For a variety of reasons ranging from health to security, more and more women are turning to self-defense training - from tae kwon do to akido to kick-boxing and fit-box.
ys, a man emerged from the shadows and attacked her.
“He came at me from behind and began choking me,” Honcharuk recalled. “But when I screamed, and he tried to cover my mouth with his hand, that gave me the chance to break his grip.”
Honcharuk fought back and escaped unharmed.
“The guy fought like crazy, but he didn’t manage to hurt me,” she said.
And for that she credits her family. Her father was an Soviet amateur karate champion and her brother practices judo.
“I always dreamed about becoming a good fighter,” she said.
Honcharuk has experimented with a number of different martial arts and defensive fighting styles, ranging from judo to boxing to kickboxing. Today, Honcharuk teaches tae kwon do to young women.
She said her students come for many reasons. Some to learn to defend themselves, others to improve their health and still others to explore the mysteries of tae kwon do – developed centuries ago in Korea.
What makes it particularly attractive as a means of defense is that tae kwon do includes making use of anything that falls into your hands, from knives to sticks to clothing.
“Once I had to fight using an ivory umbrella that I bought in Malaysia,” Honcharuk said.
Tae kwon do emphasizes the use of the legs in fighting. By kicking, backing off and moving quickly, women can use tae kwon do techniques to defend themselves.
Anna Petrova, a 19-year-old student at Shevchenko State University said two years of studying the Japanese martial art aikido has helped her feel more secure.
“Though the first two or three months of training were rather exhausting, it’s really changed my life,” she said. “After two years of studying aikido, I’m not afraid of walking in the streets late at night – because I know I can protect myself.”
Choose your ‘weapon’
Which martial art to learn is a personal decision. Among other factors, you should consider your character as well as your physical strengths.
“It also depends on why you want to study and what you want to do with it,” Honcharuk said.
If punching is your bag, you might consider karate, kung fu or boxing. If it’s kicking, then there’s tae kwon do and kickboxing. Then there’s aikido, which is purely defensive.
Tae kwon do
Honcharuk’s tae kwon do group meets three times a week, and anyone from age 6 and up is welcome. Beginners don’t need any special equipment; just comfortable sports clothes – and no shoes. Once students get good enough and want to participate in local tournaments, they need a kimono-style robe and full protective
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gear. Sessions begin with an hour-long warm-up – followed by specific training in punching and kicking techniques, practice and sparring.
Aikido
Japanese Aikido is one of the most refined and difficult martial arts to master, but it’s also one of the most humane. The system of grips and holds is designed to turn the attacker’s own momentum and energy against him without causing harm.
The three hieroglyphs that make the word aikido can be translated as “ai” for harmony, “ki” for soul or inner strength and “do” for way of life.
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About the only disadvantage of aikido is that it does take time to master the moves required to defend yourself in a real-life situation.
Fit-box
Those who are looking for a fun exercise along with some defensive training should look into fit-box.
Oksana Vargochkaya, the fit-box coach at Kyiv Sports Club, says this technique is for amateur athletes who want to learn some moves, get into shape and maintain their state of health.
Sessions at Kyiv Sports Club last for an hour. To the beat of techno or disco music, the class gets a great aerobic workout while learning and practicing the kicking techniques of tae kwon do and the combination punches and footwork used in boxing.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a synthesis of the punching techniques of classic English-style boxing and the kicking techniques of karate. It emerged in the United States and Europe in the 1970s – and its rapid rise in popularity coincided with such silver-screen heroes as Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
Women like it for much the same reasons as men. Part martial arts, part athletics, kickboxing is fun, and
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it can equip students with a basic set of kicks, punches and sparring techniques in a relatively short period of time. The tradeoff is that it ignores most of the philosophical and ritualistic aspects that martial arts are famous for.
A leading practitioner in Kyiv is Oleksander Ivanov, an army reserve officer, author and trainer at Aquarium Fitness Center. He said discipline and technique are a big part of his approach to teaching kickboxing. Before putting his students in a fight situation, he first requires they master all the positions, the kicks and punches. Ivanov insists that such an approach makes for better, safer kickboxing and fewer injuries.
“The worst we ever see are red marks on the hands and feet,” he said. “We work out very carefully and use full protective gear.”
And while kickboxing isn’t categorized as a pure martial art, Ivanov says he also pays attention to the psychological aspect. In his book “The Art of Kickboxing,” he writes of the importance of psychological training to prepare fighters for the physical exertion to follow, of mentally regulating one’s physical and emotional state.
