Blog Archives

Just some Girls in the Jiu Jitsu World? I think not!!

4/26/2013

Here is the 1st look at "Team Just a Girl!"
When I started this company my goal was to be able to help out some other ladies, the way many sponsors have helped me! "Just a Girl in a Jiu Jitsu World" is still fairly new but, I'm hoping to do MUCH more for these girls in the future!
I have done LOTS of research to find a few girls to sponsor, girls that are not only AMAZING at Jiu Jitsu but, good roll models as-well. These are girls I'm am proud to stand behind!
Introducing: Alysa, Hannah & Priscilla!

Priscilla Barbosa
Blue Belt out of Gracie Barra Arcadia.

Pricilla began her training at GB Arcadia and soon her love for learning the techniques not only made her a fan but our very own 2012 Juvenile Gold medal World Champion. Pricilla’s commitment to BJJ and her magnetic personality are remarkable. An assistant coach in Little Champs and Juniors classes, she is an excellent example of the positive influence BJJ can have on a young person. Blue Belt under Professor Lucas Rocha. She has been training for two years, and hasn't stopped at all! WATCH OUT LADIES!!
Not only is she a World Champion and Pan American Champion, she also speaks Brazilian Portuguese, English and Spanish! Pretty impressive!

Hannah "The Cheetah" Ripper
Hannah "The Cheetah" Ripper is an 8 year old Yellow Belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom who has been training since the age of 5 with the Cesar Gracie "Gracie Fighter" team. "My favorite positions are Spider Guard, De La Riva, and my favorite submissions are arm bars and bow and arrow chokes."
Hannah is the 2x consecutive Pan American Kids Champ!

Alysa Moreno
Alysa is a 10 year old Yellow Belt and has been training brazilian Jiu-jitsu since the age of 4 she started yr of 2007 and is an active competitor for Gracie Gym Plano TX.

Alysa has a nice list of accomplishments and is looking to add LOTS more!

For more on "Team Just a Girl"
http://www.justagirlbjj.com/just-a-girl-team.html

Thank you to my sponsors!

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Jiu Jitsu Girls Help TAP OUT Breast Cancer

4/23/2013

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As a thank you to my friend Heather (who is a breast cancer survivor) I made a "Just a Girl" breast cancer mug just for her. Heather posted a picture of it on Facebook and I have had several message's asking "where can I get this mug?"
Heather, who owns Button Kisses Embroidery and I have decided to team up and make these mugs available to anyone :) ALL the proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Awareness!
You can purchase your mug for $20.00 below or in the Just a Girl Store

Give a Donation to National Breast Cancer Foundation

or....You can go directly to
Girls Jiu Jitsu Taps Out Breast Cancer Fund Raiser Page to donate or to see how much we have raised!http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?fcid=244872

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#Champion #AmazingBJJ #Thatsmyboy

4/22/2013

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My son Tyson tore it up AGAIN this past weekend at the NABJJF GRAND CANYON Gi & No Gi Open at Phoenix College taking Gold in his weight class in the Gi division, Silver in Open Weight and Silver in No-gi.
Proud of you Tyson!
Siege MMA/Lotus Club had a few stand out performances! Rich Simons took double Gold and Robert Maloney brought home 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze! We had 6 competitors total, ALL giving great performances! We also took 5th as a team, pretty impressive for only having 6 competitors!
Proud to be part of team Siege MMA/Lotus Club :)
*Pictures by O Snap Foto

Tyson Antillon's AMAZING Flying Arm Bar

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Winning! #proudmom

4/19/2013

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As stressful as it is for me to compete, there is nothing like the feeling afterwards when you have taken gold! It's a feeling of accomplishment, relief, excitement and "I can eat again!"
There is only one thing that feels even better than that for me....Seeing my son compete and do well! Tyson not only has an exciting game to watch, he is a confident, calm, cool competitor. (not like me lol)
Tyson is competing this weekend at the 2013 Grand Canyon Gi & No Gi Open at Phoenix College
Good Luck Tyson! and to all of my teammates competing!
Even if your not competing, come support your teammates and friends!

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Your never too young or too old!

4/18/2013

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One of the great things about Jiu Jitsu is that there is NO age limit! It is a sport for EVERYONE!
I started at a little bit of an older age ;) and plan to continue as long as I can walk (or ROLL)

Martial Arts is a dynamic means of developing and maintaining a healthy and rewarding life. Children can start learning at a very young age. In fact the younger the better! The sooner they become active the better chance that they will stay that way. It has also been shown that in Seniors who maintain a training regimen, can do so for the rest of their lives. Helio Gracie is a prime example. Until his passing at the age of 95, Helio continued to teach and train with students of all ages. These two pictures are a golden example of what our lives can be at any age - STRONG,HEALTHY, and EMPOWERED!

Here is another great example!
"Rick" started at age 63.
He was overweight, out of shape and had no real martial arts experience. To read more about Rick see: http://pacificwavejiujitsu.com/blog/can-older-people-do-jiu-jitsu-just-ask-rick/

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Petite Inspire! All female open mat for girls ages 5-15

4/17/2013

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Just a Girl in a Jiu Jitsu World is proud to be a sponsor of the 2nd Petite inspire!

The AZSBJJF is proud to present the 2nd Edition of Petite INSPIRE, Arizona's premiere all female open mat for girls ages 5-15, hosted by Brown belt, Kristina Barlaan. This event is specifically designed to allow young, female Jiu-Jitsu practioners to train with other girls, while also helping the growth of the female Jiu-Jitsu community in Arizona and inspiring young ladies to be Champions on the mat and in life. Girls will be able to train, bond, and grow with each other in a NON-COMPETITIVE and FRIENDLY atmosphere where they can make friends with other girls sharing their love of the sport. Female, colored belt representatives from AZSBJJF schools will be present to help with the supervision and training of the girls on the mat.

This is a FREE event! Must REGISTER to participate!

When: Saturday May 25, 2013 @ 2:30 - 5:30 pm
Where: Relson Gracie Arizona located @ 2109 E. McDowell Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85006
Price: FREE
Registration Deadline: Friday May 24, 2013 @ 11:59pm. MUST REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE! NO WALK-INs!

ALL participants will have the chance to win raffle prizes from:

CTRL Industries
Gi Soap
Fenom Kimonos
Just a Girl BJJ
Girlz BJJ Lifestylez
Shimono Kimonos
FighterTech
Aggro Brand
FREE tournament entry to the 2013 Arizona BJJ State Championship on June 29-30, 2013

Deadline for Registrations is 11:59pm on Friday May 24, 2013
There will be NO WALK-IN Registrations

Space in LIMITED! Registration will close when 60 participants is reached.

http://www.strongvon.com/inspirepetite2/

Optional Bonus: You can purchase the Official Petite Inspire t-shirt, designed by Kristina Barlaan and produced by Aggro Brand, for $20 when you register. The tee will be PRE-ORDER ONLY! All purchases must be received by Monday, May 20, 2013 @ 11:59pm. No orders will be received after this time. Payment is ONLINE ONLY!

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You know that awesome feeling when you finally understand Jiu Jitsu? me neither...

4/16/2013

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This is why we continue to learn (and teach)

When I started teaching my all girls Jiu Jitsu class I was really excited to be able to share what I had learned with other girls who were just starting out and have the opportunity to roll with people closer to my size. I was having a problem with “going easy” when I would roll with girls because I was used to only going with guys, I was developing bad habits when I rolled with the newer girls. I felt like they were small or not as strong and I didn’t want to discourage them from training by using pressure or strength. So getting a chance to train with girls more often has really helped with that. It has also helped to speed up my game (going with the big guys is a little more slow paced).

I have been teaching the girls class for almost 1 ½ yrs now and it’s great to see them improve and getting more aggressive. I now have some great training partners of my size. Also several of them are now taking the regular class as-well. It’s such a good feeling being able to see my student’s progress and retain the knowledge I given them. I feel like a proud Mom :)
I’ve also made some great new friends in the process and I'm ALWAYS learning (even when I'm the instructor)

*Girls class at Siege MMA is FREE to ALL females! Come try it out NO experience needed! and you do not need to have a gi (we will provide or work no-gi)
Saturday Mornings at 9:30 am

Siege MMA
8550 N 91st Ave Suite 7
Peoria, Arizona 85345
(602) 680-3467

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Fight the Funk!!

4/13/2013

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It's getting to be that time again!! Scorching temperatures! Causing steamy, muggy, sweaty training sessions! (especially here in AZ) This is the time of year when infestations of ring worm, staph infection, impetigo and other athletic fungi can spread through the gym.
PLEASE!!! Wash your gi (and your body) after EVERY time you train! Don't go out to eat or shopping first either. The longer the bacteria sits on your body, the more likely you are to be contaminated or spread it to others.
Also....if you see anything suspicious on your skin DO NOT come and roll with the rest of us (even with a bandage on it) until you are sure it is no longer contagious. This can cause a HUGE out break through out the gym. If you are not sure what it is, please ask one of your instructors. Chances are, unfortunately .....that they have seen it or had it in the past and can let you know if it is something to worry about.

