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A monthly newsletter for students and friends
of Kicks Martial Arts for Women
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Inside this issue: Feature Article by Sabum Nim Jennifer Lawler CardioKicks Fitness Tip Cool Link of the Month Rank Promotions |
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| Located at the Heiter Community Center • 100 North
Fifth Street • Lewisburg, PA 17837 |
June 2004 |
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| Never Assume A Woman Is Not as Strong as a Man |
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| Excerpt from
Dojo Wisdom by Sabum Nim Jennifer Lawler Yes, there are different kinds of strength,but I am talking about pure kick 'em as hard as you can power. As a society, we believe that all men are stronger than all women, when if we would just use our own eyeballs for a minute, we would see how ludicrous this is. Some men are stronger than some women. Some women are stronger than some men. Some men and women are equally strong. If you know how to use your power, that makes you even stronger. For example, in addition to lifting weights to make me stronger, I know how to punch. This makes me even more powerful, in terms of the impact of my punches, than a man who might have more muscle mass but doesn't know how to punch. When I spar with a man who is not as strong, and not as skilled as I am, I can easily defeat him. When I spar a man who is stronger than I am, but is not as skilled as I am, I can also defeat him (depending on how much stronger he is). When I spar with a man who is both stronger and more skilled than I am, guess who's spitting out teeth when we're through? But the same holds true if I spar another woman. If she's not as strong, and not as skilled, I can easily defeat her. If she's stronger but not as skilled, I can defeat her (again, depending on how much stronger she is). But if she's both stronger and more skilled, then I'm out of luck. This doesn't mean that some guy from Jersey City couldn't come out and clean my clock for me. It just means that men aren't physically superior to women just because they're men. This is a surprisingly difficult concept to get across to people who don't compete or practice sports in mixed-gender groups. We accept that women have less upper body strength than mend do and think that proves they're weaker. We measure strength by counting how many push ups a person can do in one minute. Which is a measure of male (that is to day, upper body) strength. But I have attended aerobics classes that have made grown men weep while the women involved still have enough energy to talk about the really cute handbag they got at the mall yesterday. Women tend to have more leg strength, flexibility and aerobic endurance than men, but that's not who we measure "strength." This principle applies to other types of strength, such as courage and emotional strength. Instead of making assumptions based on gender differences, realize that all people have different strengths and weaknesses. This is important because if you're a man and your underestimating a woman's strength, you might be the one spitting out teeth. If you're a woman and you constantly sell yourself short, you'll never achieve as much as you're capable of achieving. |
 Water
is truly a miracle drink. Your body needs it for countlessbehind-the-scene processes, from digesting food to regulating body temperature. Although it doesn't contain calories, water helps you feel full, which makes it an excellent weight-loss aid. Feeling fatigued? You may not need sleep — you could simply be dehydrated. In fact, many women are often in a mild state of dehydration, resulting in lowered blood volume, less blood flow to your brain and your heart having to pump harder. And worst of all, by the time you actually feel thirsty you've already lost 2% to 3% of your body fluid! To stave off dehydration, always aim to drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day.  Especially during these warm summer days, remember that when you're exercising, thirst is beyond indication that your body needs water. Drink water before, during and after working out.Water does miracles for your body, so drink up! Congratulations!
Kicks Rank Promotion
 Congratulations to Junior Student of the Month - Kyra You can check out Kicks' test photos by clicking here.  Sabum Nim Lawler during a Tae Kwon Do seminar at Kicks Sabum Nim Jennifer Lawler earned her black
belt in Tae Kwon Do in 1994, when she was almost 29 years old, and wishes
she'd learned to kick butt a lot sooner. Since then, she has studied other
martial arts, including Hapkido, Aikijutsu, and Escrima. She has gained experience
in kickboxing and boxing (she's a southpaw and has a really nasty uppercut).
She has also studied weapons, so she knows what to do with a knife (heh-heh).
She has written extensively on the subject of martial arts, especially women
in the martial arts. |
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