Faixa-azul contra faixa-preta, no Mundial de 1998: pioneiras. Fotos: Lia Caldas/GRACIEMAG

Boa parte dos primeiros campeões mundiais no masculino se tornaram lendas. Helio “Soneca”, Royler Gracie, os Roberto Gordo e Roleta, Fabio Gurgel, Zé Mario Sperry, Libório e Amaury Bitetti, por exemplo.

Já no feminino, há diversas perguntas e informações que nem os mais curiosos fãs do Jiu-Jitsu são capazes de responder de cabeça.

Em que ano o Mundial começou a ter lutas entre mulheres?

Quem foram as primeiras guerreiras a competir no Mundial?

Quem foi a primeira vitoriosa?

Que atleta filha de um astro do futebol surgiu como um furacão nos tatames do Mundial?

Quantas foram as inscritas para o primeiro Mundial feminino?

Questões que um pesquisador de sorte, ao abrir seu arquivo de edições antigas de GRACIEMAg, começou a desvendar. Tudo graças a uma reportagem reveladora, escrita pela repórter, praticante e hoje professora de yoga Lia Caldas, em 1998.

No portal da IBJJF, as primeiras campeãs estão eternizadas. Foram apenas duas divisões no Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu de 1998 – até e acima de 65kg, sem separação de faixas. E duas faixas-roxas foram as rainhas.

Thaís Ramos (equipe Brigadeiro) venceu o peso leve, em final contra a fera da Alliance Dani Genovesi; já o peso pesado ficou com Rosângela “Zanza” Conceição, aluna da Behring.

Mas são outras as pioneiras de fato em Mundiais. Um ano antes, uma americana e uma brasileira fizeram História com H grande.

Foram as duas atletas a pisar nos tatames do Campeonato Mundial, para a primeira luta feminina realizada no grande evento da IBJJF. Como informou Lia Caldas em GRACIEMAG, a luta inaugural ocorreu no Mundial de 1997.

A reportagem conta que, em 1997 o feminino não foi aberto, mas uma faixa-azul americana, que treinava com os irmãos Machado apareceu no evento disposta a lutar. Chama-se Kathy Brothers, e representava a Gracie Barra. A organização curtiu a ideia e planejou uma luta casada para o público. A adversária escolhida foi a estrela em ascensão Alessandra “Thiola” Oliveira, faixa-azul da Alliance. Sim, o Jiu-Jitsu feminino começou no Tijuca com um duelo Alliance x Gracie Barra.

A vitória, decidida pela arbitragem, foi para a americana.

A luta inaugural abriu caminho para as divisões femininas na edição de 1998. Foram 48 mulheres inscritas. O fato de faixas-pretas terem de enfrentar jovens faixas-azuis, registrou Lia, afastou algumas competidoras (faixas-marrons na maioria) que discordaram do formato. Já a emoção foi garantida: uma das lutas mais comentadas de todo o evento foi a vitória de Paulinha Gaspari, peso leve e faixa-azul da GB, em cima de Patricia Lage, faixa-preta e filha de mestre Roberto Lage.

E a primeira campeã mundial sairia dessa categoria. Gaspari perderia para Mariana Coelho, mas havia outras favoritas no páreo.

De faixa-marrom, Leka Vieira enfrentou a estrela em ascensão Janaína Ventura, filha do tricampeão de futebol Jairzinho, ídolo do Botafogo e da Seleção. A faixa-roxa Janaína, registra a matéria, foi melhor naquele dia e venceu por 7 a 0.

Dani Genovesi no Mundial 2000: a lutadora da Alliance fez mestre Carlson perder aposta graúda. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal

As lutas empolgaram tanto os fãs e professores que, lá pelas tantas, Carlson e Helio Soneca decidiram apostar cem reais numa disputa, precisamente na semifinal entre Dani Genovesi Paiva x Mariana Coelho. Dani venceu, para alegria de Gigi Paiva e equipe, Carlson perdeu a aposta e pagou na hora.

Em outra semifinal, a carioca radicada em Brasília Thaís Ramos seguiu voando abaixo do radar e eliminou Bianca Barreto. Na final até 65kg, ela passou pela favorita Dani e tornou-se a primeira campeã mundial feminina. Thaís, curiosamente, só conquistaria sua faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu em 2005.

No peso pesado, a americana pioneira Kathy, que então se dividia entre o curso de medicina e lutas de MMA, voltou ao Tijuca Tênis Clube em busca da consagração no Mundial 1998. Só que não deu para ela.

