While Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu continues to be a male-dominated sport, it has seen a rise in women competitors in recent years. One of these women is Melburnian Apryl Eppinger.
Apryl has won several tournaments including the Sydney International Open IBJJF Championship, and the Oceania Wrestling Championships. She is now part of the Philippine National Team, competing in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on December 9 and 10. This will be the first time the Philippines will be hosting Jiu-Jitsu events for the SEA Games.
Hooked on a sport
"[Jiu-Jitsu is] like a game of chess, but with your body. Instead of using striking or punching to win over your opponents, [you strategise]. It's an excellent mental and physical challenge."
Apryl, born of a half-Filipino mother and a German father, is certainly familiar with mental and physical challenges; after all, she was a cyclist for the Philippine National Team before she decided to shift to Jiu-Jitsu. But what she did have to acclimatize to was using her strength in a different way, in a sport she knew nothing about seven years ago until a fellow cyclist and friend introduced it to her.
"Jiu-jitsu is like a game of chess, but with your body." Source: Apryl Eppinger
"So I contacted [my friend] and told her, I'm going to come train with you guys and give this Jiu-Jitsu thing a try," she shares, adding, "I was hooked instantly."
And when Apryl gets hooked, she holds on tight. She committed her whole self to the sport so much so that she quit her Superannuation career to focus on it. She currently teaches and works at the Jiu-Jitsu gym where she trains.
"So I contacted [my friend] and told her, I'm going to come train with you guys and give this jiu-jitsu thing a try. I was hooked instantly." Source: Apryl Eppinger
Noting that she teaches a women's class every Saturday, Apryl says that the number of women doing Jiu-Jitsu in the Philippines and Australia has increased in recent years.
Apryl actively encourages women and children to try Jiu-Jitsu, and says that the sport helps participants become more confident in defending themselves. This confidence then spills over to every aspect of their lives.
Apryl says that the number of women doing jiu-jitsu in the Philippines and Australia has increased in recent years. Source: Apryl Eppinger
Strategy over size
For Apryl, being part of the Jiu-Jitsu community means having a second family whose members are from different parts of the world. She says that the sport promotes a sense of camaraderie and respect, and that succeeding in Jiu-Jitsu means leaving ego and selfishness behind.
After all, she jokes, "You need people to train with. You can't train by yourself. Otherwise it would look kind of funny - someone rolling around on the floor by themselves."
And when you do get to roll on the floor and grapple with someone, one of the pluses of the sport if you're a woman is your size and strength aren't as important as your strategy.
“No matter what body type you are, you can learn the techniques that best suit your body type. [Jiu-Jitsu is not a sport] that you need to have power [or] speed. [It] has different styles that can suit different body types and strength,” she says, sharing that one of the smallest members of the Philippine team, Meggie Ochoa, is a three-time world champion.
“No matter what body type you are, you can learn the techniques that best suit your body type." Source: Apryl Eppinger
“Fight to Protect”
Aside from being teammates, Apryl has joined Meggie in promoting the latter's advocacy, Fight to Protect, a group focused on protecting, rehabilitating and empowering Filipino victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation through Jiu-Jitsu. The said advocacy was created in coordination with the non-profit organisation, Safe Haven for Kids.
"The kids are amazing. They're so cute and cheeky," she shares, "Just to see them smile...They're my heroes just because they're so strong. They keep coming back...Whatever they're dealing with, they just keep trying to be better."
Apryl Eppinger supports and promotes her friend Meggie Ochoa's advocacy, Fight to Protect. Source: Apryl Eppinger
While Jiu-Jitsu won't solve everything, Apryl shares that she has seen a significant change in the children. Although they still have to go through further rehabilitation, Jiu-Jitsu has made them feel less helpless, and more accepted, empowered and confident.
That, in the end is what makes Jiu-Jitsu what it is. It's not purely about size, strength or speed It's about learning how to defend yourself. It's about strategy and will. It's about finding ways to make your body work for you - whether you're 6-foot tall or 5-foot small, whether you're an adult or a child, whether you're a man or a woman. And really, those thoughts aren't hard to grapple with.
The Jiu-Jitsu Philippine National Team Source: Jiu-Jitsu Federation of the Philippines
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