Tag Archives: sophia drysdale

BJJ Sisters Colombia

15 Monday Feb 2016

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marcela2Marcela Sánchez Rodriguez is a purple belt from Alliance Jiu-Jitsu Colombia and the co-founder of BJJ Sisters, the first women’s jiu-jitsu community in Colombia.

She is a 28-year-old graphic designer currently working in Bogotá. She describes herself as a responsible adult for two dogs, a little sister of two, a frustrated singer, a travel enthusiast, and a BJJ lover living right in front of the academy. Everyone meet Marcela!

You are one of the highest ranked women in Colombia. How did you find jiu-jitsu?

About four years ago I was at a new job that allowed me to have free time which is an unusual feature in a graphic designer’s life here in Bogotá. During those days a friend introduced me to the UFC world and I was just fascinated; I started asking about kick-boxing academies until I was finally referred to Octagon MMA which in my opinion is the greatest MMA Academy in Colombia.

They offered fantastic classes: MMA, boxing, bag work, fitness, wrestling and BJJ. I was exuberant thanks to the amazing teachers, the classes and the transformation of my body. I was happy about everything but jiu-jitsu. I remember, doing the best to understand how BJJ worked but as it is in real life, it is better if you just go with the flow.

The time passed by, I kept training and one day I met Carlos Quintero, the new Alliance Colombia instructor. He arrived with an amazing energy and a strong character; every move, drill or technique that he taught me became a challenge, and that was the major reason I fell in love with BJJ. I decided to be my instructor’s shadow and then my life took a big turn, from my neighborhood to my daily routine. Nowadays I just cannot imagine myself without jiu-jitsu.

Have you always trained at Alliance? How many other teams are there in Bogotá?

Alliance Colombia has been my academy since my first BJJ class. I have great teachers as Carlos Quintero and Giovanni Espinosa. Both are brown belts, very supportive and great team partners. We are all under Juan Miguel Iturralde, a black belt from Alliance Samborondon, Ecuador.

Here, we have plenty of academies: Gracie Barra, Octagon Jiu-Jitsu, Ultimate Fighting Club, 300 MMA, Wolfteam, etc. But I strongly recommend everyone planning to visit Bogota, to join us at Alliance Colombia. We are one of the strongest, most talented and happiest teams in the country.

Do you like to compete? Do you have enough tournaments in Colombia or do you have to travel far for BJJ competitions?

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I love to compete. It involves a lot of hard work and mental preparation. When you compete anything can happen and everything is a lesson. I always get super anxious during the tournament day. It is not an easy situation but I truly enjoy the experience because it teaches me a lot, not only as an athlete but as a human being as well.

I always try to attend every tournament in Colombia. However, I’m a big girl by my country’s standards, a fact that does not help when the time to build brackets comes. That is why I decided to compete in the IBJJF NYC Open last year, getting the 2nd place in blue belt heavy weight class and fighting for the first time in an international tournament. My last competition was three weeks ago at the Abu Dhabi Trials in Ecuador. That was my first step as a brand new purple belt and although I got the first place in my category, I couldn’t make it for the open class. Again, just an experience in this beautiful journey and a new lesson from an endless path.

You are one of the founders of BJJ Sisters. Tell a little bit more about this group and what have you accomplished so far? 

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BJJ Sisters is a beautiful project created with my friend Liliana Arias who is also a very talented BJJ practitioner in Colombia. We went to a Female BJJ Camp in Mexico City in 2014, invited by Itzel Bazúa, a brown belt from Mexico.

The camp was led by Sophia Drysdale and Mackenzie Dern. Being there and training with other women made us feel ready to empower the ladies from our city and country to join the BJJ life style.

We started about a year ago with the group and it has been growing really fast. For me, the greatest accomplishment is that BJJ Sisters now is seen as a strong reference for women’s BJJ in Colombia.

Do you see yourself training 10 years from now? Do you teach and do you want to teach BJJ in the future?

I absolutely see myself training not only 10 years from now but for the rest of my life. I have been teaching since my blue belt with the BJJ Sisters project and now my teachers are calling me as a support instructor when they cannot come to the academy. I feel really comfortable and joyful sharing my knowledge and seeing how the team grows together.

Who is your favorite black belt? Who would you like to learn from if you had a chance?

My favorite black belt is Dominyka Obelenyte. I just adore the way she plays spider guard and open guard in general. I would love to join Sophia Drysdale’s classes again and I’ll look forward to doing it. I think that she has quite a unique and beautiful teaching style especially focused on women.

What do you want people to know about Colombia?

About Colombia… I feel really to proud to say that in spite of all the heavy and sad violence background, we have always been listed as one of the happiest places in the world. I believe that those statistics say a lot about the Colombian people who wake up every day, fight their own struggles and still have a big enough heart to keep a smile on their faces.

As Renzo Gracie’s said: “Everyone is fighting something,” and I feel absolutely sure that I was born in a fighters’ land.

Sophia Drysdale and Leticia Ribeiro in Texas

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Girls' Jiu-Jitsu, News and Events, Women's BJJ

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awesomeJiu-jitsu women in North Texas and surrounding areas are in for a treat this August. Two very accomplished black belts will be teaching women’s jiu-jitsu seminars in DFW area in a few weeks.

