DCG Success Stories

As a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) player competing at international level, Derby College Group student Isaac Hoult-Walker has to train exceptionally hard. 

Isaac, 18, spends hours in the gym but has found that taking the Level 3 Personal Training Diploma at Broomfield Hall has really benefitted his martial arts. 

He said: “I compete at BJJ at quite a high level and am just about to fly out to the European championships in Portugal.  

“I train five days a week but have found that studying personal training at college has really helped me with my strength and conditioning.  

“I like to use myself as the source for learning so what I learn at college I put into practice in my own training. 

“One of the best things about doing the diploma is that I get to use the gym a lot. The facilities are good which is one of the reasons I chose to come to Broomfield.  

“We’re all quite close on my course and our lecturers are really nice too. They show an interest in my jiu-jitsu.”  

Isaac has been going to the gym since he was about 15 and was first introduced to his sport by his dad four years ago.

A member of the Allegiance Jiu- Jitsu Academy in Derby and Ilkeston, Isaac recently came second in an international competition in Rome.  

He said, “Once I’ve done my diploma, I’d like to be a personal trainer then eventually have my own gym where I could specialise in teaching jiu-jitsu and other martial arts.”  

Originating in Brazil, BJJ is predominantly a ground-based martial art, where players use grappling holds or chokes to subdue their opponents.  

It requires good knowledge of human anatomy and an understanding of how the parts of the body used in grappling and submission techniques work.