The young fighters of School Fight Budokan Cantepau, founded in 2019, are already showing impressive results at the national and now international level.
On the edge of the tatami at School Fight Budokan Cantepau (SFBC), Lakhdar Lattar, 31, president of the Brazilian jujitsu and grabbling club created just before covid, appreciates the path traveled by his young fighters. Classes resumed in 2022 with more than 50 graduates divided into two groups, one bringing together young people aged 8 to 15 and the other adults. The club welcomes all kinds of athletes with judokas but also footballers.
But what does a Brazilian jujitsu fight look like? “It starts standing up like judo,” explains Lakhdar. “And when we go to the ground, the fight lasts five very intense minutes. We win at the point with techniques, notably strangulation aimed at leading to the submission of the opponent .”
Arm lock, strangulation, joint compression and submission are among the techniques of this sport which, like MMA, attracts many young people. Another discipline practiced at the dojo: grabbling. It is practiced, unlike Brazilian jujitsu, without a kimono but with tight-fitting t-shirts.
A new European champion coach
For grades, belts exist like in judo. These young people come to the gym to become high-level fighters. Recently, at the French championships in Paris where 400 fighters were present, the club brought home four titles and four vice-champions.
In Bordeaux, during an international competition, the SFBC achieved excellent results in grabbling and Brazilian jujitsu. As a team, the Albigensian club returned with four gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze medal. “These sports require a lot of land and regular training during the week to master the techniques,” underlines the club president.
To become ultimate warriors in their sport, this year the club has a top-notch coach with Mourad Benghoune, European champion in Brazilian jujitsu (BJJ) and grabbling. On the tatami, when the master speaks, everyone listens. A teacher already under the spell of his competitors.
“This group has enormous potential,” says Mourad. “There are only nuggets with concrete objectives.” This season, one of the major objectives of the SFBC will be to allow its best elements to join the French team in their categories next January.
And Mourad Benghoune concludes calmly: “Until then, we are not going to change our habits. We let them work without setting limits. And the room for progress is enormous.”
