Women's Only Class ??

[Cebu West]

Hello Ladies
I need your input. I teach Modern Arnis/Balintawak in a small club. Right now it is half women and half men and things seem to go pretty smoothly. I have just changed our training location which gives me the opportunity to expand our club. We were meeting once a week for about an hour and a half. The new location will allow us to train longer as well as bring in new people. I am going to have a women's only time slot. We'll do 6:30 to 7:30 just for the girls then 7:30 to 9 as a mixed session. The girls will be able to stay for the second session if they want. It will be totally optional. I am doing this split because every time I mention a women's only class I see raised eyebrows and hear "Oh! I like that" so I'm going to give it a try. Here's where I need you guys. What do I need to do and not do in a women's only class. The only thing that is etched in stone is having me as the instructor. Other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks
Sal (Cebu West-WMAA)

[Eternal Beginner]

Hello Ladies
I need your input. I teach Modern Arnis/Balintawak in a small club. Right now it is half women and half men and things seem to go pretty smoothly. I have just changed our training location which gives me the opportunity to expand our club. We were meeting once a week for about an hour and a half. The new location will allow us to train longer as well as bring in new people. I am going to have a women's only time slot. We'll do 6:30 to 7:30 just for the girls then 7:30 to 9 as a mixed session. The girls will be able to stay for the second session if they want. It will be totally optional. I am doing this split because every time I mention a women's only class I see raised eyebrows and hear "Oh! I like that" so I'm going to give it a try. Here's where I need you guys. What do I need to do and not do in a women's only class. The only thing that is etched in stone is having me as the instructor. Other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks
Sal (Cebu West-WMAA)
I am assistant instructor in a women's only BJJ class. The only thing different about it is that it is women only. Don't change the cirriculum because it is women...they are there to study the art for a reason. We do the exact same warm-ups, techniques, rolling that a regular class would.

Some of the questions (as to self-defense) are different than what guys would ask, but that is a situation to situation basis...not as a matter of cirriculum.

Good luck!

[terryl965]

We tried the womans only class was great for the first couple of weeks and then it went down the toilet, they seemed to back to the classes with the men for a better real Sd type scenerio. Like been said keep it the same and good luck

[Ceicei]

It won't hurt to try. Sometimes an all women's class is the thing to boost the interest and allow for intensive training. It all depends on how the class is handled and who goes to train. If you make the class interesting and challenging, I think it will be able to go beyond just a few weeks. Be sure to ask your female students for their feedback on how they would like the class to improve.

- Ceicei

[Phoenix44]

I agree that the curriculum should be the same.

[shesulsa]

Hello Ladies
I need your input. I teach Modern Arnis/Balintawak in a small club. Right now it is half women and half men and things seem to go pretty smoothly. I have just changed our training location which gives me the opportunity to expand our club. We were meeting once a week for about an hour and a half. The new location will allow us to train longer as well as bring in new people. I am going to have a women's only time slot. We'll do 6:30 to 7:30 just for the girls then 7:30 to 9 as a mixed session. The girls will be able to stay for the second session if they want. It will be totally optional. I am doing this split because every time I mention a women's only class I see raised eyebrows and hear "Oh! I like that" so I'm going to give it a try. Here's where I need you guys. What do I need to do and not do in a women's only class. The only thing that is etched in stone is having me as the instructor. Other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks
Sal (Cebu West-WMAA)
Hi, Sal. :asian:

The only change in curriculum I could conceive would be a change in angle to groin strikes as they pertain to women, assuming a female is an attacker. According to those annoying scientific research studies :rolleyes: the female brain is good at memorizing patterns, both long and small. Your social interaction with them might be different since you'll be the only fella around, and you may find that women will like to get into it just like the guys do once they lose their inhibition and sense of primness.

And here's another idea: ask the ladies how they would change the class and/or curriculum if the guys weren't around, what would they keep, what would they do more of, what would they not appreciate. Get the feedback of your own students and then you may be able to better assess what they like versus what they need.

Good luck!

Respectfully,

G Ketchmark

[Cebu West]

I knew I could count on the MT Girls for some quality feedback. Every time I think I know women I get in trouble so I plan on letting the girls run the show except for the technical training and that will be flexible as well. The girls that are with me now have no problem letting me know what's on their minds and I think that will help as others who join are on the timid side will take their lead and speak up also.
I'm probably creating a monster and I'll end up in therapy.

Hey Georgia
Good to hear from you. I had fun training with you in Buffalo and our conversations as well. I look foreword to seeing you again.

Sal

[Cebu West]

It appears that the women's only idea is a big hit. Four new girls have signed up in the last two weeks and a few more are comming for a look see. This is just by word of mouth and it seems like everyone knows somebody that they think will be interested. So far so good.

Sal

[shesulsa]

It appears that the women's only idea is a big hit. Four new girls have signed up in the last two weeks and a few more are comming for a look see. This is just by word of mouth and it seems like everyone knows somebody that they think will be interested. So far so good.

Sal

Glad to hear this, Sal.

[Kacey]

That sounds great! Hopefully, it will take off.

[Cebu West]

I would like to update you guys on how the women's class is going.

My original idea on having a women's only class followed by a general class seemed to work out well in the beginning. Soon after the women all wanted to combine the classes into one general one. I guess once they got comfortable they were ready for that. As it turns out the majority of the group is now women. They are as tough or tougher than many of the guys I've worked with. In fact two of them are my training partners are will give me a run for my money. If I'm not careful and slack off then they'll take my head off, and that is exactly what I expect of them. It is a pleasure to see their intensity and enthusiasm. Makes my job easier and fun. They even let me think I'm in charge, but I know better.
We will be having three new women join the class in September and that will make the girls be double the number of guys.

