Emily Kwok is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, instructor, competitor and mentor.
She is best known for being a World Champion, a veteran of the prestigous Abu Dhabi Grappling Championships, a veteran of SMACKGIRL the all female MMA organization from Japan, the first female Black Belt in Canada, and the first Black Belt from Canada to have ever won a World Championship title.
Born to a Japanese mother and Chinese father in Aomori, Japan, her family immigrated to Canada in the early eighties where she was raised in the Greater Vancouver area. When she was 19 she pursued her childhood dream of moving to New York City, and while living a bi-coastal life for the next 3 years, also graduated with a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.
She began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2001 when it was still a relatively new sport in North America. Her practice has taken her from Vancouver to New York City, Tokyo and Los Angeles where she has competed and won some of the most sought after titles in the sport. She made a pivotal decision in 2007 to leave behind a corporate career in Event Management and pursued her passion of BJJ by choosing to make instruction and program development her full time job. By posessing a drive, determination and work ethic which enabled her to survive in a male dominated sport, she is one of the very few females with a Black Belt. Still an active competitor and instructor, she is dedicated to evolving and enriching the sport for other women who have just begun their journey. She is a Head Instructor and Co-Founder of Womens Grappling, the only organization that hosts a women's only training camp throughout North America. Her future pursuits also include public speaking ventures and workshops to help foster confidence and self awareness in women and youth around the country.
Emily is currently teaching children, women's only and co-ed Brazailian Jiu Jitsu classes in NJ. She currently lives in Hamilton, NJ with her loving husband Gerry and most faithful bulldog Bronson.