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| 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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