tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13157160245903667802024-03-06T19:33:46.001-08:00The Pugilistic AcademicA sporadic blog dedicated to MMA and feminismUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-21694865096964216922016-05-03T10:05:00.000-07:002016-05-03T10:05:02.639-07:00Fighting For The Right To Fight<br />
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<strong class="markup--strong markup--pullquote-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">L.A. Jennings provides valuable social and historical context on the participation by and influence of women in combat sports.</em></strong></div>
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<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">By Diane Curtis</strong></div>
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Women have been engaged in combat sports for centuries. Today, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-dominant-athletes-alive-2015-4#1-ronda-rousey-50" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-dominant-athletes-alive-2015-4#1-ronda-rousey-50">the most dominant athlete alive</a>
is a female fighter — a thought that would have been unheard of in the
not-so-distant past, when women in combat sports were derided,
dismissed, and/or fetishized. This was no accident of history; rather,
it was a rocky but steady climb of progression (and backlash) built upon
the hard work, sacrifices, and triumphs of generations of competitive
women who would not be denied. In every arena — that of public opinion,
before athletic commissions, and in actual arenas — they fought for the
right of all women to fight.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p graf--last" id="c91b" name="c91b">
In <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431101405&sr=8-1&keywords=she%27s+a+knockout+a+history+of+women+in+fighting+sports" href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431101405&sr=8-1&keywords=she%27s+a+knockout+a+history+of+women+in+fighting+sports"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">She’s a Knockout!: A History of Women in Fighting Sports</em></strong></a>,
author, scholar, and mixed martial arts fighter/trainer L.A. Jennings
chronicles the lives, careers, and exploits of these trailblazing
boxers, wrestlers, and martial artists, providing valuable social and
historical context along the way.</div>
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In
her preface, Jennings rightly points out that, “if fighting is as old
as man, then it is as old as woman, too.” Fighting, at its most basic
level, is not and has never been the exclusive domain of the male sex.
Fighting is instinctively coded into each and every one of us. It is the
essence of life for every species, humans included. We are all
fighting, in one way or another, and we always have been. Naturally,
this applies to both men <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">and</em> women.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="2569" name="2569">
So
it should come as no surprise that women have been interested in
fighting sports — as spectators and practitioners — for far longer than
popular memory would allow. Reading recent news articles and opinion
pieces about such fighters as Holly Holm, Laila Ali, or Ronda Rousey,
you would be under the distinct impression that women have only gotten
the urge to lace up the gloves in the past few decades.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="356b" name="356b">
Jennings
often had mixed emotions upon reading such articles. She was excited to
see women’s combat sports move out of the margins and into the
spotlight, but at the same time, seeing the rich histories of those same
sports — and the women who built them — forgotten and ignored was
deeply upsetting to her.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="c35c" name="c35c">
This book is her answer to that exclusion.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="0146" name="0146">
In
her introduction, Jennings touches briefly upon the general history of
boxing and how it has evolved over the centuries, as well as several
styles of wrestling and martial arts traditions going all the way back
to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. If you’re unfamiliar with boxing
beyond the Rocky series, it serves as an excellent primer. If you’re a
long-time fight fan, there are new and fascinating tidbits throughout.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="2987" name="2987">
She
then fast-forwards to the Georgian and Victorian eras, for which we
have more reliable written records, and introduces us to Elizabeth
Wilkinson Stokes, the “European Championess.” Stokes was an Englishwoman
who began her career in 1722 by calling out fellow pugilist Hannah
Hyfield via a public notice in the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">London Journal</em>.
(This is just one of the historical examples proving that, when it
comes to boxing promotion, the more things change, the more they stay
the same.) Stokes took approximately 22 minutes to triumph over Hyfield,
and she fought for another six years after.</div>
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Jennings
demonstrates a textbook Armbar submission technique on spouse and gym
co-owner Mike Jennings. Photo by Bryan Carr, courtesy of L.A. Jennings.</figcaption></figure></div>
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In
addition to fighter and fighting history, Jennings also provides
valuable insight into the ways in which female fighters were regarded by
society. Fighting sports were almost the exclusive domain of the lower
classes, where women often had more freedom of movement within their
social circles. They were expected to labor alongside men on farms, and,
later, in factories, and so a woman expressing herself in a physical
manner was not as foreign or repugnant an idea as it was to the upper
classes.</div>
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This
does not mean women had an easy path, or that they were readily accepted
as professional prize fighters. They faced derision and road blocks at
every turn. And when they were allowed to fight, it was a lurid
spectacle meant to titillate men, typically the upper classes out for an
evening. Any regard as legitimate fighters was still centuries away.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="cb0c" name="cb0c">
During
the 1800s in America, prize fighting in general remained rare,
intermittent, and below ground. The prudish Victorian middle class
regarded it as barbaric, and the gambling that was always associated
with it as immoral. But in the mid-1800s, the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">National Police Gazette</em>,
a rather sensational publication akin to today’s tabloids, began
promoting and reporting upon matches, including women’s bouts. Boxing
once again started to gain a foothold of legitimacy.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="2439" name="2439">
Fighting
became more visible and organized. Match rules were established and
agreed upon. Acceptance of the sport grew, as did the number of female
fighters, although boxing remained at the margins of society.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="7c42" name="7c42">
The 20th century brought the rise of the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Girl" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Girl">Gibson Girl</a>,
and, at the same time, the sporting woman as society’s ideal of health
and beauty. Girls’ boxing gyms were established so that middle- and
upper-class girls and women could spar and remain fit. Most didn’t train
for competition, but many of them learned the ins and outs of the sport
and started to follow professional prize fighting as spectators. It was
only a matter of time before they wanted the right to compete, too.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="0c55" name="0c55">
As
in other social arenas, including suffrage, the right to work, and the
right to a higher education, women’s participation in organized
athletics gained momentum in the 20th century. From the 19th Amendment
to Title IX, women steadily gained the right to full participation in
all aspects of public life.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="c6f7" name="c6f7">
Jennings
concludes her book with a chapter on recent history, and the area most
casual fans are the most familiar with: that of women in today’s arena
of mixed martial arts. And while UFC phenom “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey is
responsible for much of their broad appeal nowadays, she is by no means
the pioneer in this sport. Jennings introduces us to the other women
fighters every fan should know, like Sarah Kaufman, Cris “Cyborg”
Justino, Miesha Tate, Julie Kedzie and Gina Carano. The last two made
history in the first-ever televised WMMA match.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="eb4f" name="eb4f">
Also, the UFC isn’t the first organization to promote women’s matches. In fact, it’s the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">last</em>.
The UFC simply built upon, borrowed, moved over, or bought out all of
those who came before, including Hook-n-Shoot, Strikeforce and Elite XC.
Now, they have their sights set on the all-female Invicta FC, nearly
cleaning out their Strawweight division in order to build one of their
own.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="9326" name="9326">
Four
years after famously declaring women would “never” fight in the UFC, the
organization’s President, Dana White, is now a thoroughly converted
fan. And it feels as though further weight-class expansions, most likely
Featherweight and Flyweight, are on the horizon. For women in MMA, the
future looks bright.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="039c" name="039c">
So, while we all keep our eyes on the prize, Jennings reminds us that we shouldn’t forget the past, either:</div>
<blockquote class="graf--pullquote pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p graf--last" id="812f" name="812f">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--pullquote-strong">“Despite
risks of social alienation and even scuffles with the law, these
historic female fighters were relentless in their pursuit of the sports
they loved. Their courage reminds us that as important as it is to look
forward to the next fight…it is just as crucial that we look back and
remember the women who gave us the audacity to fight today.”</strong></blockquote>
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Q&A with the Author</h4>
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">L.A. Jennings. Photo by John Bosley, courtesy of the author.</figcaption></figure><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="f11a" name="f11a">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">D.E.C.:</strong> <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Could
you start by telling us a little about yourself? Your general
background, academic work, MMA training, and how they intersect?</strong></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="3ee0" name="3ee0">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">L.A.J.: </strong>I
started training [in] martial arts in 2003, and by 2006, the same year
that I graduated from Florida State University with my B.A., I was
competing in submission wrestling and kickboxing events. I earned my
Masters in English from Florida State in 2008, all the while training
and competing in martial arts, and a year later, moved to Denver,
Colorado, to begin my doctoral program in Literary Studies at the
University of Denver.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="b2f4" name="b2f4">
My
academic work primarily focused on cultural theory, on what George
Lipsitz called “the ordinary and the commonplace.” I am especially
interested in gender studies and how meaning is generated through
language, which is typically referred to as semiotics in academia. In my
doctoral program, I realized that I was too busy to continue to
compete, so I concentrated on coaching new fighters. My husband and I
own a MMA gym in Denver called Train.Fight.Win. that provides fitness
and MMA training in an egalitarian, gender-neutral environment.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="e9c1" name="e9c1">
My
graduate student studies neatly coincided with my increasing interest
in martial arts. I was training in a nearly all-male professional MMA
gym, and I viewed all of my training and interactions through the theory
I read in class, from Roland Barthes to Jacques Lacan to Judith Butler.
I wrote a great deal about feminism, especially examining how powerful
female characters, such as the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">femme fatale</em>,
are framed through formulaic narrative devices. I saw parallels in the
way that the narrative structure of a hard-boiled detective novel, a
closed system of meaning, limited the power of the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">femme fatale</em>,
similar in my mind to how the mixed martial arts community marginalized
female fighters. Yes, a woman could participate in fighting (or, in the
novel’s case, crime), but she would always be limited by the rules and
structure of the world in which she operated. For female fighters, when I
was competing, that meant the UFC (and in the hard-boiled detective
novel, that meant the confines of the narrative’s functionality).</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="d62e" name="d62e">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">D.E.C.:</strong> <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">What inspired you to write this? What impact do you hope it will have?</strong></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="0ab0" name="0ab0">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">L.A.J.: </strong>I
love history, and as I became more deeply engrossed in training,
especially when I was first learning catch wrestling, I began to look
for famous female fighters as inspiration. I found that I had to dig
through a lot of hyperbole and inaccuracies in order to learn about the
women who came before me in the sport. I want to tell everyone who loves
fighting sports, male and female, that women had a long and storied
history that impacted how MMA is practiced and produced today.</div>
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<figcaption class="imageCaption">Jennings
“Grounds & Pounds” Mariah Markus, one of her students at
Train.Fight.Win. Photo by Bryan Carr, courtesy of the L.A. Jennings.</figcaption></figure><div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="2e79" name="2e79">
As
an academic, I had access to libraries and databases that allowed me to
thoroughly research the history of female fighters. It was a rigorous
process, but I constantly experienced moments of delight when I would
find an obscure article or create a connection to something happening in
the fighting world today.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="1552" name="1552">
I
hope that the book reveals the way that women’s history is often
ignored, misconstrued, or intentionally hidden in order to create the
myth that certain activities, such as fighting, have always been a man’s
domain.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="1eea" name="1eea">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">D.E.C:</strong> <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">You
write about the "Centerfold Imperative" for many women athletes. Do you
think this is a double-edged sword for women who are judged harshly
either way — sort of "damned if you do; damned if you don't?" Do you
support the women athletes who choose to do this? If so, under what, if
any, conditions? Or do you feel it actually does more harm than good,
that there really is such a thing as bad publicity?</strong></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="4c06" name="4c06">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">L.A.J.: </strong>I
absolutely support an individual woman’s right to participate in any
type of promotion she wishes. The problem is when women who are very
talented do not receive the same opportunities as their more
conventionally attractive counterparts because they do not conform to
the beauty ideal. I do not think athletes who do pin-up or <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Playboy</em> photoshoots should be condemned at all. But I do think that advertisers, such as <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Reebok</em>, should be called out for only choosing conventionally attractive women to represent their sport.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="b757" name="b757">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">D.E.C.:</strong> <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Now
that women have a "place at the table" in the biggest global
organization professional combat sports has to offer (UFC), what do you
see as the next challenge? The next frontier?</strong></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="c57f" name="c57f">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">L.A.J.: </strong>The
next challenge is to make sure that all female fighters have a place in
the UFC. Right now, only Strawweight and Bantamweight fighters are
represented. It is not coincidental that these particular weight classes
are populated by women who are an ideal size according to American
beauty standards.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="ada3" name="ada3">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">D.E.C.:
One of the cornerstones of a sport's rise to legitimacy and the
mainstream is a robust and well-managed youth development program. But "</strong><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2487527/Inside-world-child-cage-fighting-Boys-trained-attack-MMA-arenas.html" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2487527/Inside-world-child-cage-fighting-Boys-trained-attack-MMA-arenas.html"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">kids fighting in a cage</strong></a><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">"
is the current, sensationalized narrative. At what age do you think
it's appropriate for kids to start training? To start competing? As the
owner of a MMA gym, what would that look like to you? What competition
and safety guidelines would you see implemented in such a program?</strong></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="750d" name="750d">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">L.A.J.: </strong>This
is an interesting question; my gym does not have a children’s program
and I do not have (nor plan to have) children myself. But my inclination
is to say that children’s MMA could be organized in a way that is
similar to football programs for children. There would be a structure
that would determine at what age particular moves or strikes would be
permissible and undoubtedly, an emphasis on safety by requiring more
robust safety gear than what is appropriate for adult, professional MMA.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="49d4" name="49d4">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">DEC:</strong> <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">You
state in your intro that the scope of this work had to be narrowed.
