Empowered women paving the way for women in BJJ

Rachel earning her black belt and the Master World Championships

I am so happy to be a part of this movement of empowered women empowering women through jiu jitsu.  My first stop a couple of weeks ago was Tennessee where I was the guest at the Girls Gone Gi Camp, an organisation that was founded by Pan Am and World Champ Rachel Morrison Casias who is a pocket rocket black belt who somehow survives  pretty much on Pepsi??? lol

Izel Bazua: Mexico's highest ranked female and a pioneer for the sport with all her camps, competitions and refereeing.

My next stop was Mexico where I taught the camp alongside none other than Mackenzie Dern for the Ma'at Association founded by Itzel Bazua who is a brown belt, the highest rank in BJJ in Mexico who is an absolute pioneer for BJJ in her country and is making a big difference. Hats off to these ladies who are paving the way for women in BJJ and who are making a difference in the community. These ladies are providing opportunities for other women to learn and grow and are building the sisterhood that is getting stronger and stronger each  year. 

A good start

Push ups on your knees is a good place to start without straining your back. 

Lately I have been working on a series of articles for various health and fitness magazines about training after having a baby or trying to get back into peak performance shape after having a serious injury. 

The first article I wrote about the importance of strengthening the core and the chest for framing. Ladies,  it is very important that your core is strong before you progress to doing push ups on your feet. If you can perform 20 push ups on your knees with a straight back (no banana back) then you are ready to progress to push ups on your feet.  But if your back is sagging, stick to push ups on your knees, aim to get your chest almost to the floor to get  your core strong, otherwise you might straight your lower back. Baby steps.