Can a trained woman beat an untrained man?
Short answer: yup.
“This is one of the girls who kicks my ass everyday.”
That’s how Steve introduces me to his mate when we run into each other in town. Both of us are training in the same Thai Boxing camp, four grueling hours a day. I had a few weeks head start on him, and though I am still far from good, I do have the upper hand when we fight. I pummel him with kicks and punches, hoping that if I am fast enough, he won’t be able to take advantage of the fact that he has 20 inches and 40 kilos on me. “Breaking the patriarchy one sparring match at a time!” he laughs, high fiving me.
I used to be convinced of my own vulnerability. I thought that there was no way I could beat a man in a fight, however much I trained. Even though I grew up watching Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.
It was disheartening, especially after being the victim of sexual assault, to think that I would never be able to defend myself. That the taller, heavier person would always win. I’m not alone in this, when I tell people I’m training I’ve had a lot of guys say to me, “is there any point? You are really small. Whatever you do, men will always be able to kick your ass.”
Since I’ve started learning Muay Thai, however, I have realised that this is a myth.
