About the author
My name is Ana Yagües. I am a BJJ blackbelt, competitor, professional referee, event organizer, coach, gym owner and mother of three.
I’ve been competing for over 13 years and still compete regularly. Some of my most noteworthy competition accomplishments include first place in the absolute division in 2014 IBJJF Worlds Master Championship as a brown belt, first place in my division and absolute division in IBJJF Europa Championship 2015 as a brown belt, and first place in my division and second in the absolute in the 2019 European Masters as a blackbelt. I have over 8 years experience working as a professional referee and have worked at more than 70 competitions including events hosted by IBJJF, UAJJF and NAGA.
I am the owner of Nexus Fighter Academy (https://nexusfa.com/), where I coach both adults and kids in Brazilian jiu jitsu. I also organize multiple events for the Brazilian jiu jitsu community throughout the year. This includes a BJJ camp specifically for kids, a camp for adults, and even an unique family camp for moms with children! I also organize small local competitions for kids. So, you could say that multitasking is my middle name!
I’m Spanish, but currently live in Germany with my family and am the mother of 3 beautiful, strong girls who also practice Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - The Rules of the Game is my first publication and I hope that it will help make Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions more accessible and enjoyable for everyone, and have a positive impact on the Brazilian jiu jitsu community by helping to foster interest and enthusiasm for the sport.
About the illustrator
Sabine Deviche is an illustrator, web developer and graphic designer with over 14 years of professional experience (http://devichedesigns.com/). Sabine has extensive experience creating illustrations for young audiences and has illustrated 2 full length children’s books already: Joryn Looked Up, and Moms, Dads and Lily Pads. Sabine has also created numerous designs for people within the BJJ community including event promotional fliers, patches, stickers, shirts, and coloring pages.
Sabine is a Brazilian jiu jitsu blue belt who’s been training for almost 4 years and is an amateur competitor as well. She has a passion for traveling, has been to 27 different countries, and has trained in 55 different Brazilian jitsu gyms throughout the world! She blogs about her travels on the BJJ Globetrotters website (https://www.bjjglobetrotters.com/author/sabined/) and enjoys attending jiu jitsu camps and seminars whenever possible.
With a unique combination of illustration skills and passion for Brazilian jiu jitsu, Sabine was a perfect fit for this project!