So why did I decide to start jiu jitsu? Watching UFC? No.
I'd never heard of the UFC when I started training, and that was a year ago.
After studying judo and traditional ju jitsu, the groundwork side was just too much of a thrill. I didn't even acknowledge that the competitive side of BJJ and MMA existed. It was vaguely there, not something I thought I'd do, after kickboxing didn't really appeal any more.
What's it feel like to be a woman in the art, dominated by the male population, and sometimes in more ways than one?
For a start, the vast majority of them are bigger, stronger, taller, the lot. If you're lucky enough to have another woman in the club, then you're laughing. But unless there's a division at competition for you, most of your time will be sparring men.
As someone who's approaching two and a half years in a modern ju jitsu system with a fair amount of sparring, and a one year white belt in BJJ, I thought I'd offer my experiences and views on my time so far.

Starting off in ju jitsu, I felt like a complete novice in martial arts all over again, despite a few years of experience in other systems. Never have I felt so useless as when I rolled for the first time. The guys were all over me, I could barely even move. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, and the "macho newbie" I started with made things even worse. It was as if he had to prove something to everyone in the room by beating up someone half his size for at least 5 minutes. But by a lucky stroke, something in my memory triggered and I managed to get a choke on. He never came back.
Although when I continued over the next few months, I never managed such a fluke again, there was something there. A smaller person can use that to get out of tight spaces, and be faster than someone with a larger mass.
Learning more, this has always been part of the fun. As I've improved, it's got more frustrating to the bigger guys, as they often can't keep up.

Starting BJJ a year ago, I found only one other female in the whole club, and I never met her until I went to a seminar. There's noone really in my weight category, so I have to go higher. So began a whole new era of getting squashed.
I've come across several different types of male training partner, I guess they're common to all clubs. As a woman, you may be stared at rather strangely when you walk in for the first time, maybe they're not used to women wanting to roll around on the floor with a load of sweaty men, I don't know. In a class that wasn't my private sessions, my way of dealing with this was when it got to sparring, find the biggest and highest graded male in the class and ask for a roll. Usually works, and if you have some experience, it can also be really good fun. I found it gave me some respect in the club, not afraid to work hard and get beaten. Because as a novice, it happens a LOT. I don't know if other girls get the same problem, but the macho guys who will go hard on you whatever, seem to me to be the reason a lot of smaller people quit. Because it can make you feel useless, and quite often it will make you feel you will never learn anything at all. Like never having a compliant partner during techniques practice.
Then you've got those who don't want to partner you because you're female. I've found in striking arts, they don't want to hit or hurt you. I've not yet found the reason about why they won't roll. Afraid of squashing you perhaps? A way to deal with that? Stay on top and submit them from there!

Another thing you have to be aware of, is the fact you are in a close contact sport. You may well be touched in places you wouldn't want to be. Accidents happen, but groping on purpose needs to be stopped. To the guys out there who are guilty of this, I suggest you stop. I've seen someone leave an MA class because of it. Women are there to train, same as you. You may well get the odd ones who are there to find a cute boyfriend, but it still doesn't mean they're asking for something like this.
But if it is an accident, girls, you're going to have to realise it will happen. If you are uncomfortable, I suggest either doing something else, or wearing a groin and chest guard.

As you improve in techniques and your game, you'll be able to hold your own, even with the bigger guys. My last grading partner in ju jitsu was twice my weight, and a foot taller. I'm quite often in this situation. Get around it by learning how to use the weight you have, and your best assets, your smaller size and speed to defeat your opponents. It may be difficult, but you'll get respect for at least trying. In competition, there's weight classes anyway, so practice against everyone you can. I've now been able to tap the bigger guys, and come close to winning against people with a lot more mass and experience because of playing to my strengths. Learn what you're good at, and use it to your advantage at all times. Then if you meet Mr. Macho, you can do what I did, (hopefully with knowledge and not luck) he can learn his lesson for a change. You can do it!

In closing, everyone has something to teach you, and you'll be in an amazingly fun martial sport. We need a bigger female presence in MMA and BJJ! Let's give the men a run for their money.  

How do you train in a controlled environment like a gym or dojo for the real event.
Training for a real event begins with, among other things, picking a partner that will progressively increase the intensity of his attack as you progress in your training.
Your training partner should be knowledgeable in real attack methods. This means no reverse punches, or karate kicks. Your attacker will go for the shock value, with a slap, push, or hair pull. Generally the attacker will not knock you to the ground because he doesn't want to roll around in the dirt any more then you do, he wants to drive you to a secluded location.
Your partner shouldn't over pad. If he can't feel your strike his natural reactions to your response to his attack won't happen.
If you are a woman your partner should be a man, with his ego under control. If you are a man your partner should be bigger then you are.

