More than 300 competitors and spectators will cram their way into the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Recreation Centre this Sunday to see some of Perth’s best junior grapplers go head-to-head at the Australian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship State Titles.
Spearheaded by Canning Vale gym owner Damien Merrin, the round-robin tournament, run under International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation rules, will see competitors fight it out in Gi and No Gi bouts, three minutes for kids and four minutes for teenagers.
Merrin said that after successful competitions in March and September, the focus on juniors had proved a success.
“At most competitions, they run seniors in conjunction with juniors,” he said.
“So when two adult black belts are competing against each other, you see the majority of spectators head down one end of the venue to watch that match, and apart from the parents the juniors get a bit ignored.
“At this event we’re only running two mats at a time and the focus is entirely on the juniors, and to get that grappling experience in front of a crowd is really valuable, the kids get value out of it and that’s what we’re about.”
The round-robin competition will see a win by submission netting three points, a win by points two, with a draw gaining each competitor three points.
The junior grapplers will come from right across the State, with Henrique Peres, training out of Cannington’s Legion 13, taking on Torez Carro from Balcatta’s Academy of Mixed Martial Arts in a superfight that will be a highlight of the competition.
