Karate for Ladies: Why is Karate a Good Fit for Women and Girls?

Ladies, if you’re getting bored of the usual offerings of Zumba or piloxing classes, why not consider karate classes that not just keep you in good shape, but also teach you valuable self-defence skills that you can use in real life?

Many people may not instinctively think of karate when they look for self-defence classes for women, or as an option for women to get fit. Karate, despite the movies made about it, is still better known as a male-dominated sport.

​While that may be true in the past, today, women are making a mark in the sport, especially in Japan.

Don’t believe us? 
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Check out this awesome kata demonstration by an all-women karate master team from Japan at the World Karate Championships.

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​Size doesn’t make a difference. See Ashihara Karate Japan’s own champion, Kikukawa Yui, who despite her 148cm height, towers over her competition with grit and technique.

Why should more women pick up karate, and why Ashihara Karate?

Karate Practice Comes With Health Benefits

Karate, like many combat sports, builds up your fitness and cardiovascular health. We’ve covered this before in this earlier post.
As we spend longer and longer hours in the office for work, both men and women need to find ways to regularly exercise to maintain their wellbeing. Karate is a gender-neutral activity that gives you a great workout, regardless of your fitness level.

Karate Practice Is Good For Your Soul

There’s a direct correlation between exercise and mental health too. This Thrive article debunks the stereotype of destressing by doing things that are not stressful.

In fact, mindfulness practice is such a fundamental aspect of karate that we’ve been calling it a different thing for decades!

Ashihara Karate emphasises concepts like Zanshin  (often means a person’s readiness for any reaction from their opponent) during our regular sabaki practice and sparring rounds.

Such mindfulness techniques are easy to transfer to other non-combat situations we are all familiar with. Think presentations at school or work, or managing your stress level during a hectic period of your life.

Karate Practice Teaches Self-Defence

While Singapore is a fairly safe country for women to live in, learning self-defence helps us to be more self-sufficient when it comes to protecting ourselves and our loved ones. This is especially true when we travel overseas, to places we are less familiar with or when we are on our own.

Ashihara Karate, whose basic tenets focus on circular movements and techniques that effectively neutralise an opponent, places strong importance on enabling smaller learners like children or women to redirect the force of a larger opponent away from themselves.

Karate is Fun! 

Of course, no one wants to be slogging through training if it's hard AND boring. Fortunately, karate is not just a useful way of getting fit, but also really fun - if you like the idea of being able to kick butt and look cool doing it!

Is karate only for strong women?

Not at all! You don’t need to be heavily muscled or built like a tank to take up karate, and certainly not so for Ashihara Karate, where you will learn about effective counters and train in Ashihara Karate’s original sabaki movements. 

 
Ladies’ Classes Led by Female Instructor Now Available!

If you (or your female friends) are keen to explore karate as a martial art, for self-defence, or just to improve your flexibility and health, consider our all-new Ashihara Karate ladies’ classes! We welcome ladies of any backgrounds and fitness levels. This class is led by a female instructor, Cheryl.

Sessions are held on Tuesday evenings at Upper Bukit Timah (JK Building), near the Beauty World MRT Station (Downtown Line). Click here to find out more.