Tag Archives: women’s brazilian jiu jitsu

Favorite Photos

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Training, Women's BJJ

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The type of camera you use for photography makes no difference. A loving, open heart makes a photograph, not a camera. – Anonymous

Over the past few years we’ve come across lots and lots of great photographs but some are more memorable than the others. Here are a few of our favorites. We hope you like them as much as we do!

Not so gentle art…

or is it?

Feels good to break the second place curse!

I can’t believe my parents signed me up for this!

Ladies are having a blast, guys hate it  not so much!

The best part of this photo is the background, two little girls taking notes 🙂

What’s going on over there?

A hug is a handshake from the heart.

Calm but dangerous.

Winning is everything awesome!

Why, yes!

BFFs

Two friends training together…

and competing against each other.

Fenomenal Woman Hana Fisher

30 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in Fenomenal Women

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Our fenomenal woman this month happens to be our sponsored athlete Hana Fisher. Her coach calls her The Cheetah, her opponents say she is one of the nicest and toughest blue belts out there. She is strong, talented, and beautiful. Everyone meet Hana Fisher!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I was born and raised in New York City. Two years ago I moved to Memphis, TN to finish my BFA at Memphis College of Art. I am a 4th degree blue belt at Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu / Marcelo Garcia, and I also work at my gym, I do a little bit of everything, managing, graphic design, sales, etc. We have a great team and family here at Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu, and I get to go to New York every few months to see my family and train with Marcelo Garcia. I love it!

How did you get started in BJJ?

I actually started training in San Da and Muay Thai Kickboxing about 8 years ago, and watched the Jiu-Jitsu guys train everyday, and I was never interested in ground work. But one day my coach told me I had to try Jiu-Jitsu, and from that day on I was hooked! I trained for about 2 years of no-gi before I was forced to start training in the Gi. At first the training was miserable, it wasn’t until I moved to Memphis that I fell in love with the gi.  Now I love both gi and no-gi. I think I dream more about the GI, but I am told that my no-gi game has a lot more confidence.

We recently received this beautiful artwork from you. Thank you! Tell us more about your passion for art.

Both of my parents are artists. I grew up in SOHO, a really artsy part of New York, and my dad had a studio space in our apartment filled with huge paintings he was working on. My mother is a photographer, but she studied children’s fashion design. I was naturally attracted to super bright colors and patterns. Anything that appeared loud, I loved! I went to the “FAME” school for high school and studied art, and then in college I studied graphic design, and a variety of other arts. It has been hard to balance training and artwork.

I used to try to keep my two passions separate but now I have given in and my art is heavily inspired by BJJ. I spend my days training and my nights sketching, illustrating, painting, and touching up photographs. I think I have found my mental and physical balance.

Does anyone else in your family train, and what do they think of BJJ?

No one in my family is really athletic. My parents are artists and my brother is a scientist. My family was not too excited about my love for BJJ, but now that I have been doing it for while they are accepting it. I let them come to watch me compete for the first time last March for the Abu Dhabi WPJJC trials. I think they were shocked, but my mother says she sees how much I love the sport.

You are a fierce competitor. What is  your biggest achievement so far, and what do you want to accomplish in the future?

My biggest achievement so far, I would say, was winning the WPJJC trials and going to Abu Dhabi. I went to the trials confident, and telling myself that I had to win because I would be sent to Abu Dhabi on my 30th birthday. On that day, I was the most confident I have ever been on the mats. I had my teammate from Memphis, and my whole Marcelo Garcia family cheering me on. If it wasn’t for their support, I don’t think I could have done it. This year, I have set a goal to win no-gi Pan Ams and Worlds, win the WPJJC Trials and go back to Abu Dhabi, and of course next year first place at 2013 Worlds!

What is your favorite submission?

Triangle! Triangle! Triangle! It is my absolute favorite submission. I drill it every day, I even dream about it. 🙂 The head and arm triangle is also a SUPER SUPER favorite of mine.

Who is your role model? 

My role models are my coaches Alexandre Meadows, Joel Gingery, Marcelo Garcia, and of course his wife Tatiana. She has been a mentor for me both on and off the mats. I learn more about life, and about myself everyday from these guys. They are the superheros of my life.

What do you think of the women’s open mats and seminars? Do you have many women who you train with, and who helps you to get ready for tournaments?

