Taking Up Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing as a Woman, Part 1

Month 1 of Jiu Jitsu

TV, movies, superheroes—they make us wish we knew how to defend ourselves. The only problem is putting in the time and effort required to practice.

At age 29, I was looking for things to do instead of just going to work, coming home, and watching YouTube videos. As an average height, slim woman, I noticed that I felt vulnerable much of the time. What would I do if I needed to defend myself, especially against a stronger assailant? I wanted to learn a martial art, but I had already spent four years in karate, and I knew that I didn’t learn how to fight.

After a quick Google search, I came across a place in my area that offered jiu jitsu. I had heard before that jiu jitsu was considered to be the most dangerous martial art. The website that I found said that 90% of fights end up on the ground, and it’s also great for women because it’s about leverage instead of raw strength—bonus!

         I remember when karate was trendy in the early 2000’s, and I think martial arts is even more popular now. When I practiced as a teenager, karate was mostly about doing forms and staying in great shape. We sparred, but we didn’t learn how to fight. At my old studio, we were mostly just told to face our opponent and throw punches and kicks. That’s not technique. That’s how the untrained fight.

         When I visited the jiu jitsu studio, I was impressed with the owners, especially the wife. I’ll call her Leah. She is a very toned, average-height woman with many tattoos. She’s also a jiu jitsu champion, a former police officer, and she’s been practicing since childhood. One day, I was talking to one of the guys at the studio who I’ll call Zayden, and he said he’d been practicing for eleven years, but Leah still beats him when they spar! And Zayden is not a small guy—he’s about 5’11 and broad shouldered.

This excited my girl boss energy.

The Financial Cost

It was much less expensive than I thought it would be. I thought it would be like a $3,000 contract for six months or something. It was actually only $150 a month for beginner students. I think they have about 50 adult students, and who knows how many kids. Your local studio will probably let you try it out for free for a short period of time. I don’t really know how they make enough money to cover both the studio’s rent and for wherever they live, but they must if they’re still in business.

         I think the price is well worth it. When you factor in being able to protect yourself, that’s pretty priceless. There’s also the social aspect, and you’re getting out of the house and doing something.

          What Class Looks Like

           During class, the women at the studio usually only train with the other women unless there’s only one woman in class. Usually, there’s between two to six women in each class, and I’ve only been by myself one time. For that class, the other owner—I’ll call him Dax—let me train with his teenage son, Camden, and it worked out fine. He was a kind, confident, and humble young man.

           That’s the thing about jiu jitsu. There’s no ego. You’re going to get submitted, and we’re all there to learn.

           I came for my week of free lessons, and my first class was probably perfect for me. After our warm up, we learned about the standard arm bar. That’s where you mount your opponent who’s on the ground and on their back, you place a knee next to their head, put your foot on the other side of their head with your heel up, and then you shift your weight so that you’re sitting on their stomach for a second. Finally, you grab their arm and bend it backwards as you head to the ground. For the best results, make sure that your opponent’s thumb is pointing up, and make sure you’re squeezing your legs to keep them on the ground. An arm bar will extend their elbow backwards, and this is a useful technique if you’re actually fighting for your life.

              I’m not really sure what convinced me to keep coming. Maybe I felt like I might as well try it out for a few months. It’s a good workout, and learning how to fight yourself is really helpful for writing fight scenes in your books.