Liverpool jiu-jitsu ace overcame fire trauma to change lives

Sue King has spent 40 years studying jiu-jitsu

A jiu-jitsu master who has dedicated her life to helping children after her mother died saving her in a fire has been praised for transforming lives.

Sue King from Croxteth, Liverpool is one of the UK's highest-ranked women in Japanese jiu-jitsu.

She opened a martial arts school in her 40-year career which began after losing her family aged five in a flat fire.

"If the little kid from Croxteth with literally nothing can triumph over adversity then everyone can", she said.

A parent of one of the students who goes to Sue's classes for children at the Muga Mushin Ryu Jiu-Jitsu school in Norris Green said she helps bring out "the hidden qualities" of each child.

Another parent described the 53-year-old as a "lovely, hard-working person" who dedicates her life to the gym "for the children".

Her classes at the Norris Green dojo focus on physical and mental training

Her journey to the top of her sport started after the fatal fire which changed her life broke out in her childhood home in Liverpool.

Sue's mother died saving her from the blaze, which left her needing several skin grafts that made her a target for childhood bullies.

"I didn't really know much about what had gone on. Later on, I then got told that obviously my mum sacrificed her life for me", she said.

"It would be wrong for me to live my life without care, to not understand the sacrifice she gave me."

Safe space

She then grew up as the sole carer for her seriously ill father, who was in hospital during the fire, and described her home life as "very demanding".

"I was never counselled after my accident and it was kind of like you just got on with it, with life," she said.

Sue started self-defence classes while in high school to deal with bullies and said it gave her "an escape from my reality, from home".

Her father died in 2008, leaving her with funds she used to open her jiu-jitsu school to give children a safe space to learn.

She continued: "I just wanted to create space where children can come, a bit like auntie Sue, so they can talk to me, they can offload their problems and they can learn martial arts."

Sue recently celebrated forty years in jiu-jitsu earlier this year

"They can learn how to take their values into everyday life," she said.

In 2014, Sue was ordained as a Buddhist monk, and has put the teaching of mindfulness and meditation at the forefront of her classes, alongside the physical training.

"Since the pandemic, I've seen so many kids struggle that I never envisioned", she said.

"Hopefully we can give them the tools and the safe space to nourish and grow."

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