View Single Post
Old 10-09-2000, 03:59 AM   #10
ian
 
ian's Avatar
Dojo: University of Ulster, Coleriane
Location: Northern Ireland
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,654
Offline
without women I wouldn't be here

When most people first see Aikido they can't believe that it really works as it looks so effortless - I was just the same. That was until a 7 1/2 stone female nidan threw me around like I was a leaf.

That completely convinced me that although women and men are physically very different (usually height and strength), Aikido is a great leveller. I like to encourage women into aikido for this reason - because I don't believe any other martial art ustilises the benefits women have (bigger hips, smaller, faster) and aikido does not require the benefits men have over women (strength, size).

However from my limited experience I think it takes women longer to develop the martial attitude.

For street fighting I would say that everything helps; but I think it was Musashi who said that the most important things to win was spirit, technique and strength (in that order) - with which I would totally agree, though I'd like to slip fitness in their somewhere.

Ian
  Reply With Quote