In 2012, Rhonda Rousey became the first female fighter to sign with the UFC and compete in women's MMA. And Gemma Sheehan, a young Toronto teenager and athlete, was inspired. Gemma wanted to become the next big women’s MMA fighter and attacked her training in kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and wrestling with new vigor. “This is my thing,” thought Gemma. “This is what I'm going to do.”
By the age of 21, Gemma had met with great success in the MMA, with a record of 5-1 and ranked as the top female fighter in Ontario, but the consequences of the sport were becoming dangerous. A medical exam showed signs of brain damage from her time in the ring. Gemma officially retired in 2017 but didn't leave fighting entirely behind.
“The number one thing from [fighting] that changed my life was this profound sense of confidence. That’s what comes from that kind of pursuit. It's mentally, physically and emotionally challenging. But you keep going and realize that you are capable of achieving great things. When I decided to quit fighting, I truly felt like I could do anything. The world was open to me.”
With eyes wide open, fierce confidence and a world waiting to be changed, Gemma spotted a flaw in the world of martial arts, “There's a martial arts gym on every single corner. [But] I realized there is not a single place that is dedicated to women. The experience is designed for adult men who want to win martial arts competitions and not for beginner women who want to learn practical self-defense in a positive environment.” And Girls Who Fight was the solution.
In 2017, Gemma opened up Girls Who Fight (GWF) in Canada, but later moved her business to Highland Village, Texas, in 2020 and hasn't looked back. On the surface, GWF is merely a self-defense training program for women and girls. But the purpose and objective are entirely different: learning never to become a victim. The context is completely different. Gemma explains, “In the classroom, we're not talking about how to win points. We're not talking about how to win the fight. We're solely learning how to defend different kinds of grabs, chokes, pins and strikes that are common attacks women would actually face.”
But once they've learned the techniques, what keeps them coming back? Community and confidence, they say. Gemma explains, “We teach all of our [girls] how to walk confidently. They learn how to shake hands, look you in the eye and tell you their name so that they can walk into any room and not be the timid girl who shudders at the thought of being looked at.”
This holistic approach removes all the barriers of competition, comparison and fear. Whole sections of the program are dedicated to situational awareness, boundary setting, identifying red flags of abuse and violence in both strangers and partners and standing up to peer pressure. “What women need to know is how to identify those early warning signs and how to address them so that they don't invite abusers and people looking to take advantage of them into their life. ”
The ultimate goal, Gemma says, is not to simply have the skills to defend your life but to become the person that will never even be targeted to begin with. Your confidence exudes from you in the way you walk, talk, and set boundaries and, as Gemma says, “The kinds of people who want to take advantage of others are not looking for women who can say ‘no’. If we can teach them the confidence and the skills that make them a non-target and the red flags to look out for in dangerous people, the chances of them ever having to fight to defend themselves are very low.”
“Go to any corner and there's a martial arts place that will teach you how to kick and punch,” Gemma concludes. But will any of them teach you how to avoid it in the first place?
Girls Who Fight offers self-defense and character development programs for ages 7-13 as well as women's and teen self-defense programs for ages 14 and up. 214-851-9140 // info@girlswhofight.ca // 1950 Justin Rd #114, Highland Village, TX 75077
In the classroom, we're not talking about how to win points. We're not talking about how to win the fight. We're solely learning how to defend different kinds of grabs, chokes, pins and strikes that are common attacks women would actually face.