Today, we wrap up The Subtlety of Sexism series. This will not be the last time I talk about sexism in Judo, but rather the end to what may end up being an introduction to the topic.
To review, we are operating with the definition of sexism that is not about overtly sexist ideologies. Instead, we are defining sexism as the barriers to entry, success, and staying power that disproportionately affect women, and the attitudes and behaviors that it causes in instructors and other students.
On Tuesday, the post talked about how I’ve seen sexism in Judo. It’s subtle, and is most encompassed in the idea that as a student, I am underestimated and not paid attention to as much as the men students are. I have had to work harder to prove myself as a Judoka, and worthy of attention than the men I train with.
On Wednesday, the post expanded into what I believe are some of the causes of subtle sexism. I talked about what the barriers to entry, success, and staying power are that I have seen, and how those create schemata in our brains which are used to judge women, often subconsciously, when they enter the dojo.
As with any discussion about problems in general, at some point, solutions must be discussed. To be clear, the type of sexism I talked about this week is not the only type of sexism that exists in Judo, nor are the causes discussed the only causes. In the same way, these are not the only solutions, and they may not even be viable solutions. This problem is large, wide-ranging, and far-reaching, as we see illustrated by the statistics of women in Judo. But a discussion must be had, and it is one that was essentially started by Kano himself when he created the women’s division of the Kodokan.
To the problem of technique difficulty, I have found that katas offer a variety of benefits in learning technique. Additionally, instructors should make an effort to know different ways of doing each technique so they can offer adjustments to students that are struggling to complete a throw. Kata are also beneficial in solving the issue of Judo being painful, as well as focusing more on proper falling technique and supporting. The aggressiveness of Judo can be addressed in part by offering direct rebukes when aggressiveness is out of place.
Finally, while all of this can help prevent the creation of negative schemata, we also must work to overcome the schemata that already exists through intentional attention, and open conversations.
As discussed, the teaching of techniques makes a big difference in how successful a student can be with them. While men can often strong arm an opponent through a technique regardless of quality, women cannot. Kata help offset this in two ways; first, kata teach uke how to be thrown as much as they teach tori how to throw, and second, kata offer non-throwing success to encourage students.
In Nage-no-Kata, it is expected that uke will help set themselves in the correct position for tori to throw without the need for extreme amounts of momentum and movement. This is beneficial because it makes throwing easier for beginners as tori, but it also helps ukes know how to be better partners. By doing this, women will have a better chance to complete a throw, even if it’s not quite pretty yet. The trick to this for instructors, however, is that they need to focus on uke equally as much as tori. It is not enough to critique everything tori is doing, but uke’s position needs to be adjusted just as much to help tori be successful.
Ju-no-Kata offers many, many benefits. At the lowest level of Judo, however, I think it’s biggest benefit is providing non-throwing success for Judoka. Ju-no-Kata was initially taught to women before men. Women were taught at brown belt, men at black belt. Ju-no-Kata does not throw. It teaches flexibility and stability, among other things, and involves the lifting of uke, but not throwing. There are a few goals of Ju-no-Kata that women tend to be more apt to than men, such as flexibility. And while not necessarily an inherent trait of women, women are socialized to be more partner oriented than men, which makes the partnership of Ju-no-Kata easier. It teaches body control in a way just repeated throwing does not. Seriously, I could talk for ages about how wonderful Ju-no-Kata is, and I’ve only just scratched the surface of what it has to offer. But the bottom line is, for women, Ju-no-Kata offers a way of having success in Judo without having to be good at throws, while still learning the principles to be successful in throwing later. This can be extremely encouraging for women who otherwise would be looked over as “untalented.”
Again, there is a trick with teaching katas. Historically, kata were considered the “feminine” part of Judo, and many women were shoehorned into kata, not as a means of empowerment and learning, but rather as a way to put them below men that could do shiai and randori Judo. Let’s be clear, kata is not an “easier” form of Judo, nor is it less important. Kata are critical to the proper teaching of Judo, and should be respected by everyone who does Judo regardless of gender. Nor should women be forced into kata or kata competitions any more than a man should be. Everyone needs to learn kata, and if one is good at it and enjoys it, regardless of gender, they should be encouraged to pursue more detailed study of it.
Besides kata, instructors also can help raise the success rate of women students, and all students, but consistently striving to know as many styles of technique as possible, and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each. Instructors also need to be willing to set aside their own preferences and beliefs of what is “right” or “correct” and look for what the best thing for the student is. It is okay to teach a technique however you want, but knowing the additional styles gives instructors the ability to offer adjustments to students that are struggling. For instance, for osoto gari, I have been taught to step to the side and pull uke sideways towards me. This relies on body momentum primarily originating from the shoulders to complete a successful side pull. Since I have small shoulders, this method of osoto gari is difficult for me. Instead, offering a variation in which tori stays in front of uke, chest-to-chest, and rotating from the hips is an easier way for me to do the throw. A good instructor would be able to offer me that adjustment if they saw me struggling with the initial way it was taught. Instructors don’t have to change what they teach, necessarily, just be aware that one way isn’t the only way, and it may not be the best way for every student. Being able to change how and what you teach to help students learn is an invaluable ability in teaching anything, including Judo.
