“Strong is the new beautiful” is a statement we’ve all been hearing lately about women, and as someone who trains and works with women all the time, I can tell you that this statement is absolutely true. And this brings us to today’s questions: 1-Are martial arts exclusive to men, or can women also partake? 2-Do women lose their femininity when they put on fighting gloves? 

First, let’s explain Chinese Boxing: it’s a form of martial art fighting that includes boxing, kicking and take downs. Two opponents fight against each other in a ring for two rounds that each last 2 minutes. The winner is the person who scored more points (based on a scoring system) or by knockout (knocking down his/her opponent.) To become a Chinese Boxer a person should have speed, power, flexibility, agility and of course fighting experience, and those fighting qualities are not gender biased, allowing women to also get in that ring. It’s considered safe for amateurs since all fighters wear full protection. This includes gloves, chest guard, groin guard, chin guard, helmet, mouth guard and of course gloves (10oz and up.)

On a non-professional level, Chinese boxing is a great way for women to go through healthy physical activities without having to do boring routines at the gym, as fighting increases adrenaline levels in the body, where you can train for a whole hour without feeling tiredness or pain. And once you make this part of your exercise routine, the adrenaline rushes become addictive and your body will ask for them, which would push you to go and train even on your most lazy days. So, for those of you who don’t want to go all-in and just do this for fun and exercise, you can practice all the moves on pads or a punching bag without having any physical contact with anyone. This will give you all the benefits of martial arts except for the fighting experience. 

Every person who practices martial arts becomes peaceful and confident. From my personal experience as an international champion in Chinese boxing, when I’m in the ring fighting, I am very aggressive and explosive, but as soon as that bell rings I salute my opponent and give him all my respect for having the courage to stand in a ring and fight. That same behavior is practiced by my female peers. This concludes that whoever you are in the ring has nothing to do with your personality in real life. So, for all the people who say that women who wear gloves lose their femininity got it all wrong. Women who fight, gain a rare type of confidence which is obvious in the way they carry themselves, in the way they walk, dress and talk. I don’t only refer to my female students when I state that fact, because I have two sisters who are also professional fighters, and I observe how feminine they are every single day. One of them is 22 years old and she works in the corporate world where she wears her heels and dresses on a daily basis. The second one is 16, and in addition to being a professional fighter, she is also a ballet dancer. 

So, in a nutshell, Chinese boxing or any form of martial arts can be practiced in a safe way and is perfectly suitable for women, as it has numerous physical and mental health benefits. Most importantly, martial arts do not strip a woman of her femininity; on the contrary, they simply increase her confidence and self-esteem, in addition to giving her the tools to defend herself against anyone who tries to cause her physical harm. So, ladies, gloves on! 

Francois El Rassi