The Ladies of BlackSmith Jiu Jitsu, BlackSmith Lioness!

Hi ladies!! I am Lisa Smith from BlackSmith Jiu Jitsu and I just wanted to share with you a little bit about why I started jiu jitsu…

My husband, Jimmy, had been training Jiu Jitsu for over 20 years and trained anywhere from 2-5 nights a week. He loved it so much and I couldn’t understand why. Besides the annoying fact that he was gone for an hour or two or three at night after being at work all day long, I used to get really salty about having to wash his gi multiple times a week. Hahaha! Our boys were 2 and 3 at the time and we would pull up in front of his class, they would get out of their carseats and we would sit and watch through the front window. We would record his “rolls” so he could watch them later to see how he did. We sat and watched for a few years while the boys were little. They were so intrigued and asked Jimmy constantly when they could start doing Jiu Jitsu. They started with wrestling when they were 5 and 6 and shortly after started Jiu Jitsu. They are 15 and 16 and still train to this day, always impressing us with how good they are getting! Watching Jimmy and the boys train Jiu Jitsu together several nights a week was so much fun. I filled up my camera roll on that old iPhone every night from taking so many pictures and videos. It looked like a ton of fun but it definitely wasn’t something I could see myself doing. The close contact scared me, and getting all stinky and sweaty with some teammate just wasn’t my thing. For Mother’s Day one year, my boys, my sweet sweet husband and our boys, got me my very own Jiu Jitsu gi. I tried to act excited but I was super intimidated, nervous and less than thrilled about it, quite frankly. I was scared to death to step foot onto those mats. I was scared people would be watching me and that I wouldn’t know what I was doing. I was scared to lose and to be seen losing. After all, I was just a mom. A regular, dorky-ish mom, not some BA UFC chick or something. HAHA! I attended my very first Jiu Jitsu class that next week and loved it so much, that I haven’t quit. I continue to train 6 days a week with Jimmy and our boys and we absolutely love it. It’s been a dream come true.

I can’t even begin to tell you what Jiu Jitsu has done for me. I have met the absolute nicest people, and have become lifelong friends with so many of them. I absolutely LOVE our amazing women’s program here in Niceville, FL!!! Jiu Jitsu is like joining a family, but even better. Haha!! It changed my perspective on so many things. Things that I used to hate about myself like my big ears and my big forehead with lines on it. It made me embrace and actually love my ears just the way they are. I wear my hair back almost every single day and I never try to cover my ears up. They are as out as out can get. My bangs are the full length of my hair so my forehead is always out. Neither the size of my forehead nor the lines that accompany it bother me. My hair is literally slicked back daily and my forehead is right out in the open and doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’m telling you, if you can pick just one thing on yourself that you wish you could change, you need to join Jiu Jitsu. It will change your mind, change your perspective and change your life. You are beautiful just the way you are. There is absolutely nothing about you that needs changed or altered. Jiu Jitsu gave me that confidence boost that I needed and empowered me into feeling like a strong, capable and beautiful woman. It taught me how to defend myself and know that I can choke somebody out if I have to. Haha! It’s a great workout, and the best kind of cardio EVERRRR! I wish every female would give it a try. It’s empowering, ladies!!

Come give it a try! Don’t be afraid. Grab a girlfriend, or come just as you are by your little ol’ self. Ask for me, Lisa. I’m there every day and truly look forward to meeting you!