2002 Roger Gracie Seminar at Gracie Barra Birmingham

December 8th 2002

2003 Pan American Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships April 26 - 27

 Team UK: Jude, Dave, Andy, Shane, Marc & Simon

Monday 21st April: My training partner and Gracie Barra Birmingham team-mate Simon Small picked me up at 06:00 and we headed off through the rain towards Heathrow Airport.

We met Andy Roberts (Royce Gracie Sheffield), Marc Walder and Shane Smith (Royce Gracie London) at the baggage check-in, Jude Samuel (Gracie Barra London) was on a different flight and we were going to meet him at the hotel in Los Angeles.

Now to me Shane does not look like your average member of Al Queda, however this is not a view shared by the majority of the security staff at Heathrow. Even before checking in his baggage, he was stopped and questioned, then when he went through the main security check his hand luggage was completely emptied. After numerous protein shakes were found, the offending item, a fork for the purpose of stirring the aforementioned shakes, was removed and confiscated.

The 11 hour flight was taken up with a few films (Jackass, Narc and some chick flick with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock) some games on the personal entertainment system, and the usual delightful in-flight cuisine.

We all passed through US immigration without any problems, well all of us with the exception of Shane 'Bin Laden' Smith. After a re-enactment of the Spanish inquisition Shane was allowed to pass and we all moved onto Customs.

The customs guy asked Marc what he did for a living, 'Jiu Jitsu instructor' replied Marc. The Customs guy then stated that he could take him and explained to Andy that 'you should never to bring martial arts to a gun fight' whilst rubbing his pistol with glee. Thankfully we all managed to pass through without getting shot.

Marc and Shane were being met at the airport by a friend of Marc's and there was not room for all of us in the car so we decided on a Taxi to the hotel.

Top Tip #1 (Marc Walder)

Don't get a taxi from LA airport, use the shuttle buses.

Mark had lived in LA for 18 months whilst following the instructor programme at the Gracie Academy, so his local knowledge was greatly received.

Mark guided us to the shuttle buses and Simon, Andy and me piled into the mini-bus with our driver Errol and half a dozen others.

I'm not sure if LA shuttle bus drivers have to take the equivalent of "The Knowledge" if they do, I think Errol must have slipped through the net.

An hour and a half later, following a full tour of Torrance, we arrived at the Days Inn for the bargain price of $13 each.

We checked into our room, not saying it was small but we couldn't get the cat in to even attempt swinging it. Shortly after Jude arrived. Unfortunately he wasn't aware of Top Tip #1 and had got a Taxi from the airport. The 20 minute journey had cost him $30.

I believe that Faulty Towers is quite popular in the US and obviously the Days Inn had modelled itself on it.

I went to reception and explained I wanted to hire a car. The guy's grasp of the English language was very Manuel, and after turning down the initial offer of a jack to change a wheel, I finally got the number of a local Car Rental.

The next morning Jude came down to our room looking a little tired, he'd been woken at 1:30 am by the maintenance guy who was outside his room cutting some timber with a circular saw. The lift (or should I say 'elevator') seldom worked and most of the passageways and fire exits were blocked with building debris.

Jude decided to check out the breakfast that was included in the price. He returned with a battered banana, but abstained from the tar like coffee served in a dirty chipped mug.

One guy spent the entire time painting the concrete walkways so when you walked it felt like a cheap night-club carpet.

Roger Machado, Andy & Dave

On Tuesday morning we ordered a taxi for the 10 minute drive from the Hotel to the Machado BJJ Academy. Our driver was not Errol and surprisingly the journey took 10 minutes.

We walked in and Jude spoke with Roger Machado who made us very welcome.

As we entered the changing rooms a rather familiar looking guy held the door open for us, this was Dan Innasanto who, we were to find out is a regular at the Academy.

We had a nice light training session and I finished the session rolling with Roger Machado and much to the amusement of the others, earned the nickname off him of 'The Bull.'

Just down the road from the Machado Academy was Dollar Rent a Car. Jude, Andy and Simon had their hearts set on the bright yellow two seater soft top. I thought it might be a bit of a squeeze for five of us plus luggage and so opted for a seven seater people carrier.

In the evening we returned to the Machado academy for another training session, this turned out to be a 'who's who of BJJ'.

Carlos Gracie Jnr, Marcio Feitosa, Gordinio, Pae-de-pano, Rigan Machado and Todd Margolis to name a few.

