Train, eat, and think like a jiu-jitsu world champion

Brazilian jiu-jitsu IBJJF world champion and black belt Gina Galvao joins the podcast. We speak about the core habits of champions, the pre-competition mindset,  jiu-jitsu for self-defence, and Gina's journey from sports fanatic to black belt. 

Learn more about our guest:

Instagram: @ginagalvaojj

Visit: Atos Jiu Jitsu BCN

Let's start at the beginning. Tell me about when you first started jiu-jitsu, how you found it, and why you stuck with it in the first place?

Gina: Yes, of course. Hopefully you like my experience and my life in jiu-jitsu will be helpful for everyone and may invite someone to try it. 

Because, as many people, I started jiu-jitsu just because you jump from one thing to another. I was always passionate about sports since I was a kid and I would do any kind of sport. I mean, I never started a sport where I dedicated really a lot of time or I grew with it. So it was something I really chose later on. 

I used to train in Muay Thai before because I was already passionate about martial arts and many things concerning martial arts - like in movies or even video games. Eventually, I was in a point of my life starting university where I was a bit confused and lost about my life. It was at the time that we couldn't have many job opportunities. I remember that at that age we were all a bit confused. 

So I decided through all of my studies and my schoolwork to find something to do and I had to quit Muay Thai, also because of my studies. So it was through that - that I discovered jiu-jitsu. 

And I have to admit that, at first, I would hate that! I mean, I was just seeing two sweaty big guys hugging each other on the ground and I would not understand anything, really!

But maybe the mistake was seeing it in the wrong place or in the wrong way. I would also not see any girls practicing, so for me it was weird, but my professor at the time in Muay Thai told me "No, maybe you can try and you like it!"

So I just decided to give it a second chance and then I went to another place to try it and I really fell in love since the first day; because I realized that it was something that made my body work a lot but also my mind, which was more important for me at that time.

It was also something very real. I was looking for self-defence - that I could have tried in Muay Thai - but I found it through jiu-jitsu when I realized it was very real and you had to control a lot of things to be able to go into that fight. 

But obviously you have had the honour of training under him and alongside him and his brother, Andre Galvao, who is one of - if not the greatest - jiu-jitsu competitor of all time. Obviously you have been training as well with Mackenzie Dern, who is making huge strides in the UFC and many others.

You've trained alongside some of the biggest names and greatest competitors in the sport, including Andre Galvao, Mackenzie Dern, and many others. Could you tell me about the importance of having strong mentors in jiu-jitsu?

Gina: Sure. Gustavo Galvao - which is my husband, but he is my professor. Right? - was the one that made me connect with jiu-jitsu in a very different way. I mean, through him I discovered that jiu-jitsu was much more than just a self-defence sport: working the body and the mind, as well.

Also, all the power that it has behind it and the people that he has trained with and he has learned with... All of them are successful. Not just fighters but champions in life. You spoke about Mackenzie Dern, but also Gustavo's brother, Andre Galvao or The Mendes Brothers.

He opened the doors for me to many others. So jiu-jitsu depends a lot on the way you learn. When I entered jiu-jitsu I realized it was a very challenging sport, but maybe because of that I was seeing myself possibly one day being a black belt competing in a world championship. 

But it looked like it was a huge dream. But Gustavo believed in me and the possibility, since the first time. I think that this is very important. I mean, your professor and the mentor you choose must be your guide. They must be someone that brings you something else other than just showing you the sport.

There is a philosophy and there is a power behind it that makes great people. A mentor must be very powerful. I feel this. I feel when he is teaching. I feel with every student the same way I felt. 

Also, a mentor is someone that believes in you and that sees your best possibilities, and will always work for your progress. This type of fight is something that I see in him and to any other mentor or leader that you can choose to introduce you to the knowledge of jiu-jitsu. 

What do you think separates someone who is simply "into jiu-jitsu", from a champion? What are the core habits of a champion that you have seen from the people around you and adopted for yourself?

Gina: It's a very interesting point also because it's something we apply into the kids we teach, which is to instil a 'challenging' behaviour and a 'competition' behaviour, in a good sense, I mean.

The same happens in competitions. For those who compete, of course we are after a gold medal, finally! No one competes to lose. They are much more intense, of course! 

Above all, you turn into an athlete. You give more importance to the results, because you work for them and you have to learn as well with the wins and the losses - but this is what happens every day at the academy, you know?

So finally what we learn through competition is applied as well to our personal life and how to behave with others in our relationships, our job, with the people we love and with any situation!

In general, I see people driving very stressed out and they start to argue because of nothing. Maybe after jiu-jitsu I, for example, learned to stay more calm because sometimes we act before thinking. In jiu-jitsu, if you act before thinking, you will lose. If you lose control of the fight, you will lose - and this is what happens in real life.

Obviously a lot of that work is done behind the scenes. So when someone goes into a competition, people don't see all the work done beforehand. The amount of drills, the amount of hours in the gym...

Gina: Yeah! Definitely. But I mean, like everyone, you do a lot of work before to be able to -- Like for the podcast now you have been working a lot and being able to do that. 

You got the interview ready and the questions and you thought about that. There is much more work than that, for example. It's just a small example, but in everything you do. 

As you said, in competition maybe, people just see the results. There is much more work behind it. Like everything we do in life! So you learn that through hard work and persistence and constancy - because it's also very necessary to be constant and to not give up. When you work hard for something, you can finally achieve it. 

What does your training schedule look like before a competition? How many hours do you spend in the gym? How important is rest in that period as well?

Gina: Well, there's what it supposed to be and then there is the reality finally. Always, right? But at some point, I always try to be working out in the morning. But then when competitions are coming it will be at least one workout almost every day and four or five times per week - and then there will be a jiu-jitsu session, which can be drilling or sparring or technique. 

Of course, when I am able to travel and just focus on the competition, which I tried to do every time that a competition gets near, I do more than that - because I am just there for that.

So that's the point: that I can change my routine when preparing for a competition. It's important to maintain that routine because all the preparation that is done has a plan and if you break it it's not going to work. 

So through years, of course, that you become more professional... I am able to structure this is in a better way. And another thing I take into account a lot is the food I eat. 

And, as you mentioned, the rest - of course! - is so important and it's something that just because it's like this -- I am a mom. I manage the academy with the professor. So there are many other responsibilities that must be done and sometimes you take out time from the rest. But I feel that when the rest is good your performance can really be better. But at the same time, it's something that is working on the pressure.

So until some point, your body is active and your mind is active and you get used to it. Because many things happen in the fight, right? But of course, it's so important to rest and that's why professionals or first level that can have this routine; they, of course, need to rest and need to stretch and eat well always.

Obviously jiu-jitsu is so taxing on your body. What kind of things do you eat in order to perform better and to recover better, particularly during a competition?

Gina: Yeah. So normally, as I said, I heed importance to my diet. So I normally try to eat healthy and clean, but when I am taking more care of my body because I am training harder for competitions, I make sure I always have an extra dose of protein. For example, I take protein shakes, but also glutamine and BCAA, which is very important for my recovery.

Vitamins - because even though we have lots of vegetables and fruit sometimes, it's not enough. I mean, we would have to introduce a lot of quantity of the food to get the vitamins, for example. So it's something I would add as well. 

And also CBD, which is something that especially when the trainings are very hard or because of the lack of rest that I mentioned, CBD helps me a lot to rest better. It lets me sleep.When the body has been training very hard, then it's hard to sleep.

It's a way to control that and for the muscle recovery definitely - and to wake up better! So yeah, that's the basis. And drinking lots of water! I am not a person that needs a lot of things, but definitely there are some that if I miss it makes a big difference. 

