Hello! Happy New Year! I like the fresh start of a new year, and I like to take the time to think about and plan what I’d like to bring into my life in the year ahead. So this post is simply some plans and intentions I have surrounding my martial arts practice in 2025.
My biggest goal this year is to continue to create safe and fun spaces for women and genderqueer folks to train in the martial arts. I would like grow the number of students in my Women’s+ class. I would also like to integrate my students into the larger martial community in the school where I teach. Currently my students are women, and all of the other adult students in the school are men. I’m carefully considering how I will start to mix the groups so that my students feel supported as women in martial arts. I’ve experienced many flavors of sexism as a woman martial artist, and I would like to do what I can to minimize sexist experiences for my students and create practices based on consent.
My #1 strategy for mixing populations is to start attending adult classes at the school myself. I currently have a plan to go to Monday night classes with my friend Shannon. I have good feelings about this– I think jumping into the student population myself will go a long way towards creating a more robust martial arts community at the school.
Besides Women’s+ class, I have a six-week kids workshop coming up in April, and two more Femm Fighting workshops happening in May and October. These classes will require thoughtful planning and prep. I’m hoping to prep well in advance so that the classes don’t sneak up on me (I’m constantly working through the desire to procrastinate.)
And then there’s my own practice and continuing education. I will continue my White Crane Silat practice with my teacher Sister Maggie, whom I train with over Zoom. I’m especially drawn to the snake style movements within that system, and am happy that we are moving into the Year of the Snake. I will also attend regular Mo Duk Pai and CrossFit classes here in Portland. Along with those practices, I’m hoping to travel to train this year. I’m dreaming of a possible field trip to Seven Star in Seattle, and possibly even a pilgrimage to Thousand Waves, the Karate and Self-Defense school in Chicago where I used to train.
For all of these practices, I’m starting to think about how I can incorporate seasonality into my practice. I would like to allow myself internal time to rest and plan in the winter, and external time to expand and celebrate in the summer. I’m planning to make myself a “wheel of the year” calendar to support a more seasonally-minded practice.
Along with all of these I will continue my casual practice with various friends, and will keep reaching out to possible new martial arts friends. I’m excited for some good, stable personal growth in the coming year.
My 2025 Martial Arts To-Do List
• Make and distribute a new Women’s+ class flyer
• Promote Women’s+ class (with help from my students and fellow teachers)
• Create a “wheel of the year” calendar, and use it to add a seasonal aspect to our martial arts practice
• Post on my blog once/month
• Share on Instagram about twice/week
• Update my CPR certification
• Update my PPS background check
• Plan for Femm Fighting Workshops
• Plan a trip to train at another school
• Build a kids class curriculum
• Create a pamphlet of my curriculum
• Create a Martial Artists Workbook pamphlet
• Continue working with a business consultant to add structure to my teaching practice
• Continue connecting with other women & genderqueer martial arts & self-defense teachers in my community
That’s it for now! Thank you for reading!
Michelle Folk Johnson 