Jiu Jitsu, Where Are the Women? Part 2

Jiu Jitsu is the art of using leverage and technique to submit your opponent. Size does not matter. It is not about power or strength. So why don't we see more women actively doing Jiu Jitsu if size, strength, and power aren't needed?

In my last article, "Jiu Jitsu, Where Are the Women?" ( www.10thplanetgulfshores.com/blog ), I started to touch on some possible reasons why women don't commit to Jiu Jitsu. I'd like to delve further into those and also, why women should do Jiu Jitsu. I'd like to shed some light on what to expect when you start doing Jiu Jitsu and maybe, just maybe, get women on the gulf coast to give it a shot.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Here is the ideal thing to expect when you start Jiu Jitsu. First, you will have a class on technique, a sequence of maybe three or four submissions that take place in a certain position. For example, if you were to come to a class and the position was your guard (you are on bottom with your legs wrapped around your opponent's waist), you might learn how to break that person's posture, then submit them with an arm bar (over extension of the arm). In the same class you probably will also learn to submit your opponent with an omoplata (shoulder lock) and a triangle (one arm in choke). You learn these techniques one at a time and rep them with a partner/classmate enough times to start feeling comfortable with what you're learning. Usually the technique class will last around an hour. A separate hour is set aside for live rolling/sparring. The purpose of this is to apply the techniques you've learned in the different technique classes you may have taken so far in a realistic setting. Live rolling is essential and helps you progress in Jiu Jitsu at a faster pace than just attending technique class. The confidence it gives you to grapple with your classmates of all sizes, strengths, and levels of technique is not something you can grasp until you have done it. 

So you have an idea of the structure of technique class and live rolling! Now I would like to touch on a few things that take getting used to and a few things that might make women apprehensive, but I promise once you get a true taste of Jiu Jitsu, you will grow a passion for it.

FULL BODY CONTACT

One of the biggest issues I believe women have with Jiu Jitsu is the fact that it is a full body contact sport. What does that mean? Well, it means that people are going to touch your feet and possibly areas that might make you uncomfortable, NORMALLY. You and your opponent will be body to body and will have to touch each other, sweat on each other. It's just part of the sport. I want to reassure all of the women out there. You will be treated just like everyone else. The men are so respectful. They act appropriately and it enables all of us to learn, grow, and have a fun time. When you sign up for Jiu Jitsu, you join a team. Man or woman, we all train together working to achieve different or similar goals.

THE WRONG TOUCH

There is always a possibility that there will be a problem while rolling/sparring.  Body parts are going to be touched, but there's a difference in doing this on accident in transition and doing it on purpose. Ladies, if ever this were to happen, it's ok. It can be dealt with simply.  Men are attracted to women so sadly, sometimes inappropriate things happen. Let your instructor know immediately and if you are uncomfortable having body contact with certain men, decease. Rep and roll with everyone else, it is a very easy problem to solve if for some reason this comes up. Now that being said, I have been around MMA and Jiu Jitsu for a little more than two years and have never seen this occur, but I can tell that the fact of there being a slight possibility that this could happen makes women very uncomfortable. Please, don't toss Jiu Jitsu to the side because of a 2% chance that an inappropriate situation may occur at some point.

The chances are higher at Walmart, yet we all venture there once a week to buy groceries.

EGOS

Don't hold back because of others and their ego problems. Some people say Jiu Jitsu is a man's sport and yes, true, it is dominated mostly by men at this time, but who has the power to make Jiu Jitsu strictly a "man's sport". The answer is no one. Rhonda Rousey has proven that. Because of her, women are now in the UFC. Because of her amazing Jiu Jitsu, women are getting recognition in this sport. Also, on the Metamoris Pro 2 card(Jiu Jitsu Super fights event) there was a women's Jiu Jitsu super fight. Jiu Jitsu is for everyone, even in a competitive setting. I've read different articles and blogs where people talk about how maybe a man being tapped out or submitted by a woman messes with his ego because maybe another man in the gym will make a foolish comment like, " Ha! You got tapped by a girl." So what are people trying to say? Maybe they're trying to voice their opinion on not liking women doing Jiu Jitsu, and why? Because it hurts their EGO. Ha! Ladies, what a better reason to start Jiu Jitsu immediately. Some of the best Jiu Jitsu players have no ego. They are humble and down to earth. Jiu Jitsu teaches humility and respect, how to work hard, and to not give up under extreme pressures. That is Jiu Jitsu.

So I've touched on a few things that might intimidate or make women uncomfortable, but now I really want touch on why Jiu Jitsu is a perfect match for women. Prepare to fall in love.

