Jessica Buchman, a junior, has been training ruthlessly for five years in order to win a jujitsu world championship.

Buchman describes jujitsu as a “grappling sport,” comparable to judo, karate or wrestling.

She began competing at 11 years old only three months after she initially began training, and from there she has been working towards winning a World Championship title.

Buchman says she loves competing, “I can go against people that I don’t train with and test myself against them. Also, I always learn a lot when I compete.”

Her training schedule is intense. She works out five or more times a week, for over two hours per practice. Her coach, Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros, is a world renowned jujutsu champion himself and trains people of all ages across the world. He is Buchman’s biggest inspiration.

Jujitsu competitions are held in a tournament style, and are categorized by gender, then belt color, then by weight. After winning the weight category, the winners compete against other weight categories.

Buchman recently had the opportunity to travel to Long Beach, California in order to compete for a world championship. Buchman didn’t place, but the competition was still valuable to her.

“My experience there was good.” Buchman said, “Even though it did not go how I wanted it to, I learned a lot. I had fun watching my teammates compete too.”

She plans to pursue a career in jujitsu in the future. Her goals are to open a training facility of her own, earn her black belt and win a world championship. Jujitsu has brought light to Buchman’s life, and she couldn’t imagine her future without it.