Pub Corner

You Never Forget Your First Time

jiujiteiramagazine October 1, 2020 2 min read

I remember experiencing a mixture of excitement laced with fear at my first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. Even though my whole family was on the mat and I had nothing to worry about with my husband as the instructor, there was still a level of anxiety I hadn’t felt before in a class.

Could I handle the physical demands of training? Was I strong enough? Fast enough? Smart enough? Jiu-Jitsu is hard. Mentally and physically. Yet, it is for everybody. Could I learn all of these escapes and positions? Could I actually submit someone? How close is too close? And what if I get injured?

Everyone begins more or so like this, with lots of questions. Between wearing a gi, learning positions, getting comfortable being uncomfortable, and the amount of physical contact with strangers, Jiu-Jitsu is a foreign activity for most people. It’s especially daunting for women, particularly when you are the only one in your gym. The national average shows women outnumbered 10 to 1 in classes (read our cover story, Fight Like a Girl, on page 6).

As Jiujiteiras, we know Jiu-Jitsu can save lives and statistically, women are 10 times more likely than men to be the victim of a violent crime. So why aren’t there more women training BJJ?

Maybe it’s because there aren’t enough outlets to promote the existing thriving community of women in this sport. Jiujiteira Magazine is a supporter of that movement and wants to give it a voice.

I’m on a quest to learn as much as I can and to find out who we are — mothers, daughters, wives, warriors — what are some of the challenges we face in Jiu-Jitsu, and how are we influencing the sport, from the self-defense practitioner to the professional fighter. How is BJJ impacting our lives and how do we share it with more women?

Tell us what you think of our very first issue and let us know what stories you want to read , questions you have and what are you curious about. Send your comments to: [email protected].

Welcome to our first issue! Oss.

– Evelyn Sutton