ME TIME

As women, we spend 80-90% of our time caring for someone else in some way. Whether we're working at our job, making phone calls for our husband, cooking a meal for the family, trying to schedule out time to clean the house, planning a surprise party, etc. There are constant demands on us, and that's ok. We are the glue that holds things together, but sometimes we get so carried away that we realize we do nothing for ourselves. We scheduled everything, but forgot ourselves. Jiu Jitsu is the perfect hobby for every women. Most places offer day and night classes. The gym is a place you can go and be able to 1) work out while having fun, 2) release life's stresses, physically, 3) learn something new and develop strong self confidence, and 4) feel that if ever you were attacked, that guy would sincerely regret it.

UNBELIEVABLE WORKOUT & DEFENSE MECHANISM

Did you know that while doing an hour of Jiu Jitsu you will burn, at the minimum, 1,000 calories? That is how I started doing Jiu Jitsu. It is an amazing full body workout. It's so easy in today's world to have a diet that's not the best choice and forget about exercising. Jiu Jitsu can't change your diet, although a lot of people that do Jiu Jitsu eat very healthy. As far as exercise, if you love it and it's your hobby, how can you not do it? If you like strategy games, I promise you will be addicted. Jiu Jitsu is practically a physical game of chess. If working out is more of a mental thing, it's not necessarily easier, but it does make it more fun and challenging. The neat thing is, during all of this you are also learning how to defend yourself should you ever be caught on your back in the street. You develop reflexes and awareness from live rolling every night that translate over to real life situations. I know personally, I feel better having some knowledge in my back pocket just in case I get caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.

WOMEN ARE MADE FOR JIU JITSU

Women are made for this sport. There are so many factors that contribute to being a good Jiu Jitsu player and women just might have an advantage. Most women are naturally flexible. Flexibility is not necessarily needed to do Jiu Jitsu, but it makes it a lot easier. It can help make some of the transitions faster. It can help get you out of bad positions before your opponent can settle in to keep you there. Also, like I said at the very start of this article, strength, power, and size aren't needed in Jiu Jitsu. I will say this, being the smallest one is hard, it's hard for a little while until you start learning how to maneuver big people, or really strong people. I just stated that it was hard, yes, but being small makes you so much more technical because you have to learn to use leverage and technique at the highest level. Why? Because you cannot use strength, or power, or size even a little bit. Too, I believe the women that get into this sport develop a determination and a ruggedness. We let nothing get in our way and we train so hard, for upcoming competitions and other reasons as well. Women have strong minds. We put our emotion into things we feel strongly about or really believe in. Women are capable of being limitless in Jiu Jitsu if they would just let it in.

So to conclude, please ladies, give Jiu Jitsu a fighting chance. You won't be disappointed if you stick with it. The gulf coast needs women in this sport, and so does the rest of the world. My name is Tori Applegate. I'm a regular person like you. I'm a hair stylist, but at night I do Jiu Jitsu. At night, I'm part of a great team. If you live around Baldwin County, feel free to drop by our school, 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Gulf Shores (www.10thplanetgulfshores.com). Let us make you part of our team!

Article written by Tori Applegate

Eddie Bravo coming to 10th Planet Gulf Shores on July 20th!!!

It's 10 days away! I can't stress how excited we are to have Eddie Bravo in Gulf Shores, AL. His super fight with Royler is just 3 months away and even still, he is coming HERE to put on a seminar for us!! 

For more info, go to www.facebook.com/10thplanetgulfshores under "Events".

Tickets are available at https://eddiebravogulfshores.eventbrite.com/

Contact us @ 10thplanetgulfshores@gmail.com 

Strikehard Grappling 2 - 8/24/13

Strikehard Grappling 2

Date: August 24, 2013

Address of event: 100 Warrior Dr.,  Alabaster, Al, 35007

MORE INFO

Pre-registration discount  for registration by August 14th @ 11:59 PM.         - $15

First weight division: Gi, no-Gi or Absolute                                                       $65

Second weight division: Gi, no-Gi or Absolute                                                  $20

Third weight class: Gi, no-Gi or Absolute                                                          $10

Fourth weight class: Gi, no-Gi or Absolute                                                        $10                 

* Gi Absolute and no - Gi Absolute divisions can be entered as the First Weight Class Division selected

      

MENS DIVISIONS

Flywt: Up to 125lbs

Bantamwt: 125.1 - 135 lbs.

Featherwt: 135.1 - 145 lbs.

Lightwt: 145.1 - 155 lbs.

Welterwt: 155.1 - 170 lbs.

Middlewt: 170.2 - 185 lbs.

