Our third women-only no-gi camp was intimate and inviting from the first hello. The parts people kept talking about afterwards weren’t on the schedule: coffee breaks at the loading dock, an hour of questions with the instructors, and a Saturday open mat with a DJ.

The Parts We Didn't Plan For: Warrior In The Garden 3.0

On Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026, the mats at 4537 Wayne Ave belonged to Warrior In The Garden 3.0 — our third women-only no-gi jiu-jitsu camp, open to all levels and all women from all affiliates.

It was an intimate weekend. That's the word that keeps coming back when we talk about it — intimate, and inviting. The kind of two days where you walk in not knowing anybody's name and walk out with people you'll look for at the next one.

We could tell you about the technique. But what stayed with us was everything around it.

Coffee breaks at the loading dock

Nobody scheduled this part. Between sessions, people networked at the loading dock, and it quietly became the best room at the camp.

It's a strange thing to say about a concrete ledge. But that's where the connecting happened — women from different gyms comparing notes, swapping handles, working out who trains where. Not a panel, not an icebreaker. Just coffee, standing up, outside, and it turned out to be a place you could actually network.

The Q&A hour

We set aside an hour for the instructors to sit down and just answer questions. No curriculum, no positional round, no clock to beat. Women asked what they wanted to ask, and the coaches answered.

One of the visiting coaches wrote afterwards that "the Q&A hour was such a special touch." Another, writing about the same weekend, turned it into a plan:

"...the next women's camp I plan I'll be expanding the schedule a bit to include an hour Q&A with the instructors and an early meet and greet... I think the ladies really liked getting more time to get to know the instructors."

Someone who has been running their own women's camps since 2021 watched ours, and redesigned theirs.

It makes sense once you see it happen. A women-only camp brings together people who, most weeks, are one of a handful of women in their room. The technique is why they register. Getting an hour to ask a coach the thing they've been quietly wondering about for two years — that's why they remember it.

Women from everywhere

The invitation was deliberately wide: come train, learn, roll, and connect with women from across the community. The camp drew from other gyms and other affiliations — including people connected to 10th Planet Bethlehem and to the East Coast Women's Camp, which one of the visiting coaches has been running since 2021.

The instructor line-up reflected the same thing. One of the coaches described teaching alongside "some other local badass competitors like @mollizborowski, @cathryn_ivy & @g.onelia.athletics" and getting to "see old friends and make some new ones." Another named @mollizborowski, @g.onelia.athletics and @lauralies10p in the same breath, and wrote: "I loved meeting, hanging out and rolling with everyone."

Nobody was checking patches. For two days, everyone trained under one banner.

Saturday open mat

Saturday's open mat was pure fun. Rolls with no bracket, no points, nothing to prove — the kind where you tap, laugh, reset and go again.

DJ Eugene was on the decks, and that changed the whole feel of it. An open mat with a DJ is a different animal from an open mat with a wall clock. The food earned a mention of its own: the subs were awesome, and so was the cake.

What the coaches said

One of them wrote: "I've been running my own women's camps at @10pbethlehem since 2021, but this summer was my first time actually teaching at women's camps and this was number 3 this year. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to share my knowledge and experiences with other women and it's such an honor to have so many ladies say that I inspire them."

Another wrote: "Jiu Jitsu has given me so many opportunities and being able to teach others, especially women, is one of my most favorites."

And one line we'll admit we were proud of — a thank-you to @kerenfedida for "one of the most genuine and nicest introductions I've had." Keren introduced every instructor personally. It takes about ninety seconds per person and it sets the temperature for the entire weekend.

The photos came from @chickkajess and @ogphotoswlaffey, who caught what's hard to describe in a recap — the between-rounds laughing, the hugs at the door on Sunday afternoon.

To everyone who drove in and rolled with a stranger who is now not a stranger — thank you. To @mollizborowski, @cathryn_ivy, @g.onelia.athletics and @lauralies10p, thank you for teaching. To DJ Eugene, thank you for Saturday. To @chickkajess and @ogphotoswlaffey, thank you for the pictures.

Warrior In The Garden 4.0 is coming. We'll see you on the mats.