[Amnell]

*ahem* All silly claims of divinity aside...

Tenchu, I do agree with your assessment of the physical differences between men and women and your conclusions are more or less correct. I still say that a woman who has been trained appropriately can survive an encounter like the one I've described.

You have to admit that even a full-time pro such as yourself would be out of a fight right away if you had your eyes gouged. While that might anger you and cause more adrenaline to flow, thus increasing speed and strength, it doesn't really matter if you can't see.

Tiger Claw Eye Gouge is the first technique that all students at that school learn after learning how to form a proper fist. Why? Because a blind opponent is no longer an opponent. It always bugs me during our "slow-mo" sparring when the instructor says "Tiger Claw!!!" as a solution to almost everything. Oddly enough, every time I think about it, I can see that using a Tiger Claw would work in that situation. It only bugs me because I'm used to using a closed fist and not my fingertips.

Furthermore, a guy who wasn't smart enough to wear a cup would be in for a real surprise if he picked on one of our gals. The women's curriculum seems to be heavily influenced by the groin kick.

I can already hear the chastisements of how dishonourable such techniques might be... If you're fighting for your life, anything's fair game. That's why the Isrealis teach their military Krav Maga; they learn to do anything and everything, be ready for anything and everything. On the streets, it's no different. As a woman being attacked by a rapist on the street, I would do everything I possibly could to get away. As a man being confronted by an ass hole with an anger problem, I would do everything I could to end the fight as quickly as possible. I would have no qualms about doing something I maybe wouldn't normally do in an arranged, honourable fight.

Another thing you might not realize, since you've been doing a heavy, direct style for so long, is that a smaller opponent is not necessarily a weaker opponent. Systems like Aikido and Brazilian Jujutsu are quite elegantly designed to give a smaller fighter an advantage. Both of those styles have been incorporated to a degree into Yon Wuen Fa (our system, as my instructor has named it) with women and even children (pre-teen but >9, I'm thinkin') in mind. It also helps out the smaller men, such as myself (5'10", 145 lbs).

And always remember:

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.