Is it common for girls to spar with guys in martial arts class?

[Anonymous]

A few months ago I posted a question about starting a kickboxing class 🥊 and since then I have started such a class.

Strange thing is I expected it to be mostly guys, and only guys that I sparred with. However, the class is a mix of girls and guys, and I spar almost as much with girls as I do with guys.

To be fair the girls are pretty good and offer a very competitive sparring session, with the only real difference being that girls go for kicks to the groin way more than guys to win their sparring matches.

So my question is: In your martial arts class, is it common and normal for girls to spar with guys? 🤔 Thank you.

[pepper1993]

I mean it depends on the specific martial arts you're talking about I guess. Some classes have mostly girls, and others mostly guys. Some like Karate have enough students to have roughly equal amounts of each gender, others have to make do with the students they got. TKD & Jiu Jitsu is mostly guys, Krav Maga obviously is mostly women. Those are the only ones I have seen but in all of them it wasn't uncommon at all for girls and guys to spar.

Oh and I've done kickboxing for years and it's 95% women usually. And not that I haven't done it several times (mostly on accident), but they strongly discourage targeting the groin.

[jbasch]

Is Krav Maga mostly women? My sister did Krav Maga and, from what I could tell, most of the people working with her were women. (Note: Krav Maga definitely does *not* discourage targeting the groin lmao)

[Asker]

@pepper1993 That’s a fair point about how the numbers are made up depending on the type of class 👍 my previous experience in other martial arts was mostly with guys, so I was just a little surprised to be sparring with girls in this kickboxing class. The genders are an evenly mixed, and targeting the groin is neither encouraged or discouraged in this class, but it is a legal move that girls tend to use way more than guys! Why did your class (es) discourage targeting the groin if it was a legal move? 🤔

[pepper1993]

They discourage it because it's NOT A LEGAL MOVE lol... I have never had ANY class (outside of your typical women's self defense and krav maga) that allows purposeful shots to the groin. Especially a kickboxing class. That's kinda absurd. It's not Streetfighter, there's rules and conduct you have to follow. And if it really was a 'legal move' than why didn't other guys use it on eachother.

[Asker]

@pepper1993 Oh, if it’s not a legal move then how come you’ve kicked to the groin “several times” and only “mostly on accident?” 🤔 Like some of those times weren’t an accident? 😯 In my class kicking to the groin is a legal move because the class is based, so I’m told, on the older Thai boxing style that used to allow groin strikes 🤷🏻‍♂️ and guys do use them too, it’s just that girls tend to use them way more against guys, that’s all. Which girl are you in your picture by the way? 🙂

[jbasch]

@pepper1993 - oh, I agree, as far as I know groin kicks are not permitted in any mainstream competitive martial arts. But obviously they're still taught when it comes to self-defense training and stuff. I would say, however, that I think there are a variety of reasons why guys are hesitant to hit each other in the groin which do not just have to do with the fact that it's not legal lol

[pepper1993]

Lol do you know what 'legal' means? Like yes it happens on accident, and I have certainly done it on purpose for a variety of reasons, but like I said its not encouraged and I have gotten an earful for it at times, and if I was to do it at some sort of sanctioned event I would be disqualified. And I have never heard of Muay Thai that allows for groin strikes lol. I have seen where they don't DQ you for accidental or glancing blows but deliberate groin strikes are a no-no. Maybe double check your Kru's certifications 😏.

And besides all that.. in most martial arts competitions the guys wear cups so I don't understand the point of using the technique (even if it is somehow legal) during sparing if its not going to work effectively during actual competitions. Serious kickboxers even have steel cups for this exact reason.

Now get me wrong I would love to take a martial arts or kickboxing class that allows you to just instantly kick a dude in the nuts, but sadly I just don't think that's a thing lol. Well maybe Krav Maga is pretty close.

Oh and I'm the girl in the middle...

