Elaine Wynn Beiersdoerfer, or better known as ‘Jiu-Jitsu Grandma’, has become an internet sensation, gaining more than 26K followers on instagram. Recently, she was featured on the newest episode of Kenny Kim’s ‘Mat Made’.
Training out of Gracie Barra in Pelham, Alabama, Elaine first stepped on the mats at 69 years old. That was 4 years ago, as she’s now 73 and rocking a blue belt. Initially, she had joined to revisit the sport of Judo, since she had taken a 6-week course when she was 20. After returning to Birmingham, Alabama, she couldn’t find a place to continue the practice and had let it go. It wasn’t until she was 69 that she found Kaliffa Oliveira’s Gracie Barra gym and learned that he taught Judo classes.
Oliveira welcomed her to the gym and encouraged her to take jiu-jitsu classes. She says that her doctor was immediately impressed with her physical health and particularly took note of having great bone density for someone her age.
In fact, she notes that the only time she’s had to take time off from the mats, it wasn’t even because she had gotten hurt from training, but instead injured herself while working on her farm.
“I like the fighting and I know that’s odd for someone my age, but I had two older brothers and they would do a lot of wrestling around with me.”
In the episode, Kenny plays a game of ‘King of the Mat’ where two people essentially wrestle, but the goal is to touch each other’s foot. If you touch your opponent’s foot, you go to the winner’s circle and continue on to the next round until there’s only one person left.
Elaine was against a noticeably younger opponent who was sporting a no-stripe white belt, and Elaine won, moving on through multiple rounds, but eventually, she did lose. Ultimately, a blue belt was the winner of the ~70-person game.
“I used to practice on my husband, but I hurt him one time. I bent his shoulder too far and now he won’t let me practice on him anymore.”
The 73-year-old is on the mats multiple days a week and serves as an inspiration for thousands of people.
Her journey can be followed on instagram at @jiujitsugrandma and the newest episode of ‘Mat Made’ can be watched below.
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