Be a fighter

This week, You! talks to Rameesha Shahid, the first female kickboxing trainer in Pakistan, regarding self-defence...

Eve-teasing and street harassment has been a nuisance for women since time unknown, and greatly impact their decision about leaving the comfort of their homes for either work or going out. In urban areas - it is a common sight that women commute on their own - it is imperative for them to learn self-defence in a bid to protect themselves from hooligans. Since you cannot cut yourself from the outside world just because of the fear of predators, it is better to face them boldly instead of hiding within four walls.

Martial arts has been around for centuries and over time, this art has evolved into many styles such as Karate, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jujitsu, kickboxing and so on. Karate is being practiced since the 19th century, but kickboxing is a more contemporary form that came in 1950s. Apart from sporting events, a combination of martial arts is widely taught as a tool for self-defence. However, it wouldn't be fair to say that self-defence is only a way to fight; it's much more than that. It is a skill to create a safer environment not just for yourself but for those around you.

Rameesha Shahid is the first female kickboxing trainer in Pakistan. Rameesha used to take Taekwondo classes when she was in school and while in university (in 2013), she decided to take up kickboxing as a profession. She got an intensive training for two years under the supervision of Master Jamil Chandio, a multiple time national champion and also the CEO of K7 Academy in Karachi. She then joined the academy as a coach and since two years, she has been training girls in kickboxing there only. This week, You! talks exclusively to Rameesha Shahid regarding self-defence and kickboxing...

"There are precautionary measures for girls that they need to take while travelling, such as pepper sprays and tasers for personal safety. However, not everyone might be able to use them efficiently in such situations. Among many other tips, self-defence is considered as a sound option.

It is heartening to see that now girls are taking interest in learning different techniques of self-defence. Normally, when ladies come in, they would say they want to lose weight or they want to get fit. But, after the recent Kasur incident and the knife attacks, I have seen a shift in this trend and now women are coming in saying that they want to be strong and they want to learn how to fight to protect them. So, that's a major difference," informs Rameesha.

For women looking to take up martial arts or kickboxing, Rameesha advises, "There is a whole process. First, we work on your fitness and strength because you need to have the power to retaliate. So, even if you know the move but you don't have the strength to pull it off, it would be of no use."

"At our gym where I train, there are two classes, kickboxing and gymnastics. Both of these sports are so different, yet, normally the boys are signed up for kickboxing and girls in gymnastics. There's no rule with any particular sport that this is for girls and that is for boys. I encourage them to take both the classes. You never know which class they will enjoy more. It's high time we stop these gender biases. There's no point in assuming that a girl won't have as much fun in kickboxing classes or boys won't like gymnastics," she adds.

Talking about the different misconceptions regarding women and young girls opting for such sport, she says, "Parents do have reservations about their daughters learning how to fight. People assume that their girls will get bulky and lose their femininity in the process. Biologically, when women work out, their bodies tend to get lean as compared to the men who get bulky due to the hormone testosterone, which is very less in a female body. I would tell them to look at me and that I haven't gone bulky. And it's so weird, they'll tell me that they want their girls to be just like me and they won't even let them take part in that class. I would be drinking my protein shake and they'd think that I'm taking supplements."

Rameesha stresses on going to a certified trainer. "A professional trainer can guide you in terms of what's best for you specifically. While you can Google videos for self-defence or any other, there is a possibility that you won't get the posture right or possibly hurt yourself."

"We've conducted workshops in the past on Women's Day and we'll be doing one this year as well. But these are one-day workshops so while we tell them how to deal in a situation, we can’t perfect it without practice. The workshops are beneficial, yes, but only to an extent. No theory is going to help you unless you get a hands-on experience," she concludes.

Little steps towards self-defence:

Recently, a self-defence training workshop was held at JICC which was organised by Pakistan Martial Arts Association (PMA) in collaboration with the Consulate-General of Japan, Karachi. Almost 300 students and members of the faculty from different universities participated in the four-day event. They were average women coming from different backgrounds, who felt confident enough to defend themselves after it. Anwar Mohiuddin, chief of PMA, commended their potential, "I shared the incidents [of knife attacks] happening in Karachi with my students in Punjab. They agreed that I definitely had to go and do something. This is our first event regarding women in Sindh and the potential is phenomenal.

The real thing is that you have an inherent fear and that fear surfaces at a particular time, which is natural. You go into a psychological trauma but there are some breathing exercises in martial arts that can help you overcome it," he further added.

A 20-year-old student of Physical Education from University of Karachi, Muzna Ikram, was just presented with a gold medal at the closing ceremony of the workshop. While talking to You!, the young winner stated, "We didn't have a background in martial arts but when we came here, everyone was given priority. First thing they asked us was to raise our hands if we thought we weren't confident enough. After most of us girls did, the instructor said that even raising your hand takes a lot of confidence. We were taught how to tackle if someone reaches for you, full-lock, half-nelson, nelson, and hair pull and even how to deal with a gun."

While recalling an incident that occurred in 7th grade, when two men on a bike followed her after she got off her school van, she said, "I froze in that moment and thought my heart had stopped. This is a natural response but thankfully I got away. I feel more confident now and ready to face off." At the end, she stressed that a reaction is key when caught in any situation even if that means running away, "Please react! You'll become a soft target if you don't. Be a fighter and not the victim."

Women should be encouraged to participate in such activities. Self-defence is one of those things that can give women an aura of self-assurance and self-confidence that no one can mess with them. And, if anyone does try to do something fishy, they can always teach them a lesson!