[W0nderb0y]

Why would you want to be allowed to kick there? That’s messed up. It wouldn’t be fair

[Asker]

@pepper1993 Yes, ‘legal’ in the sense that strikes to the groin area are allowed, which they are in this class. The idea is that you are responsible for protecting your groin area, the same as anywhere else on the body, and so getting kicked there is essentially your fault. Thai boxing pre-1980s allowed groin strikes and some still do. I Googled this since your last message. I know it’s rare though in martial arts from what I’ve read. Before starting sparring in this class attendees have to sign up to the rules, which does include how strikes are allowed anywhere on the body, including anywhere ‘below the belt’. Groin guards are optional though, so guys can wear them if they choose 🤷🏻‍♂️ I have tried a few but find them too restrictive and awkward, so I don’t bother wearing one. So why have you kicked guys “on purpose?” Is that in class or away from class? 😯 And why would you “love to take a martial arts or kickboxing class that allows you to just instantly kick a dude in the nuts?” 😳 And you say the girl in the middle, is that the one with her hand over her mouth? 🙂

[pepper1993]

@W0nderb0y Yeah that's kinda the point lol... besides it was mostly a joke.

[pepper1993]

What are you a member of Cobra Kai? I can't imagine there's that much interest in signing up for outdated classes where you're probably going to get kicked in the balls. And if just kicking the opponent straight away in the balls is allowed and you choose to not wear protection, then methinks you kinda deserve it lol. Just about every guy I've ever come across wears protection during tournaments, maybe not for sparring. But you don't want to be the guy who gets racked by misplaced snap kick and crying on the floor in front of your friends and family. I've seen that many times, I've even been the person to do it once or twice... trust me you don't want to be that guy. Find a more reputable place that's going to teach you up to date techniques and focus on modern safety tactics. There's a reason they phases that out lol. Anyway just my own advice, to be honest allowing shots to the nuts is more in line with how a real fight is going to go so maybe more power to you.

[W0nderb0y]

You girls shouldn’t joke about this stuff so much. By the way in a real fight you couldn’t when with a kick there. I would know to guard that spot and so would any other guy. The only people who have ever managed to get past my defenses are my big sister and some of the girls at my tkd school

[Asker]

@pepper1993 No I’m not 😂 I just think the people who sign up for such a class want a close to real life kind of experience, kind of like how a stand up street fight might go where you have to defend all parts of your body and win by any means possible. I haven’t been “kicked in the balls” yet, but I’ve only been there 2-3 months. Some guys wear protection and others like me don’t, so I am taking a risk with that, but all the full contact kicks to my groin so far I have been able to block or avoid. Do you think I “deserve” to be kicked full contact in the balls by a girl for this? 😯 And have you kicked guys in the balls who weren’t wearing a cup in competition fights in front of their friends and family? 😳 Did those guys actually cry from your kicks? 😭 Well thanks for saying ‘more power to me’ for taking this class 👍 yes, it is the kind of ‘real life’ experience I was looking for. Again, why have you kicked guys “on purpose?” Is that in class or away from class? 🤔 And why would you “love to take a martial arts or kickboxing class that allows you to just instantly kick a dude in the nuts?” 😳 And are you the one with her hand over her mouth?

[pepper1993]

Okay bud you do you lol.. still sounds absurd to me. As for the hundred questions jeez let me see..

1) Deserve isn't the right word, I don't really care either way, I'm just saying you're playing with fire, but I don't know maybe you're older and live competition type stuff isn't a thing you do anymore.
2) I have kicked guys directly in the balls during events yes. A few times I know they had family members in attendance. It's almost always on accident. Usually I don't know if they're wearing cups or not until I make contact or see their reaction. Twice I've got a guy really good accidently with no cup, and neither competed again for rest of the night. I have accidently kicked, kneed, elbowed, or punched a dude in the balls many, many times, and the ones that had cups on usually continue the fight almost immediately. I have only done it on purpose once or twice, and I had good reasons for it, I don't know if they had people in the stands or not and I didn't care. Hopefully they did.
3) It's hard to tell sometimes because I usually walk back to my side and wait there, but I've been told it's happened several times. And one of the guys who got it on purpose certainly did.
4) I have only done it two times I think in actual competition, on "purpose". It's mostly accidently. Fights are hectic and I get hit in places I'd rather be avoided myself. And I'm hardly the only person to do it. It happens several times throughout the night during a typical event. And I've gone many events in a row without it happening at all. Now in classes it happens much more often lol probably like 50/50 between accidently and on purpose. Unless we are under actual demonstration then I would never do it on purpose. But just during free time sparring, or especially after class sometimes I'll do it on purpose just as a joke much more often.
5) Because it would be really funny...
6) I'm the one in the dress with dark hair.

