So I realized recently that I TRY to facilitate discussion between my blog and you, the reader. I do that by thinking “what would people find interesting?” and by posing questions. In the last 10 posts, 9 posed questions for the reader (if you include this post, then technically the last 10 out of 10 posts posed questions).
I also try to include pictures, sometimes chopping pictures together For Your Enjoyment 🙂 I realized that pictures are INTERESTING! 🙂
And, I try to write interesting things that anyone in BJJ can respond to. Clearly, as a white belt, I don’t have all the technical things to fall back on, and to be honest, those things can be hard to read. What I like to do is tell stories.
I also talk about jiu jitsu on Jiu Jitsu Forums, so I don’t blog about EVERYTHING. It makes me think a little more carefully about what what would be a GOOD blog post. My “Hey, I gave out free kimuras to the first five people in class today–where were you” update goes on Facebook, not my blog.

Also NOT how I picture our dialogs, but better than above
Here are some posts I’m very proud of:
“I’m not going to roll with you differently because you’re a girl”
“What do you need/want in a BJJ school?”
“A Cool Gi Trick I Learned”
“BJJ Tropes: Cauliflower Ear”
“Women and BJJ: Femininity”
So, free blog advertising time! Tell about YOUR blog! What do you try to do? What is your aim? Feel free to tell about your blog and even post some links to posts you’re particularly proud of OR that you feel are very representational of your blog.
PS: Your post may be flagged as SPAM if you have too many links. NEVER FEAR! I will unlock your comment!
Have you seen this?
http://www.bjjblogs.com/
Hahaha Chas you got flagged as spam for that comment. hehe
I work, study and have a wife and family. In between all that, I train jiu jitsu and try to have a social life. I’ve over the years become a black belt at balancing and managing time. I try to write about that in my blog.
Nice! Any posts you’d specifically like to link to? I enjoy your blog, btw!
Yeah, you’ve had some impressive comment hauls recently, and posing a question that people are keen to answer seems to be a good tactic. You, Georgette and Leslie are all really good at doing that, as you’ve all had massive comment threads (I think Leslie is currently the champ, with this, though Georgette has had some huge responses, like this).
My regular training posts are mostly pretty boring, as I just say what I did in class, what I need to work on, and what I’m planning to do next time. I don’t get especially personal, which is what Leslie does so well. My training log posts are probably most useful to me, though they do make it easy for me to keep the blog updated (as I normally train twice a week, so that’s at least two blog posts a week).
I try to add in some more readable stuff, like the articles (which are mostly written by Chrissy these days, who has been sending me lots of great pieces). Having guest writers is cool, as while I always try to encourage women into BJJ, I’m not a woman myself. So, I was keen to get some pieces from actual women. 😉
As one of the main reasons I started the blog was to help beginners, I’ve also tried to develop longer resources, like the Beginner FAQ, glossary and history, along with non-BJJ related stuff, like my travel write-ups.
If for some reason anyone wants even more babbling by me about myself, see here and here. I’ll be interested to see if any new bloggers pop up as a result of your latest question, so I can add them to the blog index. 😀
Lol–this got flagged as spam because of all the comments. I’ll have to keep watching for that.
GREAT post. Thank you so much. I do enjoy reading the comments and I TRY to comment back. Definitely love the dialog approach. But then again, it’s what got me into BJJ in the first place–I love the social aspect.
ps Slidey–one of the reasons I value your blog so much is that you are a fantastic resource, if only because you LINK to so much. It’s a delight to have such a well researched article with so many links to other resources.
THANK YOU!
Cheers, and yeah, I love linking. Definitely my favourite thing about writing on the internet, along with the interactive, community aspect (a perfect example of which can be seen in action right here in this comment thread: your blog post clearly hit on a great topic). 🙂
Oops – sorry, double posted there, as I thought the other one wasn’t working because I put too many links in or something. Spamtastic. 😉
NO PROBLEM! 🙂
I have my personal achievements blog, where i write everything i think is relevant about my trainings, my favorite videos, and things which motivate me. I write about physical training, bjj, taekwondo, parkour, judo, muay thai, and everything that is part of my training. Many things there are just thoughts and reflections, things i would like to share with people. I call this blog “Self-Improvement”, it’s what i try to achieve in my trainings, become a better human being, and help people to get motivated to achieve their own goals.
