BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // July 2015
Dear Globetrotters, 

It's finally summer (at least where I live) and the amount of travel projects and stories I hear about are crazy at the moment. I'm really happy and proud that our community has been able to inspire so many people to go out and explore the world with a gi in the backpack, using Jiu Jitsu as a vehicle to meet people and create experiences for themselves. We have way more stories about this than we can fit in each newsletter, but we are trying to select some good ones for you and hope you will enjoy reading about them as much as we do.

Recently, we've really put a big effort into sponsoring travelers doing these amazing trips and are glad that we can give something back to the community. More people than ever are on the road all over the world right now with our travel gis and patches, visiting countless academies and spreading good vibes in the Jiu Jitsu world, battling the close minded politics and making the world a better place, one tap at a time.

For any stories of people traveling to interesting places to train BJJ, send a mail to newsletter@bjjglobetrotters.com and we'll include it in the next newsletter!

Have a fantastic day,

What you'll find in this month's newsletter:

  • New sponsored travelers

  • Travelling the BJJ Silk Road (and wrestling in an old Soviet bunker)

  • Caribbean Island Camp in December

  • Hitchhiking through Russia in 30 days

  • Upgraded Winter Camp is back in January

  • A chance encounter with a fellow Globetrotter in Taiwan: A thank-you note to the community!

  • Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org
New sponsored travelers
Oliver Hayawaka: "This trip was about taking the road least travelled"
Dunhuang, Northern China
Oliver Hayawaka is currently travelling "The Silk Road" which spans several thousand km. and is planning on visiting over a dozen countries in Central Asia and the Middle-East. We caught up with him as he was located in a small village in Kyrgyzstan, having just completed a practice session with the Kyrgyzstani National Judo Team.

Thanks for talking to us Oliver. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am half English, half Japanese, born in America, I grew up in China and Poland and get told I look Mexican on most days. After working in China for eight years, most recently at the British Consulate in Shanghai, I gave up my expat life and moved back to the UK to start what will be a new chapter of my life in academia, I will be starting a PhD this September.

I started BJJ about 7 years ago and I am a purple belt under Prof. Tony Eduardo Lima. I currently train at Elements Martials Arts in Brighton, UK.

I had always regretted never learning a martial art when I was younger, especially because I had lived in China for 5 years from the age of four until nine. For years I would look back and think damn, I could quite literally have been the Karate Kid! In the end, and ironically, it was in China where I started training BJJ almost twenty-five years later having moved back there to work. My passion had until then always been rugby, though years of injuries and surgeries meant I increasingly spent more time on the sidelines then playing. It eventually got to the point where it just wasn’t realistic to try to stay in the sport and so I decided to give it up, or rather it gave up on me. This of course left a huge void in my life that I desperately needed to fill. After both back and knee surgeries I knew that it was not going to be wise to start a striking based style, not that I knew exactly what BJJ would entail, but it seemed the right martial art that would give me the balance of learning to defend myself and releasing some aggression, but in a way that worked the mind without completely destroying the body…plus knowing at the back of my head that it was supposedly the most effective martial art out there made it that bit more appealing!
[From left to right] Prof. Stanley Tam, Oliver and  Prof. Tony Eduardo
You're currently on an exciting BJJ trip, that you call "Silk Road Jiu Jitsu". What's that about?
My PhD is going to be about China-Middle East relations, the New Silk Road. As I had about 5 months before my course started I did not see the point in working but rather thought that if I was going to become an expert on the Silk Road then it made sense to have actually seen it! So it did not start as a BJJ project. But having travelled with my gi before, I intended to do the same for this trip. Gradually I started to realise just how unique an idea it would be to try to train at every BJJ gym along the Silk Road. I also thought I would just upload some photos along the way, but again the concept deserved much more than this. Literally within days the idea of ‘Silk Road Jiu Jitsu’ and the plan to film the entire trip came about.