How you are preparing mentally under the extreme pressure of competition? What kind of things are you trying to avoid or do more of?

The mindset is something I have been working on a lot since I started competing. What I used to do a lot is talking a lot with my professor, because he would put me in the mood for the situation. Setting the plan. Imagining that we are there, fighting, and what we're going to do. 

Because you have a strategy and you have a plan. It can change and you must be ready, but you must be there. I mean, adrenaline is there and you never know when it's going to come. It's something I spoke with many people about who compete at a high level. 

I mean, some people have adrenaline the night before. Some people feel it one week before. Some at the moment they enter the fight and some during the fight. It's something good, but you have to control it.

The mindset - it's very important that you have a good one to be able to then control adrenaline. So, as I am a person that I am not able to do this on my own - although I have been getting better at it throughout the years. But my professor would help me a lot to imagine this situation and be there and stay focused.

He won't allow me to speak to anyone because you have to be in the situation. If you lose the concentration, then you lose control. So again, yeah. It's best to avoid any distraction and try to imagine you fighting, you doing it, you winning and you achieving!

Because I think the mind is very powerful! Right? So it depends a lot on how you feel and how you think about the situation to have a good result. 

And enjoy the process, right? Don't put too much pressure on "I have to win". No. You have to enjoy it. You have to do what you have been preparing for. You've been working for that and you have to enjoy it in a positive way!

But of course, if you have a goal - you have to put everything in your hands to achieve it. 

What about outside inputs, like social media or seeing your competitors on social media? Is this the kind of thing you try to avoid, or not really?

Gina: Yeah. Nowadays I am okay with social media, because of knowledge or just to share. It's good to know what your competitors are doing... But it's something that I try to avoid during competition, to not put more pressure on myself. Because on social media everything looks right and great, you know?

So this used to be something that put a lot of pressure on me or seeing the name of a girl in my division and someone coming and telling me: "Oh, this girl is so good!" and then I would try to shake it, you know?

It got me mad. So then the professor came and told me, "Hey! I don't care. She is good. You are good as well". So it's very important to stay in your lane.  

For me, it's something I would avoid and now I am better with that because I learned that you cannot let your feelings go away because of nothing. 

There are people that control these things better, but I think you can work on that. So nowadays I don't give it much importance but I also know that everyone looks at social media, of course. So I also take care of my own!

What are the most important things that you try to teach the students at Atos Jiu-Jitsu?

Gina: Well, through jiu-jitsu - finally - what we learn is to develop our skills. We go there to have an improvement. The main thing is to be every day a bit better somehow. But what does better mean? Well, maybe better is just feeling better. 

Jiu-jitsu must be challenging for you, right? To be better and to improve in some way. Through jiu-jitsu you learn a lot because the first lessons are not learning to do an arm lock. It's learning "Don't get angry" - because if you get angry, you will just hit the wall and you will be beaten. So we learn how to behave through jiu-jitsu. 

"I want to be more coordinated"... Okay, great. The first day you won't get any movement, but if in a few months you've got better movement - great! You know? You had a go and you're getting a bit better.

Maybe you are a very stress-filled person and the first day you will go there and maybe you'll have talent and you'll do good - but someone makes you tap and you get angry, you yell... No. Someone is always going to stop you, you know? You're going to behave differently and more respectfully. There are some basics you have to respect.

So as I said in the beginning, I think jiu-jitsu is a matter of behaviour that sometimes we don't realize. There are things that happen in our life because of our behaviour and how we react to some situations. I think that jiu-jitsu teaches us a lot of that; about getting mad or jealous or responding like "No, no, no. I cannot! I cannot! I cannot!" We hear that a lot and... NO. Try it - and try it again and again and again and then you realize you are able to do it. 

Everyone will have a different goal. Some people will come to lose some weight. Some people will come for self-defence. Some will come to compete. Some will come just for fun.

