[Scorch]

I like the fact that a lot of the staff are involved in this discussion, mainly because many of them are professional trainers and have experience in training. My hat is off to them, and I respect the fact that they are participating in this thread which, under normal circumstances, could be like bothering a hornets' nest.

As far as training women separately, I am of two opinions. Yes, women have their own needs and interests when being introduced to something largely perceived as a "men's sport". They will need to be coaxed and reassured initially, and encouraged and praised as they progress, but that is not unusual in any training environment. Men, on the other hand, are often muy macho and full of bravado, and will not listen to basic instructions until they get hurt or embarassed. I saw this training Marines on the firing line, I have seen it teaching martial arts, and I would expect the same in basic defensive firearms training. In this respect, women are better students, and I would agree that they could have their own classes (notice I did not say "should").

Once past the initial introductory training period, women need to be handled differently because of their different approach to threats and violence in general. Women are seldom the assailants, they are often the victims. This fact alone makes their training needs much different from men's needs. And this is not an instance of the man staring down a bad guy or a woman in an evening gown staring at the bad guy (for some reason, I found that example rather offensive, although I understand the concept being expressed). This is more of a case of a woman dressed in blue jeans walking down a street being approached by a bad guy who smiles at her and then knocks her cold, as compared to a man in blue jeans walking down the street being approached by a bad guy who sneers and postures before knocking him cold. Both instances are similar here, but due to a woman being perceived as a sexual victim as well as a robbery victim, the actions of the bad guys are different, as are the actions of friendly passers-by. So no, I don't feel that a woman will not be equal until there are female centers in the NBA (NBA or any professional athletes are anything but equal to the standard citizen), this is about training people with different societal perceptions and attitudes to defend themselves. If women want a separate class, let them have the separate class. You do that for LEOs, don't you? And they are just citizens, regardless of how they view themselves. You teach to the students' area of needs, not to the students' gender or social position. I have seen "1911-only" classes and "Glock-only" classes, what is wrong with women-only classes? Don't judge them, you are just the instructor. If you are good at it, you may become a teacher.