Fighting Fit pair break new ground (From Bromsgrove Advertiser)

Fighting Fit pair break new ground

8:00pm Friday 22nd March 2013 in Sport

TWO young martial artists from Bromsgrove have broken new ground in the world of combat sports.

Fourteen-year-old Daniel Heathcote and Connor Hopwood, 12, have become the first individuals under the age of 18 years to gain a second degree black belt in the martial art of British Free Fighting — a combat system that is widely recognised as one of the toughest disciplines in the martial arts world.

Heathcote, who attends South Bromsgrove High School and Hopwood, who goes to Aston Fields Middle School, took part in a three hour practical grading which involved performing prescribed techniques, grappling, defending against multiple attackers, pressure testing and free fighting as well as a theory assignment and a written examination.