MARTIAL arts is a tough sport. That’s for real. But when people think it’s a mindless sport that’s all violence and no-holds-barred hurting each other for real, that’s where they’re wrong.
Martial arts is a mixture of martial arts and combat sports disciplines, with values that are deep and spiritual. Integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline and compassion are words that run deep in a true martial artist’s code.
Boxing, taekwondo, judo, wrestling, kickboxing all come to play in the martial arts. This makes martial-arts athletes special because their level of fitness, versatility, strength and flourish is rare and extraordinary.
Even rarer than male martial artists are female martial artists. Gina Iniong of the legendary Team Lakay of Baguio City is one of them. The 28-year-old from Benguet is considered one of the top contenders in ONE Championship’s stacked atomweight division and is one of the Philippines’s most promising young martial-arts talents.
While she admits that martial arts may not be for everyone, Iniong believes anyone can try it. She encourages women to give it a shot if only to learn basic self-defense.
Iniong gives five tips for surviving the tests of will, strength, character and courage in martial arts for women.
- Enjoy What You Do. Passion is the key ingredient to success, Iniong says. “When you have passion, it is much easier to give your best consistently. If you love what you do, failure is less of a burden to bear. Instead, you can use failure to improve yourself.” Iniong began her professional career in 2010, after Team Lakay Head Coach Mark Sangiao encouraged her and saw potential in her to become a huge martial-arts star. Since then, Iniong has amassed a stellar 6-3 professional career, and is known as a legitimate contender to the atomweight title. She enjoys what she’s doing too—all aspects of it.
- Women Can Do Anything Men Can Do. Iniong says it’s a blessing to be a woman in the sport of martial arts. “Sometimes, women’s bouts are even more exciting than the men’s. I’m happy because I can prove to everybody in the world that women are just as capable as men—whether it be in traditional occupations, or inside the cage. I want to let women everywhere know that we are capable of anything if we truly set our minds to it.”
Martial-arts has always been dominated by men, but that has changed in recent years with the rise of female martial arts superstars like 21-year-old Angela Lee of Singapore, former superstar-turned-movie-actress Gina Carano, Jomary Torres and Iniong, of course. Women fans of the sport are growing too.
- Don’t Mind the Negative Comments. Iniong says there will always be doubters and naysayers. But never let their negativity affect you. “There will be those who will stereotype you and tell you that women have no place inside the martial-arts cage. There will be those who will say I told you so, when you lose. It’s worse when you lose. People are quick to judge and will always say this is not a sport for women. Don’t listen to any of it. Instead, use that negativity and turn it into positive energy,” Iniong says. “Let it inspire you to prove the opposite.”
- Learning Self-Defense is a Right. Every woman has a basic right to learn self-defense, Iniong says. The chance to learn and practice martial arts should be available to all women. “Self-defense is one of the first reasons I took up martial arts back then—so I can learn how to defend myself. Self-defense, especially for women, is very important. In this day and age, it’s important for women to know how to fight.”
Self-defense not only allows women to physically defend themselves from attacks, it also offers many benefits to everyday life, she says. Things such as physical fitness, sharper focus, and improved personal relationships can be learned through the practice of martial arts.
“It’s a great tool to unleash human potential,” Iniong says. “I would never realize just what I am capable of as a person, as a woman, if it weren’t for martial arts.”
- Be a True Professional. To those who want to follow the path of a true martial artist, Iniong says one must strive to be a true professional. “It takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication. If you want to lead an extraordinary life, you have to give up many things that tyou enjoy in a normal life.”
Iniong takes pride in her work and believes that discipline is the key to a successful martial-arts career. “It takes a lot of personal sacrifice with regards to time and effort, including diet. But I want to be the best, and I keep reminding myself of that to stay on track. Don’t just strive to be average, strive for greatness,” she advises.
Like her Lakay Brothers, Iniong hones her skills in the high altitudes of Baguio City, training with some of the best Filipino martial artists, such as former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang and former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio Banario.
Iniong, a six-time national wushu champion who also shines in Muay Thai sees action on April 20 at the Mall of Asia Arena in ONE: Heroes of Honor against judo black belter Jenny Huang, the first female martial artist out of Chinese Taipei.
Don’t miss this lone women’s bout in the second ONE Championship fighting event of the year. Gina and Jenny will hold their own—or even steal the thunder from” their tested and proven male counterparts.