This story was originally published in The Weal on November 22, 2012 (link to story)
More and more co-ed and strictly-female classes and training sessions are popping up right here in Calgary.
Calgary MMA Boot Camp is one of the gyms that offer female-only classes. Owner and head coach Bobby Triantafillou, a fifth-degree black belt in Hapkido and coach of 18 years, saw the demand and met it head on.
“I found that women wanted to train hard, and wanted a challenge, too, so we started MMA classes for them,” said Triantafillou.
The classes started about a year-and-a-half ago when more women said they wanted to learn the fitness and skills of MMA, but didn’t want to be in a men’s class, according to Triantafillou.
Not much different than the male version, the women friendly classes still offer an intense workout that leave trainees sore for days.
“The classes are to get women in shape, not into fights,” said Triantafillou. “Sure, we teach proper punching, kicking, and submissions, but [fighting] is not really what the sessions are about.”
Rene ‘Frenchy’ Grenon, owner and coach of Independent MMA, said the women’s sessions have been very popular at his gym.
“Women love it. It’s becoming crazy busy with people coming in to try it out.”
Grenon said he’s also trained former Trojans women’s hockey star Bianca Zuber, who graduated from SAIT earlier this year.
“Bianca trains with me for her core and conditioning. She doesn’t want to be a fighter, but it’s really hard and great conditioning for any and all sports,” he said.
Although both gyms offer sessions that are geared primarily towards women who just want to get fit, there has also been a rise in the number of women who want to get into fighting competitively.
Women fighters are making a push to fight in top events like the locally-based Aggression Fighting Championship (AFC) and Strikeforce. Women are pressuring commissioners of fighting leagues with open letters, with some even starting online petitions.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has even changed its tone in regards to female fighters. Years ago, UFC President Dana White said he would never consider bringing in female fighters. But the UFC recently reported signing female fighting star Ronda Rousey, and is expected to have its first female bout in 2013.
So whether it’s women hitting the heavy-bag at classes purely for fitness, or female fighters duking it out in the ring, the consensus is clear – MMA isn’t just for the boys anymore.