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Emma

@emmaonthemat

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🤎🥋 Jiu Jitsu coach & competitor
Free Palestine 🇵🇸
Abolish ICE
Fuck Fascists
🏳️‍🌈 Bi/Pan/Queer

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World Masters 2026.

Early exit with a first round loss due to questionable decision making on my part turned this trip into a glorified food vacation. Photo evidence provided.

@emmaonthemat and I have decided that hotel living is the way to go: proximity to the venue and the Strip, and being surrounded on all sides by fellow competitors even brought joy to my introvert heart. Photo evidence provided for everyone but @jschmitt1983, because we did not take a photo together for some reason.

Evaluating what competition is coming next since I've transitioned into my coaching era. I can't stay out of a scrap for too long though!

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BIG NEWS!!!! Open mat is on! Saturdays at 10:30am come get your roll on. All schools welcome, gi or no-gi. I’ll also be playing some tasty jams. #openmat #upstreamjiujitsu #bjj #jiujitsu #ypsilanti

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Fourteen years later, after being part of so many amazing teams, earning my black belt means more than I ever imagined.

For a long time, I felt undeserving of a black belt. I tied every belt promotion to the number of competitions I had won, and somewhere along the way I started tying my self-worth to winning too. Without realizing it, I began to lose some of the love I had for the sport.

Taking a sabbatical from competing this past year helped me find that joy again. Spending time workshopping techniques with friends and helping them pursue their own BJJ goals completely changed my perspective on growth. My skills have improved, I’ve matured on and off the mats, and I’ve built lifelong friendships that I never would have had if it weren’t for grappling.

I’ve learned to appreciate the journey instead of fixating on the short-lived highs of winning matches. Even finding CrossFit—a hobby away from my hobby—reminded me what it’s like to be a beginner again and brought back the excitement of learning new skills.

Grappling has become more than a sport. It’s been a healthy outlet for navigating the ups and downs of everyday life. Most importantly, I’ve learned that personal growth and success in women’s grappling aren’t just about individual achievements—they’re also about supporting, encouraging, and helping the girls and women in our community grow alongside you.

Thank you, Hiromi Tomita, for seeing the fighter in me. Thank you, Sheliah, for seeing my potential. Thank you, Michael Carpenter, for always believing in me and supporting me. And thank you to every teammate and friend, past and present, who has been part of this crazy journey.

#bjj #blackbelt

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Quick visit to the Bay to celebrate Grandma Bess' 95th birthday. Delighted to be able to visit with friends and family for a brief time! We'll aim for a longer trip soon!

Lunch at San Tung with @margotmeato! Thanks for picking us up from the airport!

Sutro Tower looking over the city like a Tripod. Probably my favorite landmark.

Got to chill with @ketakib__ at her place and get dinner!

Took a Waymo.

Got a lift in at @crunchwinchester.

July 4th open mat at @rollingoakjj. I'll be sure to come through next time I'm in Petaluma!

Vanilla/salted caramel swirl with cookie crumbles at Waterhawk.

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Latin night at Top of the Park 2026. @aasummerfest

Easily my favorite part of summers in (and now adjacent to) Ann Arbor. While dancing in the streets takes a toll on the feet and joints, it's an evening where the @a2dancerevolution community comes together and at least for a little while, the world feels pretty alright. Happy to see friends both new and old, dancer and non dancers alike.

I mentioned this last night, but I'll relate it here: as someone that has dedicated a significant portion of my life to jiujitsu, it's really important to do things that create rather than destroy. If we train for war, we have to know peace.

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@emmaonthemat and I booked a sexy little photo session with @meganroyphotos! She was a joy to work with and made me feel comfortable and pretty.

Please take a look at her work and book her!

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Another great class in the books. #jiujitsu #bjj #upstreamjiujitsu #ypsi #ypsilanti

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Pans 2026 reflections…

For my first go at Pans, I went 2-1 in my division for a bronze medal and then went 1-1 in the open division, finishing the day 3-2.

My favorite match of the day was my second match in the open. I got to match up with a Super Heavyweight opponent, and though I lost on points I had a strong finish and a lot of fun in the match.

Proud of the moments that went well and excited to get to work on enhancing them as well as fixing up what didn’t.

I went in with good nutrition, good preparation, good mindset, great coaching, great support and a great day, pre-competition. Corrected some previous errors, had a light shined on some others. Saw some old habits I am trying to break come out under pressure. Competition is a great learning tool.

I had a great time with the team doing handstands, checking weight at gas stations, battling waves and celebrating our love for this sport that simultaneously breaks and fixes our hearts.

