NINE-YEAR-OLD Ellenbrook boy Jarrah Blackmore is training hard ahead of next year’s Brazilian jiu jitsu world competition, having taken part in 35 competitions in the two years since he began.

He has competed and won multiple state titles and competitions in Perth and the southwest for his age, belt and weight and came second place in the International Brazilian jiu jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan Pacific Championship in Melbourne.

Jarrah trains Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) out of Ellenbrook’s Perth Martial Arts Centre under the guidance of master Goioere and his son William Dias, who is also a multi-time world BJJ champion.

Master Goioere said Jarrah’s journey has been an uphill battle against fierce competitors from over east where more opportunities to compete created tough opponents to defeat.

“In his division it’s always very tough with a lot of good kids but we’re very happy with the way he’s doing,” he said.

“We’re very isolated here but his level is comparable to the other kids who have it easier because they compete more than him.

“In Perth we’re so far from everything and big competitions you need to spend a few big dollars to travel there.

“If you talk about Brazil, it’s different, but here (in Australia) kids have a lot of things to do for fun so it’s hard to focus on jiu jitsu.”

Master Goioere said Jarrah’s unique strength was his outstanding stamina.

“One particular thing Jarrah has is his stamina is unbelievable — since he began in BJJ his stamina was always very good, and his fitness,” he said.

“When he does private lessons with me sometimes, I make him go for one hour non-stop and we work on cardio and techniques for an hour and the other students gas out but he doesn’t.

“I think for some kids, their parents have to push them very hard to do things but it’s an easy job for (Jarrah’s father), because he loves to be involved as much as he can and is serious about it, but Jarrah loves it so it’s easy.

“If (Jarrah) could, he would live at the gym.”

Jarrah’s father Gordon Blackmore said training in Ellenbrook was a supportive environment for a developing BJJ practitioner as the grappling community’s bond was strong in the area.

“It’s good training here because you see friends from school and friends you might see at inter school carnivals you might meet,” he said.

“Your competition team’s pretty tight knit — the kids from this club compete a lot and their team is very tight knit.”

Mr Blackmore said he began training BJJ from a humble invitation by a friend who practised the grappling martial art.

“So, how he got started, his best friend actually started doing it first and kept asking and kept asking and finally he decided to come down and try it,” he said.

“He was doing soccer at the time and decided this was more fun and what he wanted to stick to.

“Jarrah decided to go from there and started training full power at this.”

The road ahead remains full of action for the young Ellenbrook grappler.

Mr Blackmore said Jarrah’s journey will eventually build up to him aiming to compete in the world BJJ championships in Abu Dhabi next year and will be looking for support to get him there.

“Next year, he will be attending the Abu Dhabi World Championships along with as many state titles in Australia as we can get to,” he said.

“We will be looking for potential sponsorships and doing some fundraising to help assist getting him over there.”

At the end of October, Jarrah will be re-attending the IBJJF Pan Pacific Titles in Melbourne looking to replace his previous silver medal win with gold.