What, if anything, do you regret having to leave out? Do you have plans
for future works to expand on this subject and include that which you
omitted this time around?</strong></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="b933" name="b933">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">L.A.J.: </strong>I
would have loved to do a more worldwide survey of women in fighting
sports so that I could speak more as to how female fighters are
positioned in other countries. However, I also think that would have
been problematic. As an academic, I am perhaps overly concerned with my
position and very hesitant to put myself in a situation where I would be
‘speaking for’ or representing women in other countries. For example, I
would love to have included more about Muay Thai and the gender
politics of Thailand’s fight scene, but it felt inappropriate since I
would be looking at it as a complete outsider through an occidental
lens. One of my dear friends, Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu, has been living
and fighting in Thailand for the past three years and is a much more
informed voice on Muay Thai. Thus, while I did regret that the book was
so focused on American and European history, it was probably for the
best.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p graf--last" id="df9f" name="df9f">
Currently,
I am working with a nonprofit in Denver that provides services for
women, children, and transgendered individuals experiencing poverty or
homelessness. This is my passion project, so I have no plans to write
anything lengthy for the next year or so. However, I do want to write an
official history of MMA that will be a deep dive into the cultural
history and implications of the sport.</div>
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She’s a Knockout!: A History of Women in Fighting Sports <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">is </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431301233&sr=8-1&keywords=she%27s+a+knockout+a+history+of+women+in+fighting+sports" href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431301233&sr=8-1&keywords=she%27s+a+knockout+a+history+of+women+in+fighting+sports"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">available through amazon</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and other online retailers. If you’re heading out to pick up Ronda Rousey’s</em> <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Fight-Your-Ronda-Rousey/dp/1941393268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431301273&sr=8-1&keywords=my+fight+your+fight+ronda+rousey" href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Fight-Your-Ronda-Rousey/dp/1941393268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431301273&sr=8-1&keywords=my+fight+your+fight+ronda+rousey">My Fight/Your Fight</a> <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">this week</em> <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">do yourself a favor and buy this, too.</em></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-66033940492812123122016-04-27T12:42:00.000-07:002016-04-27T12:42:00.371-07:00Cosmopolitan Interview: Equal Rights to FightThe following is an article from Cosmopolitan Magazine on my experience as a fighter and an author:<br />
<br />
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/news/a35029/equal-rights-to-fight/<br />
<br />
<header class="content-header standard-article-header"><div class="content-header--info">
<h1 class="content-header--title standard-article--title" itemprop="headline">
What It's Like to Be a Female Fighter</h1>
<h2 class="content-header--dek standard-article--dek" itemprop="alternativeHeadline">
From
wrestling teams to the Olympics and Ultimate Fighting Championships,
women are mixing it up in ways past generations never could.
Mixed-martial-arts fighter L.A. Jennings, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434?tag=cosmopolitan_auto-append-20"><em>She's a Knockout!</em></a>, says that's a great thing.</h2>
</div>
</header><div class="standard-article-body--container standard-article-body--container-main">
<div class="standard-article-body--content">
<br /><div class="standard-article-body--text">
<div class="embedded-image embedded-image--LM standard-article-embedded-image--LM standard-article-body-el-image">
<div class="embedded-image--inner">
<img alt="" class="swap-image zoomable pinterest-enabled lazy-loaded" data-cut="1024" data-img1024-h="678" data-img1024-w="1024" data-img1024="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/1024x678/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-img320-h="678" data-img320-w="1024" data-img320="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/1024x678/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-img480-h="423" data-img480-w="640" data-img480="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/640x423/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-img640-h="678" data-img640-w="1024" data-img640="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/1024x678/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-img768-h="678" data-img768-w="1024" data-img768="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/1024x678/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-img980-h="678" data-img980-w="1024" data-img980="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/1024x678/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-pin-description="What It's Like to Be a Female Fighter - Cosmopolitan.com" data-pin-media="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/640x423/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-pin-url="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/news/a35029/equal-rights-to-fight/" data-src="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/1024x678/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" data-zoom="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/980x648/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" height="422" src="http://cos.h-cdn.co/assets/15/03/1024x678/gallery_nrm_1421165943-cos010115news_001.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="640" /><div class="zoomable-expand">
</div>
</div>
<div class="embedded-image--info">
<div class="embedded-image--caption">
Jennings with her husband at their Denver gym.</div>
<div class="image-copyright">
<span class="image-copyright--copyright">COURTESY L.A. JENNINGS</span></div>
<div class="image-copyright">
<span class="image-copyright--copyright"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<strong>What drew you to fighting?</strong>I
played sports as a kid, but I wouldn't have called myself athletic. In
college, I wanted to meet new people and challenge myself, so I went to a
martial-arts gym. It was humbling getting thrown down over and over,
but it fueled my desire to improve.</div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<br /></div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<strong>Was it hard being virtually the only woman there?</strong>Most
of the guys I trained with were supportive. I eventually married one of
them, and we own a gym together. That said, it was a boys' club.
Sometimes visiting fighters made comments about my body and treated me
as a spectacle, or they'd dismiss me completely.</div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<br /></div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<strong>What's it like to fight someone?</strong>Sometimes
I get literally sick from nerves before a fight. Then there's clarity
when I step into the ring. It's exciting to see how your opponent will
react to whatever you throw at her. When it's over, the adrenaline high
feels amazing. It also puts life into perspective. I've been in pain and
hit down in the ring, so I can handle defending my dissertation!</div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<br /></div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<strong>Is being able to fight real progress for women?</strong>People
who wanted to keep women out said they were trying to protect women's
bodies — but I want to be in charge of my own body. The idea of men
being violent and women being passive are social constructs. Fighting is
no more masculine than parenting is feminine.</div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<br /></div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<strong>What's next for your sport?</strong>Right
now, competitions tend to include only smaller weight classes, so only
women who fit the stereotype of the sexy, beautiful fighter can make a
living. I hope the sport will become focused more on skill.</div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<br /></div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<em><a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434?tag=cosmopolitan_auto-append-20">She's a Knockout! A History of Women in Fighting Sports</a> </em>is out now.</div>
<div class="body-el-text standard-body-el-text">
<em>This article was originally published as "Equal Rights ...To Fight" in the October 2014 issue of </em>Cosmopolitan<em>. <a class="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" href="http://goo.gl/mkZy1i">Click here</a> to get the issue in the iTunes store! </em></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-425781607686497452016-04-26T12:35:00.000-07:002016-04-26T12:35:01.270-07:00Gamesmanship Or Cheating: A History QuizThe following is <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/01/27/381587192/gamesmanship-or-cheating-a-history-quiz" target="_blank">an article</a> from <a href="http://www.npr.org/" target="_blank">NPR </a>on gamesmanship, for which I was interviewed last year:<br />
<br />
<br />
"The line between cheating and gamesmanship is constantly blurred," observes <em>The New York Times</em> in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/24/sports/football/the-patriots-scandal-and-sports-ethics-deflated-balls.html?_r=0" target="_blank">a recent story</a>. The <em>Times</em>,
and just about everyone else, is talking about the
perhaps-tampering-with-gameballs allegations levied against the New
England Patriots — specifically coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom
Brady.<br />
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Both Belichick and Brady have denied any wrongdoing.<br />
<br />
In
many sports situations, the truth may lie somewhere on the spectrum
between cheating and gamesmanship — gaining a competitive advantage
through psychological tricks or rules-bending or some other sneaky
method. And that line <em>has</em> been blurry for a long time.<br />
<br />
Widespread acknowledgment of "gamesmanship" as such really opened up with the publication of the 1948 British book <em>The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship, Or the Art of Winning Without Actually Cheating</em>. In 1960 the British film <em>School for Scoundrels</em> swept across America and was advertised in newspapers as a course in gamesmanship.<br />
<br />
And by the mid-1960s, American sports figures were touting the positive — and decrying the negative — aspects of gamesmanship.<br />
<br />
Here
then are 10 sports incidents, reported in the past 50 years. The
question for you: Which ones exemplify cheating and which ones exemplify
gamesmanship? Discuss.<br />
<br />
<strong>1) </strong>The <em>Denton Record-Chronicle</em>
in Texas noted in 1965: Legendary Boston Celtics basketball coach Red
Auerbach points out that after a turnover a player can return the ball
to a referee very slowly to allow his team time to get down court and
set up a defense. Auerbach also reminds players that "grabbing or
pulling the pants or shirt of the opponent can be very aggravating." The
suggestions came from Auerbach's writings on basketball. Here is one
more from his popular book <em>Basketball for the Player, the Fan, and the Coach</em>:<em> </em>"Very often slight movements of the body are used to distract the opposing foul shooter."<br />
<br />
<strong>2)</strong> C<em></em>olumnist Maury White wrote in the <em>Des Moines Register</em>
in 1970 about the variety of ways that on-court opponents tried to get
under the skin of Louisiana State University basketball phenom Pete
Maravich. "The championship gambit, for my money, was the opponent who
kissed Maravich on the cheek," White opined. "If Maravich had turned and
slugged the guy, in view of thousands of people and two referees, he
would have been out of the game. So Pete fumed silently — and the kiss
accomplished its purpose."<br />
<br />
<strong>3) </strong>Writing in the <em>Los Angeles Times </em>in 1975<em>,</em>
Jim Murray called pro baseball the "most larcenous sport." He observed
that "groundskeepers let the grass grow if they have a ground-ball
pitcher throwing or water the base paths if the other team is faster. "
He explained about players who added cork or extra pine tar to their
bats. And, he reminded readers that in baseball, "stealing is an honored
occupation."<br />
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<strong>4)</strong> In 1977, a UPI reporter recalled the story of
American long-distance runner Fred Lorz who hitched a ride for part of
the course to help him win the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. According to
the dispatch in the <em>York Daily Record</em>, "the cheers turned to jeers and expulsion."<br />
<br />
<strong>5)</strong> In a 1999 <em>Washington Post</em> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/pmextra/dec99/13/bradley.htm" target="_blank">profile</a>
of then-presidential contender Bill Bradley of New Jersey — a former
U.S. Senator and a former basketball standout for the New York Knicks
and the Princeton Tigers — the reporters tell of Bradley's penchant for
"yanking" the body hairs of opponents. "Bradley also devised a
humiliating trick play," the<em> Post</em> reported. When a teammate would take the ball out of bounds, Bradley would pretend that <em>he</em>
was the one who should take out the ball. As he walked toward the
sideline for the exchange, the teammate would toss the ball to Bradley,
who would then turn on the unsuspecting opponents. "They'd back off him,
and he'd get two free points," a Bradley teammate told the newspaper.
"One team we pulled that on twice."<br />
<br />
<strong>6)</strong> In 2003, a man who worked at the Metrodome in Minneapolis <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/story?id=1585964">told</a>
The Associated Press that he had tried to help the Minnesota Twins win
by turning on certain ventilation fans in the vast building "during the
late innings of close games in an attempt to get baseballs to carry
farther." The baseball team professed no knowledge of the matter.<br />
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<strong>7)</strong> Pro tennis star John McEnroe, according to a 2007 <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/cheat/news/story?id=2955743" target="_blank">ESPN</a>
commentary, remembered an indoor match he once played in Memphis, Tenn.