I think its great that your involved in martial arts, i have 3 female students and they are great to teach and to train, i don't know why there arn't more. As for sparing i understand that there are sometimes men who have to prove them selfs and act stupidly. But a much smaller guy aganist a larger guy is the same situation that you find yourself in. Unforuently it comes down to where you train and if there are any studnets that are roughly you size.

Oh and as for feeling werid when starting a new style, don't worry thats a good thing , i have learnt over 13 different styles and all of them were very strange to me when i first started.



"Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it."

I agree 100%, any style of martial arts is suitable for women.


Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it.

Hey Rhea, my feeling on this has been that the real male/female awkwardness is in the beginner stage when the intimidation factor of being totally new to the sport and the school and having to be walked through everything slowly is compounded by the gender issue. I've rolled with quite a few serious female jiujitsuka, a few of them competitors, and the gender issue disappears quickly within the pressing energy of the roll.

But when I have to teach women or work with inexperienced women, there is definitely room for a little awkwardness to enter. I've always thought that tenderness of teaching confuses us men and we subconsciously relate it to the romantic overture genre of behavior and get nervous and confused. This might be the reason some men won't drop the macho thing.

Just a couple things about preparing for the real street situation in the Dojo. First and foremost DO NOT pad up your opponent. If you do then you will never learn the reactions created by your strikes. You can learn to punch hard on the bag. Second; DOn'r practice different moves, like for a wrist grab or arm twist without determining how your opponent got that close. Street thugs don't appear out of thin air. Develop situational awareness. For more on Situational Awareness go to blackdragonselfdefense.com Also do not engage in combat with your opponent, he will win, strike back to escape. You should be able to deliver three strikes to almost any attack to create a door to escape. And for crying out loud don't scream at your attacker or execute dozens of strikes to the same area. MMA does not train you in any way shpe or form for a street encounter.

"MMA does not train you in any way shpe or form for a street encounter"

Well...aside from giving you athletlsum, determination, aggression and a set of skills that can allow one to incapacitate a larger stronger opponent, but hey we all know how useless all those things are in "real life" right?

Looks like my earlier post in this thread got lost during the forum restoration. Alas.

I think I lucked out overall in my choice of school - there's very much a "team" ethos which mimics my experiences in high school athletics, and it's more about helping others improve and sharpen their skills. Sure, there are the newer guys who have difficulty focusing on technique with me and just go fullbore with their strength and weight advantage, but I try not to roll with them too often* as I'd prefer not to get injured since their ego can't handle the notion that at the school, it's about training and not competition. In any case, it's highly amusing to watch the more experienced people crush the spazzy newbies.

There are other women training at my school, which is very encouraging for the most part. While we're a minority at the school, I don't recall any of them having ever told me to watch out for someone who gets a little "odd" during rolling, and I've never had any issues with any of my classmates making me feel uncomfortable above and beyond the standard BJJ discomforts (getting stacked, being trapped under knee on belly, and so on).

*: I figure rolling against spazzy athletic newbies every once in a while to be a good thing, as - being realistic - this is the most likely self-defense situation in which I as a woman might find myself.

Good stuff. Are you still keeping it up? Had much success in competitions?

Still doing it, doing OK in competition insofar as I'm concerned (took second in a tiny little tournament, where the gal who beat me got promoted to blue as she came off the podium by her coach). I figure if I compete once or twice a year, that will be more than enough.

Given my work schedule, it's more about the fitness component than the competition, as I not infrequently end up having the occasional weekend sucked up by work and not play.

Nice point you have there. Maybe it's time to do penalties for groping

I have a question for the men whose significant others train BJJ, and likewise, for the women who train BJJ. My g/f recently began training BJJ on a regular basis, and has some concerns about her breast augmentation affecting the application of certain movements (..she recently began experiencing some minor chest discomfort from applying pressure to her chest during movements; mount to armbar practice). Have any of the women here experienced this? If so, how did you circumvent the issue? Does some sort of padding/protection exist that a woman can utilize to offset the pressure to the breasts?

Thanks in advance!

There are chest protectors available, theres a few different types, and depending on 'augmentation level' there should be something suitable.

Good Luck!


thread here:

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=93066

quick google examples here:

http://www.amazon.com/TITLE-Super-Ch...4131561&sr=1-6

http://www.amazon.com/Adidas-Female-...131561&sr=1-21

http://www.black-eagle.co.uk/all/c-s...tprotection/f/

Thanks for the suggestions.

Chiming in late here, but a good sports bra is essential as well. (I'm partial to http://shockabsorber.co.uk/default.aspx but that's me.)

Also, just to clarify - one of the problems is when the person in mount on top of her is applying too much pressure? Is this happening with everyone or just people who are significantly stronger/heavier than her? Sometimes you need to take your ego out of the equation and realize that you don't need to train/roll with people who weigh twice what you do all the time. Some of the time, sure, it's good training - but you don't have to do it each and every single class. There's a difference between pushing your limits and being unwise about things.

I second the Shock Absorber recommendation.