BJJ / Grappling Interview: Mr David Onuma Talks to The Part Time Grappler

"It helps to be one with the infinite riches of the subconscious mind"


As many of you know, we recently had the pleasure of having Mr David “Malandro” Onuma for a BJJ / No-gi Grappling seminar here at the Labs @ Fighting Fit Manchester. We liked it so much; we’ve already scheduled him for a second one! It was all luck that I was chatting to my good friend Seymour Yang, of the Meerkatsu fame who mentioned David and how he can “transform and guide” our BJJ that I took the step to contact him and here we are now. (Thanks Seymour!)


The more I talked to David, the more I was impressed with his genuine love for the arts (yes, plural!) and for his dedication to the Part Time Grappler Lifestyle. I decided he was indeed ideal for the now world famous Part Time Grappler Interview. Here is part one of that interview:

Malandro and a bunch of Rats.

 
Hello. Why don’t we start by you telling us a little about yourself? (Name, Age, where you are from, family size)

My name is David Onuma. I was born and raised in London, although of Nigerian heritage. I am 43 and come from a large family

Are you currently working / studying? Is that Full time / Part time?

I work full time as lawyer and help to run a busy practice

You also set aside time to practice a sport. Which sport(s)?

I am a die-hard martial artist. It's as much a part of me as my skin!! I actively train/study 6-7 martial arts, with a lot of cross training between them as well as strength and conditioning

How long have you done that?

I started in martial arts when I was 12, but then started to take it more seriously when i turned 16 and got heavily into Wing Chun. At that stage I was young, good looking and had an Afro! Apart from the other martial arts, my first exposure to grappling came in 1996 via Guro Bob Breen. I met the Machado family in 1998 and got my Blue belt in BJJ in 1999. I didn't do much gi work after that due to the lack of BJJ in this country but I started training with Roger Brooking in 2003. I got my purple belt in 2005, Brown in 2008 and Black Belt in Jan 2010

Do you follow any special diet? Do you use any dietary supplements?

Yes I do. I try not to eat too late at night and avoid eating red meat more than once in a week. I eat a lot of fish, chicken and veg. I drink MONAVIE (which is an excellent multivitamin based supplement with the major ingredient being ACAI)

How do you manage to fit your training around work, study and family time?

It’s a way of life for me really so it’s more a question of how I fit everything else around it. It's like asking me how I manage to drink tea, orange juice and water all in the same day....I do. Of course it’s not as simple as that but I am in martial arts for the long haul and not for some kind of quick fix. I therefore accept that it may take me longer to achieve certain goals due to time constraints. Having said that, anything is possible if you believe it can be done. It helps to be one with the infinite riches of the subconscious mind :)

Stay tuned for part two of my Part Time Grappler interview with Mr David "Malandro" Onuma where he talks about motivation and shares his best time management tips.

If you can't wait that long, David was interviewed by none less than Carl Fisher for Kombat Clinic. Check it out.

Most importantly, click here to register for David's upcoming seminar at the Labs (Saturday 2nd of April) and train with the man whom 9 times World Champion Ricardo Vieira calls "Malandro".



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