Why Women Are Choosing Jiu Jitsu in Grand Junction, CO
Growing Up on the Martial Arts Mats of Western Colorado
Coach Shilo started jiu jitsu at just eight years old. She was chasing the same thing a lot of kids that age chase. Board breaking looked cool. Karate held her attention for a while, but then her dad started training jiu-jitsu, and she tagged along. Then her mom joined. Somewhere in there, the whole family ended up on the mats.
By fourteen, she took second place in a tournament and got the bug. Not long after, her parents opened Fruita BJJ, and she got to help run classes and learn how to coach. People started calling her “the reluctant black belt.” Even though she never set out chasing the belt, promotions just kept happening while she stayed on the mats.
She took second in the NoGi Worlds blue belt division, then competed again as a purple belt. To this day, her whole family still trains.
What Jiu Jitsu Gave Her That Other Sports Didn't
When she got into middle and high school, Shilo played volleyball, ran track, and “tried basketball for a minute.” But jiu jitsu felt different from all of it, nobody cuts you from the team, and you're only ever competing against where you were last week. It's self-paced in a way team sports never could be. It was also something her whole family was doing, not just kids her age.
Growing up in a room where adults treated her like an equal taught her how to hold a real conversation with people twice her age. Her dad was her main coach, and that gave them something most parents and kids never get, a chance to actively do something together, him training right alongside me instead of watching from the sideline.
Why Women Should Consider
Jiu Jitsu
In women-only classes, a sense of community shows up first, and so many women are looking for ways to build that, to find their tribe. A lot of women walk in looking for a room without judgment, especially the lower-belt classes where everyone is still figuring things out together. Often you’ll find moms who want to connect with their kids who are already training, and daughters who follow their moms in. There are also those who used to do organized sports, but for one reason or another, it was no longer meeting their needs. Plenty of women who start in a women's-only class end up branching into the mixed classes once they've built some confidence.
What everyone loves about women-only classes: nobody's job title or parenting schedule matters once you're on the mat. Everyone is in the same vulnerable position, trusting somebody else enough to learn side by side. You learn somebody faster rolling with them than you do after years of just talking to them. You've felt what they do under pressure; you’re trusting them to teach you, and in turn, you are trusted to teach them.
You’re not “too Old” for Jiu Jitsu, Just Don't Take It Too Seriously
At Elevate Jiu Jitsu, everyone stays a student here, no matter how many stripes are on the belt. Bad days on the mat are normal. Shilo will tell you that some days you're the hammer, some days you're the nail.
For those interested, competition is available at any age; there are divisions for those well into their sixties and seventies. Starting later in life is very common in the BJJ space.
Come Give It a Go
Whatever brought you here, curiosity, a friend's invitation, or wanting something for yourself again, there's a spot for you on the mat. Book a free trial and come see what we mean.
