I'm looking for something very specific

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Melissa
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Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2000 6:01 am

I'm looking for something very specific

Post by Melissa »

I took Karate classes a few summers ago, I enjoyed it and would like to start again, but....
I'd like to find a place that is feminized.

For example, what's with the uniform? Men would workout with an orange balanced on their heads if you told them that was the rule. (There was actually a study done where a group of male security guards were instructed to balance oranges on their heads while they ate lunch, they didn't need an explanation. This would NEVER happen with a group of women.) I suspect that the long heavy pants and heavy cumbersome jacket (that keeps flying open) has a little something to do with that. I'd like to workout in workout clothes that I can move in. The heavy, awkward uniform just doesn't cut it in the Texas heat, one day it was around 120 degrees and I got so overheated that I had to put my head between my knees!! Why oh why must I wear this hot heavy outfit? I feel like I'm trying to exercise in jeans!

Also, I'm looking for a dojo that emphasizes agility and pressure points rather than brute strength. Kicking a puching bag is great exercise but I want to learn more about how to use an opponents momentum against him or more about counters. I am limited as a woman in how strong I can become but not so with how capable and knowledgable I can feel. I need a place that teaches women how to make up for a natural lack of strength and weight. I'm tall, quick, and limber, and I want to learn how to use that.

Perhaps there is a type of martial arts that has these things? If so, what is it? And can anyone point me in the right direction to find what I'm looking for. By the way, I'm in FAR FAR north Dallas.
dmsdc
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I'm looking for something very specific

Post by dmsdc »

It sounds like you may want to explore what are considered "internal" martial arts like tai chi, bagwazan, aikido, or something completely different like copuela angola (sp?).

Copuela (and again I'm sure I'm spelling this wrong) is a style that came to the US via africa & brazil. It combines singing & dancing with very lethal martial techniqes. Many are done with the hands on the floor and the feet in the air. Break-dancing had its roots in this style.

Pressure points are still in their early stages in the US so you may not find a teacher who teaches a soft style & PP strikes. So you may have to find 2 teachers...especially if you're in a rural area.

I suggest reading up in the library and then visiting any school that sounds attractive.

Uniforms have been added to many styles that grab & grapple simply becuase regular clothes would be torn apart. And also becuase the Japanese & Koreans like uniforms -- and they popularized much of martial arts.

I don't think uniforms have anything to do with Y chromosomes. Lastly, most people don't like getting their skin twisted & torn off on a regular basis ; ).

Good luck & good hunting.

Dana Sheets
Demi Barbito
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Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2000 6:01 am
Location: Paso Robles, Ca. USA
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I'm looking for something very specific

Post by Demi Barbito »

Checkout:
www.DemiBarbito.com

Demi
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nick
Posts: 117
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2000 6:01 am
Location: Canada (for now)

I'm looking for something very specific

Post by nick »

Melissa,

Wing-Chun Kung Fu, as the story goes (condensed version) was developed by a young woman that the style is named after, Yim Wing Chun. She was, like yourself, looking for a different style and basically developed one for herself. It is considered to be one of the internal arts.

Years ago, there was a school in Fort Worth, it may have spread over to Dallas by now.

I hope you find something you are comfortable with, to paraphrase Martha Stewart, “Martial Arts is a good thing.”

nick
Scott Cargill
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Location: Bakersfield, Ca.
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I'm looking for something very specific

Post by Scott Cargill »

If you're looking for something designed more along the lines you're asking about, and is designed to aggresively end the fight quickly, then I can suggest Kung Fu San Soo.

For more information on San Soo, I can suggest a couple of sites http://sansoo.skiosk-esd.com and http://home.att.net/~sansoojedi/ both of these sites give a good back ground on the art.

There is a school there in Texas they have a page at http://home1.gte.net/lockwood/

Hope this helps.
Robb in Sacramento
Posts: 181
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 1998 6:01 am
Location: Sacramento, California, USA

I'm looking for something very specific

Post by Robb in Sacramento »

Melissa:

The Feminist Karate Union in Seattle is well known on the west coast as a pioneer in women's martial arts. They are located at www.geocities.com/Wellesley/5466/. Perhaps their links page can help you find what you seek in Texas.

You might also checkout the National Women's Martial Arts Federation at www.NWMAF.org.

Good luck.

Peace
Robb in Sacramento
Rick Wilson

I'm looking for something very specific

Post by Rick Wilson »

dmsdc:

The spelling is Capoeria, for information:
http://www.bnbcomp.net/capoeira/Home.html

Rick

[This message has been edited by Rick Wilson (edited November 06, 2000).]
dmsdc
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I'm looking for something very specific

Post by dmsdc »

Thanks Rick.

There are several active groups here in DC and I always try and see them when they offer a seminar.

Their style is a real treat to watch.
Someday I might even have the courage to try.

Dana
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Panther
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Location: Massachusetts

I'm looking for something very specific

Post by Panther »

Delurking...

Melissa-san,

There is no rule that says you must wear a heavy-weight gi... In the summer (or in the great state of Texas), I'd hang up the heavy-weight gi and put on a light-weight version. As for opening up, it sounds like you need a slightly different size and/or I hope that they allow light T-shirts or something under your gi. Many dojos will even suspend normal dress requirements during the summer and allow students to workout in a T-shirt and gi-pants.

My wife never liked the brute strength of kara-te styles and after awhile, went to studying ju-jitsu. There are styles of ju-jitsu that emphasize agility, pressure-points, leverage, and using your attackers strength against them. With both of us as Dan ranks, and me literally twice her size (I can bench her and we'll be making a snowman in hades before she could return the favor), I have ended up on the floor 10' away, looking up and thinking "damn" on more than one occasion. Image It depends on what YOUR goals are.

I just want to encourage you to do the research and decide what you want. Also, to not delude yourself that you can defend yourself without some strength. While what I say about my wife is true, she's always worked to maximize her advantages and try to eliminate her disadvantages.

In other words, don't take "aerobic kickboxing" and think you can defend yourself. And don't think that the psycho punk who whats your money and more will do more than laugh if you throw a little fluff kick or soft punch. I studied pressure-points for years, and when I did my great shot on the street once, the fool didn't just stand there and let me smack the point(s)! Hmmmm... Not like the dojo. Image If you want to learn some real self-defense applications, find someplace that does realistic scenerio training as a suppliment to the kata/kumite/etc... Once when the wife tried a ju-jitsu move on an attacker he just grabbed her "differently" and laughed (PCP...) She was fortunate that she knew strikes as well... her next technique worked just fine for her escape after she had "softened him up a touch". Image

Chances are you'll never need to use your art for self-defense, but it's best to understand where you're at before the proverbial "OH $hit" moment.

Good Luck... If there's anything we can do to help, just ask... we'll do our best.



[This message has been edited by Panther (edited November 08, 2000).]
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