Women dominate aikido
The ancient form of martial arts offers
Gina Spring, Managing Editor
Issue date: 11/11/05 Section: Lifestyles
Katherine Herring, a sophomore biological engineering student, said she took the class originally to get out of her room. She said she was taking 19 hours and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to take a class where she could work on her physical fitness. Herring said she feels better now that she is active, and she notices a major difference in the way she feels after she attends the aikido class.
With the increase in confidence that learning a martial art often brings, Mink said it is important that students remember the training is often done in a very controlled environment and is not necessarily an indication of how you will respond in a real-life situation.
"You are moving slowly sometimes while learning," Mink said. "People think that after a little training they have the skill that they don't really have, or they think that once they learn it, it will be there for them if they ever did face an emergency situation or incident."
Mink said good schools and instructors will address this issue and remind their students that even the most skilled can perhaps find themselves in a situation unplanned for where their techniques don't work.
Elizabeth Olszewski, a junior accounting major, said she thinks it is very important that women learn some form of self-defense.
"You never know when something will happen, and even the slightest training will help you be in tune with your instincts," Olszweski said.
She said she now has more awareness when walking to her car through a dark parking lot and pays attention to her environment.
UAPD Lt. Gary Crain said when a martial art is studied seriously, it can be an effective method of protection. Crain said that while the likelihood a woman will escape an attacker depends on many variables, including the ability of the attacker and the skill level of the person being attacked, a woman who looks like she would put up a fight makes herself less of a target than someone who looks weak and is not alert.
With the increase in confidence that learning a martial art often brings, Mink said it is important that students remember the training is often done in a very controlled environment and is not necessarily an indication of how you will respond in a real-life situation.
"You are moving slowly sometimes while learning," Mink said. "People think that after a little training they have the skill that they don't really have, or they think that once they learn it, it will be there for them if they ever did face an emergency situation or incident."
Mink said good schools and instructors will address this issue and remind their students that even the most skilled can perhaps find themselves in a situation unplanned for where their techniques don't work.
Elizabeth Olszewski, a junior accounting major, said she thinks it is very important that women learn some form of self-defense.
"You never know when something will happen, and even the slightest training will help you be in tune with your instincts," Olszweski said.
She said she now has more awareness when walking to her car through a dark parking lot and pays attention to her environment.
UAPD Lt. Gary Crain said when a martial art is studied seriously, it can be an effective method of protection. Crain said that while the likelihood a woman will escape an attacker depends on many variables, including the ability of the attacker and the skill level of the person being attacked, a woman who looks like she would put up a fight makes herself less of a target than someone who looks weak and is not alert.