Leticia Ribeiro has been teaching in Texas every summer since 2010, and this year is no exception. She will be at RCJ Machado Farmers Branch location for private lessons, kids class and women’s seminar on August 15. This event is reserved for RCJ Machado students and affiliates.

Sophia Drysdale is the most famous Aussie female black belt who has recently retired from active competition. This is her first time in Texas, and she will not only be teaching her favorite techniques but also offer time for Q&A to address issues specific to women’s BJJ. Her seminar is open to girls and women of all experience levels, teams and affiliations, however, the minimum age for participants is 10 years.

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Registration for Sophia Drysdale seminar is open; to purchase your ticket, please click here. To reserve a spot for Leticia’s seminar, please email lindsaymachado1@gmail.com. Happy training!

Women’s BJJ Tournaments

06 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in News and Events, Women's BJJ

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Women only tournaments are popping up everywhere. Garra Jiu-Jitsu Darra is hosting a girls’ and women’s white belt and blue belt tournament on May 9th in Brisbane, Australia. Cash prizes for blue belts are $200 for the first place, and $100 for the second place. Two weeks later, on May 24th, Australian Girls in Gi is hosting their 4th annual tournament on the West Coast of Australia, in Perth. It is a round robin style tournament for girls, and women of all belt levels.

On May 23rd, 16 female blue belts have a chance to win cash prizes at BJJ Top Tournament in Burbank, California. First place gets $300, second place $150, and two third places receive $80 each. A few weeks later, on June 13th, Texas-based Women’s Jiu-Jitsu Federation is holding its 2nd Annual Southern Regional Championship, in Justin, Texas. The tournament benefits three charities: Hope For The Silent Voices, Rescue Her, and Restore Her, and offers both gi and no-gi divisions to girls, and women of all belt levels.

If competition is not your cup of tea, please check out Sophia Drysdale BJJ Camp in Edmond, Oklahoma on June 6-7. She is offering two days of training for a hard to beat price of $70. Enjoy!

Black Belt Corner with Sophia Drysdale

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Fenomenal Women, Women's BJJ

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Pan_Am_Champion_Sophia_McDermott_Drysdale_3_Sophia Drysdale started jiu-jitsu in 2002 in Melbourne, Australia. She had been in gymnastics for about 10 years when a long-term injury forced her to retire. She was looking for something that was physically and mentally challenging, and her search stopped the day she found BJJ.

Sophia trained in Australia for 5 years, and after doing very well at local tournaments she decided to compete overseas. She won her first Pan American Championships as a blue belt and then again as a purple belt two years in a row. That is when she decided to move overseas to focus more on training.

Sophia moved to the US in 2007. For the next few years, however, she was dealing with a series of major injuries that halted her competition career temporarily. In 2009 Sophia started training in Las Vegas with Robert Drysdale, and received her black belt in 2010. Two years later she won a gold at the No-Gi Worlds right before becoming pregnant with her first child. A year and a half later she had another baby. This year Sophia has been busy teaching women’s jiu-jitsu seminars in Australia, Mexico and the US, and she is back on the competition scene. She added Pan Ams gold, and the Worlds bronze to her impressive list of achievements.

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Although she still trains very hard and competes, her focus is a little different. She wants to teach more, and help inspire and empower women. She wants to show that you can be a mother, and an athlete at the same time. Even though she did not take home a gold this year at the Worlds, we are pretty sure she was the only mother on the black belt podium. Considering her youngest is only a year old, and she had stopped breastfeeding 6 months earlier, that is quite an achievement.

What was the most challenging belt level for you?

My brown belt was the most challenging belt because at the time I was overseas on my own searching for an academy that I could call home. I had suffered from some really bad injuries, such as torn cartilage in my ribs, complete shoulder separation, and herniated disc in my neck. Competing was also tough because brown and black belt were in the same division. Mentally it was tough to deal with being an up-and-comer, and knowing that I was competing against some of the most seasoned black belts who I had idolized throughout my journey.

What advice would you give to women who are struggling?

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BJJ is always tougher for women since we are the minority on the mat. I would say that most women have dealt with sexual discrimination, being ostracized or bullying of some sort. But this is changing. Today the journey for women is much easier than it was back when I started.

There are so many more women who train now, and they have formed solid training groups which is a huge help. Additionally, there are more female black belts, so there are more role models who teach women’s classes and seminars.

This is important on so many levels because women see that it can be done. You can achieve your black belt, be a world champion, a teacher, and a mother! Seminars are an opportunity to pass on techniques that are better suited for women. I teach techniques that have taken me years to refine, and I know they work! Seminar, camps and open mats provide an opportunity for women to cross train, learn, share, and grow together and build lifelong friendships.

BJJ is a way of life. If things get rough, there is nothing wrong with taking a break, and getting back on the mats when the fire is strong again. Also, changing your attitude at certain times can help. If you are feeling bad, tired or weak, it is better to focus on having a great workout, and spending time with friends rather than focusing on winning all your matches. Having a strong support network helps tremendously. It is much easier to overcome obstacles if you have an empathetic coach, a friend or a partner who understands the sport and what you are going through.

