The first time you comment, your comment will automatically go into a moderation queue. If it is approved, after that you will be auto-approved.
This blog is a place where intelligent and polite conversation takes place. That only happens because it is moderated; unmoderated websites tend to be full of assholes. This means that you don’t have to agree with anyone, but you need to interact politely and in a way that facilitates rather than impede conversation. It is absolutely possible to disagree without being disagreeable. Think of yourself as a guest we invited over to have a cup of coffee. How would you engage in the conversation in a manner that would encourage us to invite you back?
You are welcome to comment anonymously; consistent identities are preferred.
When I delete comments it’s because you’ve violated one or more of the following rules. In general, I will email you to let you know and give you the opportunity to reword it. This may not always be the case, especially if you are extremely rude or patronizing. It’s my choice whether or not to interact with you.
1. Play nice and friendly. As the blog owner, I get to play tone police and decide if you’re being rude. If your comment makes me feel gross because of how you said it, I’m deleting it. It’s totally cool to disagree with me or other people! But it’s not cool to be rude.
2. Certain comments/topics ARE off limits. Victim blaming is NOT okay. Transphobic, homophobic, racist, sexist comments are NOT okay. Comments telling people to politely STFU and train are NOT okay. Comments that shut people down and impede conversation are NOT okay, such as saying “You’re just jealous.”
3. Personal insults are off limits. Disagree with what someone has said, don’t just call them stupid. Go to Youtube if you want to do that. I’m trying to facilitate a conversation here. In general, you can comment on concrete behaviors, not on their character.
4. Commenting on someone’s grammar/spelling is not cool. Respond to what people are saying, not their autocorrect fail. Not everyone is a native English speaker, and I will staunchly defend people having their voices heard even if their English is not perfect. Plus, they might be an eagle. At the same time, please do your best to write complete words and sentences.
5. In general, keep it relevant. This is not to discourage “oh holy crap I found your blog!” comments, but rather, please keep the comments limited to the matter at hand and don’t derail.
6. Write a short story, not a novel. I’m guilty of violating this myself, so this is not set in stone. Part of it is that if you REALLY have that much to say, write a blog post about it and link to the original article. It’s hard to digest really long comments that hit multiple main points – but if it’s all about the same thing, not really a problem.Screw it. You guys are interesting people with cool stuff to say. Ramble on, friends!
7. No spam. Period. Yes, this means that even if you leave a REAL comment, if you have a spammy website or a spammy address, you’re going in the spam bin. Log in with your personal website or your personal email, and you’re golden. Caveat: if you’re a bjj company that is actually interacting with content and adding to the conversation, AND you have a jiu jitsu gear site, that will probably be okay. Please use an actual name, though, and not just your company name – people have conversations, companies don’t.
My babies are trying to tackle-hug me. They haven’t quite mastered the group hug yet.
As I tell my kindergarten students:
- “Does Miss Johansen like when you are nice?” “Yes.”
- “How does Miss Johansen feel when you are rude?” “Angry.”
- “But she started it!” “I don’t care. Don’t be rude back.”
Be nicer than my kindies, please – they’re 5 and don’t know any better.
Stumbled here and had some questions as google is no help. I have started Jiu Jitsu. I am even bigger than you where when you started, and I wondered about the whole sports bra thing. I have a very supportive one, but darn did they hurt after a several aggressive rolls tonight. Does the doubling up really help? Would it be better to just wear a normal (no under-wire one)? And best Gi’s for the plus size roller? Getting ready to order one after borrowing an A5 that doesn’t close all the way, and wondered if you know of any brands that are cut bigger?
Hi Heather! A quick reply while I’m on lunch:
1. Yes, absolutely 2 sports bras will help. I was a size G/H when I started and between jogging around and moving around, 2 sports bras were VERY helpful. I also loved the D Max Sports Bra by Athleta. Amazing.
2. Gis may be an expensive figuring out process for you. I found that Triin from Fenom was very helpful in figuring out which size I should wear. I emailed her my measurements and she suggested sizes.
You may also ask people in your gym if you can try on their gis. It may feel weird to ask, but it will be for the best. Gis fit differently. To that end, avoid the Tatami gis in women’s sizes – they’re DEFINITELY cut smaller. However, the Fuji women’s gis run very large, even in the smaller sizes. Thankfully their pink blossom gi is cheap, so even if it doesn’t fit right, it’s not a terribly expensive mistake. Same with Fenom – they’re under $100.
Check gifreak.com and see if they can help with the gi sizing!!
Here are my sizes when I started, and the message I received from Triin at the time:
Will the A3 fit me?
