• About
  • Gi Help
  • Jiu-Jitsu Events
    • Past Events
  • Female Black Belts
    • North America
    • Europe
    • South America
    • Australia/New Zealand
    • Middle East/Asia
    • Unknow Location
  • Resources
  • Media
  • Photos

BJJ For Women

~ Women's BJJ Blog: Interviews, Jiu- Jitsu Events and All Things Fenom

BJJ For Women

Tag Archives: bjj bffs

Joy and Lyzz: A Tale of Two Tall Ladies

13 Wednesday Mar 2019

Posted by fenomkimonos in Women's BJJ

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

A2 Tall gis, bjj bffs, fenom kimonos, jiu-jitsu, support women's bjj, tall girls, tall sizes, twins, women's bjj

We bring you a story about two best friends, Joy and Lyzz, who go by the name of HoesNKimonos on Instagram. Lyzz is a brown belt* and Joy is a purple belt and they have a pretty unique relationship. These two ladies are a ton of fun, so we decided to do a joint interview and also individual stories on both of them. Here we go with Part 1.

Tell us a bit about HoesNKimonos. Where did the name come from?

We were driving to the Worlds in 2015 and discussing Ralek Gracie’s comments about women in jiu-jitsu and his music video “G in a Gi”. It is a very long car ride from Sacramento to Long Beach and somewhere along the road we decided we should make a rebuttal song “Hoes N Kimonos”. We had a lot of fun coming up with our own rap lyrics (neither of us rap, just to be clear) and even though the song remains unfinished, the spirit of the idea remains and we have been the HoesNKimonos ever since.

Do you train together?

Joy: Yes, as much as possible. We met each other on my first day of BJJ class. Lyzz was super friendly and asked if I would be back to train. Lyzz was elated to have another female in class (especially one the same weight class) and always made a point to partner up with me, make me feel welcome, and help me along with the techniques. Lyzz had been training for about 6 months before I started and had a lot of other previous martial arts experience so she was always a step ahead and able to help me along, and make me feel less dumb when I didn’t understand something. Today we continue to partner up in class, drill outside of class, help each other prepare for tournaments, travel, and compete together. Lyzz has always been my main Hoe!

Lyzz: Oh Joy! You’re MY main Hoe! Hoes that train together, stick together! Through thick and thin, sweat and chokes, giggles and guillotines.

How would you describe your personal relationship? Tell us something great about each other.

Joy: Lyzz and I are pretty much doppelgänger, grapple twins, etc. We are so much alike in so many ways it’s very surprising. Lots of people assume we are sisters and even people we know will still call us by the wrong name sometimes or get us mixed up. One of my favorite things about Lyzz is that she is a really bad texter like me so I never have to feel bad if I forget to text her back. We are both pretty scatter-brained and cut each other a lot of slack in that area. It is great to have someone who understands. She is also a really reliable secret-keeper and I can tell her all my dirt. Lyzz, your turn!

Lyzz: Thanks Girl! To echo Joy, we both love grappling and we are both trained in working with insects. Sisters from another mister. One of Joy’s greatest attributes is how friendly she is to everyone at the gym. She believes in the best of people and is the gym’s supplier of honey. Sweet both inside and out!

Who is a better cook of the two of you?

That is really tough because we are both pretty good cooks. We have our own specialty dishes. Lyzz makes amazing sushi and Joy makes some bomb carrot cake. Since Lyzz has a rad husband from Croatia who makes really cool Croatian food, we think Lyzz takes this one.

Would you participate in a beauty pageant if someone asked you to?

Of course! We both love to dress up and show it off. Participating in a beauty pageant would be super fun and now we really hope we get asked (hint hint)!

You both have great hair. Jiu-jitsu women complain about hair loss and breakage during training. How do you keep your hair so fabulous?

Thank you! We both keep it pretty simple for training hair-styles. We do ponytails, simple braids, buns, etc. I think lots of conditioner is key along with a healthy diet that includes lots of collagen. We both rarely use a hairdryer because we think letting it air dry after class is a bit gentler.

joy and lyzz hair
bjj hair

Who would make a great President? Lyzz or Joy? Vice President?

Joy may be the slightly more organizer/decision-maker type so Joy will take the President role and Lyzz will be there to back her up when people get sick of her bossiness and impeach her.

If you could choose two black belts to be your parents temporarily, who would you choose?

We think King Gordon Ryan would be the world’s most fun dad so we will go with him as our pops. Hopefully he would dress us up as his royal princesses and we would follow him all over NY trolling other black belts and eating tons of pizza.

