Strong Autistic Female Empowered. An interview With Molly Price, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and competitor

This weeks blog interview features Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and competitor from the USA    Molly Price.

Fighting For Autism strives to bring positive stories from around the globe, and highlight inspiring role models from within the autistic community and beyond in hope that we can make the world a more aware, accepting and inclusive place to be.

Fighting For Autism's S.A.F.E (Strong Autistic Female Empowered) Initiative aims to highlight positive female role models from within the autistic community, whose inspiring stories we hope will have the potential of being the catalyst that catapults autistic females onto the path of creating positive stories of their very own, one thing is for sure we cannot do it on our own, hence why its so important for amazing people like Molly to step forward and share their experiences.

Molly pictured in white competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

1. What prompted you to explore Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and have you trained in any other martial art or sport.

"I was sexually assaulted  in the Army & thought this would be a good way to help me cope with my fear of men. Before walking into the gym I haven't left the house in 2 years except to go get groceries or go to the Veterans Affairs office , actually. It worked! I'm not scared of them anymore".

Molly proudly showing some of the medals and awards she has won whilst competing 

2. What Autism myths would you like to dispel?

"That men are the only ones that have Autism. Women can have Autism & are commonly misdiagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or something else.

The myth that vaccines cause autism

That you can "overcome" it & be normal. I don't want to be neurotypical.

Just because someone is autistic doesn't mean they're going to have "all these symptoms". It could be as simple as a few major things. It could be a bunch of small things. No 2 autistic people have the same support needs".

3.How often do you train, and what would a typical days training schedule consist of ?

"As with most autistic people, my schedule is very very strict.

1 Hour studying previous days notes

1-hour focused BJJ in the morning

1-hour watching an instructional related to the AM class

lunch class then drilling(usually 1 hour on top of the lunch class)

3-hour nap

I play Elden ring for a little bit to clear my head. Usually about an hour

Back to the instructional from the AM class to go back over it along with my ankicards/flashcards refresher for this month's moves

Afternoon class. This is usually 5PM-7/8PM.

Log all my training for the day. Go over any rolling  footage I have. Study one last time what I did throughout the day

I train like this 5x a week usually and on Saturdays is Open Mat. We have Sunday Open Mat here too! At Akagi BJJ. It's a very nice gym & the owner is very very nice. I like it here because they're very understanding & they make sure I feel safe & comfortable. It's the best!

4.What accomplishment to date are you proudest of ?

"Getting my Blue Belt in 8 months with 1 month off due to an injury".

Molly proudly showing her achievement of gaining a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

5. What does Autism mean to you ?

"Studies show my brain processes sensory input(what we see, hear, feel, etc) 400% faster than an allistic person. What does that mean? If I can overcome the problems that come with Autism, I have a massive advantage on the mats.

It also means I have to do my best to be aware of how allistic people will take what I say. Autistic people tend to say what we mean directly. I can get frustrated when I ask a simple yes/no question & get a very long-winded answer".

6.What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of taking up a martial art, boxing or joining a gym?

"Make sure your gym is very aware of how it affects your life. Be more blunt than usual. Be upfront. You have to be careful because not every gym is going to be safe. Sometimes if I get a bad crossface (technique), I'll need to take 15-20 minutes to gather myself because it can be very overstimulating. Because of this I always make a gym aware I have Autism before visiting. I've done things to minimize the conversation & to make it known, but it's important they always know! I have had one gym,  straight up tell me on Instagram to not come because they didn't want to "deal with the problems I'd be bringing".

It's crucial you find a gym that can accommodate. What does that mean? Your coach needs to understand that you may need to take breaks, at any time, for what may appear to be no reason at all. They need to know that you may get emotional if you're doing striking. That you likely aren't very social. I didn't know this, but it seems most people do BJJ for the social aspect. Go figure!  So yeah! Just make sure they're aware of everything.

Fighting For Autism would like to say a massive Thank you to Molly Price for taking part in this weeks blog, her answers could pave the way to someone becoming more aware or accepting as a person right through to inspiring someone to start the adventure of trying something new, making new friends, learning new skills and developing confidence. 

