By Tate Papworth
When Arabella Julian began training in Brazilian jiu jitsu in mid 2016, she never imagined just over three years later she’d be competing internationally.
The St Albans student will travel to Tokyo, Japan later this month to compete in the international Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Asian Jiu Jitsu Championships.
The 16-year-old said she’s placing high expectations upon herself.
“My main goal at this tournament is to go into the fight with the best mindset possible and to roll the way I would at training – to be aggressive, smart and hunt for the submission in every fight,” she said.
“I do expect myself to do well, purely because I know my capabilities and how hard I’ve worked to prepare for this tournament and any competition in general.”
She said past disappointments have driven her to push herself harder.
“I view this as an opportunity to gain more experience.”
While excited by the opportunity, Arabella is also eager to explore Japan.
“This will be my first time going to Japan and I’m still in awe that I’m actually going.”
When Arabella returns it will be all business again.
“When I get home from Japan, it’s back to hard training to prepare for the biggest tournament in Australia – the IBJJF Pan Pacific Championships in October.”
