Gabi Garcia – What We Can Learn

Gabi Garcia is a Fabio Gurgel blackbelt and the most dominant female athlete in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. A product of hard work and dedication, Garcia remains one of the fiercest fighters in our art and represents Jiu Jitsu on the highest levels. Amongst other celebrated women BJJ practitioners, Garcia proves that Jiu Jitsu can be lucrative if the student puts in the time and effort required.

Martial Arts Training for Women

Those outside of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu may think that martial arts aren’t for women or that it is some how masculine. The truth is, there are a number of amazing female BJJ athletes that are currently dominating the sport. Gabi Garcia is just one of many who continually proves that women can be as celebrated as their male counterparts. Garcia is just one of seven women to be inducted into the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s (IBJJF) Hall of Fame. In a span of seven years, she became the most dominant female athlete in the sport.

While a lot of people discredit Garcia because of the size disparity, she is one of the toughest and more technical fighters in the art. During the 2009 World No Gi Championship, Garcia damaged several ligaments in her knee but still managed to come out on top with the gold. She proved that her perseverance is not to be trifled with.

Although Gabi Garcia is a world renown competitor, not every Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner needs to be. This art was originally, and still is, designed for self-defense. Savarese Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy prides itself on being a friendly environment for women to train and even offers a self-defense class designed specifically for women. It is a thriving class and continues to grow as more women find out about the art.

Martial Arts Training for Weight Loss

People mistakenly believe that the best time to start training is once they get in shape. The problem is, most people won’t ever get to the point where they believe they are athletic enough to start training. The best time to start training is now. It doesn’t matter whether you are in tremendous shape or out of shape, Jiu Jitsu will help sculpt your body. You will build muscles that are functional for BJJ and for every day use. Your cardio will also improve over time.

In an interview, Gabi Garcia discusses how she has changed her diet to help supplement her training. This is a key step to developing your Jiu Jitsu. Practicing alone will help tremendously, but developing the body you long for is a multi-step process.

Garcia describes how her most important meal is breakfast. You will hear most athletes make similar statements. Your food has a chance to digest and “burn” off throughout the course of the day; as opposed to having a large meal late at night.

Martial Arts Training for Mental Toughness

As you learn in the interview, Garcia has been through quite a lot over the years. However, one constant remained: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

The loss of her brother pushed her further into the sport and helped drive her to become a world champion. The criticism she was dealt drove her to become an even better athlete than before. Without this outlet, she probably would have never become the person she is today.

There is a camaraderie in Jiu Jitsu that most other sports will never be able to grasp. Your training partners will see you spill blood, sweat, and tears on the mats. It will allow you to form relationships with a select group of people and these people will help you learn and grow.

In a separate interview with the fight promotion Rizin, Garcia describes her career: “I have achieved far [more] than I could have imagined from just doing jujitsu. I have the most medals out of any athlete, both male and female. I have overcome so many barriers and this is my best characteristic. I’m not just a big woman, I have that rebellious spirit and endeavor that I am able to brag about. I had always wanted to try MMA but was always told that there we no divisions for bigger women. Even if someone said that this heavyweight division was made so I can fight in it, that wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all.”

Gabi Garcia is unapologetically proud of her career and her body. She brags, but, perhaps more so than any other BJJ athlete, she deserves the right to do so. I am a big admirer of Gabi and feel she has gotten a raw deal at times from many in the BJJ community. She is a great champion on and off the mats.

Savarese Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy is located in Lyndhurst, NJ and is one of the premier schools in the state. Chris Savarese, owner and head instructor, has close to 20 years of BJJ experience. Call 201-933-5134 today for a free trial class.