Dave rolling with Roger Machado            

Jude rolling with Marcio Feitosa

One of the Machado black belts showed a nice variation on a take-down to arm-bar and then told us how good he was at knee-bars. When he rolled with Andy he seem determined to demonstrate this. We watched in amusement as Andy kept a solid defence to thwart the knee-bar attempts, even though Andy was about 30 kg lighter!

Jude rolled with Marcio Feitosa, Gordinio and a purple belt who should have been wearing a brown. I've rolled with Jude many times, and despite having about 10kg on him he schools me, I fully appreciate what an excellent fighter he is. But when you see him on the receiving end of a roll with the likes of Feitosa and Gordinio it makes you realise just how good these guys are.

Andy & Carlos Gracie Jnr                          

Simon, Carlos Gracie Jnr, Dave

After training, Rigan Machado asked us if we would like to join them for a meal, and following a drive at Formula 1 pace, we arrived at a Cuban restaurant. Two car loads of Cops were in the middle of busting someone in a van, I parked at a safe distance, the Brazilians parked in the middle of it.

So there I am sat with Carlos Gracie Junior next to me, and Pae de Pano and Marcio Fetosa sat opposite.

Whilst many have marvelled at Pe de Panos' ability on the mat, I sat in awe at his ability to put food away, clearly this boy does not follow the Gracie Diet.

Simon, Marcio Feitosa & Dave

The next morning Jude and Andy went to look for a laundrette. They found a 'laundry mat' but after some confusion it transpired that they couldn't wash Gi's, but the lady explained they did offer a fluffer service for $2. Although it seemed like a good offer, the lads had to prioritise and set off to get their Gi's washed. Besides they didn't have a video camera with them.

On Wednesday we decided on a bit of R & R and headed off to the Beach

Andy

Simon

Top tip #2 (Andy, Simon and Jude)

When navigating get your driver into the right-hand lane, about 50m from the junction tell the driver we need to turn left, this involves cutting across about 5 lanes. Despite the constant mocking of my driving and attempts to get us into a road-rage incident, I did not stoop to their level, and despite what they say I only recall two incidents where I had to be reminded to drive on the right hand side of the road.

We arrived safely at Hermosa Beach, saw some yellow lifeguard trucks, but there was no sign of any Pammie look-alikes patrolling the waters.

We stopped in Starbucks for afternoon refreshments. Aware of a smell something akin to a sumo-wrestlers jock-strap I turned around to see the local bag lady. Luckily she ignored my easy on the eye looks and made a b-line for Jude "hey brother one love" she touched Jude's hand "hey baby why are you so cold?"

I'm not too sure if it was her matted dirty hair, black teeth or the smell of piss, but Jude declined her advances (although I think he got her number for later) and tried to palm her off on me. I managed to fend her off (with the threat of a bar of soap) and pointed her in the direction of Andy, who was not interested in Jude and my cast offs, and so she left without her 'one love'.

The Gracie Academy: Torrance

We travelled from the beach to the Gracie Academy in Torrance, Renner was taking a class in the upstairs hall and Ryron was doing a private lesson downstairs. We had a look around the recently opened Gracie museum and signed the visitors book.

On Thursday some of the guys took a trip to Long Beach, they discovered a definite lack of babes running around in red swimsuits and that it is indeed a very long beach. On the way back to the Hilton they discovered that if you want really long, you need to sit at a railway level crossing waiting for a ten mile long freight train to go past at the speed of a hunting turtle.

In the afternoon Simon and I dropped Jude and Andy off at the Machado Academy and headed off to LAX to pick up Braulio Estima, our resident Instructor at Gracie Barra Birmingham.

Top Tip #3 (Braulio Estima) make sure your ears are clean before undertaking a long haul flight.

Braulio was not his usual cheery self, he was feeling sick, had a bad headache and was feeling dizzy. Following a trip to the pharmacy it was recommended he went to the local medical centre.

We all piled into the car and 10 minutes later arrived at the centre.

Upon examination it was found that Braulio had a build up of wax in his ears which had caused pressure problems during the flight. A simple syringing of the ears would solve the problem. Andy and Jude were sat in the waiting room, thumbing through 'Cheerleader Monthly' when they heard Braulio's screams of pain. One hour and $152 later, Braulio's ears were cleaned and we were ready to go.

Friday morning we embarked on the 100 mile trip north to Santa Barbara. We could have gone directly there but Simon 'the navigator' Small decided not to tell me to exit for the 101 and we ended up taking a detour over a scenic mountain route that had last been negotiated by a man on a donkey.

We arrived at the University of California Santa Barbara, purchased a parking permit and parked in the area as directed.

