Tips

three martial artists holding their belts in grey scale

Tips To Overcome Anxiety In Jiu-Jitsu

Want to hear something crazy? I’m a jiu-jitsu purple belt… who suffers from anxiety attacks while training. I think anxiety is the best way to describe it. I’m not exactly sure what to call it. Panic attacks? Claustrophobia? I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter what I call it, all I know is how…

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image of a Japanese woman in traditional blue kimono with flowers and an orange and yellow umbrella

The Art of Jiu-Jitsu Preparedness

As I slowly and painfully master jiu-jitsu I also start to master other skills (also slowly and painfully) that I didn’t know would be necessary for my journey. Like the prep work and foresight that goes into ensuring that myself, as well as my family, make it to class regularly. Somehow through a weird connectivity,…

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image of a sign with humility and arrogance written on it

The ballad of humility

Years ago, when I started my journey to find a martial art for self-defense reasons, jiu-jitsu was at the top of my list. At the time, I was dating a guy that we’ll call Todd (yes, the same Todd I mention on my about page). Now Todd had attended a few jiu-jitsu classes before we…

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image of flat stone stacked on each other on the beach

Balancing Life & Jiu-jitsu

When I first started jiu-jitsu, I went on Tuesday and Thursday and lived 45 minutes away. I also worked in the middle of town, which meant running to the south edge of town to the daycare, then back north for practice. Life was chaotic. Factor in things like dinner, homework, preparing for the next day…

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image of a woman in a blue gi submitting a person in a white gi with an arm bar

5 Things Women Need To Know When Grappling With Men

When I started jiu-jitsu, I knew that my hair would always be a mess, my nails would be short, makeup looks bad after a sweaty grapple session, and I’ll have to roll with the guys. It’s just a fact of life (well, jiu-jitsu life). I knew my partners would be sweating in my face (sometimes…

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