From: osan@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (Mr. X)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: women MAs and Model Mugging
Date: 15 Sep 92 15:56:01 GMT
Organization: Twilight Zone

In article <1992Sep14.222422.4656@morrow.stanford.edu> CA.FER@forsythe.stanford.edu (Jennifer Gates) writes:
>Martial Arts and women and Model Mugging
>
>I have a theory about why most MAs don't work as well for women as
>they do for men. I would be interested in other peoples experiences
>that support or contradict this theory......
>
>Traditional MAs were mostly designed for men (yes I know that there
>are some interesting exceptions). 

	Designed for men??  They were designed for anyone who would be
	engaging in combat, male or female.  Just happens that historically
	most of the combat has been done by the males.  Human body is
	human body.  There are very few notable differences between male
	and female WRT anatomy as it applies to combat.
	
>Most men (not all) are very good at using full power/energy but lack control. 
>
>Most women are good at control but have serious social blocks on using power. 

	I must disagree.  Most PEOPLE are not only poorly learned in the
	application of physical power in combat, but also have very poor
	control skills.  This male/female thing you have going here is
	not holding up so well thus far.  When I see new students, they
	are almost without exception ALL spazzes.  The exceptions to this
	are more often males (contrary to your statement above) and sometimes
	females, but most often, none of them move with any ability whatsoever.
	
	Males are no better at power application per se than women.  They
	just happen to have more of it (on the average) than women, so even
	though they may be proportionally as inefficient, more will "get
	through" so to speak.

>They take MAs and are very promising beginners (they
>have good control). As they become intermediate students they get
>frustrated as they don't know how to add power to their techniques

	That's because their instructors either don't know how to 
	apply it themselves (most likely) or don't know how to
	properly transmit their knowledge to otheres (less likely).

>Then the MA school leans
>harder and harder on the woman to 'bring her power out', this
>doesn't work and the woman quits in frustration sure that women
>just can't stand up to men, and the men all agree.

	I'm sure this is the case sometimes, but give me a break; men
	don't generally sit around conspiring as you make it  sound.
	We too have better things to do.  BTW, I have NEVER seen this
	occur.  Perhaps we train on different planets? :)
>
>Model Mugging teaches women to release their power. 

	I would bet dollars to donuts that they do not do this properly.
	I've been around a while and can say that the vast majority of
	teachers I have seen do not know the first thing about proper
	and efficient transmission of power, sad to say.  Go feel your
	sensei's arm when s/he prepares to strike, and come back and tell
	me what you felt.  It'll probably tell me all I need to know.

>
>For myself it was only after taking MM that I was able to use power
>in my MAs. For me both are essential, control and power. MAs were
>not able to teach me how to use power MM did. 

	OK, forget your sensei; tell me the state your musculature is in
	as you are about to strike and I'll probably be able to tell you
	if MM taught you well.

	-Andy V.
>
>Fer