger than women?


Sources

Ferro, Shaunacy. February 6 2013. Science COnfirms Obvious: Men And Women Aren't That Different. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-02/science-confirms-obvious-men-and-women-arent-different

Thomspon, Mark. January 25 2013. Women in Combat: Vive a Difference. http://nation.time.com/2013/01/25/women-in-combat-vive-a-difference/#ixzz2ieiDY6or

Are Men Stronger Than Women. http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-men-stronger-than-women

First Draft of Elevator Pitch - W.I.T - The Women in Taekwondo initiative teaches Taekwondo and self-defense to underprivileged children.

Women in Taekwondo (W.I.T) is an non-for-profit initiative started by female practitioners and competitors in the world of Taekwondo to teach Taekwondo and self-defense to underprivileged children.

Sports assist child development. Children feel more confident, learn life skills, team building, and discipline.

"The evidence supporting sports participation for young people is overwhelming...It has the power to combat everything from racism to low self-image, to the high-school drop-out rate." (Sue Castle, Executive Producer of PBS Sports: Get in the Game)

"Female high school athletes are: 1. 92% less likely to get involved with drugs. 2. 80% less likely to get pregnant. 3. 3 times more likely to graduate than non-athletes."(Women's Sports Foundation)

However, sports can be costly. "Parents spend $671 a year on sports-related costs for a child, a recent consumer survey found. But 21 percent of U.S. parents spend more than $1,000 per child."

Taekwondo costs vary depending on the school, but on average the cost is $1,200 per child for training a year. This does not include supplies such as shoes, uniform, testing and competitions. 

Every two months children are tested and the testing fees are about $50 dollars each.

With all the expenses it costs about $2000 dollars a year for children to train in Taekwondo. On average it takes about 2.5 years to train and test for your Black Belt. The Black Belt test on average can cost up to $700.

W.I.T promotes the positive influences that Taekwondo provides for children and adults. W.I.T provides underprivileged children free classes in Taekwondo. We know  that providing the Taekwondo philosophy of courtesy, integrity, respect, perseverance, self-control, and determination will benefit children positively and greatly.

TKD vs Jiu Jitsu

Recently, I watched the documentary "Choke: Rickson Gracie" which follows World Champion Jiu Jitsu fighter Rickson Gracie, from the well known Gracie Jiu Jitsu family. It chronicles his preparation and training for the 1995 Vale Tudor, which is a no holds barred, full contact fighting tournament overseas.

You can watch the entire video here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3vDHH825bg

I was not familiar with Jiu Jitsu before watching the documentary, but now that I am familiar with the techniques, I am extremely impressed.

This post is not to negatively put one style down over another. There are some martial art practioners that may think one style is better then another and I don't agree with the negative comparisons of styles. Most martial arts have been around for centuries and have a long history and have dedicated and passionate practioners that all should be respected.

Mixed Martial arts is the combination of different martial art techniques and that is very important when fighting or defending yourself. You can use a powerful Taekwondo kick to the face, stomach or groin; and then use Judo to throw the opponent to the floor, and lastly use Jiu Jitsu for ground fighting and to lock the opponents arm. These are just three quick examples of three different styles out of many different Martial Arts.

The style I practice is Taekwondo and within Taekwondo there are two known styles: Sport Taekwondo or Traditional Taekwondo. I practice sport, which is the same style used for the Taekwondo Olympic event.

We learn to fight with our fists, but mostly with our feet. We train the most in kicking and developing a strong leg and powerful kick. Like most martial arts its using these techniques at the right time with power and focus to get maximum results. I am constantly stretching, as flexibility is very important to get a high kick, strengthing my leg muscles, and balance.

In a fight situation using Taekwondo I would use my endurance to tire my opponent, using a combination of quick movements and sliding back and forth, quick and powerful punches to key areas like the nose, jaw, throat, and combining that with strong kicks to the groin, side stomach, legs, and using high kicks to the head.

However, in a "real" fight there are no rules and it's unlikely for both opponents to continue standing while fighting, most likely they will end up on the ground.

For women this is very important because if a male opponent/perpetrator is on top of you knowing how to get out from underneath him can be crucial. Jiu Jitsu focuses on ground fighting and for women it's an art that focuses on smaller opponents defending themselves against larger opponents and this is why I would like to learn Jiu Jitsu.

Like many women I have a fear of being attacked and not having the ability to get out of a situation, especially if the perpetrator is much taller and larger. When I spar against a larger male in my class, his legs and arms are much longer than mine, so he can stay at a distance and still hit me, while I need to get much closer to him in order to fight.

In Jiu Jitsu a smaller opponents can have an upper hand. If you have a strong technique you can over power a much large opponent.

Rickson Gracie is a great example. If you watch the documentary you will see the larger men he goes up against and how he is able to get out of head locks and from underneath these much taller and bigger men.

