Martial Arts enjoy a high profile these days with films like Kill Bill and House of Flying Daggers following in the footsteps of the Bruce Lee legacy. Digital television viewers meanwhile can't have missed BBC Three's Mind Body & Kick Ass Moves, in which Birmingham martial artist Chris Crudelli explores various fighting styles from across the Asian continent. One method, overlooked in the blurring movement of Samurai swords and roundhouse kicks, is the relatively unknown art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but two men from Norfolk will be fighting some of the best Europe at the end of the month. Steve Cowans form Norwich and his student Robert Brown from Great Yarmouth, will be flying out to Portugal on Friday 28 January, to compete in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) European Championships. The history "In 1914 a Japanese master named Mitsuo Maeda, or Count Koma, moved continents and began teaching Jiu Jitsu in Brazil," said Steve. "He taught the son of Gaston Gracie, a politician in Rio de Janeiro, who in turn taught his brothers. "It was one of these brothers, Helio, who took the best bits of Jiu Jitsu, developed what he found suitable to the streets of Rio, and made what we now call Brazilian Jiu Jitsu," he added.
 | | Robert gets thrown in training session |
As with many martial arts, Steve points out you don't have to be physically imposing to make an impression in this fighting style. "The guy was only 5’6” tall so it's a technique for the smaller person. Helio developed it to his own style, but it's been getting bigger since. It's massive in the United States and Brazil and we're now trying to open it up to the UK," he said. While many other fighting techniques such as Kung Fu or Karate are based around flashy kicks or repeated punches, Jiu Jitsu, in both the Brazilian and Japanese versions, is very different. "It relies on locks, holds and chokes. It's very much for the normal person who's not built like an athlete, it's so they can protect themselves," said Steve. "According to the LA police department, 95% of all fights end in a clinch and go to the floor - that's how BJJ has been developed. To fight on the ground, take the big guy down and win the fight from there with holds, locks etc." Self-defence is the ideology behind this style of fighting, to be able to look after yourself in a real situation. European Championships Steve's looking forward to taking the sport to a wider audience during the European Championships. "Neither Robert or I have ever taken our sport out of the country before, but we think we'll do OK, we've been training hard," said Steve. Robert admits he's relishing what could be a busy weekend. "Depending on how many fighters take part you could face as many as 20 bouts over the course of two days. It's a straight knockout format, so the last man standing takes the gold medal," he said. | 
