#weares9

[societynine]

Fashion and function for badass women. For the fiercely independent, athletically tenacious and fashionably daring. Society Nine is coming.

[lynnle-blog-blog]

Why I fight.

On Saturday, I coached my second women's self defense seminar, raising money for The Marni Fund, a breast cancer research fund under the name of Marni Levine, the wife of the Chief Instructor of Krav Maga Worldwide Darren Levine, who passed away from breast cancer in 2006. 

Coaching these self defense seminars are always really special experiences for me, mainly because they typically are for a great cause (the last one was to raise money for the Clackamas County victims of domestic violence shelter) and I also get the opportunity to inspire women to dig deep inside within themselves, find and release their inner strength.

Left straight, right straight, bob, advancing right elbow. Pop, pop, woosh, THWAP.

"Ooo...that sounded dark. That's mean." One of the more humbling compliments I've received from an instructor.

There is nothing more satisfying to me than those sounds off my glove. Power. When nothing else matters and you don't hear a sound - not the music blaring in the gym, the chatter from other students, the voices in your head reminding you of your stresses - it's one of the few instances in my life that I actually live in the moment, without conscious effort and mental psychology. I can just be. It's probably why I invest so much of my heart and soul into training. I feel power that is indescribable. 

Last week after I taught my fitness kickboxing class, my krav maga instructor, Tim, asked me to be his demo partner for class. To have an opportunity to demo alongside Tim for the evening was a huge reward. It was an ordinary Monday night for most, and for Tim as well, but for me, it was a meaningful moment. I love Tim because he is nuts in the most inspiring, loving way possible. He's really taught me to dig deep, and whether he meant to or not, training with him has been my therapy. Mind you, there are only a few dozen people I believe in the world who have reached his degree of knowledge in krav maga so to have him as my instructor is quite a gift. He has been one of the most positive influences in my life. (He's far right.)

From after my last belt test. I'm currently training to test for my brown belt, which is happening in a month.

I started krav maga after being an avid runner for years. 

Amsterdam Marathon, 2010

The most combative thing I had done aside from that was fencing in France. And well...it really isn't all that combative. 

After coming back from France and graduating from school, running wasn't satisfying me anymore and I was encouraged by a former Israeli Defense Forces commander I met in Israel a few years before to take a look into krav maga training because "a small feisty girl like you would do well in it." Whatever the hell that means, right?

Three years later, I remembered his suggestion and found a Krav Maga Worldwide official training center in Portland. I remember the first day - I showed up wearing a pair of Brooks running shoes, some running shorts, and an old running shirt. Talk about looking and feeling out of place! But once I got into the technique drills, I knew I was going to be hooked. Call it a Napoleon complex, call it a reaction to bullying growing up and always being underestimated, but I felt a positive, personal change from day one. My instructors noted my ease of coordination and thought I had done martial arts in the past, but I shyly said "no, just dancing and fencing." They all laughed at me, but I already knew I found my place. 

I started training six days a week to prove that I was serious. Each day I put the work, determination and focus in, and each day I walked out gaining more heart. I still feel the same way every time I leave the gym. However, I've found the reward is at its highest when I am able to inspire women enough to see them change within three hours, after doing a self defense seminar. 

In the context of the seminar, how the media and culture teach, encourage and influence us to be, I firmly believe, has a profound affect on our likelihood of being assault victims. We teach this to the women in the first half hour or so of the seminar. We are taught, encouraged and influenced to be meek, mild, quiet, apologetic, shy, timid, demure, something to look at...you get the picture. As women, we face a lot of insecurities that are culture and self induced. I'd be a liar if I said I was unaffected by such forces.

Nothing screams this more than when you go to a convenient store in an airport, for instance. This is just one example. Take a look at the magazine section the next time you're traveling - take a look at the women's interest section, and then take a look at the men's. The strategy in how publications are segregated and organized is very explicit. I don't know about you, but when I look at the women's interest section I learn a few things about what the media wants women to believe about themselves - we should strive to be sex vixens and "learn how to please him in 100 different ways," and we have to know about what Kim Kardashian wears, eats and does in her spare time. Oh, and talk about losing that baby weight. Jennifer Aniston's current haircut? Game changer. 

My personal fight community may just be one small perspective in the world, in little Portland, Oregon, but these are the women I train with: - Executives - Businesswomen and business owners - Powerlifters - Wrestlers - Students - Fighters, pro and amateur - Doctors - Dentists - Veterinarians - Designers - Engineers - Teachers - Military veterans - Mothers

And this is just my bubble of women fighters/Crossfitters. All have incredible stories of overcoming adversity, managing their multiple responsibilities and passions in life, staring gender stereotypes and roles in the face, and are beautifully multi-dimensional people. 

This is why these self defense seminars are so important to me. In three hours, if I can inspire other women to discover something new about their strength and capabilities through fighting and self protection, I hope that strength permeates into other aspects of their lives. We are more than haircuts, lbs, and objects to please. We have power.

I've worked very hard over the past two years and some months to develop my own sense of patience, discipline, focus and self love. Krav maga singlehandedly changed my life in all those aspects. These lessons I learn through krav maga serve as the foundation for everything I do, and how I live. As an entrepreneur, a daughter, a sister, a friend. A woman.

We are all works in progress. I opened up my kimono a little bit in my last blog post - I'm certainly a work in progress. But, the absolute most important personal lesson I've learned since starting krav maga still remains the same. Don't underestimate your own strength.