I am 5’4″ and weigh 205. My measurements:
Widest part of chest: 44″
Waist: 40″
Hips/butt: 48″
Thighs: 28″
Calves: 19.25″
I understand that the length will be far too long for me, but I can get it hemmed. I’m mostly concerned about it being wide enough to wrap around me. Please let me know.
Triin: Thanks for the inquiry. A3 would fit, the pants would be little bit long. You can shrink them about 1.5-2 inches length wise and hem just a bit if needed.
I’ll have to show my wife this post. She is at the edge of an A1 in Fenom kimonos but says they’re too small. I know for a fact an A2 will be too big. I never thought of hemming though.
Hi Heather!
Here’s a link to searches for A6 and A7 on GiFreak http://tinyurl.com/c4gmbge Like Jiu-jiu said, you may want to refine by price since you might need to try a couple of different sizes. DEFINITELY contact the manufacturer though. Most are great about you sending over measurements and recommending their best gi for you. Hope that helps!
hello. glad to finally find a place where I can read some beneficial informations regarding BJJ.
I got a few point-blank questions.
Is there any Rickson Gracie black belt disciple in japan?
and among a few people who has a black belt in japan, who is the best guy other than Koji Komuro?
It would be much appreciated If you answer me back ASAP
p.s.
I’m not native english speaker so that there might be some grammatical errors.
I only know about bjj in Korea. Sorry! Good luck to you!
There are quite a few Rickson lineage students in Japan, because Rickson black belt Takamasa Watanabe founded the Axis team a while back. Not sure who the best BJJ competitor would be, though. You often see a few Japanese fighters in the lighter weight categories and I know there is at least one who has got a Mundials Bronze at the black belt level.
Unless you meant most successful teacher? As that would presumably be black belts like Watanabe, Yuki Nakai etc.
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I just read your section on women belonging in Jiu jitsu. Awesome presentation , and I will be asking for permission to quote you when I open my own jiujitsu academy in a couple of years. I also liked Daniel Frank’s class presentation. Nevertheless, I was confused by the following comment line:
john v
April 23, 2014
hey, about hee sung lee. there’s a lot of bad rumors that he’s assaulted female students at his school. i don’t know if this is true or not but ppl need to know that this is out there. if anyone knows anything about this pleas post it. this stuff is importment and we shouldnt sweep it under the rug. please help.
Reply
JiuJiuJiuJiu
May 1, 2014
I had heard some rumors about him, which is why I stopped recommending his academy, but not enough to write any accusation on my blog.
Reply
john vjohn v
May 9, 2014
yeah, its kind of a difficult thing to deal with. in korea, there’s a big stigma on women that are victims of sexual aasault so a lot of it doesn’t get reported. and i think a lot of rapists rely on this. but i’ve heard from some pretty reliable and multiple sources that something is not right at Korea BJJ Academy. i’ve also heard he can act really aggressively to anyone who talks about this like he’ll come after them for slander.
women should at least know the rumors so they can protect themselves if they think they’re at risk. i’ve heard that Hee Sung Lee will force certain female student to take rides from him home, then that is when stuff happens. in korea, a lot of the bjj gyms go drinking together and have parties so there is definitely opportunities for things to happen.
thank you for allowing this comment on your site. i don’t want to spread bad rumors about anyone but its not right for the bjj community to make this a taboo topic. especially in a place like korea where the system doesn’t deal with these kinds of situations.
bjj is great and its great for women too. we need to protect that
John V actually did spread problematic rumours and their existence on your blog has allowed them to be passed on. Daniel Frank trained with Lee Heesung for a long time and never mentioned any evidence of inappropriate behavior. Lee Hee Sung has never been brought up on charges in the time since these posts were allowed, nor has he been investigated. The rumors are the result of a feud with another blackbelt, and it got nasty. Nothing has been substantiated and the lines on the blog are libellous/defamatory in nature. The existence of the posts is the equivalent of allowing accusations on your blog. The owner of Axis (Watanabe) has learned of the existence of these uncollaborated rumors, and as you well know, the bjj community has a lot of interconnections. He is not impressed. Please consider removing this section. Finally, I am very immersed in the bjj community in Korea and I could provide info in specific areas. Take care
I appreciate what you are trying to do and your thoughts behind it. However, brought up on charges, investigated – all those are legal things that often don’t happen in Korea in cases like this. Additionally, someone directly saying them can lead them to being sued in Korean courts for slander, even if it is true. A man training with another man may not see or hear anything. There are so many stories of women outside of BJJ being sexually harassed and their male coworkers being completely oblivious.
I gave it a lot of consideration, but decided the comment should stand.
A side note: any additional comments will be placed in the moderation queue and must be approved by me before they show.
If you decide you would like to delete your comment, since it brings up a very old comment in a very old blog article and shines a light on it in a very public article (my comment policy), I’m happy to do so.