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Old 05-20-2008, 07:59 PM   #116
Janet Rosen
 
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Location: Left Coast
Join Date: May 2002
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Re: Starting an all-women's class

Quote:
Philip Burgess wrote: View Post
It is an unfortunate event, it maybe women themselves who cause the low numbers of women in Aikido.
HUH? In every dojo I've been at, in every style, and be it as a member or a one time guest, female sempai were welcoming and sharing and female kohei were happy to see somebody else more advanced.

I think aikido, esp the examples set by the leading instructors both male and female I've met, is very inclusive - I see women advancing through the ranks, I see women called upon equally with men of the same rank for demo ukes, etc.

So I agree that having an all womans short introductory class may serve to bring in women who might otherwise be hesitant, I really don't see aikido as a problem for women. There are individual dojo cultures that are a problem (bullies or whatever) but overall I don't see any problem inherent within the art or in terms of the examples set by most high ranking instructors.

Janet Rosen
http://www.zanshinart.com
"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
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