His opponent wiped the ball on his sweat-soaked shirt before each
serve. "I asked the chair umpire if it was legal, and he said there was
no rule," McEnroe said. "I think it added a little skid, an extra slide
to the ball."<br />
<br />
<strong>8)</strong> In 2010, a <em>USA Today</em> reporter <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/12/happy-anniversary-to-nfls-infamous-snowplow-game/1#.VMZh5yxCg8L" target="_blank">remembered</a>
the 1982 "Snowplow Game" between the New England Patriots and the
visiting Miami Dolphins. This was the "pre-Bradychick" Patriots, but
there was still controversy when Pats coach Ron Meyer ordered a snowplow
on the field to clear a space for his team's placekicker and the Pats
won the game 3-0. Miami coach Don Shula later said it was the "most
unfair act" ever committed in NFL history.<br />
<br />
<strong>9)</strong> Professional golfer Greg Norman <a href="http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/instruction/tip61.php" target="_blank">observed</a>
on his website in 2012: "During the 1986 U.S. Open Lee Trevino got me
good. At the 10th hole one day, each of us had a tricky downhill birdie
putt. Trevino hit first, and when his putt finished a foot or so past
the hole he said to his caddie (for my benefit), 'Herman, that is the
fastest putt I've seen all year long.' It worked. I left my approach
putt five feet short and then missed the next one. Lee parred the hole
and I bogeyed." Norman said, "Such gamesmanship may seem to stretch the
limits of sportsmanship, but the fact is, everyone does it."<br />
<br />
<strong>10)</strong> <em>The New York Times </em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/sports/tennis/womens-tennis-association-to-tackle-excessive-grunting.html" target="_blank">published</a>
in 2012 a story about current and former professional tennis players,
such as Monica Seles, who grunted loudly when they struck the ball.
Danish star Caroline Wozniacki accused some of the women "of grunting
for an edge because, she said, it was harder for opponents to hear how
the ball was struck and consequently how fast it was traveling toward
them." About excessive grunting, veteran tennis analyst Bud Collins
added, "I'm sure players don't need to do it, because you don't hear a
peep from them when they're practicing. It's gamesmanship."<br />
<br />
<strong>Getting Caught</strong><br />
<br />
Others take a tougher stand. Donna Lopiano, founder of the athletics consulting firm <a href="http://www.sportsmanagementresources.com/about-us" target="_blank">Sports Management Resources</a>, once <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=eJQs7-lu-2YC&pg=PA255&lpg=PA255&dq=women%27s+sports+gamesmanship&source=bl&ots=acTbCXH5wl&sig=4nHoPonI_DtUV0P1f5jsj2zMvGw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=YWzFVPqiL4bisASJ3YDIAg&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=women%27s%20sports%20gamesmanship&f=false" target="_blank">told</a> a sportswriter: "Gamesmanship is just another word for cheating."<br />
Seemingly there are twice-told tales of gamesmanship in nearly every sport, including <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?id=1925297" target="_blank">Nascar</a>, <a href="http://www.soccerwire.com/blog-posts/should-we-teach-gamesmanship-in-youth-soccer/" target="_blank">soccer</a>, even women's mixed martial arts.<br />
<br />
"Like
most professional athletes, fighters have to test for
performance-enhancing drugs prior to competing," says L.A. Jennings, an
owner of a mixed martial arts <a href="http://trainfightwin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">studio</a> in Denver and <a href="http://www.lajennings.com/" target="_blank">author</a> of <em>She's a Knockout!: A History of Women in Fighting Sports.</em>
"However, the fighters, agents, promoters and the venue can arrange a
timeline that basically allows evidence of the drugs to leave the
fighter's system prior to testing."<br />
<br />
Many MMA fighters, Jennings
tells NPR, take some form of performance-enhancer. Technically, she
says, the performance-enhancer list even includes coffee. "The extent to
which a fighter takes advantage of the array of supplements available —
and if he or she is caught using steroids," she adds, "is what drives
the constantly changing discourse regarding fighters and gamesmanship."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-25461626425959587182016-04-25T12:30:00.003-07:002016-04-25T12:30:54.361-07:00My Career Choice: L.A. Jennings – She’s a Knockout!The following is a <a href="http://www.womanaroundtown.com/sections/woman-around-town/my-career-choice-l-a-jennings-shes-a-knockout" target="_blank">reprint </a>(is that what you call it online - a re-blog?) from<br />
<a href="http://www.womanaroundtown.com/" target="_blank">Woman Around Town</a><br />
<br />
Women have a rich and storied history in fighting sports. In <em>She’s a Knockout!: A History of Women in Fighting Sports</em>,
L.A. Jennings chronicles the stories of these strong and resilient
women, including wrestlers, mixed martial arts competitors, and boxers,
and the different issues they have encountered.<br />
<br />
As far back as the eighteenth century, female fighters battled at
varying levels, from county fairs to elite events. With new
opportunities to compete in legitimate arenas – from the Olympics and
the Golden Gloves to wrestling tournaments and Ultimate Fighting
Championships – women are now able to fight in ways their predecessors
never could. And though women today still often face the same derision
their predecessors faced, their fortitude and determination has earned
them respect from much of the fighting community.<br />
<br />
Jennings’ book places these women’s stories in the culture of their
time, revealing how women were often seen as objects of spectacle and
ridicule before they finally achieved admiration in the fighting world.
The women featured in this book include England’s Championess Elizabeth
Stokes of the 1720s, American wrestler Cora Livingstone in the 1930s,
and early MMA great Debi Purcell in the 2000s.<br />
<br />
Jennings, a writer, scholar, and former fighter, is co-owner and coach at Train.Fight.Win. in Denver.<br />
<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325">Click to purchase She’s a Knockout! on Amazon</a>.</em><br />
<br />
<strong>Can you point to one event that triggered your interest in your career?</strong><br />
My dual interests in academia and fighting sports emerged during my
sophomore year of college. For many years, I wanted to train martial
arts, but I was not very confident about doing so until, I admit with a
bit of embarrassment, I saw the movie<em> Kill Bill</em>. The next day, I
went to a local Chinese Martial Arts gym and started training, which
eventually led to my introduction to fighting sports. My academic career
truly began in earnest after several semesters of bouncing between
majors and feeling miserable, when my parents asked me, “in an ideal
world, what would you do for a living?” and I answered, “read.” I signed
up for my first English course as a college sophomore and fell in love
with literature in a new way.<br />
<br />
<strong>What about this career choice did you find most appealing?</strong><br />
I loved the physicality of fighting and, in the same way that I loved
exploring literary and cultural theory, I loved learning something new.<br />
<br />
<strong>What steps did you take to begin your education or training?</strong><br />
As a fighter, I trained with as many other fighters and coaches at my
gym as I could, learning Greco-Roman wrestling, American kickboxing,
Muay Thai, Chinese kickboxing, catch-wrestling and other martial arts
styles. As an academic, I took a wide range of courses, finally settling
on an interest in American and Cultural Studies.<br />
<strong>Along the way, were people encouraging or discouraging? </strong><br />
I was consistently humbled by the experienced fighters around me, but
encouraged by many to continue to train and compete. Many people did
(and still do) find it odd that I would want to get hit in the face or
choked by someone, but I have learned to ignore detractors.<br />
<br />
<strong>Did you ever doubt your decision and attempt a career change?</strong><br />
I always knew my fighting experience would be short-lived competitively,
but long-term in practice. As an academic, however, I constantly
questioned the reality of a career in academia, but I loved my field so
much, I was willing to face the realities of a dismal job market.<br />
<br />
<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325"><img alt="She's a Knockout!" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-124890" src="http://3a376o1lveli4brgjcn2y118.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Shes-a-Knockout.png" /></a> </strong><br />
<strong>When did your career reach a tipping point?</strong><br />
For many years, my dream was to be a professor at a major university.
However, as I built my MMA gym in Denver, finished my coursework in my
doctoral program, and began writing my dissertation, I realized that
writing could be a better course for my particular set of skills.
Academia is in a difficult place right now, as the opportunities for
those who are not tenured are almost exclusively in adjunct positions. I
began writing articles about women in MMA using my experience as a
fighter and coach in tandem with my academic training in theory and
feminism. When Rowman and Littlefield Publishers contacted me and asked
me to write a book on the history of female fighters, I saw my career
path shift and point to a direction that would encompass my two loves of
academia and fighting sports.<br />
<br />
<strong>Can you describe a challenge you had to overcome?</strong><br />
The fighting world, while much more egalitarian and welcoming than when I
first started ten years ago, continues to be conceptualized as a
male-dominated arena. At an old gym, a certain UFC fighter came to do a
seminar, and when I walked in, he made some very sexual comments about
me, the only female in the room. Many of the men he spoke with were my
coaches and training partners, and none of them stood up for me. It was
humiliating, although not, unfortunate, an isolated incident. I think
the most significant challenge for me was to find a group of people and a
space where I could train without fear, learn without barriers and
compete without extraordinary comment. Train.Fight.Win., the gym that I
now own in Denver, Colorado, with my husband, Mike, is dedicated to
making all of our members, male or female, fighters or fitness
practitioners, feel welcome and wanted.<br />
<br />
<strong>What single skill has proven to be most useful?</strong><br />
In academia, we identify some of the underlying myths and social
constructions that dominant our cultural discourse. And as a professor, I
have experience working with students and discussing some theoretical
concepts that may be difficult or confusing. My pedagogical experience
has helped me as a coach and as a business owner. My husband and I
wanted our gym to be an open and welcoming space, so we worked to foster
an environment bereft of the typical machismo that is associated with
MMA. Our gym culture is informed by my pedagogical training, which not
only provided me with teaching methodologies; it also allowed us to
create an environment that is suffused with feminism and the desire for
everyone, men and women, to be taken seriously.<br />
<br />
<strong>What accomplishment are you most proud of?</strong><br />
Publishing my book, <em>She’s a Knockout! a History of Women in Fighting Sports</em>. This book is the culmination of my dual careers as a coach/former fighter and an academic.<br />
<br />
<strong>Any advice for others entering your profession?</strong><br />
There are always opportunities to find your particular niche, whether
that be in the corporate, academic, or fighting worlds! Look for people
with similar interests and work to establish how you will leave your own
particular mark on your field.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-19630012287959006502014-08-20T09:00:00.001-07:002014-08-20T09:00:29.699-07:00The book is now available for pre-order!http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXTQ1zdfbj2jYGw_c-vHkYmh726r-BP8FImnpJTIztod1HBjfnA375dd40xATtEUrCc9iMXGQ1ljiyv5-Wqw58oSPeO5lXbwZE9QbHlVXt2lH7XYFenWsm0NH7doQ4nBbQqZPUwPI_MM/s1600/Shes+a+Knockout_cover+design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXTQ1zdfbj2jYGw_c-vHkYmh726r-BP8FImnpJTIztod1HBjfnA375dd40xATtEUrCc9iMXGQ1ljiyv5-Wqw58oSPeO5lXbwZE9QbHlVXt2lH7XYFenWsm0NH7doQ4nBbQqZPUwPI_MM/s1600/Shes+a+Knockout_cover+design.jpg" height="640" width="402" /> </a></div>
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I am working on a new website for the book, so Pugilista will be moving in the next few weeks. Until then, check out the book description on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Knockout-History-Fighting-Sports/dp/1442236434" target="_blank">Amazon </a>or review my articles on <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/author/la-jennings" target="_blank">Fightland</a>! </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-13261682022120291432014-01-30T08:38:00.000-08:002014-01-30T08:39:28.395-08:00The deadline looms...as I slog towards completing my manuscript. Also, I finally started sparring and rolling again, which led to this: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJtW3wxfsebNiOgBFxvo1gad53RkLrMeWdfNsucxWvRG_yLJpPID_0O3e91qz42QwXzkUN8DafMB-u0DLbRMYj4XKhTBVkgsmD9FQES9OsiuErPueBOWSZBn0Yk46SsEDjTi4Nx-CJcc/s1600/photo+1-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJtW3wxfsebNiOgBFxvo1gad53RkLrMeWdfNsucxWvRG_yLJpPID_0O3e91qz42QwXzkUN8DafMB-u0DLbRMYj4XKhTBVkgsmD9FQES9OsiuErPueBOWSZBn0Yk46SsEDjTi4Nx-CJcc/s1600/photo+1-2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Those are my janky feet on the top. And this morning I realize I cracked another toenail. O, grappling.<br />
<br />
After dissertating (did you know that was a verb?) last year, and book writing this year, I have become mildly proficient and bull-shiting my way through pages of words. At this point, I have one month until I start teaching at the university again, and four months until my book is due. So I continue to write and research, as well as train and run the gym. BUT...<br />
<br />
I am regularly contributing to <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/en_us" target="_blank">FIGHTLAND </a>now. Check out my articles, all of which tend to have some sort of historical slant, here: http://fightland.vice.com/author/la-jenningsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-67690328970589248972013-12-31T15:21:00.001-08:002014-01-30T08:38:40.538-08:00In defense of Ronda Rousey...as if she needs my help. But seriously, enough with all the vitriolic comments about Ronda. Check out my <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/blog/ronda-rousey-and-the-feminism-of-the-bitch" target="_blank">article on Fightland</a> on what it means to be a bitch.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year, y'all!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-11714691518234552262013-12-19T09:41:00.003-08:002014-01-30T08:39:10.840-08:00The "First" Male vs Female Fight to take place in Brazil on December 20thCheck out my article on <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/blog/a-feminist-scholar-on-tomorrow-nights-possible-mixed-gender-fight" target="_blank">Fightland</a>:<br />
<br />
The book continues to grow; four chapters down and three to go!<br />
<br />
Train hard and keep your hands up<br />
-L.A.<br />
<br />
<h1>
A Feminist Scholar on Tomorrow Night's Possible Mixed-Gender Fight</h1>
<h2 class="cF">
<a href="http://fightland.vice.com/blog/a-feminist-scholar-on-tomorrow-nights-possible-mixed-gender-fight">Fightland Blog</a></h2>
<div class="author">
<span class="author">By L.A. Jennings</span></div>
<div class="author">
<span class="author"> </span> </div>
Tomorrow night, MMA promotion Shooto Brazil claims they will make history by <a href="http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/12/17/5219686/shooto-brazil-to-feature-man-vs-women-fight-on-friday">putting on the first mixed-gender fight in history</a>,
between Juliana Velasquez and Emerson Falcao. Reaction in the MMA
community has been resoundingly negative since the announcement was made
earlier this week, with most people expressing concern about
Velasquez’s welfare and criticism of Falcao. Some critics have decried
the event as a mere publicity stunt and bemoaned the impression such a
fight will leave on the minds of a generally still-MMA-skeptical public.<br />
<br />
But while Shooto claims that they are the first-ever promoter of a
male/female fight, this type of event actually isn’t unprecedented in
the fight world. While doing research for my book on the history of
women in fighting sports, I’ve found more than a dozen references to
mixed-gender fights. The archives don’t suggest that mixed-gender fights
were common, but there is precedence in pugilistic history. There are
cases of men fighting women in boxing and wrestling matches as far back
as the 16th century. And these bouts weren’t necessarily publicity
stunts; the literature we have in numerous archives only mentions the
fights <i>after</i> they occurred, rather than before, meaning they
weren't only being mentioned to sell tickets. And in many cases, the
women won. I read only yesterday about a French woman in the early 20th
century who knocked out three men in succession. There is also an
account of a famous female wrestler who regularly beat young men in the
catch-as-catch-can style into her 70s.<br />
<br />
One can also point to the famous "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match
between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973 for precedence.
