Over 100 competitors are expected this weekend at a unique grappling tournament in Steinbach. 

John Sawatzky of Revelation Martial Arts says it’s a Jiu-Jitsu event, which is like wrestling, with no points. 

It’s a sub-only competition which means the matches will only end when one of the competitors submits or gives up. 

“We’re one of the only submission-only tournaments in Manitoba,” Sawatzky says. “I’m not sure if there’s anybody else actually that’s doing it besides us. 

He notes Jiu Jitsu is “growing like crazy” in the Southeast as more people are picking up the sport.

Two people in a martial arts match.(Photo Credit: Facebook.com/revelationmartialarts)

Sawatzky encourages people of all ages to check out the tournament to learn more about the sport. 

“You could definitely see what's there, what you could accomplish if you wanted to. And just showing up for these competitors, they’re already our heroes because it takes so much nerve just to come to a competition.” 

The event takes place on Saturday, April 13th at Clearspring Middle School in Steinbach. 

Doors open at 8:30am with the first match at 9am. 

“It'll be so loud in there,” says Sawatzky. “The coaches will be yelling, and parents are going to be cheering and stuff like that. There's so much emotion that goes on there and tears are coming from disappointment and from winning, it's just absolutely amazing. And what you'll see is it's different than a lot of other places. What you'll see is after a hard-fought match, you'll see the guys hugging and shaking hands and stuff like that. There's no animosity or anything. It's really something different.” 

-With files from Carly Koop