At 16 years old, Campbell Symes moved from Australia to Phuket to train full-time under 5th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) black belt Olavo Abreu at Phuket Top Team academy in Chalong. Now, as both men moved to their new academy in Nai Harn - Temple BJJ - Campbell plans to break the world record for rolling, a term used for the sparring aspect of BJJ.
“I am attempting to break the world record for the longest BJJ Roll, to help raise funds for RDC Gym in Phuket, Thailand,” said Campbell.
“RDC is a local Thai gym that has some of the best Jiu-Jitsu kids athletes in the country.
“When COVID-19 hit and we lost our Jiu-Jitsu home, RDC opened their doors to us, welcomed the team, and also gave me a chance to teach these amazing kids.
“Now COVID-19 has really affected the gym, parents can’t afford training and the gym is on the verge of closing.
“Please help donate to the future of Thai Jiu-Jitsu, and bring a smile back to the kids of RDC Gym,” he added.
The current world record stands at 24 hours of straight BJJ rolling, and if Campbell succeeds, it would add a considerable amount of time, 12 hours, to the record.
Campbell, a native of the small Australian town of Broken Hill, has won a considerable amount of national and regional competitions, including the Pan-Asian Championships, the UAEJJF National Pro, Siam Cup, Copa De Bangkok, and IBJJF Pan Pacific Championship.
The world record attempt is to benefit the RDC Gym in Phuket Town, where local Thai kids have been learning about the art since opening their doors a few years ago. Campbell aims to raise B250,000, and at the time of this writing, about 13%, or B33,722, has been raised.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling martial art that was developed for self-defense. The sport has grown massively popular over the years, especially with the rise of mixed martial arts (MMA) as BJJ is seen as one of the fundamental martial arts for cage fighting, on par with Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, and other martial arts.
The world record attempt is part of a multi-day grand opening event at the new Temple BJJ facility. The event begins tomorrow (Oct 21) with a BJJ seminar by 8-time World Champion DJ Jackson, going into Saturday (Oct 22) with a grappling competition, and the world record attempt to start on Sunday (Oct 24). Proceeds will be sent to local charities on the island.
More details about how to donate can be accessed here: https://gogetfunding.com/bjjlongestroll/