To balance it out, we would need a really solid, responsible mom like Bia Mesquita to keep us grounded and make sure we are not missing too much training. She would make sure we get signed up for all the big tournaments plus Leticia Ribeiro would now be our BJJ grandma!

Being tall ladies, you are perfect A2Tall models for Fenom sizing. What do you want gi companies to improve in tall sizes? What is the most important thing in a gi?

Fenom has always been one of our favorite gi brands. In fact, almost every gi we have ever bought has been Fenom gi. Other companies could take a page from your book and realize that not all tall ladies are thick ladies. The A2Tall Fenom makes is suited for the tall and slender type but is cut roomy enough for some hips and butt. It is important that the gi keeps its shape and doesn’t shrink too much over time especially when we are crunched for time and throw it in the dryer. We think the most important thing in a gi overall is the fit. If it is not comfortable, you will avoid wearing it. We want a gi we can look forward to throwing on.

fenom sakura gi
fenom white pearl weave

Do you think people who quit BJJ are losers?

Joy: No, not at all. BJJ is a special hobby and it is not meant for everyone. If jiu-jitsu does not fit with your lifestyle and you do not enjoy it, there is no point in continuing other than to know some basic self-defense. There are many other martial arts to try or other active hobbies in general that are good for your health and well-being.

Lyzz: Hardly! Don’t call it quitting; call it taking a break. I have heard great success stories of those who have taken breaks for 8-25 years and eventually made it back to the mats! I believe there is hope in everyone to start or come back to BJJ. They just need the right people and the will to learn #OneOfUs, #WeArentACultYouAre.

What is something you are really bad at?

Joy: I am really bad at the jump rope. We jump rope to warm up for boxing class and no matter how much I practice, I trip and fall like I have never done it before.

Lyzz: Despite being one with water on the mats, I do not know how to survive with water surrounding me. I am like a sad wet cat trying to paw paddle my way back to safety.

In a tandem bike, who would be in the front and why?

Joy: Lyzz would be in the front because I am afraid of cars and would be terrified to bike through Sacramento. My eyes would be firmly shut in the back the whole time and I would be only good for peddling. Lyzz knows all the good spots around Sacramento so she would navigate us to a nice place to eat or a quiet park, so I could open my eyes.

Lyzz: Most days I think I would be in front so Joy can navigate without having to look at the road. Joy has difficulties multitasking with electronics and I fear we may crash at the helm of Joy.

Cats, dogs or babies? Who would you watch if asked?

Cats, especially really fluffy cats who purr a lot. Babies are too loud and dogs need too much attention. Cats are nice and chill and would not mind when we are gone training for a while.

What makes you really happy?

Jiu-jitsu of course! We both do this sport for the love of it and the friends we make. There is no better way to decompress at the end of a long day and reconnect with people. Other than that, we like to be fed, dress up, go dancing, or just laze around and talk. Sometimes the simple things are the best things!

*15 days after the interview was published, Lyzz was awarded her black belt in BJJ. Congratulations!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

14 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by fenomkimonos in Women's BJJ

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bjj bffs, fenom kimonos, friendship, Love, valentine's

“Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties.” – Jules Renard

BJJ BFFs Beth and Zantha

20 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by fenomkimonos in Women's BJJ

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bjj bffs, brazilian jiu jitsu, jiu-jitsu hugs, jiu-jitsu mom, peak performance, women's bjj, working out

A couple of months ago we ran a BJJ+BFF photo contest, and asked women to send us pictures of their best friends in jiu-jitsu. We received a bunch of fun, creative entries, and the lucky winners are Beth and Zantha from Keller, Texas. Beth and Zantha were kind enough to tell us how they found jiu-jitsu and each other.

bethzanthaHow did you find jiu-jitsu?

Beth: I got started in jiu-jitsu after enrolling my son Xristian at Peak Performance. It had been a couple of months of watching him on the sidelines and I began to think, hey, I could totally do this! So I signed up for women’s self-defense classes. A little bit later I added Muay Thai and started attending evening boot camp, and beginner MMA classes. Now I’m in a class called white to blue that focuses on teaching the techniques you need to master in order to advance to blue belt.

Zantha: I got started in BJJ through my son as well. Like a lot of ladies it started with enrolling him in classes, and me sitting on the bench. For a year I watched him as the discipline of this martial art changed, and grew him. I watched as he struggled with certain techniques but easily grasped others. I was very overweight and out of shape, and finally made the decision that something had to be done. I knew perfectly well what needed to be done but was unable to make myself follow through.

