A HS Classmate of mine graduated from West Point. We played football together and he was a physical specimen. Played TE for us, OT at the Point.
Anyway, he was encouraged to take a trip up there for a visit during the summer between our junior & senior years. The Plebe Class was already there, and some female plebes were going through a self-defense course. The instructor asks Jim to try and throw a jab at one of the women. I imagine he didn’t throw a serious punch and the female countered with a kick to the rib cage. He felt it, but that’s where the demonstration ended.
Here’s the thing. Jim was about 6’4” and a solid 240. Had that been a ‘live’ full-contact fight, that female cadet would have been permanently disabled. That is combat.
That was 1976. Almost 50 years later we are still lying to ourselves.
100%
In 1984, I had a female Marine tell me she’s a black belt in some martial art. Her fellow Marines all sheered her on to fight me. Stupid move. One hit, knocked her out. A Gunny came over and disciplined his fellow Marines for encouraging a female to fight a man. She was 5’3”, a little tubby, and yet these Marines believed the BS they were handed in Basic that a Marine is tough and can take on the world. Gunny knew better.