Sofia Soo Telfair
BJJ Assistant Coach
Assistant Kids Coach
Sofia Soo Telfair
The Bear’s Den BJJ & MMA is happy to introduce its assistant coach, Sofia Soo Telfair. Sofia has been practicing BJJ for four years and has been assisting in the kids’ classes since she was a fourth degree white belt and had been practicing for two years. She currently holds the title of Queen of Taiwan BJJ and she won a bronze medal in 2018 at the Asian Open in Tokyo, Japan. Sofia has a real love and passion for not only BJJ, but for all martial arts as she also trains in Muay Thai and MMA. She hopes that one day she will be able to compete in both of these disciplines as well.
Sofia brings a wealth of knowledge to The Bear’s Den coaching staff as she has been studying and following the fight game every day for many years. Sofia shows great patience on the mats and is always there to give good advice and to help beginner students along their martial arts journey. Sofia is not only a coach here at The Den, but she is also the general manager and handles a large amount of responsibilities at the academy. We are proud and thankful to have her on the team.
AT A GLANCE:
Height: 164cm Competition Weight: 64kg
From: Penang, Malaysia
Belt rank: Blue Belt 2 stripes
Years of training: 4 years. Started training in 2017.
Favorite move: Triangle
Notable Accomplishments:
- 2018 Asian Open
• White Belt, Light weight – Bronze - 2018 King of Taiwan BJJ
• White Belt – Gold
Q&A With the Coach
Why did you start training?
I have been interested in training in combat sports since I was a teenager. Coach Demitri invited me to have a BJJ trial class at PMA, and I liked it. Then I started training under coach Demitri after I moved to Taichung in 2017.
What do you love most about BJJ?
What I love most about BJJ is that it’s fun and useful, yet there is so much to learn. Sparring BJJ is like solving problems in difficult situations, and I enjoy it. I will never get bored during training because I learn different techniques and details every class.
When did you begin teaching BJJ?
I began assisting the coach in Kids class when I was White belt 4 stripes.
What do you try to focus on when coaching?
I try to focus on helping the students do the motions or techniques correctly, and also encouraging the new students. We have our 5 tenants of the dojo, I try to make sure every kid follows these disciplines during the class.
What is your goal as assistant coach?
I’m observing and learning how to teach the class by assisting the coach. Sometimes I have the chance to substitute for the class, and I can gain some coaching experience. My goal is to teach the kids program and be a coach that everyone loves and respects. I hope our students will be into this sport with my help in or out of the class.
