Ian battles to the top

12 March 2010

Ian (right) with his Brazilian trainer

A WESTON martial arts instructor has seen a worldwide four-year quest for a rare qualification pay off.

Ian Rossiter, who tutors at Weston's Sweat FA gym in Winterstoke Road, has achieved in brown belt in the unusual Brazilian jiu jitsu art.

To achieve this standard in a sport he took up in 2001, Ian has visited experts in South America and even taken part in the sport's world championships.

The 42-year-old of Milton said: "A brown belt is not the coveted black belt that general public hold with such high esteem, but belts in this art are awarded on skill level and are given only when it is deemed that the student is of the required standard.

"This being the case it has taken me over four years to achieve this promotion, during this time I have even travelled to Brazil to fight in the world championships and to the academy to learn from the creators of this particular vein of martial arts.

"This promotion makes me one of the highest grades in the whole of the South West.