It is an open secret that men who lead in key positions aren’t into chasing a ball on a soccer field. Men who lead are into Martial Arts, the best warrior mindset training there is. And, contrary to soccer, Martial Arts have always been open to women. We just didn’t go there! Yet.
“Muay Boran is the coolest thing I discovered during my trip to Thailand. Life-changing, ancient and powerful. It is badass effective when it comes to self-defense and simple to learn. It is intuitive,” says Evita Ramparte, digital entrepreneur and leadership coach traveling the world.
Muay Boran is what inspired Muay Thai sport. It is a form of martial arts that was developed during the 16th century. It uses various forms of weaponry to defeat opponents. With its strict military tactics and punches, kicks, blocks, and strikes combined with grappling; Muay Boran uses three artful weapons: the elbow, knee, and palm. The elbows are used for striking, the knees for breaking bones (thighs to shins), as well as a block and hook. With its powerful blocks, kicks, and strikes; Muay Boran uses balance and timing to strike fast with its strong weapons.
Author Kev Scheepers is a movement and mindfulness coach who has been working with martial arts for over 20 years. In his bestselling ebook ‘Meeting a Muay Boran Master‘, he writes: “The mentality the practice of Thai Martial Arts brings along can be applied to all aspects of daily life and to leadership in particular.”
Self-Defense
There is nothing more empowering for a woman to discover that her own body is an effective weapon of self-defense and to learn how to leverage the negative energy coming from the opponent. “Great, unique, and fantastic for women’s self-defense,” says Andrea Bauer former German law-enforcement officer who trained privately with Kru Saifon, a former bodyguard to Thai Army Generals. Muay Boran teaches a fighter how to take on attacks with the best possible defense by utilizing quick reflexes and fast strikes. No more victim thinking. Skills you learn here transfer automatically into life and business. Life no doubt will dish a lot at you. No problem. Bring it on!
Self-Discipline
Martial Arts training enables you to master yourself, bringing awareness to your mind, body, and environment. It brings a constant consideration of your surroundings and naturally feeds into your ability to strategize and anticipate adversity. This is a very challenging sport both mentally and physically. Through the years of training for competitions or even just as a hobby you will learn to apply discipline in everything that you do. You will learn patience, self-control and gain confidence through experiencing temporary defeat followed by victory.
Self-Confidence
May Boran helps build inner strength and a positive self-image. Through discipline and training, women become more confident in their personal as well as professional life. “That moment in a dark alley when you are alone and you face a big scary character… Guess what!? I would know what to do, and so would you if you trained,” says Andrea Bauer. “Even if you are shorter, smaller, lighter, you can use it as an asset. Dodge attack, hit in the south where it hurts… Muay Boran training rewires your brain to think in efficient terms. Focus on the weak points of the aggressor, make it quick.” Martial Arts teaches you correct thinking – thinking that puts power and responsibility square on your lap. Physical training not only makes you strong and fit. It also trains your body to feel the energy and assess what’s coming at you – almost like animals do, institutionally. And – be able to avoid the negative blow, avoid confrontation Yang-to-Yang, and come from a place where the opponent is Yin and attack Yang there, if that’s what you decide to do. In either case, you stay in your power, calm, relaxed, in self-control. Consider, no one can control you – if you control yourself. What a freedom that is!
Whether you are enamored by Master IP Man, the teacher of Bruce Lee, portrayed in movies on Netflix, or by Jack Maa and Thai Martial Arts, there is a wealth of inner strength and body-energy genius that you can tap into within yourself when you discover it. You will tap into power from your inner core, inner balance, and body awareness.
“Power versus Force. The more responsibility you embrace, the more energy you can handle, the more power you are given,” elaborates Evita Ramparte. “Martial arts such as Muay Boran training helps me to stand strong, centered and emotionally balanced, rooted in the Earth with my feet, and present in my body. From this place, I find leadership to be graceful. The more in touch I am with my own body, the more I can feel and the better I can lead.”
Martial arts training provides women with an intense workout that builds lean muscles. It is great for cardio exercises, so it will improve lung capacity while burning fat fast and effectively teaches self-defense techniques. It gives women this feeling of empowerment by knowing that even though they may be smaller than their opponents, they can still win through technique and skill both in life and in business. A win-win training, indeed!
Parul Agrawal is an Engineer by education and an Entrepreneur by passion. She is a Golden Book World Record Holder Hybrid Publisher, International Bestselling Author, TEDx speaker. She is founder and CEO of ParulAgrawal.com, a cutting-edge business consulting and international publishing platform, a company built to empower authentic leadership on the planet. Follow her at www.parulagrawal.com.
