Just for kicks

A trainer once said to me that most women don’t like to watch fights because they identify with the loser. They think, “Oh, he’s getting hit. He’s hurting.”

A trainer once said to me that most women don’t like to watch fights because they identify with the loser. They think, “Oh, he’s getting hit. He’s hurting.”

I don’t. I appreciate the successful landing of a technique, no matter who’s
receiving it.

I do mixed martial arts three times a week at a dojo in Port Moody. It’s a very serious club; the guy that runs it is grooming several of his fighters to compete around the world.

When I was younger and getting my black belt in judo, I did compete but now I do it because I just love the physicality, the movement, the precision of it.

Martial arts as a whole is a thinking person’s discipline. You have to learn how to punch and kick properly, and know where to kick. There’s a lot of strategy involved. I don’t see it as violence. Violence is what goes on in the streets. It’s road rage. It’s the mindless killing of another human being. This is a sport; you can recognize when it’s a left hook, a right uppercut, tae kwon do or muay thai movements. There’s an art to that.

It’s also a great stress release, like meditating. Everything has to be clear and focused, particularly when you’re doing drills with your partner. If you’re not focused, you get whacked.

As a woman, there’s a certain amount of confidence knowing that I can take care of myself, that I can’t be intimidated. But I think I’m that kind of personality anyway. Maybe I was a samurai in a past life.