Sophia and Robert Drysdale. Photo: Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu

Get the chance to train with both Robert and Sophia Drysdale of GMA Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu. Robert is an ADCC absolute champion and both are black belt world champions, Sophia having earned the title of first female black belt in Australia.

The duo will be travel to Prohamos BJJ in Mexico City, Mexico for a camp from Feb. 21-22.

Don’t miss the seminar with Robert on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be gi and no-gi. On Feb. 22, Sophia will teach a gi and no-gi seminar as well from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The camp will have rates for each event and a dual rate as well. To reserve your spot, go to http://www.eventbrite.com/e/entradas-robert-y-sophia-drysdale-en-mexico-14657499977?aff=efbevent

For more information you can email seminarios@promahosbjj.com

Learn more about Robert and Sophia Drysdale at www.drysdalejiujitsu.com

Training at the camp in Mexico City. Photo: Personal Archive

Jiu-Jitsu is growing so rapidly and more and more opportunities are coming up for athletes to compete, to attend seminars and workshops.

Recently, Sophia McDermott Drysdale of GMA Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas, NV and Mackenzie Dern of GMA Megaton Jiu-Jitsu in Phoenix, AZ visited Mexico to train and share their knowledge amongst some lucky ladies. In attendance were students of Jiu-Jitsu who traveled far and wide from all across the United States and Latin America to attend the eight-day camp.

Purple belt Itzel Bazua, who is a pioneer in the sport for women in Mexico, organized the event to help build awareness of Jiu-Jitsu in Mexico and give others the opportunity to learn from two experienced black belts, World and Pan Am Champions.

In between the morning and night training there was time to do some sight seeing such as visiting the temples and Teotihuacan!

The previous month Sophia McDermott Drysdale, with brown belt Ronda Andrews, also taught a camp at the MA Supershow at the Venetian in Las Vegas. The event was organized by brown belt Shama Ko, who is the founder of the very successful support group, Girls In Gis which brought over 80  ladies from all across the United States who were all there to share and learn and make friendships regardless of affiliation or belt rank.

It is great to see more events being held for women and all Jiu-Jitsu practitioners as a whole. Stay tuned for more info for big camps and events that Mackenzie and Sophia are involved in.

Check out more of Sophia’s adventures at www.drysdalejiujitsu.com

Here, Sophia offers a way to secure a triangle submission from the closed guard by breaking an opponent’s grip on your lapel in the process. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Learn more about Sophia and Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu at www.drysdalejiujitsu.com

Sophia and the Australian Girls in Gis camp. Photo: Personal Archive

The weekend of Feb. 15-16 was a huge weekend for women in Jiu-Jitsu. Almost 95 women joined together to participate in one of the largest women’s BJJ event in the world! The event organized by purple belt Jess Fraser was a weekend camp that was open to all women of all ages and all levels from any academy.

It was a weekend where everyone could get together and learn and share experiences with no politics and no competition.  The head instructor, Australia’s first female black belt, Pan-Am and No-Gi World champion Sophia McDermott Drysdale, taught two sessions each day and gave advice about training during pregnancy. She also shared how to deal with the changes both physically and mentally of being a mother and an athlete.

Australian Girls in Gis is a huge community that provides support to all female Australian athletes and as a result, the overall standard of women in Jiu-Jitsu has increased dramatically.

“It is great to see the sport growing so rapidly where there are almost 100 women on the mat at one time,” says Sophia.

In July, Sophia is scheduled to teach a camp in Mexico alongside Mackenzie Dern.

For more information about Sophi McDermott Drysdale and her home of GMA Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas, visit www.drysdalebjj.com

The largest women’s Jiu-Jitsu group in the world will be hosting their fourth female-only grappling camp on Feb. 15 & 16.

Leading the camp will be the first Australian female black belt, Sophia McDermott Drysdale who now lives in Las Vegas, NV with her husband Robert teaching and running their school, GMA Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu.

Sophia is an international competitor who has won titles at State, National, Pan Pacific, Pan American and No-Gi Worlds. Her teaching experiences extend from gymnastics to personal training to Jiu-Jitsu seminars and classes.

The camp will have over 100 girls attending. Those in attendance have the opportunity to “train with some top female athletes, learn new skills, meet new friends and generally have the greatest girls grappling weekend of all time, all in the land down under in the Summer time!”

Everyone is welcome to join no matter the experience level or team and affiliation.

For more information go to www.australiangirlsingi.com

For a week in March, you can prepare for the 2014 IBJJF Pan American Championship with Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu. World champion Robert Drysdale and his Zenith team member, world champion Rodrigo Cavaca, will be together at their Las Vegas, NV location to refine technique and help with strategy for the largest tournament of the year from March 3-10.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn from the world’s best. Affiliate members of Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu will pay a fee of $100 for the training camp while non-members are welcome to join with a $200 fee. For a week of training in classes that are held every day in classes designed by weight divisions, this is a great opportunity.

