Women Warriors

Women have been welcome in Pai Lum since the early days, and have reached the highest levels in the Art.

NO BARRIERS

Women of every age train in Pai Lum,, and are treated simply as students (and Instructors as appropriate). Obviously, attention is paid to relative size, and to experience, as with all students. It is pertinent to remember that larger people tend to have more reach and absolute power - but that smaller people tend to move faster.

Women Warriors are trained to be mentally flexible and precise with their fighting strategy, and are encouraged to apply sometimes quite vicious attacks to vulnerable areas.

It is important that men learn to treat women as equals in class (and outside as well of course) - and that women are comfortable working out and training hard with men as well as with each other.

An unfortunate fact in our society, is that aggression happens, that most aggressors are male, and many attack women and girls. We train our Women Warriors to deal with any situation, and if necessary, with any attacker.

PROVEN WOMEN WARRIORS

Every Black Belt in the Fire Dragon Club has earned their rank - with mental and physical toughness. The fact that there are women among the Black Belt ranks shows that there are no barriers in Pai Lum.

ShrFu Jayne Hardy; and ShrFu Elinor Jean have all learned much - including about their own capacities - and all have much to teach.

And a woman's perspective on the Art helps make it complete - remember, there is male in the female, and female in the male. Understanding this is part of being whole, and in harmony understanding yourself.

SELF DEFENCE

Self defence is foremost among the skills taught in Pai Lum Kung Fu, though in general class, it is balanced with coordination, meditation, Chi Gung, basic techniques and forms.

For some, an understanding of self defence is of prime importance, and Fire Dragon offers Womens' Self Defence courses to interested groups.

It is of course, wise to understand that self defence incorporates many aspects, including self confidence - if you like - the hidden benefits of learning.

FROM Senior Master Lisa Cohen

Self-Defence

The element of surprise. That's the strongest advantage a woman has in fighting a male assailant. So, we utilize
this element in orchestra with our training. Isn't it wonderful that Pai Lum can supply us with not just a healthy body and mind, but with a high level of self-defence ability as well. This article will step away from pure Pai Lum technique and deal with some common-sense strategies for defence of oneself.

Car Safety:

Entering: When heading to your car, keep your key in your hand (not the key ring). Check the back seat before and
after opening the door. Lock the door as soon as you get into your vehicle.

Driving: Never drive so close the vehicle in front of you that you cannot maneouvre to sway around it. Never drive
to your home if you suspect you are being followed....call 000 and head to the nearest police station.

Exiting: Never exit the vehicle without looking around you. Again, be sure to have your key in your hand (not the key ring). It is a great weapon. If returning home, if it
seems as if there is someone on premise who should not be there, don't go out to check it out yourself. Leave!

The techniques I teach in my women's self-defence courses are designed to interrupt vision, breathing or to cause pain....not to kill. They are designed as defence to disrupt attack and allow time to flee. Primary Targets in the event you should need to protect yourself.

Hands Eyes Throat Ears Groin Instep

WOMENS: SELF DEFENCE COURSES

Specialized courses for women in self defence are available by arrangement. A minimum of 10 students is required, and course details, including cost, times and duration can be negotiated to suit students' needs

Contact Grand Master Hardy on , or 0421 849 551.

WOMEN AND GIRLS IN MARTIAL ARTS

Women and girls in martial arts: On supporting people
with female bodies to practice martial arts.

By Ingrid Bean, 3rd higher-level black belt in Pai Lum Kung
Fu

14.03.2026

Author's note:

This article is about supporting people who have female
organs or body parts. Transwomen may have breasts that need adequate support
and protection. Transmen may have a uterus and experience menstruation.
Intersex and non-binary people may have breasts and/or a uterus.

About me

I am a woman who has trained in martial arts for more than
thirty years - certainly more than half my life. After starting with Tae Kwon
Do when I was 15, I switched to Pai Lum Kung Fu at the age of 18 and haven't
looked back since. I have trained through puberty, various injuries,
depression, a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, my first pregnancy, and am now
training through peri-menopause.