[Asker]

@pepper1993 I understand these kind of rules are not so common, so it does surprise many people. Thank you for your comprehensive response though 👍 I agree that I don’t ‘deserve’ to be kicked in the balls, but I do accept the risks that come with the rules of this sport. You “don’t really care either way” if I take a full contact kick to my balls though 😯 that seems harsh? If there are live competition fights under these rules I will take part for sure. When you’ve accidentally kicked guys in the balls without a cup during events, how bad did you feel for them? What reasons made you kick some guys on purpose? 😳 And why would you hope they had people in the audience watching? I understand sparring and fights can be “hectic”, yes. I try not to strike a girl’s boobs or between her legs, but girls have kicked full contact between my legs and I’ve been able to block or avoid those so far 👍 but yes, groin strikes are common, only in my class they are mostly intentional and not accidental. Why in your classes are these groin strikes happening more on purpose if they’re not allowed? 🤔 And when you’ve kicked to the groin on purpose, during classes or in competition, do you kick only hard enough to win, or your absolute hardest to assure the win? 🤔 So if you attended my class, would you intentionally kick to the groin often if the rules allowed it? What would be “really funny” about this 🤔 like would you “instantly kick a dude in the nuts” every time? Oh, and you’re the one on the right then in the flowery dress and very dark hair 👀 yes, you’re very pretty 😊

[Johnsmith119]

I am pretty sure it hurts the same maybe like a little less for you all too. A kick to the groin upwards with the ball of the foot can drop a girl screaming in pain and agony like a guy too. It might just not be permanently damaging like it is for guys but have you ever taken a shot to the vag? The clit is really sensitive

[Lesson82]

You definitely have the typical but honest answer a guy could expect from a girl and I can tell you are getting frustrated because these guys want more answers and ask why and do we deserve it and should you feel bad wether you accidentally on purpose whenever you can as any girl will take advantage of him leaving himself open that's the risk he takes when facing a girl and if she knows he doesn't have a cup then like you have done accidentally on purpose nailed them hard and ended their night especially if you knew he had female family members because they would be the one's to appreciate and enjoy watching you drop him. As a man have asked the question why 🤔like guy's on here as you keep trying to explain in writing and they don't understand and you are getting annoyed and if they were there in person like I was when I asked too many questions and she didn't have to answer why she showed me why and trust me she explained the why as she grabbed me by the shoulders and said here's the why and kneed me in the ball's 2 or 3 times and down I went and then added because I'm a girl do you ''kneed''me to explain it better and even if I do on purpose and enjoy it would you like to get back up and say I shouldn't or it's unfair I can show you my answer it's easier for me and I'm sure you will agree and won't need to elaborate on it 🤣🤣 Can't say you should get your explanation across like that because unfortunately for me I did understand it and wouldn't ever question why because I felt how painful a girl's answer was and I had no more questions as I will always remember it fair or unfair.

[Lesson82]

@jbasch I'm sure your sister demonstrated on you a lot I'm sure lol Was she older or younger?

[Anonymous]

Groin kicks in controlled sparring matches? That doesn’t seem very fair

[Asker]

Well cups are optional and all attendees are made aware of the rules before they begin sparring, so at least they know the risks I guess.

[Opinion Owner]

They know the risks, but it’s still not fair. One light kick in the nuts and even the toughest man is down. A weak girl who has never trained before could easily beat a professional strongman just by hitting him in the balls. It’s not a fair contest

[Asker]

I take your point 👍 although some big, strong inexperienced guy could take on a black belt woman and only win because of his physical size advantages, which wouldn’t feel right either 🤷🏻‍♂️ so I just think that guys have their natural physical advantages, but girls also have their natural physical advantages of kicking to the groin, so it seems fair in that way and again, attendees know and agree to the rules before sparring. Generally speaking sparring partners are matched more fairly so you don’t get extremes of abilities being paired together, now that wouldn’t be fair! 😂

[hyperben]

not unusual, I found the same when I trained, girls will go for the groin. I found that once you learn to get your knee in the way, they stop kicking you in the nuts pretty quickly!

Sparring and competition are a little different, in many ways its good to train with as many different sparring partners as possible to build a broader set of skills

[Karate_Guy]

Yes, it is very common at my dojo. When we do sparring, the front row turns to the back row, and whoever you are matched up with is who you are sparring (at least until the instructor calls time for us to rotate to another person), so who you start sparring all depends on how you are lined up with.

