Stats
Age: 22
Belt: Purple
Weight: Feather
Length of time training: 2.5 years
Nicknames: Fofoqueira
From: Chatsworth, California
Affiliation: Alliance/ Cobrinha BJJ
Sponsors: Roll.Adapt.Win, Inverted Gear
Accomplishments:
3x IBJJF Pan Am Medalist (2 silvers, 1 bronze)
2x IBJJF Vegas Open Champion
2x Abu Dhabi Trials Medalist (San Diego and Las Vegas)
2012 IBJJF Mundials Medalist (silver)
2012 IBJJF Long Beach Open Champion
2011 IBJJF Dallas Open Champion
2010 American National Medalist (silver)
Grappler's Quest Champion and No-Gi Medalist
And a laundry list of other small tourneys...
JJJ: Can you begin by telling us when and how you began training?
EH: In 2008 I spent all of my time
working, going to school and going to hardcore shows. I used to post in an
online forum where a lot of people in the hardcore scene from all over would
talk about useless stuff and make fun of each other among posting tour dates
and whatnot. Anyways, this guy Kenny Savercool was selling cupcakes to get to
some martial arts tournament near me. We made friends and talked about meeting
up. When I picked him up he wanted to head back down to the competition to
support his teammates. Being the great tour guide that I am, I obliged. When we
got there I had witnessed my first jiu jitsu tournament which happened to be
Pan Ams. I asked a million questions and watched a Valerie Worthington match
and immediately was interested. Fast forward a year later in the summer of
2009, I was going through anxiety and trying to figure out how to get past that
in order to walk into a gym. Then I noticed there was one academy next to the
subway I often went to on my lunch from work. Spent some more time considering
how to get the balls to walk in and when I finally did, I signed a 2-year
contract that same day. Yeah, those DO exist! It turns out, Romulo Barral was
the main instructor.
JJJ: Were you very athletic growing up?
EH: No. I played pee-wee basketball in
the 3rd grade when I was at private school. I was on the Pistons
team and I never got the ball. Besides that, I was a girl scout from about age
3 to 17. In high school, it gets serious and there are competitions between the
senior troops. I would be responsible for the knot tying and knowing types of
anchors and clouds but after that we’d have canoe races. That was quite
strenuous. The most athletic event in my life before jiu jitsu was the week of
cheerleading tryouts I participated in my junior year. I was afraid to go to
school because my backpack became too heavy to carry and my legs would randomly
give out.
JJJ: What were some of the challenges you faced when starting
jiu-jitsu?
EH: Romulo’s gym never had girls that
trained continuously. In the very beginning there was one older woman who took
the opposite classes of me. They all made her sound like this beast who would
run through me. When I finally trained with her I learned she was this 40 year
old buff tiny mom who always made sure I didn’t hurt my neck as she was choking
me. It was true, she gave me hell and she was a very maternal and nurturing
person whom I love but unfortunately she didn’t move up in the rankings and I
was then left with just dudes to train with. I had my first tournament after
three months of training and although I did okay, I realized that my lack of
female training partners was hindering me a bit. I look back on it now and I
really appreciate that I was beaten to jelly every training session because it
made me really tough but the strength issue left me crying often. Romulo really
had to deal with a lot because I was always so emotional. I’m very lucky that
not many other factors got in the way. I was able to train a lot early on
because I made the time, I was healthy and I was in a situation financially to
afford it. I know that those things can really plague someone’s training
regiment.
JJJ: You seemed to have had opportunities that many people dream
of, training under Romulo Barral and now, Cobrinha. How have they both
contributed to your success? (teaching style, work ethic, support)
EH: Being in California, and Los Angeles
specifically has given me amazing opportunities ranging from instruction to
notable tournaments. When I started with Romulo, it took awhile for me to
understand how successful this guy was in the sport of jiu jitsu. When I was
told that this guy was a 6x world champion and basically in his prime, I
definitely started staying later to listen to story time. And that was really
the key. The personable characteristics he has and the intimacy of his gym.
When I started, Romulo was really just starting to teach. He was learning as we
were and I think that’s perfectly okay because he did an amazing job. I’m sure
there were times when I gave him such issues he thought to himself, “what the
hell did I sign up for?” because I’m sure a little spoiled American whiney butt
girl is a bit different to deal with than any student in Brazil.