I’m really fan of training/experiences blogs, everyone has something to say about their experience, everybody see things in different ways, and i think it must be shared!
My blog is in Brazilian-Portuguese, so doesn’t make much sense to put it’s posts here :/
Osu
🙂 I appreciate you adding to the dialog here! You’ve got a great perspective and I like your input. Please keep sharing the fun videos here!
Doesn’t matter if its in a different language, as non-Portuguese speakers can still read it (although in a garbled way, but hey, better than nothing) with the wonders of Google Translate. 😉
Agreed!
I’m still fairly new at the blog thing. Using it right now to help me remember what I’ve been learning along the way. I’m a horrible writer, so most of the time it’s rants about a few minutes after I come home from training. I probably should think a little bit more about what people would like to see.
If it’s a public blog, it’s good to think about your audience IF you want people to read it. If you don’t want people to read it, why is it public? Why not have something that’s private on your computer? 🙂
I think it’s ASTONISHING how many new BJJ blogs pop up on almost a daily basis. But more sadly, how FEW stick around more than a month. C’mon people. Yes, most of the time the first few months or a year is like talking into the wind… but Julia has hit upon the secret. Ask questions of general interest to your audience, and comment on other peoples’ blogs, and you will get readers 🙂
Then it’s just like sitting down for a good gab with friends. It’s gotten to the point where I feel like if I don’t blog it, it doesn’t happen. (I need to figure out the blog-by-cell-phone option and quick 🙂 )
That’s true–it’s the ones that last. Though because we are writing to a very specific audience, there IS built in readership. Female BJJ bloggers are not EXACTLY the most common types of bloggers, but ones that people are interested in hearing about.
I agree–commenting on people’s blogs is a great way to get new readers. Plus, it helps you connect with other people in the blogosphere and make new friends 🙂 Showing care will help you receive care.
I ALMOST disappeared for a while–it was that stretch when I broke up with my first school, before I really connected with my new school. BJJ drama was making me heartsick and I couldn’t blog about it because it made me feel terrible. Thankfully I had connected with enough people online that it helped me through it.
Thank you for your input, Georgette!
I want to be there to encourage women, like the internet was there for me way back when I started.
I don’t like discussing technique or rolls in my posts because well…I don’t find it that interesting to write about. (I make notes for myself after class and that is sufficient.) I prefer to “philosophize” about BJJ, if you will. I tend to have a particular focus on women, if relevant, because women in the sport means a lot to me — and obviously that is the perspective that I am writing from.
What I have gained, but was not expecting from blogging, is the awesome, supportive, humourous community of BJJ bloggers, and I love it!
Yeah–I can’t write out techniques. It doesn’t make sense to me. I can’t write it in a way that makes sense to me let alone someone else. My brain doesn’t process it that way.
I also like to philosophize about BJJ 🙂
I agree–the BJJ bloggers tend to be supportive, connected, and really helpful! I’ve really felt a sense of community. Thanks for being part of that!
Do you have any specific posts you’d like to direct us to? Ones you are particularly proud of or were well written or were very popular or representational?
I feel like I’m still too new to blogging to have a post that I’m particularly proud of….my post on being “secretly competitive” has been the most popular so far, though. It’s short and sweet. Some of my posts get a little lengthy.. :-S
What post are you most proud of?
I put the ones I’m proud of in the main post. Check them out! 🙂
hhhahahoooopsies – right. sorry. silly me, i read that earlier, but it’s late. I usually start doing stupid things around 4:00am, but I still tend to float around the internet a lot at this hour. I should probably stop that. 😛
I originally made this account so I could reply to Leslie’s log (lol, she seems to be the beginning of EVERYTHING)…and then I decided it couldn’t hurt to try writing a little myself…and I got hooked. I’m now also in charge of a private blog for my dojo bjj class, so I have recently started trying to review techniques that we go over in class and hints at becoming a better student…as well as including my own takes on training, bjj, and life in general 🙂
I started this blog with a general sense of a focus but also writing about life in general. As my audience became very focused, so did my writing. I realized quickly that people came to read specific types of articles, so I should continue that. I remember I wanted to get more female BJJ voices out there on the Internet and add something positive and significant to what existed. I wanted to be a resource for other women thinking of doing BJJ.
