What was that about it being “too late” or being “too old?” Yet again, another kickass masters martial artist accomplished something kickass this weekend when longtime practitioner Brenda King received her black belt in BJJ from Jean Jacques Machado. King, a retired physics teacher and mother of twins, started her jiu-jitsu journey in 2006.
King is a familiar face in the combat community, having practiced “Inosanto Blend,” kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, and kali for decades. She was a competitor until her 40s, when she decided to preserve her body (and possibly her sanity) by transitioning into teaching.
Her teaching resume includes work with the US Naval Sea Cadets, the Foster City Mothers Club, SAS flight crews in Denmark, the Danish Sport Karate Tournment Association, Twitter, and the Girl Scouts organization. She teaches out of Peninsula Self Defense Training Academy in Redwood City, California.
In 2018 she released the following message to her fellow “I’m not 25 and it’s really okay” practitioners, saying: “Don’t stop, because the younger 30 year olds need you to lead the way for them!”
Congratulations Brenda, you have absolutely earned this.
