JitsCast #43 features one of the most successful Dutch BJJ competitors of all time, Rose El Sharouni. She has stood on the podium of the IBJJF World Championship multiple times over the last few years and has shared the mats with any of the best competitors of her generation. El Sharouni has had incredibly close matches against some of them too, becoming one of the toughest tests in the light-featherweight division. She is also known for splitting her time between the IBJJF and Abu Dhabi Grand Slam circuits, travelling all around the world to face a wide range of opponents across both rulesets.
Jits Magazine spoke to El Sharouni about her experience rising to the top of the sport, particularly in the areas where it differed from most top competitors. She made the unusual transition from Judo to traditional Jiu-Jitsu before eventually finding her way to BJJ, and she discussed how she found her way through those different grappling arts. El Sharouni also shed some light on what it was like for her to train in an area like the Netherlands, where Jiu-Jitsu is not as popular as the US or Brazil, while also being one of the only women and lightest people in the room.
Sharouni went on to talk about her more recent experiences as a high level competitor, and how she juggles that with a career in medicine. She also revealed that she took a break from her professional career for a short while in order to focus on Jiu-Jitsu, and explained why she made that choice. Alongside both of those demanding jobs, El Sharouni also runs a very popular female-only BJJ training camp and she was happy to share some background on how Jiu-Jitsu Queenz began. She also spoke about the journey from small beginnings a few years ago up to today, where she’s currently preparing for her latest camp with Rosa Walsh.
JitsCast #42 with Rose El Sharouni is now available to watch on the official Jits Magazine YouTube channel, click here to subscribe for more or check out the interview below:
