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Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
I began training as a small child. They offered a 6 week martial arts/self-defense program at my elementary school and I came home wanting to take it. My mother had just come out of an abusive 2nd marriage and she and my grandmother thought it would be good for me to learn some self-defense after what she had been through. I took the class and never quit I was 6 years old.
What has kept you going over the years?
I remember as a small child seeing my mother beaten by this man and feeling so helpless. I also remember the fear I saw on her face and it gave me a special passion to learn and teach self-defense/protection because NO ONE should have to live in that kind of fear!
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Sherry McGregor
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8th dan* Zujitsu-Ryu
Executive Director of the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors (AWMAI)
National Women's Marital Arts Federation (NWMAF) Self Defense Certified Instructor
NWMAF Self Defense Instructor Certification Board Member
Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
I had been abused by a boyfriend and decided to learn how to defend myself. I wanted to make sure that it would never happen again. I also felt that as the daughter of Holocaust survivors I needed to tap into my fighting spirit.
Your message to women:
My message to women is to take responsibility for your own safety, empower yourself, and never underestimate your abilities. Be creative and find the most effective style that fits you.
*dan = black belt degree
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Zosia Gorbaty
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7th dan* Danzan Ryu Jujitsu
6th dan Small Circle Jujitsu
2nd dan Kodokan Judo
Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
I always wanted to train in Judo, but did not have the opportunity. One day a coach of another team approached me to see if I was interested in learning Jujitsu. Lucky for me it was a Jujitsu & Judo Club.
Your message to women:
My message to women is to not allow others to dictate your life, but to take control and/or seek assistance if you do not know how. What you do and say is important.
*dan = black belt degree
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Janice Okamoto
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Guro Kali/Arnis/Escrima
4th Dan Aikido
Holistic Practitioner
Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
I had always been fascinated about martial arts and wanted to learn to defend myself and learn a set of skills that I could continue to grow and make a part of my life on an ongoing basis.
What has kept you going over the years?
I never lose interest as there is always something new to learn as well as refine myself as a person in an ongoing basis.
Your message to women:
It is important to be clear about finding our place in the universe, and sometimes its in the search that things become clear. Strength comes from within especially for most women and it is important to tap into that and make sure it becomes an important part of our lives.
*dan = black belt degree
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Laura Holmes
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3rd dan* Goju Karate
1st dan Shuri Ryu Karate
Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
I was fascinated by what my Dad taught me from his police training, which he explained was "from the East". I read whatever I could find, and when a young man came and wanted to teach Karate at my college as an elective, I jumped at the chance. I was 5'2", 100 lbs.in those days, and afraid that an attacker would win, hands down. That first night, we learned front punch, front stance, palm strike, and we kiaied our loudest. Then, we broke boards. I felt stronger than I ever had, and had a glimmer of knowledge that a fight would no longer end "hands down." I never looked back. This October was my 60/40. I turned 60, and had my 40th martial arts training anniversary!
What has kept you going over the years?
That wonderful feeling that comes from accomplishment, early on, and the physical strength and coordination I was gaining. Later, I started teaching both karate and self-defense, and the feeling that I was, in some way, helping women live their lives with more confidence, kept me teaching. Both reasons keep me training still. I love it too much to stop.
*dan = black belt degree
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Susan Williams
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3rd dan* Goju Karate
Nikyu (brown) Shuri Ryu Karate
Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
I had a very frightening experience in the summer of 1974, when I nearly fell down a mountain because I did not have the arm strength to support my own weight. I was given Nadia Telsey's name, and carried the paper in my pocket for months before I had the courage to call and go to my first class. And I was hooked.
What has kept you going over the years?
Different things at different times. Initially, I felt less frightened as I became stronger, I became part of a strong women's community I had never had before, and I began to experience myself in ways I never had before, especially in kata. That rare experience of "being kata" has been an important thread throughout my training. Later, when I began to teach, I felt that I was giving to other women the gifts that karate had given me. Some of the self-defense classes I taught or co-taught to disabled adults, young adults, disadvantaged woman, and others gave me a sense of tikkun olam, of giving a skill I had to make the world a little better.
*dan = black belt degree
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Elizabeth Wexford
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2nd dan Danzan Ryu Zenyo Bujitsu
Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
Mental and spiritual growth
What has kept you going over the years?
It has changed my life and I can't imagine ever being without martial arts.
*dan = black belt degree
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Jill Heaton
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5th Dan* Aikido
Why did you start training in the Martial Arts?
Because my girlfriend was training and told me how magnificent Aikido was - the practice and the philosophy. That the teacher spoke in metaphors of nature and flowed like a river, and everyone practiced cooperatively according to the Aikido philosophy. It sounded too good to be true. So I cynically went to see for myself and fell in love with Aikido.
What has kept you going over the years?
I totally love the physical training itself. The whole feeling and philosophy of Aikido. It is truly magnificent, endlessly rich. The people, friendships, amazing teachers, being a teacher/sensei myself, helping others to become peacefully empowered and healthy (especially women and kids). The women's martial arts movement has been hugely important in sustaining me, and giving me phenomenal opportunities.
*dan = black belt degree
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Jaime Zimron
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GabrieleRoloff
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Karma Yoekam
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