Thanks for the descriptor. I like your “mission” 🙂
Ha! Love it!
I started documenting the “weirdness” since I’d never trained before, and I had friends who’d never trained a martial art supporting me. I wanted to keep it interesting for them. Now, I’ve found that my most emotional posts get the most feedback, so anytime I have new emotions/experiences welling up, I put some of that stuff out there…it’s generally stuff I’d never vocalize since I’m not a big emoter. My proudiest posts? …yeah…
http://bjiujitsu.blogspot.com/2010/09/these-emotions-keep-catching-me-by.html
http://bjiujitsu.blogspot.com/2010/08/men-are-strong.html
http://bjiujitsu.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunday-january-24-2010-what-does-this.html
http://bjiujitsu.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-precious-balls.html
I loved the “My Precious Balls” post. That one made me laugh out loud.
I always appreciate when women share about their emotional breakdowns. Makes me feel like I’m not the only one! thank you for sharing!
I started writing my blog for two reasons:
Firstly, nobody around me (friends, family) is interested in martial arts in general or BJJ specifically. I guess I needed someone to talk to and share my experiences. So it made sense to tell the blog, and those who are interested can read it 🙂
Secondly, as I soon discovered, there are hardly any women in BJJ or any of the grappling sports, and even less at my age. Also, not many bloggers from Australia. So I figured that maybe my observations and ruminations might be useful to someone out there.
I prefer to write about general things and experiences rather than techniques. I have a separate training diary with all the technique stuff, but I end up writing about techniques in my blog sometimes. My blog doesn’t appear to be hugely popular, and I really couldn’t care less 😉 In the first instance, I’m writing for my own entertainment. I re-live the interesting moments and I try to find words for my feelings, as I struggle along the rocky path of learning BJJ. Sometimes I add in technique clips I find, or other interesting stuff, just because it appeals to me or it tickles my funny bone.
To me, it’s a total bonus that I have readers and that they sometimes chime in and comment. I’m really glad though that what I write is useful or entertaining to someone out there.
Thank you for sharing! Would you mind posting some links to some articles you’ve written that you were especially proud of, were popular, or are highly representational of your writing style?
One thing I’ve seen is that the more you comment, the more readers you get. Once you start spreading out, other people will discover you. It’s how I found a few people’s blogs! Plus, when people post on here, I always click on their links!
I always like when people put pictures of themselves in their blogs–it makes it feel more like you’re interacting with THEM and not just their words.
Note to self: take more pictures.
Thank you for sharing!
I was never athletic all my life, but when I felt my youth being ticked away by the clock, I started getting fit. That was when I was 25. At 27, I started training in BJJ after doing gym workouts, boxing and Muay Thai. Since then, I’m happily stuck in BJJ.
In my old blog, the 2 more famous posts are the following:
1. Women in BJJ, BJJ in Me – http://manbeater.wordpress.com/2007/10/01/women-in-bjj-bjj-in-me/
2. How BJJ-addict Are You? – http://manbeater.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/how-bjj-addicted-are-you/
I am still trying to build a better identity in my new blog, but I’ll promote it nonetheless 🙂 Here’s the reason why I am changing my blog’s name, from “manbeater” to “pinkjiujitsu”:
http://www.pinkjiujitsu.com/p/this-blog.html
🙂 I remember the comment that the author of Martial Farts made when he changed his name–that at first he thought it was funny, but now it’s just childish and embarrassing. lol
Thankfully by picking my name I don’t have to worry about the branding issue.
I found a comment I left for your first linked post. It was one of the first articles I read when I started getting into BJJ. Thank you for your voice on the Internet. It has not gone unnoticed.
I think for me that’s what this is all about–the voice on the Internet. You never know what woman you may inspire, or what support you’ll be giving someone by laying it out there for them. Thank you for what you wrote, and thank you for linking them here!
I started mine because I needed you all to hold me accountable for my 4-month jiu-jitsu commitment. I was deathly afraid that if I didn’t put a “public” face on it, I wouldn’t follow through. It’s so easy to be scared away. I also do it because as the only girl in class, I need some support to keep me coming back. I have so much appreciated reading all of your blogs and I feel lucky to have your readership as well.
