Gold and silver in contest
Medals months after club forms
Five members of a new Far North Brazilian jiu-jitsu club have taken out gold and silver at a national tournament in Auckland just six months after their club formed. Students of Kaitaia’s Torque International School of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Self-Defence (Torque BJJ) received three gold (male and female white belt divisions) and two silver (children’s and master’s purple belt) at the Gi Auckland Nationals Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tournament on Saturday.
The youngest competitor, white belt Ashtyn Waru, 9, won silver in the 9-10 year-old Under 31.5kg division.
Waru won a silver medal (vice-champion) after three matches and also submitted her opponent in the semifinal match by a technique widely practised in the gym called triangle choke.
White belt Daniel O’Rourke won gold in the Men’s Division Under 100.4kg after two fights where he submitted his opponents in less than two minutes without difficulty.
O’Rourke submitted his two opponents with the same technique called kimura.
Purple belt Daniel Hogg took out silver in the Men’s Division Under 100.4kg after two fights. Hogg won the first fight on points and was submitted in the final by the kimura technique.
White belt Angela O’Rourke won gold in the Master 3 division Over 81.4kg.
The 53-year-old had matches with younger opponents as there were no other competitors in her age group. O’Rourke won the gold medal after two matches winning by points.
Finally, white belt Sieanna Lloyd took out gold in the Women’s Division Under 81.4kg after two fights, where she submitted her opponent in the final match in less than three minutes, performing the bow and arrow technique.
Torque BJJ owner/operator and former BJJ world champion, Fabio Machado, opened the academy in May.
In just six months he managed to train his students to become national champions.
Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Machado said he initially moved to Auckland to do his PhD in ocean sciences, before he and his family moved to the Far North to start a BJJ and self-defence project.
“I started training BJJ about 30 years ago, but I already had a background in judo and Brazilian Luta Livre,” Machado said.
“I became a two times BJJ world medallist, South American BJJ medalist and Rio de Janeiro champion, as well as a 2016 Rio de Janeiro top rank in addition to many other international open titles.
“I have also become a New Zealand regional judo champion and received an award in judo from the University of Auckland while still doing my PhD.”
Machado said while he didn’t compete in this recent NZ BJJ National tournament, he had encouraged his students to.
“I trained them prior and coached them during the championship and was at the tournament as the team’s head coach,” Machado said.
“BJJ is the fastest growing martial art in the world due to it being the most efficient.
“It is not only the effectiveness of BJJ as a self-defence tool that draws people to learn, it is also the discipline that comes with learning a martial art that appeals.
“Parents and caregivers of our community really value this aspect for their children, as the skills being learned are life skills which they will carry through for the years ahead.”
Machado said with Kaitaia being a small community, he felt people had embraced the opening of Torque BJJ and the opportunity to learn from someone with his background.
He said Brazilian jiu-jitsu was not an easy martial art to learn, with the start of a person’s journey often proving particularly frustrating.
“But this is where your character is tested and strengthened. It requires discipline, focus, and a willingness to evolve, but it also involves a lot of fun and a lot of teamwork,” he said.
“When you learn BJJ or support someone else on their BJJ journey, you become part of a bigger family.
“We work together as a team and support each other to be the best that we can be.”
Torque BJJ currently has around 50 students aged 4 to 53 who come from communities across the Far North. Machado said he aimed to eventually open more classes, but wanted to take things one step at a time.
In addition to the weekly classes, Torque BJJ also runs special projects, The Co-ordination and Body Awareness Project (4-7 year-olds) and The Growing Confidence Project (8-14 year-olds). Both programmes aim to enhance a child’s spatial awareness and develop good manners and respect for others on and off the mats.
To find out more about Torque BJJ, visit the Torque International School of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and SelfDefense Facebook page.