ok, well put. I agree. Maybe you as a professional fighter could write something regarding the issue and email it to me DakotaFC@msn.com or to ethan and it could be addressed in the appropriate manner to the commissioners and to the state.
Nice answer.
Fair in the regards that we can't control when we have it? So if we train for 5 months for a fight and then OH TODAY I GOT MY PERIOD, no fighting for me! That's not fair. :P
What I should of said is, I would appreciate it if you would write something regarding the issue. Because I think you are right and it would help us here a great deal if you would be willing to do that because I do not think your side has a voice in our state.
By the time a girl... woman, is 18+ years old, she generally knows her body and how to deal with such things as her period. Pretty simple actually, tampons and midol. There are also ways to prevent or hasten the menstrual cycle in accordance with particular dates and times. Women do it all the time when planning vacations.
I don't know about Nevada's rules, but NJ has a pretty good regimen. A woman needs a gynocological exam 30 days prior to the fight. Also in NJ a syrum pregnancy test is required (urin test) done by a physician. Now most other states who don't require all this high falutein hoopla simply have the female fighters do a home pregnancy test (bought in a grocery or drug store). This test is provided by the promotion administered by the doctor doing the prefight checkups, on all fighters.
As for breast protectors and female cups, they are unnecessary. The chest area is not a decisive target of attack. Titty twisters and boob punches in MMA?... lol, not so much. IMO groin protectors don't really protect anything, and can be more of a hinderance than a help. Think of particular guard passes when going through the guard... the protector is a bulky thing and can be shifted around or even held. (If you've never seen an actual female groin protector then you don't know what I'm talking about). They made me wear one in Japan and it was awful.
As for not fighting during menstruation... lol, you think chics don't train while they have their period? Oh yeah, we just take off 3-7 days and lock ourselves in our house or bedroom. One of my friends got "it" 5 minutes before her Abu Dhabi match, she tracked down a tampon, went out and won the match cramps and all.
Wontsubmit, I am honestly appauled by your completely uneducated ignorant statement. In the future please taylor your comments on subjects to which you are otherwise un apprised. Would you have made such a statement, or one similer, in front of the ND commissioners while presenting your case? I hope not.
Ethan Boyle, if you have any other Q's Roxanne and I both have college degrees and have been training and fighting for 5+ years in MMA and BJJ/submission grappling.
-Tara LaRosa
Rox19 and Jerzey,
Thank you for your input. I will be printing out this thread for the full context... to provide as source for the points I will be making on 04/22/06.
Also, if you could please rack your brain for any other dumb shit rules or regulations concerning female fighters that you have had to face or even heard of, please post them here so I can try to put in counter measures into our States rules and regulations.
Thanks a ton,
Ethan Boyle
ttt
Actually i did just make that statement in front of the ND Commissioners, lol.
I was just trying to play devils advocate to get a discussion going, its not something I know anything about and quite frankly im not all that comfortable talking about it. Unfortunatley if it is not discussed it wont change.
I can freely admit I am totally uneducated on the women menstral cycle and I will make a note to not ever discuss it on a public forum again, lol.
Let me just reiterate that the rules are currently in a draft form. Essentially place holders and are all subject to change. In fact at the original meeting (which unfortunately Ethan wasn't able to attend) the issue of breast protectors came up and to the best of my recollection was to be removed. Unfortunately it didn't make it into the most recent draft.
Ethan perhaps you could have your wife attend the meeting as well. Offer her insight as there are no women on the commission.
Wow, that's a pretty crazy set of rules...
So are we also going to stop female members of the military and female police officers from working during that time of the month?
I'm going to assume that the people who wrote that rules have never seen a female crotch protector, lol... if they had, they'd never want to roll with it.
I like the Jersey rule of having an obgyn appt 30 days prior to a fight. I don't think someone should be forced to have a breast exam by a doctor that they are not comfortable with. If they don't do testicular exams for guys, they shouldn't require this for the women.
As for the "wouldn't want to fight with someone while bleeding" Please, for the love of God, never ever say that in front of other people. On the forum you'll just get a tongue lashing... If you were with a group of friends, they'd probably start avoiding you, lol... We have 8 women that train in our gym, and I've never seen one of them take a full week off during a fight training cycle... If you've trained with women, i'm sure you've trained with a woman during her "time".