I wish I could participate in more women’s seminars! My friends always send me the information, but I think living in Memphis makes it really hard to travel to the seminar locations, unless I happen to be in New York or California at the same time of a seminar or an open mat.

We have a lot of women now that have recently started training, almost all of them are competing as well, and are completely in love with BJJ! It’s awesome to see other women with the same passion.

When I’m getting ready for a tournament I train with my entire team. I train mainly with the guys,  because they are bigger and the more experienced grapplers. I do privates almost every morning with my coach Alex Meadows, a black belt under Marcelo Garcia, and he pushes me harder than my mind and body can stand. I sweat, cry, sometimes bleed, but I am stronger after every training session! He is my best friend, and the greatest coach. He helps me take my BJJ game to another level.

I also go to New York to train at Marcelo’s gym a week or two before I compete. Nothing prepares me like being in my hometown training with the best in the world. There are some awesome women as well who teach me a lot!

Is there anything else interesting you want our readers to know about you?

BJJ changed my life! I lost 80 lbs doing what I love, and I owe every bit of my happiness to the mats!

Leticia Ribeiro in Florida

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in News and Events

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7-time world champion, and Gracie Humaita female team leader Leticia Ribeiro is continuing her women’s only event series with a 2-day seminar in Florida. Leticia is one of the most sought after female instructors due to her charismatic personality, very unique teaching style, and extensive competition history.

This seminar is organized by Amazonian Women’s Jiu-Jitsu, a Florida women’s BJJ group, that is led by Stephanie Dodge. The seminar will be held at Level 5 Fitness Jaco Hybrid Training Center, at Delray Beach. Private lessons are also available before and after the seminar.

To register for the seminar and private lessons, please go to: http://leticiaribeiroflorida.eventbrite.com/

If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie at: amazonianjiujitsu@gmail.com

Hannette Staack Seminar in Dallas

19 Thursday Jul 2012

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We are pleased to announce that one of the most decorated female jiu-jitsu competitors Hannette Staack is coming to Dallas on August 10-11. She is one of the founding members of BRA-021 team, and will be teaching a women’s only seminar at RCJ Machado.

This should be especially exciting for all Fenom Kimonos customers because the event is free to the ladies who wear their Fenom gi to the event. Everyone else is welcome to attend for a very affordable $ 50.00.

To reserve a spot for a private lesson, please contact us at info@fenomkimonos.com

If you are a Fenom Kimonos customer, please register at: http://hannettestaackseminar.eventbrite.com/

To register with payment, please go to: http://www.fenomkimonos.com/product.html

Leticia Ribeiro Women’s Grappling Camp in Dallas, TX.

07 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in News and Events

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If it’s June, it means only one thing: Leticia Ribeiro is visiting Texas! After winning her 7th World Champion title, she is coming back to DFW area to run a 3-day women only grappling camp. This is the third year in a row that Texas women have a chance to learn from the Gracie Humaita female team leader.

As a bonus, Leticia is bringing her very first female black belt and 2012 light weight world champion Bia Mesquita, and her second female black belt, Carol Vidal Lebre, who got promoted on the podium after winning her brown belt division, to assist with the camp. All 3 ladies are also available for privates and semi-privates. The camp and private lessons are held at Alvarez BJJ.

CAMP SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY, June 29, 2012
7-9pm Gi: Techniques and Specific Training

SATURDAY, June 30, 2012
10-12pm Gi Seminar
2-3pm Drills Training
3-5pm Sparring Session/Raffles
8:30pm Dinner with All the Ladies

SUNDAY, July 1, 2012
11-1pm Nogi Seminar
2-3pm Wrestling Training
3-4pm Sparring Session

CAMP COSTS:
$50 for 1 Day (Friday Only)
$100 for 1 Day (Saturday or Sunday Only)
$120 for 2 Days (Friday and Saturday or Friday and Sunday)
$180 for 2 Days (Saturday and Sunday)
$200 for 3 Days

Fenomenal Woman Dr. Annemieke DeMaggio

01 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in Fenomenal Women

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The average height of women in the US is 5’4.6”. At 6’2” Dr. Annemieke DeMaggio is taller than your average man, and literally stands out from the crowd. We sat down with her, and asked a few questions about her experience on the mat.

Annemieke is from the Netherlands, and lives in Dallas, TX. She is a wife, has 3 great kids, and holds a PhD degree in molecular genetics. Annemieke calls herself a nerd, and is one of the founders of a multi-million dollar business offering strategic services to companies developing new cancer drugs. Everyone meet Annemieke!

