It takes a certain type of woman to forge her path in what is considered to be a man’s world, but when it comes to the business world and being on the mats, Ann-Marie Bernitt is boss. Her petite structure and sweet demeanor will have you fooled. But make no […]
Not all women want to learn jiu jitsu, but it would be safe to say that a large percentage of women want to learn self-defense. The great thing is, not all self-defense is physical. In fact, self-defense starts as a mind-set, not on the mats . You don’t need to […]
Brazilian jiu jitsu (hereafter bjj) has become a wildly popular and fun, competitive sport. While the origins of Jiu Jitsu date back to Japan centuries ago, its integration and evolution have drastically changed to what it is today. While it may be a male-dominated sport, there’s several reasons to suggest […]
Wondering what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is all about? Curious to give it a try, but know next to nothing about it? Don’t panic. We all start somewhere! This article will give you a tiny peek into the world of Jiu Jitsu and why so many women are growing to […]
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 […]
It all began with the new girl. She showed up a few months into my BJJ journey, slightly bigger than me and somehow already wearing a matching set of colorful rashguard and spats. I pictured myself patiently teaching her the one move I had learned, giggling at how awkward […]
If you participate in any of female grappling groups on social media, you’ve no doubt seen the stories about coaches or teammates who have been accused of inappropriate behavior, domestic violence and/or sexual assault. While many of these posts have to be labeled with the word alleged, it’s no secret […]
Has someone ever told you that you could never do something? Did it make you back down, or did it ignite a will to succeed? Meet Megan Hutchings. This 33-year-old martial artist from Allentown, Pennsylvania is making goals and crushing them and letting Hemiplegia stand in her way. I had […]
It is easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Someone at your academy receives a stripe faster than you did. You go to a tournament and your competitor from last year is a completely new rank. It’s easy to put a time period to a […]
The only thing I remember from my first competition is the referee saying, “Combate” (fight) and everything in my mind freezing – with everything I’d learned trapped within that ice. Nearly every competition since then has featured a struggle with that nervousness-induced ice. It wasn’t until I started to […]