Blog

When I started training jiu jitsu I thought that time on the mat alone was enough to replace the exercise regime of lifting, cardio, and yoga that I had before. At the end of a training session, I was wiped.  I felt exhausted, like I had gotten a complete workout and to do anything more would be over-kill. So I stopped training other disciplines and eventually, I paid the price. It came in the form of an aching shoulder, a torn hamstring, and persistent neck-pain; sound familiar?  We all know that jiu jitsu takes wear and tear on our bodies;...

I’m embarrassed to admit this. When I walked into my first BJJ class, I really didn’t even know what jiu jitsu was. I stumbled into my jiu jitsu academy on a whim, wanting to try something new. I thought that maybe jiu jitsu was something like karate or kickboxing. Surely, I didn’t imagine that my first day I would be shrimping, drilling take-downs, and  wrapping my legs around some 200lb guy learning how to do a triangle. Until I started training, I never thought of myself as a particularly strong or aggressive person.  I had a friend in school who...

 Over the next few weeks we will be answering questions that affect women in Jiu Jitsu.  This week we will be discussing the ins and outs of training BJJ on your period! If you have any questions you would like answered or think are under-served, please leave a comment! The short answer is YES! You can absolutely train with your period if you want to!  I do and have ever since I started BJJ. I wear a menstrual cup that I love, because it never leaks, it doesn’t feel wet, and I forget that it is there.  Plus it...

Everyday is full of inflection points.  Little forks in the road, opportunities to pivot toward or away from the person you want to be.  When I walked into my first jiu jitsu class, I didn’t know what an important inflection point that day would be for me.  I just thought it was something fun to try, I didn’t even really know quite what is was. But it turns out that, choosing to train jiu jitsu has transformed my life and lead to a cascade of good decisions that continue to make me into the woman I want to be.  But...