What Gichin Funakoshi Had To Say On Karate Women

In both his book 'Karate Do My Way Of Life' and the second edition of his Master Text, Master Funakoshi referred both respectfully and sensibly about women with reference to martial arts training. Despite the time period he lived in, his very traditional upbringing and chosen path of following and developing martial arts, he excluded no person from his philosophy.

He seems to encourage women to develop martial arts skills for very similar reasons to why men should wish to adopt this way of life - mental and physical improvement - he does stress the beneficial effects on the female form. Quite correct, but quite possibly this could be achieved by any sensible exercise program. However, all practitioners take up martial arts with self defense somewhere on the agenda and possibly women more than men. Far from a quick fix, a walk-anywhere-alone, wear-anything-now-you're-free-to-defend-yourself attitude, any woman taking up martial arts will realize that in general we are not well placed to defend ourselves, particularly against men.

Master Funakoshi knew this and at least in the 1950's you could say it without evoking a feminist rant. His rules were as follows:

1. Don't put yourself in harms way (alter your behavior, don't walk alone late at night if you can avoid it, don't get paralytically drunk in public - he doesn't use this exact example)
2. Be alert for trouble
3. If you detect a possible threat, take evasive action fast
4. If you have to defend yourself, be prepared to do so, but remember you will not do so successfully by physical force alone
5. To successfully defend herself, a woman must be faster and more skilled because you'll probably only get one shot, not the luxury of a protracted fight that a man will get. So a woman needs to repeatedly practice different attack-defense scenarios
6. Time your response for one effective, powerful, blow to somewhere effective - give it everything you've got, because if you fail you're likely to escalate the attack against you 
7. Escape fast

Good advice now as it was then.