Register to secure your spot by calling 702-258-0048 or emailing sales@drysdalejiujitsu.com and find more information www.drysdalejiujitsu.com

A list of various athletes and teachers will be present at Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu on Saturday, Dec. 14 for a charity seminar to help those less fortunate. The seminar is open to all levels and all affiliations.

Set to teach are:

Robert Follis, a renowned MMA coach
Evan Dunham, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and UFC  fighter
Sean Spangler, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and Grappler’s Quest most decorated competitor
Kyle Griffin, a D1 wrestler and ADCC veteran
Kristian Woodmansee, a brown belt world and pan champion

The location is Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu: 1234 S. Rainbow Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89146

They are asking for a minimum donation of $10 or equivalent value and are accepting toys, clothing, food and money.

The seminar will begin at 10 a.m.

For more information go to www.drysdalejiujitsu.com

Abmar Barbosa teaching at Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu. Photo: Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu Facebook

GMA Drysdale BJJ in Las Vegas, NV is welcoming back Abmar Barbosa to teach classes twice a week. Barbosa earned his black belt under head instructor Robert Drysdale in 2008 and has since traveled the world training, teaching and competing.

But he’s back and scheduled for a lunchtime class every Monday and Wednesday from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Other Jiu-Jitsu instructors besides ADCC and World champion Robert Drysdale include black belts Rodrigo Botti, Sonny Nohara, Sophia Drysdale as well as beginners and kids class instructors Kristian Woodmansee, Matt Villiatora and Gaspar Agabin

More information can be found at www.drysdalejiujitsu.com

Check out Sophia teach a finishing technique from spider guard:

Monique Elias didn’t just make it rain at the Worlds 2013, as a purple belt, she won three fights in weight and four in the absolute. Photo: Erin Herle

Student and wife of two-time world champion Mario Reis, purple belt Monique Elias, 23, competed in an almost perfect World Championship run, with seven fights, seven wins and six submissions.

There wasn’t much new, as Monique also won the middleweight and absolute at blue belt in 2012. Happy with the wins, the Alliance fighter told us, from Porto Alegre where she lives, what she learned from this victory, analyzed the open final with Polish competitor Maria Malyjasiak, and at the end of the interview gave a valuable lesson for practitioners of all levels.

GRACIEMAG: What was the difference between last year’s Worlds and this, besides the color of the belt?

MONIQUE ELIAS: The girls are more technical. At blue belt, many fights end decided on the will to win. But at purple, the opponents are more professional. All train well and work out. If you look at the matches, you see a lot of girls with a very smart game. So I changed my training too, I started doing fitness training with Wagner Zaccani, who prepares the Olympic Judo team in southern Brazil, and increased by Jiu-Jitsu training by two hours. I felt that I fought stronger with better timing and I was stronger psychologically.

For those who don’t know you, how is your style? How, for example, was the middleweight final against Meagan Green (Cia Paulista)?

I kept my strategy of pulling guard, as I did in other fights, and managed to submit with the triangle from the closed guard. I dominated with the right grips and submitted. This move is often used at home (laughs).

This pulls the next question: In what aspect does Mario Reis help more in the competitions?

Mario was the one who introduced me to Jiu-Jitsu, who taught me everything I know. He only helps me, motivating me a lot at the gym, not letting me relax, missing training, eating badly, repeating a wrong position, being late for training at the gym. He has walked this path I’m starting to follow, and knows to point out the best shortcuts.

And the pressure of being the wife of a two-time world champion, is it scary?

Sometimes I feel pressured because they require me to have great results just by being the wife of Reis. When I win, I hear: “She won because she is the wife of Mario and receives more attention from everybody.” Well, it has its share of truth, because he is really demanding with me. Imagine having your teacher with you 24 hours! It takes patience and knowing how to deal with this very well, because besides student and teacher, we are married, and when I’m home I do not want my teacher telling me what I have to do or not. On the other hand, when I lose, I hear: “Oh, I beat the wife of Mario Reis”. I am not only Mario’s wife, I’m an athlete who gave up many things in life, who trains a lot to get on top of the podium, who gives up nights out with friends, waking up early. I am an athlete like thousands of others trying to find their space in Jiu-Jitsu and the fact that I’m his wife doesn’t make things easier for me.

The absolute final against Polish Maria Malyjasiak (Drysdale JJ) was your toughest fight. How was it?

Exactly. Maria is very strong and can use the weight very well. I had three advantages, two were from almost sweeping and one for going to the back, when we ended up leaving the mat. She had two advantages, because I was on all fours to replace the guard and another from a foot attack. Being at the end of the open, I was tenser. Because she is a very tough girl and heavier than me, I ended up having to use more power and got more tired. But it was cool.

What was your biggest learning experience at this Worlds?

I learned the value of training with people who make things harder for me. Sometimes we want to get to the gym and do all our moves, use all our positions and not put ourselves in danger. In fact, the training that really teaches us are the hard ones, when we have a hard time, when we get our face all red. Those are the opponents that make us give our best all the time.

If you are in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, sign up for Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu’s Worlds Training Camp. Whether you are competing or not you can gain valuable knowledge and training time on the mats with Robert Drysdale, champion in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.