About Female Fighters

Anna von Banana

There are differences between men and women. I know all of the differences don't apply to everyone, and that individuals rarely match with all generalizations. But really, when you look around, there are clearly differences. I get angry when people ask why there aren't more female warlords. It is as though they are completely blind to the fact that there are differences between men and women.

Some differences are learned. From a very young age, we are treated differently, spoken to differently, given different toys, encouraged to do different hobbies. Foam fighting is not the standard type of hobby that women participate in. It is a physical sport that is directly competitive, where it is you against the other person, which women are not generally as likely to participate in. Also, it is a geeky game, and women were for a long time not as involved with geeky hobbies. These things narrow the pool of women that fight even have a chance at becoming a warlord.

Now add in the physical differences. Women have far less testosterone than men, which makes it much harder to put on muscle. Women are on average shorter than men. Different amounts of estrogen vs testosterone also causes various mental differences. Being short and having less muscle puts women at a disadvantage. Yes, it is possible to put in the work to get over these differences. But for the first few years, you have to be dedicated enough to keep going when everyone else has a huge advantage over you. That's very hard to do.

Now on top of all that, add in the fact that the game is mostly men, and often awkward geeky men. Women have to deal with sexism (in many, many forms), low expectations, awkward flirting, and generally just being treated like a mascot. It can be draining, and might make some women decide to do a different hobby.

Then, finally, look at how hard it is and how long it takes anyone to become a great fighter. Some people give up, some people don't have the dedication necessary to put in all the work, some people get distracted by life. It's very hard, for men or women.

Does it matter? These differences exist, but there's not much you can really do to change it. You can try to change society. You can try to make it less awkward for women who do fight. But that's just about it. You can't force someone to be interested in your sport, and you can't give someone drive and dedication. Public attempts to "encourage" female fighters can set them apart which can often cause more harm than good. Teaching or squireing women can help in the right situation, but it can only help, they still have to have the drive. Really, the best thing you can do is to be a woman and work very hard.

One day there will be someone who has everything perfect to make a great fighter. It will happen. When it does happen, that might encourage even more women to work hard, because they have a role model. We're not there right now, and that's okay. Many women are working hard, but it takes years to get there. So don't stress too much about it.

See https://www.facebook.com/groups/263752983797441/permalink/496354747203929/ for more discussion.

Anna von Banana

A few days ago I had someone ask me what fighting advice would I give to female fighters. The question is interesting and annoying to me. People don't ask what fighting advice they would give to male fighters, so why ask for women specifically? I think the general assumption is that women need to do something differently, especially concerning body mechanics. They might be right in some situations, but probably not for the reasons they think. The issue is not that women need to fight differently, or that their bodies work differently. The issue is that many women have less arm strength than men, and they are on average shorter than men. These two things are very important in the newbie years. Until you have been fighting for a few years, you're not going to be good at moving or throwing proper shots. Most newbie fighting is standing still and doing big chops using just your arms to generate power. Both men and women start here (assuming they haven't done any other sports), but unfortunately, taller people with more arm strength are going to have a huge advantage with this fighting style.

Now what does this mean? Will short women always be worse than men? Nope. Once you start moving, using fakes, using baits, and using proper body mechanics, the variables for a fight increase tremendously, and your ability is much less reliant on height and strength. So what is the answer to the original question then? Do women need to work on body mechanics more than men? Not really, anyone who wants to get better at fighting should work on body mechanics. Everyone needs to get better at everything. Women don't need to do anything different than men.

Women may see bigger improvements in their fighting when they start seriously training, because they started out having a disadvantage. Which is good, but they are also working that hard just to level the playing field. But that doesn't really matter if your goal is to be the very best like no one ever was. It's a long road either way, so don't worry too much about it.

What fighting advice would I give to female fighters? Fight as often as you can. Seek people out to fight. Organize a fighter practice. Travel to events. Make a pell. Do footwork drills. It's the exact same advice I would give any fighter that wants to get better. In the immortal words of the great Shia LaBeouf: "Just do it!"

See https://www.facebook.com/groups/263752983797441/permalink/496185407220863/ for more discussion.