The time that I sparred with a woman black belt

**ruk** · Posted On: 7/27/2002 10:41pm

I once belonged to a karate school many eons ago. Many here might call it a McDojo... but I loved that school. If not for college, I might be Mr. Blackbelt, heehee. It was a fun place to train, and had pretty cool instructors.

We DID do sparring at this school. Hands and feet gear, mouth piece, and head gear if you wanted to do head shots. Head hunting was forbidden to those under brown belt...

Make no mistake, this sparring was only about 50 to 75%, but it was still way more painful than grappling. There were some young guys that liked to go balls out 125%

Anyway, what we would often do is change partners every couple of minutes. This one time, I am paired up with a young woman blackbelt. I was somewhat intimidated actually. At the time, I was 18, scrawny, and uncoordinated. I had this image of blackbelt = total BAD ASS. I had visions of this chick completely turning me into a pile of mince meat.

Anyway, we circled around for a bit, I then landed a front kick to her stomach, and she nearly dropped crying, is pissed off as hell at me and refuses to go with me any more. I'm like --- what??? She complained that I kicked too hard (the kick was about only 50%) I guess I was dumb and naive at the time and didn't understand she got her belt from having nice katas and I was supposed to play "tag".

It was weird, and I didn't think much more about it. But it got me thinking... belt promotions at that school were based on katas AND sparring. How the hell did she ever pass the sparring part of the exam?

Conversely, do you see any female bluebelts or purplebelts who clearly don't deserve the strap? Is this something more endemic of "McDojos"?

**Phil** · Posted On: 7/28/2002 12:52am

Belts are mainly a measure of technical skill and not how much pain one can take. It could also depend on who she sparred during her belt test, and whether it was point sparring or contact as you have described.

Phil

**The Shooter** · Posted On: 7/28/2002 1:04am

It's very hard to say this without coming off as sexist, but like combat in the military many women have no business in the martial arts. In fact any person who isn't willing to sacrifice their bodies, experience pain, and train for real situations should simply stay away. By giving women like that blackbelts your ex-school compromised its integrity in the name of money and political correctness.

Most (not all) women are not cut out for rigorous martial training. In fact, any school that allows just any woman, child, or man to train is degrading itself. You do your best and most devoted students a dissrevice by watering down the training pool.

I'm a firm believer that no one under the age of 18 deserves to be a blackbelt. I also believe that any woman who uses her sex or physical stature as a crutch in training also lacks the integrity to be called a blackbelt. This also goes for the elderly and perfectly healthy men.

**Rorny Gracie** · Posted On: 7/28/2002 4:32am

I knew a brownbelt kenpo girl who bragged in school about how she won all these tournaments and stuff. Well later that school year she ended up getting into it with a "BIG SAMOAN GIRL"
this girl was fooking huge! Anyway she throws a kick to "Fina"&lt;-----"BIG SAMOAN GIRL" and that sh1t didnt even phase her."Fina" just grabbed ahold of this kenpogirl and smoked her straight in the kisser with a right and BAM!!
this girl was KTFO!!

**samantha711** · Posted On: 7/28/2002 1:42pm

Sigh......
It's all in the training babe...I train hard. I roll with all guys, box & do MT style training. It would defeat the purpose if the guys I spar with or roll with held **** back.

I have continued to roll with a fracture on my ankle, broken toe, black eyes?? ****, don't even faze me anymore, we don't even stop for a good hit. IF you kick me hard enough to knock me down, I'm back up & not complaining.

As far as sacrificing ****....I have given up my marriage, & about a billion hours, many late at night.

When I spar with other women or children in classes, yeah I have to take it easy.
but when I spar with my training partner, we go..at times even putting on fencing masks so we can totally beat the crap out of each other. But, mostly we spar till takedown, then roll..not wimpy ****, we train hard

So, while I can agree that many people do not deserve a black belt..men, women & children alike. Some of us train side by side with the men & can take one hell of a beating & dish one out.....

<img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle> Sam

**The Shooter** · Posted On: 7/28/2002 2:03pm

That's great to hear Samantha. I really wish the drive, devotion, and toughness you have in training was the rule rather than the exception among women. Even you must admit that there are very few women out there like yourself who are really willing to put it on the line like you have and continue to do. Keep up the good work.

**Roidie McDouchebag** · Posted On: 7/28/2002 4:33pm

There are a couple of girls that train hard at my school, they only really do Muay Thai, not NHB, but MT is probably more painful anyway. There is a higher percentage of guys that train hard, but in reality probably less than 20% of the people who go to the school train hard, spar, etc.

**samantha711** · Posted On: 7/28/2002 9:37pm

I agree, most of the women that train at my school..and there aren't that many, are there because their kids take classes & they want to "lose some weight"
In fact most of the men at my school don't train hard....I have to get together with a couple guys after classes, to train the way we want...

<img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle> Sam

**GenkiSudo** · Posted On: 7/29/2002 6:02am

believe me man, their r some good bjj girls out their my friend, i remember a few years back getting toyed by guzzy, and learning alot from her and stuff, she once told me BJJ is really hard just keep rolling and u will eventually get good, all i know is that pure technique can get u a long way in ur chosen combatant sport, :)