Though I don't run my own club, I am an accredited
instructor through Kung Fu Wushu Australia, and often support the learning of
other students in our club. I train with men, women, and children of all
shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities. I practice unarmed forms (other styles
might call these kata, or patterns), and forms with weapons including Dao
(Chinese broadsword), ring-knives, staff, spear and fans. I practice unarmed
combat through sparring, often with men who are much bigger and stronger than
me. I also break concrete.

Introduction

The issues I discuss in this article are things that I have
read about, heard from other women, or experienced myself. Not everyone will
experience all these things in the same way, or at all. There are sure to be
things that I haven't mentioned that impact women in martial arts. It's
important to understand these issues, whether you are a woman in martial arts, you
train with women in martial arts, and especially if you are a martial arts
instructor.

If you are an instructor, and are not comfortable talking
about these things with your female (and male) students, I invite you to ask
yourself why. If you are ok telling your male students to wear a groin guard,
why can't you talk to your female students about breast support and protection?
If you are comfortable helping your students train safely when they are
injured, why can't you talk about how to train throughout their menstrual
cycle?

All students have different strengths and abilities, and
differentiation to support your student's needs is a mark of a good teacher.

Breasts

Breast injuries among women who participate in contact
sports are becoming better acknowledged and understood (see articles here,
and here).
Damage to breast tissue from impact, or excessive movement during exercise, can
have significant long term health issues, and can affect people's capacity to
train effectively. People with larger breasts are more likely to get injured:
large breasts move more during exercise, and are harder to avoid coming into
contact with. Breast injuries can be minimised by well-fitted bras and
appropriate chest protection.

As women go through puberty, pregnancy, and life in general,
their breast size may change many times. It is important to help people with
breasts to understand the value of a properly fitted sports bra, that provides
the right amount of support for the training that they are doing.

My experience as a woman with small ribs but large breasts
(bra size 10GG) is frustrating. It can be hard to find sports bras that are
comfortable and provide adequate support. My current solution is to wear two
wire-free pull-over bras at the same time, one over the top of the other. This
tends to give me a "mono-boob" look, but at least I don't have underwire
digging into my ribs while I'm training. It also means I need to buy twice as
many bras as I would otherwise.

It is also important that people with breasts are provided
with appropriate breast protection any time they are sparring or engaging in
other physical contact (see articles www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(23)00261-X/fulltext#:~:text=Most%20(77%25%2C%20n%2D,%25%2C%20n%3D97)[here],
and here),
the same way people with a penis and testicles should be using a groin guard.

While there are a range of chest protectors on the market
for women, it can be hard to find protection that fits comfortably and
securely. The level of contact expected will inform what type of chest
protection is most appropriate for your art.

Some martial arts use padded chest protectors that are worn
over the top of clothing. There are also options for moulded plastic protectors
that slide into a crop top and are worn inside/underneath clothing. Single
piece protectors that cover the sternum as well as the breasts are generally
shaped with separate cups for each breast, but don't usually correspond to bra
size. I can never find single piece ones that fit properly: if it's big enough
to go around my breasts, it's too loose around the ribs so it doesn't sit
securely. I find that separate pieces for each breast work best for me.

Menstruation

People who have a uterus may start menstruating any time
from the age of about 9. While menstruation is a perfectly normal and natural
part of life, there is still a stigma around discussing it, and it can be
physically and mentally challenging going through it.

When young people first start menstruating, it can take
months, if not years, for their cycles to become regular. For some women, their
cycle will never be regular. This means that it can be hard to predict when a
period will start, and how heavy it will be. People who menstruate may worry
about starting their period unexpectedly during a training session, or leakage
from their period products. This may be of particular concern if the uniform
includes white, or light-coloured pants, that are more likely to show blood
stains if leakage occurs (discussed here
and
here).

