Top 10 Reasons Girls Need Martial Arts

Girls need martial arts training every bit as much as guys do, if not more so. To prove it to you, I’ve assembled a list of the 10 top reasons why Girls Need Martial Arts

1. The Most Obvious and most important reason for girls to learn the martial arts is the capacity for self-defense that she will develop. In today’s increasingly violent world, crime strikes anywhere, at any time. Women are often “soft” targets of sex crimes and, not knowing how to defend themselves, can scar young girls for the rest of their life. Having the ability to defend herself is invaluable as she grows up.
2. It Travels Well: The ability to defend herself is one she’ll carry with her at ALL times..including college where many crimes are reported.
3. Parents at Ease: As a parent you’ll never be 100% at ease. However, knowing your princess has the ability and training to survive a violent attack while she’s away can afford you peace of mind.
4. As girls grow into their pre-teen and teenage years, there’s a multitude of issues that come with their development. Girls growing into their bodies are subject to female bullying, clique contests and a feeling of worthlessness and/or confusion which may even venture into esteem-based diseases such as bulimia and anorexia. Few things boost confidence and self-esteem more than the ability to walk confident in your ability to handle chaos and violence for all your days. It’s a skill peers admire and celebrate.
5. Martial arts hiearchy ingrains respect for all people. Instructors respect students, senior belts respect junior belts and junior belts respect senior belts and instructors, it is an atmosphere of mutual respect regardless. Girls feel valued for their contributions and in turn value the people around them including peers and parents, setting a positive example and helping them to develop into respectful young women.
6. Unlike sports, martial arts don’t differentiate between gender. Few activities promote gender equality to such a great extent. Both males and females can be PROFESSIONAL martial artists. They can even attain Grand Master level. Girls do the same exercises/drills as boys, they perform the same applications, face male adversaries, and many times girls can see that they do movements as well as or better than boys, further encouraging self-respect and the very visible understanding that women are not limited due to their gender. Trained girls are NEVER “soft” targets.
7. Martial arts give girls a safe and comfortable place to interact with the opposite sex. As girls hit their preteen and teen years, the opposite sex begins to appeal to them but often times they don’t know how to approach guys as friends first. Since martial arts are generally a male-populated activity, girls growing up have the opportunity to interact with guys on a first hand basis several times a week and develop friendships. It teaches girls to relate with their male counterparts and it shows them that no one is invincible-they watch boys get knocked down in self-defense scenarios and help them up. Interactions with the opposite sex at a budding age where there is no pressure to date and males are friends establishes a solid foundation for building positive male-female relationships in the future that lead to healthier dating habits. How likely is it that a black belt teenage girl will put up with abuse (verbal or physical) in a relationship knowing that she has the power to render someone unconscious?
8. The martial arts give girls a support group. While in school girls may have a few close friends for sure, shyer girls don’t have a whole lot of friends as they choose not to interact. With the martial arts, you have no choice but to interact, doing drills and fighting through scenarios with other students. Friendships form and silly challenges are rare as everyone participates in common experiences, and girls feel confident and accepted.
9. Never on the Bench- unlike competitive sports ANYONE who sticks with the arts , will earn their black belt. Period.. The reason is, martial arts is about maximizing potential, not competing against others. Not all girls will earn the college soccer scholarships, fewer will turn pro. However, any girl CAN earn a Master’s status in the martial arts with all the peer respect/recognition associated with it if they stick with it long enough and don’t quit.
10. The martial arts help girls to focus on what’s important in their lives. While many may get caught up in make-up, fashionable clothes, and false friends that come and go, those in the martial arts tend to be more goal-oriented and self-motivated to achieve in academics and focus in the classroom and homework. As an instructor myself, I have seen many students with severe cases of ADD and ADHD be trained to focus and achieve well. Since martial arts promotion depends on how well a student works to achieve a ce performance standards in survival scenarios, a student must put effort into their training and focus on new techniques being taught in order to be promoted, and encouragement paves the way.
11. BONUS: Martial Arts are a family activity where often parents and kids can learn together in a safe environment. The entire family benefits from self-protection training and the fitness aspect. Oftentimes, this can be accomplished in one visit, a pleasant departure from running around from baseball practice, to soccer, to dance.

Joe Robaina is Director of Ninja Lab in Miami, Fl – a training center for self- defense, fitness and lifeskills which presents the modern day ninja as protector of family, home and community.  For more information, please call 800-289-8188 or send us an email using the contact form by clicking here.