Tag Archives: women’s bjj

What Makes Your Jiu-Jitsu Unique?

29 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by in Training, Women's BJJ

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Day after day we see Facebook status updates from jiu-jitsu women who are having the most amazing training. Everything is awesome and great. This makes us wonder what really is behind this non-stop awesomeness.

We want to know what makes your jiu-jitsu unique. What are you known for? Are you a clone of your instructor or do you have your own distinctive style? Are you a super athlete? Are you a submission machine? Or are you a slow learner who struggles day in and day out always being the last one to be picked for rolling? What makes you good, different or both? How would you describe your jiu-jitsu without the following words: awesome, amazing, fierce, sick, and beast?

Please comment as long or as short as you wish, and you will have a chance to win a Fenom gi. Good luck!

The-Art-of-Being-Different

BJJ in Brunei

19 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Fenomenal Women, Women's BJJ

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Brunei (Negara Brunei Darussalam) is a tiny country with a population of about 416,000 people. It is located on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo that is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Brunei is a devoutly Muslim country but also respectful, and open to other faiths and beliefs. It is an oil rich country with some of the most breath-taking, untamed rainforests, and opulent buildings.

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A few months ago we started receiving gi orders from Brunei, and were wondering how in the world did Brunei jiu-jitsu women find us.

We asked one of our customers, Ling, to talk about BJJ in Brunei. Ling is a 33-year old mom of three, soon to be four, kids. She is a youth worker, and a life coach, and has been training for about 8 months now. She is a white belt, and her whole family trains together.

Ling, how did you get started and what is  happening in BJJ in Brunei?

I first heard about BJJ when I was a kid. My dad was huge fan of the Gracies, and he would bring home video tapes of the Gracies’ fights for us to watch. He said, if you want to learn how to be the best fighter, you need to learn BJJ. He was a 3rd degree karate black belt at the time. However, back then BJJ schools, and classes were unheard of in Brunei. Even the term jiu-jitsu would leave a lot of people clueless and confused.

Right now I’m glad to say that we are blessed to have access to BJJ. Our instructor Eazy is local. He is a purple belt, and participates actively in competitions. Occasionally we have black belt guest instructors who fly in to teach seminars. We have two branches, one near the capital and the other in another district. The academy is called Busiido BJJ, and we belong to Checkmat association. So far we have about 10 women who actively train BJJ. Our coach’s wife, Fuzzers, is a blue belt and the highest ranked woman in Brunei.

Is it challenging for women to train in Brunei?

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Initially because of our conservative culture, most women would feel a little awkward if they had to partner with a guy for the first time. However, eventually we get over our shyness because there is only a limited number of female partners. Over time we also develop healthy friendships with our teammates and that makes it easier to train. We can’t let the boys have all the fun!

The fees at our academy are affordable but buying gis is very expensive. Everything has to be ordered online internationally, and the shipping cost plus the exchange rate makes everything pricey. Another limitation is the lack of tournaments. If we want to compete, we have to travel outside of the country.

What do you like about BJJ?

I love that both my husband, our three kids, and I all train together. It draws us closer to each other, and make family time extra fun. I enjoy learning new techniques at BJJ. Right now it’s all about the chokes. I also love spider guard, and de la Riva guard. I enjoy seeing my endurance improve, and being able to perfectly execute that move after practicing it many times!

What makes Brunei a great place to live?

I would like to invite everyone to visit Brunei. It is a very beautiful, and very unique place. We are a tiny country but we have our own culture, and everyone is friendly here. It’s a peaceful place, a great place to raise kids, and we generally have an easy paced life. We are tax-free nation, and every Bruneian has access to free education and healthcare. We have some of the nicest beaches that are less crowded than other popular tourist spots. Come and visit us!

bruneipink

Black Belt Corner with Cindy Omatsu

07 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by in Fenomenal Women, Women's BJJ

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cindyCindy Omatsu was born on January 19, 1961, and started training in July of 1994 at Redondo Beach, California. She walked by the aerobic room at Gold’s Gym, and saw a bunch of guys rolling around on a big mat. At that time a lot of women in South Bay area were being attacked, so she thought it would be a great idea to learn some self-defense. She was hoping to find another woman in class but there were none. The one thing that really got her attention was when her training partner grabbed her wrist. The strength and force of a man’s grip was hard to deal with, and she realized why women would just give up when attacked. She was hooked after the first class. At the same time Cindy’s family was going through a rough time because her dad was battling cancer. Every class helped Cindy deal with her dad’s sickness, and gave her strength to help her mom care for him. Sadly, Cindy’s dad passed away.

