Taekwondo Infographic

Women in Competition - Where are they?

I want to see more women in Taekwondo competitions. In 2 weeks I have my first competition. I am competing in Poomsae (forms) and a team demonstration, and I am considering competing in breaking. Unfortunately, I won't be competing in sparring. I wish I could, but I haven't trained long enough to compete in sparring, but my goal is to compete in sparring next year.

I have gone to a few competitions to watch and I notice the same trend every time I go. There is an overwhelming amount of males competing. From young boys, teenagers, and men of all ages, but there aren't many girls or women.

Many of my fellow female classmates from my Taekwondo school did not even think about it before saying no. Some of them indicated interest and after they thought about it they returned a few days later to tell me that they were not going to compete at all.

I was dissapointed and saddened that I was one of the very few women from my school going to compete at this competition. You might think I would have been happy to be one of the very few women going, I am representing my school, but while I am happy to represent the school, I really wanted more women to compete and experience this with me.

It's important to me for many reasons, and here are just a few:

1. No competition. I took a look at the statistics from the same competition last year and on average there are 4 competitiors in each women's division. Each competition is different, but for this competition it is seperated by gender, age, and belt class.  If I am only going to compete against 4 other women in my belt and age division then 3 out of the 4 of us will win a medal (gold, silver, bronze). That's not fair to me or other women who compete. We need more competitors if we want to earn those medals. Which leads me to my next reason.
2. Competitions make you train harder and make you a better martial artist. If I don't have any competition I am not going to become better. We need to be constantly challenged and when I am I am motivated to try my hardest and work up to my next goal.
3. Confidence. Many of the men in my class are going to be entering the competition. They exude confidence while many of the women in my class would rather avoid any type of competition. 
4. Encouragement. I also think it's important for women to encourage each other. I have been trying to convince many of the women to come and compete because I think it would be great for them, they will become even better Martial Artists, boost their confidence, and it would be great to have females there so and we can support each other and learn from each other.

Do you ever compete at tournaments or competitions?? If you do, why do you compete? If you don't, why don't you compete?

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.