I also talked about how Judo can be painful, and can lack quality safety training. This can be intimidating not only for women, but for everyone. I have heard of plenty older men with families that hesitate to try Judo, as they do not want to risk an injury that would negatively impact their ability to take care of their families. If we were teaching proper safety protocol from the beginning, and emphasizing it, it would alleviate some of the pain involved, and make Judo less intimidating.
The problem with how falling and supporting is taught now, in my experience, is that there’s a mentality of “Just keep doing it, and you’ll get it.” Now I may be an anomaly, but I’ve been “just doing it” for three-ish years now, and I haven’t gotten it. For most upper level Judoka, falling has become second nature. It’s like somersaulting; all kids can do a somersault right? How do you teach a somersault? In the same way, ukemi can be difficult to teach once it feels like second nature to a person. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how to teach ukemi because, you know, I can’t do ukemi. However, I think the students can show us how to teach ukemi. If instructors enter a lesson on ukemi with the mindset of “We’ll figure this out together,” they open the room for questions and discussion, and a way of teaching will be found through that. Ukemi is hard to teach. If instructors pay detailed attention to their students, encourage questions, and really take ukemi seriously, a way of teaching will develop naturally through the instructors and students.
Similarly, supporting needs to be taught extensively. To be a good tori is to know how to support properly. Students need to know how to adjust how much support they give their uke, and how not to support. This is easier to teach than ukemi, but needs to be reviewed frequently in the lower levels of Judo.
To a lesser extent, Ju-no-Kata can also be beneficial for the intimidation factor of Judo, as it provides a break from the constant falling while still helping students learn principals and skills better than uchikomi can teach.
Judo can be very aggressive. Intimidatingly aggressive. This can be combatted by direct rebukes from instructors. In the opening story of the first post, the instructor nearby eventually corrected the yellow belt’s position so I could complete the throw. Perhaps the instructor thought that was enough of a rebuke for the student. Rather, I think instructors need to be more direct in instances like that, and specifically say, “It is impolite to assume higher belts are less knowledgeable than you. Next time, ask if there’s a way you can help her, don’t assume she doesn’t know.” The directness calls out of the behavior, and leaves less room for assuming or misinterpreting. Aggression should be called out in the same way. Not, “Cool it,” but “Please notice there’s 20 people doing randori right now, you need to calm down.” Or “Judo is not always about aggression, and right now, you need to be focusing more on your technique than your aggression.”
In addition, instructors also need to hand out consequences. They should not tell the same student three times to calm down. If a student needs to be reminded more than twice to calm down, the student needs to get off the mat. Instructors should take an active role in deciding which techniques are safe for which students, and base it on the caliber and number of students on the mat, and take an active role in making sure those boundaries are respected. Instructors don’t need to micromanage, but they do need to be present in the safety of the students.
All of these things will help women be more successful in Judo, and consequently help prevent the creation of new schemata that believe women are bad at Judo, or just don’t stick around.
But what about the schemata that have already been created? Schemata can be hard to change. Most of the time, our brains would rather ignore differing information, come to incorrect conclusions to maintain the schemata, or make entirely new schemata, than alter an already established one.
It is possible, though. Through the intentional challenging of our thoughts, and reflection of our own behavior, we can begin to recognize how our schemata is influencing our interaction with women Judoka. From there, we can begin to change them.
Open conversations with women in the dojo will help challenge existing schemata. Of every level, ask women what their experiences are. Ask them what would make their Judo experience better. Ask them how they have perceived you as an instructor or a training partner. Listen to them thoughtfully, and openly. Ask if there are changes you can make.
Have discussions with your dojo as a whole, and don’t be afraid to talk with men that may be making the dojo a less welcoming place for women. Help teammates and students challenge their own thoughts and behaviors by pointing it out to them.
Notice your female students. As I challenged in the first post, I challenge again. One of the biggest parts of my Judo career has been feeling like I’m not being paid attention to or listened to the way men students are. Ask the women students questions about how they do their technique, what they think is working for them. Just pay detailed, direct attention to what they’re doing, and see if you notice anything new. It may tell you about them as a person, as well.
This is really just a midpoint in a long conversation about women in the dojo that Kano started. Women have always been there, and always will. I believe that, even greater than women in the dojo, we will find that if we make the dojo more accessible for women, we will also attract more men with different goals and desires, and see a renewal of life for Judo in America. Part 1: https://roseyhorse12.wixsite.com/mysite/post/the-subtlety-of-sexism-in-judo