Our guest writer this week is Mayra, who wanted to share her first time experience at Gracie Sydney with other people to encourage them to try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
I always wondered what people feel when they do Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, or any martial art. When I watched from the outside it looked a little wild and like there was lots of aggressive movement. I have been lucky enough to travel around the world and try different experiences and so when the opportunity presented itself, of course, Why not Jiu Jitsu? So begins the first time I would put on my gi.
Getting ready in the change rooms before class it struck me as funny that I learnt there was even a method for putting on the gi. This wasn’t wild at all. And I felt good in the gi! I started to feel stronger even though I hadn’t even stepped on the mats yet. One of the things I liked immediately was the discipline of the sport and the respect involved in such a physically close contact activity. So even as a woman with no experience with more men than women in class they all respected me, had patience explaining things to me (two or more times if needed), and pushed me to train a little harder like any good workout partner would.
Even though there were so many different people with different paths, different experience levels in Jiu Jitsu, and different sizes I felt comfortable developing my basics in class and enjoying myself at the same time. It was certainly a work out! I could feel all my muscles working as I was doing the techniques. I was sweating for sure but I only wanted to do my best, even though I hadn’t worked out in quite a while.
In conclusion I would recommend Gracie Jiu Jitsu for everyone- if you are a woman, a child, short, tall, whatever kind of person you are, shy or not. I finished the class feeling excited that I was capable of doing this sport. So if you ever want to try Gracie Jiu Jitsu I would say give it a go! Why not? If you are a women don’t be afraid because everyone in class is there to help each other and no one will push you more than is comfortable.
*Mayra is originally from Chile and has lived in Brazil, Ireland, and has traveled to many more countries in the world before recently moving to Sydney, Australia. She has been involved in swimming, Pilates, dancing, and boxing.