It was an exciting weekend for several FaMA - Fitness and Martial Arts' members as they competed in Grapple Asia's Summer Slam, the first ever White and Blue Belt tournament sanctioned by the Sport Jiu Jitsu International Federation (SJJIF) in Singapore.
Held over two days, FaMA members competed in both gi and no-gi divisions and came home with several medals. For many, this was their first time competing and it was an interesting experience.
Competing in her first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament, Jasmine Chen, took home silver after defeating two opponents before losing in the finals via points. Jasmine was able to execute her game plan and consistently pushed the pace in all her matches.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to compete when Grapple Asia opened up the registration. I knew I would be traveling and I was not sure if I could train consistently. I had six weeks to prepare for the competition once I was back home in Singapore and I knew I had to give it my all. I started training six days a week and I started showing up for FaMA’s Wednesday competition class under Professor Robyn,” she explained.
Jasmine also asked for added help from higher belts at the gym. Purple belt, Luke Kwan, and blue belt, Wendy Ng, helped Jasmine drill her moves and develop her game plan. Despite not taking home the gold, Jasmine is looking forward to her next competition.
“After losing in the finals, I was extremely disappointed with myself. I want to compete again. I will clean up my techniques and be more relaxed next time.”
Another first time competitor found the courage to compete last weekend despite going through a major adversity. Shazeilla Sariffin was involved in a motorcycle accident and was unable to train for almost four weeks. She persevered and came back to the mats a few weeks before the big day.
“I wanted to compete because I wanted the experience and to see how far I have come in my Jiu-Jitsu journey,” said Shazeilla, who has only been training BJJ consistently for six months.
Despite not winning her match, Shazeilla values the experience and is looking forward to her next competition.
FaMA ended the weekend with two gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals.
As the old saying in Jiu-Jitsu goes, you either win or you learn.
FaMA - Fitness and Martial Arts Established in 2016, FaMA is a world-class martial arts training facility located in the heart of the Central Business District in Singapore. Walking distance from the Clarke Quay MRT station, FaMA’s main goal is to help people improve their lives through martial arts regardless of age or athletic capability. Each program is led by experts in their respective fields. Whether it is weight loss, a fun workout, camaraderie, competition training, or just to break a sweat, FaMA has something for everyone.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or BJJ as it is commonly known around the world, is a self-defence martial art that enables a smaller, weaker person to protect themselves against a much larger attacker using leverage and pressure. Formed from Kodokan Judo in Japan, Jiu Jitsu found its way to Brazil in the 1910s through Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese judoka and no-holds-barred prize fighter. During his time in Brazil, Maeda accepted a young Carlos Gracie as his student. Carlos would later pass on his knowledge to his brothers, most notably Helio Gracie - the father of modern Brazilian Jiujitsu. The Gracie family would go on to spread BJJ through The Gracie Challenge and eventually the creation of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Today, BJJ has grown to be more than just an effective unarmed fighting system. It helps young children deal with bullies and adults live a healthy lifestyle. BJJ classes are offered daily at FaMA under the tutelage of Black Belts Zoro Moreira and Robyn Goudy.