Page 22 - Flathead Beacon // 9.16.15

NEWS
COVER
BLACK BELT
Leah Taylor demonstrates techniques as she leads a jiu- jitsu class at Straight Blast Gym. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
There’s an easy rhythm to the class at Straight Blast Gym International in Kalispell, six people splayed or rolling around on the floor while a calm, steady woman gives clear instruction.
Standing at 5-foot-9 with her dark hair pulled back into a braid, Leah Tay- lor looks at home teaching Brazilian jiu- jitsu, wearing a white, ankle-length gi with insignia identifying her home gym.
But the key aspect of Leah Taylor’s confidence – and her uniform – is the black belt tied around her waist.
It’s all a puzzle, this martial art that mixes grappling, self-defense, and com- bat aspects, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu is making its way into more homes across the country each year with its import- ant role in mixed-martial arts fighting, or MMA.
Taylor, the only woman in Montana with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, hopes to show more people, especially other women, the solutions to the phys- ical riddle the sport presents.
While teaching about posture and the importance of controlling your opponent, Taylor gave calm yet intense advice to a pair of men grappling on the mat.
“Everything he does is wrong,” she said, not about that particular student, but about all opponents in general. “We have an answer for everything.”
To an outsider, the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) can be an odd place, one in a constant state of push and pull,
where intricate movements are just as important as crowd-pleasing sweeps and rolls, and a few seconds of intense pain can end a 10-minute stalemate between opponents.
It can be frenetic and it can be slow, two fighters intent on scoring more points than one another or ending the match with a submission move that can break joints or end in unconsciousness if the victim doesn’t tap out in time.
For fans of MMA fighting, jiu-jitsu is often what’s happening while the fight- ers are tangling on the mat, trying to use their opponent’s body as a tool for victory.
At Straight Blast Gym International (SBGI), jiu-jitsu is the bread and but- ter program, complemented by striking classes, women’s-only boot camp classes, and the Yoga Room next door.
Unknown amounts of sweat, blood, and tears have been spilled in this gym as students continue their quest to learn more, be stronger, be better. For many, the realization of these goals will be per- sonal and perhaps private; for Taylor, reaching goals is more concrete.
At the end of August, Taylor won gold at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s Atlanta Summer Interna- tional Open. She won not only her weight class – medium heavy – but also the gen- eral open competition, where weight classes are ignored.
It was her first tournament as a black belt, though her successes have followed her no matter the color around her waist.
At blue belt, two years after beginning her jiu-jitsu training, she became a world champion in her weight class at the Mun- dials or “Worlds,” touted as the toughest BJJ tournament on the planet.
At purple belt – the next level up from blue belt – Taylor took silver at Worlds, but only because her opponent fell on her leg, injuring Taylor’s knee.
In fact, success follows Taylor at most turns. At 32, she has earned her bach- elor’s degree in biology, three master’s degrees related to teaching science, a cou- ple years of teaching at schools in Port- land, Oregon, and a karate black belt. She
has taught snowboarding lessons for 16 years, and used to work in Alaska for the U.S. Forest Service as a wilderness and educational ranger.
She was always an athlete, pursuing gymnastics, martial arts, and even com- petitive diving, as a direct result of her mother’s influence.
“My mom didn’t do (sports) growing up, so she wanted us to have the oppor- tunity,” Taylor said.
Her first experience with martial arts was in karate, which she described as more of an art form for her than a fighting form. Eventually, she earned her black
Leah Taylor leads a jiu-jitsu class at Straight Blast Gym. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM