On May 16th we held the fourth in our series of Fun Fighting events. What a great day we had! This is the first time we’ve held our event since we changed the name from Femm Fighting. The name change is proving to be a positive one– some participants expressed that they didn’t connect with the term “femm” but felt comfortable coming now that the name was non-gendered. Progress, hooray!
I led a class about connecting our energy to the earth. Going really slowly was part of the class, and I was delighted to see that everyone was able to slow down and start to feel how their body and energy could connect to the earth below. Slow, steady, connected movement is a beautiful thing, and in a group it creates a calm awareness of each other and the space around us. I was grateful to teach to a group that so willingly let their energy slow down and deepen.
Jaydra led a class in which we infused consent into our training. We asked our partners for permission to touch them before every step in the exercises. In many martial arts schools, a student is supposed to subject themselves fully to whatever contact level the teacher suggests. This can sometimes result in people taking and giving more contact than is appropriate, and can result in increased fear or even injury. But in Jaydra’s class, we practiced communicating to our partner exactly what level of contact was good for us. Expressing our boundaries is key to self-defense, and helps keep us safe in our day-to-day lives.
Our discussion was about how in martial arts we practice violence to promote peace, and how there’s an inherent tension in that. Some notes from that discussion:
• What is safety? Psycological safety, internal safety, mental safety.
• How do we harness violence in ourselves? Appropriate outlets like sparring, weight training
• What is the opposite of violence? Safety, peace, non-chaos.
• More community = more feelings of safety
• In a violent world, the focus of our martial practice can offer a break from the chaos
• Our practice of violence can cultivate an experience of peace
After our discussion some of us stuck around for open practice. We sparred, grappled, practiced push hands, and chatted. Afterwards some of us went for food cart dinner and more social time.
A big thank you to everyone who participated in Fun Fighting. A big shout-out especially to people who came for the first time, and to our Seven Star friends who came down from Seattle. We hope to see you again in the Fall!
Michelle Folk Johnson 