Welcome
to the Purple Dragon Women's section. Here you
can find inspirational stories on ladies just
like you, tips on self defense and articles
sure to pique your interest.
Self
Defense Tips For Women Bellow!
Recent grading in Chaguanas Trinidad
Dear Professor,
A pleasant good day to you. Please allow me
to express my heartfelt thanks on last
night's grading. Though it was a bit of a
painful experience, it was thoroughly
enjoyed.
I sustained a knee injury on the floor on
Wednesday morning at a special session
organized by Sensei Wendell for those who
were interested. It was great but at the end
as fate would have it I twisted my knee to
the horror of all those present.
Instructor Jesse and Sans Taylor looked
after me and advised that I get a knee band
and some medication, as the vision of not
grading flashed before me I felt that all
this sweat was wasted. However the words "No
pain, no gain" kept ringing in my mind as I
taught in school during the day. At 4
o'clock I went to Sensei for him to have a
look at the knee.
At that point he said it was up to me. I
made the decision there and then to be on
the floor that evening. When Shihan Thompson
explained that we were to do ten push ups,
sparring and two techniques I prayed not to
get 4 or 7 as they both involved, being on
my injured knee……as fate would have it what
did I get? You guessed 4 and 7.
Sensei kept encouraging me and at the same
time asking if I was okay to continue. I
persevered but I must say when I heard you
enquiring if I was alright and then give the
advice that I should stretch out my leg on
completion of my exercise I felt the lioness
within me soar to unknown heights. Propelling
me to such a level that I truly believed I
could conquer any task put before me.
I also enjoyed the talk. Quite funny at
times, serious and inspiring overall.
I once again say thank you for the
Purple Dragon Family. Have a blessed day and all
the best to the students in Tobago
especially those over thirty-fivers.
Your grateful student
Uklyn Ferguson
From San Fernando branch
_________________________________________________
Strong Purple Dragon Moms!
The Purple Dragon students in the photos are all proud
mothers, are all seniors from the,
USA, Canada, Cayman Islands, the U.K, and Trinidad and
Tobago. They all came together and
successfully competed at the recent Cayman
Islands Grand Slam Tournament. New mommies
are invited to join the team and have your
kids shout" Go mommy go" see you soon as one
of our newest members. Remember 2010
in Trinidad more moms and plenty fun in the
sun.
|
Sports Woman of the Week!
|
| Published
on Friday, 02-05-2008 |
|
|
 The
Sportsperson of the Week is 17-year
old Erin Hislop, a member of the
Purple Dragon dojo here in Cayman;
she recently earned her black belt
under the Don-Jitsu Ryu system of
martial arts.
Her father and coach, Sensei
Geddes Hislop, a senior instructor
at the Cayman Purple Dragon dojo,
introduced his daughter to the sport
at age 5. She says she didn’t like
it at first, “but after Hurricane Ivan in 1995, I got
back into it.”
Gymnastics was her first love,
and she did get involved in football
and squash. “I think gymnastics
helped me with karate because of the
flexibility and balance.”
Currently a sixth-form student at
Cayman Prep & High School taking A
levels, she says the classes are
hard but she is enjoying it. “I will
only do a year then find a job in
the field of my major, marketing.”
With her degree she looks to get
into event management, inspired by
her work at Celebrations.
When asked about the people she
has met along the way from her
experience in karate, she says,
“Professor Don Jacob (an old friend
of her father’s) is the most
inspirational speaker I have ever
met.”
She has a younger brother,
Justin, who is working towards his
jet black belt. |
__________________________
Self Defense Tips For Women
Sensei Rosemarie Thomas- 4th Dan Black Belt
Article
courtesy the Trinidad Express
written by Erline Andrews
 Rosemarie
Thomas is a lean, mean, fighting machine,
feared by men. No, actually Sensei Rosemarie Thomas
is a sweet, patient instructor. She operates
her Purple
Dragon Dojo in our sister isle, Tobago, the
hot tourist spot that attracts thousands of
visitors from all over the world every year.
