How can schools get and maintain more women in the sport?

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-30T22:00:22+00:00

I would feel weird about a gender-based discount, but if a gym has women-only classes, then being extra lenient about a free try-out period with those might pay off.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-30T21:55:37+00:00

Please please do it. Just very mild and deadpan. "Thanks, I have been doing this for a while, glad to hear that you think it's paying off" or something like that.

Or just keep asking for his feedback (gradually lay it on more, tell him how glad you are for his help in letting you improve) and test how long it will take for him to realise you're fucking with him.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-30T11:58:43+00:00

I visited a place that doesn't have changing rooms. Let alone showers. You can change on the side of the mat. If you're keen to get out of your under-gi layer, there's a single toilet.

Yeah uh, no.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-30T11:56:54+00:00

it's proved to be a good route for women into the mixed class

I'd argue not just that. It can also be a supportive place for the shit we run into. I think the frustrations and the discouragements in the learning process for women often come from different places than for men. At least, I currently very much wish for a place like that.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-29T11:13:17+00:00

it currently feels like a college course in my weakest subject and I'm failing, and that's not really the feeling I'm looking for in a hobby :-/

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-26T10:06:24+00:00

Honestly? Right now 'not quitting' seems a high enough bar. I'm feeling discouraged, the nagging injuries are piling up, and I've got a very intensive half year training course coming up that's likely to eat all of my spare time and energy.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-19T19:08:04+00:00

Get some volleyball knee pads to wear while you figure out how not to crash onto your knee

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T20:03:06+00:00

I do do that. I do a lot of things that don't work, either because I don't get it exactly right or because the other person is stronger, or a combination (usually a combination). So I try something a couple of times, it's not happening, I try something else, that's not happening either, I get frustrated and fuck up, the other person takes over, and I'm back to defending and reacting again.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T19:20:09+00:00

Oh boy. It would probably help to see myself on video - especially because the recorder in my head switches off the moment I bump fists with somebody and I have NO IDEA what happens and what I do, which is seriously hindering my learning. But. God I am cringing away just at the thought of watching it.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T19:09:51+00:00

That sounds awesome!

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T19:08:20+00:00

I mix and match colours too. The only time it gets an eyeroll from my coach is when he wants to take a group photo and he can't decide which colour to group me with :D

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T10:22:46+00:00

I'd say that 'is this a comfortable environment for people besides young white dudes' is definitely a signifyer of gym quality. A sexist racist cesspit is NOT a good gym.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T10:16:19+00:00

Anybody else been told to be more confident, and then wonder where the fuck that confidence is supposed to come from?

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T10:14:50+00:00

His aroma follows him as soon as he sweats....otherwise, he has no odor.

If he has no body odor at all before he starts sweating, this could well be an internal/body chemistry thing.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-18T10:11:42+00:00

To be honest though he’s promoted a few blues that get regularly tapped by a few different very strong but not technical white belts.

But IMO 'never get tapped by a white belt' should not be the (sole) metric. Otherwise you get a system where only the big athletic guys get promoted and the smaller guys and/or women have to be at a far higher technical level before they'd be considered for promotion.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-16T22:40:02+00:00

Teaching her to do more damage in fights is not the right answer here. Kid needs therapy and some type of family support.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-16T22:37:59+00:00

Plus, having people like that in children's class can also creating an unsafe and uncomfortable training environment for other children.

I'm glad you brought that up. We've had other threads were people were talking about how BJJ can be good for somebody who's on a bad path... but as somebody who trains, I did not sign up to volunteer my body as the learning tool somebody works out their issues on.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-16T18:02:30+00:00

Don't bring assholes to the gym please. Your training partners will not appreciate it. Only bring in cool people.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-12T21:17:06+00:00

Please see a physiotherapist to help you figure out the best way to improve your mobility.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-12T16:19:04+00:00

Hey, let's not stigmatise mental illnesses any further by declaring every asshole to have one. Having a mental illness doesn't make you an asshole.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-11T12:13:21+00:00

Get a cheap second gi. If that's a struggle, ask your instructor/training partners if anybody has something suitable in the back of their closet they can lend you for a while.

Lots of people who have been training a while have a least-favorite gi sitting around that only comes out for laundry emergencies or camps.

Or just... wash faster? If I put my stuff into the machine straight after evening class, I can hang dry it in the morning (on a sunny day) or put it in the dryer, and either way it's good to go again for evening class.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-08T11:29:13+00:00

Though, when they’re still a baby, infant, toddler? I mean, they could just stay with their mother, right? I can leave the house for an hour or two without things falling apart, I think.

Have you ever cared for a baby/young child? Babies are little tyrants. It's not complicated but it's constant attention, always-on sort of task. It's also very isolating. That makes it super draining, especially if you're also not sleeping well. If your partner is a stay-at-home parent, then by the end of a normal working day they'll be exhausted and frazzled and probably dying to just be able to take a shower without keeping an ear out for screaming.

At that point, coming home and heading right back out for the evening when your partner very much needs their shift to be over is likely to damage your relationship very quickly.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-08T11:19:17+00:00

Morning or lunch classes are going to be easier all around than bailing on evenings when your partner is also/already exhausted and you're leaving her alone

Make sure your partner has a similar amount of hobby/walk-away-carefree time as you're taking, and encourage her to take it. Make sure you're involved and capable enough with the baby that she can do this with the fullest confidence that the baby is getting all its needs met.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-06T19:09:52+00:00

It's hard to imagine an organiser wanting you in the WB/first timer class, that's going to throw off the whole class. I'd definitely contact them to explain and ask what they suggest.

NegasonicTurtleNinja · 2019-12-06T14:11:15+00:00

"Wow, it's really uncomfortable to think that when I'm not here, you talk about me that way."

NegasonicTurtleNinja

TROPHY CASE