I need some help finding some good video footage or articles about anything related to women in MMA.
The following information might be boring for some but as a coach looking for some advise, I am hoping for some replies.
I coach a young athlete who has been doing great competing in freestlyle wrestling and she was also training BJJ at our club and and doing well. Because she wanted to eventually fight in MMA after she went to the Olympics for wrestling I sent her to a boxing club for some cross-training. The problem is that because she is so strong for 14 years old (her Dad has been training her strength and conditioning hard at home for many years) she recently destroyed a girl in an amateur boxing match and because her parents are vicariously competitive through their child they are of course think boxing is the sport for their daughter. Unfortunately they are now having her train almost exclusively boxing and I think that is a mistake for a couple of reason. 1)She was well on her way to an almost guaranteed University scholorship for wrestling. 2) The competitive opportunities to go to the Olympics in wrestling are very good for her and there are none for female boxers, nor is their all the government money/training/competitive opportunities available for her that would be available in wrestling. 3) To train exclusively boxing would almost ensure that her potential future MMA successes would be greatly diminished.
To summarize, even if she scaled down her boxing training to a couple of times per week and focussed hard on the grappling she could still become a national champion in boxing without seriously compromising her Olympic/MMA opportunities. However is she spends all her time boxing all she will be is boxer, and that limits her opportunities. I have spoken with her parents about these points but they are of the opinion that there is really no female MMA but that they do see pro female boxers on T.V. sometimes. I think that if I can show these parents that women in MMA is a real and growing sport, I might be able to get her training back on track.
it means fuck reading all that. I did however read it and it sounds like you're out of luck. Women in mma don't make shit compared to female boxers, and it sounds like her parents are in this for themselves, not her.
Very short-sighted of the parents. Full ride to a top notch university and a shot at the Olympics means a hell of a lot more than becoming a pro boxer, IMO. But to each their own.
I agree Ryan G. What's very frustrating is that I've put my own money, and more importantly, alot of my time into coaching that girl and bringing her with the team around Canada for training and competitions.
Do you think that with the increasing popularity and pay of MMA that perhaps in ten years or so that the top women in MMA might be able to make some half decent money. I'm not talking six figure purses like the men or anything like that but something that could beat working a 9-5?
I would google the name Joe Corso, he has been the womens olympic wrestling coach and still probably is. See if her parents will have her train with him to evaluate her potential, I think he has access to funds for developing the U.S. team.
"Hey dunc,
Do you think that with the increasing popularity and pay of MMA that perhaps in ten years or so that the top women in MMA might be able to make some half decent money. I'm not talking six figure purses like the men or anything like that but something that could beat working a 9-5? "
You'll never win the "MMA will be as big as boxing" argument. If the parents are thinking about money from fighting, boxing makes more sense.
But the scholarship / olympics argument is more convincing. She gets a free education, which will last her whole life. Very, very few women can make a lot of money in either mma or boxing, but a quality education can give her a career beyond the ring. Plus she won't get her faced punched in.