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About Andy Fossett
Expertise
I can answer most questions relating to the martial arts in general. My special interests relate not only to martial theory, but to training methodology, teaching, sports science, and personal growth through martial arts training. If you are thinking about beginning a martial arts practice or have questions about how to optimize you current training to meet you goals, just let me know.

Experience
I have been involved with martial arts for most of my life. Since 1984, I have practiced and taught a martial art called Taido in America and Japan, and have participated in events all over the world. I began assistant teaching as a teenager and founded the Georgia Tech Taido Club in 1996. I have been training actively in Japan since 2003. In addition to Taido, I have previously studied Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jutsu, Shotokan Karate, Kaikudo, and a few other things.

Organizations
Japan Taido Association

Publications
Taido/Blog, the Finnish Taido Association's "Kamae" magazine, World Taido Federation Homepage and "Taido Times" magazine.

Education/Credentials
BA in sociology, minor English. Additional studies in education, Japanese, and information design.

Awards and Honors
5dan Renshi (5th degree black belt instructor) in Taido.

You are here: Experts > Recreation/Outdoors > Martial Arts > Martial Arts > Woman new to BJJ

Martial Arts - Woman new to BJJ

Expert: Andy Fossett - 10/19/2009

Question
I'm a 30 year old female who's interesting in starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I've found a school (American Top Team) that I visited twice. I did some private time with an instructor (which was great) and the second time, I was with the class. Everyone was extremely welcoming and encouraging, which I didn't expect being the only female in the class.

I have one pressing concern though. I'm not an athlete. I'm not in bad shape (I workout 4-5 times a week), but I don't have an athletic or martial arts background. I got through the warmup of laps, pushups, situps, army crawls and a few other exercises, but I was Tired (capitalization intentional). I'm considering taking a month (before I start actually paying for classes) to increase my endurance, work on forward rolls(which I can't do to save my life) and a few of the other drills I learned that I'm quite bad at. Should I wait or just jump right in?

Any input you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer
Megan:

It's wonderful that you found a school where the instructor and class is friendly and makes you feel welcome. That can be a big challenge for some people. It sounds like your only concern is that you may not be athletic enough to hang during the warm-up drills.

I say go for it. The warm-ups get easier as you get used to them, and getting Tired before drilling helps ensure that you can perform all of your skills under stress in a sport or defense situation. It will be hard at first because, even though you already work out, you'll have to move your body in ways you aren't used to.

My advice is this: don't think of the drill you're learning as exercises; think of them as skills you need to master. Take them slowly and work on your technique rather than attempting to do as many reps as the rest of the class. Ask the instructor or a senior student to show you how to do the front roll smoothly and give you tips on the other movements. It's not that everyone else is capable of doing moves you can't. They've simply spent more time developing those skills.

And here's the cool part - once you have those skills, you'll find that the warm-up is much less tiring.

Good luck.

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