More than 3,000 take part in record-breaking jiu-jitsu rollathon

Worldwide 24-hour martial arts challenge to raise money for military, veterans and emergency first responders

Thousands of people around the world have taken part in the largest-ever charity “rollathon”. From 8am on Thursday to 8am on Friday last week more than 60 martial arts gyms linked up via Zoom and Instagram in the largest event of its kind ever held.

The event was to raise money that will go to help serving military, veterans and emergency service personnel with physical and mental health problems. For 24 hours there was non-stop grappling in the gyms dotted across Britain and as far away as Australia and the US.

 Invictus Games-winner Mark Ormrod regularly trains in jiu-jitsu and says Reorg is making a massive difference in the lives of the people who get a new sense of purpose when they are introduced to martial arts. 

“It may sound extreme, but it’s absolutely true that it’s not just changing people’s lives – I know several people whose lives it has saved,” Mark said. “People that thought they had no way out, that there was nothing left for them, they felt worthless and they found a purpose again and a mission, something that gives them hope.”

Through a series of challenges Mark has raised over half a million pounds for the charity. With the all-night wrestle-fest Mark is hoping to push the total past £600,000. The money goes into funding training costs and equipment for those who might not be able to afford it and need help before they get their life back together.

“We are still totting up the numbers but a conservative estimate puts it at well over three thousand,” said Reorg founder Sam Sheriff. “Of those thousands of people, a lot are military, veterans or first responders, but many are just here to support the cause.”

He added: “The more money we get the more people we can help get through difficult times. The atmosphere was amazing. Seeing all the clubs taking part there was such a nice buzz. After the year we’ve had it was so nice to see the community come together like this.”

Sam and colleagues toured as many martial arts clubs in the UK as they could, starting at Pantheon in Plymouth, where the charity is based, and up to Birmingham, Sheffield, Warrington, London, Southampton, Poole and back home to Plymouth on Friday morning.

One ex-military identified only as Dave says that people who have been through the physical and mental trauma experienced by many of his colleagues need a release like jiu-jitsu. “People think martial arts are aggressive, but actually jiu-jitsu clubs have a very inclusive, welcoming environment. And I have seen guys who have benefited directly from Reorg, who have been brought in and introduced to something that gives you a focus that guys often miss when they leave the military.”

Jiu-jitsu is not just for military types. Zinmar Adkin is a marketing executive with two children who is a recent convert to the sport.

“I love jiu-jitsu, it gives me a full body workout and learning self-defence is something every woman should be doing,” she said. “The rollathon is for a great cause – it’s great to help those that keep us safe. Jiu-jitsu is also amazing for mental health, it has kept me happy and strong through a tough time and helped me turn a rubbish year into a great one.”

Jay Asthana is a sports massage therapist who works with injured veterans, and also took part in the rollathon. “I think it’s great that the charity is helping veterans. Jiu-jitsu is a great thing for anyone to try – it has helped me immensely too. I always struggled with my weight and as a teenager that really affected my confidence. Since I started jiu-jitsu it has totally changed how I feel about myself, I have lost all the excess weight and honestly I feel like a completely different person.”

Anyone wanting to donate can go to justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-ormrod6