BJJ Competitor Interview: Patrick James - New School BJJ

Patrick is a sponsored athlete by both
CIMAC/ADIDAS and The Jiujitsu Brotherhood.


One of the many fantastic people I've met at New School BJJ in Battersea is Mr Patrick James. We were chatting after training a few weeks back and decided to do a quick interview for the readers and here it goes:

Hi Patrick. Are you currently training / teaching Martial Arts? Is that Full time / Part time? 
I'm teaching & training BJJ part time.


Which arts do you study / teach and under whom?  
I study Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at NSBJJ and teach at Triccs BJJ Academy


How long have you done that?
4 years in Jan 2016


How do you manage to fit your own training around work and family time? 
I recently changed my job to allow more time to train, I have 2 children who are working/university. My girlfriend has a demanding job during the week so it not a real problem.


Do you compete in your sport(s)? Have you won any competitions? 
Yes, I have taken part in over 20 competitions and lost twice in my weight division.

 

Competition
Year
Belt
Weight
Category
Medal
Southern Open
2012
Blue
Under 76kg
Masters
Bronze
Southern Open
2013
Blue
Under 76kg
Masters
Silver
English Open
2011
White
Under 70kg
Senior
Gold
English Open
2012
Blue
Under 70kg
Senior
Gold
GFT Open
2014
Purple
Under 76kg
Adults
Gold
Bristol Open
2013
Blue
Under 76kg
Masters
Gold
Seni London Open
2013
Blue
Under 76kg
Masters
Gold
Grapplers Showdown
2013
Purple
Under 76kg
Adults
Gold
London Open
2012
Blue
Under 70kg
Senior
Gold
London Open
2012
Blue
Absolute
 
Silver
London Open
2013
Purple
Under 76kg
Senior
Gold
London Open
2013
Purple
Absolute
 
Gold
European Open
2014
Purple
Under 70kg
Masters
Gold
Rome Open
2014
Purple
Under 70kg
Masters
Gold
Master World International
2014
Purple
Under 70kg
Masters
Gold
World Masters Open
2014
Purple
Under 70kg
Masters
Silver
British Open
2015
Brown
Under 70kg
Masters
Gold
Surrey Open
2015
Brown
Under 76kg
Masters
Gold
London Open (Final below)
2015
Brown
Under 76kg
Masters
Gold






What is the greatest thrill you have gotten out of practicing your sport? 
When I started training BJJ I thought one day it would be great to compete in the home of BJJ, fortunately in July last year my dream came true and I won the Gold in the International World Masters which was held in the famous Tijuca Tennis Cube. It was the best thing ever and had good prep training with Vinicius De Castro (P360 Martial Arts & Jose Henrique Leao Teixeira (Escola De Jiu Jitsu).


Give us your top 5 tips for time-management (to fit exercise around life)
BJJ is my life, the art came into my life when I needed to fill a void, it helped me through my divorce and gave me more confidence. Luckily for me I have a girlfriend who supports me fully and understands my passion, although I am not allowed to train on Saturdays as she often finds me a sleep on the sofa Saturday night LOL.


Do you have any regrets? 
Yes, I wish I had started training a few years earlier, apart from that no regrets.


Why do you train and teach? What drives you?
I presently teach kids from 4 – 14 and adult beginners.
What drives me is competition and the will to succeed, I often feel flattered by some of the compliments my fellow opponents around the world have given me, their kind words have driven me to achieve all I can.


If someone is in two minds about staring jiujitsu, what would you advise them?
Most BJJ schools offer a free week of training which allows you to go along and get a feel for the art without feeling obligated to pay. I have found BJJ practitioners to be very friendly and helpful and advise anyone who wants to try it out to go with an open mind.

I'd like to thank Patrick for taking the time to answer my questions. It is always heartwarming to see how the effects of jiujitsu spread beyond the reach of the mat. If you'd like to get in touch with Patrick, please contact him directly through his website or on social media.

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