When I heard the name Laurence Cousin Fouillat, the first image that popped into my mind was of her, standing at the top of a podium with a gold medal around her neck. While I wanted to know more about her life as a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor, I also […]
Female black belts are still a rarity in our sport, and it is even more extraordinary to find a woman who is the owner and head instructor of her own BJJ academy. Juliana Fontoura gave me a peek into the rewards of instructing and gym ownership, as well as […]
With so many competitions canceled and postponed this year, there is much excitement for the 2020 IBJJF Pan American Championships beginning next week. It was no surprise registration reached capacity quickly, and while there are many amazing athletes competing this year, there are a number of stand-out stars on this […]
Often in life, people want to reinvent themselves from the ground up, but very few achieve that. Many of us struggle with darker parts of ourselves which hold us back from becoming the person we want to be. However, this isn’t the case with Danielle Walker, a blue […]
Sometimes in life you meet someone with such passion and determination that it inevitably ignites something within you, Maisie Thompson is one of those people. Maisie grew up involved in sports – primarily soccer and basketball – and was always very active. Born with a profound sense of adventure, she […]
Nikki Sullivan may be a down to earth lady, but she sure does enjoy turning herself upside down. This professional jiujiteira is known for her wicked inverted guard. She’ll use it to block, sweep and submit her opponents with impressive results. On January 2nd, 2019, Nikki earned her black belt […]
On March 22nd, 2019, Sandi Duquette and Susan Gordon faced off in a monumental match. They were at the IBJJF Pans at UC-Irvine, and faced off in a Women’s Master 7 blue belt bout. Sandi and Susan began the match sizing each other up, each trying to take the other […]
The women’s movement in Jiu Jitsu has grown tremendously. We’ve gone from having “a women’s division” to having close to the same divisions as men when it comes to belt, weight and age. There are more and more women’s organizations offering open mats, seminars and camps. More and more academies […]
With Europeans just around the corner, there are ton of amazing female competitors to watch. There is an exciting surge of female black belts registered, both veterans and new. In addition, this year boasts many stand out stars climbing the ranks. Here are few to keep an eye out for: […]
All of us have a fighter within and once you get that 1st taste of the fight it is inevitable a part of you for the rest of your life. However, not always is your fight in a cage or on the mats. Life has many battle fields and sometimes […]