A Bradford-based jujitsu club has held its first-ever grading after months of success and a growing number of youngsters taking part in sessions.
Around 30 youngsters who train at the Bradford Karma Jujitsu Club were graded with their belts at a ceremony held on 22 March, as the Head of the World Jujitsu Federation also attended in recognition of the club’s work.
Sensei Alam Zeb told the Yorkshire Standard: “There was a lot of interest shown at the grading and there was a lot of positive feedback from the parents after the event. It was a real proud day for me.”
Karma Jujitsu Club is a member of the World Jujitsu Federation (WJJF) that has its headquarters based in Liverpool and a presence in 52 countries.
It aims to enable people to learn the arts of self-defence, build confidence, develop self control, build strong relationships, and live a healthy lifestyle.
With the bushido code as its underlying principles, jujitsu aims to develop individuals who are of credit to themselves, their families, their club and society at large.
The club has grown significantly over the past months with the help of local West Yorkshire Sport Development Officer Halima Khan who helped gain funding from a national funding programme named Sportivate, which encourages people to get more active.
Last December, children’s classes were held once a week for one session at the club. They have now grown to four separate classes due to the number of people joining.
Mr Zeb explained: “It’s been a fantastic response and the club has grown rapidly. We now have around 70 to 80 youngsters attending classes and with the support from West Yorkshire Sport, WJJF and MyLahore a private company has enabled it to provide the resources required to deliver sustainable classes.
“We’re looking forward in terms of the future. We’ve established a club and are now looking to develop individuals to compete in competitions nationally and internationally with the first of these competitions being held in Wigan on 29 June.”
To find out more about Karma Jujitsu, please visit www.karmajujitsu.co.uk. The club can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/karmajujitsuclubbradford.
www.yorkshirestandard.co.uk/sports/martialarts/bradford-karma-jujitsu-holds-first-grading/