After training for a year at Gold’s Gym under Renato Magna, she switched to the Machado Academy at Redondo Beach. Cindy received her black belt from Rigan Machado and Leka Vieira in 2002, making her the first American, as well as the first woman outside of Brazil to receive a black belt in BJJ. Cindy is currently teaching at Let’s Roll Academy in Torrence, and at The Brentwood Club in West LA. She is the OG of women’s BJJ in the US, and her contribution to the sport is invaluable.

What was the most challenging belt level for you?

I feel that my purple belt was one of my toughest belts. This is the belt where you learn which techniques really work for you, and your body type. Your game is really developing here, and you are learning to perfect your moves. I have had many purple belts tell me that they feel stuck or plateau at this belt. At purple belt level it feels like you advance five steps, and then get knocked back down ten. As an instructor, purple belt is where I see a lot of improvement, and growth in my students. With a lot of mat time, and consistent training the rewards will pay off!

What advice would you give to women?

Cindy Omatsu

Women who are at white or blue belt level, ask your instructor to watch out for you so that you are training with students who won’t injure you. If you can train with upper belts, do so because they will give you pointers as you roll with them.

I also tell jiu-jitsu women to give yourself kudos if you pass a guy’s guard or hold them in side control or mount. Sometimes you aren’t going to get the tap but you are getting dominant positions, and stabilizing them. Take it as a compliment when a guy starts putting more pressure on you or starts using more strength. It means he is getting frustrated, and your technique is working!

Injuries can happen at any belt level. It is important to let your injuries heal, and be very, very, very patient. I have had my share of injuries with strained MCLs, torn ACL, and shoulder. If you don’t take care of them or let them heal, they will definitely come back, and bite cha in the butt!

Enjoy the experience and journey that each belt level brings. Have fun! If you aren’t learning, and having fun then it is time to quit!

cindyhawaii

Michelle Nicolini Women’s BJJ Seminar Tour

09 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by in News and Events, Women's BJJ

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On June 1, at the 2014 IBJJF Worlds, Michelle Nicolini added yet another world champion title to her impressive list of achievements. She is the only woman who has won world championships in light feather, feather, medium heavy, and open weight classes. Her latest win over Tammi Musumeci was the most talked about match of the 2014 championship, and the devastating arm lock she applied on her opponent was a submission most of us had never seen.

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Michelle Nicolini is spending the rest of the month of June teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu for women on both coasts. She is in Massachusetts, at Worcester MMA, June 9-14. The following weekend you can catch a women’s bjj seminar with her in San Francisco, at Ralph Gracie BJJ, and back to the East coast for the Grappling Girls Guild camp June 27-29, in Washington, DC. Don’t miss the opportunity to train with the most decorated black belt competitor, and learn the secrets of her annihilating submissions.

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Black Belt Corner with Michelle Wagner

23 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Fenomenal Women, Women's BJJ

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michellewagnerMichelle Wagner is one of the first American female black belts in the Pacific Northwest. She is a second degree black belt under the infamous Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana. Michelle started training in April 1998 to keep herself busy after ending a 7-year relationship. She was headed to a karate class when a friend derailed her plans, and took her to jiu-jitsu class instead. Jiu-jitsu became a big part of her life even though the instructors were hard to find. Her biggest influencers over the years were Marcelo Alonso, Juliano Prado, and Giva Santana.

She received her black belt from Marcio “Mamazinho” Laudier in 2007, and currently trains, and teaches part-time at Foster BJJ in Kent, Washington. Michelle focuses on helping her female students, and has been teaching women’s jiu-jitsu camps in Seattle area for the past couple of years. She has also hinted that a comeback to the competition scene is not out of the question.

What was the most challenging belt level for you?

The most challenging time for me in jiu-jitsu was during my years as a blue belt. Our academy was unexpectedly shut down, and that left us wondering what we were going to do next. There were not many choices for us because jiu-jitsu was new to the Pacific Northwest, and academies were few and far between. Eventually some of my team mates were able to find a garage where we could train. That grew into a new location, and into a new BJJ school. Although we still had challenges keeping instructors at the new location, we made do with who we were, and what we knew until we finally had someone to stay and teach for 6-7 years.