But importantly, this trip was about taking the road least travelled. If I met a famous world class BJJ practitioner then fantastic, but I am far more interested in meeting the people and seeing the gyms that we do not hear about or see in YouTube documentaries. As I started BJJ in China at a time when it was just a handful of students laying out the mats for each session, I already knew the passion that existed in these parts of the world where the sport was less developed. Most of us are now spoilt with the option of different black belt instructors and many gyms to choose from in our hometowns, this is not the reality for most people. You might be lucky to have a blue belt teach you in many parts of China, a purple belt instructor in Central Asia is about as high as it goes, yet these instructors will potentially be some of the most influential people in BJJ in the future as they will be responsible for bringing in an entirely new generation of BJJ practitioners from parts of the world that many people have never heard of! This is what I wanted to learn more about and share.
Almaty, Kazakhstan
What have been some of your favourite destinations?
It is very hard to say because for different reasons everywhere has provided it’s own unique experience. Also, I am only about half way through my trip with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia still to come in the next few weeks and then the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Palestine where I know it is going to be absolutely incredible and eye opening.

It is also a bit hard to comment because, for example, having lived in China for so many years I often forget that what has become quite normal to me is really fascinating to other people. So though most people following my trip have probably been more interested in simply seeing, and being stunned by, how big BJJ is in China. For me, going back there and documenting it was incredible as I got to witness how far the sport had grown since I started training there. But also, it was a privilege to see my first ever instructor Prof. Stanley Tam, who was a blue belt when we first met, now not just become a black belt but a leading authority in promoting BJJ in China.

But in terms of something completely new and eye opening, it is definitely my experience so far in Central Asia. With such a heritage in grappling sports like wrestling, judo and sambo, plus simply being countries full of tough people, I knew that even if there were not many BJJ gyms and the members were mainly lower ranked belts that they would be really good. I have not been disappointed. In particular, I will never forget going to Bars BJJ in Kazakhstan. They train in a huge bunker built during the Soviet period that has been used by world-class grapplers from all disciplines. I was told it was quite a small turn out the day I was there, just 60 of them!! They were some of the scariest ‘white’ belts I have ever come across!
Bars BJJ in Kazakstan
Have you had weird or unexpected incidents during your trip so far?
Well, as I sit here writing this in a village in the middle of nowhere in Kyrgyzstan, I have just come back from hanging out with the Kyrgyzstan Men’s National Judo team. This includes, filming their morning run and drilling session, watching them pray together before killing a sheep that they then ate for lunch, eating that sheep, interviewing the 12th ranked Heavyweight in the world and finally watching them compete at arm wrestling! So just another regular day!

I think expecting the unexpected is a huge part of travelling in general and has certainly been the case during this trip. Unfortunately this can be a bad thing, like when I decided to stay one extra night in Shanghai, going out for a few drinks on an empty stomach, then waking up writhing in agony in the morning and rushing to the doctor with a suspected stomach ulcer, being ultra sounded for potential appendicitis and finally diagnosed with acute gastro enteritis. The resultant medical bills and cancelled trains and flights cost me almost a month’s travel budget!

But on the other hand, a random conversation on a train across northern China lead to me spending 4 days in a village hosted by an ethnic Uighur family, China’s minority Muslim community. This was an incredibly rare opportunity and my time there has actually contributed to an article I have just written for a political journal.

But something that I really want to share is what I suppose should not have been unexpected but has been a real highlight for me every time I visit a new gym. As you can imagine I have now met a lot of people from different countries and walks of life, yet I have had literally the identical BJJ conversation with every single one of them! It is the conversation that anyone who has trained BJJ for more than a couple of months knows too well. It is the story of how BJJ has changed their lives in immeasurable ways, how it has brought so much more than just health, it has given them focus, brought balance to their lives, made them better people, the list goes on and on. It is a conversation that never gets boring because it is such a genuine feeling that we all have for this sport. For me to feature as even one small moment in their BJJ journey is a real honour.
Sharing some techniques at Gracie Barra in Almaty, Kazakstan
What are your future plans?
Like every BJJ practitioner my plan is just to keep training and enjoying the journey. Unfortunately after finding a new home at Elements Martial Arts in Brighton I will be moving to a new city once I get back to the UK so I'll have to look for a new gym. But if there is anything I have learnt from visiting gyms around the world is that in this sport it is never hard to find a new and welcoming place to train.

But besides continuing to train, this trip has completely opened my eyes to documenting BJJ. I cannot see myself trying to make a living out of it but it is definitely something I want to take forward. What most people do not know is that I did not even own a camera before this trip and even now I have only just got my head around the basic functions of one, needless to say I have never made any sort of documentary before. But each day I have got a bit better and have definitely found a new passion in filming. Consequently I have so many new ideas of other cool trips and documentaries that I would like to make. I just apologise to the first gyms that I went to who unfortunately did not get the best of my film making skills!

