Grappling with Guys, for Women

The world of fighting is predominately a male world. Traditionally, guys are the ones always going off to battle; or are quick to knuckle-up in at parking lot duster outside of your local watering hole. Now that's not to say that women are excluded, but it is to say that women who fight are the exception. Just check out your garden variety World Star Hip Hop videos, the majority of those fights are going to be guys, but you will find some ladies mixing it up there as well, but again, it is the exception to see females in such an aggressive state. Ironically, though, history is FULL of sweet stories and tales of female warriors. Joan of Arc, Shieldmaidens of Norse mythology, Calamity Jane, just to name a few (way more here).

"Joan of Arc in Battle" by Hermann Anton Stilke

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, we do have a lot of great female competitors, and the female brackets are only getting bigger every year. So with that in mind I thought it would be good to revisit one of our most famous topics of rolling with girls, but this time explore it from the female perspective.

In our article, "When Hugs Get Dangerous: Guys Rolling with Women," we looked to help guys in training with women by having a (real live) actual female, Rebecca Reuben, tell us guys that women--essentially--aren't made of glass.  But today we're going to flip the script a little and have another guest post talking to women about rolling with guys, from the female perspective. BJJ Blue Belt Christine Fader weighs in this week. 

Christine and crew from Titans Fitness Academy

My name is Christine Fader.  I have been training BJJ for 3 years and am currently a blue belt at Titans Fitness Academy in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
I started my journey at a different Gym doing Muay Thai.  I used to see all the BJJ guys leaving their class so sweaty, exhausted, and happy--and I knew I wanted to be apart of it.
My initial foray into grappling was not easy.  While I have always loved competing in sports and working out I was not prepared for the all consuming mental and physical exhaustion that takes over from having zero technique and no knowledge of what to do.  I struggled a lot.  My first time rolling at open mat time I cried from frustration and vulnerability; and it wouldn't be my last time.  If I could offer any piece of advice to female white belts out there it is: to keep going.  You will get better--I promise.  Trust in the technique; trust in your instructors, trust in your training partners.    It is hard to go to class, day after day, spend hour after hour practicing techniques only to have your guard passed, get mounted and choked in 5 seconds by your larger, stronger training partner who just learned the choke that hour and the guard pass last week.  It feels as if you are wasting your time; or that you will never get it-until one day you don't get choked on 5 seconds.  The next time it takes much longer for your partner to get that choke; and months down the road, while your guard can still get passed you are surviving a lot longer.
As a female it can be especially frustrating because we are usually at a physical disadvantage, but I promise that the techniques work.  The harder you work, and the more you perfect them, you will see results--it just takes time.  Be stubborn.  Don't give up.
BJJ has brought me many close friendships and experiences I never thought I would have and it's only just begun.  I started at age 32, and if I can do it anyone can.  Just don't give up.

Christine in action

So let's keep some things in mind: as a female (or even some guys, I suppose) you're going to be at a physical disadvantage. Sure, of course, we can argue back and forth on the subject but science supports that males have more muscle and better bone density, thus making male bigger, stronger, and more physically dominate. But Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was designed to defeat that! As Christine points out, it's going to be frustrating. But I want to point out that you're not going to through anything any one else hasn't. 

Actress Kateryn Winnick as Lagertha in History Channel's Vikings

Being a female doesn't mean that you're not ever going to be as good as, or better than, the guys at your gym. I'm pretty sure Mackenzie Dern (love her) will ruin my life if she wanted to and I out weigh her by 100 pounds. Being female does, mean that you might be more fragile. It does mean that the guys you're training with will (probably) be trying to walk the line of technique and strength. So you're going to have to walk that same line, but in a more violent way. Set the pace. If you're looking to train harder with someone, set the pace. If you're more concerned about working technique, speak up, but also set the pace. You're going to train with men, that much is inevitable. So when the time comes don't be afraid to be aggressive, but remember to protect yourself from bad situations too. I know you're going to want to tough some stuff out (and you should) but don't be stupid and try to survive some things and get your ribs compromised by a bigger opponent. Trust me when I tell you: guys will always listen to girls on the mat. So even mid-roll if someone is going too rough--or too soft--speak up, joke about it, make them/us aware, but be ready for what comes.

I'm not suggesting that guys are going to be out there head-hunting or anything, but we're a dumb species and can misread suggestions. Finding a good training partner for yourself is a key. You want someone who's A) Comfortable with you & you with them B) Someone skilled enough that isn't new and thus can help you and C) Someone easy to work with so that you can roll, drill, or work out stuff together. That is a tall bill  to fill--like trying to find the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend--but they're out there. 

-and don't forget some other great sites from some female grapplers out there:

http://www.learningbjj.com/

http://www.bjjgirl.net/

This week's sponsors:

VVV Fight Co.

Hard as nails fightwear but by fighters for fighters.

Gis, no gi shorts, rash guards, tees, everything you need to look good on and off the mats and ALL made with TOP quality.

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VVV Facebook

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Q5 Sports Nutrition

All the supplements you need to keep your grappling game at its best. Know how I know? Because it's made by grapplers. Why screw around with something else?

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https://twitter.com/Q5Labs

facebook.com/Q5Combat

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BJJ in a Box

If you haven't noticed, nearly everything can come delivered to your home in a box these days.

Personally, I've never been blessed enough to have been gifted the "Jelly of the Month Club" from the WBS Office--or any other office for that matter. But I have belonged to a wine of the month and, most recently, Blue Apron (Blue Apron delivers ingredients and instructions for  meals weekly (kinda dope)).

