BJJ for women: what 298 female members told us
By Scott Flear, founder of JitsAI, with data from 298 female members.
9% of JitsAI's 3,316 adult members are women. They train, compete and choose gi or no-gi in roughly the same patterns as the rest of the membership. The clearest difference is belt: fewer women in our data have reached purple belt and above.
How many women train BJJ?
Of our 3,316 adult members, 298 (9%) are women. That's a snapshot of who joined JitsAI, mostly through ads aimed at people who want to improve and compete, not a survey of every gym, so treat it as one real data point rather than a national figure.
What belt are women in BJJ?
Most women in our data are early in the belt system: 63% white belts and 21% blue belts. Purple belt and above make up the remaining 15%, grouped together because the individual purple, brown and black-belt counts are each too small to publish on their own. See BJJ belts in order for how long each belt really takes, across all members.
| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White | 63% |
| Blue | 22% |
| Purple+ | 15% |
How often do women train, gi or no-gi?
Three or four sessions a week is the most common answer, the same as the wider membership: 53% of women train that often, 33% once or twice and 14% five or more times a week.
| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| 1–2 a week | 33% |
| 3–4 a week | 53% |
| 5+ a week | 14% |
Most train both gi and no-gi: 61%, against 28% gi only and 11% no-gi only. Our no-gi jiu-jitsu guide covers the rules and kit for both.
Do women compete in BJJ?
39% of the women in our data already compete often or sometimes, and another 46% want to but haven't yet, similar to the overall membership. IBJJF and ADCC both run separate women's divisions by weight: see BJJ weight classes.
Starting BJJ as a woman
The same first-class advice applies to everyone: expect a warm-up, a technique, drilling and then sparring, and it's fine to say it's your first class and to sit out sparring until you're ready. Some gyms run women-only classes or open mats, which can lower the pressure of walking in as the only woman on the mat; ask before you sign up if that matters to you. Our BJJ for beginners guide has a 12-week plan for the first few months, and what is BJJ covers the sport from scratch.
Prove your game is working, whoever you're training with
JitsAI's nine-level ladder splits partners by experience and weight, lighter, same and heavier, so you can see what's actually working for you, not just what happened in one hard round.
- One Focus a week, with pinned lessons from Henrique Rezende’s 74-lesson fundamentals course.
- A nine-level ladder for every technique, from partners less experienced than you to more experienced ones, each split lighter, same weight and heavier.
- Land it once and it’s a hit; 3 wins across 2 sessions and it’s proven.
$1 for 7 days, then $39 a year.
iPhone and Android.
Pick ONE thing One position for the week: an escape, a guard, a sweep.
Test it on everyone A quick check-in after class: who each round was against, and whether it worked.
Hit, then proven Land it once and it’s a HIT. Three across two sessions and it’s PROVEN.
Know what works See what holds up, against whom, then pick your next Focus.
Questions women ask about BJJ
Is BJJ good for women?
Plenty of women think so: 39% of the women in our data already compete, and a further 46% want to but haven't yet. BJJ is built on control and escapes, so size and strength matter less than technique.
What percentage of BJJ practitioners are women?
In our 3,316-member snapshot, 9% are women. That's our own member base, not a census of every gym, and it will vary by academy and by country.
Do women train BJJ gi or no-gi?
Similar to men: 61% of women in our data train both gi and no-gi, 28% gi only and 11% no-gi only.
Is it normal to be the only woman at BJJ class?
Common, especially at smaller gyms, but the sport is not exclusively male: our data has women at every adult belt from white to black. If your gym runs women-only sessions, they can be a lower-pressure way to start; not every gym does.
What belt are most women in BJJ?
Most are newer to the sport: 63% of the women in our data are white belts and 21% are blue belts. Purple belt and above make up the rest; the individual purple, brown and black-belt counts are too small on their own to publish separately.
About the data
Training frequency and experience: self-reported answers from 3,316 adults (18 and over) who joined JitsAI between 16 October 2025 and 24 September 2026 and told us their belt at sign-up. Snapshot 25 Sep 2026. Full breakdown and a CSV on the BJJ belts page.
What we publish: totals only, groups of at least 50 people, and no share that rests on fewer than 10. Founder accounts are excluded and percentages are rounded. Most members found JitsAI through our ads, so this is a big sample but not a random one, and it leans towards people who want to improve and compete. The numbers describe patterns, not causes.