She's well-respected and loved by her students. But don't forget
the first part.
Even when she's just demonstrating it's intimidating
to be at the receiving end of those fists.
Sensei Rosemarie Thomas
is also an example of the roles women can-and
must-inhabit today. The news is saturated
with reports of murders and kidnappings, and
women still face the age-old threat of physical
abuse, harassment and rape.
But
being a member of the "fairer sex"
doesn't have to mean being vulnerable.
"The
crime situation is definitely giving people
the incentive to get up and do something,"
says Thomas, seated on a steel chair among
the exercise equipment in Purple Dragon's
gym. There are muffled grunts and yells from
a class in the next room. "A lot of women
are taking responsibility for their own protection."
Sensei Rosemarie
Thomas joined Purple Dragon over 16
years ago when, in her final year at the
University of the West Indies, (U.W.I.),
she was shaken by an experience.
"Walking
on campus one night," she says, "I
was followed by three guys who started to
make intimidating comments. I still remember
the anger and helplessness I felt. I wanted
to do something. I went home that night and
looked through the Yellow Pages and found
Purple Dragon."
She has traveled to India, Nepal, Africa,
Dubai, England, Venezuela and many other
countries conducting seminars for Purple
Dragon International, motivating women in the
martial arts and representing Trinidad and
Tobago.
Sensei Rosemarie Thomas got her first degree
black belt two and a half years after joining
the dojo, one of the top in the world. After
16 years she is now a Fourth Degree Black
Belt. There are also three other Fourth Degree
Women Black Belts in Purple Dragon, Sensei Nicole Thomas and
Sensei Ayana Cooper and Sensei Clara Montoute.
In
her time at the dojo, Sensei Rosemarie Thomas has seen the
number of female students rise. They now form
half of many classes. Kick-boxing is particularly
popular among women. With Kick-Fit Boxing,
you can, literally, gain a leg-up in confrontations
with men.
"Martial
arts," Sensei Rosemarie Thomas says, "gives you a
level playing field."
But
if you can't see yourself becoming the next
Bruce Lee or, more contemporarily and appropriate
for these pages, Uma Thurman, don't worry.
"It
doesn't matter how old someone is or what
size they are," says Sensei Rosemarie Thomas, "everyone
can do something to defend themselves. There
are very simple techniques they can use."
You
can fall into a self-defense class.
"The
reason self-defense is such a good thing is
because you can learn kicks that go with your
body structure. Not everybody could kick somebody
in the head, but you could kick somebody in
the groin, you could do a low side kick to
the knee, you could do a finger stab to the
eye. It takes confidence."
And
for women, gaining confidence is often the
hardest part.
They
can be shackled by self-perceived limitations,
says Sensei Thomas.
"Women
are socialized to be quiet and lady-like and
not make too much of fuss. That's changing,
but it still persists, and those are things
we have to overcome if we are to survive."
A
woman who takes some self-defense or martial
arts training might actually be surprised
by how strong she is.
"When
you start teaching a woman some basic punches,
she starts off kind of weak," says
Sensei Thomas.
"But as time goes on you'll see her confidence
grow and...look out!"
What
some women think is a disadvantage-their size
in relation to men-can actually work in their
favor.
"Because
women are perceived by many men to be vulnerable
or easily intimidated, a woman trained in
self-defense has an element of surprise. They
don't expect you to fight back. The attacker
is caught off-guard."
But
prevention is better than cure.
Sensei Thomas
urges women not be caught off-guard,
particularly during Carnival, a time when
alcohol and "good vibes" can cause
you to behave in more risky ways. It's also
a time when crime, including violence towards
women, escalates. Thomas advises women to
move in groups of five and be alert. It is
also necessary to limit your intake of alcohol.
"Use
your discretion," says Thomas. "One
night of fun is not worth a lifetime of pain,
or even your life."
Click for
more on women |
