Photographs show the girls practising martial arts barefoot in the snow and sparring with each other.

“Everyone in our family is a wrestler. People have expectations since I’m Geeta and Babita’s sister. I want to fulfil their expectations and hopes, not on the mat but inside a cage.” – Ritu Phogat

“Being a girl is the biggest challenge for anyone in India and I, too, faced the same,” says martial arts champ and self-defense instructor Richa Gaur.

Mix Martial Art (MMA) champ Samata Sonavane is enrolled with Ultimate Panja League (India’s first Pro Arm Wrestling tournament), founded by Prashant Kumar.

Clad in a saree, swords held in hand, feet perfectly balanced, Aishwarya Manivannan is the warrior we pledge our allegiance to. A professor of art and design, she specialises in Silambam, an ancient traditional martial art form of India dating back to more than 3000 years. A martial artist and dancer, Aishwarya has represented India in various championships […]

Apeksha Kakkar is one of the first women in India to train in Jiu Jitsu. Mostly practised by men, this martial art discipline focuses on ground fighting techniques. It teaches you to defend yourself when pinned on the ground or against a wall. It is one of the fastest growing sport around the world and […]

Martial arts require a good level of physical strength, but those who take up training need to develop an incredible amount of mental acuity, too. Mental strength is so important to martial arts that researchers have found karate experts’ stronger punching force may be down to a better control of muscle movement in the brain, […]

A martial arts school in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, imparts free self-defence training to girls and women to help them fight harassment.

Ten ethnic Hazara women and girls in Afghanistan are learning the wushu style of kung fu atop a hill in the west of Kabul The girls are part of the Shaolin Wushu club and practice martial arts in a country where women’s sports are severely restricted. Afghanistan is one of the hardest places for women […]

Kolhan University in Jharkhand is planning to roll out a programme for young women to learn martial arts for their defence. The course will be of six months duration and will also cover yoga and theoretical classes.