BJJ is not to be excluded from that growing fad. If you haven't been paying attention lately, there are a ton of BJJ-related products out there; and said products are looking to gain traction and becomes a mat-hold-name (see what I did there?). These monthly subscription boxes are a great place for these new guys to establish their name, and for the already more recognizable names to continue to expand on their fan base by reaching out to a target audience. That's where these subscription boxes come in. They deliver a fair amount of BJJ goods to you in a box monthly. Now like other--non-BJJ related--subscription services, you don't really know what you're going to get monthly; but that's part of the fun. In our world (BJJ) there are a few of these services, but today we're going to talk about how sweet the OSS Box is. Why? Well I wanted to do a blog on these services and put them all through a vetting process and OSS Box was the one I liked the best. I liked OSS Box because, like WBS, it was started as a way to give back to the community in a way that's meant to be helpful--by getting new products in the hands of the people who will use them. In their own words: "We are a subscription box service that provides you, the BJJ enthusiast, with awesome products delivered right to your doorstep every month. We work hard at picking the best and most awesome products to satisfy all your grappling needs, wants, and desires. I started The OSS Box because I always have a hard time picking out what kind of products to buy and where to buy them from as there are so many different items and places to get them from. The OSS box is a way to get awesome products from awesome companies into the hands of subscribers like you. The BJJ community is a tight one, so our idea is to have The OSS Box serve as a gateway for our subscribers to be introduced to companies, whether existing or new and the products that will benefit them on and off the mats."

Christmas-esque Suspense 

Since that was close to my intention with WBS, I thought with that sort of mission in mind, the two of us would make a good tag team, OSS Box agreed, and now here we are.

So the WBS Office was eagerly awaiting the OSS Box delivery. I knew a tshirt was coming, at least, because I was asked to give my size (XL if any of you all wanna get at your boy here), but other than that I had no idea. So when the box came in the mail I couldn't wait to get it open.

Now listen, this may sound a little like a commercial, but let's keep it real--it's not. I want to highlight how cool the stuff is that OSS Box provided. Of course OSS Box sponsored the blog, but I think I've explained my reasons why loud and clear enough. But, like all things in BJJ, one more time won't hurt.

The Big Reveal

So I open the box and there it is--this month's haul. Up front you can see Gi Soal and some wild drink thingy. But upon further investigation this box had some more goodies. Specifically, a bag of protein chips, a protein bar, that "drink thingy" was actually two cool little funnels (one with a bigger mouth than the other) that you can use to pour protein--or whatever powder--into a standard water bottle, some stickers, and the tshirt.

The Haul

The Happy Customer

So as you can see, you get a fair share of products for $23.65 a month.

But, for the month of December, if you use the code word "WBS20" you can save 20% off of your first box.

Let's consider the math without using math. You're going to spend $24 a month on something stupid (coffee, beef jerky, beers, etc) so why not redirect that to something that will be beneficial to you and your BJJ? It's more stupid not to. Obviously you're a WBS fan, so if you've been considering a monthly subscription box, use the WBS approved OSS Box.  But if you want some more convincing, I'll let the good folks of OSS Box put it in their own words again:

"By offering amazing items in our monthly subscription boxes, I'm hoping that BJJ can become more a part of your everyday, training and life.

I am a BJJ fanatic myself. I have been training for two years now and currently am a blue belt. I have a background in Judo and Wrestling as well. I live, breath, and train BJJ every waking moment. I can truly say that BJJ changed my life for the better. 

We are based out of NYC. The boxes ship out the last week of every month so the subscribers will have it in their hands by the first of week of the box month. We have a cut off date that subscribers need to sign up by in order to get their next box. So for example our next box will be the January Box, so new subscribers have to sign up by December 15th in order to receive it the first week of January, if they sign up after the cut off date they will receive the February Box first. "

Not bad, huh? Good people, that OSS Box. Let's recap: I wanted to blog about one of these services, I looked at a few and OSS Box was the best one (further corroborated by their statements/stances). OSS Box was kind enough to offer that promo code for the month of December of WBS20 to save your White Belt lovin-self 20% off your first box.  Get yourself a gift, gift it to a friend, help out a great company--and ipso facto a handful of other great companies--in our community all while receiving products you'll use and love. The tshirt I got from RollJunkie is cool and good quality, the funnel things from Shoot N Shake work perfect and I love them. My overall experience with OSS Box was exactly what I wanted. My dealings with the people behind the scenes was more than pleasant, just like all BJJ people. I vouch for them. Plus, getting random BJJ stuff in the mail just rules.

This Week's Sponsors:

The OSS Box!

Shocker, I know--but for real, not much else we can say about this company that hasn't already been expressed above. Check them out at:
http://theossbox.com/
OSS Box Facebook Page
OSS Box on the I'Gram

VVV Fight Co.
My favorite line of BJJ products for both on, and off, the mats.

If ya don't know, you don't gotta ask somebody because I'm here to tell you: VVV is top quality. VVV is attractive, cool, fun clothes. VVV is WBS's #1 supporter. Go give them some love.

http://www.vvvfightco.com/
VVV on Twitter
VVV's Facebook
VVV Insta

Q5 Sports Nutrition

Supplements made in America by grapplers for grapplers.
Why mess around with anything else? Support your family here.

http://q5sn.com/
https://twitter.com/Q5Labs
Q5 Facebook
Q5 on IG