Interview by David Webb, 3rd March 2010
This week KombatClinic.com has had the pleasure of interviewing yet another legend from the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – Professor Vinicius Magalhães  – a fourth degree black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. and the Gracie Barra Academy.
Professor Magalhães or “Draculino” as he is better known, is the head instructor of Gracie Barra Texas and the Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte Schools and amongst his students, you will find Mundial winners, Pan-Am champions, national BJJ champions, champion mixed martial artists and grapplers and a total of more than …

Steve Maxwell: Relson Gracie black belt, revolutionary strength and conditioning coach and father to Zak Maxwell (2009 Mundials champion at Brown belt [featherweight], US Open weight Champion, Pan-Am Champion and [Brown belt] Gracie Worlds Absolute Champion. For those of you that are not aware of Steve he is the type of guy always at the cutting edge of the newest martial arts and fitness craze as they first emerge. Starting Jiu Jitsu in the late 1980’s Steve is a former NCAA Division One wrestler and can claim to be Relson …

by David Webb, 28th January 2010
Luis “Limao” Heredia is one of a select few. Head Coach at Maui Jiu Jitsu in Hawaii he started Jiu Jitsu aged 14 in his native Brazil, soon afterwards he was granted access to THE most famous of martial arts legacies – the Gracie’s, a student under Master Helio Gracie and his sons, Rickson and Royler his skills were honed on the mats of the famous Gracie Humaita school until he was invited by Rickson to travel to the United States to help spread the …

By David Webb, 11th January 2010
This, the second of two interviews done with Emily Kwok and Valerie Worthington, is meant to highlight the work being done by both, alongside fellow world champion Felicia Oh over in the United States of America and Canada to promote women’s grappling. At various intervals Emily and Val are responsible for sharing their world-class knowledge on a number of women only camps with an ever-increasing number of dedicated and committed female grapplers. For further information on the camps in question check out: http://www.womensgrappling.org
Enjoy!
Interview:
KombatClinic.com: Emily …

Photograph by kind permission of Lauren Elle photography
By David Webb, 19th December 2009
Interview:
KombatClinic.com: Hi Emily, thank you so much for taking some time out for our interview on KombatClinic.com it means so much having world and Olympic champions taking time to give us their thoughts on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo and offering advice to those that read each issue. Could you start by giving us a little background to you martial arts, where you started and the path you took getting to your current status as a Brazilian Jiu …

Valerie “Valhalla” Worthington is champion grappler based in Santa Fe Springs, CA who currently teaches and competes out of the New Breed Academy run be Johnny Ramirez and John Ouano. Originally a marathon runner Val has been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since 1998 where she gained her Blue and Purple belts under Carlson Gracie, Jr. and his legendary father Carlson Gracie. Heavily into CrossFit and now a Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Val was placed second at this year’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mundials that were held in Long Beach, …

By David Webb, 7th December 2009,  all images kind permission of Darren and Helen Currie.
Interview:
KombatClinic.com: Helen, thank you for taking time out to do this interview for KombatClinic.com for those of our readers that do not know anything about you or your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu career can we start with a little background to you, your martial arts and how you found yourself practicing BJJ?
Helen Currie: I started training Taekwondo initially when my son started, I just thought as I was there I might as well join in and whilst …

By David Webb, 20th November 2009
All images © David Finch/judophotos.com
Interview:
KombatClinic.com: Sarah thank you for taking time out from being professional Judoka to give us this interview. Can we start with a little background to you and your Judo? Why you started, who was your first coach and what has inspired you to get as far as you have today?
Sarah Clark: I first began judo when I was nine years old at my local club, Kodokwai Judo Club, in South Shields. Some of the boys in my class at school did …

By David Webb, 20th November 2009
Interview:
KombatClinic.com: World Champion in 1993, Olympic Silver in 1992, European Champion on three separate occasions, honoured with an MBE from her Majesty the Queen, 1993 European Judoka of the year award. That is a pretty impressive Curriculum Vitae by anyone’s standards. Which of those awards means the most to you and why? And from all of the Judoka you must have encountered in competition over the years, which proved to be your biggest test, and could you name one individual that gave you the most …

Interview: By David Webb, 20th November 2009
(photo: kind permission of Jennie Kennedy)
KombatClinic.com: Hi Josh, many thanks for agreeing to do this interview for KombatClinic.com, apart from those that already knew of you within the Jiu Jitsu community I would imagine your work as a conditioning coach to elite Jiu Jitsoka was relatively unknown before your work with Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles prior to his appearance at this years Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Submission Grappling championships. Could we start with a little background to Josh Brown and his work as a …