How did you get started in martial arts and jiu-jitsu?

About 4 years ago we were looking for a place for the kids to train Tae Kwon Do and my husband and I ended up joining the classes because they offered a family plan. I also wanted to be a good example for my daughter and show that ladies can do martial arts. All my 3 kids are black belts in TKD and so am I.

As to the jiu-jitsu, it was a pure accident, I wasn’t looking for a new sport. About 2 years ago I went to a weapons seminar and there was a BJJ demonstration. I really liked what I saw and wanted to try it out. I started looking online to find a place close to where we live but there was nothing, every gym was at least 30 min drive. I ended up going to RCJ Machado for an intro class and saw the black belt Kathy Brothers training. I thought it was pretty cool, and signed up.

What has been the most frustrating part of your training?

I used to get hurt a lot the first year of training, so I would alternate between TKD and jiu-jitsu. When my ribs were hurt I went back to TKD, and when my foot was hurt but I could still do some technique, I was doing jiu-jitsu. I also hurt some of my training partners just because I had no idea what I was doing. I was feeling frustrated many times by seeing other people (wrestlers and guys with some MMA background) picking up technique much faster and pulling new stuff on me. I would compare myself to them, and put a lot of pressure to keep up with everyone else. I did not want any special treatment, and I did not want people to think I did not deserve the belt promotions. Many times I would sit at the edge of the mat and wonder who would want to roll with me, scared to ask.

What is the most rewarding part of your training?

The most rewarding part of the training is when things finally start making sense and falling in place. Before it was just a daily struggle from the bottom and trying to survive. Now I’m actually making an effort to use my height and strength to my advantage and implement what I learn during my private lessons. I’ve been doing private lessons regularly for about 6 months now, and that has helped me a lot.

I really enjoy rolling with higher belts who do not try to kill you but rather guide you, and show what to do when you get stuck. Rolling with upper belt women has also been an eye-opening experience. I still feel weird rolling with women but I do enjoy the trouble-shooting.

You train every day with guys 200+ lbs which is a scary thought to many women. How hard is it? Do you get to use technique or is it powerlifting battle?

99% of the guys I train with are fine. I don’t mind training with guys at all, they are my size so I think it’s fair. There is a small group of guys who started at the same time as me and we have come up to the blue belt at the same time. We’ve gone through the same struggles, not knowing what we are doing, learning, adjusting, and actually beginning to see that the technique does overcome the power. I actually feel more comfortable rolling with men than women since that’s all I’ve been doing from the very beginning.

There are some who I don’t feel comfortable rolling with because they are way too rough for me. And I’m sure there are some guys who do not feel comfortable rolling with me either. So it goes both ways.

Do you want to compete? What is your opinion about the open class?

I would like to compete some day, but I think I would scare other women away. But again, I’m so used to rolling with men, I don’t know how to compete against a woman. I also feel like I’m not aggressive enough for a competition. Some people can chase the submissions with viciousness, I just don’t have it me…. yet 🙂

Open class is fair game in my opinion. No-one forces anyone to sign up, everyone knows that they may get an opponent much larger or much smaller than you.

What do you think of women only jiu-jitsu classes? 

There is definitely a place for women only class since not every woman wants to roll with guys. I would participate in terms of helping out but for my training I would stick with the guys since I’m so used to it. A few months ago I went to an all women open mat, and enjoyed it a lot.

I do feel it’s easier to connect with women and I’ve made some good friends in the gym. Even though we may not roll as much together, we still talk, encourage and push each other. I enjoy reading about other female bjj ladies experiences. One of my favorites is Tangled Triangle, it would be nice to meet the author, Megan, in person.

You have a very successful career, husband and 3 kids, how do you find enough hours to take care of the family and train 3-4 days a week?

I have a pretty demanding day job with lots of travelling. I’m trying to cut the travelling down because I don’t like to be away from the family, and instead send my staff if possible. My husband is awesome, he takes the kids to school and  their TKD practice, and holds the fort up when I’m gone. He does not train jiu-jitsu but supports my hobby. Some may say it’s an unusual arrangement, but it works for us. We just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary.

