Interview with Rickson Gracie: jiujitsu master and founder of theJiu-Jitsu Global Federation

Interview with Jiujitsu Global Federation founder Master Rickson Gracie.

A concise version of this interview was recently published by Blitz Martial Arts, Australasia's leading martial arts magazine.

This interview was conducted on 29th July 2014. 10am Los Angeles Time

Liam Wandi: How's your morning been?
Rickson Gracie: It's great man. Just waiting for your call and excited about this new endeavour.

LW: Of course, and we are all excited. The whole jiujitsu community is excited. We met a couple of times during your seminars, once in Amsterdam and once in Glasgow and I am curious, were you thinking about forming the federation as far as back then in 2012?
RG: The idea of doing something about the sport is always on my mind and a while ago a friend of mine tried to create a new federation and gave me that idea. But at the time he wanted to have me in it but also to be the main responsible for it which I disagreed with because once I get into a federation, it will have my body and soul and creativity and ideas and I cannot just be his employee so we didn't go through with the idea. Finally, I got into a position to go ahead and create my idea and everything just fell into place.


LW: Fantastic. What is your role within the newly started JJGF?
RG: My role, with my current experience, is that I could identify the real problem with we have to solve today. Then, I give my input and my ideas on how we can approach and address that.
My partners, experts in technology and the corporate sides, and I will get together and try to build a platform where the message can be exposed and shared. We are working to achieve a very balanced federation between the technological and the business sides.

LW: Absolutely. What would you say is the mission statement of the Jiu-jitsu Global Federation (JJGF)?
RG: It's service. Our mission statement is service because I think that's what is the most important need, not only for the sport but also for the community.

BJJ Interview: NVM Jiujitsu Founder Nathan Spain

I recently had the chance to have a conversation with Mr Nathan Spain, founder of one of the youngest and most exciting brands on the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gi market: NVM Jiujitsu. I met Nathan a few times at my friend Michel Verhoeven's seminars down in Kent and I could really sense his dedication to the art, the community and was so impressed by his uncompromising attitude towards quality, I thought it'd be cool to have a chat about his background and how the Non-Violent-Movement Brand came about (how cool is that name?!)

Nathan was kind enough to answer my interview questions and I'm currently in the process of reviewing two of his lines: "Death of the Ego" & "Order & Progress" so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming reviews. In the meantime, Mr Nathan Spain.

Hello. Why don’t we start by you telling us a little about yourself?

Efficient Judo Interview: Neno Avelov & Peter Yeo

I was introduced to the gentle way of Judo back when I lived in Manchester by a fantastic coach. Her name is Sophie Cox. Sophie is a great and very pedagogic teacher with a ton of patience and an iron will. I feel very privileged that I got my start with her (all the way to my 2nd Kyu (Blue Belt)) but more importantly that I can call her a friend.



Since moving to London, the little time I still have for judo has been spent mainly at The Tokei Martial Arts Centre (with a session here or there down at the Budokwai). The reason I ended up at Tokei is, without a shadow of a doubt, the people and the vibe. Two of the coaches and players there that really exemplify this vibe are Mr Neno Avelov and Mr Peter Yeo so when I discovered they're working on an online judo project, I thought I'd put together a quick interview to shed some light on what it is they're hoping to achieve with it.

Interview with Mr Neno Avelov & Mr Peter Yeo:

BJJ / Grappling Interview: Roger Gracie

Interviewing jiujitsu legends is a huge honor and privilege. Interviewing Mr Roger Gracie, is doubly so, simply because he's such a gentleman and a warrior. I cannot think of anyone in the jiujitsu world who can question his class. In this interview below (shot and edited by Mr Sam Wandi and Mr Lee Skillet, at RGA HQ in London months before Roger's victory against Buchecha), Roger talks about the pivotal forces that drive him. I hope you enjoy it.

Many thanks for the team at RGA HQ, Sam, Lee and www.fighermag.se for making this happen.
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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

Check for more resources on Amazon.com:

BJJ Interview: Valor Kimono Founder Kevin Adshead

I recently ordered a beautiful gi-material brown belt from Valor Fightwear after a very positive review from my friend Seymour at Meerkatsu. I was so impressed with the quality and aesthetics of the belt I contacted the company for an interview and got through to Mr Kevin Adshead, the founder. He was very generous with his time. I hope you enjoy it.

Hello. Why don’t we start by you telling us a little about yourself?

My name is Kevin, I am 34 years old and I am originally from London and now live in Essex. I am the owner of Valor Fightwear and I also own/run a couple of gi stores as well.

BJJ / Grappling interview: Grapple Nation Promoter Jake Cross

As some may know, I recently did a 20-min submission only jiujitsu super fight at Grapple Nation 7, a well run grappling promotion up in Manchester, in the North West of England (more on my match in a future post). I thought it'd be a good opportunity to interview the event promoter, my friend Jake Cross.

Hello. Why don’t we start by you telling us a little about yourself? 
Hi Liam, my name is Jake Cross and I am 25 years old from Manchester, England. I am an events promoter that has brought such event as Sub-North, Grapple Nation and now Empire Grappling Events Ltd.

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