I know I will not fight with my wife during that time... But that is just because I have a very strong survival instinct
I train Sarah Ponce. She is 5x Kickboxing champ in several rule styles. most kick boxing sanctioning bodies and or Athletic commissions do require EPT not a pelvic exam prior to lisencing fighters. The IKF recenly made female groin protection mandatory. Breast protection has been mandatory for some time.
I was only assuming, like I said I know nothing about it. Naturally them banning women from fighting during thier cycle, a person would have to assume it would have something to do with blood. But then again I don't know.
As a promoter I would not want to limit females from fighting in any way,shape or form. Its hard enough to get a "chick fight" without stupid rules.
lol at reilly
to me is sounds like the breast exam is just silly - I think some ND Commissioner is looking for a cheap thrill. Lot of guys would be so cavilier about fighting if a prostate exam was involved.
The Female groin protector was made by a man - and a man who really does not like women very much. We have a lot of women who train with us and none of them wear a groin protector and only one ever has... She wore it once... for 45 seconds. After several months of therapy she made a full recovery. I won't go into the mechanical problems with the design... but when guys are forced to wear cups secured in place by insertable prongs.... Then we will talk.
The Period thing - that is just stupid. Also - curious how they are going to police that. I mean you can ask - but anything beyond that is going to get pretty damn intrusive. I think some Boxing commissioner is going to get killed while attempting to administer the "Red River" pre fight exam.
Hey North Dakota...you all let the women folk vote up there yet???
actually reilly the commissioners just enforce the rules. I think they would leave any physical exam up to a physician.
Unlike Minnesota boxing commissioners, lol
I don't know how most female fighters feel about it but i think an EPT is completely reasonable. Almost all female fighters that i know will do that anyway just to be responsible.
It all just seems extremely intrusive... It also seems extremely political... rumor has it Ethan has already secured the position of "breast examiner"... now he's just trying to bully the rules thru :-)
lol, so now the truth comes out.
Please tell me they are kidding. IMO there is no need for anything on that list except for the pregnancy test, which is usually pretty standard.
Examination for masses is outright inappropriate right prior to a fight, and even if there was something I don't think a fight would affect it.
HA! No fighting during a menstrual period... please I would be curious to know the reasoning behind this one though. Here's one they should add though - a 5 pound weight break if you are PMSing and bloated and can't drop water weight
Personally, I see no reason to wear a groin or breast protector for a women. I would hate being forced to wear that, it gets in the way.
Has there ever been any serious injury caused to a woman in a fight that caused any requirement for groin or breast protector? I have never experienced any injury to those areas (no less than any other part of the body anyway)
For appearance and attire - that one I think is a personal decision. Whatever you are comfortable with as long as it is appropriate for fighting I guess. No loose t-shirts. Personally i am terrified of one of the girls popping out, so I usually have like 2 sports bras, a rash guard and shorts under my shorts. Shit - even the men have problems with thier clothes falling off sometimes.
Things that should be included are:
Training.
Nails to be cut VERY short.
Hair must be completely secured.
No scrunchies or make-up in the ring.
I am no expert on any of this, but just trying to look objectively, would the reason for not wanting women to fight during their period be related to the fact that they are losing blood over the course of several days (which weakens the body in many ways) and sustaining additional blood loss during a fight could be more harmful than normal?
please know that I intend this in a respectful way...
I think that they are being cautious and once it is open for discussion those rules will be dropped. Like Kurle said this is a draft.
It is for people to see whats on the table, to see what could/should be changed. North Dakota is the first state to form a MMA commission. This commission will be very pro MMA and the people involved are only looking out for the participants best interests.
Every fighter, man or women from anywhere has the right to add input in the ND rule process because you may be fighting here. Ethan has offered a voice for peoples concerns. So I hope people take advantage of it.
I'd recommend they go with the EPT and leave it at that. I don't see any other real difference between the guys and girls in regards to regulations or equipment.
I do think Molly has a good point though about scrunchies, nails and makeup.