Aylesbury Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace receives honour from the King for training the RAF

A longstanding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach running a gym in Aylesbury has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List.

Kevin Capel, who runs the Roger Gracie Academy in Aylesbury, was granted a King’s Commendation.

He was among serviceman recognised by royalty in the recent honours list.

This was in recognition of the coach’s work training RAF serviceman the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Over the past decade Kevin has worked with serviceman based at the nearby base in Halton.

Serving RAF personnel started showing up at the Aylesbury gym and from there opportunities arose for Kevin to teach at the military base.

Kevin served in the British Army himself and through his friendship with local servicemen, he started offering the force a new kind of combat training.

He discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 20 years ago, and through perseverance reached a level where he has now been training professional and amateur athletes under the legendary Gracie banner.

Around 10 years ago Kevin was drafted in to help out with monthly grappling coaching sessions at a RAF base in Lincolnshire.

These sessions grew in popularity and Kevin became involved in an official military campaign to recognise the martial art as part of the force’s sports programme.

"From that point on people in the military were able to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the RAF Championships, the Army Championships, and compete against each other,” Kevin told The Bucks Herald.

"I think I was in the right place at the right time.”

As a respected coach and long-term martial arts practitioner, he believes there is a value in taking up the sport whether you are involved in combat or not. He explained the value in teaching Jiu-Jitsu to the military, adding: “It’s such a beneficial martial art for close combat.

"Now, not everybody in the military is on a sphere where they need these kind of skills. But, just regularly training in martial arts, seems to bring people up to scratch with their own personal health and fitness, their personal discipline. Which then has a knock on effect in their roles within the military anyway.”