Anything you would like to add?
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone that has been involved in my trip so far. If it all ended now (touch wood) then the experience would already have surpassed my expectations. Particular thanks must go to Shanghai BJJ, not only because that is where it all started for me and therefore this trip would never have existed without me walking into that gym all those years ago, but also for the time I spent there during the trip and the focus my old team mates gave me to make sure I made the most out of this journey.

I also really want to thank the guys at Elements Martial Arts in Brighton. I have trained at many gyms and it is hands down one of the best places I have ever been to. I especially want to thank Prof. Yousuf Nabi who is not only one of the most genuine people I have met and a brilliant instructor, but has been incredibly supportive of this project from day one and continues to keep me motivated today. This gym is also very Globetrotter friendly so please do get down there if you find yourself in the UK, it’s only an hour from London and is by the beach!!

Finally, please do follow the journey on Facebook and YouTube, Silk Road Jiu Jitsu. I am not making any money out of this so it is just about sharing the experience. In particular, I upload techniques from the instructors at all the gyms I go to so there is some pretty cool stuff on there. Also, hopefully not long after I get back I will upload the documentary!

Finally finally, a big thank you to Scramble Brand who gave me some sweet gear to wear during the trip! I can no longer count how many times people have threatened to steal my Sakuraba Gi!
Caribbean Island camp in December
Come run away from the cold winter together with us! The tiny island of Saint Barthelemy in the Caribbean used to be a hideout for pirates before Sweden and France invaded. Today it is usually off limit for anyone but Hollywood celebrities and the super rich, anchoring the world’s biggest yachts and staying in ultra expensive luxury hotels.

Working closely with the local St. Barth Jiu Jitsu club, we’ve managed to book a newly built accommodation facility there and will be hosting the first ever Brazilian Jiu Jitsu camp on the island! A full week of training, surfing, exploring, lying on the beach and sailing that you don’t wanna miss.

Check out this video from our visit to the island last year:
Hitchhiking across Russia in 30 days
Pawel Muniak is currently undertaking a seriously ambitious BJJ trip, where he plans to hitchhike across Russia in only 30 days - using no funds on transportation or accommodation.

Hey Pawel! Could you tell us a bit about yourself and you BJJ journey so far?
Hey! Sure, my name is Pawel and I'm a 24 years old student from Warsaw, Poland who happened to fall in love with Jiu Jitsu a while ago. I train at Copacabana Team Warsaw, but the last few months I've spent at Daegu MMA in South Korea where I went as an exchange student. And like most of fellow BJJ Globetrotters I love combining my two biggest passions: traveling and Jiu Jitsu.

When it comes to the beginning of my Jiu Jitsu journey I had a pretty rough start. I started in 2010 and I decided to compete a little bit to soon, which resulted in a severe injury. Fortunately I managed to get back to Jiu Jitsu and since 2012 I've been training pretty much non stop.

Tell us a bit about your very ambitious trip, hitchhiking across Russia.
Yeah, this idea was born quite a while ago, and when I found out I had a chance to spend a semester in Korea I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make this plan come true. So I got my visa, booked a ferry and here I am, hitchhiking through the biggest country in the world with a backpack and a gi

When it comes to the concept, it's pretty simple. I have thirty days to cross Russia, from Vladivostok to one of the European borders. I am planning to travel through the country without spending money on transportation and accommodation. When it comes to getting from one point to another I am going to use solely hitchhiking. When it comes to accommodation I'm gonna use couchsurfing and my cosy tent in wilder areas. At least that's the plan, you never know what's gonna happen...

And of course I'm visiting as many BJJ academies on the way a possible!
Do you think it'll be hard to get everything done in 30 days? Or is that plenty of time to cross Russia hitchhiking?
It's certainly not plenty of time but I believe it's doable. Just to cross the country it's easy enough. However, I have certain plans that may complicate it a little. Obviously if I want to visit local gyms I have to somehow adjust to their schedules, which already makes my plans less flexible. And I also want to visit western Mongolia on the way. From Novosibirsk I want to go south, cross the Altai mountains and get to Mongolia. This may be a challenge when it comes to time management but I really hope I can make it, cause that region looks amazing. And I've found one academy on the way!

