Ju-Jitsu fighter Chris Graves became the youngest person in the country to gain his lack belt when he passed his grading in Liverpool. Graves, 17, who attended the Goodley Dale School and Lakes School, was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome aged six and has battled through the condition to get to the top level of his sport.
Sensei Richard Smith 5th Dan started training Graves at the Lakeland Ju-Jitsu Academy when he was 12 and he has progressed to be one of the star pupils under Sensei Smith’s guidance. Smith Said: “Over the years Chris practice of Ju– Jitsu has far exceeded our hopes in helping him to develop his physical fitness, improve his clarity of thought, self esteem and co-ordination and generally encourage his very positive approach to life”
But it is not only Ju-Jitsu that Chris has had success in this years he finds himself ranked fifth in the country at Nunchaku, a discipline also taught at the Lakeland Ju-Jitsu Academy.
Brent Parkyn from the club also gained his black belt in Ju-Jitsu at the same time in front of a panel of technical officers, supervised by Robert Clark 9th Dan Ju-Jitsu and founder of the World Ju-Jitsu Federation.
Parkyn said: “When I moved over with my family from New Zealand I was very happy to find a good Ju-Jitsu class in the Lake District. “I wanted to rediscover the fitness in and dedication training in the martial arts given to me when I was a kid growing up."