King Charles has suggested that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu could be used to help young people, during a visit to one of the world's leading schools of the martial art in London. The King toured the Roger Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Hammersmith, west London, where he watched students, including rapper Tinie Tempah, taking part in training bouts.
King's Interest in Martial Arts for Youth
Tempah told the King that he took up the sport thanks to actor Tom Hardy, and later described how Charles brought up the idea of using the martial art to help children. “He was basically saying that he’s been wanting to champion this in some capacity for ages, and that he has been talking to Idris (Elba) about it, and maybe I could be of service in some capacity,” Tempah said. “Because he wants to use it to help young people, and I said to him that that is basically my ambition. I want to set up some sort of charity or infrastructure where we can get young people from year nine and upwards who are a bit disenfranchised, maybe they’re from challenged backgrounds, things going on at home, maybe on the verge of going into gangs… to just come (to a club) because there’s hundreds of this around London and the country, hundreds of these clubs.”
Tempah's Journey in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Tempah revealed that during a royal event around eight years ago, he chatted to Tom Hardy as they waited for the King, and the actor suggested he try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and invited Tempah to his club. It took Tempah seven years to earn a purple belt, two below black. He said the martial art had “changed my life,” giving him discipline, introducing him to father-figure role models, a global Jiu Jitsu community, and now his two young daughters “love it so much.”
Reorg Charity Supporting Veterans
The King also learned about Reorg, a charity supporting military personnel, veterans, and emergency service workers by teaching them Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He chatted to a group of serving and ex-service personnel, including former Royal Marine commando Mark Ormrod, who described how the sport had given him and others a “new lease of life” after their service. Ormrod, 42, lost both legs and his right arm when he stood on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve in 2007. He has since set records through challenges, including achieving the world record for the fastest triple amputee 1km swim and raising more than £150,000 when running a 5km (3.2 mile) run in prosthetics.
Impact on Veterans
Ormrod said: “It might sound ridiculous, but this sport has given me so much. The gift of being in combat with another man, the gift of being challenged every time I step on the mat and the gift of the community that surrounds Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There’s no egos in this sport, nothing outside of here matters. We have people from all walks of life, from high ranking military and emergency services personnel, world champions or people just joining the sport. There is honour, respect and patience, and that’s what the King saw today. It was a pleasure for him to visit.”
Royal Visit to the Academy
Before leaving, the King presented a black belt to a recipient and was gifted a white belt, the first on the rung in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Roger Gracie, a 10-time Jiu Jitsu world champion and grandson of the founder of the art, Carlos Gracie, said after the visit: “This was a very historical day, not just for us here but for all of Jiu Jitsu. For our community and for everybody who has ever trained to better themselves. To have the King attend our academy was a great honour. Our sport embodies everything about the community. People come here to train and to celebrate the human spirit and it reflects in everyone around them.”
