I had the opportunity to train with a lot of women going up the ranks. At a very young age I had learned very early to respect women. I was one of two guys with eight girls who were a force to be reckoned with. These girls were no push overs by any means. Three of them are some of my best friends to this day, and they still are three females in this world I would never want to cross. Most people think martial arts is a male dominant activity. "Oh it's for boys." That is the mindset a lot of times. Martial arts is for boys and dance is for girls.
But these young ladies who I trained with were talented and warriors. If anyone ever tried to mess with them, I would feel SO bad for those people. Can you imagine some guy trying to pick a fight with Kristin Barrett? And then when I opened my own school, I had more girl students than boys, a one to eight ratio to be exact. Interesting, eh? I also got to meet some phenomenal Olympic Taekwondo female competitors such as Chrissy Adamo, Eleni Lianos, Simone DeVito, and Merissa Pico. You can look them up online, they are phenomenal women warriors.
It also helped that I grew up with extremely strong females in my life. My mother is an extremely strong individual who's path you never want to cross. She can be the nicest, sweetest person but cross her, and you'll be sorry. I often referred to my mother as ChiChi, Goku's wife from the Anime cartoon Dragonball Z, because she was the strongest woman on earth. My Aunt Karen is also a strong inidividual who is such a fun loving person, but when you push her the wrong way, no one will ever make you feel more intimidated than she. I also had very strong and influential women as teachers such as Dorothy Filipek who could run the world if given the chance (and do really well) and Cindy Verost, my choral director who made athletic coaches look tame. Even in history, I admire the women who had strong personalities and did what others said they cannot, like Lucille Ball or Barbara Walters.
So it is not surprise that I have a great respect and admiration for women, especially those who are strong and can fend for themselves. I am drawn to them and look up to them. And when I get fermale students of my own, they are the warriors that bring a lot of value to the martial arts. I feel it is important to teach young women how to respect themselves, how to defend themselves, and place value on their feminism. There is beauty in not only their appearance but in their confidence growing into women and martial arts can do that. I have many parents I think who can vouche.
Saturday night I was at my mentor's school in Rockaway for a women's self-defense course. Master DeJesus is beyond knowledgeable of a variety of tactics to use for self-defense. He had three of his male instructors and I was with six other women, including his wife. I didn't mind working the women at all. I was actually happy to see some of them really get into it, and I was just as happy to see some step out of their comfort zone into doing something that may help protect themselves.
I strongly recommend people to not label martial arts as gender specific, or any activity or sport as such. I love people who prove others wrong and do what others think they cannot. And I get an even greater pleasure when I see a woman do such a thing. For some reason there is a fear of losing femininity in doing something physical. Well I have news for you-- martial arts is healthy on ALL sides of the spectrum. Doesn't a woman need to be physically healthy and strong too? Can a woman not exercise and not learn to defend against a threat? Is a woman not allowed to sweat?
Since many of you know of Kristin Barrett, I will use her as an example. She is a 2nd Degree Black Belt. One of the biggest things impacts of her final day of testing was the self-defense portion of her test, when all her senses were taken away from her and she had to fight off against multiple oppononents. When she had to defend herself, it was fierce. But when she had to defend her parents, she transformed into something totally different. You didn't even recognize her. It was remarkable to see what she had done. And when it was over, it was the same Kristin. She works hard, she trains herself mentally and physcially, and does all of this without losing her feminine appeal. She is one of the most beautiful creatures you'll ever lay eyes on. But don't mess with her, because she will take you out!
I highly encourage women to look into self-defense programs, such as mine or Master DeJesus's. Learning how to defend yourself is very important. And if you want the full experience of what the martial arts can bring to you, I think it would be a magnificent journey. Not too sure? Well I have plenty of women warriors you can talk to. They are all role models and people that other people, other young ladies and young gentleman alike, can look up to.
Yours in service,
ANDREW TRENTO
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