Granted, there isn’t the threat of bodily injury in tennis that there is
in a MMA fight, but at the time the media and general public expressed a
number of fears and concerns that are being echoed in criticisms of
tomorrow’s Shooto 45 match: that the female competitor might get injured
because she is “weaker” than her male counterpart; that it won't be a
fair fight because the man will feel guilty if he goes as hard as he
normally would.<br />
But one of the more problematic critiques being expressed is that any
fight between a man and a woman will be reminiscent of domestic abuse.
Regardless of its intent, this type of thinking actually supports the
arguments made by MMA opponents that the sport as a whole is inherently
violent and negative and should be banned.<br />
<br />
MMA is a sport, with rules and referees. Juliana Velasquez and Emerson
Falcao fighters are both athletes, and they’re entering in the cage on
their own volition. Comparing their fight to domestic abuse is
problematic because doing so suggests that women willingly endure
partner violence. Not only is this attitude extremely demoralizing and
unfair to victims of domestic abuse; it also yokes the sport of MMA with
the language of criminal assault and battery. And that, in my opinion,
is a slippery slope: By equating MMA with criminality in any way,
regardless of how we may feel about the rightness or fairness of a
mixed-gender fight, we only provide leverage for the critics who have
used the worst kind of alarmist language to prevent places like New York
State from legalizing the sport.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-80856987634921253942013-07-05T15:04:00.000-07:002013-07-05T15:07:32.767-07:00Fitspo Memes - The Pugilista EditionA couple of months ago, one of my friends found this little gem on a Facebook "Gym Motivation" page:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iwqEGFLvZuNuV4tiVSnyhTKqWjfakIvwCQhVAq7LhZXG8Fvaz_59NHm259yEGkyvTQkZzSaZ805xE_rvRSR90igzFnCjiAsxMnKN884r1J4zoaLz3FR4R_IYw17Qc9RMr0awqwsfYWA/s1600/58008_360021220774966_1597600857_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iwqEGFLvZuNuV4tiVSnyhTKqWjfakIvwCQhVAq7LhZXG8Fvaz_59NHm259yEGkyvTQkZzSaZ805xE_rvRSR90igzFnCjiAsxMnKN884r1J4zoaLz3FR4R_IYw17Qc9RMr0awqwsfYWA/s640/58008_360021220774966_1597600857_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=360021220774966&set=a.107651092678648.14508.107648636012227&type=1&theater</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recognize her? Yeah...that is me. And no, I did not create this meme, nor have I ever spoke this asinine quote. So what the hell?<br />
<br />
In the virtual Pinterest and Facebook world, countless women (and men, too) view pages, like the one above, that promote images of "health and fitness." And I put "health" in quotation marks, because a number of these memes promote disordered eating and thinking and are, in my opinion, the opposite of health.<br />
<br />
Many of these memes rely on shaming to put forth their message. I will not directly post to any of these images, but here are a few of the quotes imposed upon pictures of very lean women:<br />
<br />
"Tears will get your sympathy. Sweat will get you results."<br />
<br />
"Success trains. Failure complains."<br />
<br />
"This is what dedication looks like"<br />
<br />
That final one is especially problematic to me. You can be dedicated without abs. You can be determined without a thigh-gap. And you can be worthwhile without large glutes. <br />
<br />
I know a lot of people find "Strong is the New Skinny" motivating, but to me, it is just as <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2012/04/enough-with-strong-is-new-skinny-and.html" target="_blank">degrading and shaming</a> as any other beauty paradigm. <br />
<br />
So what is my complaint? Several of my friends have said that they would be flattered to have their picture turned into a fitness meme. And I understand that desire. But it is this quote, this idea that my 'dreams' are somehow wrapped up in my abs or arms or thighs that truly bothers me. My 'dreams' are not to have nice abs and to conform to some other person's standards of beauty, but to finish my doctorate (<a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2013/06/dissertation-update.html" target="_blank">done</a>!), write my book, teach the sport that I love. I dream of being a good person, of motivating people through my actions, not my body.<br />
<br />
If "Female Gym Motivation" wanted to just post my picture, preferably the original and not this odd, darkened version*, I would be okay with that. But adding this quote somehow made me feel like the interwebs was attempting to rewrite the totality of my existence. I have gone from a Professor and Coach, to a vapid and cliched trope. And maybe I am just a wee bit sensitive, but I already detest fitspo memes, and being made into one makes me feel, well, shamed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVo5tIGNgH8bNt6RESLTSFkBiNziWAnMHo1Gat3xxTpPmZloWQjKQzQHhqdSzr1qmqGmDBpXurf8rKN4c8XSJpGlcZYqkF5T9uRPUBsNTYxp6hC2RRqrwPrfxfHlM3XScqs0Zbc-OsGY/s1600/DSC_0087zzzNEW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVo5tIGNgH8bNt6RESLTSFkBiNziWAnMHo1Gat3xxTpPmZloWQjKQzQHhqdSzr1qmqGmDBpXurf8rKN4c8XSJpGlcZYqkF5T9uRPUBsNTYxp6hC2RRqrwPrfxfHlM3XScqs0Zbc-OsGY/s640/DSC_0087zzzNEW.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
*Notice how they used a strange effect on the meme to accentuate my muscles. It also gives me the look of having rolled around in the mud for several hours.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-63463067211765505132013-06-05T09:33:00.002-07:002013-06-05T09:33:48.916-07:00Feminism and MMA: the New York state edition<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">Yesterday,
I was asked by Fightland magazine to comment on the recent debate
surrounding the fight in New York state to sanction MMA. This is a
response to the organization NOW, which I admire, but made some faulty
theoretical claims about how the sport of MMA necessarily needs to
violence against women. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://fightland.vice.com/blog/mma-meets-third-wave-feminism" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://fightland.vice.com/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>blog/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>mma-meets-third-wave-feminism</a></span></span></span></span></h5>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent"> You can read the original letter from NOW here:</span></span></span></span></h5>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/144404165/NOW-Letter-Cuomo-MMA-Bill-6506" target="_blank">http://www.scribd.com/doc/144404165/NOW-Letter-Cuomo-MMA-Bill-6506</a></span></span></h5>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think there needs to be accountability and consequences for MMA fighters who use misogynistic and harmful language in the media. Perhaps more organizations, like Invicta, should raise money and awareness for victims of domestic abuse. It is up to men to police each other from making light of rape and violence, but if New York state does not allow MMA to become a sanctioned sport because of a few athletes who have made terrible statements about rape, then shouldn't the entire Republican party be banned? </span></span></h5>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent"> </span></span></h5>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-27902538575982885912013-06-01T15:25:00.000-07:002013-06-01T15:25:05.992-07:00Dissertation UpdateThree weeks ago, I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzLesNJrHjHBMmRntvusmx0AUSNcpbmOTY87dR_c15LEq6nFqFJaDu6S3y0PEJ4G206jUWzOrpnSDasqaF4pcA7KKre2ysvnRPAprRpgnu8kjcNr7lIEvLNjZw6iZ8c9qMRhS0HKHXOo/s1600/401952_10201078010062175_1744105402_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzLesNJrHjHBMmRntvusmx0AUSNcpbmOTY87dR_c15LEq6nFqFJaDu6S3y0PEJ4G206jUWzOrpnSDasqaF4pcA7KKre2ysvnRPAprRpgnu8kjcNr7lIEvLNjZw6iZ8c9qMRhS0HKHXOo/s400/401952_10201078010062175_1744105402_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-defense celebration with the man</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Which means...I am through! Finished! Donezo! I continue to remind myself, while I am sitting around my house in my underwear writing, just like I was a month ago, that I am a MOTHER FUCKING DOCTOR! <br />
<br />
So now what? Well, I have to write this book. You know, the one about the history of female fighters. The one that is due to the publishers exactly one year from today. That one. And that is where I will be for the next 365 days. Once the manuscript is in, I'll hop back over here to the blog and start updating. Wish me luck!<br />
<br />
In the meantime, here are a few things to consider reading:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://Plutarch claimed that Lycurgus encouraged exercise amongst Spartan women in order to make them stronger and potentially better mothers. He ordered the maidens to exercise themselves with wrestling, running, throwing the discus, and casting the javelin" target="_blank">This is the link to an article</a> that the Westword did about me before a talk on feminism and full-contact sports. L.A. Jennings, Scholar and Fighter, has a damn nice ring to it.<br />
<br />
Here is a link to my girl, <a href="http://8limbs.us/" target="_blank">Sylvie's page</a> about fighting in Thailand. I <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2011/10/interview-muay-thai-fighter-sylvie-von.html" target="_blank">interviewed Sylvie</a> a while back and got to <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2012/04/zingano-fight-camp.html" target="_blank">train with her a year ago</a> just before she left for Thailand. Her blog posts are fascinating. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-8844556201167029482012-09-26T12:23:00.001-07:002012-09-26T12:23:19.225-07:00Shin Guard Round-UpThe purpose of shin guards is two-fold: to protect your own shins and to protect your training partners. Most gyms want trainees to wear shin guards even if they are MMA fighters. Finding shin guards that fit is hard for everyone but especially for women. In this post I review four pairs of shin guards that are regularly worn by the girls at my gym.<br />
<br />
The problem most shorter people have is finding a shin guard that fits the tibia. Many 'regular' shin guards hit above the bend of the knee and can hinder movement. Also if the foot guard is too large it can make it painful to kick.<br />
<br />
Most shin guards are made to be either slip-on or with hook and loops in the back. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but anecdotally I see people having to adjust the hook and loop more than the slip-ons. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Note: All the gals in this study, including me, are 5'4 or under. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH3qpbYgdl55IFJLBmzPSM4Hdbbg1zXezd0BsQu8lQJuNjB3Qaeb6h8ynicnurbgjAPtJ_7IfDhkZaUuxstG7U8O_VNlBRk4tQ9UmHB9B8trYv-b6rt9G9PgfmxEI03gHiR5ELZ6EqVY/s1600/fg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH3qpbYgdl55IFJLBmzPSM4Hdbbg1zXezd0BsQu8lQJuNjB3Qaeb6h8ynicnurbgjAPtJ_7IfDhkZaUuxstG7U8O_VNlBRk4tQ9UmHB9B8trYv-b6rt9G9PgfmxEI03gHiR5ELZ6EqVY/s320/fg.JPG" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtney - 5'2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. FighterGirls Shin Instep Guards</span></b><br />
<b>Price:</b> $24<br />
http://shop.fightergirls.com/categories/ankle-support-shin-guards.html<br />
<br />
From FighterGirls:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="ProductDescriptionContainer">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px;">Fighter girls instep and shin guard are peferct for all marial arts </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px;">These
are the perfect light weight shin pads. Perfect for bag work or to wear
underneath heavier ones. Plus, they are super cute in bright Kelly
green with the Fighter Girls heart front and center in purple. Made of
