What got you into Brazilian JiuJitsu?
-After seeing an exhibition fight night in my home town of Half Moon Bay featuring my instructor Raul Castillo, I was highly motivated to start training jiu jitsu and use it as a cross train for my preparations on entering into the military. Of course I never ended up entering into the military, instead I went on to continue a path in jiujitsu!
How long have I been training?
– 6 years come August 2012! Now earning my brown belt in under 6 years required training jiujitsu daily, many times 2 or 3 times a day! It is my lifestyle!
How many women train at my school?
– When I first started training jujitsu I was the only woman to be training in the school. After about 2 years of training a second woman then started training at the school. Now I have 8 women who train in the school under me! It’s so motivating to train with other laddies who have the same love for jiujitsu as I do, plus they smell better to spar with…sorry boys!
What’s it like being a female brown belt? Do I feel pressure on the mat in training?
– There’s always pressure for any color belt to hold up the level of your rank against those of a lower level than you. But over the years I’ve made many individuals tap to my technique and therefore have earned a lot of respect on the mats. My team knows who I am and while I love to win in tournaments I never hold an ego in my train. I love to be challenged, I love to train, I believe in myself and trust in my jiujitsu!
Though the one area of pressure I put on myself is to never limit myself based on my gender, I hold the line same as any brown belt man!
What’s the difference between rolling with women and rolling with men?
– Technique and power. I enjoy both!
Do you work different technique with the guys then the girls?
– Not really, I like to stick to the techniques that work best for me period. Mostly I change the strategies behind how I’ll use them. Even within gender every roll you have is different, so I adjust my strategies depending on how I feel someone. Some women (like me) can spar hard like men, and some guys spar lighter like a feather weight lady…it’s all relative.
Now as an instructor I teach my ladies the strategies of countering power and explosion when we so often lack that ourselves. That’s probably the biggest difference that men don’t think about as much.
I know you spend a lot of time at the school, what’s a typical day like for you?
-lol, people joke cause I’m there so much I must live there. Of course I don’t actually live there, but a typical day for me at the school consists of a morning conditioning session followed by technical drilling then a spar session. Sometimes I’ll have private lessons to teach after or a women’s jiujitsu class. After that it’s time for the kids classes and juveniles (I love training with our juveniles, not just instructing them). Lastly I like to hit the night jiujitsu train where we usually have more conditioning, drilling and sparing.
Have I, or am I currently training other fighting styles?
– I dabble in kick boxing for fun and conditioning. I also train judo and wrestling for jiujitsu, but I’ve been practicing karate since I was 9yrs old. I’m a 2nd degree black belt and the former 1999 world GSKA karate champion. I currently teach and coach the karate competition team at RCMA, though I myself no longer compete.
What do I look to for inspiration?
– The fact is when I was growing up and even as an adult training jiujitsu I was only surrounded by men, even in competition! I never had women instructors or role models that I could truly relate to. And while it never bothered me to be the only female on the mats, it’s a position I wouldn’t wish on someone. You have to work that much harder to prove that you belong and no one really understands what it feels like to be you (a girl, hormones and all )! Now I get to be that instructor or role model for other women! So many women never train because they’re too intimidated to jump in with men, so I provide a doorway into martial arts for these women. As long as women want to train I am inspired to stay in the forefront and continue to grow the possibilities for us!!
What have you noticed in the evolution of women’s jujitsu?
– Mostly that there are more of us! Aside from being the only woman in my school, as a white and blue belt in competition I sometimes didn’t even have opponents! Years later women at these levels, even purple belt women have many opponents. I can’t wait for the day when the women’s black belt division is just as stacked as the men’s….at this rate it’ll happen too!
What’s my most memorable match so far?
-I have a couple actually:
1) My finals match at Pans 2009 when I won the Purple belt light weight title.
2) My finals match this year at Worlds where I took the middle weight title against the former champion Rachel Demara.
3) My first black belt victory as a purple belt in 2010!
memorable matches continued…
4) the 2 times I have ever been submitted in a tournament in all 6 years of competing!
5) My very first match, I actually asked Raul (coach) if he had ever seen the other white belt before, if she was good and if I should be worried…white belts lol, gotta love it!
What are my goals for jiujitsu?
-Aside from achieving the rank of black belt and becoming a multiple time world champion like some before me, I also want to travel and seminar around the world. I want to be a known and respected instructor, maybe even have an academy of my own someday. Titles from the ADCC and IBJJF tournaments overseas are also on my list (sponsors welcome)!
How am I involved in jiujitsu other than training and competing?
– As many know I teach the ladies, but few know I also teach martial arts to special needs children! Working with these unique minds us so special and truly opens the possibilities of jiujitsu and karate! I’m also working on bully prevention in our community which could be something we will extend to other communities if it works out. I also ref and work tournaments when I’m not competing, another movement for women in jiujitsu in America since very few women here ref and the ones that do often catch more flack then a man would. I will always work to make positive changes that continue to legitimize and open the sport for all practitioners!
Charlene Coats – IBJJF 2012 female Middle Weight World Champion.
