Gender Integration in Collegiate Combative Physical Education Classes

Abstract

Collegiate combative physical education classes, such as boxing, grappling, wrestling, and martial arts, offer many positive benefits to students and institutions. There has been an increased interest in combative sports in recent years. As a result of media focus on high-profile female athletes in combative sports, combative physical education classes have become increasingly popular with women. Physical education programs stand to greatly benefit from gender integration of combative classes. Educators and administrators, however, need to consider a number of social, psychological, physiological, and medical factors in order to ensure successful gender integration. Approaching gender integration with a careful and deliberate process that involves physical educators, administrators, and medical personnel will ensure programs maintain an authentic yet safe environment contributing to the attainment of course objectives. When executed in a prudent and deliberate manner, gender integration of combative course offerings has been anecdotally observed to improve women’s self-confidence, sense of inclusion, teamwork, and to enhance cohesion among students of both genders.

El boxeo como recurso educativo con adolescentes en riesgo de exclusión social (Boxing as an educational resource with adolescents at risk of social exclusion)

“…De manera independiente al MRPS, diversos estudios previos han mostrado que el boxeo y otros deportes de lucha pueden ser adecuados dentro de los programas de actividad física que son ofertados a los jóvenes, puesto que contribuyen a la promoción de habilidades sociales y emocionales y a la prevención de la agresividad (Carraro, Gobbi & Moe, 2014), la reducción del comportamiento agresivo y los niveles de hostilidad (Carraro et al, 2014;Woodward, 2009); la mejora del autocontrol, la discipli-na, la autorregulación y el control corporal (Lakes & Hoyt, 2004); el desarrollo de valores, la diversión y motivación por la práctica vinculada a la novedad (Menéndez & Fernández, 2014); el incremento de la confianza en una misma y el sentimiento de inclusión social (Bedard et al, 2018); la mejora de aspectos afectivos, cognitivos y sociales y el bienestar psicológico en general (Lakes & Hoyt, 2004;Winkle & Ozmun, 2003;Woodward, 2009).…”