As we approached the Robertson Gym it looked as if the cast of Ben Hurr were attempting to gain access. This we discovered, was the queue for the weigh-in. Being one of the Gracie Barra team, Braulio was roped into helping out setting up the arena, so he donned his red 'official' T-shirt and we joined the queue.

With regards to the weigh-in, the words 'piss-up' and 'brewery' spring to mind. It was without a doubt the biggest organisational shambles that I have encountered in over 30 years of competing.

For over three hours we stood in-line moving about 15 metres. After one of the Brazilian 'organisers' had re-organised the queue we found ourselves about 30 metres further back from where we had first started. At this point, had the event been in the UK I would have gone home, indeed several American fighters did just that. One American fighter told us that apparently the Brazilians were walking straight in to get weighed and also letting their fighters skip the queue. We agreed with him that this was totally outrageous and then went to see if we could find any Brazilian 'officials' that we knew. This did prove to be a fruitful exercise and we saved ourselves about 3 hours. Some fighters were reported to have queued in excess of 7 hours.

I returned to the car tired and was fairly peed off to find a $30 parking ticket. The sign where we had parked read "A Permit Required"

We had a permit and had parked as directed. Further enquiries revealed that the 'A' of A Permit Required, actually referred to Zone A. We had a permit for Zone C. We had parked as indicated on the map so I didn't bother paying (cant see me getting extradited over a $30 parking ticket).

We found our motel and checked in, a little cleaner than the Days Inn, clear fire exits, but no fridge.



Braulio lifted the mattress and found a copy of Hustler, although some of the pages were a little stuck together, he was one happy Brazilian. He explained that sex before the tournament was not good, we were three happy Gringos.

A good nights sleep was in order and I quickly dropped off. Unfortunately I was awoken by what sounded like the mating call of a Hippopotamus. This turned out to be Braulio 'Honka' Estima' snoring.

On the Saturday morning we travelled back to UCSB (free parking on the weekend) and made our way into the venue. We settled down to watch the USA v Brazil team event. The Brazilian national anthem lasted almost as long as the passing of an American freight train, Braulio sang the whole thing with real pride.

Event security ran around like lost sheep informing everyone that videoing was not permitted, so amidst much moaning, some video cameras were put away, whilst attempts were made to conceal others inside jackets and bags.

The first match in the blue belt teams was a tie and the judge's decision went to the American.  Ryan Gracie went ballistic because his student was on the losing end of the decision, suddenly the video cameras made a re-appearance, their owners hoping to capture some 'Gracie in action' footage.

The fighting was then interrupted for an important announcement. The UCSB Police had received a bomb threat, but as it was not 'coded' they did not consider it to be a genuine threat. The choice to evacuate was left the organisers and competitors. Everyone, including the Police, stayed.

The fighting continued, the Brazilians hammered the USA team and Braulio was on top form securing victory via a helicopter arm-bar in less than a minute.

After the team event the Adult blue belt category started. Andy Roberts had 50+ competitors in his category and unfortunately drew one of the eventual medallists in his first fight. The fight was very close with Andy giving it everything he had but eventually losing by a couple of points.

Another Submission win for Braulio

Marc's fights in both his weight category and the absolute went the distance, again these were very tough opponents with Marc losing by an advantage in both fights.

Shane Smith was also in a huge category and after a game performance was narrowly defeated. Unfortunately because of the large number of entrants in the adult blue belt categories, there wasn't a blue belt absolute.

Andy works for side control

Sunday:

One of the best matches of the day was in the women's blue belt division.  A Turkish national squad judo player was throwing her opponent around like a rag doll, much to the appreciation of the knowledgeable crowd. She scored at least 10 points with throws. Her opponent then jumped guard and sunk in a very nice arm-bar. The Judo girl lifted her clear of the mat and walked out of the contest area. The crowd went nuts, booing and hissing and calling for the disqualification of the judo player.  The ref consulted with the judges and duly obliged. 

Another great match was between Rener Gracie and Gordo from Gracie Barra.  Rener secured a triangle choke on Gordo, this he held for almost the entire fight, then amazingly Gordo managed to escape the triangle, pass Rener's guard and hold on to the position for the win.

Shane looks for the take-down

The quality of fighters in the purple belt category had to be seen to be believed. Jude managed a couple of good wins against very tough opponents before losing in the semi-final and collecting a very hard-earned bronze medal.

