Felicia Oh
Encyclopedia
Felicia Linda Oh is an Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...

 black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

 under senior instructor Jean Jacques Machado
Jean Jacques Machado
Jean Jacques Machado is one of the five Machado brothers, including Carlos, Roger, Rigan and John, renowned for their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills...

, an accomplished submission grappling competitor, martial arts instructor, and college professor.

Biography

Felicia began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in early 2001 after being introduced to the art by her friend’s husband. Shortly thereafter she enrolled at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Jean Jacques Machado’s school in Tarzana, California. She quickly excelled in the art and after only 4.5 years of training under Machado was promoted to black belt in June 2005. In addition to training under Jean Jacques Machado, Felicia also trains under fellow Machado black belt and 10th planet jiu-jitsu
10th planet jiu-jitsu
10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is a non-traditional style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu developed by Eddie Bravo. The characteristics that distinguish it from traditional grappling are its strong focus on alternative and unconventional techniques, and its foundations without using a gi...

 founder Eddie Bravo.

Felicia has won many championships but she is best known for being the first and only women to win the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championship in both the black belt Gi and No-Gi divisions in 2007. After winning the ADCC North American Trials and securing her spot to represent the United States at the ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship, she had convincing victories over a multi-time BJJ World Champion and a Japanese superstar which put her in the finals of the most prestigious grappling event in the world.

Personal life

Felicia currently teaches Women’s Submission Grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and CrossFit classes at Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California and is a guest instructor for Jean Jacques Machado’s Online Training Program. Along with BJJ Revolution black belt Valerie Worthington, Ricardo Almeida
Ricardo Almeida
Ricardo Almeida is a retired Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler residing in Bordentown, New Jersey.-Background:...

 black belt Emily Kwok, and her student Alaina Hardie, Felicia is one of the directors of womensgrappling.org, a non-profit whose mandate is to promote women in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling.

In addition to her martial arts teaching schedule Felicia is also an interviewer for the online magazine website GrappleTV.

Felicia also appeared in the four volume instructional DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 series "Vicious Vixens: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu" starring Cindy Omatsu
Cindy Omatsu
Cynthia Ann “Cindy” Omatsu is a Japanese-American black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under senior instructor Rigan Machado and Leka Vieira...

.

In 2007 Felicia was inducted into the "Masters Hall of Fame" for "Outstanding Contributions To The Martial Arts".

Education

Felicia holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...

 degree in Art from Cornish College of the Arts
Cornish College of the Arts
-Library:The library at Cornish College specializes in art, dance, design, music, performance production, and theatre. As of 2011 it holds 4700 CDs, 40,000 books, has 2,200 videos, and subscribes to 154 periodicals...

 in Seattle and a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...

 degree in Art/New Genres from the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...

. For several years Felicia had been a Digital Media professor at Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design is an art and design college in Los Angeles, California.The school's programs, accredited by WASC and National Association of Schools of Art and Design, include four-year BFA degrees in illustration, fine arts, graphic design, architecture, landscape design, interior...

 before concentrating on her martial arts career full-time.

Lineage

Jigoro Kano → Tsunejiro Tomita
Tsunejiro Tomita
, born , was the earliest disciple of judo. His name appears in the first line of the enrollment book of the Kōdōkan. Tomita, together with Saigō Shirō, became first in history of judo to be awarded black belt grade by the founder of judo Kanō Jigorō, who established the ranking system...

 → Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda
Mitsuyo Maeda
,a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda,was a Japanese judōka and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions. He was also known as Count Combat or Conde Koma in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, a nickname he picked up in Spain in 1908...

 → Carlos Gracie, Sr.
Carlos Gracie
Carlos Gracie was the first Gracie to learn Judo from Otávio Mitsuyo Maeda. Based on this judo training, Carlos and his brothers founded the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu...

 → Carlos Gracie, Jr.
Carlos Gracie, Jr.
Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie, Jr. is a 7th degree Red and Black Belt URL accessed on June 7, 2009 in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu . He started the Gracie Barra Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is head of the Gracie Barra, one of the largest and most successful worldwide Jiu-Jitsu associations...

 → Jean Jacques Machado
Jean Jacques Machado
Jean Jacques Machado is one of the five Machado brothers, including Carlos, Roger, Rigan and John, renowned for their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills...

 → Felicia Oh

Titles

  • 2009 FILA world champion, 50 kg, gi and no-gi
  • 2009 USA world team member
  • 2009 USA Grappling World Team Trials champion
  • 2008 FILA Grappling Silver Medalist
  • 2008 USA Grappling World Team Trials Champion
  • 2008 USA World Team Member
  • 2008 IBJJF World No-Gi Silver Medalist
  • 2007 12th GrapplersQuest West Adv. No-Gi Absolute Champion
  • 2007 FILA Grappling World Champion
  • 2007 USA Grappling World Team Trials Champion
  • 2007 USA Grappling Team Qualifying Trials Champion
  • 2007 USA World Team Member
  • 2007 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship Finalist
  • 2007 IBJJF World No-Gi Silver Medalist
  • 2007 IBJJF World Gi Bronze Medalist
  • 2007 IBJJF Pan American Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Champion
  • 2007 IBJJF Pan American Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Black Belt Champion
  • 2006 ADCC North American Submission Wrestling Trials Champion
  • 2006 US Open of Submission Grappling Absolute Champion
  • 2006 US Open of Submission Grappling (Class B) Advanced Division Champion
  • 2005 Pan American Games of Submission Grappling Advanced Division Champion
  • 2005 Pan American Games of Submission Grappling Absolute Silver Medalist
  • 2005 GrapplersQuest VII (Class A) Advanced Division Champion
  • 2005 GrapplersQuest VII (Class B) Advanced Division Champion
  • 2004 GrapplersQuest VI Advanced Division Champion
  • 2004 GrapplersQuest VI Absolute Silver Medalist
  • U.S. Open Professional Women’s Division Champion 2004
  • U.S. Open 2003 – Champion
  • Pan American No-Gi Championships 2003 – Champion
  • Tito Ortiz Submission Wrestling Invitational 2003 – Champion
  • Grappling Games 2003 No-Gi – Champion
  • Copa Pacifica 2003 – Champion
  • California State Championships 2002 – Champion
  • Grappling Games 2001 – Champion

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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