‘Training Every Day Is The Only Life We Know’: Maltese Martial Artists Feature In International Documentary
Two Maltese martial artists star in an American-produced mini-documentary that fuses Maltese culture with some good old-fashioned jiu-jitsu.
In the clip, brothers Roderick and Christian Bajada share their thoughts on their martial art style, and the dojo they’ve been running for 22 years.
“Training every day wasn’t something that changed our life,” they said. “It’s the only life we know. We don’t do it for fame. It’s just [something] we love to do.”
The brothers’ dedication to training in the ancient, Japanese art garnered the attention of producers Jay Coleman, Steven Jeter and Brad Zerivitz – well-known martial artists and USA-based producers who travel the globe capturing martial arts in various countries.
You can catch their work in the video below.
They learned of the brothers through a YouTube video that went viral three years ago, which impressed them so much, they had to visit Malta to see the brothers for themselves.
“Before he moves, I [know] what he’s thinking already,” one brother says as he fights the other. “It’s quite tricky, actually. Because we have the same level [of experience] and are the same size.”
The two have been training since the tender age of four, and have since been named in Kyoto, Japan by some big names on the international stage. Moreover, they were the first to have brought the Maltese take on jiu-jitsu in the country of its birth.
“Japan is our second home. It is in our heart.”
Their experience has taught them a little something about what it takes to be a master and how their Maltese roots played a part in their warriorhood.
“In jiu-jitsu, you have to figure out how the body moves – how the body works, thinks, and reacts.”
“Malta has a lot of history. Even though we’re a small country, we have a strong culture. Throughout history, the Maltese have survived by adapting. And it is the same in Martial arts.”
“Me and my brother are inseparable. [Our relationship] helped us develop what we are doing today. Jiu-jitsu is the only life I know. I am what I am today because of martial arts.”
“Training every day didn’t change my life, because it’s the only life I know. We don’t do it for fame, it’s just something we love doing.”
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