What has been your favourite BJJ travelling experience so far?
Well, I haven't done thaaat much traveling with a gi so far, but if I were to choose one, I would probably say it was visiting small local academies in North of Norway. I went for a 5 weeks road trip with my friends, took my gi and got to roll for instance in a gym located on amazing Lofoten Islands - one of my favorite places on earth.
Lofoten Islands, Norway
Is there someplace in particular that you'd love to visit in the future?
There are plenty of places I want to visit. But in general I prefer quite remote locations, far from big cities, not yet discovered by mainstream tourism, full of amazing landscapes. I have several locations in my mind. For example, Iceland, Greenland, New Zealand but also Asian five states - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. What makes those places even more interesting from a BJJ point of view is that if there are any academies at all, BJJ is usually fairly new there, and they are always super excited and very welcoming to all visitors. Also their level is quite high compared to their ranks, cause there is often no one to promote them and having background in other grappling arts is not rare - that's a nice treatment for your ego

What are your plans for the future?
That's a very broad question... When it comes to life I'm finishing my studies soon so it's time to get a little serious, haha. But other than that I want to keep doing my thing, if time and money allows I want to keep traveling, training and competing. There are plenty of places I want to visit and there is a lot of space for improvement in my Jiu Jitsu, so yeah, I'll just keep doing my thing!
Pawel taking his hitchhiking skills to another level, catching a ride from a fellow BJJ practitioner during a competition
Is there anything you would like to add?
If I can I would like to thank all the people that are so welcoming on my way, both hosts and JiuJiteiros. Also thanks to my Dad for financially supporting part of my plans and of course greetings to all my friends and training partners!

I would also like to invite everyone to visit my blog at: rollingthroughtheworld.blogspot.com
Writing is not my thing but I promise to do my best to update is as often as possible.
Upgraded Winter Camp is back in January
Last year's Winter Camp in Austria was a huge success and we can't wait to go back and do it all again. This year we've found an even better place to stay with direct access to more than 120 kilometers of slopes right in front of the house. Also, all meals and non-alcoholic beverages are included in the camp price this time.

We'll be on the slopes with our snowboard and ski instructors all day and in the evenings, the mats will be buzzing with the help of a bunch of great Jiu Jitsu instructors. 

Hope to see you there! :)
A thank-you note to the Globetrotters community from Candy in Singapore!
We received a fun letter from Candy Heng, who has previously featured in the newsletter. She had a chance encounter, recognizing fellow Globetrotter Dan "Imal" Reid at a train station in Singapore and invited him to come train with her - proving yet again that it's a small world! Here's Candy's letter in its entirety:

"I'd just like to let the community know how incredible the BJJ Globetrotters are reaching out all over the world. I have recently travelled to Taiwan for a month and trained under fellow BJJ globetrotter Dan "Imal" Reid in Kaohsiung and Tainan. After the end of every training trip, I try to make an effort to write a thank-you note to the gyms that hosted me, and this time, I would like to make use of the BJJ Globetrotters newsletter to show my appreciation.

It all started from a memorable chance encounter at a train station in Singapore. Dan was travelling to coach in Malaysia and somehow I managed to recognize him as a fellow BJJ globetrotter. I invited him to come train at my gym the next day and the rest is history.
"Me and Dan at Equilibrium MMA in Singapore"
"Last day of training at Kaohsiung BJJ"
Over the coming weeks, my family planned a one-week trip to Taipei, Taiwan. Since I have not been to the other parts of the island and my visa would last a month, I decided to contact Dan. It still amazes me to this day how a seemingly random event could lead to so much fun. Besides having the pleasure of training at his two gyms in Kaohsiung and Tainan, I also had the opportunity to teach the ladies' classes, trained with a bunch of kids at Juijitsu Monsters, and even entered the Pan Asians in Manila!

Even though the competition didn't end as I wanted, I felt like my skills have sharpened quite significantly from Dan's conceptual approach to training. Along with the coaching opportunity at the ladies' classes, I got to learn from yet another challenging perspective. Needless to say, it was absolutely satisfying to see the girls apply the techniques at the end of the day.
"A Juijitsu monster on my back"
Here's a big shout-out to the bunch of entertaining crew at Kaohsiung and Tainan BJJ: Thanks for the good times and the hospitality! I'm looking forward to meeting you guys again someday. Also special thanks to Daniel Reid for everything and to Christian Graugart for starting such a brilliant community for BJJ Globetrotters all over the world. It has been a year since I quit my job, travelled and trained Jiu Jitsu, met some of the most incredible people, and experienced many beautiful moments that I will remember forever. "Keep an open mind and enjoy the ride." :)
July 2014 - at CSA in Denmark
 
 
 
Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org
Every month in this newsletter, we'll be bringing a few of the interesting travel destinations offered by Matsurfing.org. The rest will be published seperately in the monthly Matsurfing email. If you are interested in opening up your own home and/or academy to BJJ travelers, sign up on www.matsurfing.org!

