Tried & Tested

WHAT: BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU WHERE: POINT BREAK, BRUNSWICK HEADS, NSW COST: FROM $41 PER WEEK

Doing Brazilian Jui Jitsu for the first time, aged 47, was daunting. However, my fears were allayed as Rhys Dykes, black belt instructor, professor of BJJ and founder of Point Break, gave me a warm welcome and introduced me to the class of mostly men, a few teenagers and one other female. I was surprised at how welcoming everyone was. Most people were wearing a ‘gi’ (kimono), but I was in my usual workout gear. BJJ is sometimes called ‘fighting yoga’ and is a yin (feminine) style of martial arts, where you draw in your opponent’s energy and use it to overturn them using leg strength. There’s no kicking or punching until you reach brown belt so BJJ is a perfect form of selfdefence training for women, as our strength is in our legs and hips. Being a long-time yogi, I was at home with the warm up of squats, downward dog push-ups and backward rolls, and after that came ‘tumbling’. On a padded floor, about 15 of us kept watch for our personal space while falling to one side then the other, making sure we slammed our arms on the mat and kept our chins tucked in. I was already perspiring and well out of my comfort zone, but it was fun and I was there for a workout. Then came the grappling. I was faced with a floor full of grown men and teenage boys: a mixture of white belts to purple, brown and black. Suffice it to say, I was intimidated – but it woke up my competitive spirit. After 1.5 hours I was pumped but exhausted. Like yoga (both derive from ancient India), the three components – perseverance, patience and practice – ring true and I can see how BJJ could be a terrific confidence booster for women if practised regularly.