Club: British Army Jiu-Jitsu / Andy Roberts BJJ – Farnborough, England South
Belt: Black
My passion for Jiu-Jitsu is only surpassed for my passion for the men and women that serve in our Armed Forces. I am uniquely positioned, as the Chairman of the Army Martial Arts Associations to influence the growth of Jiu-Jitsu across the entirety of Defence, with established relationships with all single Service stakeholders.
The growth of Jiu-Jitsu across Defence has been nothing short of prolific, with over 1K actively training in the British Army alone. Jiu-Jitsu is now the largest martial arts discipline in the Armed Forces and our collective growth is now rivalling the more traditional individual sports such as Boxing.
All this has been achieved in a little over 10 years, but our sights are focused firmly on the future and ensuring that every service person has access to either an established Jiu-Jitsu academy within their Garrison, or an affiliated/vetted civilian club that is invested in the Armed Forces Covenant.
Whilst our sights are set on the future, we are very clear that we must recognise the commitment & sacrifice of those that have come before us. To do this we must have a resourced and coordinated plan for how we support and enable our Veterans within Jiu-Jitsu – a community within a community.
As the UKBJJA lead I will seek to provide the Board with the advice and guidance required to develop a holistic plan, which is resourced, coordinated and executable.
Qualifications/ relevant professional experience
- Chairman, Army Martial Arts Association
- Colonel in the British Army