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Viña del Mar, Chile
Host: Francisca Floras
Contact email: franfloras@hotmail.com
Can host: 2

The host: Very friendly,optimistic, independent, I love sports and art. I'm a physical education teacher. I have different independents jobs that I combine with my BJJ trainings
The place: Viña del Mar is a beach city near Santiago. We have 4 seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall). You can do a lot of different sport because we have mountains, great waves, walking trails, etc. Valparaiso is next to Viña and it is considered World Heritage.

The training: The city has a lot of different academies. I have my own Tatame because I teach BJJ at the Big Fight
Academy of Viña del mar. (Also we have others academies in Santiago and Frutillar, which is a beautiful place in the south of Chile)

The accommodation: I live with my Mom in a comfortable apartment located in a quiet place. We have a room for receiving guests with two singles beds.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Host: David Arcand-Windsor
Contact email: davou000@yahoo.ca
Can accommodate: 1-2

The host: 29 year old dude who works evenings, trains BJJ four times a week, and plays nerdy games on my time off from all that. I brew beer at my place, so there's always food and drink, and I'm always down to have someone to share with.

The place: Montreal is the city for festivals, food and nightlife. In the winter the city pretty much shuts down, but we get 12 months of partying done in the 4 weeks of summer we do get a year.

The training: Gracie Barra, Tristar, Revolution, Tanque, BTT. This city is pretty much what New York is for BJJ, only
for Canada.

The accommodation: I got a sofa, and room to take turns on the floor next to it. Clean apartment, shower, lots of food, washer/dryer, near the train, 10 minutes to downtown, and a ton of small restaurants/micropubs right down the street. I got a dog and a cat, The dog is an angel, the cat is probably evil, but also lazy, so I don't expect her to eat your soul.
Portland, Oregon, USA
Host: Chris Odell
Contact email: chris@dsgear.com
Can accommodate: 5

The host: I'm the owner of Datsusara, a company that makes hemp gear bags, fightwear and apparel so the name may look familiar. I have been training in BJJ since 2006 on and off. I'm a family guy with one dog, Buddha that I consider like a son, my wife Maria, and my daughter Kira who is 18 months old as of June 2015.

The place: Portland, Oregon is full of amazing local food and drink and it's a very green city in that we haven't cut down most of the trees so there is a ton of nature around here even downtown. Lots of hiking and other outdoor stuff to enjoy most of the year, but it can get cold and rainy from November-February especially. But the training is always good, rain or shine. Do note that our exact location is a little distance from all the hip stuff downtown, basically we are west of the river so if you can rent a car you'll be much better off as there isn't a ton of public transportation that's easily accessible from here in the burbs.

The training: We are a 15 min drive from Impact Jiu Jitsu, Beaverton location. This is where I train most days, they have a ton of black belts and many other talented students, plus they are a really fun bunch. If it isn't rush hour one can also get into the city within about 20 mins where you'll find a lots of schools including 10th Planet, SBGI, Nemesis, Renzo Gracie and more(10th Planet and SBGI I also train at from time to time).

The accommodation: We have 1 guest bedroom, queen size bed, 3 queen futons, an inflatable bed and a ton of floor space so really we could handle a pretty big group but I'm saying 5 since after 5 we run out of beds. There is a large back yard, we also have a small game room with pool, foosball, and ping pong, oh yeah and 12 square feet of mat space as well in the play/exercise room along with some kettle bells as well. Good sized kitchen and outdoor BBQ setup too, so it's easy to cook at home. Plenty of street parking. Overall it's a nice home and we feel lucky so we like to share it.

I'm pretty laid back and we don't shelter our kid from reality so it's an easy house to be in, drinking, cussing and just being an adult around here is not a problem. Also cannabis will be totally legal in the state of Oregon in about 7 days from now so no need to hide that either if you like to smoke. I do like a neat home and I am very careful who we let stay here but that being said it can be a lot of fun and I love meeting new people in the BJJ community.
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