Women Are Here To Stay!

One of the unique aspects about Jiu Jitsu is the co-ed aspect of it, both men and women are welcome to learn and train in the same environment. While it is still admittedly considered a ‘male-dominated’ sport, the number of women in the sport has exponentially increased during the last few years and has truly come a long way since 1985. Thirty-two years ago was when Yvone Duarte, the first ever female black belt was first allowed to compete in Rio de Janeiro and even then, it still took another three years for IBJJF to add a women’s only division. Can you believe they only had two weight divisions and it combined ALL levels? Those women were true warriors. Nowadays female presence in the fighting/grappling scene is simply undeniable! Ronda Rousey, Mackenzie Dern, and Ffion Davies are well known names in today’s martial arts households and so are the organizations who are hosting women-led cards and women-only fighting events. Girls in Gi, Submissions on the Shore, Medusa, and Jiujitera are just some of the many organizations championing women in the martial arts community today!

Thankfully we’ve made lots of progress since 1985 as you can find at least a few women in most gyms, with some places even having women only classes! In fact, one of the great things about RGLA is exactly that— its female presence. Not only do we pride ourselves with having a great group of women that consistently train here, but we also have a bjj women’s only weekly and a few women kids and adult coaches. We have plenty of young ladies as well as adults of all shapes, belt colors, and sizes. As for Muay Thai, the ratio of women to men is even bigger than it is in the jiu jitsu side and also includes women who are coaches as well as personal trainers! Our goal is to continue promoting and thereby expanding the number of women who train. We understand the life changing difference self-defense and confidence can have on women specifically so we strive to provide a safe space to develop those skills. There’s a certain level of respect and etiquette required when training with ladies on the mats and that simply creates an environment that benefits everyone. So please, if you are a woman and you’re considering trying out a bjj or a Muay Thai class, come check us out and join our empowering female community!

Coach Joanna Luo, or Coach “Jo”, and Coach Laura Wortmann are our women’s only instructors currently teaching and hosting our women’s only weekly classes and open mats at RGLA. It is always available to ALL affiliations and experience levels, and is always FREE for everyone! Check out our Instagram (@renzogracielosangeles) for more details.

Our January classes will ALL be NOGI and during the following dates:

Sunday, January 6th  11:30am-1pm–Coach Laura

Sunday, January 13th 11:30am-1pm–Coach Jo

Sunday, January 20th 11:30am-1pm–Coach Laura

Sunday, August 27th 11:30am-1pm (OPEN MAT with a pot luck after)