For this reason I plan on learning some of the fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu. I would like to combining those techniques with Taekwondo to become a strong fighter.

Elevator Pitches

1. Women's TKD Community website launches to encourage and to inspire women and girls in training Taekwondo

I have been doing quite a bit of research since I first decided to start training in Martial Arts. I wanted to find more information on women in Taekwondo and I was not able to. Once I started training, I started a blog so I could give other women who wanted to train or who currently on a perspective from a woman. Taekwondo for Women is a community and resource site for women who practice and compete in the martial arts of Taekwondo. The site will focus on a women’s point of view of Taekwondo. The main editor and a few contributing editors will write articles about women in Taekwondo, such as interviews with professional and non-professional Taekwondo practitioners. Women can ask questions to the community, and to the site editors, and the site contributors will select questions to write articles on. The site will feature important resources for women who are interested in practicing and are current practitioners. Some of the resources will include guides on techniques for kicking and forms, special stretches for women, and important events for women taking place in the Taekwondo world.

2. W.I.T - The Women in Taekwondo initiative teaches Taekwondo and self-defense to underprivileged children.

Training and playing sports can be costly. I pay monthly to train, I also pay to be tested every two months. There are additional costs for uniform, shoes, and competitions. It can be very expensive. Many families cannot afford to pay for their children to participate.

With the Women in Taekwondo initiative we will offer free classes to children who are interested in learning Martial Arts.  Taekwondo is a rewarding for children. I have seen the children we teach have more confidence, discipline and respect. Additionally, the children are active and are surrounded by positive role models and peers. We will offer scholarships to students who excel academically so that their Taekwondo training is paid for until they are Black Belts.

Dear Men, Don't Go Easy On Us

Dear men,

Please do not go light on women when playing physical sports. When women decide to play a physical sport, like basketball and Taekwondo, with a man we know what to expect. We expect that men compete with us how they would with other men. I have seen men treading lightly when competing against women. Going easy on us doesn't allow for us to learn new techniques and doesn't allow for us to push ourselves to the next level. 

In a real-life situation I am most likely going to need to defend myself against a man. I won't be prepared if you train lighter on me.  Don't worry. I won't cry and I won't complain. I won't say you can't hit a girl. I will take it the hits and pain because I asked for it when I signed up to train with you.

The other day, I asked a male partner in class to give me a kidney shot. I wanted to feel it and see if I could take it. Without any warning he jabbed me. I didn't expect it so I flinched in a pain a bit and then we both laughed. I could tell he gave it something, but he didn't give me everything he had. He simply said, "I can't do it." I didn't have the chance to ask him why.

Men feel comfortable being rough with other men and have learned not to with women. These are values you were brought up with by your parents, family and teachers. I understand, my brother and I would wrestle when we were children, but he wasn't allow to play too rough with me or pull my hair. However, if he wrestled another boy he could go as rough as he wanted to. That was "good for him", but never with a girl.

The other day in class my Master said if there were only men in this class there would be a war. Having both men and women in this class we learn to go hard, but we also learn our boundaries. He commended men for pushing some of us women and motivating us. I appreciated his comments. When my Master asks us how many push-ups within a set we want to do many of the women in my class will shy away and say 20-25, while the men might say they want 30-50 push-ups each set. We do three sets. I always do what the men do.

I was non-contact sparring against a man and I could tell right away he did not want to spar with me. I had just finished watching him spar with another man and they were both intensely sparring. In this activity, instead of full-contact sparring, we have to touch shoulders and knees for a point. I could tell he was going light, trying not to evade my space too much. He was just bouncing up and down and took light attempts to hit my shoulder. I got mad and turned it on and started quickly hitting his shoulder and knees, it took him a few seconds to finally turn it on and give me what I was looking for. I need someone to push me, but I needed to push him and show him that I wanted a challenge. His challenge was not to be beat by a girl and my challenge was for him to treat me equal.

I am not asking you to hit women when you argue with them. I am not asking you to hit a woman to make you feel better. Those values should always be upheld to respect women and all beings.

I am asking you that the next time your participating in training or playing a sport with your team mate, man or woman, don't hold back. Run as fast as you would if you were running against a man. Spar against a woman like you would with a man. Kick the targets like you would kick with a man. Train hard with us, so we both can improve and excel.

Sincerely,

Nikita

Midterm Proposal - What and who has Nikita become

Nikita Leon is a woman practicing the martial art of Taekwondo. She has been practicing Taekwondo for the past 10 months and is currently training for her first competition. She has always wanted to train in a martial art, but as a child her fear stopped her from trying it. She got over her fears, lost over 35 pounds, and started training in Taekwondo before she turned 30.  While she is training she is writing her blog about her experiences in Taekwondo as a woman, sharing personal stories about her weight loss, and her continued efforts to live a healthy life style.

