[AppyPappy]

I helped teach a self-defense class in college (because I was the smallest guy) and our instructor always told the women "You cannot beat a man. The most you can do is get away from him". I thought that was good advice because I had to help all the women throw me, even the biggest ones. Some of them had martial arts training and were looking for an easy A. They were shocked when the men would simply charge them and throw them down.

[Thorondir]

Yep. Any throwing/grappling/manipulative art is going to be a terrible disadvantage for a woman. That's why I teach a particularly nasty percussion art called Wind Fist (Feng Chuan Tao). As I said before, a well trained woman can usually trash a larger untrained man, but with equal training, reach and power are big advantages. Testosterone also gives superior speed.

One thing is for sure; things are not as predictable as we would like.

Oh, and one other thing is for sure; it is dispicable to put women into anything close to a combat situation.