In the seventies men didn’t want women in the dojo, there were even several “Women’s Only” martial arts schools.  Class material was the same as in male-dominated dojos — the difference wasn’t what was taught but how. In your typical martial art class they begin by tearing the ego down, but in women-only classes you build the ego up — not in a “you look great” kind of way, but something more like “yes, your doing great!”  We have come a long way since the days when we were not welcome in class and most schools have “Americanized” martial arts for men and women, building our students up ..read more

This past weekend I attended the 1st Annual AZ Women’s BJJ Spring Retreat in Prescott AZ. Seven of my female teammates accompanied me to the retreat including my  Mom....and we had a blast!! I can’t say enough to actually describe how great this event was, the retreat was put together and ran by the amazing Professor Sarah Black, with workshops taught by Professor Luka Dias, Professor Heather Rafferty, Professor Lisa Pages, Seta Ruepenny, Nana Hosokowa and I am so honored to say that I got to teach as well ..read more

it may not always seem like it but, competing is not something I feel excited to do. The first time I competed (less than 3 mos into training) I don’t even remember the match. It was like I had just blacked out and fought. Somehow I actually won. ​ I was terrified, hands shaking, butterflies, several sleepless nights leading up to it. But, the feeling afterward!! Unexplainable! I had conquered one of my biggest fears! After 7 years, this feeling has lessened but, it’s still in there. I still get the upset stomach, butterflies etc...but, I have learned how to handle them better. M ..read more

​Do you like being naked in public?   There are some people who really don't mind being naked in public but, for most of us, it would be a very uncomfortable, vulnerable feeling.  Competing can give that same "vulnerable" feeling. Competing can also give you an amazing feeling of accomplishment; bravery and success…win or lose! ​Some people have no issue with putting themselves out there but, those people are few and far between. I always feel like I am the only one that has this terrified feeling about what th ..read more

In-case you men don’t know this….women do not like to disclose their weight.  I sometimes wonder if this keeps some women from competing. This is the 1st sport I’ve been involved in where I’m constantly asked “how much do you weigh?” or “what’s your weight class?” My point is….not only do we girls have to be brave enough to get out there and fight, we have to tell our weight (and sometimes our age). I have weighed the same weight most of my adult life (aside from during pregnancy). This seems to be a comfortable weight for me, I eat whatever I want, I can work out hard or not at all an ..read more

When we 1st decided to open an academy, I had no thoughts of teaching our kids program, maybe jump in and help once in awhile or fill in if someone needed a night off. As we got closer to opening, my son Tyson (who was most likely going to be in charge of the kids program) decided to move out to Mesa, closer to his work.  My 1st thoughts were "oh no! who's going to teach kids class? There is no way, I will have the energy and maybe not even the time" (btw, for those who don't know this, I work a full time job as an office manager for a dentist, I get up at about 5am almost everyday and work ..read more

I was reading through some of my old blogs and found this one about what a pain long hair is in Jiu Jitsu. Lots of girls struggle with this problem. We spend more effort fighting our hair then our opponent. When I first started Jiu Jitsu my hair was kinda short, it was such a pain because it was too short to put up but just long enough to be in my face. I decided to grow it a little longer because of this.   Some of my female training partners have this amazing big thick long hair. They tie it back in a ponytail and it looks great and stays put through class ..read more

Jiu Jitsu is a high priority in my life.  I work around many other circumstances to make sure I get it in.  No excuses,  if you really want to train, some how you figure out a way! Unfortunately, as I get older, getting the time in isn't as hard as listening to my body when it's saying "PLEASE give me a break!!!  I'm old, tired, sore and injured!!" Especially with a tournament coming up. Training for tournaments has been one of my hardest areas to find a good balance. How much is too much? How little is too little? Last year when I went to Worlds, I spent some time with a few of my competito ..read more

 Competing can be very stressful, you (or your child) may have had a sleepless night, you may have had to drop a few pounds, you may be experiencing a little adrenaline or you may be calm as a cucumber. What ever the case may be, the last thing you want to worry about is something you forgot or just didn’t know about. Here is a basic check list of things you should always bring to a competition and some little tips:An extra gi (Competition gi’s usually need to be white, black or royal blue) and can only have patches in correct area’s (see image below) Do not wear colored gel or hair sp ..read more

Last Saturday night I made my Fight 2 Win and Brown Belt debut! Although I didn't come home with the win, I am so happy to have participated in this awesome event!  When I accepted the opportunity to compete at fight 2 win, my husband (who was also on the card) said "are you really going to do this?" knowing I struggle with performance anxiety even in small tournaments. I told him "I feel like this is an amazing opportunity that I may not get a chance to do ever again and I NEED to do it".  With that being said...I only had about 10 panic attacks when thinking about it for the month to ..read more