machine washable elastic material these will keep their shape after
repeated wearing and washing. They can be easily taken on and off with
ultra flexible elastic material. The heel cut out helps hug your foot
securely and will not move out of place.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
These FighterGirls shin guards are cute and comfortable but as durable as Courtney would like. Although they are very easy to get on and perfect for heavy bag work (as they mentioned), you really cannot use these shin guards for sparring. The foam pad is very soft and comfortable but not robust enough to withstand a checked kick. Court bemoans the foam frequently, saying that if they would just make them with harder foam they would be perfect. They come in small and medium sizes which is great for women with a short tibia. <br />
<br />
<b>Pros: </b> Cheap, cute (lots of different colors), machine washable, comfortable and great size. <br />
<b>Cons: </b>Foam guard is not hard enough for sparring.<br />
<b>Final: </b>This is a great shin guard for a woman who wants to protect her shins from bruises while working on the heavy bags, but they are not for sparring. Come on Debi...make a pair with harder foam and they would be perfect! <br />
<b>My Rating:</b> <b> 3/5</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClEEmqPs95CDJ20XgAxb2gOP4urOWJfKAGVuYJkIIpZwewVh_rXCasTawttxkTTXrWDD8WXGGPK2qPb4sggMcdtZ6XSft0y_dK4R6HDRsU1QLXwAJGrzKHhjxvxYN1OW8klliyliWSW4/s1600/cageside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClEEmqPs95CDJ20XgAxb2gOP4urOWJfKAGVuYJkIIpZwewVh_rXCasTawttxkTTXrWDD8WXGGPK2qPb4sggMcdtZ6XSft0y_dK4R6HDRsU1QLXwAJGrzKHhjxvxYN1OW8klliyliWSW4/s320/cageside.JPG" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah - 5'1.5 (that half inch is important y'all)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Cageside "Muay Thai" Leather Shin Instep Guards</span></b><br />
<b>Price: </b> $54.95<br />
http://www.cagesidemma.com/camthleshing.html<br />
<br />
From Cageside: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
These are the shin guards you've been waiting for!<br />Leather with metal loops and velcro to get the perfect fit.<br />Extra padding covers the shin bone for the protection you need.<br />Sizing suggestions:<br />Small: fits 110 to 165lbs<br />Medium: fits 155 to 205lbs<br />Large: fits 185 to 235lbs </blockquote>
I am not sure what weight has to do with it...they should be sized according to length. Sarah is one of my tinier girls but she is undoubtedly the best kickboxer in the gym. She bout these Cageside shin guards about a year ago and loves them. They fit her very well around although she does sometimes have to adjust them while sparring. However, to me they come up a bit too high on her knee. I wore them myself the other day and they felt great but were still too high on my knee. <br />
<br />
<b>Pros: </b>Robust, different sizes, great for sparring.<br />
<b>Cons: </b>May be expensive for some, not great for women under about 5'5<br />
<b>Final: </b>This is a really excellent pair of shin guards but they still may be too high for some women. <br />
<b>My Rating</b>: <b> 4/5 </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc9tuGlTQJOxKaOJtddF1nx0rMQA-PtxxiGUqADUjCvFuDj0D1jHEZINEyGu9bYmXsvKJ9OSp2Nuhvcyzhhcrdg8eqEe417CdaPpuevtOVo-MxGuLPbYIPvHsJOPwvkeBmYubXbwKWrs/s1600/windy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc9tuGlTQJOxKaOJtddF1nx0rMQA-PtxxiGUqADUjCvFuDj0D1jHEZINEyGu9bYmXsvKJ9OSp2Nuhvcyzhhcrdg8eqEe417CdaPpuevtOVo-MxGuLPbYIPvHsJOPwvkeBmYubXbwKWrs/s320/windy.JPG" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L.A. (me!) - 5'4</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Windy Muay Thai Shin Guard</span></b><br />
<b>Price: </b> $50-$75 (varies)<br />
http://www.ringside.com/ringside/windy-muay-thai/windy-protective-equipment/windy-pro-style-shin-instep-8213.html<br />
<br />
From Ringside<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Windy professional level shin instep guards are handcrafted in Thailand and are more compact than traditional guards.<br />
<ul>
<li>Double shin padding absorbs shock</li>
<li>Two hook & loop style closures secure the fit</li>
<li>Elastic strap fastens to the foot</li>
<li>Synthetic leather construction</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
My beloved Windys. Mike gave these to me almost eight years ago and I still wear them. Yes, one of the straps is broken so I taped them, but they are still my favorites. The shin guards are the perfect length on my tibia, probably because these are manufactured in Thailand where fighters are a bit smaller. They are incredibly resilient and tough; I can kick the crap out of basically anything and never feel it. They are very well made but the straps do give out over time. Mine broke because a client tried to stretch them over his huge legs and snapped the strap. I shall get a new pair soon but for now, these hold a lot of sentimental value as I wore them when I used to compete in stand-up.<br />
<br />
<b>Pros: </b> Strong construction, hard foam, perfect length for shorter legs.<br />
<b>Cons:</b> May be expensive for some.<br />
<b>Final:</b> These shin guards are perfect for female fighters. They come in several sizes (I have a regular) so women taller than me can get a larger pair to accommodate longer limbs. <br />
<b>Rating: 5/5</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VZJd8rbJDEwgJdSKAuMqTFCrh_wiJLWnlVIsgZZ6KAq0id_U8DYpnEViUzwCjHVy-iXm-9mYSZBBOC6WJdPv4xLxCp30a-ggKm3IuznbJnEfd2BTgHJW7vJMkLKtF9qd48UwRzbtxhA/s1600/title.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VZJd8rbJDEwgJdSKAuMqTFCrh_wiJLWnlVIsgZZ6KAq0id_U8DYpnEViUzwCjHVy-iXm-9mYSZBBOC6WJdPv4xLxCp30a-ggKm3IuznbJnEfd2BTgHJW7vJMkLKtF9qd48UwRzbtxhA/s320/title.JPG" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tawnya - 5'4</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Title Classic Slip-On Shin Guards</b></span><br />
<b>Price: </b>$15<br />
http://store.titleboxing.com/title-classic-slip-on-shin-guards.html<br />
<br />
From Title<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
All the design and quality features of our signature cloth shin and
instep guards in an economical offering. More than 1" of layered
contoured foam padding over the entire shin and instep that offers
outstanding protection. Easy slip on design is convenient and secure.
Completely machine washable for even added benefits.</blockquote>
These are the shin guards that I actually stock in my gym. Almost all of my fighters wear these shin guards. They are cloth slip-ons with thick, hard foaming perfect for sparring or bag work. They come in two sizes, Regular and Large. I tend to give anyone under 6'0 the Regulars but they still fit shorter people very well. In two cases I have girls under 5'0 and I ordered them the <a href="http://store.titleboxing.com/title-classic-mma-youth-shin-guards.html" target="_blank">Youth version</a> which is just a bit smaller than the Regulars. <br />
<br />
<b>Pros: </b>Good fit, great price, washable (not in the washing machine), durable foam.<br />
<b>Cons</b>: After six months I really haven't found any problems with them.<br />
<b>Final:</b> These are easily the best slip-on shin guard on the market. They are cheap and comfortable and great for sparring.<br />
<b>Rating: 5/5</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There are many other brands that make shin-guards but these are the ones with which I have personal experience. If you have a brand of shin-guards that you love, please comment below. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-46294124704486237292012-09-11T07:01:00.002-07:002012-09-11T07:01:45.785-07:00Product Reviews and Peri-Workout SupplementationHi Guys! As I finish up this dissertation and prepare to start writing my <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-book.html" target="_blank">book</a> on female fighters, I am going to try to maintain a steady stream of product reviews for the blog. I am the kind of girl who has to read reviews on a product before I buy and I figure there are a lot of y'all out there who like to do the same. <br />
<br />
<b>The following reviews will be coming down the pipeline over the next couple of weeks:</b><br />
-Tussle Fight Gear Vale Tudo shorts and sports bra<br />
-Fighter Girls Vale Tudo shorts<br />
-Jaco long sleeve rashguard<br />
-Shin guards round-up<br />
<br />
-Please let me know if there is any other gear you would like reviewed or any gear you have tried recently. <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Peri-Workout Supplementation</b></span></div>
<br />
Several weeks ago the schedule at our gym changed. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach three one-hour classes in a row: women's kickboxing, fighter conditioning and striking strategy. Each of these classes are very physically demanding and even if I don't train all of them I still feel tuckered out by the time that last class rolls around. <br />
<b> </b><br />
I am not really in to using workout supplementation; I eat a lot of food throughout the day and usually that is enough to get me through my workout and back home for dinner. However, this three hour session has been kicking my ass so I decided to follow the advice I give my own clients and concoct a drink I can take down before the striking strategy class. <br />
<br />
Peri-Workout supplementation is taken during a workout. For this type of high intensity, glucose-depleting training I recommend clients take a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the form of a shake. However, right now I am trying to lean out a little more and increase my muscle mass so I am doing a little less carbs and more protein. I feel like a nerd for jumping on the coconut water bandwagon but damn if it isn't delicious. Plus juice gives me heartburn.<br />
<br />
<b>L.A.'s Peri-Workout shake</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ_jQ8qxO_Qjr7IcBfjaJC3_Dkh2cZdTBDmD3lk9xERxFOeWe4lE5N_pRlE_O5ryTLIQzYkX90-1zGyoorh4kCXuW_gLImneOs8jm2wmGIkS2suh8lcVdP_PTNTDa70t6Ofs6VxOSaTo/s1600/tumblr_m3px1ibvhH1qakev8o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ_jQ8qxO_Qjr7IcBfjaJC3_Dkh2cZdTBDmD3lk9xERxFOeWe4lE5N_pRlE_O5ryTLIQzYkX90-1zGyoorh4kCXuW_gLImneOs8jm2wmGIkS2suh8lcVdP_PTNTDa70t6Ofs6VxOSaTo/s320/tumblr_m3px1ibvhH1qakev8o1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.onedrinks.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This shake contains equal parts carbohydrate and protein. Again, I think it is important to eat adequate amounts of protein and carbohydrate at least two hours pre-workout when doing a very intensive training session. I use this shake during my Tuesday/Thursday sessions and on Saturday between lifting and running sprints. <br />
<br />
8oz O.N.E. coconut water <br />
1/2 scoop plain protein powder<br />
3-4 ice cubes <br />
<br />
Carbs: 11g<br />
Protein: 10g<br />
Fat: 0g<br />
100 Calories total<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What type of supplementation do you use during your training sessions? </b><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-82830760352690882622012-08-29T12:22:00.000-07:002012-08-29T12:22:29.335-07:00Who should Ronda Rousey fight next?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7jgQ14iRvrz5xdY2WVz6U78-d0j7ALhhSGIvFuoyB4HzqvMpgj6YzIYAHuh5A-2b5WiYxg5bCjMiDcI0p8RNy4inzLiPGTC97U59x-Mobiq_tp4MGCDpqimLLZUh2zl62t8kc_yq2Wk/s1600/20120303_pjc_ab8_602_extra_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7jgQ14iRvrz5xdY2WVz6U78-d0j7ALhhSGIvFuoyB4HzqvMpgj6YzIYAHuh5A-2b5WiYxg5bCjMiDcI0p8RNy4inzLiPGTC97U59x-Mobiq_tp4MGCDpqimLLZUh2zl62t8kc_yq2Wk/s400/20120303_pjc_ab8_602_extra_large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">www.MMAMania.com</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ronda Rousey's star is continuing to rise after her victory of Sarah Kauffman. Regardless of how you feel about Ronda (I love her) we all know she has got to fight again. Let's make somewhat informed conjectures about her next opponent. Wild, wild conjectures. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISLY8OLuuRA1xXv0NQZk0eJ5XAOwZMWEn0GtHAtuDDqjq_lAceykaZtPDBC-fRMBAISJ6DB_MYtcTiyk7Pdl4lpn3JEQ_awhQyfJ3PXty1qN9Wx1LbZS9g3eMg5LUrYKY-11cn2x-X-o/s1600/Cristiane_Santos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISLY8OLuuRA1xXv0NQZk0eJ5XAOwZMWEn0GtHAtuDDqjq_lAceykaZtPDBC-fRMBAISJ6DB_MYtcTiyk7Pdl4lpn3JEQ_awhQyfJ3PXty1qN9Wx1LbZS9g3eMg5LUrYKY-11cn2x-X-o/s200/Cristiane_Santos.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>1. Cris "Cyborg" Santos</b><br />