I hear you, Shark Girl! I like your writing style, especially the COOKIE post you just made 🙂
Please link some of the articles you are proud of or are representational of your writing style!
I have found that when bloggers interact with me, both in the article as well as by replying to comments, that I’m definitely more likely to come back.
Thank you for adding your voice here!
Mine was intended strictly as a self-study tool, since I never took notes or anything in class.
My training is in a hiatus at the moment, so I’m planning on putting some work into the design and re-launching it when I start training again in March. Maybe then I’ll start getting other people to read it.
Post some links to some of your better written posts or posts that were popular or ones you’re particularly proud of! Show off here!
Haha, okay. Well, the one where I explain how I got into BJJ is a little bit meandering and long, but I like my comparison of learning BJJ to learning chess: In both cases, students are mostly encourage to study the ‘endgame’ first.
So I like that BJJ starts with teaching you to survive the worst possible position: On the ground, on your back, with your opponent on top of you and I go into it here:
http://zr0.in/2010/08/23/study-endgame-first/
I also put together a worldwide map of gyms a while back ago but haven’t worked on it for quite a while so it’s probably all out of date: http://zr0.in/findagym/
Hey Steve – what’s the story with your blog now?
[…] I’ll finish with a Julia style closing question related to that: do you try and mollycoddle your fingers like me, or do you rely […]
[…] a leaf out of Julia’s excellent blog, I thought I’d finish with a question: what would you drill at an open mat? […]
I started my blog as kind of an introspective analysis of my progression in BJJ and my overall growth as a person. I found that I really enjoy writing even though I am not the best at using correct punctuation and some things may not be grammatically correct. I have absolutely zero audience yet except for spammers who really seem to enjoy my blog and are great at handing out critiques on my spelling errors and weak SEO and use of back links……I am really new at this but I am proud of most of what I have done, including but not limited to the following:
http://www.twinjitsu.com/?p=22 “That Boy Sure Is A Running Fool!”
http://www.twinjitsu.com/?p=8 Sibling Rivalry
http://www.twinjitsu.com/?p=49 BJJ ON THE STREET (in defense of puppies and other noble causes)
Thanks for sharing! I need to retool this to make certain posts easier to find, and this will be one that needs to be near the top!
Hi Julia!
I’ve been an occasional lurker on your blog but never really blogged much when I was on wordpress. hehehe.
Then I got an iphone, then I signed up for Tumblr and I couldn’t stop blogging lol. Though I’m mostly on the Tumblr community (which btw has a great BJJ community!) I’ve set up my Tumblr to also function as a normal blog too.
Apart from blogging about BJJ, I also blog about health, fitness, dieting, eating right, working out, anything interesting happening in my at the moment and positive thinking. My blog is also called ‘Of Cupcakes n Armbars’ cause occasionally there will be some food related posts since I love to cook and bake (but not as much as I love BJJ).
I treat my blog as a journal though rather than a blog, so I don’t write articles, think of content that my readers would want and stuff like that. I write short and sweet posts followed by loads of pictures and also reblog anything inspirational/motivational I like from Tumblr. So there’s plenty of videos, quotes, motivational pictures from all over. I guess you could say my blog is a virtual scrapbook of my life and things I find on the internet.
As for posts, hahahhaha ironically I think I’m mostly proud of my baking posts. I’m just a blue belt in BJJ (and somedays I feel like a noob white belt) and hardly the best person to come to for BJJ advice, but when it comes to baking and cooking I’m probably a brown belt hehehehe. 😉
http://cupcakearmbar.tumblr.com/post/11567671671/a-6-layer-rainbow-butter-cake-with-swiss-meringue
http://cupcakearmbar.tumblr.com/post/11601709640/what-recipe-did-you-use-for-your-rainbow-cake
Ok ok, if I had to pick a BJJ related post I am semi-proud of is posting up my competition ready playlist.
http://cupcakearmbar.tumblr.com/post/11690248692/competition-ready-playlist
😀
I love love love SL. ^_^
Can I pimp my blog here?
http://leaahh.wordpress.com
I write about being a high-level female player in Asia and… BJJ. And life. My blog is a baby but I promise I won’t abandon it…
Yes, but you actually have to pimp it! Give some links to posts you’re proud of and/or that represent your writing style.
