From the first time I stepped on the mat, I was part of a community. I was able to work hard and learn from people who knew what they were talking about. I rolled with white belts all the way up to the teacher who is a black belt (though it was mostly the purple belts who kicked my ass). I was supported by both my male and female teammates as I struggled to learn basic sweeps and submissions. Even on social media (when I would post a poor picture of a sweaty me with no make-up in my Gi) I would receive comments from people who do Jiu Jitsu all over the world. Though most of them probably just wanted more followers or for me buy stuff from their store, it was still pretty neat to see how big the Jiu Jitsu community is.
I got my first Gi from an older bjj girl. It's blue and pink and a bit more girly than I would have originally liked (but hey for the price, beggars can't be choosers). Her explanation for the Gi was "if I have to get my ass-kicked I may as well look good." And there is a lot of truth in that, mostly in the fact that beginners get their ass-kicked. For the looking good part, well, usually a minute into the match my hair is a mess and any make-up I didn't wipe off is smudged all over (but beauty is internal right?).
My white belt came from the back room, were all the members who move up in belts leave their old ones behind for people like me. At first I tried on a kid-sized belt, which thankfully did not fit (I may be small but I'd rather not be classified as kid-sized). The other belt I tried on (which I currently use) was a size A4 for adults, which if you don't know is meant for a 200-250 lb person. Needless to say, the 110 lb me has to rap the belt around an extra time in-order for the belt not to drag on the ground (but again beggars can't be choosers).
Yesterday I got my first stripe. After two months I finally have something to show for my hard work besides bruises (which I always have plenty of). I think I progressed quickly mostly due to the fact that every time I rolled with someone I learned something (and there is a lot to learn). Each person had their own strengths and weaknesses, and being able to experience both allowed me to figure out my own. Being small and flexible I can escape out of a lot of situations, but if a heavier person (which is basically everyone) side-controls me or lord forbids gets a knee on belly, it takes almost everything I have to keep from being squished like a bug. My defense game is getting better, though I still have a ways to go with moving up in positions and submitting.
Coming up soon I will attend my first bjj seminar! Hopefully I will have some cool things to share from that soon!
Thanks for reading!