There is an increasing understanding of how the menstrual
cycle impacts physical and psychological performance and wellbeing (see here).
Menstruation can be uncomfortable or painful. While exercise may help with
menstrual cramps, it won't always help everyone. Being understanding of your
students' experiences of menstrual pain, and other symptoms relating to the
menstrual cycle, will help them feel supported to train as best they can.

Practical suggestions:

• Have

easy access to clean bathrooms that include sanitary bins and sinks

• Have

a supply of freely (and privately) available menstrual products including
pads and tampons

• Consider

having uniform options that do not include white pants (several women's
sports, including football and tennis have made such changes over the last
few years)

Uniforms

While we're on the topic of uniforms, it's worth thinking
about whether and how your style's uniforms fit a range of body shapes and
sizes. Some martial arts use heavy cotton, with cross-over jackets and pants
that tie up on the sides. If you have breasts, or female hips, these uniforms
can be awkward to wear. The jackets don't always close fully over the chest,
which means women may want to wear an additional layer underneath for modesty,
which can contribute to over-heating. Tie-sided pants don't always fit well, or
securely, over wide hips. Even elastic waisted martial arts pants are often
sized simply by length, and don't always have sufficient width around the hips
and thighs for female body shapes.

Having more flexible uniform options can help all students
feel more comfortable while they are training.

Urinary incontinence

Even before I went through two pregnancies (both of which
culminated in a vaginal birth), I had a tendency to leak urine when sneezing or
jumping. When I mentioned this to my instructor, he swapped out star-jumps from
our warm-up routine to a different exercise that was more friendly to my pelvic
floor. This was an easy change to make, and one that potentially benefited many
other students as well. There are a variety of incontinence products that
people may find helpful including pessaries (which need to be properly fitted
by a women's health professional), pads and underwear (disposable and/or
reusable).

Perimenopause

There are a number of symptoms that women may experience as
they go through perimenopause that might need to be accounted for when supporting
their training. These could include brain fog, temperature regulation,
muscular/skeletal changes, heavy menstrual periods, and the aforementioned
urinary incontinence.

The aspect of perimenopause that is most impacting my
training at the moment is temperature regulation. Anyone doing, or supervising,
intense physical activity should be aware of the need to stay hydrated and keep
cool. My problem is that I currently overheat much more easily. This means I
need to be more careful with the duration of intense exercise, and also
consider the temperature of my surroundings.

Wrapping up

I have never been shy of speaking up about my training
needs, and our senior instructor (who is male) has always been happy to adjust
techniques or exercises to support me. However, not every person who
menstruates, or has breasts, will be comfortable talking about their issues
with a man. This speaks to the importance of having female instructors and
senior students as part of your club. Not only can they be role models, but also
some women will feel more comfortable raising female health issues with another
woman.

Whatever your gender, if you are an instructor you should
make space for your students to express their training needs. If you are a
student you should know that you have the right to have your needs accounted
for. The more comfortable we become with discussing how all types of bodies
work, the better, and safer, our training experiences will be.

Useful links

These links are mostly about women in sports, rather than
in martial arts, but the principles still apply.

Menstruation:

• Breaking

the Barriers: Periods and Girls' Sports

• Does

a woman's menstrual cycle affect her athletic performance? Here's what the
science says (theconversation.com)

• Opinion:

Period shame stops countless girls from continuing sport. The Women's
World Cup can help break this stigma (2023)

Breasts:

• The

prevalence, severity, and mechanism of breast injuries within women's
rugby league - Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (jsams.org)

• The

Occurrence, Causes and Perceived Performance Effects of Breast Injuries in
Elite Female Athletes - PMC (nih.gov)

• Medical

research - Boob Armour

• Many

Australian women are exercising in the wrong sports bra. Here's how to get
the right fit - ABC News

Urinary incontinence

• Urinary

Incontinence in Athletes - Physiopedia

• Urinary

Incontinence Among Elite Female Gaelic Sports Athletes - Urologic Health

Perimenopause:

• Physical

activity during perimenopause – Health and Wellbeing Queensland