I created the pseudonym "Nikita Leon" for a few reasons. When I was a young child I called myself Nikita after watching the movie La Femme Nikita, about a convicted woman turned assassin. At that time you did not find many women on TV carrying guns and training to fight. I always admired strong and tough women like her.

Leon is also based on one of my favorite movies of all time, The Professional. Jean Reno plays "Leon" a lonely professional assassin who becomes a little girl's caretaker. I never noticed until now that I have given myself the name of two assassins.

I use the same pseudonym as my Twitter name, @MsNikitaLeon. I thought it was important that the pseudonym and twitter name be the same because I find it a little confusing when both are not. I have thought about my twitter name and at times I do wish it was a bit stronger and correlated more with my world in Taekwondo. I thought about changing it to MissTKD or something similiar. However, I want to be considered as a real person, an individual, and not just an entity of ideas and thoughts.

What I am learning and enjoying:

• I am enjoying the critiques I have received from my classmates, group and my Instructor. This is a once in a life-time experience. I have never had anyone critique my work before and noone has ever offered it. At first, I took it a bit personally, and then I remembered that we are all anonymous here. I am going through this class open-minded and excepting of all forms of critiques. When I read the critiques and read how much better my words and sentences can be, I get excited about the possibilities of improving.

Some of my favorite pieces:

• Tweeting. I was never fond of Twitter before this class. I wasn't sure how to use it effectively. Since Nikita began using it I looked forward to tweeting and achieving a strong voice that grabs someone in the first few seconds they view the post.
• "In 2012 a violent crime occurred every 26 secs. One murder occurred every 35 minutes. Learn #selfdense basics. http://nikitasway.blogspot.com  #506iv "
• ""He punched me in the stomach. I almost threw up..but that didn't stop me. I lunged at him." http://nikitasway.blogspot.com  #506iv #tkd #girlpower"
• Articles. I enjoy writing, but I never felt that I was a good writer. Taking this course has made me want to be a better writer. Once I become a better writer I can finally touch people with my written words about subjects I find important. 
• One of my favorite articles I wrote on the blog was "Getting hit by a man". I enjoyed writing because it is unlike me to share personal stories about myself. I allowed myself to be very honest and open with myself and the readers. I want to see more pieces like this on my blog.

Some areas I would like to change:

• Blog name. When I first created the blog, "Nikita's Ways" I thought it was clever. My hope was to convey that I was showing my teachings, like the movie title, "Carlito's Way", starring Al Pacino. However, I think I need a stronger title, so that when a reader comes to my blog they know exactly what the blog is about.
• Twitter name. I am considering changing my Twitter name to incorporate Martial Arts or Taekwondo.

Some areas I would like to focus on are:

• Creating articles to submit to magazines and other blog related to women in martial arts.
• Hearing and sharing more of a man's point of view in Martial Arts. 
• Interviewing women, classmates, and leaders in Taekwondo for powerful blog articles.

Alternative Publishing Plans

In addition to posting to Nikita's Way blog, publishing articles on similar blogs would be a great alternate publishing plan. Bloggers can promote their work by guest blogging on similar blogs. For example, my blog is about women in martial arts. I provide a view in the world of martial arts for most people, but I pay attention to women particularly. With a women's view I can tell women what to expect in Martial Arts. Additionally, I write about my weight lost, so I can hopefully motivate and inspire others to do the same.
There are quite a few women martial art blogs that I enjoy reading. And I could possible guest post on:

• Jiu Jiu BJJ Blog - http://jiujiubjj.com
• Julia practices Brazlian Jiu Jitsu in Korea and while her blog covers different topics in Jiu Jitsu, most of her blog posts are on a women's perspective in Jiu Jitsu.
• My Journey to Black Belt - http://kickasssuec.blogspot.com
• A women's journey to getting her Black belt in Karate.

In addition to blogs, an alternative publishing plan consists of articles being publishing in magazines.  My blog discusses health, healthy lifestyles, and a women's perspective in martial arts. There are a few magazines that I could publish my articles in:

• Women's Health - http://www.womenshealthmag.com
  
• Black Belt - http://www.blackbeltmag.com
• Black Belt Magazine has been around since 1961.
• The magazine caters to men and women in all different martial arts.
• Submission guidelines: http://www.womenshealthmag.com
  
• Taekwondo Times - http://www.taekwondotimes.com/
• Taekwondo Times is more specific to the sport I am currently training in.
• The magazine provides information on current and past TKD leaders, upcoming world Taekwondo events, interviews, techniques and much more.
• Submission guidelines: http://www.taekwondotimes.com/centerPDF/Editorial_Guideline.pdf

My health and experiences in training from a women's perspective is unique and would be a great fit for this magazine as they are always looking for new features on health, techniques, and training. 