Light heavywt: 185.1 - 205 lbs.

Cruiserwt: 205.1 - 230 lbs.

Heavywt: 230.1 - 265 lbs.

Superheavywt: 266+ lbs.

WOMEN'S DIVISIONS

Flywt: Up to 95 lbs.

Bantamwt: 95.1 - 105 lbs.

Featherwt: 105.1 - 115 lbs.

Lightwt: 115.1 - 125 lbs.

Welterwt: 125.1 - 135 lbs.

Middlewt: 135.1-145 lbs.

Lightheavywt: 145.1 - 155 lbs.

Cruiserwt: 155.1 - 165 lbs.

Heavywt: 165.1 - 185 lbs.

Superhvywt: 185.1 + lbs.

YOUTH DIVISIONS

There are no preset weight classes for ages 4 - 17. Brackets will be created through theMadison Bracketing System. Children and teens will be sorted after weigh ins and grouped into sets of 4 or 8 ( group size dependent on turnout ). Brackets will be determined by weight, experience, and age (whenever possible)


Gi Belt Levels

Adults

White
Blue
Purple
Brown
Black

Youth (4 - 17)

White
Yellow and above.

 NO GI SKILL LEVELS

Skill levels are determined by time spent training in any comparable grappling art. Any wrestler with extensive experience (3 or more years in high school, or any collegiate experience) must enter at least intermediate no-gi. Judo, Sambo, and MMA experience count the same as BJJ.

ADULTS

Novice: Up to 9 months (white belts only)

Beginner: Up to 2 years (white belt only)

Intermediate: 2 - 5 years, or blue belt

Advanced: Over 5 years, or purple belt and above

YOUTH (4 - 17 years)

Beginners: Up to 1 year of training in any grappling art.

Intermediate: Up to 3 years of training in any grappling art.

Advanced: Over 3 years of training in any grappling art.

RAPE, Do You Have a Plan B?

This is something that has been on my mind this week, so I started to look into some of the facts and decided that this is something both women and men should be more aware of.

Rape.

Is it ignorance or lack of importance in everyday life? Now days for something to be unfortunate it seems it must be gruesome and twisted to get our attention. Have we simply become immune to tragedy? Or is it just common place? Rape, kidnapping, and sexual assault are so rampid that they are considered common. The question is should they be? No, I don't believe so. 

The worst part is that after going through some of these statistics, I realized the world is even more frightening than we thought. How do women walk the streets alone? How does a woman with nothing in her back pocket, no Plan B, walk around Walmart at night buying groceries without being in constant fear of an attacker? Everyone knows someone that has been a victim. How are we so sure that we're not next in line. 

When I was 15 years old, I had a friend. We had been BFF's since I don't know, maybe 9 or 10 years old. She came down every summer from North Carolina and stayed for a month or two. When she was 14, she had just came from staying here on the beach. She had broke up with her boyfriend (2 or 3 years older than her, by the way) just before she came down to visit. When she got back home and started school back, she was raped by him, her ex. She was raped at school in the computer room, in the library...at SCHOOL. It can happen anywhere, even being a kid and having adults around, it can happen.

It's terrible to think that adults aren't the only ones that deal with this sort of thing. It's children too. Poor, innocent little children that don't know how to defend themselves have to deal with adults that have mental problems enough to molest or rape a child. 

So what are we doing America? Ladies, what's your Plan B? If you have a man between your legs, do you feel confident that you can defend yourself? Do you have an escape route? Parents, have you talked to your kids about sexual assault? In a good majority of cases, the victim knows the attacker. What are you doing so that these kids can defend themselves or at least know how to move away from an attacker in such a way that they can escape?

Maybe we can't stop rape, or violence as a whole, but maybe we can have a Plan B, just in case. Having a Plan B gives you confidence in yourself. Which, in turn, makes you look less vulnerable or weak to anyone on the hunt for their next rape victim.

I'm begging you guys!! Ladies, men, girls and boys, please come try Jiu Jitsu. Come try a class with us. Women and children especially. We need a plan, an escape route. We as women need the confidence that if a man gets between our legs, he's getting his arm broken and then he's getting choked to sleep. Kids need Jiu Jitsu in their life. They need to be part of a team and to experience pressure so that they know what to do and don't panic in a bad situation. We have a kid right now that's 12 and if something ever was about to happen, I firmly believe that attacker would get choked out in about 10 seconds or less. Give your kids the confidence they need in such a violent and crime filled world. Give them the skills they need just in case they ever have to execute their Plan B.