Pregnancy and BJJ Part 1

11 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Training, Women's BJJ

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Stretchy pants, mood swings, and insane food cravings are what most people think about when they hear the word pregnancy. Some women view pregnancy as the nine-month-eat-all-you-can vacation, some continue strenuous work-outs to the motto “no pain, no gain”. When you mention pregnancy and BJJ in the same sentence, emotions flare, and discussions get heated. Some support pregnant women in jiu-jitsu, and some are completely against it. Sophia Drysdale, and bloggers Meg and Ana have written extensively about training during, and after pregnancy. Black belt Emily Kwok also had a positive experience training, and teaching while pregnant with her first child. To train or not to train is a personal choice which should be respected.

When Melanie from Vancouver, BC, sent us a picture of her growing baby bump in the gi, we asked her to share her story. She is 31 weeks pregnant with her fourth child, and writes a two-part article about how training has been possible for her*.

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I must admit, when I first saw the double line on my pregnancy test that I had just taken in the bathroom at Starbucks, I nearly fainted. Selfishly, my first thought was, but I just got back to jiu-jitsu! Seriously, after three kids in four years, and five and a half years away from BJJ, I was just beginning to get my groove back. I thought I was going to have to quit cold turkey again, and that was going to be the end of it. No more jiu-jitsu for Mel ever, ever again. During my first pregnancy I had no idea that pregnant women could do anything other than swim, walk, and go to special mommy-to-be yoga classes.

My second thought was, FOUR KIDS! What the heck was I thinking! Hey, big families totally rock. Just think of the little jiu-jitsu clan I will have on my hands in the next few years. I just never pictured myself as a mom of so many. Not long after I met with my awesome midwives, and I was fully prepared for them to shoot me down, and tell me that I was crazy for even wanting to continue with jiu-jitsu. I tried to prepare my thoughts, how I would try to argue my thinking, my rationalizing.

However, they totally surprised me, and told me that I should just listen to my body, and continue within reason for as long as I was able to. Um. What? Mind blown. Listen to my body? They reassured me that my body was used to the intense training, the drills, and the movements. It would be entirely different if all of a sudden at four weeks pregnant I decided to start running marathons or something completely brand new. My body was used to jiu-jitsu, it was part of me. They reassured me that I was low risk since I had no previous injuries, and that the baby was fully protected inside my body. I could continue for the time being, and we could always re-evaluate as needed at my regular midwifery visits.

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Next I talked to my main coach. He laughed at me at first, but then told me he supported me 100%, and would help me continue training for as long as I could. Another score! I was so afraid that he would tell me I was a hazard to the club. You know how your mind just always jumps to the worst conclusions first. With a big sigh of relief began googling pregnant jiu-jitsu girls, and started to feel less nervous, and upset about being pregnant. I know this makes me sound completely selfish.

However, if you are like me, jiu-jitsu is your outlet. Especially after becoming a mother, and feeling like you have to re-discover who you are all over again. It is your time to re-charge, to feel human again, to be a better human again, and to de-stress.  It is your time to think about the moves, and where your body should be next. There is no drama on the mats. Jiu-jitsu doesn’t care if you have one baby or four. Turns out a lot of women train during their pregnancies, so I wasn’t so awful for wanting to continue. Here is an article about an awesome running mom, and here’s one about Alysia Montano competing at 34 weeks pregnant.

My first trimester was rocky but not awful. I actually found that I felt better when I went to class. I could go from being dead tired, and feeling nauseous to energetic, and happy within minutes of my feet touching the mats. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is magic, I tell you, magic! I found that my body was just as capable as before. Pregnancy actually has relaxed my muscles, and increased my flexibility! The only thing that I found especially challenging in the first trimester, and into the second one was the shortness of breath. When I was rolling, and my training partner’s gi was covering my face, I could not breathe, and I felt panicky. I had to tap or just stop.

Breathing during pregnancy is affected due to the increase of progesterone, which may make it feel as if you are working harder than usual to get air. In my case, I found this to be the case times 1000. It is important to remember that even though your baby bump may not be showing yet, your uterus is becoming bigger. It takes up more space, and creates pressure against your diaphragm. I tried to keep calm, wear looser fitting tanks, and sports bras under the gi, and breathe deeply.

Part II of the article can be found here.

*Training jiu-jitsu while pregnant is not for everyone, please contact your doctor to discuss your work-out plan.

Australian Girls in Gi Camp 2014

07 Friday Feb 2014

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Australian Girls in Gi annual two-day camp is one week away! This is shaping to be one of the largest women’s BJJ camps in the history of Australian Girls in Gi with over 75 spots sold out. The instructor for the weekend is Sophia Drysdale, the first Australian female black belt, who is successfully juggling training, competing, teaching, and being a mom.

AGIG has been bringing women together for events, competition, networking, and training since 2010, and the group is led by outstanding efforts of Jess Fraser, a Melbourne based purple belt. For more information or to register, please click here. Happy training!

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