Zanza, condecorada no Jiu-Jitsu, judô e na greco-romana, virou até história em quadrinhos, no gibi “As aventuras de Zanza”.

Kathy começou bem, ao eliminar a hoje célebre professora Tatiana Tognini, então uma aguerrida faixa-azul da Alliance São Paulo. A americana, contudo, seria eliminada a seguir por uma embalada Zanza. A campeã peso pesado teve de fato uma campanha acachapante: venceu Kathy, Andreia Silva e, na final, encontrou-se com a outra pioneira, Alessandra Thiola, que lutava com uma torcida barulhenta, à la Fernando Tererê.

Zanza, experiente, não se intimidou e finalizou Alessandra Thiola na grande final, com uma chave de braço, foto que estampou as páginas de GRACIEMAG.

Rosângela “Zanza” Conceição não era uma campeã desconhecida. Em 1996, chegou a viajar para os Jogos de Atlanta, onde foi reserva de Edinanci nas Olimpíadas. Após o ouro mundial, migrou com sucesso para a luta greco-romana, onde medalharia no Pan 2007 (bronze até 72kg) e obteria a vaga para os Jogos de Pequim-2008. Na China, Zanza venceu sua primeira luta, contra a cazaque Olga Zhanibekova, mas perdeu em seguida.

A vice mundial Thiola acabou com um troféu e tanto de compensação: além da medalha de prata, desceu do pódio com sua novíssima faixa-roxa, entregue pelas mãos do professor Lelo. Já o sonho do ouro viria mais tarde, com o título peso médio do Mundial 1999.

Após o sucesso do primeiro evento, a IBJJF abriria em 1999 mais categorias de peso e separaria as faixas-azuis das lutadoras mais experientes, que se enfrentariam na divisão de roxas, marrons e pretas.

A primeira campeã absoluta, porém, seria conhecida somente no Mundial de 2007 – honraria conquistada por Michelle Nicolini, da Brasa, vitoriosa na final contra a peso pesado Luciana “Luka” Dias, da Gracie Humaitá.

E você, lembra alguma boa história dos primórdios do Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu? Comente conosco.

Zanza engatilha a finalização contra Alessandra Thiola, no Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu de 1998. Fotos: Lia Caldas

Leka Vieira vs. Kyra Gracie at the 2005 Worlds

One of the biggest names in female Jiu-Jitsu is coming back to competitions.

Three-time world champion, Leka Vieira announced this week on Facebook that she will compete again in 2015.

The GRACIEMAG.com went after the black belt to know a little more about this decision to return.

“I decided to come back for personal reasons. I want to test myself and see how har can I get after all this years I was away,” says Leka, who teaches and trains at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Valencia, in California.

She took a look back in time to remember her last appearance: “My last competition was the 2005 Worlds at the Tijuca Tenis Clube, when I won my third world title. It’s been nine years away.”

Already training for the return, Leka has been paying attention to the current scenery of female black belts: “I wouldn’t say that Jiu-Jitsu changed since I last competed, but it evolved for sure. Sincerely, I don’t want to name any girl that I would like to compete against, once this generation of fighters is amazing. I am a fan of all this girls”.

Leka wasn’t specific about what competition will be the one chosen for her return, but it won’t take very long: “I want to comeback early next year. I’ve been training a lot and I’ve paying attention to all the details. I’ll be back in the adult division that’s for sure but I still haven’t decided in what weight division.”

Leticia Ribeiro com as campeãs mundiais Carol Vidal, Leka Vieira, Beatriz Mesquita, Ana Laura Cordeiro e a faixa-azul Brenda Heller. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal

Colecionadora de ouros no Jiu-Jitsu, a professora Leticia Ribeiro (Gracie Humaitá) realizou nesse sábado, 17 de maio, a primeira parte de seu camp para o Mundial da IBJJF, exclusivamente para mulheres. No dojô da Gracie Barra Burbank, na Califórnia, a faixa-preta conseguiu reunir uma verdadeira constelação do Jiu-Jitsu feminino. Estavam lá as campeãs mundiais Leka Vieira, Ana Laura Cordeiro, Beatriz Mesquita e Carol Vidal, entre outras lutadoras de talento.

“Foi uma experiência incrível. Além das faixas coloridas, pudemos treinar com cinco faixas-pretas campeãs mundiais”, comentou Brenda Heller, faixa-azul peso-pena da Gracie Humaitá. “É raro de ver cinco campeãs assim no mesmo tatame. É muito bom termos um camp reservado apenas para as meninas, a gente aprende muito. Foi realmente uma grande oportunidade”.

Leticia volta a treinar com suas alunas e amigos neste domingo, na escola Gracie Barra Burbank.

E você, vai competir no Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu no fim de maio? Comente sobre seu camp. Para ver quem está inscrito, clique aqui.

Para garantir seu nome, visite IBJJF.org, aqui. As inscrições vão somente até amanhã, segunda-feira.

More females are gathering to compete on the mats of the 2013 World Championship. Photo: Erin Herle

For the next reason of our 18 to be part of the 2013 World Championship in honor of its 18th year, we’re coaxing the women to come out on the mats. The competitions are growing with numbers spilling over into higher ranks as the years go on and dedicated athletes remain with the art. A part of that succession involves a fraction of persistent women.

So reason #6 is:

Get the females on the mat to prove the evolution of women in Jiu-Jitsu.

If you’re a female who competes, you’ll be glad to know that we are growing in numbers. If you look at the white and blue belts, the divisions are packed. Purple belts are coming in strong by filling up brackets and the brown and black belts are inviting more to follow their footsteps.

The first female black belt world champion was Leka Vieira in 1999 when the number of women competing could be counted on one hand. In previous years, Leka was claimed champion in many tournaments but only because she was the only one registered. Today, we have multiple female black belt world champions who continue to pioneer the upcoming competitors and strengthen the leadership for those looking to follow their paths.

As of now there are over 20 competitors in some of the blue and purple belt weight divisions. Watch out for the females if you’re a spectator and compete with me at the mundials May 29 – June 2 located at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA. Register now if you’re a female competitor to be a part of the evolution. Register at www.ibjjf.org

See one of Leka’s 1999 Mundial matches below:

ThanksGrappling Day SoCal Women BJJ Open Mat November 18, 2012 / Photo: Dane Grace

November 18, 2012 marked the day of my first attendance at an all women’s open mat held by SoCal Women BJJ. As a couple of ladies set out to strengthen the community of women in Jiu-Jitsu, they grew from wanting to fulfill their own training needs to planning events each month that are hosted by various academies around the Southern California region. The open mats are for any experience, age, rank or affiliation. My will to become more active in the female scene led me to finally attend one, which completely overturned my negative and unrealistic pre-notion that they aren’t worth my time. This was my experience:

It felt like a school dance at first. You know the ones when you’re just learning to understand the opposite sex and there’s a big gap in the middle because everyone is afraid to ask for a partner to dance with? I walked into 10th Planet in Burbank, CA ready to be the social and outgoing girl I always am but suddenly I got nervous and the apprehension that prevented me from ever attending one before had sunken in. What was the social standard here?

Tove Sodersten, Me, Giovanna Thomas / Photo: @erinherle Instagram

I managed to make small talk with some ladies before I stepped on the mat but still weary of what I would endure. I entered the mat area that was spread from wall to wall leaving the only route from the front to back a mandatory barefoot trek. I didn’t know a lot of the girls which surprised me because being active in the general Jiu-Jitsu community, I thought I had a pretty large directory of faces to go by but I didn’t– because I only know girls who either compete, girls I have trained with at other gyms or girls who are simply well-known. The unrecognizable faces meant I was missing out on a whole lot.

The premise of this SoCal Women’s Open Mat was to go in your gi, or in your No-Gi attire should you choose, and pick a partner to roll or spar with. They had a timer going but it was really just a free for all and that made me nervous. Why was I nervous when I’ve been training Jiu-Jitsu for over three years with experience visiting other gyms, rolling with strangers while making it as least awkward as possible with jokes and overall being able to extend my love of the art with others? The difference was that these were girls and being surrounded by them was a new feeling. I have about ten girls that I train with and others that I know but I’ve always classified girls as either aggressive and competition-oriented or not. And somehow that caused me to never attend an all girls open mat prior to this one.

Jiu-Jitsu enthusiasts walked in from every which way, slowly filling up the room; the front seating area designated for the husbands and boyfriends, the changing room in the back, the walls of the mat area lining the first initiators already sparring. There was a rock climbing wall that I found out was used for kids as an obstacle course, a type of fence on one end to close off the mats similar to that of an MMA octagon. Organizer Jill Baker, a brown belt from Bakersfield BJJ in Bakersfield, CA traveled an hour and a half for this event and entered the room as a slew of girls greeted her with open arms. I had competed against her before awhile back and so I knew who she was but had no idea she was a mom, an instructor, a leader for women’s Jiu-Jitsu. Competition only gives you a small glimpse into what the art holds for many people and what they’re capable of. A 5-10 minute match limits what we know of these girls and given an open forum like these open mats, it allows us to really build a bond on many levels. That’s what Jiu-Jitsu is about, anyway, right? Bonding to people, bonding to the art, bonding to confidence, self-esteem, strength and the will to become a better you.

As I looked around at all the girls training, I was looking for someone to cling on to while hoping that I’d be called to roll rather than the other way around . I saw Jill as she stepped on the mat. I confessed why I had never come before and explained, “I just always felt that I needed to train with guys and that training with just girls wasn’t enough,” and she simply responded, “that’s how we all feel.” These girls were really just my peers and now I became more self-conscious knowing that my accolades in competition and role as a member of Jiu-Jitsu media meant nothing to these girls because it shouldn’t. We are just there to roll and learn and share. This was no longer about not understanding the opposite sex at a dance, these were people just like me that I should be getting to know. Did I fit in?

Rolling with Jocelyn Chang / Photo: Dane Grace

I rolled with a girl, Giovanna Thomas, who I had met through my writing and took the initiative to ask her to roll since I had really come to train with her. Our academies aren’t exactly the best of friends and so we were taking up the opportunity to learn from each other outside of the politics. I saw many girls rolling, about 20 of them altogether. And then walked in 4 black belts. Kris Shaw, whom I knew from media, Jocelyn Chang whom I had just interviewed about her story of overcoming breast cancer, Luciana Bassoli whom is a friend of mine, and the first female world champion ever, Leka Vieira.

I rolled with Kris Shaw and Jocelyn Chang, two black belts under Leka who have been in the sport for awhile, and it was a true honor. After finding more reasons to sit and talk, I was approached by a blue belt who wanted to roll with a higher rank. I gladly accepted and was able to meet Melissa Campanela who had just given birth 8 weeks prior. A mom with two kids, she taught me that Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t stop should you move on to have other priorities in life, that even with an 8 week old present right outside the mat with dad, you can still train. She said that her gym, the same gym that Jill Baker attends, allows her to have the baby at training while she gets in her mat time. Meeting someone like her reveals that there are more reasons to train than just competition, that you can continue training despite life’s beautiful “interruptions” and that there is beauty in Jiu-Jitsu as a woman. It’s also amazing that gyms are becoming more accommodating to women, a true showing of evolution as far as gender is concerned.

These open mats were started by a female named Cecily Garcia who was in need of some training partners more closer to her size when she moved from the east coast. With permission from her instructors, one of them being black belt Felicia Oh, she created the first event on June 26, 2011. With 20 or so women in attendance, it was the start of something that would soon become a monumental idea that I wish will spread throughout all of the Jiu-Jitsu community even though it already has begun.

Leka Vieira, first female black belt world champion! / Photo: @erinherle Instagram

Having the ability to build a network of females in your local community is an asset. Should you have concerns, interests, questions that can’t be taken care of by your instructors, you can go to these women you’ve made connections with and receive the realest and most relatable answers. The SoCal Women BJJ is a network of women who are working towards not only getting more women interested in the sport but keeping them here.

If you are in the Southern California area, the next open mat will be on December, 16 at Brea Jiu-Jitsu in Brea, CA. The following event in January will be at Jocelyn Chang’s Let’s Roll academy in Torrance, CA. Cecily Garcia has since returned to the east coast leaving Jill Baker as the prominent organizer. If you would be willing to host please contact Jill and follow Socal Women’s BJJ on facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalWomenBJJ

There are other organizations throughout the world that accommodate females in a similar fashion holding open mats and seminars for women only such as Girls in Gis in Texas, Inspire in Arizona, NYC Women’s Open Mats, London BJJ Women’s Open Mat and many, many more. Jen Flannery of 50/50 BJJ Academy in Arlington, VA also holds many all female seminars with top athletes. Look for open mats in your area and I promise you will gain layers of awareness, appreciation, support and inspiration.

This video below is a compilation of various Northern California gyms that offer women-specific training and their take on why, how and where women train together.