So I guess I’ll start off this whole Girls in Gis adventure by telling a little more about me, my bjj history, and why it is so important to me that women train.
I started training jiu-jitsu a little over 4 years ago. I had been kickboxing for a few years and was growing tired of having the choice between thai pads or getting hit in the face all the time. Plus I’m a pharmacist and going to work with a beat up face is probably not the most professional thing to do. So I tried out a jiu-jitsu class that had one other girl, Isabel, that had started the week before I did. What I enjoyed about that first class was the variety of movements and techniques to learn. Plus the first week everyone lets you win so I was like, “Wow, I really submitted that huge guy, I rock!” Isabel and I trained together for a few months until she moved away never to return again. So then I was left with just me and a bunch of sweaty guys. But Isabel had told me she found a place to train when she moved and would be back to Houston in a few months. I wasn’t about to let her move away and learn without me so I kept training waiting for her return.
Somewhere along the way I quit caring that I was the only girl in the room and did actually start submitting guys without them letting me win. Do you know how much fun it is to have some spazzy guy coming at you with all of his might and just arm bar him over and over again? You don’t even have to do anything, the harder he tries the easier it is to submit him. That’s when I realized this sport is perfect for women. The benefits I have gained from training are limitless, but some of the big ones are self-defense, self-confidence and conditioning.
I’ll start with self defense. My friends are always asking me what I would do if someone attacked me. I don’t by any means think I could take on any attacker and I don’t know for sure what I would do, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t freak out. As long as I have my head I have a chance. I don’t think he could do anything to me that hadn’t been done to me in class. Jiu-jitsu teaches techniques based on leverage and teaches you how to use your opponents strength against them which is the perfect defense to someone bigger and stronger than you are.
Self-confidence. This right here is why I think every woman should take jiu-jitsu. To know that you are not weak and helpless. This realization has carried over into all areas of my life.
Finally, conditioning. Most people that know me wouldn’t believe this, but I hate to work out. That’s why I have found work outs that aren’t really work outs. Jiu-jitsu is way more fun than running or lifting weights. At first I was dying just trying to get through 1 round, but if you just keep doing it you learn to relax and eventually the cardio work sneaks up on you and you didn’t even realize you had done it.
I hope this is a good intro to who I am and to Girls in Gis. I can’t wait to train with a room full of girls. See you on the 19th.