Grip, grapple and roll at Battle on the Block

Rocklands-based Rolling With Purpose Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Club hosted its inaugural tournament at The Mitchell’s Plain School of Skills last Saturday. Billed as the Battle on the Block, club members faced off in a test of strength and stamina in front of a panel of judges and an appreciative crowd.

Those familiar with the sport will know that BJJ, much like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), kickboxing, wrestling, and other combat sports, is all about timing and technique — one small shift in balance or grip can help a grappler get the upper hand over his opponent and turn a defensive position into a winning submission. 

After months of training and trying to master the basics under the watchful eyes of coaches  Plamedi Isaac Zantoto and Neesha Chhiba, the young students finally had their first taste of competition. 

“We’ve been doing a lot of cardio training, starting from the basics to what they now know,” said Zantoto, commonly known by his students as Coach Isaac.

“Apart from the physical training, we’ve been instilling morals and values into these young lives,” he said, highlighting the importance of instilling a sense of discipline among his students.

“Hosting this event is definitely a big win for us; it's something we've been trying to do for about a year now, and we've seen these boys put their blood, sweat, and tears into this, so it really means a lot to us and is a big achievement for them,” he said.

Zantoto, a former pupil at the school, said he was introduced to the sport by EFC bantamweight champion, Faeez Troublemaker” Jacobs, Bom Combat founder Gerry Gerhardt, and his long-standing coach, Garth Cottle, aka Professor Garth, co-founder of the Lansdowne-based Estrategia.BJJSA and an internationally accredited referee.

Bom Combat, an NPO established in 2014 to address the causes of youth violence, substance abuse, and gangsterism through the teaching of martial arts, laid the foundation for the work Zantoto continues with Rolling With Purpose.

“I established this organisation to teach these kids that they can do better than what they think they can. There is a purpose for everything they do, and that's why we called the organisation Rolling With Purpose,” he said.

“It offers them a chance to be better than what they think they are because you don’t need any qualifications to be great; all you need is consistency,” he said.

While working with the youngsters can be stressful at times, Zantoto considers it a privilege to help his charges reach their full potential.

“Once you get to know their background, you start understanding why they are the way they are, and from there it just becomes wonderful because you get to build a relationship with every one of them,” he said.

For now, they only cater to boys, but hope to include girls in the near future, Zantoto said. 

School councillor and BJJ practitioner, Neesha Chhiba, said opening up the space to women is definitely on their radar, as it can be used in self-defence for those who are considered vulnerable. Used properly, she said, it levels the playing field against stronger, untrained attackers. 

As you know, we live in a country full of continuous trauma and violence. As a registered counsellor by profession, I knew community work would draw me into areas that needed my services the most. As a woman, I have always been aware of the dangers that everyday women face in Cape Town,” said Chhiba, who has been involved with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for two years and is a member of Strike Blast Gym (SBG) in Sunvalley, Fish Hoek. 

“Starting Brazilian Jiu-jitsu at SBG is a really empowering journey where I am being continuously equipped with skills that improve my awareness, knowledge, and responses to common predicaments that women in general find themselves in,” she said.

“Not only is this beneficial as an amazing self-defence tool for learners, but in many cases I have seen how it works as a great intervention that allows people to rewire their brain's response to trauma and how it improves mental strength and resilience, she said.

While Chhiba and Zantoto kept tabs on their student from the sidelines at last Saturday’s tournament, match official Cottle kept a close eye on the action on the mat to ensure that all rules were abided by. As referee, his duties included signaling the points earned by each fighter to the judges at the table, who recorded the scores based on a point system that considers take-downs, sweeps, and mounts.

“My job was to keep the fighters safe and make sure that scoring is fair,” he said. “After the 5-minute fight, whichever fighter has the most accumulated points wins, or the fighter can win via submission,” said Cottle.