Wolverhampton gets Gracie jiu-jitsu

Wolverhampton's city centre kickboxing club has become one of the first in the country to be officially certified in Gracie jiu-jitsu.

The Eclipse gym in Tempest Street opened a special part of their site dedicated to teaching the martial art on Saturday.

They are one of only two clubs in the country established with an instructor in Gracie jiu-jitsu, a Brazilian variation of judo.

Former two-time world kickboxing champion Fran Zuccala spent three years preparing to achieve the right credentials.

The last part of the 39-year-old's training saw him join the Gracie family, the founders of the martial art, in California earlier this year.

Now the veteran is ready to teach others and he insists his objective is not just about sport, but to stay safe on the streets.

He said: "With Gracie jiu-jitsu, you don't need to be bigger or physically stronger to beat an opponent.

"You can take a woman who weighs 50kg and she can defend herself against a man who is double her size.

"What we teach in kickboxing is very sports based but it's not the best form of defence, really.

"If they go to hit them and they go to hit you, there's a 50-50 chance you are going to get knocked out.

"With this, you get in very close, take your opponent to the ground and make them submit.

"The beauty of it is that someone who has never done any martial arts training can come in and do it."