Facts:

Rape Statistics 
Click For Stats Page

• Every 2 minutes, someone in the U S, is sexually assaulted.
• 
  
• 1 in 4 girls will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18.
• 1 in 6 women have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
• 15 % of sexual assault and rape victims are under the age of 12.
• Approximately 68% of rape victims knew their assailant. 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. 29% of female victims reported that the offender was a stranger.
• More than 50% of all rape/sexual assault incidents were reported by victims to have occurred within 1 mile of their home or at their home.
• About 3% of American men – or 1 in 33 – have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
• 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape.
  
  
• 17.7 million American Women have been victims of attempted or completed rape.
• 93 % of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker.
• Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes, with 60 % still being left unreported. 
• In 2007:
• In Alabama, 1,408 rapes were reported.
• An average of 4 rapes per day.
• In 72 % of the rapes, the victim and offender knew or were related to each other.
• 22.5 years was the average age of a victim.
• 19 % of rapes occurred on a Saturday and 18 % on a Sunday.
• 28.0 was the average age of an offender.

Rape Myths

Myth: Rape is caused by lust or uncontrollable sexual urges and the need for sexual gratification.

Fact: Rape is an act of physical violence and domination that is not motivated by sexual gratification.

Myth: Women provoke sexual assault by their appearance. Sexual attractiveness is a primary reason why a rapist selects a victim.

Fact: Rapists do not select their victims by their appearance. They select victims who are vulnerable and accessible. Victims of sexual assault range in age groups from infants to the elderly. Sexual attractiveness is not an issue.

Date Rape

• 84 percent of the women who are raped knew their assailants.
• 57 percent of the rapes occurred on a date.
• Women, ages 16-24, have four times higher risk of being raped than any other population group.
• 16 percent of male students who had committed rape took part in episodes with more than one attacker's gang rape.
• 33 percent of males surveyed said that they would commit rape if they could escape detection.
• 25 percent of men surveyed believed that rape was acceptable if the woman asks the man out,  the man pays for the date or the woman goes back to the man's room after the date.

Sexual Assault

• One out of four women is sexually assaulted at some point in her life.
• One out of six men is sexually assaulted at some point in his life.
• Every 15 seconds, a woman is beaten by her husband or boyfriend. (FBI Uniform Crime Report, 1991) (I bet it's worse now)
• Two to four million women are abused every year. (American Medical Association)
• 95 to 98 percent of victims of domestic violence are women. (Bureau of Statistics)
• Approximately 25 percent of all women in the U.S. will be abused by current or former partners some time during their lives. (American Medical Association)
• 82.8 percent of sexual assaults occur before the victim reaches the age of 25.
• 78 percent of sexual assault victims were assaulted by someone they knew.
• Up to 57 percent of rapes happened on a date.
• Fewer than 20 percent of crimes of sexual violence are reported to the police.
• One in eight college women is the victim of rape during her college years. One in four is the victim of attempted rape.
• 95 percent of these rape victims did not report the rape to officials.
• 25 percent of women were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, partner or date during their lifetime.
• 84 percent of the women knew the men who raped them; 57 percent were on dates.

     Rape Myths and Facts

My name is Tori Applegate and I have a mission to help educate people about Jiu Jitsu. I worry for the women and children. I know there's not much I can do, but I'm trying to make people aware on the web and in the local area. Jiu Jitsu can help your life as a Plan B and in general. Give it a shot and I promise, you won't look back!

Find us on the web! 

www.10thplanetgulfshores.com

Eddie Bravo VS Royler Gracie.....Rematch!

Eddie Bravo Vs Royler Gracie

I can't believe it's finally happening!

Did you know?
Eddie Bravo was a brown belt the first time he fought Royler Gracie.

He has come a long way, 10 years and a whole new Jiu Jitsu system later, here we are.
Metamoris 3 will be taking place in L.A. on October 18, 2013.








Eddie Bravo is coming to 10th Planet Gulf Shores!! If you haven't RSVPed, go to Facebook and do it NOW. He is coming July 20th to put on a seminar at our school. Everyone is welcome!

Facebook- Click "Events" to RSVP 

Click here to buy your ticket!

Tori Applegate at West FL State Tournament 6/8/13

So here is my first match from the IBJJF West FL State competition. I heard this was one of Alan Belcher's girls. It wasn't an easy fight, that's for sure!

Our next competition is August 10th so more videos on the way very soon, maybe even some footage of Eddie Bravo when he comes to Gulf Shores!! If you haven't RSVPed, go to Facebook and do it NOW. He is coming July 20th to the Gulf Coast!

Facebook- Click "Events" to RSVP

Click here to buy your ticket!

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!