In the
beginning we were a small gym named Legacy and we didn’t become Gracie Barra
until I had been training for about 9 months or so. So things changed as far as
regiments and pictures on the wall and ranking. However, Romulo still treated
us like family. There was definitely always an attachment that he had for his
main group. When Romulo left our original gym and we moved to a studio across the
street, that was when it really showed because whoever followed him was
obviously a true student of his and he took it to heart. I can tell you that
Romulo was like my dad for nearly two years. He could tell what I was thinking
just by looking at my facial expression. If I was stressed, he let me talk it
out. If I needed a hug, I had it. When my pest of a training partner wouldn’t
leave me alone, he shoo-ed him away. To this day he is a very huge part of my
past whom I will never ever lose respect for because of the type of
relationship I had with him. He is
responsible for yes, most of my basic understandings of jiu jitsu as well as my
guard, but more importantly he gave me the support I needed to always continue
when things got hard. He truly cares about his students and he’s also like a
big kid who made training fun even when it wasn’t. When I moved from his team I
knew that I needed to mature and unfortunately I wasn’t going to be able to do
that there.
I made the switch to Cobrinha’s and
immediately knew I was never going to get away with whining or slacking off. No
one was going to hold my hand and let me cry on their shoulder. It was the most
important aspect of my journey to growing up as a person and as a jiu jitsu
athlete. The first time I took a class I remember watching the instruction and
looking around at everyone else thinking, “there is no way every one is getting
all of this.” The instruction is so so detailed and in depth. There are
concepts that we always follow as well as the most intricate moves I’ve ever
learned. When we work a technique from guard we don’t just learn some grips
then a sweep. We learn where to put our hands and legs and WHY and then we
sweep learning the weight distribution and momentum needed and then we
establish the position with the correct base then set up a pass. I say that
every other instruction is like the cliff notes version compared to Cobrinha’s.
We also practice tons of drills. Every drill we do is to better our positions,
our understandings, our transitions, our flexibility, our fluidity. Nothing is
left out. A huge difference between Cobrinha’s and other gyms is also the
ability to drill on our own time. The gym is always open and we’re never kicked
off the mat. Drilling is our homework and we aren’t forced to buy some mats to
study only at home. The gym is my home. As far as my success now, Cobrinha has
offered me the best instruction, a solid backing in terms of support and the
ability to have girls to train with.
JJJ: How has jiu-jitsu changed you as a person?
EH: If I had never started jiu jitsu I
would probably have no goals. I may or may not have graduated from college and
I would be working a job I hate. Some of those things still hold true however I
am now a driven, accomplished, confident, fit, stable individual with a
constant set of goals to achieve. I was never associated with anything growing
up. I never felt that I belonged anywhere, not even a group of friends and so
for me, along with most people I’m sure, jiu jitsu gave me an identity. I may
not have a degree or lots of money but every aspect of my life has purpose now.
I struggled with depression and anxiety growing up and although they still
surface, jiu jitsu is the best outlet for me to face these issues head on and
really minimize them. Also, now I got hoes in different area codes.
JJJ: When did you first realize you wanted to compete? Why did
you start?
EH: At Romulo’s, competition wasn’t pushed
on us at all but because of his background and his role in the sport, it was
made aware that that aspect did exist. A lot of us were just beginners but we
had a group of guys who were higher belts and had switched from other academies
who were seasoned competitors already. In November 2009, there was a competition
that was coming up and I heard a couple of the guys talking about it.
Naturally, I had to know what the buzz was about so when they spilled the beans,
I immediately took interest. If someone had told me they were 3 months into
training and about to compete, I’d highly recommend they train a little more
beforehand but I dove right in early on. Looking back, it’s kind of like when
you see kids today getting into risky behavior at a young age but then realize
you did it too. Just seems weird. Anyway, I ran (literally) over to Romulo
after class and although we didn’t quite know each other yet asked him “can I
compete?” He said, “yeah!” to which I asked for some reassurance like, “no, but
am I really ready?” He confirmed his support and so that was the start of my
jiu jitsu competition journey. I knew I wanted to compete even before I took my
first class. Being exposed to some of the top level athletes as my first
experience with the sport, I was driven towards that. To be honest, I thought
that nearly everyone who trained was a competitor. Plus, I always wrestled with
my guy friends and got “rough-housed” enough to just want to choke some people
for my own self-confidence.
JJJ: How does competition make you feel?
