The Harbour Rollers academy in Poole holds classes for varying ranges of ability, and is aiming to positively impact his community.
Szymon Lisiak, Head Coach of HR academy, has decades of experience in the sport; holding a black belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, and having won silver and bronze medals in the IBJJF European Championships.
He speaks about people coming to the academy to replace their bad habits with a positive one.
“People stop drinking or smoking and they want to better their life, so when they come in to learn a combat sport like ju-jitsu, it’s very rewarding for everyone involved.
“Combat sports offer someone adrenaline, something that is a similar feeling to those who undergo addiction issues feel, and this sort of endorphin you can feel in ju-jitsu.”
When asked about how physical activity offers people a release in life, Lisiak clearly believes that combat sports give people a much more determined belief to quit their addiction.
“It’s not like chess or football: combat sports allow you to physically get rid of your problems.
“No one gets hurt during sparring, but it’s nice for people to leave their problems behind for a few hours.”
Lisiak recounts a specific person that he helped and how powerful it was for him to see how the person evolved.
“This man came to me in a bad way, he was 120 kilos, struggling mentally, drinking a lot.
“It started with one intense session, and as the weeks went on he slowly kept coming back for more workouts, until we saw him visibly lose weight.
“His personal life with his family started to improve, and I could see that being able to release life’s frustrations helped him to be in a better place.”
Lisiak finally adds: ” Ju-jitsu is for everyone.
“I have doctors in my class, IT workers, teachers, and the best thing about the sport is it’s available for everyone and I can’t wait to see more peopler get involved across Bournemouth and Poole.
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