A New Normal: The Quirks of an Athletic Lifestyle
The other morning I woke up to find that my right ear was clogged. I jammed my pinky in there, just like you’re not supposed
Author: Valerie Worthington
Valerie Worthington has been moving her body since before she was born, for many reasons and with many outcomes. She really started to pay attention to how, when, and why her body moves when she began training in Brazilian jiu jitsu in 1998. From then on, she became hugely invested in educating herself about how to optimize her body movement for BJJ and how to support it in doing so. She has observed that these endeavors require her to invest herself not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and psychologically, fueling a particular interest in the influence on her life of these dimensions of athletic activity.
Valerie has developed as a BJJ practitioner via her own training and competition preparation, teaching and coaching other practitioners, and writing about her life as a jiu jitsu devotee through the lens of her education, personal experiences, and professional background. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and a doctorate in educational psychology from Michigan State University. She is a first-degree black belt in BJJ, as well as co-founder and proprietor of Groundswell Grappling Concepts. She trains at Princeton Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Princeton, New Jersey.
Most recently, Valerie is the author of How to Love a Grappler: A Guide for People Who Love People Who Love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She can be reached through her email.
Posts from this author
Guilty! 5 BJJ Photo Crimes You Will Recognize
Nothing is safe from immortalization in picture or video. I have seen more Facebook photos, Instagrams, Snapchats, Vines, and tweets than I can count of
How Do You Place a Value on Expertise?
One of the things I love about having some longevity in Brazilian jiu jitsu and the attendant lifestyle is that I am in a position
Open Your Mind and Say Yes to Your Coach
Have you ever been on the giving or the receiving end of this type of exchange? Be honest, especially if you are a giver: Athlete:
Keep Walking: Using Your Physical Fitness for the Smaller Good
Those of us who work out regularly probably do so at least in part to enhance the quality of our lives, our ability to do
The Science of BJJ: How Grappling Makes Its Own Natural Laws
Non-grapplers tend to argue that Brazilian jiu jitsu players live in their own world, and if you think about it a bit creatively, you can
4 Ways Submission Grapplers Can Apply Wrestling Concepts to Their Practice
Historically, submission grapplers as a group have been reluctant to invest in learning even the rudiments of wrestling, even though it is clear that many
On Not Giving a S%&# About BJJ: Don’t Judge
Disclaimer From the Author: This one’s a bit of a rant, because the feelings are still somewhat raw. And it still doesn’t say exactly what
Is Jiu Jitsu for You? You Decide
My business partners and I just finished another successful Women’s Grappling Camp over Veterans’ Day weekend, this one hosted by our friends at Charles Gracie
How Our Teammates Can Mirror Our Abilities: Athletic Wisdom from an N’SYNC Alum
I like Justin Timberlake. You do too. Admit it. Bring It on Down to Omeletteville? Hilarious. D*ck in a Box? Inspired. His latest song is
On %$#@ing Up and Then Moving On: The Importance of Perspective in Athletics and Life
I f*ck up. Like, all the time. I make mistakes on a more than daily basis, and sometimes the goals I set goals for myself
Are We There Yet? The Role of Anticipation in Training
I got into writing about BJJ through a personal blog I started keeping when I went batsh*t crazy back in 2006. Titled Prancing and Sucking,