This is what one of Annemieke’s coaches Adam Trees had to say:

At a height of 6’2, her tall frame is supported with long legs, great flexibility and an increased level of strength and density. These are awesome offensive weapons that when used properly can dangerously entangle an opponent and increase the travel distance to pass around her guard. To compensate Annemieke’s difficulty escaping through smaller openings, she uses her long powerful limbs to create the space needed by movement or technique. Her body type combined with her increasing skills, gives a great advantage against her enemies. I’ve been privately tutoring Annemieke for six months now and have noticed the growth and change in her game as she discovers the extent of her abilities and the limits of her body. Her determination and athleticism are admirable and is another great tool she is still learning to use. I look forward to seeing her fulfill her potential in the future.

Fenomenal Woman Erica Plummer

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Fenomenal Women

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Our Fenomenal Women series continues with Erica Plummer from Santa Ana, California. Erica is a nursing student who works two jobs, volunteers, trains, and competes. She has won every major West coast tournament as a white belt, and is on a mission to do the same as a blue belt. We are pleased to have her as one of our sponsored athletes. Everyone meet Erica!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a 1 stripe blue belt under Professor Giva Santana from Lotus Club Jiu Jitsu, a part of Team Oyama MMA, in Irvine, CA. My other coaches that I often train under are Professor Laercio Fernandes and Professor Fabio Nascimento. We have two more black belts that sometimes teach us; Evan Cathey and Mo Khayat. I first joined the gym just for cardio kickboxing. Giva Santana used to invite me to try out BJJ all of the time, but I wanted NO part of rolling around with sweaty dudes! After awhile a small group of us cardio kickboxing ladies decided to give it a try as a group and after a few years, I’m the only one who stuck with it.

What do you do besides training?

Besides training, I am in a full-time Nursing program and work full-time graveyard shifts as a Nursing Assistant at a local hospital. Needless to say, free time and sleep are lacking haha! I also love my little dog, she’s a PomChi named Suki.

Does anyone else in your family train and what do they think about BJJ?

No one in my family is an athlete so they haven’t really ever understood my lifestyle, but have always been very supportive. Growing up I was a competitive gymnast, did track & field, cross country running, dance, and competition cheerleading, so at first BJJ was hard for my family to get used to. They were really worried about me getting hurt, but they are getting more used to it now.

You have a long competition history. What accomplishment are you most proud of so far?

Last year at the Worlds, I won my white belt division and was promoted to blue belt on the podium. That was such an amazing day that I will never forget! I have to say my proudest moment was at the Nationals this past September though. I only had my blue belt for 3 months when I won lightweight blue belt division and the open division. I felt so thankful that my hard work paid off.

What are you plans for the rest of 2012 in terms of major competitions?

Well, I just came off a bronze at Pan Ams, with a loss to Monique Elias from Alliance, an awesome competitor (and an even nicer person), so I have been back in the gym focusing on my mistakes for the Worlds at the end of May. After the Worlds I will compete locally over the summer, Vegas Open, and the Nationals again this fall. I’m not much of a no-gi lover, but I kind of want to give no-gi Worlds a try this fall too.

What is your favorite submission?

I don’t have a favorite submission, however armbars seem to come easily to me. Almost every submission win has come via armbar. My Professor’s MMA nickname is “The Arm Collector” so I guess it fits :).

Who is your favorite BJJ athlete?

I’m really inspired by the passing style of Fernando “Tererê” Augusto, and my 3 professors Giva Santana, Laercio Fernandes, and Fabio Nascimento always have me in awe!

Do you have a lot of female training partners at your school? Do you go to any women’s open mats and seminars?

We do have pro MMA fighter (and crazy good wrestler) Carla Esparza, and brown belt Tatiana Nascimento, who I train with often which is really good. There are also a couple of white belt girls that are consistent. We have an all girls BJJ class at our gym, but I’ve never been to one of those open mats or seminars, mostly because lack of time. I am a true believer that my strength both mentally and physically has significantly increased from rolling with the guys and not only women though.

Is there anything else interesting you want our readers to know about you?

After high-school I randomly decided to move to London, that lasted two weeks until I run out of money. I made it back to New York, and lived there for three months. I love cooking, and can make anything super healthy, and still taste good!  My friend and I used to run every day and made it up to 12 miles at our peak. Maybe some day I’ll do a marathon?!