#DareToBeDifferent  #ShiningThroughTheSpectrum  #FightingForAutism  #AutismAwarenessAndAcceptance #BrazilianJiuJitsu

Richie Jewell- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Autism

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Today's blog features Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner Richie Jewell from the USA, Richie kindly took time out of his schedule to talk about his experiences with Autism and his passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 

Richie Newell is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Practitioner who trains out of Evolution Grappling Academy.

1. Describe your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey so far, and have you trained in any other art or sport.

I'm Richie Jewell. I'm 29 years old and I have high functional autism. Just like everyone else in the world. I went through some stuff that has been very difficult, challenging and emotional for me to endure life difficulties while living with autism. I have endured teasing, depression, complications from the disability such as lack of social skills, bad speech and improper eye contact. It's very difficult to live through these quirks. I have been through a lot in my life time. I have struggled with depression, anxiety, getting bullied, witnessed a brutal divorce from my parents. Growing up, As a kid wanted to be a professional wrestler but that was a kid being a dreamer and I never played sports. Before jujitsu, I did Muay Thai kickboxing/striking, it was great a foreshadowing for what it was to come. My jiujitsu journey has been a crazy one: I started training in August 2019. I'm trying my best to learn the moves to make progress, make new friends along the way, use it as a mental discipline for mental health and hopefully to compete in tournaments some day. However, a few months into training, I suffered a series of seizures that kept me out of action for a while. It depressed me that I couldn't train on the mat for a while. I went to doctors and they diagnosed my seizures as autism related. I was told I wouldn't be able to compete in tournaments for BJJ. Despite that, i was put on medication and was able to come back to training while dealing with health issues. As time went on, I started to go to tournaments to watch my teammates compete. I started to think about competing. So for many months, i was able to be seizure free and I decided to get cleared by medical experts for competition. However they wouldn't let me".

2.What prompted you to explore martial arts.

" I was a huge pro wrestling fan. One of my best friends was a black belt of the gym and his name is Mike Palladino. He’s an amazing mentor to me. He saw that I was a pro wrestling fanatic and an autism awareness advocate. He noticed me and we hung out one day, the rest was history. I was very nervous to take jujitsu at first because of the unknown and anxious about injuries but it turned out to be the best thing for me".

Richie trains 4-5 times a week at Evolution Grappling Academy.

3. What Autism myths would you like to dispel?

"Autism myths I would to debunk, not every autistic thinks like a calculator or remembers baseball cards like in Rain Man. We’re not dangerous. We’re not mutes, being deaf or a sign of mental retardation. Its a huge misunderstanding. That's why I'd like to be a Autism Awareness ambassador or advocate, its to educate people on what autism is and what is fact or fiction about this disability people have been researching for years".

4.How often do you train, and what would a typical days training schedule consist of ?

" I train 4-5 times a week for Brazilian jiu jitsu. My rituals for the classes. I do warm ups, drilling moves to get it memorized and use it for future rolls, and rolls/spare with other people to see how much you progress along the journey on BJJ".

5.What accomplishment to date are you proudest of ?

"My biggest accomplishment to date was getting my blue belt with autism awareness stripes logo on it while competing my first jujitsu after being told I would never do competition with being diagnosed with autism related seizures. Since then, I have been 28 months seizure free, still training and making the best out of my jujitsu journey".

Richie proudly showing his Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which with a tag at the end to help raise Autism awareness

6.What does Autism mean to you?

"Autism means being unique, different but not less than others. Believing in you with being confident in your abilities, loving your hobbies and surround yourself with the people you love and supporters".

7.What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of taking up a martial art, boxing or joining a gym?

"My advice to those who are trying out a martial art or anything for that matter. Its okay to be scared or nervous because of the unknown. Trust your journey because its gonna be filled with ups and down, you’re gonna face some obstacles but always be yourself, be consistent on your training, always don’t be afraid to seek advice, if you are struggle or feel frustrated, think how far you have come since the first day. After all the hard work you perform, people will notice and you will get rewarded, just keep on fighting.. that's the advice for everyone. Especially with me"

We would like to say a huge Thank You to Richie Newell for sharing details of his inspiring journey in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu , if you have a story that you would like to share, you never know it could be the spark that starts a flame to get someone to be inspired to try something new, build confidence, maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Please get in touch with Paul at p.greany@fightingforautismeurope.org

#DareToBeDifferent #ShiningThroughTheSpectrum #AutismAwareness #AutismAcceptance #Inclusion.

#FightingForAutism #FitnessForAutism