Jiu Jitsu, Where Are The Women?

Four to five nights a week I spend my time in pursuit of becoming a better practitioner of Jiu Jitsu, of life really. In the past year since I started this journey I've learned so many things, but I've also noticed a lot of things about the world of Jiu Jitsu and MMA. I feel the need to share some small details, ones that matter to me as a woman in Jiu Jitsu.

For some reason in Jiu Jitsu, women are slim. What do I mean by that? I mean women don't do Jiu Jitsu, or not many. So far I have attended and competed in two tournaments. In both tournaments I went against girls that were anywhere from 20 to 85 lbs heavier than me. At first I was very upset. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that there was no one my size to compete against. Now I train with men from 125 to 330 lbs to be better prepared. After going to these competitions that were so slim on women, it really made me think. 

Why don't more women do Jiu Jitsu?

I must admit, I watched my husband teach Jiu Jitsu for a year before I really decided to seriously jump in and participate. I knew all the names of the positions and the submissions, sometimes he would teach me stuff and I'd practice if there was a girl to rep with. After awhile I realized that any woman that came to the gym stopped coming. They came up with some excuse to not come anymore. I feel like the patience isn't there for most. I think a lot of women give up after a few classes when really if they would stick with it for a little while longer they would love it. Part of it too, with men and women I believe, is that because we have MMA in the same building that there is a pressure to do MMA as well. Not everyone enjoys getting in a cage and sparring. The whole scene can be intimidating to many. Jiu Jitsu is made for all types, men, women, and kids. It's for people who are looking for weight loss, a new hobby, a new work out, a new social scene, to enter competitions, maybe to feel more confident in your defense against an attacker, to improve your MMA game, to gain perspective. It's beautiful how versatile it is for each and every person. 

 Jiu Jitsu is for everyone! 

I personally started doing Jiu Jitsu to get a good work out. I found out that you could burn 1000 calories doing one hour of Jiu Jitsu and I was sold (at the time I was counting calories, 1200 a day). It's fun and I was at the gym a few nights a week watching anyway. So I gave Jiu Jitsu a chance and I'm so glad I did. I feel more confident in myself as a women. Period. I lost weight, I changed my diet, I've made so many new friends (men and women), I found a hobby I truly enjoy, I feel more confident when I'm at the salon by myself in the evening. I've found patience, I process stress better, my ego is manageable, I don't crumble under pressure because I deal with pressure every night. 

It's a goal of mine. I just want to see more women doing Jiu Jitsu. I want more women competing in Jiu Jitsu. Why are women so afraid? When I first started, I only rolled with women. Considering we didn't have that many, I didn't roll very much. So I started rolling with the guys. I think that's where women get scared. Jiu Jitsu is a body contact sport. It's not like boxing where you have distance from your opponent. Ladies, it's not a big deal. Quite frankly, I think the men are more scared of the women because of our aggression. All of the men at our school are very respectful. I think a lot of times, even at a normal weight lifting gym, women like working out by themselves or just with other women because men may make comments that they should keep to themselves, usually sexual. We don't tolerate that sort of thing at our school, neither do most. Jiu Jitsu is all about respect, for yourself and your opponent as well. Also, when a woman goes to a gym, there's a need to try to look good while you work out, like a silly competition almost. At our gym it's so nice because no one judges. Everyone works hard, doesn't matter if you look terrible, all your make up sweats off, or if you're dripping in sweat. We work as a team; we have fun, listen to music, and joke around as we do it.

My name is Tori Applegate. I'm a hair stylist. I have trained Jiu Jitsu for almost a year and have recently started competing as well. My husband is the Head Instructor at 10th Planet Gulf Shores. (www.10thplanetgulfshores.com) We have 3 women right now, myself included. My goal is to have 7 by December 2013. So if you are a woman that might be interested in Jiu Jitsu, come talk to me because I can't wait to meet you!