Gordo v Renner

Simon managed a couple of good wins in both his category and the absolute to secure two bronze medals. In the semi-final of the absolute he took guard and worked hard for the sweep, unfortunately the 20 kg weight difference was just too much with his opponent eventually passing for the narrow win.

Jude on the rostrum

Jude maintains guard

Although I had cut to 91 kg I was more than disappointed to find I was the only competitor in my category and so I moved up to the 97kg division.  My fights went pretty much the same way, score a couple of points from a throw then hang on for 5 and a half minutes! In all seriousness although I did open the scoring with throws, I was very pleased with my ground game, where despite not managing to sub anyone, I did manage to score further points (thanks Braulio!).

Marc working for the pass

Marc in action: Purple Belt Masters Absolute

Simon on the rostrum

Simon looking for a grip

In the semi-final of my weight I got stuck in my opponents solid guard and try as I might I just couldn't pass. I managed to stand up and attempted to pass, but he nearly caught me with a sweep, scoring an advantage, which was enough to give him the match.

Dave on the rostrum

Dave gets the sweep

In both his weight category and the absolute Braulio was in a league of his own. Over the two days he had seven fights winning all by submission in a total time of 5 minutes 15 seconds, including Helicopter arm-bars and flying triangles. So it was three Gold medals for Braulio.

Braulio gets the submission in 32 seconds

Braulio finished fighting at around 11:55 pm, we headed off to Denny's for food and bumped into the Renzo Gracie and Gracie Barra teams. Pae de Pano appeared to be working his way through the entire menu.

Braulio 4 x Pan Am Champion

We returned to our hotel around 01:30 for some much needed sleep.

The next morning we returned to LA, opting for the direct 101 route. We had some time to spare so we went to the beach again.

Marc had arranged for Braulio to stop with a friend for one night before he flew to New York to train with Renzo Gracie for a few days. We dropped Braulio off, returned the hire car and got a taxi to LAX.

After the usual duty free shopping we sat in a café where we bumped into Roger Brooking who had taken Gold in his weight and Bronze in the absolute divisions of the black belt masters categories. As we went to the boarding gate my name was being called out. "Your friend is at the baggage check-in you have his passport"

A quick glance around the group Jude, Andy, Marc, Shane and Simon, we were all there. A few seconds of puzzled looks then almost in unison a few of us exclaimed 'Braulio'.

The boarding people told me I had time to return to the check-in desk.

I left my rucksack with Simon and ran back through the airport. A member of staff called 'Mr Coles' I went to her and she directed me 'Through the door and take the second elevator all the way down'.

Ok easy I thought, through the door past one lift and although it was some distance away I found the 2nd lift. Down to the bottom I ended up in a basement with no sign of Braulio. Back into the lift and returned to find Mrs 'Directions'.

You didn't take the 2nd elevator she said. She led me through the door and pointed to the 2nd escalator. 'That's not an elevator it's an .. ' I wanted to explain, but there was no time for the English lesson I had to get to Braulio.

Braulio had left his passport and wallet in a pocket at the back of the hire car. All the paperwork was in my rucksack with Simon. I remembered the company was Dollar Rent a Car but couldn't remember the name of the street. 'It was in the same street as the Machado Academy.' I offered,  'Hawthorn?' said Braulio's friend, 'yep that's it' I replied. A quick handshake and I rapidly made my way back into the airport.

The PA system sprang into life:

'Bing bong' "Last call for Passenger David Coles VA flight 024 to London Heathrow this flight is about to close."

I had to pass back through all the security checks, sprint through the airport and back to the boarding gate. The last passenger on the plane all eyes seemed to be on me as I made my way to seat 53c.

A few more films, a good sleep and we landed at Heathrow, the PA system sprang into life,

"Ladies and gentlemen this is your Captain speaking, we have been asked by the tower to remain here for a short while, its nothing to worry about but the tower spotted some smoke coming from the rear of the aircraft as we landed, you may see some fire engines approaching the aircraft but this is just a precautionary measure"

It's at times like these that you wished you had paid attention when the cabin crew were doing their safety talk. Now where were those exits?

We could see three fire engines on our side of the plane and numerous other vehicles with flashing blue lights. After about 10 minutes we were given the ok and proceeded to the terminal. We passed through customs without anyone getting stopped.

All in all I had a fantastic time, a great camaraderie developed between the lads in 'Team UK' all supporting and running around after each other at the event, with plenty of p#!s-taking and laughs along the way. Cheers lads, same again next year?

Finally on behalf of the lads thanks must go to Rigan and Roger Machado and all at the RCJ Machado Academy Torrance for looking after, and supporting the boys from the UK so well.

