Dewsbury jiu jitsu squad raises over £1,500 for Children in Need while breaking world record

Last week, Steven Scaddan - head coach of Revolution Martial Arts in Dewsbury and member of Team GB Sports jiu jitsu squad - along with 19 other team members and martial artists from around the country, broke the world record for the longest jiu jitsu class.

The world record attempt, which started at 9am on Saturday, October 8, was broken after the team took part in a jiu jitsu class which lasted 24 hours and 24 minutes.

The world record has so far raised a total of £1,503 for Children in Need, a fundraiser which supports more than 2,500 local charities and projects that help children and young people in communities right across the UK.

Revolution Martial Arts, which is a family-run academy based on Leeds Road, has been involved in a number of charity events since its establishment in 2016.

However, this world record, for the world's longest jiu jitsu class, is the largest charity event the club has ever accomplished.

Steven, who achieved gold in the National Championships and fourth in the World Championships freestyle jiu jitsu competitions in the USA, said: “It is a personal achievement because we have made history. There is nobody in this world that has done this before - we have made the history books.

“The hardest part was when the sun went down, especially between midnight and 1am.

“But, we got through it and it started to become easier at around 5am in the morning - it was all about keeping everyone's morale up by singing along to the radio.

“We also had people coming down throughout different times of the night to keep us going.

“For example, at 1am in the morning someone who I teach came down and said ‘my mum’s going to make us some stew’.

“We also had someone making cups of coffee for us all and throwing water and protein bars over to us.

“If the support team wasn't there, we wouldn't have been able to do it - the support that we received was immense.

“We know we have broken the record for the longest jiu jitsu class, but now we have the mammoth task of getting all the documentation together and submitting it to the Guinness Book of World Records.”

As well as breaking the world record for the longest jiu jitsu class Steven was also presented his Fourth Dan by Giovanni Soffietto, the CEO of the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association (BMABA).

Steven added: “We made history that day and to receive my Fourth Dan on the same day was a great honour.

“It means everything to me and it is a massive accomplishment.”

Traditional jiu jitsu is a form of martial arts which involves close combat and the manipulation of the opponent’s force to use it against themself rather than exerting force in response.

So far a total of £1,503 has been raised for Children in Need. However, the team aims to raise £2,000 before November.

To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/revolutionmartialartsacademy?newPage=Tru&fbclid=IwAR