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. On Friday I gave you part one of that interview and here is part two:
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| We could've been somebody. Oh well! |
Do you compete in your sport(s)? Have you won any competitions?
I still compete but now only in grappling, but have tested myself combatitively in Kung fu, Kick boxing and amateur MMA in the USA.
I am fortunate in that I have been successful more often than not but I have of course tasted defeat.
So far as BJJ is concerned, I have fought and won in domestic tournaments, but my more notable wins have all been at the European championships which I won at purple belt and twice at Brown belt (2008,2009,2010)
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| David on the podium after winning the European championships at brown belt - receiving his black belt from CheckMat Thiago “Monstro” Borges on behalf of Ricardo Vieira and Rodrigo Cabral |
What is the greatest thrill you have gotten out of practicing your sport?
Beating people who used to beat me is always a wonderful thrill, but equally being schooled by some of the fantastic players I have been trained by certainly leaves a wicked smile on my face
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| One day! One day I will have that wonderfull thrill against these two! |
Give us your top 5 tips for time-management (to fit exercise around life)
1. have a gym at home
2. find training partners/students prepared to come train with you at home
3. live close to work
4. always try to kill 5 birds with one stone
5. develop a greater understanding of time - you must learn to manage time an don't let it manage you!
Now let’s balance that with what you consider the top 5 time-thieves.
1. injury
2. lack of training partner
3. work - -aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!! :)
4. being the other part of a relationship
5. people who insist on wasting/stealing my time!
Do you have any regrets?
Not in relation to martial arts. Before one regrets and thinks about what could have been and what they perceive they could have become if yadayadayada they should check out what they actually have and who they are now.......and be grateful.
Finally, why do you train? What drives you?
It's like being addicted to drugs but more expensive........hehehehe....honestly i just love pretty much everything about it. The sweat, blood,tears, highs and lows.Great people and ordinary people. Through martial arts I have met people and been to places I would never have imagined. Also i guess i like to improve all the time, even 1% a day is better than none. If you don't go forwards you either stagnate or go backwards. There are also so many talented young guys coming up, that I need to stay on top of my game to keep in the mix.
Many thanks for your time David
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me and I wish you and all your readers the best. See you on the mat!!
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| Thumbs up vs Shaka. Shaka wins. |
What I love about what David recommended in his interview (and indeed the BJJ / Grappling techniques and strategies he showed on the mat) is that they were simple, effective and could be applied immediately (well, once you've installed a gym at home, moved closer to work and split with your partner, the rest is :) ).
I know I mentioned this before but 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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6 comments:
You don't have to split with your partner, just make them train with you.
I struggle with training at home. I wish I could get better with this. Too many distractions and too long of a to do list staring at me.
As far as time thieves - that darn work always gets in the way.
@Family I wrote on Facebook a couple of days ago that it's very difficult for a purple to get his/her partner started in BJJ.
As for training at home, I noticed that just like any other environment it's suitable for some training activities and not for others. For example I seldon sit on a chair or on the sofa. I usually watch tv sitting on a swiss ball. I also pop on a yoga dvd every now and again and sharon and I do a routine together. Yoga helps me lots with understanding weight distribution.
I have had no luck getting my husband involved in BJJ. But I am fortunate enough that he supports me and my love for the sport. Otherwise, things would get messy! lol
@Allie. I know what you mean. Really! One thing I can say though is that jiu jitsu is such a wide field that there might be certain aspects where you can involve him. You two could do team up and do:
1. stretches together
2. cardio / running / biking / swimming together
3. travels together (when you want to compete, choose locations he'd enjoy and book more time than necessary so you have time for a smooch around the town after the event
4. attend club social events together. He might not be into BJJ but jitsuka are more than just jitsuka. He might run into one of your mat friends who shares an interest with him (such as fishing or, i donno, line-dancing!)
Great interview, so happy you were able to absorb from the Malandro vibe.
Thank you meerkatsu. Watch him pull me apart http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150145136867990&oid=113923341963099&comments
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