Legion XIII is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club based out of Perth, Western Australia under Grayson West with a club in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The Canberra branch is affiliated with Peter De Been (based out of Melbourne, Victoria) and trains with Phuket Top Team (Phuket, Thailand) at least twice a year with Olavo Abreu and Anthony and Andrew Leone.
This club is arguably the best in Canberra, with a Black Belt at the head, a brown belt, a few purple belts, roughly 9 blue belts and a range of beginners to 4 stripe white belts. With in a year this club as grown exponentially, starting with less that 20 members and now close to 40. Everyone is committed to not only their own growth but to each other. People will come in out of class times to work with each other when asked, even when not competing in comps and events the team mates will come and watch to support each other. This isn't just a club, it is a bunch of friends. It makes for a really great training environment.
Legion XIII started out at Hills Academy, Canberra under Adam Saunderson as a brown belt, but now they are their own club that trains out of Stockade Training Centre Dickson, Canberra still under Adam Saunderson but now as a black belt, given to him by Olavo Abreu last year.
The Canberra club is now looking to expand its horizons with kids classes starting on the 1st of May. They are for 9-13 Yrs old, boys and girls. 14 yrs and above will be integrated into the adult classes, if the parents want their child in the kids classes there may be special permission granted after talking to the head coaches. Kids 8 yrs and below may be able to join the kids classes after talking to the head coaches and agreeing to stay for the whole class. These preferences are because kids are a lot different in the way they concentrate and interact when they are 8 and below and 15 and above.
With branching out, the next step will be to aim at getting more women into the club. There is currently a blue belt and 2 white belts at the club. I think that women are a little apprehensive to get involved in something that is so male heavy, and also they might not like the idea being so close to the guys during drills and rolling. But in this club the guys are really great, gentle, take care of the girls ( when guys have rolled to rough with the girls one of the higher grades, purple and above, will then roll with that guy just as rough if not more so to teach them a lesson. I should mention that the same thing happens if a higher grade does this with a beginner).
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu isn't just a great life skill for kids in help with confidence, making friends, discipline, health and fitness but for adults as well. It is never too late to get involved, or too early :)
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