I have always been a competitive athlete because I love the discipline that comes with sports. I played just about every sport I could think of when I was a kid. Later, I played Division I football in college. But after I graduated, I felt lost. I missed the chance to compete and push myself to do my best. I ran a marathon, tried every group workout class I could find, and even joined adult football leagues, but nothing felt the same.
Then, about a year ago, when I was 31, I met a girl at a bachelorette party who trained in jiu jitsu a martial art and combat sport that focuses on fighting on the ground. I was surprised because I had always thought of jiu jitsu as a sport for men. I was immediately interested because it was so different from anything I had ever done before.
A few weeks later, I went to my first class and I won’t lie it was very strange. I had never done martial arts or self-defence before, so I felt like a fish out of water. The thought of fighting someone seemed strange, and the moves seemed a little silly. It was also the hardest workout I’ve ever done because it works your heart, muscles, and flexibility all at once.
My coach, who is usually called a Professor, was very patient and helpful, which was a good thing. He slowly showed me the basic moves and drills, and then paired me up with more experienced women who knew how to safely train with a beginner and could answer my questions.
Every class pushed me to my limits even though I wasn’t winning any fights as a beginner. I loved trying new things with my body and giving it my all. After just a few classes I was hooked.
Jiu jitsu has become a regular part of my workout routine, and it has made me much stronger more durable, and more resilient. I’ve been going to jiu jitsu classes two to three times a week for almost a year now. The first 45 minutes of each class are spent on drills, and the last 15 minutes are spent rolling, which is when two athletes safely fight each other in a controlled full-contact setting to practise the techniques they’ve learned.
Audrey Galvin
The sport works out your whole body For example gripping how you hold and control your opponent pulling when a standing fighter brings the match to the ground on purpose and submissions when you put your opponent in a chokehold. Your lower body is what gives you the power to sweep move from a defensive position below your opponent to one of control and escape get back control by getting out of a submissive position. Your core and obliques work all the time to keep you stable and balanced on the mat. Going all out in rolling sessions also tests your physical and mental strength to the limit.
I also do strength training three times a week to help with my jiu jitsu. I have two lower body days and one full body day. I’ve been lifting weights for years because I was an athlete in college. I plan my own workouts and focus on lifting heavy weights with good form. I do a lot of push pull exercises like bench presses hip thrusts dumbbell rows and deadlifts to copy some of the moves used in jiu jitsu. I’ve also been working on my mobility and flexibility lately because they are so important for how well I do on the mat.
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These three things completely changed how I work out my strength
1. I found a group of people that I can relate to.
When I stopped playing football in college I missed the competition and the feeling of being part of a team and a community. It took me years to find that again and when I did jiu jitsu felt like home.
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Jiu jitsu is technically an individual sport but the people I train with are so great that it feels like a team. People really want to see each other get better and they give you advice answer your questions and push you to do better every day. I’m especially thankful for the women I train with. One minute we’re laughing and the next we’re fighting hard against each other. It’s the perfect mix of teamwork and competition and it’s exactly what I needed after college.
2. I learned to deal with failure.
One of the hardest but most important things about trying a new sport as an adult especially jiu jitsu has been learning to accept failure I went from being sure of myself and good at a sport I had played at a high level my whole life to being a complete beginner on the mat. That was very humbling.
I’m going to lose in jiu jitsu and forget steps. There will be times when I feel like I’m two moves behind my opponent. But I’ve learned that real growth happens when I stop seeing those times as failures and start seeing them as proof that I’m learning. Instead of saying I failed I’m bad at this I’ve changed my mind to say this attempt didn’t work but I’m learning what I can do to get better.
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3. I stopped being embarrassed.
It can be uncomfortable to try something new as an adult especially when you walk into a room knowing you have no idea what you’re doing. I was definitely out of place at my first few jiu jitsu classes but I made a point of not being embarrassed. I told myself that everyone has to start somewhere and that embarrassment only lasts as long as you let it.
I’ve been doing jiu jitsu for a year now and it hasn’t gotten any easier which is part of what I love about the sport. But my skills and reaction time have definitely gotten better. Like other martial arts jiu jitsu uses a belt system white to black to show how skilled experienced and long an athlete has been training. There are also four stripes on each belt to show how much progress has been made. I still have my white belt but I just got my third stripe and hope to get my blue belt which is the next level up by August.
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It’s not always easy to start a new sport but I keep telling myself that everyone has to start somewhere With consistency and a willingness to get used to being uncomfortable I can honestly say that the awkwardness goes away and the growth stays.