More random photos

10-year Pan-Ams reunion photo, taken at the 2013 British Open

Braulio - Marc Walder - Jude Samuel - Dave Coles - Andy Roberts

Story by Dave Coles

Most photos by Simon Small & Dave Coles

Photo of Renner v Gordo stolen from Gracie Barra UK (who I think stole it from somewhere else).

Photo of fire engines by Andy Roberts.

Photo of Team UK by Steve Reiter (Jiujitsugear.com forum)

Photos developed by Mrs Baker @ Boots

In order to protect the guilty, stories of Spearmint Rhino and the massage parlour have been omitted.

The Combat Academy: Belt Whippings

Recently I saw a Facebook post by Darren Yeoman who runs Fightworx Academy, regarding stopping the post promotion belt whipping ceremony at his club. If I'd read this a few years ago I'd have been screaming 'pussification,' and thought it was more evidence of the 'watering down of BJJ', but over the years my opinion has changed.

On a similar Facebook thread, even Dickie Martin, who I consider to be one of the original hardcore, old school BJJ guys in the UK, stated that his opinion of the tradition has changed.

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I was whipped for all of my promotions, it didn't bother me in the slightest, I've also played an active role in dishing some out. I've been part of some hilarious whippings, one of the funniest being our instructor Braulio Estima chasing my fellow coach, Simon Small down the mats with a wooden shinai as part of his promotional whipping at Gracie Barra Birmingham. Please note, the tradition was dropped by Braulio many years ago.

On the flip side, over the years I've witnessed people who I didn't think were totally comfortable with the whole process, this has been both giving and receiving the whipping. I've also seen some of the horrendous physical damage caused, and this does not sit comfortably with me. I do fear that one day someone is going to suffer a serious injury.

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I understand that there will be those in my Academy who will be disappointed with this decision. For many, whippings have been seen as a 'right of passage' it has been a long tradition at our club, however I agree with Darren's thoughts that 'the negatives outweigh the positives,' and that is why I have decided that we will no longer be doing the belt whipping ceremony at The Combat Academy.

I want our academy to be a place where everyone (regardless of their character) feels comfortable training. If a belt whipping puts a single person off training BJJ, then that is one person too many in my opinion.

It was discussed on the Facebook thread that belt whippings could be made optional, and this was something I have considered. However, I do not think this is a viable option, and I will now paraphrase an excellent post by Andy Knowles regarding this.

The problem Andy identified with making belt whippings optional, is peer pressure. I'm sure the vast majority of our students have no problem with belt whipping, however, for the minority who are not totally comfortable, they may feel a pressure to 'conform'. It is potentially a situation where they are being forced to participate in something, that they are not comfortable with, in order to be 'accepted' by their peers into some sort of macho cult, frat or clique.

The Combat Academy has a reputation of being a club where belts are very hard earned. The student has to put in a lot of time, effort and dedication, and will have expended a lot of sweat to earn their promotion. I do not feel that receiving a belt whipping after their promotion proves anything or adds to their journey.

Everyone's a Winner, or a Title Worth Having?

At events run by The International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), the brackets are published several days in advance of the event. If the athlete has no other competitor in their category, then they can request to be moved to a different weight or age category in order to have someone to fight. 

This has happened to me on several occasions, and I have always asked to be moved up a weight, or down an age category in order to ensure I had as many fights as was possible for a medal. 

If you are the only competitor in your category, in addition to moving to a different category, the IBJJF also give you the option of remaining in your weight category, on your own. You then turn up to the event, weigh-in, get your Gi checked, and then go to the podium to collect your gold medal. A gold medal 'won' without having actually stepped onto the mat, a gold medal 'won' without actually having a fight. 'Would anyone want to receive a medal under those circumstances', I hear some of you ask. 

Well the answer is yes and I have personally witnessed this on more than one occasion. At one IBJJF event held in Brazil, a British fighter collected his default gold medal as outlined above, and was seen posing for photos on the podium. 

Some time later I was sent a copy of a report and photo that was published in his local newspaper, the report included the line,

" XXXX was crowned World champion, having remained undefeated throughout the whole tournament" 

Several years ago, as the organiser of the BJJ British Open for the juniors and juveniles, I had contacted a parent to explain that we were not running his child's category, and as there was not a safe alternative category to offer, I would be issuing a refund. The parent enquired as to the possibility of his child attending the event in order to collect their 'gold medal'. This would have involved them making a 300-mile round trip, to not have a fight and simply stand on the podium, collect a medal, and be crowned 'British Champion'.