Also HOLY CRAP YOUR BLOG ROCKS. Please pimp it properly. I am excited to go through and respond. It also has inspired a few ideas for blog entries.
Hello Julia,
I have been reading your blog recently and me likes. I’ll go ahead and take advantage of the opportunity to plug away. Although my blog is new and I don’t have many posts up (yet), It’ll be long term. I like to write about stuff the the mainstream bjj media doesn’t and highlight people who I think deserve recognition.
Since I don’t have many posts, I’ll share my favorite; http://bjjgrappling.com/hater-fuel/
Feel free to look around, and I would love for you to be my first subscriber. =] In addition, if you are into the social thing, let’s connect. I love meeting bjj people everyone is so supportive of one another.
Hey there – I subscribed, but it wasn’t the easiest thing – seemed like there were several steps to take. But I’m subscribed.
[…] Ah you may also find this page useful: Tell about YOUR BJJ blog! […]
Took me awhile to comment here! This is pretty cool, I plan to go through the other comments here to meet others!
To sum it up – my blog is a gal and her rabbit taking on BJJ!
When I started up my blog, http://bunnyjiujitsu.wordpress.com/ I wanted others to encourage others to get into BJJ – and be fun about it. I still get heat on why I’m in BJJ as it’s not a female thing to do and such. My blog began when I was early into my white belt and posted stuff I learned along the way. I experienced injuries, weight loss and a new passion.
Memorable posts:
http://bunnyjiujitsu.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/gracie-hat/ My rabbit wearing a BJJ hat.
http://bunnyjiujitsu.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/rolling-with-women-in-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-white-belt-behaviors/ Me reflecting on those not so fun female rolling partners as a white belt.
http://bunnyjiujitsu.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/a-gal-who-likes-ufc-experience-of-going-to-an-ufc-event/ my first UFC event!
Excellent! Thanks for the introduction!
Hello to all! Our blog’s emphasis is reviewing BJJ gis, however we do feature other various items as well provided it is helpful, informative or promotes the BJJ culture. We are well aware of the other various gi review sites out there but feel that they miss out on various aspects of what a review should contain. Also, we feel the content is rather bland in most cases and is just a list of specs which isn’t anything intriguing.
If you want to get an idea of our content you can check out my latest gi review post: http://mybjjgi.com/black-eagle-predator-basico-gi-review/
We do occasionally give out gis after reviewing so stay tuned for our next one. The Black Eagle Predator went to one of our Instagram followers. Our next one will be a Hyperfly but that will be a giveaway through our Facebook page so check us out there.
What is the difference between your blog and gireviews.net or bjjgearjunkie.com?
chokedout.wordpress.com
I just started my blog about a week ago. The basic idea is to document my workouts/some of my nutrition that are the main things I’m working on to improve my BJJ game. I’d like to include more pictures eventually but right now I’m just trying to get myself in the mindset of blogging. The workouts are pretty good and I’ll start talking more about jiu jitsu after I figure out what I’d like to do with that part of the blog. I’m a blue belt under Zaid Mirza in Jordan and I’m currently training as i go to school in California, this blog will hopefully show the steps it takes me to get some medals in some major tournaments!
Excellent. I’d recommend checking out the posts I made about BJJ blogging – you might find the ideas helpful! What belt are you?
Do you have any blogging goals for yourself – such as blogging X days per week?
Hey, I’m a blue belt in BJJ. I’ll check out that post for sure, thanks.
I guess for now my goals are to just update it as often as I can until I find the motivation to put more effort and start posting pictures/videos. ~4 days a week seems like a reasonable start. Right now I’m kind of stuck just writing things without posting any pictures because I can’t carry my camera around to the gym and my phone sucks.
Ideally, I’d be posting a video every week of some exercise, along with a recipe and some things about my jiu jitsu experience that week, whether it’s what I learned or what I need to learn etc..
http://www.pinkgijiujitsu.blogspot.com
Hi everyone! I’m Risa and I write the blog Pink Gi Jiu-Jitsu. I started this blog to track my experiences, thoughts and progression throughout the process of learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. My blog begins with my first day of class and it goes on from there!
