Two of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters in Spain are from Calafell and the most surprising thing is that they live in the same house. Angel Segura, 13, and his father Isma, 33, have been proclaimed Spanish champions of this martial art, each in their respective category. The competition was held in Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara) on May 29 and 30.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or BJJ is a combat sport that focuses mainly on hand-to-hand fighting on the ground and is heavily influenced by Japanese judo. Isma explains that in this martial art “you start standing up and you have to subdue your opponent”, either with knockdowns, dislocations, immobilizations or strangulations. It is a discipline that is achieving enormous fame in recent years and in Spain it is the most often mixed martial art.
Many practice it to make use of this martial art in other disciplines. Isma is one of them, since he started as an MMA fighter and entered the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to improve his grip and ground fighting techniques. But finally he ended up specializing in this modality, a fact that helped him reach third place in the BJJ Absolute European Cup and win several national championships.
His son Ángel has followed in his footsteps and now they both share the same passion. A hobby that has taken them to the top of Spain. At 13, he has been practicing this sport for 9 years and has already won two major competitions, both last May. He has been proclaimed champion of the BJJ Spanish Cup held in Valencia and the Spanish Championship organized by the Spanish Association of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu held in Azuqueca de Henares.
The two practice other martial arts, as has become customary for these athletes. Isma grapples and also won gold in the national competition. Angel, on the other hand, opted for the Olympic Wrestling and in his debut he managed to reach the podium with a third place.
The father explains that they are used to competing at a high level and that they trained together to be in the best possible shape. As is evident, Covid-19 also dealt a severe blow to martial arts and they had to suspend many important championships of the 2020-21 season. “We are very happy to be back in competition,” says Isma. Father and son have already reached the top, but they dream of continuing to expand their track record.
.
