Jake Walton Is a BJJ Black Belt
Jake Walton is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. We’ve been looking forward to being able to say that. From all of us at New Generation Martial Arts in Southampton, congratulations, Jake. We’re absolutely chuffed for you.
Eleven years in the making
Jake first walked into Rogers BJJ in Gosport at 19, looking for something to do. Eleven years later, in his own words, he still finds himself “loving jiu jitsu more and more every day”. If you’ve spent any time on the mats with him, that’ll sound about right.
His coach Aaron Rogers tied the belt around his waist, making Jake the second black belt promoted by the academy. Aaron spoke about the years Jake has spent on the mats, his competition record, the coach he’s become and the friendship they’ve built along the way. To have the coach who’s seen you develop over all those years tie that belt is a pretty special thing.
Thank you to Aaron and the Rogers BJJ team
Jake thanked Aaron, his dad Martin, Shar and everyone at Rogers BJJ who’s shared the mats with Jake over the years for making him love jiu-jitsu in the first place, and we get to see how much of that love for the sport he brings into our room every week.
Jake also gave a shout to James, Graham and Chris at Premier BJJ Harrow, who made it feel like a home away from home when he moved there as a purple belt. And a special mention to his wife Hannah, who’s supported all those hours on the mats, all the video watching and all the gis hanging around the house. Anyone who lives with someone who trains will know exactly what she’s put up with.
What Jake brings to our team
When we asked Jake to coach at NGMA, we knew how much thought he put into his own jiu-jitsu. It’s been brilliant seeing how much of that he gives to other people. If you’ve done one of his classes, you’ll know he takes the time to show you why a detail matters. You can ask him the question you thought was too basic, and he’ll give it the same attention he gives someone getting ready to compete.
We’ve seen what he can do as a competitor too, taking the Collision Invitational on ten days’ notice and coming away with the win. And at our recent in-house grappling show, there he was giving up his time to coach our team. More and more of our members are telling us they’d like to have a go at competing. Having coaches who are out there doing it themselves, and who’ll be in your corner when you’re ready to have a go, makes a real difference.
Jake thanked the NGMA team for keeping him motivated. We feel lucky to have him. For the people who’ve only just started, there’s something lovely about hearing that your coach once walked into a gym at 19 just looking for something to do. You never know where that first class might take you!
Congratulations, Coach Jake. We’re so proud of you. 🖤
