Love for Jiu-Jitsu brings Adam to international fora

PETALING JAYA: Adam Akasyah, 17, started learning Japanese martial arts, Aikido, at the age of 10 before moving to karate, and only three years later did he find his passion in Jiu- Jitsu, which has brought him to international fora.
The eldest of three siblings, Adam, who was the gold medalist at the London Winter Open Jiu-Jitsu championship on March 3, has been competing in international championships since taking up the martial art in 2014.
He won his first gold at Copa de Bangkok in 2015, and has competed in Japan, Taiwan and London.
Born in a family of martial arts enthusiasts, he aims to be the champion at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in California, United States, next year.
Adam said he and his two other siblings were introduced to self-defence skills by their parents, who were martial arts enthusiasts who specialised in silat, at a young age.
" However jiu-jitsu is more interesting compared to any other martial arts because it allows a smaller person to beat a larger person, and even a girl can beat a boy. Strength is not really necessary as you only need a really good technique to win. That is why I was pulled to this martial art," said the former SMK Taman SEA student.
Adam said he had to skip school to spend more time practising for the tournaments.
He said jiu-jitsu was gaining popularity in Malaysia, and in some countries, like Thailand and Singapore, the government supported the game with the participants given good training and paid for competing in international championships.
"Currently, my coaches and mates are going abroad to get training and compete, and I hope the government and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) would assist us in providing strong support and good training to enable us to compete in prestigious competitions like in Brazil and the United States", said the student of Marcos Escobar Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
His father, Akasyah Sabri, said that the training for jiu-jitsu did not cost much, but the attire they had to wear could fetch up to RM800 a pair.
"We don't have a national team for this martial art in Malaysia yet. I believe a national governing body should be formed to provide some funding to sponsor jiu-jitsu participants to compete abroad," he said.
Akasyah said he and his wife had been supporting his son to compete at the international platform, not only financially, but also mentally and emotionally.
" When he competed in London, I had to take two weeks leave to manage and be with him. Adam is so obsessed with jiu-jitsu. People say 'makan, minum, tidur bola', so for him, it is makan, minum, tidur jiu-jitsu," he added.
Since jiu-jitsu is most likely to be one of the sports to be introduced in the 2024 Olympics, which will be held in Paris, he hoped the Malaysian government would look into jiu-jitsu as a potential game for the country to compete in. — Bernama