How did you get involved in jiu-jitsu?
I was invited by a friend who is also my colleague and gym mate. We were training together at the Abu Dhabi Country Club – this was back in 2004. He tried to get me to start but I thought it was more like aikido, where you apply pressure to the joints of your opponent. Because I didn’t want to injure my joints – afraid I wouldn’t be able to train at the gym if I did – I told him no. He tried several times to get me to come along. He eventually came to me again in 2006 and told me he had joined the Abu Dhabi Combat Club. Jiu-jitsu was not part of a governing body at this point. Instead there were teams. It wasn’t until 2012 that the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation was officially established. So I decided to join. I went to London for four months and, while there, took a few jiu-jitsu courses. I was asked, when I returned home, to attend a competition in the coming week. I sat and watched my friends who were winning medals for the UAE. At that point I felt something in my heart – these guys were competing and were doing something for their country. They were raising the UAE flag for these kind of events and it really made me feel proud. I went directly to the head coach following the competition and I told him I want to start training in jiu-jitsu. When he asked me when, I replied “now”. So I started training three to four hours every day and I’ve been training for eight years now.
What has been your greatest achievement in jiu-jitsu?
Over the past seven years I’ve won 86 medals. I have more gold medals than silver and bronze right now. As it stands, I currently hold 44 gold, 20 silver and 22 bronze. One specific achievement that I’m proud of, however, is being ranked No 1 after the Europe No Gi – in the Purple Belt Masters category – in 2014.
What advice do you have for people interested in the sport?
The first impression of jiu-jitsu, for some, might be a negative one. People sometimes look at jiu-jitsu and think it looks weird, but it’s only because they don’t understand it. Also, some people might become discouraged because they don’t get it right away. To this I say: be patient. You cannot get the glory of it within the first two hours or the first session. You have to be patient, disciplined and have respect.
alane@thenational.ae
