By Hedy Khoo

WRESTLING with a sweaty man on the floor is not exactly what most women might deem a hobby.

But for customer service officer Amy Teo, 37, mixed martial arts (MMA) is her idea of exercise and fun.

"It's a great cardio workout. I get to learn practical self-defence skills and build myself-confidence," said Miss Teo, who has been taking lessons since June.

She is not alone.

There is a slow but growing trend of women picking up this full body contact combat sport. MMA incorporates different fighting techniques of muay thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling, in addition to other fighting techniques.

Said Miss Teo: "When I first took up MMA, I was the only girl in the class and it was quite intimidating.

"I am used to sparring with men now, but it's much nicer to learn with other girls. They don't smell as bad when they perspire."

Owners and instructors at several fighting gyms and martial arts centres here have observed an increase in the number of female students since last year.

Mr Darren De Silva, 36, owner of Fight G, now has eight female students in his MMAclasses. "With YouTube and the Internet, more females can watch the professional MMA fights online and there is more exposure for the sport," said Mr DeSilva.

He said that he has about 40 other female students learning other forms of martial arts at his school, but many are keen to take up MMA.

"I am planning to start an MMA class to cater to females only," said MrDeSilva.

But MMA female fighters remain a minority.

Said Mr De Silva: "All contact sports can be brutal, but women fighters - because of their lighter weight - tend to inflict less cuts and damage as compared to male fighters."

Miss Teo, who trains at Fight G, said she decided to learn MMA after taking up muay thai in 2006.

"I found muay thai to be limited because you only learn how to fight on your feet. MMA equips me with more skills and techniques.

Should you get thrown to the ground by an attacker, you can defend yourself and subdue him with grappling techniques," she said. Mr De Silva, whose fighting gym has offered MMA classes since 2000, said he has had only male students in the past nine years.

Abasic package at his gym costs $60 for four lessons. Said Mr De Silva: "There were rare occasions where we had one or two female students who attended, but they dropped out after the first session."

He observed that most women were put off by the idea of grappling with a man on the ground.

But it is precisely the fighting on the ground techniques which gives MMA an edge as a means of self-defence in real-life situations.

Said Mr De Silva: "In reality, nobody gets raped standing up.MMA is versatile in that it teaches you how to fight bothon your feet andonthe ground."

Versatile

Mr Rafael Lima, 34, owner and instructor of Evolve Mixed Martial Arts, agreed that MMA is a more versatile form of martial arts.

He credits the increased interest among women in the sport to more international media coverage and more popular professional women MMA fighters.

Out of 400 students at his centre, about a quarter are females.

They are mostly learning the basics of muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

"I recommend my students to attend the jiu-jitsu and muay thai classes before they go for MMA classes because they need to learn the basics as a foundation," he explained.

Mr Albert Tan, 28, gym manager of Fight Works Asia, said he currently has two female students taking up MMA classes. They signed up this year.

He said that when his gym opened in 2006, there were no females in his MMA classes.

What can women who want to pick up MMA expect?

Said Miss Ashley Chong, 27, an events manager who trains at Evolve: "There is nothing to worry about because the instructors watch over you carefully.

But getting bruises arecommon.In fact, I am quite proud of them because they are like my battle scars.

"I keep my nails short and my manicures don't last as long as I would like them too, but that is a small price to pay."

She added: "You might think sparring with a guy is scary, but some of them are so afraid to hurt you that they are too gentle. But once they realise I am serious about sparring, they put on their guard and treat me as an equal."

Not to be reckoned with

Male MMA student at Evolve Mr Nee Lan Reece, 19, who picked up MMA a year ago in Thailand, said he has sparred with other female fighters and agrees.

Said Mr Reece: "Women fighters don't like it if male opponents give way to them because of their gender.

"Some have a point to prove, so they are even more aggressive than the men. But there are also the rare few whoexpect to be treated as princesses.

"Martial arts is all about respect and equality. Whether you are male or female, you shouldn't expect any special treatment."

But Mr Reece finds it more pleasant to train with female students.

"They don't come with as big an ego as men," he said.

Another MMA student, Miss Nadjiah Nasir, 25, a civil servant, said pain is part of the process of learning any martial art.

"You get bruised but learning MMA helps with your personal development and builds your confidence. You learn to control your fear," she said.

But all three women agreed they did not want concessions from male students because of their gender.

Said Miss Teo: "If a more experienced student holds back while sparring with me because I am a beginner, that is fine. But if it is because I am female, I take that as an insult."

There is one possible downside for a female to learn MMA though.

"It seems to frighten off the men," said Miss Teo. "When men find out that I know martial arts, they get intimidated."

This article was first published in The New Paper.