A TEENAGER has successfully turned his life around after taking up the martial art Jiu Jitsu.

Jeffrey Almeida struggled with his anger management since moving to Brighton from Brazil just over three ago.

The now 16-year-old struggled to make friends at school and his father Antonio was becoming increasingly concerned with Jeffrey’s attitude.

On his way home from school one day Jeffrey noticed the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Brighton gym.

He spoke with the owner Ivam Maciel who offered him a free trial.

The teenager was hooked from the outset and never missed a class.

All the classes were done in English so Jeffrey had to get to grips with the language as well as the moves.

He said: “When I first came to the gym I could only speak a few words in English, so at the beginning Ivam would explain the techniques for me in Portuguese.

“However I knew he wouldn’t be able to keep stopping the class to translate for me so I had to learn fast to keep up with the other guys.

“The guys in the gym helped me a lot also as they were always trying to talk to me and teach me a bit of English.

“I’ve actually learnt a lot more English in the gym than I did at school.

“Jiu Jitsu has helped me to channel my anger into something positive.”

When he was 15 Jeffrey went up against a Polish opponent who was 12 years older than him.

Jeffrey, who is now studying sports leadership at college, said: “I was very eager, even with the guy being much older and nearly ten kilos heavier than me. After the three rounds I won by unanimous decision.”

Mr Maciel, whose classes are available on fitness provider MoveGB, said: “When offered the chance to go up against a 27-year-old man, he had no hesitation in saying yes. He went, fought and won.

“Starting to train in martial arts at a young age gives you the opportunity to meet new people and build a new network of friends.

“They are all older than him, which gives him the opportunity to learn more than Jiu-Jitsu, and learn about life as well.”