Fred Greenall is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu European champion (2015) and head coach at the Positive Options martial arts academy in Ilkley, England. When he’s not competing, Fred runs several classes where adults and children can learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The aim of Fred’s classes is to improve people’s confidence with the attainment of new skills, which are transferrable to real life situations.
As part of this, the Positive Options academy provides Jiu Jitsu workshops on location in tough schools in the Wakefield, Leeds and Bradford area. The aims of what Fred calls his “Alternative Provision Programme” are to build confidence, develop life skills and increase engagement with education.
When asked about the benefits of children learning Jiu Jitsu in school, he said:
“What we offer can be described as ‘personal development’ workshops, focusing on aspects such as self-esteem, confidence, self-management and teamwork, as well as specific elements such as personal health and fitness. These are skills young people should learn in school but some young people struggle to learn in a normal classroom setting. So learning Jiu Jitsu actually increases students’ engagement with education making them more likely to succeed academically. Pupils learn to cope with levels of frustration as others are learning new skills alongside them. Strategies for how to cope in difficult or challenging situations are transferable to helping students in preparation for work, the rhythm of work, speaking with respect to others and being resilient in the face of setbacks. We’re having a lot of success in the schools we work with and hope to make Jiu Jitsu a permanent feature of their curriculum!”
To find out more about Fred’s work in the community, please check out this short video:
Fred Greenall is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu European champion (2015) and head coach at the Positive Options martial arts academy in Ilkley, England. This year, Fred hopes for his competition success to take him to the World Championships. However, the first step of his journey is the London Winter Open on 5th March where, with the support of his sponsor Scramble, Fred will be competing against England’s best brown belts. So far, he has managed to collect an impressive record:
IBJJF Purple Belt Super Heavyweight European Champion 2015
Grapple Nation, -91.5KG Advanced No Gi Runner Up 2015
Grapple Nation, -95KG Advanced No Gi Champion 2014
Grapple Nation, -95KG Advanced Gi Champion 2014
AD Pro Trials, Shanghai, +92KG Purple Belt Runner Up 2013
AD Pro Trials, Shanghai, Absolute Purple Belt Runner Up 2013
China Open, -92KG Purple Belt Runner Up 2013
Beijing No Gi Open, +85KG Advanced Runner Up 2013
ADCC Beijing Reserve Fighter 2013
Website: www.mypositiveoptions.com
Sponsors:
http://www.scramblestuff.com/
http://www.wilkinsonchiropractic.co.uk/
http://www.christopherbinnsfuneraldirectors.co.uk/
Email: info@mypositiveoptions.com