Ring worm

Staph Infection (this is NO joke!)

Here's some valuable tips and products to help you out!
If your gi is stinky: Use Vinegar, it not only will help get the smell out, it also helps to preserve the colors in black or blue gi's (or any other color) it kills odors without weakening the fabric. It also kills germs and is all natural.
Washing your gi: you need to wash your gi every single time you roll. Don’t overload your washer! You gi will not get clean. I like to use Tide Sport (it smells good and helps remove stains) you can also use Baking Soda or Borax.
Line dry your gi: The Sun kills bacteria naturally. Dry your gis completely before wearing them!
A common cause of funk is to wash the gi then wear it before it’s completely dry. Moisture is an environment that bacteria enjoy, and if you never allow your gi's to dry completely, you’re probably harboring plenty of funky bacteria.
I personally don't put my dirty gi back in my gym bag (unless you want to wash that too) It also can hold bacteria.

For your skin: wash thoroughly with an antibacterial soap. You can also buy products now specifically made for athletes like Gi Soap, it is all natural with ingredients that have been proven to keep Ring Worm, Staph Infections, Impetigo and other athletic fungi off of your skin.
Keep fingernails & toenails trimmed as-well.

*for more info on NOT Fighting Dirty and Jiu Jitsu Etiquitte see: http://www.justagirlbjj.com/1/post/2012/08/fighting-dirty.html

Ringworm killed in only a few days using JUST Gi-Soap

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Jiu Jitsu Journey

4/11/2013

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My Jiu Jitsu Journey

When I wrote my “about me” page, I only gave a small outline of how I got here. There is so much more that lead me to where I am today.

About 3 years ago, I was in the middle of a very ugly divorce. I have always been into working out, I was a gymnast since I was about 6, I took aerobics, step class, lifted weights and was even a competitive wake boarder. So….my natural place to turn for stress relief was exercise.

I was training at a fitness gym and was taking yoga, palates and zumba. This helped but, I was still under a tremendous amount of stress. While driving home from work one day, I passed a boxing gym. I immediately turned around and went to check it out. I got a free pass and attended a cardio-kick boxing class the next day. I actually thought I was in really good shape until about 10 minutes into the warm up. OMG! I thought I was going to throw up …or die! I struggled to make it through the hour but, I was determined to be able to handle this type of training.

I took boxing & kick-boxing for 2 ½ years. This intense work out saved me! (Punching and kicking the heavy bags helped to get that “I wanna punch someone in the face” feeling under control too)

This past year I have gone through a tough child custody battle, losing my job, and some extremely difficult personal family problems (btw…not trying to complain, everyone has their problems. Just making the point of how amazing Jiu Jitsu can be during stressful times)

Many times I struggled to get through my days but, getting to class was the one thing I looked forward too. The gym was the only place I wanted to be, the place where my teammates were, my friends, brothers….Family! For all of you involved in this sport, you know this camaraderie! This is a big part of the Jiu Jitsu addiction.

I happy to report that life is good! Things worked themselves through and great things have come through this journey. I have some amazing friends that I feel I have a strong bond with (I hope they feel the same) and a wonderful boyfriend who also came to me though Jiu Jitsu. I also have a great bond with my son Tyson, who wouldn’t walk in the gym with me when we started…teenagers!! Now we are both encouraged and pushed by each other and enjoy being training partners.

I am still excited to go to class! I love the intellectual challenge, the great workout, the fight, the sore muscles and injuries but, what I love most of all is the family that I have at Siege (this includes several wives, girlfriends & parents of my teammates as-well) and the extended family I have met through competing. And the journey continues......

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To "Gi" or not to "Gi"

4/9/2013

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That is the question......

I know how good it is for my gi game to also do no-gi and I do take no-gi class on occasion. For me though....it's not my favorite. I'm sure this is because I started off in the gi, I don't feel like I'm as good or that I can control someone bigger then me without the gi and I kind of feel "naked" lol.
I often hear people who only do no-gi say "I don't need to train in the gi for MMA, I wont be wearing a gi and either will my opponent or if I was to get in a street fight we wouldn't be in a gis.
Well....if you feel this way please read below and see all the benefits of training in a gi.