Although the two cannot agree on a weight class, I think it is inevitable that these two powerhouses will one day meet in the cage. Cris has claimed that Ronda ran from her to the 135lb weight class but I think that Ronda was running towards Meisha Tate. Ronda was dominant as a featherweight and is now the leader of the bantams. But these ladies must meet one day if Ronda is to maintain her reputation as the greatest female MMA fighter.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzevMYTpj29iWDdMJ_g3IHmmqSJHTDU17pyejFXTvJ29rBKJNv_qD7Jx7MZbJZfJbk_-YFxS-_mPRueXv8uudJSKEF3Ns1cAHpdMk-V_QIetRHgoizCaw2k_vtBD0tk5qz0jNCdxS8SM/s1600/02_Miesha_Tate_hits_pads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzevMYTpj29iWDdMJ_g3IHmmqSJHTDU17pyejFXTvJ29rBKJNv_qD7Jx7MZbJZfJbk_-YFxS-_mPRueXv8uudJSKEF3Ns1cAHpdMk-V_QIetRHgoizCaw2k_vtBD0tk5qz0jNCdxS8SM/s200/02_Miesha_Tate_hits_pads.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>2. Meisha Tate</b><br />
Meisha has already asked for a rematch and while she will definitely get that opportunity in the future, I do not think Ronda is going to give it to her yet. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>3. Alexis Davis</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__tz4lErGcjLm6D6zp9E1O7BdxrVUavApHUDoJNheJ_mz2sRwA8hb2Q8dGhZZMU2ajXFEzbqY5sNrsnaZGaQhZMX4V6TGpQwcndpaeRayVfGGmyJfmrPnFkE_HsJtJHSBjUgIZSW69XA/s1600/alexis-davis-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__tz4lErGcjLm6D6zp9E1O7BdxrVUavApHUDoJNheJ_mz2sRwA8hb2Q8dGhZZMU2ajXFEzbqY5sNrsnaZGaQhZMX4V6TGpQwcndpaeRayVfGGmyJfmrPnFkE_HsJtJHSBjUgIZSW69XA/s200/alexis-davis-1.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>
This would be an incredible fight. Davis is a BJJ blackbelt and she could be the one to defend Ronda's famous armbar. Alexis Davis is a great opponent for Ronda but I am not sure that she could stir up the media frenzy that Ronda likes. It is an unfortunate thing to say but I think Ronda will pick her fights based on the opponent's ability garner the limelight. I am not sure that Alexis or Sara McMann, another option for Ronda, can create the pull. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4-OyWdMvNl36P5lDryMj3BbLpTK3Vlb5KxwS9VOZVwiNza-s9gzJ3SNcQg0QDEymnBy0RRdWrl5i3fJpfnyj6tBeuJp-rxKasLMy-zH4_CiHNxmwge2-HmDZ12ordDaveAjHkRbXh5o/s1600/487961_348663318547477_1244199204_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4-OyWdMvNl36P5lDryMj3BbLpTK3Vlb5KxwS9VOZVwiNza-s9gzJ3SNcQg0QDEymnBy0RRdWrl5i3fJpfnyj6tBeuJp-rxKasLMy-zH4_CiHNxmwge2-HmDZ12ordDaveAjHkRbXh5o/s200/487961_348663318547477_1244199204_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><b> 4. Liz Carmouche </b><br />
I have to admit that next to Cyborg this is the fighter I most want to see in the cage with Ronda. Liz is an aggressive fighter with enough PR flair to entice Ronda. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>5. Kim Kardashian</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxX8iDKGg5v4Moz_ZrXN7cy4tqH6-nL0m1rpg5AytlmsdY6tuF2kahJgSDZKC6c0RTPJnCbluEgyiqZKSxSl-Saw6_EC7FluXjih7kQcZavNDUWi5bPaX-KixOJ7-IjOU8gqODX008uQc/s1600/2_14_11_B_kim_kardashian_marquee_kabik-23-21-588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxX8iDKGg5v4Moz_ZrXN7cy4tqH6-nL0m1rpg5AytlmsdY6tuF2kahJgSDZKC6c0RTPJnCbluEgyiqZKSxSl-Saw6_EC7FluXjih7kQcZavNDUWi5bPaX-KixOJ7-IjOU8gqODX008uQc/s200/2_14_11_B_kim_kardashian_marquee_kabik-23-21-588.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
<b> </b>Get this bitch in the cage! It is on like Donkey Kong!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-43187667423515021522012-08-20T14:20:00.000-07:002012-08-20T14:20:26.698-07:00Rousey Wins Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/t-6NsHnBC78?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Y'all I am shocked. Shocked! Okay...not that shocked.<br />
<br />
All I have to say is "the bitch is bad" And I mean that as the highest compliment. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-49124392218683031502012-08-14T08:23:00.001-07:002012-08-20T14:20:54.590-07:00The BookI have been missing from this blog for three reasons.<br />
1. I am writing my dissertation<br />
2. I am writing articles for Fighter Girls! Check out www.FighterGirls.com to see my column Fight Camp!<br />
<b>3. I am writing a book! On female fighters! Squeal! </b><br />
<br />
Let's go through these<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
1. The dissertation - eh. About halfway done. That is all.<br />
<br />
2. FighterGirls - I love <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2011/11/inspiration-thursday-debi-purcell-my.html" target="_blank">Debi Purcell</a> and FighterGirls <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2011/10/finding-women-specific-training-gear-is.html" target="_blank">gear</a>. Right now I am sort of syndicating the articles I have written for this site but will write new material as well.<br />
<br />
3. The book. The glorious book. <br />
<br />
Several months ago I submitted a paper for the Pop Culture Association conference on women in fighting sports (see the abstract <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2011/11/pca-presentation-abstract.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Although I was unable to attend the conference the abstract was available on the website and it caught the attention of a large publishing house. One of their editors contacted me and asked for a meeting to discuss my work. They asked me if I was interested in expanding my essay and writing a book on the history of female fighters. Um...seriously? Is that even a question? A great deal of jumping around silently while listening to my editor ensued.<br />
<br />
It took several months to finalize everything as I wrote a formal book proposal and sample chapter which had to make it past two editorial boards. The first consisted of two librarians who said they loved it. One said she found herself 'googling' the various fighters to learn more about them which was a great boost to my ego. It was wonderful to think that the book will appeal to readers outside the WMMA world who are interested in sports or women's firsts or just the incredible tenacity of those working against cultural norms. <br />
<br />
<br />
I still plan to update this blog from time to time, primarily to post product reviews, which I think are incredibly important. If you are interested in reading more about women in fighting sports check out my friend <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2011/10/interview-muay-thai-fighter-sylvie-von.html" target="_blank">Sylvie</a>'s blog, who is in Thailand right now training and fighting. It is an incredible website:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://8limbs.us/">http://8limbs.us/</a><br />
<br />
Until next time...keep your hands up Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-66424931706383426162012-04-14T14:35:00.000-07:002012-04-14T14:35:02.381-07:00Enough with "Strong is the New Skinny" and other Hyperboles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBEekHIu2Bkk1yqPHsG_01yrPAjRbQqO-sF8ocbfN7DIHfOdzmMAMsVQP-abJUlPXT1GLwj1VfM29YK9bXtTYFGI6S7nyJbDBSkXhn7zFau9ITQUilK7sN1G40g4AA6MsLoriD5lk3fE/s1600/6715802517_64209af15a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBEekHIu2Bkk1yqPHsG_01yrPAjRbQqO-sF8ocbfN7DIHfOdzmMAMsVQP-abJUlPXT1GLwj1VfM29YK9bXtTYFGI6S7nyJbDBSkXhn7zFau9ITQUilK7sN1G40g4AA6MsLoriD5lk3fE/s640/6715802517_64209af15a_o.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Controversy:</b></span><br />
<br />
I posted this on facebook yesterday and it stirred up quite a discussion with a yoga instructor friend. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">I</span><span style="font-size: large;"> am so tired of "strong is the new skinny," "real women have curves,"
and other hyperbolic cliches that claim to empower while simultaneously
denigrating other women. All women are real women; all bodies are real
bodies. Celebrate all women: that is true feminism.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
</blockquote>
Many of my friends agreed, but this particular person felt that
messages like the one above were empowering. I am all about empowering
women, but does motivation have to rely on critiquing others? When I
see people criticizing a skinny woman and say "Eat a Sandwich" or "I
look better naked than her," I think that is just a destructive as
criticizing a woman for being large. I will not upload that person's
comments but here was my final response:<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"></span></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_4f89eb167a53e5659791519">
<span style="font-size: large;">I
have no problem with inspiration photos or quotes as long as the
message is not predicated on critiquing other body types. Polarizing
women who are skinny or small breasted or very muscular or large is
unnecessary and hurtful. I know so<span class="text_exposed_show"> many
powerful and beautiful women and none of them have the same body; in
this way, beauty is multiplicity of forms rather than a singularity.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
All the women in the picture above are beautiful and they are all women. Thoughts? <br />
<b>On the training front...</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
Saturday is my favorite training day of the week. Open mat is usually pretty small and I can concentrate on myself, which I do with gusto. Today's workout was awesome<br />
<br />
<b>Deadlifts:</b><br />
<b>Warm-up 5 reps @ 95#</b><br />
-Regular Deadlift<br />
-Wide Stance Deadlift<br />
-Jefferson Squat<br />
<br />
<b>Then 5 reps each for 120#, 140#, 160#</b><br />
Easing back in after dealing with the sciatic injury<br />
<br />
<b>Lower-Body Assistance work:</b><br />
<b>3x8</b><br />
-Hip Thrusts 160#<br />
-Hamstring Raises 15#<br />
-Good Morning 95#<br />
<br />
<b>Upper-Body Assistance work:</b><br />
<b>2 x 7/4/7 </b>from <a href="http://nicktumminello.com/2011/12/the-747-protocol-a-new-rep-scheme-for-new-muscle-gains/" target="_blank">Nick Tumminello </a><br />
- Croc Rows 40# / 53# / 40#<br />
- KB Incline Bench Press 25# / 30# / 25# (weight for each KB, not the total for the pair)<br />
- Bottom-Up KB Press 15# / 20# / 15#<br />
<br />
<b>Conditioning</b><br />
<b>5 x 10</b><br />
- Box Jump<br />
- Ball Slam<br />
- Half Jacks<br />
- Swings 53#<br />
<br />
<b>Final Burnout:</b><br />
Max reps regular bench press 45# bar - 35<br />
Max reps narrow grip bench press 45# bar - 30<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBEekHIu2Bkk1yqPHsG_01yrPAjRbQqO-sF8ocbfN7DIHfOdzmMAMsVQP-abJUlPXT1GLwj1VfM29YK9bXtTYFGI6S7nyJbDBSkXhn7zFau9ITQUilK7sN1G40g4AA6MsLoriD5lk3fE/s1600/6715802517_64209af15a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-18422440366537849242012-04-10T13:59:00.000-07:002012-04-10T13:59:10.341-07:00Zingano Fight CampJust checking in! I have been frantically writing and working on an upcoming project, which I hope to share within the next month or so. Until then, I am training, finishing my very last class EVER and working on my dissertation, looking forward to the day when I can call myself "Dr. J" or something to that effect. Last week, however, I took a break to train with some very important ladies in the world of WMMA.<br />
<br />
