Jiu Jitsu fever: Fight night for the Sandbergs is a family affair

Meet the Sandbergs: Parents Frank and Sarah and kids, from left, Finley, Luka, Maya (in blue) and Tulley.

by Janine Hill

JIU JITSU has proven such a hit in the Sandberg household since siblings Maya and Tulley took it up that the whole family has followed suit.

Six Sandbergs now attend the Vermelho jiu jitsu gym at Yandina run by Dean Liebenberg, a former Australian champion.

Frank Sandberg, his wife, Sarah, and their younger children, Luca, 6, and Finley 4, have joined Maya and Tulley in the sport.

Maya, 10, and Tulley, 9, both won gold medals in their age and weight categories at the state championships on June 24 and 25 while Luca was a silver medallist.

Tulley’s friend Hunter Cronin also won gold while another Verhmelho jiu jitsu student, Zoe Mariani, claimed silver. 

Frank originally signed Maya and Tulley up for jiu jitsu for self-development and self-defence.

“When I looked into jiu jitsu, I found it was a martial art where a person on the ground could have as much power as someone standing over them,” Frank said.

“I wanted my kids to be able to stick up for themselves but Maya in particular, being female.”

Frank hopes that at least one of his kids will go all the way in the sport.

He’d like to think he and his wife have passed on some sporting ability to their kids as he played ice hockey for New Zealand and Sarah represented Australia in the Olympics.

“They should have some good genes,” he said.

Dean, who won a state championship in his masters category, has high hopes for some of those training at Verhmelho with him and dual judo and jiu jitsu black belt Steve Darty and muay thai coach Dion Homan Binnie. 

“My goal is, hopefully within the next couple of years, that we could take some kids to the world titles and hopefully produce some world champions,” he said.