What advice would you give to women who have a hard time in training?

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Don’t give up! Find one reason that will make the difference for you. If BJJ is your passion, you will find a way to prevail, and make it past even the toughest challenges. Don’t be afraid to say NO to the person who doesn’t get what rolling with technique means. In all my years of training, my biggest pet peeve is rolling with people who just have to win at all cost. They are not worth your time or energy. Don’t be afraid to be straight up about it either. They are going to realize it some day on their own so you might as well be the first one to let them know.

Beautiful Submissions

15 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Women's BJJ

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As the biggest tournament of the year, IBJJF World Championship 2014, is getting close, athletes are doing their last-minute drills fine-tuning their best escapes and submissions. The competition in women’s jiu-jitsu is tougher than ever, and last year’s victory does not make winning this year easier. The ones who strive to be better even when they are the best will prevail. The true champions must also be prepared to live with the failure. Having the courage to step on the mat knowing that there is a possibility of defeat separates them from the rest of us.

Winning by advantage points is getting more and more frowns lately. Some believe that the only way to really win is to submit your opponent. Others believe that a win by points or advantages is just as valuable. Many times the competitors are so even that the referee has to decide which competitor had greater offense, and came closest to scoring a possible point. Leaving it to the referee’s hands will most likely make the loser replay the match in her head over, and over, wondering what she should or could have done. Anyone who trains knows how hard it is to submit someone who has been training as hard as you, if not more. It takes great timing, technique, and the right amount of intensity to catch your opponent. There is nothing gentle in a submission but it’s beautiful and admirable.

It is exhilarating to win by submission. It is even greater if a photographer captures the exact moment when the opponent’s hand is tapping. Here are some of our favorite submission shots. We hope you like them!

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Black Belt Corner with Leticia Ribeiro

29 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Fenomenal Women

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lettyLeticia Ribeiro started her jiu-jitsu training in Brazil, at Gracie Tijuca academy, in 1994. She fell in love with the sport, trained 2-3 times a day, and received her blue belt in three months. Leticia holds nine world championship titles, seven in gi, and two in no-gi. She has been competing at the Worlds ever since the women’s divisions were introduced in 1998. She received her black belt from Royler Gracie, and Vinicius Aieta in 2000, after winning her first title in the black belt division. In 2008 she moved to California, and started leading Gracie Humaitá female team. In 2013 she opened her own academy, Gracie South Bay. Leticia is a third degree black belt, IBJJF Hall of Famer, and one of the busiest instructors teaching women’s jiu-jitsu seminars and camps all over the world.

Which belt level has been the most challenging for you?

White belt was the hardest for me. When you start training, you don’t even know how to move your body. Everything is new, even hip escape, and shrimping are difficult movements. When you get closer to the blue belt things become easier. You start to understand the game more, have better control of your body, and breathing. That’s when the fun really starts! I felt that after my first armbar. I thought: I love it, I want more!

Photo: Leka Vieira

Photo: Leka Vieira

Tournaments were tough back when I started training. There were only two divisions, and all belts together for women at the first Worlds in 1998. After a few years they separated blue belts, later on purple belts, and now we have all belts separate. I’ve seen the evolution of the women’s jiu-jitsu from the very beginning. I’m very happy with the progress. We have lots of good, technical fighters now. When I was a white belt, we did not have a lot of girls but I was lucky to have Leka Vieira to look up to. She was always two belts ahead of me, and had her female team. She has always been a huge inspiration for me.

What advice would you give to women who have a hard time in training? 

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My advice to all the women who train BJJ is to keep going! Be confident, and be patient with yourself in the learning process. The hard times will pass, and the armbars and chokes will come. It is great if you want to compete, but it is also okay if you don’t want to compete. Jiu-jitsu is for everyone, it will help you in different aspects of your life.

It takes away all the stress at work, kids, family, and everything else that can disturb your day or sleep. Many people say that they don’t go to train because they are too tired from work. To me it sounds like an excuse. No excuses! After work get your gi, and go to class. I can guarantee that you will feel much better after training. Enjoy being on the mat not just to train but to enjoy your team who is your new family because your jiu-jitsu academy should be your second home. Good luck and good training!