KnuckleUp Fitness Girls Team

10 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in Fenomenal Women, Training

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In Sandy Springs, Georgia, there is a very successful women’s team called KnuckleUp Fitness Girls Team. The team leader is Laura Hart, a purple belt, who has built it from the ground up. As many women can relate, she was the only woman at her gym for a long time, wishing to have other women to train with. Little by little women signed up and now there is a strong group of ladies collecting medals at East Coast tournaments.

We wanted to find out more about Laura, and her team, and share it with our readers.

1. Hi Laura! How did you get started in BJJ?

Ha! I started 5 years ago, I had never previously exercised or played sports and so I was an old woman stuck in a young woman’s body. I had to nap during the day and I hurt from inactivity. My husband recommended that I try working out, he suggested trying classes offered at different gyms before I committed to anything.

BJJ was the first class I attended, it was the most fun thing I’d ever done! I didn’t attend anymore free classes, I didn’t need to :). Once I signed up I was nervous, there were no girls who attended regularly and as such it was a little intimidating, but I was encouraged to attend by CJ Wilson, then manager now owner of Knuckle Up. I never looked back. My coaches now are Master Ricardo Murgel and Jim Abrille.

2. What do your friends and family think about your training?

I don’t know to be honest… my mom and sister love it! They love that I do a martial art, they love that I love it (but to be honest I could play ping-pong and if I was happy they’d be happy too!) My dad and the rest of my family like that I’m happy but definitely don’t understand my obsession.

My friends all love it! Most of my friends are competitors, not necessarily fighters, but they do something so they under stand the dedication that comes with loving what I do. Of course I have the team, all of it, men and women, who love what I do, they are my primary support, in and out of the gym!

And my husband? He’s proud, he loves me and he’s happy when I’m happy, he struggles with the time and effort that training takes but since he is an athlete as well, he understands.

3. What’s your biggest accomplishment so far?

The Girls Only Team is definitely my biggest accomplishment, being a part of other women discovering BJJ, Thai, and MMA.

When I first began BJJ there were no other consistent women and it was hard to train with men who weren’t always happy to partner with me, it was also discouraging to see the camaraderie the men had and know that I didn’t have that, so very early on it became important to find other women to train and share with.

I was lucky enough to have an owner, CJ Wilson, and finally another woman, Moe Travis, who is a female Thai fighter, who encouraged and supported me in the dream of a team.

4. You’re the leader of Knuckleup Fitness Girls Only Team. Can you tell us a little bit about the team?

Definitely don’t feel like the leader, if I am it’s only because I’ve had the desire to have a team the longest, we all learn from each other, we all respect each other.
We train and hang out together, watch each other’s kids, listen to our complaints, BJJ and non-BJJ related, we have girls nights, and carpool to tournaments. I think the reason we’re such a good team is because we’re always there for each other, no boundaries, no questions. The one thing that comes up the most is how much we all waited for a woman who understands, now we have a team of women to turn to and depend on, BJJ is just one part of all of that.

I feel that I should mention that we have a lot of guys on our team that are excellent MMA and BJJ fighters and we make sure that we continue to support them like they support us, as much as I love my girls, we wouldn’t be here without the boys!

5. Your team is quite known on the East Coast competition scene. Do you focus a lot on competition training and do you require that all your girls compete?

We focus a lot on training, period and we like to win, those 2 things have led to us being seen as a competitive team. The one thing we always try to remember is that we do it because it’s fun, and winning is just one more aspect of it to enjoy!

We definitely don’t require that all of our women compete, but I do encourage it, I think that competing is an aspect of BJJ that needs to be addressed, there is no way to duplicate the feeling of a tournament: the adrenaline; the excited nerves, learning how to win or lose admirably, and the feeling of conquering something outside of the norm.

That said, I try to encourage anyone who wants to compete to do it according to their timeline, based on their desire and trust of BJJ, forcing someone who isn’t ready isn’t worth a win.

6. How do you keep the girls motivated to keep training? Is it hard to get new girls to stick with it?

We seem to motivate each other, we want to train, and more importantly, we want to train together, so we show up.

I think about half the girls that try it, stick with it but even if they’re not doing BJJ they still stay on our team, we also do Thai, and we have a smaller MMA team, so just because they’re not in gis doesn’t mean they’re not on the team, once we know you we are pretty hard to shake!