EH: How it makes me feel now is
different than what it made me feel in the beginning. I have always felt that
competitions are a great way to test myself. My nerves, my composure, my
confidence and of course my jiu jitsu. I have never been comfortable with all
eyes on me as well as having the type of pressure that comes with 5 minutes of
fame. Here, you have some minutes to show what you’ve got and use all that you
know. In the beginning I was not afraid to lose because I knew I was just a
newb. I was nervous but it was more fun because nothing was riding on it. As I
progressed it became more serious for me and the pressure would often make me
crumble, but I could still see the lessons learned from whatever outcome arose.
Now, I am no longer nervous but rather I see competition as my place to show my
moves. I train to compete and I train to conquer battles. It is my dance
recital, my track meet, my SATs, my hot dog eating contest. I think that makes
sense.
JJJ: I have talked to a lot of serious competitors, and they have
one thing in common. I call it the switch. The switch is the moment when you
realize that your current training is not enough and you know you have to step
it up. When did this happen for you, and what triggered it?
EH: My switch wasn’t very definitive.
Usually this switch has to do with switching gyms, which I did do but I think
that was only one of my turning points. The trigger to switch gyms came from
someone that I met who has become another large mentor in my life. He had
trained with Cobrinha in Atlanta and when he came out for Pan Ams I tagged
along with him to Cobrinha’s grand opening. I had visited a lot of gyms
throughout my time at Romulo’s but never quite like this. Romulo and many other
people knew I wasn’t happy anymore and so the change wasn’t a shock to many
people. It was just a matter of time before it happened. My other switch came
more recently. Last summer I won the Vegas Open after cutting to featherweight
and I also closed out the open weight division with my teammate. I thought I
was on a roll and found my rhythm until I entered American Nationals a month
later and lost my first match. After much time off competing I made the trip to
Europeans in Portugal in January of this year. I lost my first match again.
When I competed in the San Diego Abu Dhabi Trials in March I lost my first
match once again.
In my life there had been many changes happening in terms of
my direction. I often have trouble figuring out my personal life and where I
want to be. After the trials I knew things needed to change and I needed to
dedicate my life to jiu jitsu. This scared the #%)% out of my mom knowing I
would no longer have a constant income among other things. Starting on March 13th
I stayed at the gym all day. I did not work and I did not go to school. I
devoted my time to jiu jitsu only. My mom is okay now considering it finally
started paying off in the sense that I started winning. I'm glad my family
supports me knowing that I do this because I find my worth in it, not
because it will allow me to reimburse them. At Pan Ams, after completely
submersing myself in jiu jitsu, I was able to not only win my first
match, but all four. I met my teammate in the final and we closed out
the division. Worlds was a huge deal for me. I went on the mat knowing I
was capable and knowing that I wouldn't give up. I came out of the gate
running full force in my first match with a submission in about 40
seconds. My mom told me that she "wasn't worried" after she saw that. I
had some tough matches but I was able to make it to the finals. I ended
up placing second due to not being able to sweep/submit my opponent
after she came up from the double pull and it was hard not to keep from
crying on the mat after, but I was still proud of myself. My hard work
paid off in my eyes.
JJJ: How did you first take to competing? Any jitters?
EH: When I started competing I felt the
most intense nerves and adrenaline I had ever experienced in my life. I know
many people will also say this: you won’t find it anywhere else. My matches
would be such a blur for me because I would be huffin’ and puffin’ and my heart
would race and all of my senses were heightened to a level 20. I would not know
which way was up. A lot of my competitions were comprised of me forcing myself
to get on the mat and do the damn thing. I always joked that I would rather it
be a dance competition, which is ironic because I cannot dance-- at all. Unless
you count weird club grinding which takes no practice I assure you.
JJJ: How would you classify your game? What trait/attribute makes
you a strong competitor?
EH: I never had a strategy or strength
until I really started competing. I’m mostly a guard player because I enjoy the
dynamics but my passing isn’t too shabby. My biggest strength is guard
recovery. Flexibility has a lot to do with that and so with an aggressive guard
and the ability to retain it, that makes me a strong competitor.
JJJ: What is your jiu-jitsu lifestyle? Describe a day in the life
of Erin.
EH: When we’re training for major
competitions as we were these past few months, I trained 2 times a day on
weekdays, once a day on weekends and then strength and conditioning every
mon-wed-fri morning. Drilling was mixed in there outside of class. A lot of my
time is spent driving. I live 26 miles away from the academy and I take 4
freeways to get there. The traffic is usually not bad unless I’m driving in the
early morning amongst “work traffic” which can take me an hour and a half.
Normally it’s 30-40 minutes. I don’t go out and my favorite thing to do when I
have time is go to starbucks, eat food and hang out with my mom. Preferably all
three together.
