Schemmerhofer Nico Pulvermüller has achieved what others dream of: making the leap into professional sport. And that in a relatively unknown sport. Online instructions and a lot of perseverance helped him. Why the 22-year-old is willing to sacrifice a lot for his sport.
Judo was too boring for him. He had already tried that as a teenager. The rigid set of rules restricted him, he says today. The martial art of grappling, in which many different fighting techniques are combined, seemed to him to be much more varied. “Actually, almost everything is allowed, except hitting, biting and spitting,” he explains. That’s what makes it so appealing for him.
Work and sport combined
Nico Pulvermüller finally switched to the sport at the age of 17. But the beginning was bumpy. “Originally, I just wanted to do it as a hobby without competitions.” That only changed when he took his training into his own hands. Among other things, he bought online instructions from outstanding martial artists and trained hard. Many hours every day.
At the same time he worked as a car mechatronics technician. “Working and training was very stressful. I didn’t have much time for anything else,” he says. As a mechatronics engineer, he earned well. Nevertheless, he finally decided on the sport. In January of this year he quit his job to focus fully on grappling. “Now I’m worse off financially. But I noticed that I have a lot of potential and would like to practice grappling as a professional.” Above all, the top athlete now has more time that he can also use for regeneration.
Commitment Award
This has recently paid off at the World Cup in Spain. In the weight class up to 71 kilograms he won silver in October this year (SZ reported). “It is indescribable that I was able to achieve this goal. The fact that I’ve already won a medal shows that it was the right decision to go for grappling.”
According to his own statements, Pulvermüller trained around six hours a day in the run-up to the World Cup. But there are hardly any sponsors for the sport. “We almost only get material sponsorship.” He earns his money primarily with sports courses. Since this year he has also built his own team, with which he trains regularly. “We all do the same sport and we all want to get better.” With his victory in Spain as vice world champion in Spain, there is no question that Nico Pulvermüller is the best of them. “Now I really enjoy passing on my knowledge,” he says.
Nico Pulvermüller will now also be honored by the community of Schemmerhofen for his sporting performance on Wednesday, December 7th.