Several weeks ago Cat Zingano announced her <a href="http://zinganobjj.com/" target="_blank">gym </a>would be hosting a Women's Fight Camp for her and Randi Miller's preparation for the upcoming Invicta fights. I jumped on the chance to train with Cat and other talented women and gained incredible experience in the process.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2qAs7pV7xJGWtdwm0JryRqC05zYBtTOy_JNjr_w5_B6EGvOYPXCAAoDaPKIMGMQuEAjq9wDtUQdpkjgksNkO7yl26bNGbhBCZJoaqw0ZhHTgXrx7lzQ5IiVAEuzCqsQ1lDiP3VH1LhY/s1600/549239_3278196565921_1597730094_54124729_1700166112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2qAs7pV7xJGWtdwm0JryRqC05zYBtTOy_JNjr_w5_B6EGvOYPXCAAoDaPKIMGMQuEAjq9wDtUQdpkjgksNkO7yl26bNGbhBCZJoaqw0ZhHTgXrx7lzQ5IiVAEuzCqsQ1lDiP3VH1LhY/s640/549239_3278196565921_1597730094_54124729_1700166112_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randi, Shelley, L.A. and Cat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first morning we trained submission wrestling and Muay Thai with Cat's husband, black belt Mauricio Zingano, and Kru Sakmongkol. I got to roll with Randi and Cat, which was hilarious and humbling at the same time, and spar with Shelley, who recently competed in the Golden Gloves.<br />
<br />
Later that day, we returned to the gym to work on Muay Thai with Kru Sakmongkol and who was there but my friend and first interviewee Sylvie! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo145B-zn9t7rWuzcLX-6G1EZettAAG0pKeYEd7c2IWI4LbaZ7Dl9zAlmcxFdXG0XlNcOs8RDr6f5SDsXeftoRqsQIp_JLKVVIg2MUhod2NV_fB1DZy6zY6CAN2jbiIHQeZbQ9xA3F_Q/s1600/319846_3624821979907_1254742507_33617693_1024351704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo145B-zn9t7rWuzcLX-6G1EZettAAG0pKeYEd7c2IWI4LbaZ7Dl9zAlmcxFdXG0XlNcOs8RDr6f5SDsXeftoRqsQIp_JLKVVIg2MUhod2NV_fB1DZy6zY6CAN2jbiIHQeZbQ9xA3F_Q/s640/319846_3624821979907_1254742507_33617693_1024351704_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sylvie, Cat and L.A.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sylvie was hanging out with her folks in Boulder before heading out to Thailand to train for a full year! Sylvie and I got to meet for the first time, which included sparring and working on clinch drills. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Ss_rwi7dQOwRsGrgXzCrrTToFROkoT6T-2T5mf712rq3SuEWFnV5SdGc530Z_iFze4Nwq_3hRU_l_9FCDfLHnM2KHWGDfmW6ex2uuN3Yu9no5z74raw1f7_K-nJTtxTSuQMFawnBok/s1600/556249_3624822219913_1254742507_33617694_2008498947_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Ss_rwi7dQOwRsGrgXzCrrTToFROkoT6T-2T5mf712rq3SuEWFnV5SdGc530Z_iFze4Nwq_3hRU_l_9FCDfLHnM2KHWGDfmW6ex2uuN3Yu9no5z74raw1f7_K-nJTtxTSuQMFawnBok/s640/556249_3624822219913_1254742507_33617694_2008498947_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L.A., Shelley, Kim, Kru, Randi, Cat and Sylvie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a great training session as you can see from my top knot, which indicates that I am too damn hot to have my hair anywhere near my neck. Check out Sylvie's blog and follow her adventures as she trains in Thailand! I am so excited for her.<br />
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<a href="http://sylviemuay.wordpress.com/">http://sylviemuay.wordpress.com/</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDauQ2ZBVpSAvCkuSzWvzHBEeMveXqbmr-ucWTqG86BJcseTMJIrN1TU9Jtxcx9VUtyltV4voHw9DoW9vloRij2hP9LW4OznDoxmQxR2CffuGdWuzcvi4kg09rz9dWMCsgn4DsPplGSog/s1600/267397_2041395867658_1027153121_31950984_6947849_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDauQ2ZBVpSAvCkuSzWvzHBEeMveXqbmr-ucWTqG86BJcseTMJIrN1TU9Jtxcx9VUtyltV4voHw9DoW9vloRij2hP9LW4OznDoxmQxR2CffuGdWuzcvi4kg09rz9dWMCsgn4DsPplGSog/s200/267397_2041395867658_1027153121_31950984_6947849_n.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MMARising</td></tr>
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At this point I think I should stop and note just amazing these women are. I have watched Cat Zingano roll at several local grappling tournaments and she is strong, dynamic and aggressive! I was slightly nervous about meeting her at the camp but she immediately impressed me as being kind, funny and encouraging. She thanked me several times for coming to the camp, even though rolling with me was probably no different than grappling with a six-year-old. Although Cat had to drop out of the upcoming Invicta fight, I cannot wait to see her compete in the future.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_swtToW47bMs7l1ueTWXYHrFFX8GF_bJhHIeVdnTp7A2BJUkwsqV-DAwO8XIi0WMwZzt26IMZyJg-CDdyNUIrQ5PeVb-2DP0JmwG6aKhTq9CuE9tpc4s1_9vWRbBblBeQNPXQWJHYAqU/s1600/Randi_Miller2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_swtToW47bMs7l1ueTWXYHrFFX8GF_bJhHIeVdnTp7A2BJUkwsqV-DAwO8XIi0WMwZzt26IMZyJg-CDdyNUIrQ5PeVb-2DP0JmwG6aKhTq9CuE9tpc4s1_9vWRbBblBeQNPXQWJHYAqU/s1600/Randi_Miller2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TheMat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I was also really impressed by Randi Miller. An Olympic bronze medalist, Randi is a freaking American hero and is, like Cat, very encouraging and more than willing to share her expertise. She is making her MMA debut at Invicta and it was going to be epic! Also...doesn't she have the best smile?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FC367xnoPgcw9dfycrIy0ouc-zUzkRjAvD2PuvQVmgotWVdd31ni3I86ss9Cs8EOLZIqGUeMFK8G4FJVuHfoUYmRV-ffWlCm9MLdGeGX4rfM5xkvEycbdUzqoUOo9eXWX8NISLmLrs0/s1600/545945_3635528047552_1254742507_33622302_839443746_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FC367xnoPgcw9dfycrIy0ouc-zUzkRjAvD2PuvQVmgotWVdd31ni3I86ss9Cs8EOLZIqGUeMFK8G4FJVuHfoUYmRV-ffWlCm9MLdGeGX4rfM5xkvEycbdUzqoUOo9eXWX8NISLmLrs0/s640/545945_3635528047552_1254742507_33622302_839443746_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L.A., Barb, Kim and Randi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The next two days consisted of more training although I did not get any pictures. On the third day, Randi taught a wrestling class that was absolutely incredible! I was super excited to work with 125lb MMA fighter Barb Honchak, who is gracious, kind and very strong. I love wrestling and was thrilled to work with an Olympian.</div>
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Although I eventually had to cut out of the camp early (dissertation director was not happy with my lack of material for the week), I really enjoyed training at the Zingano gym and working with Cat, Randi, Barb and the rest of the girls. Cat and I talked about how difficult it was for her to find female training partners which can be detrimental when preparing for a fight. I hope that there will be more of these camps in the future.</div>
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Check out the Zingano MMA gyms in Brighton and Broomfield, Colorado, where both Cat and Randi train:</div>
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<a href="http://zinganobjj.com/" target="_blank">Zingano BJJ</a></div>
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<a href="http://zinganomuaythai.com/" target="_blank">Zingano Muay Thai</a></div>
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Also, the Invicta Fight Championships where Randi will make her MMA debut at the end of April </div>
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<a href="http://www.invictafc.com/" target="_blank">Invicta Fight Championships</a></div>
<br />
Follow <a href="http://www.facebook.com/catzinganomma" target="_blank">Cat on Facebook </a><br />
Check out Randi's <a href="http://randimiller.us/" target="_blank">website</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-31758078112199474192012-03-12T14:00:00.003-07:002012-03-12T14:00:55.145-07:00Ronda Rousey Training Video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Love her or hate her, the girl is a champion. This is some of the most eccentric and eclectic training I have seen in some time. I feel so inspired to train right now, but I have to finish my term paper. </div>
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Enjoy!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-34867947903366229882012-03-05T09:22:00.001-08:002012-03-05T09:22:35.233-08:00The Aftermath: Rousey defeats Tate by her signature submission<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6hV1mPSmuxLEGlM4EL9cAubgtilSn3LidsYXmJJhjMa-IPgs416LBEW6HY3R2ciWLGYCBDgPwyprk9StI6pUGf0HBuWc764RqOozIkLKOW0mlQ27eOAfpyjSuIWFq4pEoWq0sdrkblo/s1600/armbar-t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6hV1mPSmuxLEGlM4EL9cAubgtilSn3LidsYXmJJhjMa-IPgs416LBEW6HY3R2ciWLGYCBDgPwyprk9StI6pUGf0HBuWc764RqOozIkLKOW0mlQ27eOAfpyjSuIWFq4pEoWq0sdrkblo/s640/armbar-t1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esther Lin/Getty Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After all the build-up, the hype, the excitement and frustration, the fight between Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate did exactly what I hoped it would do. Saturday night's Strikeforce event demonstrated that female fighters have the skill, talent and aggression to put on an incredible show. No one can doubt the legitimacy of Rousey and Tate and Sarah Kauffman and Alexis Davis as MMA fighters. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmO3zBJGCQxwZY_Wm31pev17jNnku7shGwg65xcvh5jTYQs_UKICp7jhOsV1ZtrEcYM6-lcVAljWsuHu1u6FgAofQHtDLd6h_d91lJXxo8BnRjyrrwVSD6Z2em48ZtBJ6gA4BOYb_5VI/s1600/ronda-rousey-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmO3zBJGCQxwZY_Wm31pev17jNnku7shGwg65xcvh5jTYQs_UKICp7jhOsV1ZtrEcYM6-lcVAljWsuHu1u6FgAofQHtDLd6h_d91lJXxo8BnRjyrrwVSD6Z2em48ZtBJ6gA4BOYb_5VI/s320/ronda-rousey-6.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.mmajunkie.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was surprised, however, to read so many anti-Rousey tirades the day after the fight, primarily complaints regarding her attitude and perceived personality deficiencies. I guess I never realized that WMMA fans are more concerned with the friendliness of a fighter than her actual skill. Is Ronda a bitch? Maybe, but so am I. Did Ronda 'play the game' of shameless promotion? Perhaps, but there is no doubt that the Rousey and Tate fight was the most anticipated WMMA fight, surpassing, in my opinion, that of the Carano/Santos fight. <br />
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I know a number of people were also upset that Rousey unapologetically destroyed Meisha's arm. It was brutal to watch, yet as I told a friend before the fight started, I knew that Meisha would never tap to an armbar...not from Ronda. Meisha should have taped and the ref should have stopped the fight earlier, but while we might not like Ronda's claim that she "doesn't care" that she broke Meisha's arm, she is really not at fault. What is that thing they teach you the first day of grappling? Oh yeah. If it hurts, tap. <br />
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Ultimately the Tate-Rousey fight did more for the sport of MMA, not just WMMA, than any event has accomplished in a long time. Viewers saw incredible talent from not one but two female bouts. In my opinion, Saturday night's fights elevated the entire sport and demonstrated that it is not just the men who are bringing technique to the sport, but women as well. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-13001165517829353772012-03-01T07:26:00.001-08:002012-03-01T07:26:30.580-08:00Hype or Hope? Meisha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strikeforce.com</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-weight: normal;"> The upcoming Strikeforce
battle between incumbent 135lb WMMA-champ Meisha Tate and relative newcomer
Ronda Rousey takes place March 3rd in Columbus,
Ohio. The Rousey and Tate
fight is an exhausted subject for many who claim the hype surrounding these two
women has reached its saturation. The fight has indeed been promoted and
hyped with daily interviews, projections, twitter updates and general
shit-talking from both women. Many WMMA supporters are exhausted by the
excessive publicity, claiming that there are other female fighters out there
who deserve attention, which is absolutely true. There are plenty of
women fighting in smaller venues and training diligently to reach the critical
mass currently occupied by Tate and Rousey. But while I agree that Rousey's