JJJ: Given the amount you have competed in such a short amount of
time. Do you think it is imperative to compete a ton if you want to be
successful in competition?
EH: Obviously, practice makes perfect
and I do believe that 10,000 hours will make you an expert at anything. The
experience is helpful but whether or not it is necessary, I believe, rests
solely on the individual. Someone who has been in the limelight a lot already
or has been an athlete for years or even just knows how to compete in any event,
will have a better transition. I wasn’t lucky enough to be in any of those
categories so just getting out there made me progress each time even if it was
just the nerves part or the confidence part or the back defense part.
Basically, no it’s not imperative but for most people it is very, very helpful.
JJJ: When did you realize that you were a guard player? Did you
gravitate towards it or were you influenced?
EH:I honestly have no idea. There was
probably a time when we were given the choice during training sessions to play
top or bottom and I was just too lazy to play on top. I might be kidding. I was
influenced a ton by Romulo and now Cobrinha since both have exceptional
well-known guards but at both schools I learn/ed every aspect of jiu jitsu. I
can use my flexibility a lot more in guard and I feel like playing guard is
more dynamic which is fun. I feel like passing a guard is like solving an
equation that this guard player is setting up for you. I enjoyed creating
problems more than solving them for a long time.
JJJ: How important is drilling to you? How often do you do it?
EH: I don’t drill nearly enough. I have
measly excuses for it but really, it is so important. You learn techniques in
class but how are you going to make them muscle memory when you only try them
30 times? Not long ago I didn’t drill because I didn’t know how. I remember
asking Cobrinha what I should drill and how long and how many and how do I know
when it’s enough and how many reps and how to make sure I drill everything I
need to. The answer is to just drill. Sure, you can work a strategy on what
position you need to work on most but the most important thing you can do is
just grab someone and start doing reps. You really can’t go wrong. I’d like to
point out that while I am reiterating this advice, I’d be a liar if I said I
always follow it. But I’m working on it.
JJJ: Who are your favorite jiu-jitsu athletes?
EH: I love watching Cobrinha as a given.
Him and Romulo are always there because they love it and always looking for the
finish. But besides my bias they are great people. The amount of heart and
dedication involved in both of their jiu jitsu careers is undeniable. Any jiu
jitsu athlete that shows they have heart and has integrity in the sport is
worth supporting in my book. I don’t have a lot of favorites and I like
different athletes for various reasons. Luanna Alzuguir is like my idol and I
really look up to Michelle Nicolini as well. Right now I’m keeping my eye on
Tanner Rice, Keenan Cornelius, Beneil Dariush, Edwin Najmi, Roberto Satoshi,
Rodolfo Vieira (who has beautiful yet beastly jiu jitsu) and Monique Elias… to
name a few..
JJJ: What are your future plans in BJJ?
EH: I want to win Worlds. I want to
continue competing at all the major tournaments and I want to make a name for
myself in the sport. I know I am still a baby but I want to build a legacy. I
also plan on writing for the sport and maintaining a strong presence on and off
the mat for a long time.
JJJ: Favorite activity outside of jiu-jitsu?
EH: Writing and eating chocolate
croissants.
JJJ: If you could live anywhere in the galaxy, where would it be?
EH: If I could choose I’d never stay in
one place. I’d live in a transportation device that was this cozy semi-big
house that had a stocked fridge at all times and lots of animals. I’d move around,
switching over the equator whenever my location’s climate got colder.
JJJ: Any final words?
EH: I want to add a shout-out to
everyone in the past that has helped me in some way or another. I know this
sounds like an academy award speech but in reality, I wrote a list a year and a
half ago titled “people I need to thank” and I am constantly adding names.
Cobrinha has been a rock in my life and even though he doesn’t always show his
feelings, I know that I can always count on him for anything. His wife Daniela
has been the one female presence that really lets me cry but immediately tells
me why I shouldn’t be. My mom has been the single most important person in my
life during this journey despite it always being my one thing that she has had
no say in but supports me never-the-less. Without her I would truly be nowhere.
My teammates and my best friend. And Jordon Schultz for giving me the most
dramatic, eye-opening yet life-changing year of my entire existence. I would
not be here if I didn’t drag you into my life. Thanks.
Check out Erin's blog: Building A Legacy
Check out Erin's Zine: Pulling Guard Zine
Check out Erin's blog: Building A Legacy
Check out Erin's Zine: Pulling Guard Zine
