Amie

When I was eight years-old, I had a sudden interest in martial arts. My parents had no idea where my sudden interest came from, but they thought that since I was such an introverted child this might help me.

At the time, I was not talking to anyone outside of my family and had only a few friends. I was shy and nervous in school which caused me to have low self-esteem and little confidence. I was brought to martial arts school that taught Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing. I liked the kickboxing, but I lived for the Jiu Jitsu.

After a week or two, lots of things began to change. I found myself more confident in the gym which in turn led to confidence outside of the gym. Little by little, I began to open up and talk to more people. I made more friends and excelled in school. I began to compete which was another huge confidence boost. Competing allowed me to travel across the world, from California to Brazil, to face other competitors and test my abilities.

As I got older and faced more challenging situations, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became my outlet. While kids from school were going to parties and experimenting with drugs, I was doing something productive. Because I loved Jiu Jitsu so much, that made it easy to avoid peer pressure and avoid doing stupid things that could ruin everything I had been working for.

Even now in college, most kids go out and party and do things that could get them in trouble. I study for my tests and hang around with my close friends. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has instilled in me the right qualities. I only wish I would have started younger.

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