Thanks again to the MT Ladies for your support and advise.

Sal :asian:

[shesulsa]

I would like to update you guys on how the women's class is going.

My original idea on having a women's only class followed by a general class seemed to work out well in the beginning. Soon after the women all wanted to combine the classes into one general one. I guess once they got comfortable they were ready for that. As it turns out the majority of the group is now women. They are as tough or tougher than many of the guys I've worked with. In fact two of them are my training partners are will give me a run for my money. If I'm not careful and slack off then they'll take my head off, and that is exactly what I expect of them. It is a pleasure to see their intensity and enthusiasm. Makes my job easier and fun. They even let me think I'm in charge, but I know better.
We will be having three new women join the class in September and that will make the girls be double the number of guys.

Thanks again to the MT Ladies for your support and advise.

Sal :asian:

Right on, Sal! Sounds like you've done a great job at building their confidence. Well done, if I may say so.

:asian:

[RITFencing]

Not to be a jerk, but does this mean that women are unfairly favored in that they now have access to more training time than men?

[shesulsa]

Not to be a jerk, but does this mean that women are unfairly favored in that they now have access to more training time than men?
Hmm ...

If you had students who had confidence issues or special needs, would you be giving them extra attention? or is it a sink or swim approach in your training hall?

[arnisador]

Not to be a jerk, but does this mean that women are unfairly favored in that they now have access to more training time than men?

Since this is a private club...would it matter if that were so?

[Cebu West]

Actually, with the classes combined, everyone is now getting more training time in. Regardless of gender, I put in as much time as my students need. This is a club and we take care of each other. Most of the time they tell me when it's time to leave. I'd keep going all night.

Sal

[RITFencing]

I knew that one would probably draw a little bit of fire, or at least suspicion...

I try to give every student I have the attention they need. However, I also know that I only have a limited amount of time in a given week, and if I spend all of that helping one student (or group of students), the others will suffer because of it, so some time management is definitely in order. In the same vein, if I devote, say 6 hours a week to gender mixed classes and another 3 to women's only training, then the female students now have 50% more training available to them than the men, based solely on gender. If we were to switch roles, and I said to all of my female students "Only the men can have those extra three hours per week," I'd be a pretty dang unfair instructor.

Conversely, is it fair to the best students if the instructor is constantly spending time with those that aren't as far along?

While I would rather have more training for only some students than less training for everybody, it still doesn't seem like a fair solution. It's actually quite a tricky ethical problem. I'm also aware that as far as self defense classes are concerned, the average woman faces a whole different ball game than the average man, and so there are additional advantages beyond the whole safe introductory/comfortable training environment.

Please understand that I'm not saying students who need help shouldn't get it, no more than I am saying women's only classes are a bad idea. I am more playing devil's advocate than anything else (and, as I said, I didn't think it would be a popular supposition when I made it), because it really does seem unfair to me that anyone, man or woman, should get more opportunities in because of their sex, but then again, I can totally see the advantages to women's only classes (in fact, the place I teach at is thinking of starting a women's class) which, once again, leads to a very sticky and interesting little quandary.

Of course, every instructor's ultimate duty is to ensure that the needs of their students are met. If all male students have their needs met by the regular class, and female students want another one (or in some cases an entirely different one) to meet additional or different needs, then I would conclude that it is fine. I do, however, think that there should be some other option open to the male students who want a bit of extra training or have their own special needs/interests. It doesn't even necessarily have to be male only, or it could be something that meets during the female class, perhaps in a different room if you have the facility for it. At this point, I'm honestly thinking out loud, just listing things from the top of my head.

[Carol]

My aunt teaches English as a Second Language.

She taught her first few sets of students well, then she had a set of students that she had a very difficult time teaching. The reason - it was her first time teaching students that were illiterate in their native tongue...and that surprised her. She had to learn new ways of teaching. Her first few sets of students could all read and write in their native tongue.

Personally I see some martial arts instructors with the same stuggles. They take on students but forget there are students out there that have yet to learn the alphabet and aren't sure how to teach them. Or they just keep going thinking eventually they will catch up.

There is no easy answer. Many teachers teach, but not teacher has it in them to see that their students learn.

[qi-tah]

I would like to update you guys on how the women's class is going.

My original idea on having a women's only class followed by a general class seemed to work out well in the beginning. Soon after the women all wanted to combine the classes into one general one. I guess once they got comfortable they were ready for that. As it turns out the majority of the group is now women. They are as tough or tougher than many of the guys I've worked with. In fact two of them are my training partners are will give me a run for my money. If I'm not careful and slack off then they'll take my head off, and that is exactly what I expect of them. It is a pleasure to see their intensity and enthusiasm. Makes my job easier and fun. They even let me think I'm in charge, but I know better.
We will be having three new women join the class in September and that will make the girls be double the number of guys.

Thanks again to the MT Ladies for your support and advise.

Sal :asian:

Yay that's it's working out so well for you! It sounds like you have a good spread of experience and skill levels in your women's only class, which is ace... getting women to strike with enough force can be difficult sometimes and it helps if there are a few "role models" in class.

[KamonGuy2]

Excellent stuff. We tried a similar thing at Kamon. There would be the main classes as per usual, but we held regular women only seminars designed to build the confidence in women and build up the skills in a more comfortable environment

I think it is good to do both - train with men and women. To not train with guys is to leave a gap in your training

[Jade Tigress]

Mod Note

The posts discussing the use of the term *girls* when referring to women in class have been split into a new thread so the discussion can be continued without taking the original post off-topic.

Pamela Piszczek
MT Super Moderator