Find out what is the best martial arts practice for girls to be able to protect themselves and apply training as fitness. In our society, it is generally accepted that girls should engage in "female" sports disciplines to maintain physical fitness. Many types of fitness have been created, there is yoga and Pilates, athletics, but not martial arts. However, not everyone follows this tradition, and today we will talk about martial arts for girls.
It is quite obvious that when choosing this or that kind of sport, women are guided by different criteria and motives in comparison with men. It should not be denied that now the criminal situation in the country and in the world is not the most favorable. The girl's desire to be able to stand up for herself is understandable.
Do not forget about the loads, which in martial arts are much higher than in any form of aerobics. What can martial arts give for girls? Firstly, all muscle groups of the body actively work during training, which, thanks to this, develops harmoniously. Secondly, the spirit is strengthened and willpower develops. This can be very valuable in everyday life. And, of course, stretching exercises, without which no martial arts are unthinkable, only increase femininity.
Let's not forget about the philosophy that is present in any kind of martial arts. When you remain in the ring face to face with an opponent, you need to learn how to interact with him, find his weaknesses and understand yourself. As a result, you can learn to listen to your body and master it perfectly. Today our life is a series of stresses, which are sometimes extremely difficult to get rid of. Martial arts for girls are often more effective than seeing a psychologist.
Now all over the world there are about 1.5 thousand martial arts. Many of them were created millennia ago. Although many do not see any practical use in them, they are practiced by millions. If we talk about the secret of martial arts longevity, then we can highlight three points:
- Spirituality - most types of martial arts have their own philosophy and in training a lot of attention is paid to working on consciousness.
- They have a strong healing effect.
- Self-defense skills are mastered.
Despite the widespread opinion in society, we argue that martial arts for girls can be just as useful in comparison with men, and sometimes even better. In some fighting arts, fluidity of movement, grace, cunning and economy are of particular importance. All this makes these sports very useful for the female body.
Martial arts for girls: a kind of fitness or the ability to protect yourself?
Today, only in a few regions of some eastern states, both men and women can be allowed to fight at the same time. In most cases, representatives of different genders compete separately. This is explained by differences in physiology and it is generally accepted that with the same level of training, a man will be stronger than a female rival.
Many coaches believe that martial arts for girls should first of all become a form of fitness, and not a means of self-defense. Many styles of wushu, tai-bo, or capoeira can be excellent choices to keep your body in order. They recommend that girls practice non-contact martial arts such as aikido.
Here it would be very appropriate to quote the words of Keiko Fukuda. This is the only woman (by the way, she is now 98 years old) who managed to get a tenth degree black belt in judo. She is confident that girls should build their martial art on speed, accuracy and cunning. It is these qualities that can perfectly resist strength.
The best martial arts for girls
Tai ji quan
It is one of the most ancient arts and has stood the test of time with flying colors. There is an interesting enough legend about the creation of Tai Chi Chuan. The monk Zhang San Feng is considered the founder of the style. Once he happened to see a fight between a snake and a crane. The snake's movements were smooth, and it rhythmically performed lateral bends and attacked at the same time.
The crane, in turn, gracefully took off and fell to the ground, trying to throw its opponent up or press him to the ground. Zhang San was delighted with this fight and came to the conclusion that the fight can be beautiful. As a result, he created a new martial art - the Fist of the Great Reach or Tai Chi Chuan.
This style of wushu is characterized by soft flowing movements, which from the side are more like a dance than a martial art. Moreover, if a person is not familiar with Tai Chi Chuan, then it may seem to him that all movements are as simple as possible and are arbitrary. Of course, this is completely wrong, because, like yoga asanas, all movements in Tai Chi Chuan must be performed flawlessly from a technical point of view.
Very often this style of wushu is tacitly called "Chinese yoga", which is clearly no coincidence. According to the Chinese, there are streams of invisible energy called "qi" in our body. It moves along special channels and allows the body to be in complete harmony. Only correctly performed movements can free the consciousness of a person from unnecessary thoughts and heal him.