7. What are the plans for 2012 for your personally and for the team?

We trying to expand our competition experience, 3 of the girls and I are going to Pans at the end of March, Tyra Leigh Parker is our first professional MMA fighter, she’ll be fighting in May, we have a bunch of girls going to IKF (kickboxing competition) in Florida this summer, I am planning on going to no-gi Pans in October and Worlds in June! All of that in addition to the local BJJ tournaments and fights that come along.

8. This is what the team members had to say about Laura!

Katrina Norman
Laura Hart challenges my endurance and pushes me to the limits consistently. She is an amazing coach who encourages me to do my best and kicks my ass when I’m not giving it my all. I consider it a privilege to learn from her. She is not just a coach. She is a friend to everyone she meets, one of the most caring coaches I know.

CJ Wilson
Laura Hart is one of the most dedicated Jiu Jitsu players I have ever had the pleasure to know. As a woman, a mother and a provider, Laura has never had it easy, but her persistence and love of our sport has kept her focused on her training for all these years and her dedication has brought her from being one of the only women competitors at our school to being the coach of a highly competitive women’s team.
I for one am extremely proud to have Laura as a teammate, friend and employee. The KnuckleUp Fitness BJJ program is better for having her and she is an inspiration to many.

Monica Osorio Hyatt
I was very intrigued but intimidated to try out Jiu Jitsu, Laura encouraged and introduced me to it. In class you can feel how much she wants to share her knowledge. I have seen her train for years, at times with pain and frustration but her determination to improve her technique and her passion for this sport seems to always come on top. I am very grateful that she leads the women’s team and look forward to learning from her.

Moe Travis
I am very grateful to be on the same team as Laura Hart. I thank her for helping me understand and appreciate BJJ. I was super frustrated at the beginning but Laura was there to help guide me. If I wanted to drill or had a competition coming up, she would make the time to meet me and explain step by step for me. Regardless of what was happening in her life, she would show up and help me. She loves BJJ and it is very obvious when she starts speaking about it. She lights up and smiles a lot! Not only is Laura a very tough, strong and determined person, she is a very technical purple belt and I feel blessed I get to train with her. She is an awesome coach, mother, friend, and teammate. I am lucky to have her in my life and I can’t wait for the day she receives her black belt.

December = Women’s Jiu-Jitsu Month

26 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in News and Events

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December is a fantastic month for women’s jiu-jitsu! While most of the people are hitting the mall or tucking into holiday treats, jiu-jitsu girls and women are getting together for the year end training session.

New women’s open mats and groups were popping up all over the world in 2011 and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down. A clear indicator that new women are starting to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and they are sticking to it! The Fenom Kimonos team is grateful to have had the opportunity to participate, contribute and support many of these groups.

Here is the list of events we know of that are happening next month . If you know of an event that is not on this list, please email us the details and we’ll share it on our blog and social media channels.

Women’s Jiu-Jitsu in Lakeland, Florida

10 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by in Fenomenal Women, Training

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Every so often we have the pleasure of blogging about another blogger. Allison McClish shares her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey with other women on her blog and contributes her time to a small group of dedicated women training with Fabio Novaes in Lakeland, Florida. We caught up with Allie to learn a little more about our friend on the East Coast!

Hi Allie! Please tell us about yourself. 

If you saw me outside of class, you probably wouldn’t expect me to be involved in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I’m short, a stay-at-home mom and when I’m not at BJJ, I’m either chasing after my six year old son Noah (or my husband JJ), or else I’ve got my nose buried in some book. But, I absolutely love BJJ and am a blue belt under Fabio Novaes at his school in Lakeland, Florida.

Before I started BJJ I had no idea what it was. I was not looking for a martial arts class. But I was a youth pastor and two of the kids in the youth group were taking an after school BJJ class and they basically harassed me until I agreed to come. I went to one class and was instantly addicted. That was two years ago. The after-school class was taught by two of Fabio’s students; a brown belt named Ben Aubin who has since gotten his black belt and a purple belt named Mario Menchaca. I still train with them at Fabio’s.

What do you do besides train BJJ? Work? School?

I spend most of my time with my husband, JJ, and my son, Noah. They are the loves of my life. Other than that, I am pretty nerdy. I love to read and write books. I love movies and going out with the girls. Hiking is one of my favorite things to do. Horseback riding is also a passion of mine.

Do you do any other sports?

All through high school and college, I played a lot of different sports: softball, volleyball, racquetball and lacrosse. But now, BJJ is the only other obsession I really have time for!

You started the girls class aka barn-jitsu. Tell us more about it and how it became an actual women’s class in your school.

