As I jam my elbows into one of my best friend’s hands, Scott Law, Director of Campus Public Safety, keeps insisting that I close the distance between the two of us. So, with each and every move, I move closer and attack stronger. Soon, though, I made the mistake of looking into my best friend’s face, and laughter broke out between us, a common sight for these Wednesday karate classes.
Between Law’s jokes about my height and the jokes about two best friends just raring to hit each other, it is hard for me and my friend Leah to take this class seriously. Despite this, we have learned a lot, and I have grown to appreciate karate so much that I recommend every woman take some type of self-defense or karate class.
Beyond the humor and fun you can have taking a class like this with your friends, karate is wonderful for your mental health. My whole life, society has told me that it isn’t proper for women to be angry. So when someone would hurt me, or I was overwhelmed, I didn’t know how to cope with that frustration and stress. I buried any negative emotions because it wasn’t ladylike. This would result in me dragging around a terrible weight of anxiety and depression until I just broke down.
I have found that releasing my stress in a controlled environment helps me not carry it around for the rest of the week.
It is not even during parts of class when we are sparring that I release this negative energy. It is in the parts where we practice kata, a series of movements, punches, and blocks. I put my all into it, and that force calms me down. With each movement, the negative energy flows out of my mind and out into the world through my body.
Another aspect I love about karate is that I get to slow down and move precisely. Throughout the week, I feel like a spinning top, chaotically moving from one location to another. I admit I am very clumsy. Karate has very specific body placements, and Law is not afraid to nitpick the finer details. During these moments, I must focus on nothing but my body, letting everything else float away and leaving all negativity outside the room, which is fantastic for stress management.
We also can’t ignore the statistical elephant in the room. Women are more likely to be victims of violent crimes than men and actively make efforts to feel and be safe. I vividly remember my mom gifting me my first bottle of pepper spray because I began working nights at Cowles Library. I also remember having my criminal justice professor explain to all the women in class how to carry and attack with your car keys just in case something awful were to happen. This just isn’t the reality for most men.
The National Crime Victimization Survey found that women report about 500,000 rapes and sexual assaults annually. This does not even account for the assaults that go unreported. Being prepared and having at least a little training in self-defense can save your life one day.
Learning to protect yourself can only do so much, I admit. It is not only women’s responsibility to fix this problem. Society needs to make a larger effort to keep women safe and teach men that violence is not okay. Still, it never hurts to be able to protect yourself.
As I look forward to getting my yellow belt in the next month, I reflect on the joyful memories I have made in just two months of taking a karate class. I realize how much this class has brought me: I have grown as a person, becoming stronger and more confident. I also get to have fun for 45 minutes once a week, a big relief when my schedule is otherwise jam-packed with responsibilities. My friend and I are having so much fun that we have ensured that we continue this next semester by carefully curating our schedule around Law’s 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. karate class.
I call for women to join me in this revolution. Get in touch with your inner badass by showing your strength, power and control through a karate class at your local rec center.
