Why We Fight

Women choose to participate in martial arts programs for a variety of reasons. Both men and women often join because it's a fun way to get into shape, it's an activity to share with their children or spouse, and it's an empowering confidence booster. Also, many women seek martial arts because they fear some form of an attack, or they have already had a negative experience. There are no stereotypical female martial artists. Like our male counterparts, we are all individuals, with personalized motivations, paths, and ambitions. Although no reason to train is better than another, one of my favorite justifications from a woman about her decision to fight was, "Because I wanted to! That's what it all comes down to, basically. I came up with the other reasons later on."

Below are just a few testimonials from the ladies at the Atlanta Martial Arts Center. Please feel free to share your own experiences.

Hannah Mitchell:
"I started in the martial arts world taking Tai Chi with my husband back when we were dating. College was crazy, and I was looking for something that would calm and center my mind. I loved it, but our Sensi retired and classed stopped. Around that time, my husband started taking courses at the Atlanta Martial Arts Center. He worked hard, but I was a teacher in training internships and had no time for extra-curricular activities. However, the dojo started teaching a new art called Keysi Fighting Method. The novelty of the art, the philosophy behind it, and my husband's encouragement really pushed me into trying it.

Having no experience in combative martial arts (Tai Chi is more meditative than defensive), Keysi was a system shock. This is a particularly vicious art, designed for real-world self-defense in the most brutal fashion. I was slightly out of shape, and did not even have a rudimentary knowledge of martial arts terminology. I didn't even know the difference between a jab and a cross. It took a lot of learning. Because I am usually the only girl in the class, it took a long time for me to convince my training partners that I wasn't made of glass. In some cases, they still don't quite know what to do with me.

As a teacher at an alternative school, my students know that I train martial arts. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a women, or if it's because I'm a teacher, but they treat it mostly as a joke. 'Oh yeah, watch out for that English teacher, she'll kick your butt. Ha ha.'"

Meghan Greer:

"I came to the Atlanta Martial Arts Center four, almost five, years ago, shy, awkward, and frail. Making through two classes a week was a challenge at first, but the environment at AMAC is so encouraging and uplifting, that I was motivated to keep coming back. The curriculum at AMAC is incredibly technical and practical, so I knew I was actually walking away with something I could use instead of just a belt. AMAC doesn't just teach you a bunch of moves, in every system from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to Filipino Kali I learned how to condition my body, build mental strength, and ingrain new skill sets. I accredit the Atlanta Martial Arts Center for giving me the tools to become the confident and strong person I am today."

Why write about female fighters?

"A writer, like a boxer, must stand alone. Having your words published, like entering the ring, puts your talent on display. And there's nowhere to hide. The truth is revealed. And sometimes, the results can be disastrous."
-Resurrecting the Champ

Writing and fighting. Some might legitimately argue that this is an illogical pair. How could something so beautiful and artistic be coupled with something so painful and violent? Or is is the other way around?

Dr. Richard Heckler (In Search of the Warrior Spirit) points out that, "it is in the mythological marriage of Ares and Aphrodite that Harmonia is born," (223). The combination of opposites creates balance. Yet in America's highly individualistic society, there is a tendency to divide and pull apart. There are some more common divisions: race, class, gender, religion, sexuality, and nationality. Like goes with like, and any deviation from the norm makes us uncomfortable.

Many of us learned in the school-yard that there are jocks, and there are nerds, and they don't get along. The standard is that physical prowess and mental ability don't mix. To a great extent, our society has developed around the luxury of intellectually not having to address the realities of our bodies. The closest we come to the physically violent act of killing and preparing our meals is a drive-through window. Hospitals and funeral parlors prevent us from having to deal with the physical decay of death. We fancy ourselves as highly cerebral and spiritual beings, and scorn what might be seen as a connection to an animalistic and primordial nature. We don't like to study aggression, violence, and killing, because it makes us uncomfortable.

In her book, On Boxing, Joyce Carol Oates writes that, "raw aggression is thought to be the peculiar province of men, as nurturing is the peculiar province of women. The female boxer violates this stereotype and cannot be taken seriously - she is a parody, she is a cartoon, she is monstrous," (73). I wonder if a lioness hunting to feed her cubs is a form of aggression, an unprovoked offensive attack, or a nurturing province? Are female police and military personnel monstrous cartoons as well? Martha McCaughey (Real Knockouts) reminds us that, "women's aggression is treated as an unnatural and distasteful transgression because aggression is a marker of sexual difference, which is made meaningful in a hierarchy of social power," (57). An aggressive femininity challenges gender prescriptions and threatens patriarchal hierarchy. Do female fighters and their implication make you feel uncomfortable?

I like uncomfortable.

"To write about boxing is to write about oneself - however elliptically and unintentionally. And to write about boxing is to be forced to contemplate not only on boxing, but also on the perimeters of civilization - what it is, or should be, to be 'human.'"
-On Boxing, Joyce Carol Oates