Barn-jitsu happened kind of by accident. Me and a few of my fellow bjj-obsessed friends, Stephanie McClish, Phil Richardson and Kara DeBats, had talked for a while about turning my old barn into a bjj gym for our own use. But, as we started working on it, we decided it would be fun to open it up to our friends. I was a youth pastor at the time and several of the kids were interested in trying bjj out. For some reason, the way things turned out, we had mostly girls—and mostly college age girls, at that—coming to the barn to learn.

When I stepped down from my position at the church and found myself with a whole bunch of extra time on my hands, Fabio suggested that we start a Women’s Class at his school. I had to stop myself from jumping and down I was so excited. We started the class almost two months ago, now, and I have been loving every minute of it.

What were the obstacles and how easy/difficult has it been to keep the ladies coming back week after week?

Wow, that’s a good question. BJJ is hard, both physically and emotionally. I think the first hurdle that women have a hard time getting past is the issue of personal space. Men seem to wrestle around with each other from boyhood on, but for many women using their body weight to hold another person down and invading someone else’s personal space is pretty foreign. That’s one of the reasons why we started the Women’s Class, so that these ladies would feel more comfortable during the initial space-invasion crisis.

Another big hurdle I have noticed is that many women feel bad about being aggressive. They tend to be more concerned about their training partners comfort than about using their weight to keep pressure or about applying the technique correctly. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “sorry” and “I don’t want to do that because it might hurt her”. Once they realize that they are not “being mean” and that they can practice these moves safely with their teammates, they become more confidence and start to assert themselves. After they get over that fear, they turn into what the boys at our school affectionately call “Bear Traps”. They look so nice and sweet and then the next thing you know they’re tapping you out.

The last big hurdle I’ve seen doesn’t hit the girls until somewhere between 6 months to a year. I haven’t seen it yet in my girls because they are still new. But for me, and my other training partners at Fabio’s, I have seen a pattern where you start out in BJJ and become quickly infatuated with it. You’re learning so much and seeing so much improvement because you’re going from knowing nothing about the world of grappling to discovering all the positions and submissions. But then, once you’ve started to make progress, you hit a wall. Suddenly you feel like you’re not getting better or actually getting worse. You think you suck and that BJJ might not be for you. We call it “hitting the wall”. But from what I’ve seen and experienced, that usually happens when you are learning new ways to move and are actually getting ready to take your game to the next level. I always tell my friends who feel this way to keep pushing through. That feeling that you can’t get anything right will pass and you’ll feel like a whole new world of grappling has opened up to you. And then you’ll hit the wall again.

Do you compete? Do you push your women to compete? How much of the teaching is focused on self-defense and how much on sports Jiu-Jitsu?

I do compete, but only once or twice a year. So far, I’ve done four tournaments. For me, competing has been instrumental in helping me overcome my fear of failure. It has taught me to do my best but to be ok with not coming in first all the time. It has also helped me see what areas I need to work on more and where my strengths lie.

I make sure to let the girls know that they CAN compete in tournaments, but competing is totally optional. Most of the girls are surprised to know that they can compete even at a beginner’s level and want to try it at least once. To me, anyone who steps out on the mat to compete has my respect whether they win or lose because they were willing to face something so intimidating. But if a person has no interest in competing, there is no pressure for them to do so.

As far as the focus of the class, I tend to lean more toward self-defense. We talk about what you would do in different scenarios or how bjj techniques would be applied in a real-life situation against someone bigger and stronger. But, for the girls who do want to compete, I’ll mention things during technique drilling and grappling like, “That would get you four points in a tournament” or “you would have just lost two points for getting swept,” just so that they are thinking about it.

At this point, since most of the girls in the class are new to bjj, we are focusing on how to move between positions and establish control as well as how to escape from bottom positions and submissions.

What do you see yourself in 5-10 years? Still teaching? Training?

Oh man, I really hope so! I love learning BJJ as well as teaching it. For me, the two go hand in hand. Teaching helps me solidify my own technique when I have to explain it to someone else. Plus, nothing beats that moment when you see that light bulb come on when someone “gets it”. Their excitement is contagious! The more passionate a student is, the more they are having fun and gaining confidence, the happier I am. As far as training goes, I will keep showing up at Fabio’s until he kicks me to the curb. 😉

Thanks for sharing Allie and good luck at the Miami Open!