Having done Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over 15 years, I’ve heard all the usual cliches about martial arts gyms – that they’re full of sweaty meatheads with terrible tattoos who treat sparring rounds like a UFC title fight. It’s this reputation that puts many women off trying out martial arts like BJJ.
With this in mind, I’m gonna tell you a secret that will piss off a lot of the dudes reading this. Here we go; if anything, BJJ is better suited to women than it is to men.
At its core, BJJ helps smaller people be effective against bigger people. Whilst strength is useful, flexibility is really important, and technique is king. From my experience, women tend to ‘muscle’ through BJJ techniques way less than the blokes. This means they’re building more effective muscle memory from day one.
At TGL, I’m lucky to have a big group of awesome women that have helped to make it a special place to train. After chatting about their experiences, we’ve put together some tips to help any woman in their BJJ journey:
Find the right gym (and pick your friends carefully)
This one’s pretty obvious; you’ll get better if you’re doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in a cooperative and supportive environment .
If you’re sussing out starting at a BJJ gym, it’s worth picking up the phone and chatting to a trainer. Their attitude and responses to your questions will reveal heaps more than the ‘About’ section of their website. Are they patient? Do they communicate well? Do they have a strong crew of women at their gym already? A good gym should have an environment of support and respect with no cliques or favourites.
Once you’re at a gym, it’s super important to find the right training partners who are going to help you get better. Avoid the ‘win at all costs’ types, and get in with people who roll on a ‘give and take’ basis. Your opponents should let you take risks and attempt new things without trying to blindly ‘win’ each round.
Position yourself to win
“Improve your position!”- the TGL crew get this from me so often that they probably hear my voice in their dreams.
It’s with good reason too – picking your spots and prioritising improving your position will help you to overcome the advantages that larger, stronger opponents might have over you. Focusing on position will help to set the foundation for some interesting submissions once the opportunity pops up.
Over time, you’ll learn all sorts of techniques and adjustments that will allow you to better maintain a dominant position over an opponent. Hand placement, restricting opponent’s movement, and posture control are a few points that will benefit you massively.
When you do find yourself in a less than desirable position, focus on using the fundamentals to improve your position. If you’re in side control, frame up with one hand on the shoulder, and one on the bicep. If you’re in half guard, get your legs back in to establish your full guard. By focusing on a winning position, you’ll position yourself to win.
Exercise your curiosity
There’s no one-size-fits all approach to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – there are pathways to success for all sizes and shapes.
Over time, you’ll soak up loads of great techniques and info that’ll help mould you into a monster. You can get a more thorough understanding of the nuances behind these techniques by discussing them with your trainer. Understanding why (or when) a technique is done a certain way can be really important in your progress to pulling it off in a live roll.
You also might benefit from personalised advice tailored to your individual body type or strengths, which will help you pull off transitions, submissions and positions in a way that’s most effective for you personally.
Not everyone is super comfortable asking these sorts of questions in-class, but I can promise you that any trainer worth their belt will appreciate you asking.
Trust the process
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be intimidating for anyone to start – women included. Many newbies are put off by their early struggles as they build their muscle memory and get used to the flow of BJJ.
Here’s the thing – it’s OK to lose! It’s taken me 15 years to become a BJJ Black Belt, and I’ve had my ass kicked more times than I can count – each time has taught me a new lesson, and made me stronger.
For many women, the idea of mastering a submission on another woman (let alone a larger or heavier man), seems far-fetched, but it’s totally achievable with practice – I promise. Seeing one of our TGL women make one of the boys croak like a frog is simply the best (unless you’re the dude getting choked).
Like any other hobby, BJJ is about mastering the finer details. Stick to your guns and trust the process. Even with passion and dedication, perfect results won’t come overnight – but they’ll come eventually.