[Karate_Guy]

And, yes, the girls definitely aim for the groin often, but where I train that is legal (we are very practical / self-defense oriented)

[s35bonanza]

Guys sparing girls is very common at my gym, groin strikes definitely happen, and we don’t make a big deal out of wether it was “accidental” or not because we have a tradition at our gym that addresses all of this. In our official written rules, groin strikes are not allowed and wearing a cup or groin protection is up to each competitor, most guys never wear one. Our tradition is that when guys spar girls they never wear one, guys must always spar females cupless. To hide behind artificial protection is considered weak, since guys have so many physical advantages over girls, it is understood that a guys weakest spot, his testicles, are a legitimate target. There is no penalty or point deduct for the “accidental” contact since males must take responsibility for using their own quickness and reflexes to protect their most vulnerable spots. Most matches are fairly competitive and exciting to watch as well as participate in. For in class practice we rotate partners and only use 25%-50% of full force so the guys can take a few hits and still remain in the class rotation. If we are doing a competitive round or belt testing then the instructors insist all contact be very intentional and as hard as possible to end the fight. Guys get racked pretty hard but there have never been any serious or permanent injuries. Testicles are much more durable than their sensitivity leads you to believe.

[mando22]

hey can you dm me?

[Koalamate]

I do no contact boxing all pad work. Mixed gender class, gender doesn't matter it's more about size strength and height.

[laraWM]

I just answered the same question 😅

[Asker]

Sorry, I deleted and reposted it because I had so few answers 🫣 but I appreciated your answer, thanks! 👍

[laraWM]

haha thanks I hope you it doesn't annoy you that you spar with girls 😂

[Asker]

Oh no, not at all 😂 I think you’re right that splitting the class would reduce the numbers and available sparring partners. It just surprised me to be sparring so much with girls! In the past when I’ve done martial arts, some time ago now, it wasn’t quite like this. To be fair the girls can be surprisingly feisty and determined to win, so fair enough I guess 🙂

[laraWM]

I think girls can still feel the need to prove they deserve the right to take part in the class because they are not always welcome by every guy. So I suppose they are really hardworking

[Asker]

Yes, I think that’s it 👍 of course the girls have every right to be there, but like you say I think some step up their game and their determination when taking on a guy! 🥊

[laraWM]

I mean especially if the guys thinks girls have nothing to do in the class and acts cocky 😂

[Asker]

The guys tend not to act cocky around the girls because they know that will only make them more determined to beat them! 😂

[laraWM]

Yes but some guys still thinks girls have nothing to do here

[Asker]

I’m afraid there is always going to be that small percentage of guys who think like that 😒 but no, the girls have every right to be there and often they can be technically better, faster and way more agile than some of the guys, especially the lower ranked ones 🥊 so good for them, and I’m sure those girls take extra pleasure from winning against those kind of guys! 😂

[laraWM]

Of course, they are probably happy when they manage to win against those guys 👊

[Asker]

The girls do seem to take greater delight in beating a guy than when they take on a fellow girl 😂 the more devastating the win the more empowering it is for them I guess.

[laraWM]

Yes I suppose so

[Lesson82]

You are probably right some guy's would think that but the real reason why is because they are probably afraid and if he does voice his opinion saying girls don't belong there Is almost calling them weak and where do you think those guy's end up reminded it's his balls that are weak and she put him where he should belong where at some point in every guys life have been there either a lot because he didn't learn or learned that lesson from a sister as most do when they are younger. So I would say most wouldn't think that because of life lessons and the reason for a guy even joining the class so he could hopefully learn to defend as best as he can so girls can drop him every time but not be naive that just because he is able to defend better he can't stop them all because where are balls have been conveniently placed for the perfect height for the most painful for strike that I think because where girls have the most power and strength is in their legs and of course the knee is a conveniently hard bone as I know that when I'm kneed in the ball's it is just to convenient how it works like it was designed to definitely not equal out the fairness but to actually give a girl of any age to be able to protect herself even if he is bigger stronger older she has this advantage because of this a man's weakness left in the open 😳

[laraWM]

@Lesson82 It makes sense but probably not so easy

[Lesson82]

If you do hear about the competition's or my experience outside of it and it is hard to admit for a guy if the girls to aim and connect it always ends up in the girls favor but our ego can't except it so we end up on the floor holding our balls again and again.