There was a possibility that I would try the sport and not like it. After a few months of training, I am getting HOOKED! So there are no plans of stopping any time soon.
If anyone has any advice for a newbie like me, I’m all ears! Looking forward to checking out all of your blogs too!
-Risa
Hey there Risa! Welcome to the BJJ women’s blogging community! I actually did write a series of articles you might find useful:
https://jiujiubjj.com/2012/10/16/so-you-want-to-start-a-bjj-blog/
https://jiujiubjj.com/2012/10/27/bjj-blogs-teasing-out-content/
https://jiujiubjj.com/2012/10/25/bjj-blogging-search-engine-optimization-seo/
I’m so glad you love it!!!
I recently published a blog post on advice that several Jiu-Jitsu brown and black belts give regarding ego on the mats. Perhaps this would spark a post idea for your respective blogs. I would love to read your thoughts on the subject of ego.
http://pinkgijiujitsu.blogspot.com/2012/12/asking-jiu-jitsu-experts-about-ego.html
Hey! So I realize I am incredibly late to this conversation. And being new to BJJ and blogging (only 6 months in) I know that I don’t have quite as much to talk about. But I am in medical school and am also training BJJ. Both of which are very male dominated. So my blog is about not only surviving as a female in a male’s world, but learning to thrive! It’s meant as motivation for other girls so that they know that it’s not impossible, as well as sharing with the world that women can be strong, independent, and can kick butt too! I know that medical school and BJJ are 2 very different things, but I’ve found the life lessons from both of them tend to be the same. I hope you can check it out. I recently found your blog and I love it, and I hope to be as successful as yours is someday!
Thanks!
http://thefemaleperspectiveonmedschoolandbjj.blogspot.com/
Whoa – a med school student doing BJJ? Totally connect that material! How interesting! Share those life lessons, lady!
Hi there,
I stumbled upon your blog while looking for BJJ blogs. I recently started my own one where I mostly write about techniques I’ve been learning as I way to remember all the stuff that’s taught to us, as well as take a new approach to my training beyond the lessons taught in class. As often the smallest guy in class I find that I can relate well to the female BJJ bloggers out there struggling.
Please check it out! http://www.jumbojitsu.wordpress.com 🙂
How small are you? We have a lot of tiny guys in my gym – I’m in Korea. When I went back to America I was a bit overwhelmed by how much bigger American men are.
Congrats on the blog.
5’7 135… probably not the smallest in Korea haha. But the country I live in is full of big rugby playing fellas (New Zealand)
Hi there! I started a few months ago (Dec 2012) and haven’t been able to train much (bruised ribs for 2 months). Now I’m almost back on track! I’m also living in Seoul and train with my boyfriend at home. He’s a black belt in karate, judo, Japanese jiu jitsu and ninjitsu. So it’s like having private lessons haha.
Check out my blog: http://xnengnengx.tumblr.com
It’s about my life in Seoul and about my experience with jiu jitsu.
I do want to spar with women one day but I don’t think I’m ready to step out of my comfort zone yet…
Oh wow! Welcome to Korea! I hope we can meet. You available this week? My gym is closed because we’re moving. It would be amazing to meet another jiu jitsu gal! Drop me a message at julia at jiujiubjj dot com or you can send me a text message at gong il gong – gu yuk i gu – il gu pal yuk.
You’ve got mail 😉
Yay! It was so nice meeting you! Some information we discussed:
* The gi top that fit you was the Predadora size F3.
* The book I suggest is Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro.
* The video we watched was Stephan Kesting and Emily Kwok – How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
* The others I recommended were: Roy Dean’s Blue Belt Requirements, the Gracies (of course!), and Marcelo Garcia.
* Videos on Youtube: you can’t go wrong with Stephan Kesting!
If Jiu Jiu’s blog is the Lord of the Rings extended DVD series on Blu-Ray, my blog is Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures 2 on VHS. Not really worth reading, but if you’re bored and want to see my journey check it out!
Hehe that’s really cute – AND nerdy! I love it. I’ll add you on Feedly and start reading!