So finally I bit the bullet, and enrolled in our gym’s boot camp classes. I also added beginner MMA class to see if I could learn more about what my son was doing on the mat. I must admit that Muay Thai captured my heart first. I processed the instructions and understood it better. Eventually I joined the white to blue class, and finally all began to click, and make sense. Now BJJ is my passion.

What do you like about jiu-jitsu and your best friend?

_MG_5075

Beth: There are so many different things to like about jiu-jitsu. The total body workout for example. I swear, I use every muscle in my body. The focus of a goal, and the ability to defend myself are important as well. BJJ is also something I can share with my son. We often drill together, and he really shows what an awesome kid he is when helping me, other kids, or other white belts.

This can definitely be a hard road. My body doesn’t always cooperate. It doesn’t always do what my brain tells it to or just plain hurts after rolling. This is one of the disadvantages of being a women rolling with men, and one of the smallest women at that. But that is part of jiu-jitsu, finding the strength to push through, and not giving up.

This is where having awesome teammates comes in, especially those who would call or text every time you don’t make it, and who are always there no matter what, like Zantha. I am an internally motivated person but everyone needs that external push, and she is mine. She is my accountability partner, my BFF in BJJ, and life whom I am truly thankful for every day! We drill, we dance, we laugh, we roll. We make BJJ OURS!

_MG_4996Zantha: It’s always hard to answer the question of why I like jiu-jitsu. There are all the standard reasons that most people give that are true for me as well. I love the physical challenge. There is no other workout that strengthens the entire body quite the same way. The mental component is incredible. The planning, and problem solving that must occur in a split second if you want the advantage is exhilarating. The concept of being able to defend myself if necessary is completely reassuring. But it goes deeper than that. I step onto the mat and the rest of the world melts away. Time stands still, and I can work in that moment alone. Jiu-jitsu allows me to turn off all the other roles I am supposed to play in my life ,and just be. That is why I like jiu-jitsu.

Frustrations abound of course in jiu-jitsu just like in life. When I continuously walk into the same set up realizing it a second or two too late or even when it’s not too late but I just can’t come up with the counter quickly enough. It can also be frustrating being out weighed, and out muscled by every partner on a night when no-one your size is training. But the ability to exist in the moment remains despite all of those frustrations. The bonds and comradery that are built on the mats is another reason I love this sport.

My teammates who are on the same journey continuously inspire me, especially Beth. Over the last year she has truly become my best friend. Not just in jiu-jitsu, but in life. We got out start in BJJ in the same way, through our sons, and both love defying what others expect us to be as ladies with families in our late 30s. We both said, why can’t I take this up now? Why shouldn’t this be where I can grow strong? She pushes me to be better, and she inspires me to keep working as hard as she does. She does not let me get caught up in myself when I am having one of those frustrating days on the mats, and most of all she walks this journey with me. Beth is my BFF in BJJ!!

Thank you Beth and Zantha, and enjoy your new gis!

 

Enter your email address to follow this women's jiu- jitsu blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Facebook

Facebook

Instagram

Simplicity. This is how we start 2021. #newbeginnings #backtobasics

Popular Posts

  • North America
    North America
  • Let's Talk About Gi Pants Part I
    Let's Talk About Gi Pants Part I
  • Past Events
    Past Events
  • A0 Tall Size Gis
    A0 Tall Size Gis
  • Unicorn and Donuts Gi in White Pearl Weave Plus
    Unicorn and Donuts Gi in White Pearl Weave Plus
  • Female BJJ Black Belts
    Female BJJ Black Belts
  • Gi Help
    Gi Help
  • Gi Weaves 102: Single Weave Gi and Double Weave Gi Mystery
    Gi Weaves 102: Single Weave Gi and Double Weave Gi Mystery
  • Gi Weaves 101
    Gi Weaves 101
  • South America
    South America

Tags

affordable australian girls in gi beatriz mesquita bjj bjj bffs black friday brazil 021 brazilian jiu jitsu competition cotton drill crystal weave curvy pants emily kwok female black belt fenom gi raffle fenom kimonos gi giveaway girl's bjj girl's brazilian jiu jitsu girls' jiu-jitsu girls in gis gis for girls gis for women gracie humaita hannette staack jill baker jiu-jitsu jocelyn chang leka vieira leticia ribeiro like a girl Love luciana "luka" dias messy hair we don't care michelle nicolini Mother's Day pearl weave pearl weave plus purple belt socal wbjj sophia drysdale strong woman support women's bjj sweaty betties training should be fun white to black belt women's bjj women's brazilian jiu jitsu women's gis women's grappling camp

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • BJJ For Women
    • Join 217 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • BJJ For Women
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar