The London BJJ Women’s Open Mat is moving to an exciting new phase! I am resigning as the group’s coordinator and passing that honour on to Hayley Carter. Hayley trains with Kevin Capel, Roger Gracie black belt, at RGA Bucks in Aylesbury, and also attends classes taught by her boyfriend, Stuart, at RGA Bucks Milton Keynes at Total Dojo. She earned her blue belt from Kev Capel and Roger Gracie in November 2012 and has been practicing and competing in BJJ for about 3 years. In her own words, she is ‘well and truly hooked!’.
Hayley Carter (white gi), RGA Bucks Blue Belt
I am really proud to have begun the London BJJ Open Mat with the support of Dartford BJJ back in July 2009, helping to kick off a global phenomenon of women’s open mats that continues to this day. The London BJJ Open Mat has so much unrealised potential beyond its great use as a regular get together for like minded BJJ women looking for a sisterly, non-hierarchical, non-competitive, safe space to train and chat with other women in the art. As a parent and co-founder of a growing business, Sproutee Solutions, my circumstances prevent me from capitalising on the Open Mat and really nurturing and growing the group’s potential. Enter Hayley! Hayley, represents a next generation of BJJ women in the UK and Southeast and she’s keen to put together a committee of BJJ women to build and expand the London BJJ Women’s Open Mat in exciting new ways.
Hayley Carter (centre), London BJJ Women’s Open Mat
I look forward to seeing how Hayley and the women of the Open Mat move things forward and I hope to continue having a supporting role with group, in particular in launching a new website for the Open Mat and helping with the group’s online tech needs. My great thanks and love to the women who have supported and grown with the Open Mat over the years. While I’m sorry to be stepping aside, I know that Hayley will do the group justice and take the Open Mat into the future. Let’s start by getting to know Hayley a little in her own words.
Meg: Why did you start training?
Hayley: I started kickboxing and MMA initially just to keep fit and have some sort of hobby. I moved on to BJJ to improve my MMA but ended up enjoying it so much that now I only train in the gi.
Meg: Why do you still train?
Hayley: Now, jiu jitsu is more of a religion than just a hobby. It’s had a massive impact on my life on many different levels. It has changed my attitude towards the way I think. My diet and overall health is now my top priority. Not forgetting that I have made some incredible friends and met my partner through the sport. This is why I still train, and will continue to, for as long as I can.
Meg: What makes you love the Open Mat?
Hayley: I love the Open Mat because I can share my BJJ experience with other women. I love training and rolling with other girls, there are no egos, they’re always a good laugh and I always come away from them having learnt something new. Since attending my first one in 2012 and meeting Esther Tang (one of 4 female black belts in the UK) I was inspired to host my own straight away. I can’t wait to see how much bigger and better the open mats will be in years to come as the female BJJ population keeps growing. I’m looking forward to organising the future Open Mats and hearing from everyone who wants to get involved.
BJJ Women Bring the Smiles, (Hayley centre right)
You recognise her in yourself, don’t you? Passionate, excited, dedicated, and totally in love with BJJ and how transformative it can be for one’s wellbeing. I hope the BJJ women of London and the Southeast will throw their support behind Hayley as she embarks on this new role and seeks to build a network of BJJ women to evolve the Open Mat in line with the wishes of its participants while remaining true to the sisterly, noncompetitive core values of the Open Mat.
When you think of women’s cut gis, what do you think of? Fenom. Yes, there are some great offerings for women from a range of brands – and we thank you! – but there is no doubt that Fenom sets the bar for great-looking, affordable women’s gis. It’s what they do, gis for women and girls and this narrow focus helps them continue to craft better and better fitting gis for you and me (and Slideyfoot).
Fenom Dark Blue embroidery at shoulder
I’ve had the opportunity to test and review Fenom’s Dark Blue Pearl Weave kimono. While I’ve reviewed Fenom’s Classic Black and their Lotus gis in their slim-cuts, this has been my first chance to try their ‘curvy’ fit. It is brilliant! As I’m still carrying a bit of baby-weight many of my old A1s are a bit tight and ill-fighting, however I’m not tall or broad enough to move up to an A2. Fenom solves this problem by offering a curvy cut, which is akin to half sizes in shoes. The curvy cut gi provides just a little more room particularly in the trousers so that ladies who carry their weight in their lower bodies can still get gi meant for their height. Just one of the ways Fenom keeps innovating for the benefit of their customers. The Dark Blue Pearl Weave retails at $100.00USD and this review is of the A1 Curvy.
The Look
Fenom Dark Blue trousers
The Fenom Dark Blue Pearl Weave is a very minimal gi, with a single bit of flourish at the shoulders. On each shoulder there is a somewhat elaborate ‘F’ embroidered patch. These are nicely executed and in my opinion add just enough ‘pizazz’ to maintain a minimal look without being bland. The colour is a rich dark blue and the embroidery is black with white accents. The trousers are ripstop and unembellished apart from a small Fenom-logo patch on the right upper thigh.
Fenom Dark Blue top
The Fit and Performance
I was delighted to have the opportunity to try the Fenom Dark Blue Pearl Weave in curvy fit, as I’m still working on the baby weight, so while I’m bigger here and there, I’m no taller. The following table illustrates the changes in my measurements.
Pre- and Post-partum Measurements
Pre-Pregnancy
20mos Post-Partum
Bust
86.4cm/34″
93cm/36.6"
Waist
68.6cm/27″
80cm/31.5"
Hip
91.4cm/36″
93cm/36.6"
Thigh
51cm/20″
55cm/21.7"
Thigh measurements at widest point. Waist measurement at narrowest point of torso. Before pregnancy I wore a UK10/27″ jean and a UK8 top, I am currently wearing a UK12/29″ jean and a UK10 top.
Fenom’s curvy fit can be thought of as a half size, as you get with shoes, and it offers a great option for women whose proportions suit a larger size’s weight range, though not the larger height range. In the words of Fenom founder, Triin Seppel:
The whole idea behind the curvy pants is: when we started offering mix and match options, most of the ladies went with A1 top and A2 bottom because they needed more room in the bottom. Instead of having them take the pants to get hemmed, we went ahead and made the shorter but wider version. It is half way to the next size.
A1 top and bottom are the number one seller, followed by A2. 80% of total sales are A1 and A2 (and mix/match in these sizes). By far the biggest mix and match size is A1 top and A1 curvy bottom. From our data, it is not the gi top that determines the best fit, but it’s the pants. Making a jacket .5 inches slimmer or wider does not have as noticeable impact in comfort, but making small changes in pants makes a huge difference how women feel about their gi fit.
I agree that trousers, rather than jackets, seem to be the hardest things to ‘get right’ when it comes to the sizing. For me, the body of the jacket on the Dark Blue is a little big, but the extra room in the trousers makes a perfect fit. At this shape and size, the regular A1 top with the A1 curvy bottoms would be the perfect combination for me.
I love how this company has really listened to, responded to, and evolved with their customers. I’ve long harped on about how brands should offer mix and match to help more women fit better in their gi. Fenom listened. Then they took it further. They listened to their customers, they collected the data and realised that what women really needed was access to ‘half sizes’. I can’t name another brand that has put that sort of risk and effort into tracking and responding to women’s requirements for a great-fitting gi.
Fenom Dark Blue Measurements
Area of Gi
Measurement (cm)
wingspan
146
underarm to underarm
56
base of collar to hem of skirt
69
width of cuff
16
outerseam
89
front rise
18
rear rise
20
width of thigh (outer to base of front rise)
28
Gi measurements after 3 washes – one warm 60C and 2 cooler 40C. No significant change from pre-washed state.
Comparison with the Lotus Crystal Weave
Lotus v Dark Blue skirt
When setting out to review the Dark Blue Fenom, my goal was to draw comparisons with the Fenom Lotus, as I have worn both of these and, as it happens, the Lotus is Fenom’s top selling gi, so perhaps this comparison can add helpful context for readers. While there are some similarities between the cuts, after discussion with Triin, I understood that this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison as the gi jackets are crafted from two different weaves: the Lotus is a crystal weave; the Dark Blue a pearl weave. The crystal weave is a much softer fabric, while the pearl weave is much rougher.
Lotus v Dark Blue arm length
Softer weaves, like that used with the Lotus, are lovely on the skin. However, softer weaves are ‘looser’ and will move and shrink more over time. This is very clear from the really short arms on my beloved Lotus as compared with the Dark Blue; when worn the Lotus sleeves have shrunk to be several inches above the wrist which really isn’t very fair for training partners! Courser weaves, like that used with the Dark Blue, are tighter and tend to shrink less over time. The stiffness of the pearl weave can also make a jacket the same size and cut of a softer weave feel bulkier than its softer kin. Again, Triin from Fenom:
Many times it is personal preference. Some prefer an armor-feeling gi. Some like really comfy soft feel. Softer material is easier to grab, so we do not recommend it for competition. If you compete you want a real sandpaper gi so the opponent can’t grab you.
Lotus v Dark Blue trousers
Conclusions
It is all about the right tool for the job! Fenom’s curvy and slim fits and mix and match policy allow women to get the best fit for their personal shape. The range of weaves, lets you choose the right feel for how you want to use your gi, for comfy regular training, or for suiting up for competition. As someone whose shape has been through quite a few iterations over the last 3 years of pregnancy and parenthood, I’m personally delighted with the curvy fit which accommodates my height and weight much better than if I just moved up the weight range to an A2. Finally, Fenom-fans should know that Fenom Kimonos will be celebrating their 5th anniversary this May and there’ll be some great surprises coming up!
Disclaimer
All reviews are based on my independent observations. I have no formal qualifications, I am not sponsored by any company and I do not endorse any one brand. If you chose a gi based on my review, please let the manufacturer know that MegJitsu persuaded you. This will not benefit me financially, but can help me to get more gi to review.
Credits
Thanks to Fenom Kimonos for offering me a gi to test and review.
Sarah Merriner works guard at the Women’s Open Mat
Date: 22 June 2014
Time: 13:00-16:00
Location: Carlson Gracie London
Address: 89 Richford Street London W6 7HJ (nearest tube Goldhawk Road)
Cost: Free
Our Q2 2014 London BJJ Women’s Open Mat will be held on Sunday 22 June 2014 and will be hosted by Sarah Merriner and the fine folks at Carlson Gracie London. We are pleased to invite women, aged 18 and over, to join our informal session of drilling and sparring. No grappling experience is required and the Open Mat is a great opportunity for seasoned players to train with other women and for women new to BJJ to try out the art in a friendly environment. The Open Mat is free of charge.
Email Sarah for more info sarah@carlsongracieessex.co.uk or find her on Twitter
A short film, ‘Why Should Women Train Jiu-Jitsu’ was recently published by Ocean County BJJ. This is one of the latest in a collection of blog posts, magazine articles and videos about why women should train BJJ. The video is distinguished by great production values and taking an allegorical, rather than a didactic, approach to the topic. The video also does an excellent job of speaking to women from a feminine point of view, rather than at women or casting women as an ‘other’.
In the film a young woman is trying to enjoy her cosmo when a large, drunken man appears to proposition her. He feels free to approach the woman, to grab her, to lounge on her, to breathe his putrid breath on her. After her initial ‘no’, the man persists, and the woman seeks to use his form of aggression against him – aggression being not necessarily equivalent to violence. The video freezes frames as she steps through a cross collar choke using her aggressor’s suit jacket, and thus offers a creative ‘tutorial’ on one of BJJ’s ‘bread-and-butter’ techniques. You can watch the whole thing here:
I loved this. As a woman and a BJJer it resonated for me. I thought the allegorical approach was superb and provided a innovative illustration of the utility of BJJ for women:
the pyjamas we train in aren’t just for show or hygiene, they replicate clothing
self defence doesn’t have to be wildly violent or escalate a situation
ladies, you have the right to drink your drink in peace, but if he won’t lay off, BJJ can give you options
After enjoying the video, I scrolled through the YouTube comments. I know, why?! That way lies madness. While there are many comments that appreciate the symbolism of the film as well as women’s right not to be grabbed and goaded, there is a good amount of macho bluster that seems to ‘nay say’ and bark from a privileged masculine perspective while, to me, completely missing the bloody point. Two prominent themes:
this technique is not ‘good’ self defence
this woman had no right to choke out a guy who was ‘only talking’ to her
From an impressionistic analysis of the YouTube commentary the first point seemed to relate, in the main, to the idea that BJJ, as a martial art, is no good for self defence. I’m not going to dignify this with a response, as I suspect the majority of people with this view have never practiced BJJ.
The second point seemed echoed by BJJers and non-BJJers and included subthemes to describe the woman’s response as unwarranted because:
she was in a public place and should have simply asked for help
the guy was not a ‘real’ threat to her
I think these two ideas demonstrate a total lack of imagination. A lack of imagination that hinders: a) understanding the allegory of the film; and b) empathy for someone different from oneself.
To me, discussions of what would have ‘really’ happened in the situation depicted in the film are completely and utterly fruitless; totally moot. Let’s start with the fact that this is a film, not CCTV footage. It is a story, a representation, a symbol, you know, ‘art’. To my mind, one of the massive downers of self defence oriented training is the insistence on postulating what ‘will’ happen in any particular situation. Sure, one may have been in a particular situation and one recalls the events and outcomes in a certain way. That’s a useful experience to bring to the table, but an anecdote recalling something from one’s own experience is not necessarily relevant to anyone else’s experience and can, in fact, prevent one from understanding another’s response to similar scenarios. Let’s avoid delving into how our subjectivities colour our recollection of the past, too meaty a subject to treat here and better suited to my former life lecturing in oral history, and agree, for the moment, that while anecdotal evidence has value, its value is limited and cannot be reasonably extended to foretell events.
