BJJ Blue Belt Hannah Smith Interview

​Hannah Smith is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete who trains and competes out of Arsenal Combat Sports in Huntsville, Alabama.  She has been training for a few years now and is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt.  She has also won many competition medals from Fuji BJJ and AGF tournaments to IBJJF tournaments and will be looking to compete in her first superfight this year.  We recently were able to catch up with her:    

Jitzilla:  What is it that attracted you to Jiu-Jitsu?

Smith:  A friend at work was always talking about how much fun it was and kept begging me to come try it.  I eventually caved and was hooked after the first class.  It is very rare as an adult to find an atmosphere where you get to play and have fun.  It was also crazy to see the scope of the people in the room.. you had PhDs hanging out with fast food workers/etc and NOONE was treated differently based on their background/money.  LOL no amount of money/influence could save you on the mats.

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Jitzilla:  What are some goals you would like to accomplish in Jiu-Jitsu in 2024?

Smith:  In 2024 I hope to do my first superfight and get better in some of my weaker areas.

Jitzilla:  You are a BJJ Blue Belt, what did it mean to you when you accomplished that and what does representing your academy as a Blue Belt mean to you?

Smith:  Getting a Blue Belt in general is a huge accomplishment, but for me it meant more as I was the first female Blue Belt at my academy.  I have never worked so hard for anything in my life.  I honestly think I learned more about myself than BJJ in that first year, but representing my academy as a Blue Belt is all about respect and sportsmanship.  I have done a lot of competitions and seen a lot of "showmanship" over the years and.... to me that is not what the sport is about ESPECIALLY as a woman.  I want to see more women in the sport so I feel like we should stick together and support each other regardless of what academy we come from.

Jitzilla:  What has been your biggest personal accomplishment in Jiu-Jitsu?

Smith:  Surviving the first 6 months and sticking to it.  I was the only woman that came regularly for a long time, so I was rolling and drilling with the boys ,aka getting smashed hahaha.  But finding my way out of the panic and learning how to use my size (I am 120 lbs so super tiny) as an advantage was HUGE for me.  Now when I do tournaments and enter the Absolute division, I can beat women that have 100+lbs on me because I can handle the pressure without panic.

Jitzilla:  When can everyone catch you on the mats again competing?

Smith:  Sunday :) I am doing an open rule set/open weight tournament in at the 10p in Birmingham, AL.

Jitzilla:  Thank you so much for the time! Is there anything you would like to get out there to everyone reading this?

Smith:  For all the women and smaller men out there struggling to survive classes, STICK TO IT.  It gets easier I promise!  Also for any women out there on the fence about trying BJJ, take a trial class you won't regret it, you will make friends and get into the best shape of your life.