Thanks to my coaches @commonwealthcoach @thejayfish @slackerbjj and @coach.kam.ajj for making me get stronger and better at jiu jitsu.

Thanks to the team for supporting me and letting me compete along side you @pajamber.bjj @emmaonthemat @zed.haydar @rjonthemat @mikethemartialartsguy and to everyone at @commonwealthjiujitsu for getting us ready.

Blessed to be out here doing this.

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Pans 2026.

Wish I had more pictures but my phone camera stopped working on the way down.

According to my research, I only podium at Pans on even numbered years. After vowing to never cut weight again, I moved up to medium heavyweight and managed double bronze, going 2-2 for the day with one walkover in my division and in the open class.

I committed to feeling strong and fueled instead of light and weak and it paid off -- there wasn't an opponent in my division that I couldn't pick up (literally) and the strength and conditioning work with @coach.kam.ajj takes all of the credit for that. Shoutout to my @commonwealthjiujitsu teammates who showed out and to @thejayfish and @commonwealthcoach for coaching. @biginstanastygram and @ashh.bree stayed with us and it was a pleasure getting to know the two of you. Feel free to join us again!

Also happy to share the mats and bullpen with friends old and new. @smithjos138 got to the podium at middleweight and @j_fer2013 at master 4 middleweight. Linked up with @darrvidarbz who earned double bronze at master 4. Massive congratulations to @customfoamlettersinc for taking our division and @isaiah.j.riley for winning the open class!

Sons of the Pharoahs!

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Indianapolis 2026.

It's hard for me to write this, but one of the reasons I maintain a social media presence is for some measure of accountability. That and lately, a bunch of reels about dudes harvesting honey from bees in trees like 1000 feet in the air and big dogs eating trays of goose necks and lamb mince in 10 seconds.

I missed weight in my single person bracket by less than a pound.

That's the first time that's ever happened. @thompsonjiujitsu said that I should have known I'd only get one shot at weighing in. I didn't. I felt like I had an easy cut. Started early and felt good, but was still a little over when I woke up Saturday, but I wasn't worried.

Wore my lightest gi when I weighed in and stepped on the scale. Still .2 over. That was it.

I had a feeling. When the check date passed I had the option of going to another division since I was alone. I decided I wanted the points for my division and then jumping into the open class. I had 2 days to decide. On the last day, I thought about going up a weight class into a 2 person division just to get another match or two. I decided not to.

On the way to the venue, @commonwealthcoach said that one of the best things about competing is "we get to do it." We train for this everyday, killing each other on the mats, moving heavy things, refining technique. We don't know what the future holds, and every time we compete it could very well be the last time.

And I didn't get to do that. That's what's threatening to break me. I've dedicated most of my life to this. Getting to step out on the mats, test myself, hang out with teammates in the bullpen, share in our collective victories, pick each other back up from our losses, and start gameplanning for the next one.

Instead, I had to sit on the sidelines and witness what I should have been a part of. I'm never relying on cutting weight again. I'll fight wherever I'm at, because that means I get to.

Pans in two weeks, probably. Nothing is certain.

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In the current state of affairs in the Jiu Jitsu world there is a lot of commentary and opinions flying about. Some of this conversation is good. It’s important. I see a lot of unity and standing up to toxic and underdeveloped behavior patterns.

One narrative that I find particularly asinine however is that the solution to rampant sexual harassment and grooming is to keep men and women separate in the training room.

I posit that men developing themselves and learning self control is a better solution. It is really not that hard to not be a creep. It is easy to see your training partners as humans deserving of your respect.

While I do believe there are many compelling reasons for the existence of women’s only classes, men not being able to control themselves is simply not one of them.

Also, in the current state of affairs it is not just women we are talking about being harassed, we are talking about minors. Let’s allow that sad reality to sink in before we rush to the conclusion that separation of adults is somehow a solution.

These are some of my favorite training partners who I learn from and am challenged by EVERY time I get to roll with. They have all tapped me at my best. If 50% of the people in this picture were taken away from me as training partners my Jiu Jitsu would suffer.

I will lean back on something I said last week… doing better is engrained in the DNA of Jiu Jitsu. Doing better as a man should be something all men should strive for. If for nothing else, for our CHILDREN.

That doesn’t mean being less of a man. That doesn’t mean sacrificing. It means being respectful. It means being a good listener. It means not being a creep. It means caring.

Thank you for coming to my JEFF Talk.

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“I am in the presence of the Ghost of Lifts Yet To Come? ... You are about to show me shadows of the lifts that have not happened, but will happen in the time before us. ... Is that so, Spirit?” #liftsyettocome

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