This brings us neatly to the idea that the woman in the film over-reacted to her aggressor; she had no right to defend herself as she wasn’t ‘really’ being threatened. Besides, she was in a public place and should have raised an alarm. These notions demonstrate, to me, a clear lack of empathy with the lived realities of women; women deal with the predation of men every day. From the little micro-aggressions that can dog a woman’s professional life, to day-to-day sexual assaults such as street harassment, to serious physical, mental and sexual violence as so adeptly presented in a recent Women’s Aid PSA featuring Keira Knightley (warning, a graphic depiction of violence):
While some may suggest many women’s sense of low-level threat throughout the day is wrong-headed. Dismissing women’s perceptions of their surroundings and interactions, ie the failure to appreciate another’s point of view, can be a consequence of immersion in one’s own privilege, in this case, ‘male privilege’. If this concept is new or unfamiliar to you, JiuJiu has a clear discussion of male privilege in relation to BJJ and John Scalzi’s Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is uses a very readable gaming analogy to explain male privilege. Let’s be clear, male privilege does not mean all men are ‘bad’ – of course not! However, it can mean that men can inhabit a ‘parallel universe’ in issues of gender and, by extension, that women’s experiences of male aggression are couched in a different context than men’s experiences of male aggression.
In terms of this film – again leaving aside that this is a symbolic representation of women, BJJ and self defence – it is not for anyone else to judge if a woman felt ‘really’ threatened by the actions of her aggressor. The justification for self defence in the UK is not what others understand of the situation, but rather what the individual felt at the time of the incident. If one can prove that one felt in danger, actions in proportion to the threat as perceived at the time are justified. We’d still need to convince a jury that this woman’s sense of threat was proportionate to her actions and jurors’ sense of privilege can, and does, minimise and dismiss women’s understanding of their interactions with others, partly as evidenced by low rape-conviction rates. So, while another woman or another man may not have felt threatened by the actions portrayed in the film, other women and men, may have found his actions extremely alarming. In cases where a woman is being man-handled and forcibly subjected to a man’s attentions, why is it reasonable that a woman either submit to aggression or put herself in a position of dependence on the (possible though not guaranteed) kindness of strangers? Why the rapidity to condemn the female victim? Looks like a case of male privilege to me. This sense of privilege and perhaps fear that one’s own behaviour could be ‘misinterpreted’ may be an influence on some individuals’ lack of empathy and lack of imagination; in the same imagined situation, would a man be likely to cry for help, or be expected to do so?
My reading of this film has very little to do with whether or not BJJ is effective in ‘real life’ self defence; whether or not the technical details of the tutorial are accurate; whether or not the woman in the situation represented here was justified in her response. Where I think this film has tremendous value is its presentation, in a very female-friendly way, of the practical usefulness of BJJ. This video takes a creative tack on the ‘tutorial’ while linking the abstract and ‘weird’ gi with real-world clothes as well as showing a non-violent response to aggression. For me, striking is a violent approach, prone to escalation, where as helping a drunken sexual predator have a nap, from within a ‘realistic’ posture is both pragmatic and non-violent. This can appeal to women both inside and outside of BJJ; no point just preaching to the converted! In the film, the gi is connected with actual clothing and its use in training subtly explained. The scenario in the film will be familiar to many – if not most – female viewers and shows a response from within a posture likely experienced by female viewers, that is having a larger person use their bulk to drape over, invade, and seek to dominate a woman’s body and personal space. This to me is a seriously effective way to communicate to women the power and beauty of BJJ.
Credits
You can connect with the director of ‘Why Women Should Train Jiu Jitsu’, Mark Ward of Garden State Productions, on Twitter,YouTube and Facebook. Shannon Meehan, the film’s heroine, can also be found on Twitter.
Shout out to reader, Hugo, for dropping the video in my inbox. Cheers!
We’re beginning our 5th year of the London BJJ Women’s Open Mat on Sunday 2 Feb 2014, the weekend following the European BJJ Championships. The Open Mat will be hosted by Ella Wu and the fine people at Legends Gym. We are pleased to invite women, aged 18 and over, to join our informal session of drilling and sparring.
No grappling experience is required and the Open Mat is a great opportunity for seasoned players to train with other women and for women new to BJJ to try out the art in a friendly environment. The Open Mat is free of charge.