by Merida » Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:26 pm
I cannot say enough how much it helps to have other women there. Even when the men are welcoming, polite, and warm, if a woman sees only men on the field, it's instantly categorized as Men Only in her mind. If there aren't any women, but you still want to push for women to join, fight in parks with a lot of foot traffic. When the inevitable gawker pauses close enough, send someone over to chat about what we're doing, and BRING AN EXTRA SWORD. Offer it to them, invite them to hit you with it. We're trained to think that we're not suited for violence, so make it clear that this is not particularly dangerous, and that there's no reason she can't join the boys.
Once she's in, please, please, PLEASE don't flirt unless she's clearly game. I can't tell you how many times I've had fighters assume that it was their duty to flirt with me to keep me there.
When it comes to training, treat us like just a smaller opponent when it comes to physicality. There are a few body mechanic differences, but I'm not an expert. Valkyrie classes stress that footwork is even more important for us, and wrap shots will be a bit different. The challenge for most will be getting over our training that we're not suited for fighting. I just sparred with a new fighter who was scared to hit me, even as she swung with the right amount of force. She kept apologizing over and over for coming close to hitting me.
When all else fails, lead a war cry.