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Bagram hosts Jiu-Jitsu Tournament

  • Published
  • By Bagram hosts Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs --  The sound of cheering and clapping could be heard echoing outside of the Clamshell at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, as the Jiu-Jitsu club hosted their 2nd annual tournament, March 1, 2014.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was formed in the early 20th century and focuses on grappling and ground fighting.

"Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art with a foundation of self-defense," explained U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ryan Blumberg, 455th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron manpower analyst. "The sport aspect of Jiu-Jitsu has come about because you can't really practice self-defense in a controlled environment."

With approximately 85 participants, the tournament was organized by weight class and from there the brackets were divided by the experience level of the participants.

"We divided the brackets this way, that way the participants are competing against their own weight and others closely matched to themselves as much as possible," said Blumberg.

The tournament also had four referees with significant experience in Jiu-Jitsu.

"Our first responsibility as referees was the safety of the competitors," explained Blumberg. "We also made sure every match was played out fairly and kept track of the points."

One of the reasons the Bagram Jiu-Jitsu team organized this tournament as a way to give the people who train on a regular basis an opportunity to test themselves.

"We also wanted to bring something to Service members at Bagram," said Blumberg. "We wanted the spectators to see something new and be exposed to something that they may not have been before."

With the amount of noise pouring out from the clamshell and the large turnout of Service members, the Jiu-Jitsu club is very proud of the tournament.

"I think this was an outstanding tournament and very successful," said Blumberg, deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La. "Our team ran a smooth, great and errorless tournament."