That's how also people are promoted, finally. You know? You have to see an improvement in what they came for. So that's the thing. We want to see people improving. Getting better - and when their jiu-jitsu is better, their behaviour in front of things is better as well -- supposedly! And if it isn't, they didn't progress. So they didn't achieve what they came to do.

And you need someone that believes in you, yeah? So that's why people come to jiu-jitsu and that's how you can see their progress in jiu-jitsu.

I have recommended jiu-jitsu several times for women in particular who are looking for some sort of self-defence classes; and have been met with some strange looks. "Why would I not do striking?" they ask. How do you feel jiu-jitsu can actually empower women as a sport? 

Gina: First of all, jiu-jitsu is a very different martial art from others that are more well-known. When I started, it took a long time for people to know a little bit more about it. And yeah, we always used to say "You practice your martial art and people" -- [Laughs] -- You know? Thinking that they are fighting, but always hitting. 

Why do you need to hit? What you need is to control the situation. And another thing that makes a difference with jiu-jitsu - technique beats strength - always! Of course, like this is the basis and it should be like this always.

And if you have noticed, when you see girls - maybe white belt girls but fighting with bigger guys - normally when they develop some skills, they are able to start to control a bigger guy. Maybe with not much strength, but because it's what we have to develop. Technique is the basis of jiu-jitsu. It was built for that. 

The problem is that some people want to put this in competition. Of course I am not able to beat Andre Galvao! [Laughs] -- But I mean, if I have a problem with a guy... First, I won't show I know how to hit because this is an error. Women will never have more strength than a man. This we have to know. 

But it's not a matter of strength. It's about controlling the situation, waiting for the time and then - boom! Takedown.It's the element of surprise. But I mean, this comes through practice and the possibility of seeing that. And that's why it's good to train with a group of women; because you can start and there is no more strength normally from one to another.

But then, when you see girls fighting men and everyone is like "Woah!" How do you do this? Right? Or with the little kids you see it very quickly. Very quickly. 

Well, I don't know. I would tell them first of all that they need to try and especially because there is no hitting. It's not violent. But they have to discover by themselves how effective it is. It's something I asked to my girls when they were training, because many of them started at the same time. 

After a few months, what most find in jiu-jitsu is the self-confidence that allows you to develop self-defence - because it's more a matter of self-confidence and self-esteem, to feel that you are able to hold a situation. Learning to hit makes no sense. Learning to control a situation, to be able to escape out of it easily, makes sense.

Obviously I don't mean to go completely political, but even in situations recently with the police manhandling people and resorting to violence... How do you think that jiu-jitsu can actually help people in general, or our society in general?

Gina: Yeah. That's the thing. That's a very sad thing. You know, there are many problems that happen that could be avoided with more knowledge. Unfortunately, violence is there and we must be ready if something happens to be able to react.And not with violence! Not really, but when you know jiu-jitsu maybe there is something you can do; of course!

There are situations, like if you're trying to pick a fight and then you get exhausted because you've put all the strength into it, and then the guy just lies his knee on your stomach and you are not able to move, but he is not hurting you. Right? 

Maybe he is having a good control and you are not able to move, but he is not hurting you. This is something we have to learn; that maybe tomorrow at work you did some part of your job bad, but your boss came and just told you "Hey. I didn't like the way you did that, but I know you can do better. I'll let you go off." Okay. That's the good thing, the good way of saying things. 

Another situation is where the guy is just pointing the knee on your face! You know, it's similar to the boss just coming in and starts to shout at you and to yell at you... You can get angry and try to go against him and you will hit the wall, or you just wait for him to calm down and then, when he loses his power because he will get tired, then you react. Yeah?

I mean, it is again a control of the situation; but this is how jiu-jitsu can help society. And the guy that just wants to hurt will learn that hurting with violence and with anger won't gain anything. He is going to fall by his acts. 

So let's stay calm first, you know? Control the situation. See what is happening and what we can do. This is what we learn from jiu-jitsu.