Martial arts take over Capri Mall

Pacific Top Team Martial Arts hosted the BC Absolute King of the Mat Tournament, crowning a white, blue, and purple belt, and women's division champion.

They competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which focuses more on ground fighting and submission holds, while learning skills to grapple opponents and gain control.

Owner Jorden Reichenbach said since opening his school in 2008, he’s seen the sport expand in the region.

“When I first opened my school there was only a couple of us,” he said. “Now the schools are growing, the art is growing, and I couldn’t be more excited to help grow the sports and have tournaments here for everyone to compete at.”

The King of the Mat tournament welcomed over 260 competitors on Saturday, which included athletes from the Okanagan, Vancouver, and even Alberta.

Reichenbach, who’s had to travel all over the world for his fighting career, said having more localized tournaments is beneficial.

“To have three tournaments in the Okanagan, it’s absolutely massive for these guys,” he said. “Without these tournaments they’d have to travel to Vancouver, Calgary or even as far as L.A.”

One fighter competing in just his fourth tournament, is Robert Audy. He trains in Kelowna. He was competing for his blue belt in the middle weight division, and had a unique story about how he got involved with the sport.

“My brother started when he was four years old and if I don’t start learning the techniques, he’s going to be on top of me in the next couple of years,” Audy said.

He said his strategy for competing involves a lot of positions that benefit his flexibility, like the Spider Guard and Inverted Triangle Choke.

Besides the self-defense lessons, he said the sport also brings people together in comradery.

“With COVID and isolation, Jiu-Jitsu has a great community of guys,” Audy said. “You feel like you gain another family.”