Iron Grip Martial Arts Academy

A big day for our Iron Grip kids at the ADCC South Africa Open.

We took a smaller squad of 12 young competitors to this one, and they put together some seriously impressive performances across the day.

The team came home with 10 medals representing Rio Grappling Club:

4 Gold
3 Silver
3 Bronze

But the part we’re most proud of is the way these kids competed. Stepping onto an ADCC mat takes courage, especially when you’re young. There were wins, losses, close matches, tough brackets and plenty of lessons to bring back into the academy.

Gold:
Remia Crous
Eric Schulenburg
Madison Daly
Annabelle Jordaan

Silver:
Gabriel Jordaan
Jenna Crous
Talia Vermaak

Bronze:
Jackson Daly
Ethan Cousins
Liebe Symington

And a big well done to Lihan Botma and Joshua de Greeff, who both fought through their division and represented the academy brilliantly.

We are very proud of this group. They are amazing young warriors who keep growing and keep coming back demonstrating their warrior mindset!

Three competitors. Three finals. Three silver medals, and every one of them had to win their way there.

We took a small adult squad to the ADCC South Africa Open this weekend, with Marcus, Matthew and Douw representing Iron Grip. All three won their way through their brackets and into the finals.

What makes it even more impressive is that both Matthew and Marcus have less than 18 months of Jiu-Jitsu experience.

Marcus, our least experienced competitor on the day, made it to the final in only his second Jiu-Jitsu competition experience.

Matthew had a long road through a deep beginner bracket, including avenging a disqualification loss from a previous tournament along the way. He injured his shoulder badly in yesterday’s match before the final, but still stepped back onto the mat and fought the final through to the end, eventually losing 2-0 points.

Douw had a strong technical performance but unfortunately came up short in the final.

Well done to all the other competitors who came out to scrap and make the day worth it.

Really proud of all three guys and looking forward to how they dial it in for the next one. Three very different runs, but every one of those silver medals was earned.

Big night for Mr Dylan Turner.

After 2 years and a lot of work on the mats, he earned his blue belt. He’s also been a key assistant in our kiddie classes, so come Monday he’ll be getting a ton of questions and high fives😁

Congratulations, Dylan. Well deserved.

IRON GRIP ACADEMY
www.irongrip.co.za
durbanville

A big milestone for Michael, proudly promoted to Grey Belt after showing the consistency, composure and growth we want to see on the mats - well earned, Michael. And congratulations to parents Nico and Bianca as well, your support plays a big role in their growth.

A good week on the mats!

Some of the Iron Grip kids earned their first stripe, while others added another one to the belt.

Either way, it means the same thing, they’ve been showing commitment and dedication, putting in the work and improving!

Well done, guys. Keep going.

Iron Grip Academy Cape Town

A good day on the mats!

A few of our kids earned their first stripe today, while others added another one to the belt.

Either way, it means the same thing - they’ve been showing dedication, putting in the work and improving.

Well done, kiddos. Keep going.

Iron Grip Academy Cape Town

WARRIOR WOMEN 2026

Yesterday these women stepped onto the mats at Iron Grip Academy for our Warrior Women Workshop. For some of them it was their first time doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and you could read the nerves in the room before we started. They came anyway.

Then the session got going. Pin/Grab escapes, mount escapes, high-fives, a lot of laughing, and a room of women working out that they could handle more than they thought when they walked in.

The part we are proudest of is the environment. Our female Iron Grip team built a session where every woman on the mat felt welcome from the first minute.

Lynn-Joy, Melissa, Larissa, Irna and Chanelle, thank you for the preparation that went in behind yesterday.

And to every woman who joined us, thank you for trusting us enough to step onto the mat. You tried something completely unfamiliar and you handled it. Warrior Women 2026 ❤️

IRON GRIP ACADEMY CAPE TOWN
www.irongrip.za

Durbanville

Happy Women’s Day to all the incredible women in our community and beyond.

In Jiu-Jitsu, we learn that strength comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s physical. Sometimes it’s having the courage to step into something uncomfortable. The discipline to keep going. The resilience to get back up. The confidence to find your own voice. And sometimes, it’s the strength you give to the people around you.

Those are values we try to build on our mats every day, but they’re qualities we see in women everywhere.

In our students. Our coaches. Our moms. Our wives and partners. Our daughters. Our friends. The women building careers, raising families, chasing goals, supporting others, starting again, standing their ground, and figuring things out as they go.

Today we celebrate all of you.

Happy Women’s Day from everyone at Iron Grip. ❤️