Rio Grappling and XKT partner up

Training in the grappling style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is now available in Brakpan.

Vastly experienced martial artist and the president of Xtreme Kickboxing Technologies (XKT), Brakpan’s Raymond Phillips (with more than four decades experience in martial arts), has partnered with Jurgen Putter of the renowned Rio Grappling Club in Springs, to bring BJJ to Brakpan.

The sport is growing in leaps and bounds in South Africa with people practising BJJ at numerous clubs throughout the country.

Phillips told the Herald that the move to bring (and train) the style to Brakpan has been a goal that he has had for a while and the longstanding relationship that he has built up with Putter’s Rio Grappling gym has allowed for a smooth process to bring BJJ to Brakpan.

“XKT and Rio Grappling have worked together before when we trained EFC fighters Francois Groenewald and JP Kruger so we know what each one is all about,” said Phillips, who took 17 years to earn his black belt in BJJ.

“As far as I know there has never been a BJJ club in Brakpan before so we are making history with this partnership.

“Jurgen is one of the top trainers, as well as one of the very first trainers of BJJ in the country, and was also one of the first South Africans to attain a black belt in the style.”

Putter said BJJ is one of the most difficult martial arts in which to earn a black belt.

“It is extremely competitive and technical and very much a performance-based martial art,” he said.

BJJ promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger, heavier assailant by using proper technique, leverage, and most notably, taking the fight to the ground.

“We have a guy at our club who was born prematurely and is diabetic, but he handles guys twice his size,” added Putter.

“It is 100 per cent a self-defence grappling art but it is now perhaps the most important style in mixed martial arts with about 90 per cent of fights going to and ending on the ground.”

Putter said that the sport’s self-defence teachings have made it an incredibly popular sport among women and he is striving to follow suit by teaching BJJ to more women in South Africa.

“Our aim is to give any person the means to be able to defend themselves against a stronger opponent.”

Children from as young as five can take up BJJ with Rio offering a “bully guarding” programme that teaches young people suitable self-defence methods to protect themselves against bullies without being malicious.

“It is good for teaching children discipline, enhancing their gross motor development, building their confidence and also to get them tired so they can go to sleep,” he jokingly added.

Putter, the pioneer of the Rio Grappling franchise in South Africa and a practitioner of BJJ for 16 years, said the franchise is the biggest and strongest BJJ fraternity in the country and on the continent.

Both Phillips and Putter expressed their excitement about bringing BJJ to Brakpan and encouraged people to come and see the style in action for themselves at the numerous competitive tournaments held by Rio Grappling throughout the country.

Phillips hosted his first BJJ class at his XKT gym at the Brakpan Indoor Centre on Wednesday, February 1, and will be holding BJJ classes every Wednesday and Friday night at 6pm.

Saturday morning sessions will also take place.

For more information about getting involved with BJJ contact Putter on 072 997 7848 or Phillips on 083 701 2154.