Ben Attwood recently gained his black belt 1st Dan at a recent grading.

SIXTEEN-year-old Cheddar judoka Ben Attwood, who is a member of Bradley Stoke Judo Club and attends Kings of Wessex School in Cheddar, gained his black belt 1st Dan last weekend, at a grading held in High Wycombe.

The requirement for a black belt in judo as well as theory is to gain 100 points over a period of time competing against fellow judokas also trying to gain their black belt.

Ben entered the grading only needing 33 points, which in effect is four wins with 10 or seven points being awarded depending on how the fight is won.

Alternatively, the black belt can be gained in one day on the day, by winning your first two fights by maximum score and then on achieving this, you are given what is known as a line up where you have to fight three people one after the other.

If you win all three fights in your line by maximum score, the black belt is yours. This is how Ben achieved his black belt.

Although Ben gained his black belt, his biggest achievement of the day was defeating last years British No 1 in his first fight.

Ben’s next competition will see him compete for a place in next years Commonwealth Games to be held in Cardiff.