How I lost 40 pounds

At my heaviest I was 203 pounds. I still have a hard time believing that. I was overweight and I didn't know I had a problem. I was always thin and could eat whatever I wanted without an issue, but in college the weight crept up on me. My clothes started feeling tighter, so logically I bought bigger clothes. I started wearing clothes that stretched. That made the problem go away, at least in my mind.

But all that changed  in the summer of 2011 when someone took a photo of me and I couldn't recognize myself. Who was that person? I went digging and found a photo from a few years before and put them next to each other and it hit me. The best way I could describe it was like looking at a weight loss commercial. You know the one with the left photo showing the "before", which is of an overweight person and on the right is the "after" photo showing the amazing results.  But it was switched for me, I was small before and large after.

For my height and frame I should have been 140-145, yet I was 60 pounds over that weight. I estimated that I gained about 10-12 pounds every year for the past 5-6 years.

At first, I felt regret, then I got mad, and then I got even. Many times before I complained about wanting to lose some weight, but it was just talking, I never committed myself to actually doing it.

This time I could feel it was going to be different.  I took just these simple steps:

1. Replacing Junk - I first started by throwing away all the junk food I had in the house. For example, I threw away chips, I replaced soda and only drank water. I went to the market and bought fruits and vegetables. I bought hummus to replace any dips and started snacking on carrots and celery. I stopped eating take out and didn't stop at fast food restaurants.

2. Balance - I made sure I wasn't just eating meats and starch, like potatoes. I had to balance my plate. I read somewhere that it takes meat and potatoes 14 hours to digest, but adding fresh fruits and veggies accelerates that process. So I cut my meat and potato portions and started eating veggies and  fruits like blueberries with my dinner.

3. Stop eating after 7 - I don't practice this anymore, but in the beginning I did. I had to set up some rules to have order. After 7 PM is when I would look for snacks out of boredom, so I made sure I pre-planned meals. I knew what I was going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks the next day.

4. Finding a Partner - I have a great partner. My boyfriend and I have been together for 12 years. We were slim together and we gained weight together. I used to eat what my boyfriend ate and would match him. If he had 6 slices of pizza, so would I. The only sport I was doing then was competitive eating...on my couch. Now, I made sure I ate no more than half of what he ate. We both started making changes together. Having a partner is the key because when one person wants to give up, the other person can motivate the other and we did that for each other.


I started noticing a difference and that year I lost 20 pounds.

I needed to kick up a notch. I was worried about doing any exercise because I had back issues. My lower back was always sore and I constantly pulled it with the most minuscule activity. I did physical therapy, but the pain didn't go away.

I started walking for a few weeks, and then I felt like I could jog a little bit, and once I started jogging, I felt I could run. When I was able to run I started playing basketball again. The activity helped me lose another 10 pounds. I was at 173 and I felt that I could finally enter martials arts and feel confident keeping up.

Martial arts incorporates strength training and cardio among other techniques. For example, at my dojo we have to run, dodge, do squats, sit-ups and push-ups to warm-up. My master encourages us and says, "If you want to lose weight, make muscle." I started seeing definition in my arms and stomach.  After a few months I lost another 10 pounds. I reached my original goal of 168 and now I am currently 163.

I have people come up to me that haven't seen me in a while and ask me what I did to lose the weight. And when I tell them the changes I made they look at me like I am lying. I think they hope I can give them a magic pill or secret to losing weight. I am not going to lie and tell you it was easy, it was hard work. I didn't see quick results. It took time. Sometimes I would workout so much and not see any difference for weeks and months on the scale. However, I felt a difference in my body and my clothes, but my weight would just stay the same and after a few months it would dip again. Weight loss is about commitment. You need to be dedicated and you will see a difference.

Lastly, I don't make big goals, because achieving small goals keeps me committed. For example, I didn't tell myself when I was 203 that my goal was 130 because if I didn't see 130 on the scale I would feel defeated.

So, instead I made mini goals. When I was 203 pounds my goal was to see anything with an 8 in it, that would be 180-189. When I was 180 something pounds, my goal was 170-179. I kept doing that. And now I am 163.

I still have goals and I am currently working on my new goal of 158. Between us, my ultimate goal is 140-145. I constantly remind myself about the positive changes I have made in my life. I am so happy I lost those 40 pounds. It has made a huge difference in my life. Some of the best include not having back pain, being able to walk and tie my shoes without losing my breath, clothes fit (bonus), practicing martial arts, and gaining lots of energy.

I am reminded of my achievement everyday with the little things. The other day I was at the market and I picked up a 5 pound potato bag and it was a pretty heavy a bag. I smiled when I remembered that before my weight loss I was walking around with 8 of those potato bags on my body.