Stumbled upon this thread and got interested. I'm Russian, from Moscow, has lived there for 30 years before coming to the USA. So, I could probably clear up some situation with women in this type of MA. First, being Russian and growing up in Russia, I have never heard about it. If any such system exists or existed - it's not available to general public. My guess is that probably some police or FSB (former KGB) people use it for training, but it's not even on present day (2012) Russian forums for martial arts. I've heard about it first time only in the USA.
Second, up to now it's very hard for a woman to train in any forms of martial arts in Russia. It's not only because there are too few clubs with good instructors (e.g. in 2012 there are maybe only 3-5% of clubs who train adults in taekwondo in a 15 million Moscow), but because instructors who are predominantely males would have huge prejudices training women. They always treat you as a "second" class student. My experience: one instructor told me (I was a 18 year old student then) that if I do not keep up with the boys - he will throw me out of the club. Another - did not talk to women at all (having like 40 guys and 4-5 women in class). I remember that some girls were amazing - former gymnasts - so what would preclude the instructor from training them in poomse? They would be champs with all their gymnastics background and amazing flexibility. No, the instructor did not even "noticed " us - only occasionally he said he was sorry, but there were too many guys to train - he had no time for women. The third one - again I was the only one women in class - he also did not even talk to me. Well, I gave up after it - and hearing all time derogatory remarks about you from male students. It was too much... Only coming to the USA - and starting again taekwondo at the age of 38 - I was completely amazed at how everything works here and how nice people are. So, I guess it would be difficult to find Russian women in this type of MA.
Second, up to now it's very hard for a woman to train in any forms of martial arts in Russia. It's not only because there are too few clubs with good instructors (e.g. in 2012 there are maybe only 3-5% of clubs who train adults in taekwondo in a 15 million Moscow), but because instructors who are predominantely males would have huge prejudices training women. They always treat you as a "second" class student. My experience: one instructor told me (I was a 18 year old student then) that if I do not keep up with the boys - he will throw me out of the club. Another - did not talk to women at all (having like 40 guys and 4-5 women in class). I remember that some girls were amazing - former gymnasts - so what would preclude the instructor from training them in poomse? They would be champs with all their gymnastics background and amazing flexibility. No, the instructor did not even "noticed " us - only occasionally he said he was sorry, but there were too many guys to train - he had no time for women. The third one - again I was the only one women in class - he also did not even talk to me. Well, I gave up after it - and hearing all time derogatory remarks about you from male students. It was too much... Only coming to the USA - and starting again taekwondo at the age of 38 - I was completely amazed at how everything works here and how nice people are. So, I guess it would be difficult to find Russian women in this type of MA.
