High On Fight
I don’t do it for the patch on my back, I don’t do it for my professor, and I don’t do it for my teammates. I don’t do it for the podium, I don’t do it for the medals, and I don’t do it for the fans. I don’t do […]
empower
Breaking Barriers: An Interview with Yvone Duarte
If you are part of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community, it is most likely that you have heard the name Yvone Duarte. Yvone made history in 1990 as the first female to earn a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. In 2021, after training for 43 years and being a black belt […]
A Girl On Fire
Jiu jitsu has been a huge part of Amanda Leve’s since she was just 11 years old. When her father and brother decided to start BJJ classes, Leve decided to tag along and watch their first class. As soon as she saw the flurry of activity on the mat, she […]
Imposter Syndrome
Well, you did it! You put your hand to the plow and didn’t look back. You got your ribs popped and your knuckles swollen, and you survived. You passed the tests, calmed your nerves, and although you’re exhausted, you earned your new belt!. If you are like me, the first […]
Before You Quit 1
If you have been training in this sport for a while, grinding away at improvement, chances are you’ve felt burnt out from time to time. As much fun as this sport is, sometimes working so hard with such intensity can leave us feeling frustrated, tired, and thinking of quitting. If […]
Shark Tank Diary
I have a little journal that surfs around my gym bag. I’m a messy, inconsistent person, so I don’t always write in it, but in the weeks leading up to my blue belt test, (aside from techniques I was trying to make pretty,) I wrote down some in-the-moment feelings […]
5 Quirks of Jiu Jitsu A Female Grappler Will Encounter
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is growing in popularity, and for good reason. The self-defense, health benefits, and friendships formed on the mats— the list of benefits could go on and on! While this sport has been male-dominated for quite some time, women are finding their ways to the mats in […]
What To Do When You Just Don’t Want To Do It Anymore
We all know there are certain things that are good for us: getting the proper amount of sleep, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, training jiu jitsu. But what do you do when you just don’t want to do it anymore? Did you know that by February, nearly 80% […]
Overcoming the COVID19 Blues
We all know in 2020, many gyms and personal training schedules were impacted because of COVID. If you took time off from training, perhaps you’ve experienced (or are experiencing) the “COVID blues.” You enjoy jiu jitsu and miss your time on the mats, yet circumstances have kept you from training […]
The Sisterhood
Long before starting BJJ, I did karate in a small dojo on the upper west side of Manhattan. My instructor at the time was well known (in karate, anyway) and our Friday night sparring class was where all the champions were- big black belt men with dark eyes, quietly taping […]