Why Do You Train In a Gi?

There are several very important reasons to train with a gi.

1.) The gi is intended to be a reusable t-shirt. If a smaller person who knew Jiu Jitsu had to defend themselves from a much bigger, stronger, more aggressive opponent they would most likely need to clinch them. While trying to clinch the larger opponent would be grabbing hold of any material, shirt, whatever on the smaller Jiu Jitsu fighter to keep them from clinching and to control them. This is the kind of thing you see happening all the time in hockey. One guy pulls the shirt over the other guy’s head and starts slinging him around and punching. In order for the Jiu Jitsu student to effectively clinch, he must be used to someone grabbing his clothing and trying to resist him. This is one of the ways we use the gi in class it is basically a reusable t-shirt. We could use t-shirts, but they would rip after a few sessions and need to be replaced. Good for the academy t-shirt sales, bad for the student’s wallet!

2.) Training in a clean gi is the most sanitary way to train grappling. This point is one of the most over looked and most important. All you have to do is turn on the T.V. to hear about someone who contracted a serious and potentially deadly staph infection at a local gym, hospital or wrestling camp. Grappling arts involve lots of skin to skin contact and these types of problems are a huge concern. Fortunately with Jiu Jitsu, we wear the gi all the time and do not have this skin to skin contact therefore reducing the risk for these types of issues.

3.) The gi helps slow the game down for the less experienced student and makes it more difficult for the advanced student. When two students start to spar or roll, the less experienced Jiu Jitsu student is naturally at a disadvantage. To minimize some of that disadvantage they can grab and hold the more experienced persons gi. This gives them increased control and slows down the roll so that they may more easily learn. In addition, with this extra control the less experienced or smaller practitioner gets from holding the gi makes the roll artificially harder for the more experienced player. In this aspect the gi is to both students advantage for training. It makes it slightly easier for the smaller or less experienced guy and slightly harder for the bigger or more experienced player.

4.) The collar choke is used more in real self-defense situations than even the rear naked choke. At first this sounds odd, but when you stop and think about it, people wear clothes. In a real situation an opponent is likely to have on a collared shirt, a jacket, a hoodie or some material that you can use to apply a choke. I have seen over and over that when you put one hand in the collar of somebody’s shirt or clothing they grab the hand instead of throwing a punch. When they grab your hand it is very easy to put your other hand in to finish the choke. If you take the time to master chokes using the gi, you have a huge advantage over someone in a real fight who does not know how to defend these attacks or apply them. If you find yourself in situations where you are concerned about defending yourself from opponents who are not wearing clothing, perhaps you should choose a better environment for yourself or invest in a firearm and the appropriate use thereof.

5.) Training with the gi establishes the Attack, Escape, Stabilization cycle. If you are mounted on a training partner who knows to keep his arms tucked in and is not wearing a gi, you have very few options. When you do not attack it is more difficult for him to escape and then you have no need to work on stabilizing the position. This is a bad habit for a real fight. Training this way in a fight you might mount the opponent start to attack with punches and he goes to escape and you lose the position as you are not used to stabilizing. How do we correct this? In training if I could punch my training partner in the mouth and make him respond by putting his hands up I could then attack for an arm bar. When I attack he tries to escape and I have to stabilize. So you see the cycle remains intact. Attack -> Escape -> Stabilize. Now obviously I can’t and don’t want to punch my training partner in the mouth so what do I do? Go for chokes using the gi that will make my partner respond like he would against punches and create the same cycle Attack -> Escape -> Stabilize. This cycle is why training Jiu Jitsu no gi without punches is one of the worst and least realistic ways to prepare for a real fight.

BTW....Not discrediting No-gi at all. Both are GREAT for your BJJ game!

" To get stronger lift weights, to have cardio, run. To have the best base and best defense. Train in the gi. When you are on top there are handles to disturb your base and move you. Now take the gi off, you become that much harder to move with no handles. To defend, you have to technically escaped because power and slipperiness are minimized by friction and grip on gi. Now take the gi off, no one can hold you down." Rickson Gracie

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For more on "Team Just a Girl"http://www.justagirlbjj.com/just-a-girl-team.html

Thank you to my sponsors!

Give a Donation to National Breast Cancer Foundation

Tyson Antillon's AMAZING Flying Arm Bar

Ring worm

Staph Infection (this is NO joke!)

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For more on "Team Just a Girl"
http://www.justagirlbjj.com/just-a-girl-team.html