Martial Arts for Women: A Practical Guide [Paperback]

Jennifer Lawler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN is a concise reference for women in the martial arts and those thinking of taking up martial arts. Topics include: finding the right school and equipment, conditioning, injury prevention, fitting into a male dominated atmosphere, techniques that work best for women, practicing during pregnancy, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In Jennifer Lawler's book, Martial Arts for Women: A Practical Guide, the former English professor at the University of Kansas addresses the many issues women face in the martial arts. Choosing the right art. Customs and procedures of a typical class. Finding the right clothing. Persevering during challenging times. Fitting into a traditionally male-dominated sport. In addition to these topics, Lawler also discusses conditioning, kicking and striking skills, self-defense, forms, sparring, board breaking, and injury prevention. Finally there is a chapter on choosing a school that is excellent. Check it out. -- Martial Arts Training Magazine

Jennifer Lawler walked into a Tae Kwon Do dojang one June morning. She claims that she felt out of control of her body and that she had little mental discipline. "Would martial arts help?" she wondered.Apparently so, is the answer. Her black belt in Tae Kwon Do attests to her physical capabilities, and this book, along with her recently earned Ph.D. in English, is ample evidence of her intellectual ability.In her study, Lawler noticed that while there were plenty of martial arts-related books on self defense for women, there was a dearth of practical advice for women martial artists. With Martial Arts for Women, that gap in the literature no longer exists. This is a practical book, covering subjects such as sparring against taller partners, adjusting to contact, dressing for class, competing during menstruation, training during pregnancy, dealing with sexist attitudes, choosing the right school, and figuring the cost. Moreover, this is a well-constructed book. Chapters flow in a logical useful fashion. The text shows a wonderful economy. The spare, open design adds to the book's athleticism.This text deserves to be on the shelf of every martial arts instructor, every female student of the sport, and anyone who cares deeply about the martial arts. -- From Independent Publisher

About the Author

Jennifer Lawler is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a free lance writer. She trains at New Horizons Black Belt Academy of Tae Kwon Do, in Lawrence, Kansas, under Masters Donald and Susan Booth. She also teaches Tae Kwon Do and self-defence classes. She is the author of several books and she has published numerous articles on martial arts and women. She recently earned her Ph.D in English. She lives in Lawrence with her husband, Bret Kay, who is also a martial artist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Turtle Press (CT); 1st edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880336162
• ISBN-13: 978-1880336168
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,217,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jennifer Lawler, a writer and black belt martial artist, is the author or co-author of more than 25 non-fiction books in the how-to and self-help genres, including the popular and award-winning Dojo Wisdom series (Penguin). She is also the author of several novels.

The former editor of ATA World magazine, she has written for Family Circle, Oxygen and Cooking Light, mostly about issues related to martial arts, self defense, and personal growth. She has also written about writers' concerns for The Writer, Writer's Digest, American Writer, and others.

For the past several years, she has coached and mentored writers at various stages in their careers. She has taught many writing workshops throughout the United States, and teaches online classes for the University of California, San Diego and other organizations.

She earned a Ph.D in medieval literature from the University of Kansas and can still translate Old English if she thinks hard enough.

Her website is at www.jenniferlawler.com and her blog, Finding Your Voice, can be found at http://jenniferlawler.com/wordpress/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She's biased toward taekwondo, not against men, January 13, 2001

By 

Timnah the Great "timnah" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Martial Arts for Women: A Practical Guide (Paperback)

Lawler's book is definitely biased when it comes to martial arts styles--nearly every technique she describes or warning she gives is obviously more pertinent for taekwondo artists than for any other kind. But she puts her comments about troublesome male sparring partners clearly in context.

For example: "Certain guys at certain ages and at certain ranks develop an attitude problem toward women" (p. 132), and "even in the most female-friendly school [and Lawler does not equate *female-friendly* with *wimpy*], women occasionally encounter men who have a condescending or belittling attitude toward them" (p. 34).

Both the world of business and the world of martial arts are still mostly populated and run by men. Some female martial artists may never have to deal with prejudice against them, but again, if the pattern holds true, most of us women will at some point have the pleasure of being bullied or denigrated, even in the martial arts. I appreciate Lawler's attempt to put such negative experiences in context, and to give us some idea of how to deal with such a problem if (or when?) it arises.

Reviewer Keith Nelson ([e-mail]) wilfully misinterpreted the "rib-cracking" incident. Lawler asserts that her sparring partner "kept walking into [her] reverse punch" (p. 69), but then takes full responsibility for not having enough control to keep from breaking his ribs anyway. She describes how "appalled" she was that she had allowed the injury to occur. She relates how she lost her nerve and was encouraged and coached by *both female and male* sparring partners until she got it back. Then (and only then, because Lawler herself didn't label this man as a bully until hearing it from other women), she reveals that the sparring partner she injured was notorious for sparring too hard with partners he felt were less capable than he was. He quit coming to classes after Lawler broke his ribs. She says:

"Occasionally, justice is served in the martial arts, and though I was still wrong and at fault for not using better control and for causing an injury, I felt oddly relieved. It was somehow appropriate that I, who didn't know the man's background, actually served to help him understand what it was like when your partner sparred too hard" (70).

It seems to me that Lawler took full responsibility for her own error, while acknowledging that bullying and inappropriate aggression lead only to trouble and should not be tolerated. She encourages women to take problems with bullying, etc., to their instructors first and foremost, and then describes other reasonable tactics women can use if their sparring partners refuse to follow the rules.

On the positive side, Lawler repeatedly encourages female martial artists to practice with both female and male martial artists, in order to develop a range of sparring abilities. She relates stories of positive experiences with both female and male sparring partners.

Summation: Maybe the book should have been titled "Tae Kwon Do for Women." That criticism seems justified. The "how dare she give women the impression that some men are bullies" criticism is just plain silly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring book, August 10, 2006

By 

Nancy Pistorius - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Martial Arts for Women: A Practical Guide (Paperback)

I am not a martial artist, yet MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN: A Practical Guide both intrigued and entertained me. Lawler obviously has a zany sense of humor and the many personal anecdotes that she included in her text made MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN a very enjoyable read. The chapter on self-defense contains plenty of practical information about self-defense techniques that any woman could use, even if she is not well-versed in martial arts. And the chapter on physical concerns includes many warm up exercises that would benefit any athlete, not just a martial artist. For someone like me, who is curious about martial arts but has no background in them, MARTIAL ARTS FOR WOMEN is a perfect beginner's book. Yet enough solid information is presented to satisfy the most avid female martial artist.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great martial arts guide for women., March 29, 2006

By 

W. McMillin (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Martial Arts for Women: A Practical Guide (Paperback)

Jennifer Lawler seems to be a proficient writer about martial arts. I had bought my wife the book about TKD and woman before we found this. The wife claims that both books are good but that this one answers more questions about what women face going into the martial arts. She has loaned it out which is always a good sign. I looked through it and wished that I had found it sooner. Worth buying.