Note that every movement in Tai Chi Chuan bears beautiful names, for example, "The snake crawls in the grass" or "The beauty opens her fan." Even if you regularly perform only a couple of movements, you can feel the positive effect. However, to obtain the maximum result, you should perform a complex consisting of 10-15 movements. It may take 10 to 40 minutes to complete.
It is in Tai Chi Chuan that the feeling of "center" develops as actively as possible. According to Eastern teachings, it is located below the navel at a distance of two fingers and it is there that all the vital energy of a person is located. If you learn to feel this center correctly, a special core will be formed that can improve your stamina and strengthen your spirit. Thanks to regular training, this martial art for girls will solve a lot of problems, ranging from excess weight to gynecology.
There are two schools in Tai Chi Chuan - Yang and Chen. The first is known precisely for its healing properties, while the second is regarded as a martial art. It was created especially for the members of the emperor's family. Scientists have found that regular practice of this style of wushu helps to normalize the functioning of all body systems.
Wing Chun
If we talk about which martial arts are the best for girls, then one cannot fail to mention Wing Chun. To begin with, this style was created, according to legend, was the woman of Ng Mui. About three hundred years ago, a cruel ruler ruled in one of the provinces of the Middle Kingdom. Once he saw Ng Mui, he decided to make her his wife. This was clearly not part of her plans and, taking a reprieve for three months, she went to the mountains.
There she studied with nun Yim Wing Chun. After returning to her settlement, Ng Mui challenged the ruler to a duel and defeated him. In gratitude, she named her style Wing Chun after her mentor. By the way, it can be translated as "Blooming Spring". It is one of the most popular self-defense styles on the planet today.
Among the many types of martial arts, Wing Chun stands out for its speed, rationality and precision in all movements. Jokingly, the Chinese themselves call this style "wrestling for the lazy." In other words, it is great for a person who does not like to make unnecessary movements. In Wing Chun, you will not find such effective strokes that cinema indulges us with. Masters of this style are able to deliver about a dozen blows for a second, and often the fight ends after a few seconds.
Many experts believe that among all the martial arts, Wing Chun is best suited for girls. No one will argue that a woman is physically weaker than a man. However, Wing Chun does not require tremendous strength at all to win a duel. The main focus here is on internal energy. In addition, Wing Chun allows you to feel great during a fight in a confined space, for example, an elevator. Thus, we can say with complete confidence that Wing Chun is perfect for girls who not only want to improve their health, but also master self-defense techniques.
Aikido
Unlike the martial arts we have already examined, aikido is young. It originated in Japan only half a century ago. Like the styles discussed above, aikido belongs to the category of soft or internal martial arts. Among the basic principles of aikido, it should be noted compliance and control over the opponent's movements.
A person engaged in this art gradually moves from rectilinear movements (their basis is first a square, and then a triangle) to circular ones. Such movements are like a hurricane, which, thanks to its incredible power, is able to destroy the strongest walls.
Similar to Tai Chi Chuan, water is used to fully understand the principles of aikido. This substance can be soft and bend around various obstacles, but at the same time enormous destructive power is concentrated in it. Despite the "youth" of this martial art, it is very popular all over the world. Feminine nature has the ability to overcome strength and this makes aikido one of the best martial arts for girls.
Karate
Most people believe that this martial art originated in Japan. However, this is only partly true. Karate was created by the inhabitants of the island of Okinawa about three hundred years ago. At that time, Okinawa was not part of the Land of the Rising Sun. It was karate that became the first martial arts in our country, which managed to gain a lot of fans. For some time it was even banned.
This is a rather tough contact type of martial arts, which is considered a male sport. However, quite a lot of women are successfully engaged in it. Among the benefits that girls will receive in training, it should be noted the development of self-defense skills, health promotion and spiritual development.
At the initial stage of training, karate is able to awaken internal aggression, which disappears as you improve. Often from people who have switched from karate to other internal types of martial arts, you can hear about the occurrence of frequent conflict situations. However, after changing martial arts, they stopped appearing.
If a physically unprepared girl begins to practice karate, then positive results will appear quite quickly. However, you should remember that the body of a well-trained karateka does not quite fit into the modern concept of female beauty.
For more on why girls are increasingly starting to practice martial arts, see the video below:
