When I first started BJJ, I was fairly thin, mostly because I was always on a diet, always trying to lose weight, and always adding workouts to my week or minutes to my workouts. When my first coach suggested that I try to cut some weight for a competition, […]
You know that soul-crushing moment when your opponent passes your guard to secure side control…then they settle in heart to heart and you just feel the weight suddenly crushing your very existence? Of course it feels great when you’re the one doing the soul-crushing (and bonus points when you […]
ESSENTIAL [ uh–sen-shuhl ]adj of the utmost importance; necessary; basic; indispensable, necessary. This word is undeniably a key buzzword associated with the current pandemic. What exactly is essential? Supermarkets? Gyms? Liquor stores? In New York State, several gyms,such as fitness centers and martial arts studios, have recently joined forces to […]
I was texting with my friend after class the other day about how all the rounds with the women at our gym are super tough. I jokingly said, “I wonder if that means we’re the rest rounds since every other round is challenging???” To which she quickly replied, “I know […]
Many competitive Jiujiteira view weight cutting as a necessary evil of the sport. I used to cut weight before every competition, even the local ones where there weren’t enough female competitors to create weight classes. The first time I talked to my coach about cutting weight I thought, “Maybe you […]
As different areas begin reopening, returning to BJJ is on the forefront of every practitioner’s mind. However, as eager as we all are to get back on the mats, remember that going back to training now after several months of lockdown will not be the same as returning after missing […]
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 […]
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) isn’t “easy” to begin with; and now, I’m adding being pregnant to the mix. People have asked me “why didn’t you just stop doing BJJ?” As a 20-week, pregnant Blue Belt, there have been many times where I haven’t made it to class. But with a strategy, […]