Elite athletes returned to training today in full alignment with government guidelines and the framework provided by the United Kingdom Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association (UKBJJA)  with a one-hour training session for four athletes.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is the first Martial Art to open its doors for training since social distancing began. It can be described as the opposite of lockdown. It is very close contact with others, great for your mental and physical health, extremely sociable and all-round excellent fun.

This move to open academies has been made possible by the UKBJJA, which has provided a framework for its elite athletes to return to training in order to prepare for the first professional event for months sanctioned for 11th July.

The return to training is highly controlled, with data on athlete health taken before every session and monitored by UKBJJA Head of Data and Analytics, Dr Yorrick von Ohlen, PhD in Microcellular biology and overseen by UKBJJA Chief Medical Officer, Dr Steve Murray.

Dr von Ohlen said “the safety of the athletes, coaches and academy staff in regards is paramount and it is crucial that government guidelines are followed and we do not allow the virus to spread. Collecting data will enable us to monitor the athletes and provide an ongoing view of the situation for the benefit of each club.”

The Chairman of the UKBJJA, Richard Martin, said “I am delighted that training for elite athletes restarted today, and very proud of the Association for providing the regulatory framework necessary to meet Government guidelines and allow a safe return to training.

We have the safety of our athletes, staff and the wider community at the forefront of our minds and urge all BJJ players to follow the guidelines in the coming weeks in the hope that we can demonstrate a case for a wider opening in due course.

I am very grateful to everyone who helped to make this happen and very proud that we are the first Martial Arts Association to provide such a framework for our athletes and restart training according to the Government advice.”

The UKBJJA would urge all UK BJJ academies with competitive and elite athletes to follow these measures in place and apply for elite academy status in order to begin the journey to re-opening the doors to their members.”