Every woman should train martial arts: Joanna Ziobronowicz

Written by Vicky Beckett, 9 July 2024

Having started training over 20 years ago, black belt Joanna Ziobronowicz has inspired women around the world to take up jujitsu. With Polish roots, she’s previously taught in Roger Gracie Academy, London; Elevate Martial Arts, Richmond; Carpe Diem, Hong Kong, and Temple BJJ Phuket in Thailand. Her book, “She Fights Back” launches this week, looking at why martial arts and self-defense are so valuable to women. Women Who Fight were lucky enough to speak to her about her jujitsu journey.  

How did you first get into jujitsu? 

From an early age, I was fascinated by martial arts. When I was 16, I joined a local kickboxing club and knew I had found something special. It helped me stay in shape and strengthened me psychologically. Then, I read about Brazilian jujitsu (BJJ) on an internet forum and I watched the sport gain recognition in the MMA scene. I decided to travel 2.5 hours to the closest jujitsu gym and quickly fell in love with the art. I lived in Poland where jiujitsu was just starting out, so I asked my coach where the best academies in the world were located. He quickly pointed me towards London and New York.