Why the average Women will not take SDA or Martial arts

[Szczepankiewicz]

You make me happy Sensei Nipplesworth!

[Thai Bri]

That makes my life complete......

[Tom Yum]

Spanky, you're on....

Next fight is between you wearing a duck shaped flotation device and two Hooter's girls in a baby pool filled with KY Jelly.

Place your bets people!

[cakegirl]

I'd say the number 1 reason women don't learn self-defence is embarrassment.

I remember hearing a SD instructor a while ago saying that a large number of times, a woman's intuition will tell her that a situation was not right, but she would go on ahead with it, because it would be embarrassing not to.

An example: A woman is about to get into an elevator that already has one man in it. Gut feeling tells her there's something creepy about the guy, but it would be embarrassing (socially unacceptable) to not get in after you made the elevator stop for you. Consequence: woman is assaulted by said creepy guy.

I think the same fear of embarrassment and social stigma is the reason women don't learn SD.

* It's embarrassing to have physical contact with strangers, and the closer that contact is, the more embarrassing it is. Especially if there's bodily fluids (i.e. sweat) involved.

* It's embarrassing to put 110% effort into something you're not already good at.

* It's embarrassing to have to act aggressive and unfeminine.

etc

And just learning martial arts or doing a SD cource does not free women of this fear of embarrassment. A good (female, teenaged) friend from karate - state title holder, fantastic sparrer, very confident, works at the karate school instructing kids - was admiring me for cross-training with BJJ, and saying that she'd love to do it. The reason she didn't do it? She was worried about what the guys in the class (I'm the only female) would think of her - she is about 25kg lighter than me, young, petite, and has no BJJ skills... And then suddenly, after weeks of wishing she could do it but thinking that she couldn't, she suddenly realised that she was letting her fear of what a bunch of men would think of her get in the way of learning valuable self defence! Crazy talk! (She's starting on Friday!)

Cakegirl