Inverted Gear Blog
Tag: Valerie Worthington
Confessions of a Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
At the beginning of my jiu-jitsu journey, I thought my instructors were flawless. I had enough difficulty trying to execute technique, and they could not only execute but also teach, down to the finest details. They answered questions I did not even know needed to be asked, and they had a commanding presence I would never have been able to muster. Of course, as time went on, my technique and my ability to explain both improved, and I also became better able to allow my instructors to be the complex, talented, flawed human beings they were.Now that I am a black belt and an instructor, I hope other people do not view me the way I viewed my instructors in...
The Modern Martial Artist: What Does Bushido Look Like in the 21st Century?
Earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a huge accomplishment, the result of many years of dedication and hard work. Some who have earned one feel like the black belt gives them the platform they need to really start learning. Some go on to be role models and serve their teammates, peers, and students. Some have been indicted on and convicted of charges of rape and child abuse, among other crimes. I make this last observation not to be salacious; believe me when I say I wish it were not true. Rather, I offer it as context for questions I have been thinking about regarding our expectations for leaders in the jiu-jitsu community. Black belts in jiu-jitsu can be...
Purple Belt Purgatory Part II: Feeling the Itch and Showing the Grit
Question: I recently heard someone call purple belt “purple purgatory,” and it seems to fit. When you were a purple belt, did you start to question everything you do? Now that I'm teaching more, I'm really starting to question everything and sometimes I feel that I was a more confident teacher at blue belt. Is that something you experienced? Do you feel that purple belt is a trying period in jiu-jitsu? Answer: In Part I of my response to this question, I observed that there are actually two questions in it: a question about dealing with purple belt purgatory in general and a question about the challenges of becoming a purple belt who teaches. I addressed the second question in...
Women’s Jiu-Jitsu 2.0 Part II: Supporting Women in Leadership Roles in BJJ
In a previous article, I observed that the jiu-jitsu community is moving into what I refer to as Women’s Jiu-Jitsu 2.0, where women not only train but also take on leadership roles in increasing numbers. This is happening as a matter of course in the development of the sport, but those of us who want to show our support may wonder how we can do so. This article provides some suggestions. If we want to promote the growth of women as leaders in jiu-jitsu, we must make the following assumptions: First, women are capable of being leaders in jiu-jitsu. Some women are not great leaders, just as some men are not. Some women are fantastic leaders, just as some men...
Ask a Panda: Purple Belt Purgatory
Part I: Knowing Is Half the Battle and Most of the Problem Question: I recently heard someone call purple belt “purple purgatory,” and it seems to fit. When you were a purple belt, did you start to question everything you do? Now that I'm teaching more, I'm really starting to question everything and sometimes I feel that I was a more confident teacher at blue belt. Is that something you experienced? Do you feel that purple belt is a trying period in jiu-jitsu? Answer: I see two questions here. The first relates to whether purple belt seems to be a challenge—a purgatory—in general. The second relates specifically to how, at purple belt, the writer has started to question everything that...
Women’s Jiu-Jitsu 2.0: From Participation to Leadership
When I was coming up through the ranks in jiu-jitsu, I was routinely the only woman or one of maybe two or three women in class. I trained with anyone who was willing to train with me: man-mountains, scrawny kids, and everyone in between. I was a curiosity in those days, and the male students who ended up having to pair with me were rarely happy about it, at least at first. I felt stupid and awkward when I stopped to notice, so I tried not to. And the high I got from training—the pure joy and flow, which lasted for hours after I finished a training session—was more than worth the challenges. It was even worth the casually sexist...
Ask a Panda: How Do you Cope with the Ups and Downs of BJJ?
Val Worthington is taking questions about jiu-jitsu and life. Submit yours here and it could be featured in the next installment!Question: Can you please discuss how you deal with the peaks and valleys of passion with BJJ? I don't think I have lost my passion but for a few months I have noticed that the mats are not my happy place. Changes in the school, life challenges, new students...all may be reasons. I am not giving up but I am fearful at times, unhappy sometimes, and not sure how much I am learning. Thanks!!!Thank you for this question, though I am sorry to hear you need to ask it. I can guarantee that you are not alone in feeling this way, because...
Heal Up or Jump Back In? Getting Back on the Mats After Injury
Val Worthington is taking questions about jiu-jitsu and life. Submit yours here and it could be featured in the next installment! Question: Hey! I'm a blue belt from New Jersey. Is it better to fully recover from injuries or to scale down my training? Oh, the injury question. When things go our way during training, we may feel practically invincible. Then we land wrong. Tap too slowly. Get a limb tangled in a gi. We get injured. This, along with death and taxes, is a certainty in the life of a jiu-jiteiro: If we stick with training long enough, we will at some point be sidelined by an injury. The very first thing I want to do in responding to...
Can You Be Addicted to Jiu-Jitsu, and Does It Matter?
I am a fortunate person with a lot to be grateful for. Even so, for as long as I can remember, I have also experienced anxiety and depression. When I was 4 or 5, I worried that the Earth could run out of oxygen. I remember hoping it would happen when I was asleep so I would not have to experience suffocation. I never told my parents my worries because I did not know other kids thought any different. (This was before I learned about photosynthesis, and now, while I like plants, I do not like that there will always be a power differential.) As I got older, these kinds of thoughts stuck with me and changed as my experiences...
Introducing Ask a Panda with Val Worthington
Val Worthington is taking questions about jiu-jitsu and life. Submit yours here and it could be featured in the next installment! Question: If you could go back and do one thing differently in your jiu-jitsu experience what would it be?This question both piques my interest and fills me with dread. It piques my interest because it takes me down Memory Lane, past experiences and challenges I will remember for the rest of my life. It fills me with dread because it takes me down Memory Lane, past experiences and challenges I will remember for the rest of my life.Here is the short answer: If I could go back and do one thing differently in my jiu-jitsu experience, I would approach...