At a recent event I saw an adult competitor fight in the category above what he actually weighed. His reasoning was there were 8 competitors in his weight category, but by fighting in the weight above, where there were only three other competitors, he was guaranteed a bronze medal. He lost his fight and seemed very pleased with his medal.

I personally really struggle to understand this mentality. As a Judoka I fought many times in the British Opens that were held at Crystal Palace in the 1980's. There were often 70+ competitors in my category, and I entered knowing I could be facing Olympians, World or European medalists. The chances of a medal were slim to nothing, but it was a challenge that I undertook many times.

I started BJJ at the age of 40, and age 42 I entered the adult (blue belt) division of the CBJJ (IBJJF) World Championships held in Brazil. I lost my first fight. The following year I returned to Brazil to compete again in the same event against the young guns! In a bracket of around 70 competitors, I managed to win two fights. This was still a long way from a medal place, but those two victories in that event mean more to me than many of the medals I have won.

As a coach, I want my students to test themselves in the toughest competitions against the toughest competitors. As a club we have attended events in Brazil, America, Europe and we have traveled the length and breadth of the UK. Many of my guys fight in the adult categories, despite being eligible for the Masters 2 or even Master 3 category. Many of my juniors have competed up a weight category in order to make up the numbers in some categories.


In my opinion, The BJJ British Open is the most prestigious BJJ event for juniors and juveniles in the country, and I personally think that it should be a challenge to be crowned British Champion.

As the organiser of the BJJ British Open for juniors and juveniles, I firstly categorise the juniors by gender and then by weight. The weight increments start at 3kg for the youngest of the competitors moving gradually to 4kg and finally 5kg increments for the older juniors and juveniles. This is very much inline with the policy of The British Judo Association (BJA). Where a competitor is on their own in a weight category, I may, after taking into consideration their age and experience, offer them a place in the next weight category up. This is subject to approval from not only their parents, but also their coach.

The divisions are then further subdivided by age. The three year increments used are again similar to those used by the BJA. Again, lone competitors may be offered a place in the next age category subject to it being suitable. Where there is no safe alternative category, a full refund is issued.

Over the years I have been asked on a few occasions why I do not further sub-divide the categories by belt, I have also recently received a few e-mails asking the same question.

One of my reasons is that there is such a huge disparity between the grades of the juniors from different teams in the UK, so there is little point in doing so. 

Some teams do not follow the IBJJF belt system, white belts with coloured stripes are used by some, whilst others completely omit the grey series of junior belts.

The disparity between junior grades is regularly highlighted at events throughout the country. At the 2014 BJJ British Open, juniors, who were not the highest grade in their category, won 21 of the 32 categories.

At the 2014 Nottingham BJJ Open, juniors, who were not the highest grade in their category, won 20 of the 29 categories.

There are countless other examples at events throughout the UK (where categories are not sub-divided by belt) of juniors defeating higher graded opponents. This is not limited to just one belt level. I have seen grey belts defeat orange belts, white belts defeat green belts, a junior grade beat a juvenile blue belt, etc, etc. These are not one off incidents and, as highlighted by the figures above from the 2014 British Open and Nottingham Open, it is a very common occurrence that the highest grade in the category, does not win that category.

Another reason not to further sub-divide the categories is that we simply do not get enough entries.

At the 2014 BJJ British Open we had just over 200 junior entries. If I had followed the IBJJF format for junior events (sorting categories by weight, age and belt), we would have had 36 straight finals.  So 36 juniors would have been crowned 'The 2014 British Champion' after winning one fight. The same number would be British Open silver medalists, for losing one fight.

There would have been 3 categories with 3 competitors in. This would have been a little more challenging, with the gold medalists having to win 2 fights for their title. However, the third place fighter would get a bronze medal for not winning a fight.

There would have been one category of 5 competitors. This would mean 2-3 contests for the gold medalist.

The remaining 114 competitors would have had no one to fight, and following IBJJF protocol, they would have stood on the podium on their own, been given a gold medal, and crowned 'The 2014 British Open Champion’ without them actually having set foot on the mat.

For the 2015 BJJ British Open there were over 280 entries. Using the IBJJF format, there would have been 23 straight finals, 10 categories of 3 competitors, 5 categories with 4 competitors and 2 categories with 5 competitors. Over 170 competitors would have no one to fight.

Is this really what coaches and parents want, or would you rather we give the juniors a worthwhile challenge, and have the title of 'British Open Champion' something actually worth achieving?