continual self-promotion and Tate's numerous attempts to exempt herself from
the drama have become tenuous and somewhat annoying, the buildup of this fight
is an integral part of bringing women out of the margins and into the forefront
of the sport of MMA. </span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Candara; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The problem is not the
hype surrounding this fight; it is the constant insistence from multiple media
outlets that Rousey or Tate must be ‘the face’ of WMMA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet the search for a singular representative
of the sport has been in place since Debi Purcell first came on the scene
nearly a decade ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the
popularity of the UFC and other MMA venues does not ride on the shoulders of
one man, the sport of WMMA must, for some reason, apparently be embodied by one
woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gina Carano, now a B-movie star,
failed to uphold this monumental position after her loss to Cris “Cyborg” Santos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Santos
was never considered ‘the face’ of WMMA, primarily because her face does not
conform to the standards of beauty necessary to become promoted by American
sports media outlets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hype
surrounding the Tate/Rousey fight reveals how female fighters will be promoted
in the media as pageant contestants whose talents are punching and kicking
rather than singing or dancing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-6248874368007006292012-02-23T14:28:00.000-08:002012-02-23T14:28:30.512-08:00Inspiration Thursday: Invicta Fighting Championship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is tough for women to break into the professional fighting scene, especially when few venues cater to female fighters. <a href="http://www.invictafc.com/" target="_blank">Invicta Fighting Championships</a> is an all female fight promotion founded by Shannon Knapp and set to debue April 28. Headlining the event will be French MMA fighter Romy Ruyssen in her rematch with Dutch MMA fighter Marloes Coenen. I cannot wait to check out this event and watch talented fighters from Strikeforce, Bellator and other promotions square off. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Check out the video from Invicta below.<br /><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-92088734128562309312012-02-22T08:59:00.002-08:002012-02-22T08:59:39.519-08:00Wednesday Recipe: Sweet Jalapeno Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90ZNNRINvwlz5prK5tXmxbIjVV0NrWC-3nKOmy8w_B66vdVax9ZU0OwGXYImMkihu6hx-yoi5pxyoVxGFtjhIYQ-VdTofSWbiM93iTRERUl-pwCdPoD-TkztXhfBs6UQYsl_jEZML-EA/s1600/IMG_0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90ZNNRINvwlz5prK5tXmxbIjVV0NrWC-3nKOmy8w_B66vdVax9ZU0OwGXYImMkihu6hx-yoi5pxyoVxGFtjhIYQ-VdTofSWbiM93iTRERUl-pwCdPoD-TkztXhfBs6UQYsl_jEZML-EA/s640/IMG_0192.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I recently started making this sauce for chicken and Mike loves it. It is perfect for chicken thighs and breasts, but would also be great on pork or fish.</div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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1 jalapeno </div>
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1/2 cup orange juice</div>
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1 tbsp honey </div>
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1/4 tsp salt</div>
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Puree jalapeno and orange juice in a small blender or Magic Bullet. Heat in a small sauce pan and whisk in the honey and salt. Let the sauce come to a simmer, whisking frequently, then reduce heat.</div>
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Cook chicken, whether on the grill or in the oven, then toss in sauce once cooking is done. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-84137126450330483212012-02-21T12:02:00.002-08:002012-02-21T12:02:41.219-08:00New FighterGirls MMA glovesIt has been almost a month since I last posted and although I am mildly embarrassed, I do think I have good reason. School has been kicking my ass; from teaching to taking class to writing my dissertation, I've spent the majority of my time lately sitting in front of the computer researching and writing. I do have a couple of things brewing in an effort to enter the world of MMA journalism on a professional level, which is both exciting and terrifying. In the meantime, I will be doing short posts about training, competing and of course, the upcoming Tate/Rousey battle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRf1RETfm5nvwoZOFCRgIXEZ2AT9liQh3YlomhlTUmzQitKp_05RpNBXPuRZNFOSeuHAcH4qEOfD-vwJQCoiQ7DkkXrizN081B_oA114SWPHBERcyUrL5Ggy7ElErKX8rODRWJVadVVg8/s1600/402626_3345930687799_1254742507_33491422_1990247131_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRf1RETfm5nvwoZOFCRgIXEZ2AT9liQh3YlomhlTUmzQitKp_05RpNBXPuRZNFOSeuHAcH4qEOfD-vwJQCoiQ7DkkXrizN081B_oA114SWPHBERcyUrL5Ggy7ElErKX8rODRWJVadVVg8/s400/402626_3345930687799_1254742507_33491422_1990247131_n.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How freaking sick are these?</td></tr>
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So...I got a new pair of MMA gloves courtesy of <a href="http://www.fightergirls.com/" target="_blank">Fighter Girls</a>. I am teaching a class right now on WWII and feel especially patriotic. Every time I see the gloves, I start giggling, then sing "America! Fuck yeah!" Fighter Girls did a couple of new colorways, as per my suggestion in <a href="http://thepugilista.blogspot.com/2011/10/finding-women-specific-training-gear-is.html" target="_blank">my review</a> of their gloves (at least, I like to claim that it was my idea).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CPNm4TkUzt3S4jAP0obKK3ksOT9-KzMa837WVdq4peXSF59D2Qa0VFFqE3bgNCPosjitM2fI4ocbtxacAT26b9-B8KSBKf79lQW9GZgZ4dG5HyXoVHcm3RLyhJPpkeE7c1zSmtugvQw/s1600/IMG_4597__83194_zoom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CPNm4TkUzt3S4jAP0obKK3ksOT9-KzMa837WVdq4peXSF59D2Qa0VFFqE3bgNCPosjitM2fI4ocbtxacAT26b9-B8KSBKf79lQW9GZgZ4dG5HyXoVHcm3RLyhJPpkeE7c1zSmtugvQw/s320/IMG_4597__83194_zoom.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">For all the Canadians</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDte44h5XCjFAFs_kpeOxWRKmF_S3Hwjwde1lpwwQgZlSDRCh3wThR6bZeCkVCXohDEYFUZX8DQnoGJ73hvPyILcsowIFIL5Dy9yZgWy4OZQdRB3N2tS_Ftu7nEidQk2Nn8oJ7HJlk0o/s1600/IMG_4602__31851_zoom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDte44h5XCjFAFs_kpeOxWRKmF_S3Hwjwde1lpwwQgZlSDRCh3wThR6bZeCkVCXohDEYFUZX8DQnoGJ73hvPyILcsowIFIL5Dy9yZgWy4OZQdRB3N2tS_Ftu7nEidQk2Nn8oJ7HJlk0o/s320/IMG_4602__31851_zoom.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black with a different FG logo which I really like</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0j9oD3gEmIPUR42Z647u5t9xXyFhbpUAyg1-6Fan3Z1tCRPRi5GFkIeZha_8VMbnt2beE6gv0EHF8lv1lMasd-tG7IMg29vy-RliIeQmo8-B_zwYy7zc5a6gE5WbpnZOcPR5HIZ6Tjs/s1600/IMG_4607__63314_std.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0j9oD3gEmIPUR42Z647u5t9xXyFhbpUAyg1-6Fan3Z1tCRPRi5GFkIeZha_8VMbnt2beE6gv0EHF8lv1lMasd-tG7IMg29vy-RliIeQmo8-B_zwYy7zc5a6gE5WbpnZOcPR5HIZ6Tjs/s320/IMG_4607__63314_std.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Easily my favorite pair. Everyone needs three pairs of MMA gloves, right?</span></td></tr>
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In a semi-amusing coincidence, I also replaced my two-year-old Triumph boxing gloves with a new pair of Rivals. These bitches were on backorder for a month, but I waited it out, knowing they were going to be excellent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IRnRrN2oPXgKXli7k4Do4t81bxwqCzjHSvGjKBO7iI2Gx0IoaSRwfT5dyHYMkIKB0HzJJSXGD9UTw3O4qapMUMIB5F0MRPfdJjX2shkJ9BPqiMHitRgTIyd4m6n2Jy2GSmapnkFeGe0/s1600/431665_3309473296387_88876296_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IRnRrN2oPXgKXli7k4Do4t81bxwqCzjHSvGjKBO7iI2Gx0IoaSRwfT5dyHYMkIKB0HzJJSXGD9UTw3O4qapMUMIB5F0MRPfdJjX2shkJ9BPqiMHitRgTIyd4m6n2Jy2GSmapnkFeGe0/s400/431665_3309473296387_88876296_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
And they are. I have yet to spar with them since they haven't been broken in quite yet. I will write a post later this week on how and why to break in both boxing and MMA gloves.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1315716024590366780.post-38498271838420799072012-01-19T12:32:00.000-08:002012-01-19T12:34:12.994-08:00Inspiration Thursday: Miesha Tate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a 9584976?title="0&byline=0&portrait=0"" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=" http:="" mozallowfullscreen="" player.vimeo.com="" video="" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></a></div>
<a href="http://vimeo.com/9584976"></a><br />
With all the hype from Ronda Rousey's emphatic invitation to Miesha Tate
to join her in the ring, it has gone unnoticed, on this blog, that Tate
has been nothing short of classy. Rather than making a snarky
rejoinder, Tate quietly responded and will now fight the upstart Rousey
March 3rd. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Tate has an impressive 12-2 professional record and a large
following of devoted MMA fans who love her not just for her fighting
skills, but also her incredible hotness. Yeah, I don't want women to be
judged solely on their looks in the context of a fight, but I've got to
admit, Miesha is insanely gorgeous.<br />
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<a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/412637/02_Miesha_Tate_hits_pads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNY5ildoY3r8wjxMGfXSBnzksYr6AW-JeYygfY8OclBo6vjkXoeV3DxcPUc0bKtkic0E8hccKZuKlzr-eEmHYGi0FaxaiDrEoUxh0s3u7XZKUcqk0H5TNdDlYAy2dkpk9ipRlUK-cKEw/s320/02_Miesha_Tate_hits_pads.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In response to Rousey claiming that Tate "had a problem" fighting her, Tate responded:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://mmaweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Miesha-Tate-Elaina-Maxwell.jpg%22" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d92tKpC95Mc03WQh_Oi5DLcv8WmiUgiqeiJO_IIPIu8mAHGBKbmmS4tzatLIYFp160c9SyyGVNd94yS1oUBlr0Dmt0aRGzF6RUuBhadcgf4llwPhaj9zJCNBUE9LK_zL7DvRTv0wAAk/s320/Miesha-Tate-Elaina-Maxwell.jpg" width="228" /></a><i>Do I feel you're the No. 1 contender in our division? No. I feel that
Sarah Kaufman had the rugged pulled right out from under her feet. Not
necessarily your fault, but she was promised the spot that you have
right now. It was on national television, I had beat Marloes and they
brought her in and said, "Hey you're the No. 1 contender. You're coming
off two solid wins." And then you come in, 4-0 and never having fought
in our division, and you run your mouth, you say, "I'm marketable,"
and this fight makes sense because I'm marketable, and you get it.
That's fine. I'm going to fight you because that's my job. If they tell
me to fight you, I'm going to shut up and do that. I don't care who I
fight. But morally? Who do I think deserved it? Sarah Kaufman. We're
going to fight.</i></blockquote>
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This video of Miesha is sweet and funny but also demonstrates her incredible drive and tenacity. A high school wrestler and early practitioner of MMA, Miesha talks about her start in the sport and where she plans to go in the future. Girlfriend is a hero, an absolute icon for female fighters everywhere. I enjoyed watching her hit mitts and fight, but I think the real gem is her discussion of how she plans mentally for the ring. Also, her abs are sick. Just saying.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/9584976?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/9584976">Miesha Tate Mini Documentary</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/fighterdolls">Fighter Dolls</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0