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BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // July 2016
Dear Globetrotters,

Our mega-camp in Belgium is over and I'm back home in Copenhagen for a short while. I'm tired, bruised, hung over, emotional, sore and with a big smile on my lips. A quarter thousand people on the mats. Another shot of my drug, another week spent in the real world. For me, it's always an overwhelming high of connecting with people, laughter and a sense that creating these experiences for myself and others is the right path for me in life.

We will now all be back in the Matrix for a while, but don't fear, there is another red pill if you want it. One week until UK camp. This summer is insane.

Have a fantastic day,

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

  • Feature: The history and future of mat surfing
  • Make strangers your friends: Meet some of the hosts from matsurfing.org
  • Globetrotters Academy in focus: Bangkok Fight Lab, Thailand
  • Photos from the Summer Camp in Belgium
  • Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org

We welcome anyone, regardless of team, affiliation and experience to join the BJJ Globetrotters Beach Camp in Casa Kickapoo, El Salvador. This is the world’s most luxurious paradise get-away for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners, held in one of the most beautiful and exotic places we could find on earth. And it’s easy to get to with a relatively short flight from several major airports in the United States. We are cutting absolutely no corners for this camp and everything is taken care of for you in this all inclusive week, where the only thing you have to do, is to show up at the airport.
The history and future of matsurfing.org
"in my gym, we've had guests coming in for training from all over the world
 pretty much every week for the last five years since I did my big trip. 
I always try to find time for sightseeing, burgers and picking them up when they're here, that's the least I can do." 
-Christian Graugart, mat surfing host and founder of matsurfing.org

Surfing on other people's mats!
If you've read this newsletter before or spent time on the BJJ Globetrotters facebook group you should be no stranger to the concept of mat surfing. If not, the concept is fortunately very simple: It means traveling somewhere nice, and staying with a friendly BJJ practitioner as your hosts for free while you train in the local gym. These days many people in the BJJ Globetrotters community get together around the world, offering each other couches, beds, and rooms and share their mat space.

The feed on the BJJ Globetrotters Facebook Group is stock full of daily requests and offers for sharing mat space around the world



It all started with one trip around the world
This kind of traveling is also the backbone of the epic travel adventure Christian Graugart undertook and documented in his book "The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Globetrotter". But while the mat surfing trend is now luckily spreading steadily across the community, it wasn't always like this. We interviewed Christian and asked him - among other things - how it all started for him:

"I guess my first "matsurfing" trip was all the way back in 2003, when a guy from a local academy in Portland, Oregon hosted me for two weeks while I trained there. And it just kind of kept going from there. Every trip I made for training, I ended up finding someone to stay with and it was always such a good experience compared to being alone in a hotel or something. From an "early" age (when I started traveling alone around 19-20), I really got to know people from around the world on a very personal level and I think it has brought a lot of value to my life."
Making mat surfing a "thing"
Coming home from his grand adventure, Christian Graugart was lifted by his own experiences to try and make it easier for others to have some of the same adventures and to find someone willing to host travelers for free.

"When I did my round-the-world trip back in 2011, I started thinking more and more about how amazing it was to see the world from the perspective of locals. I've been using couchsurfing before, so the idea of making a Jiu Jitsu version of it was obvious. I wanted to find a way to help other people get the same experience and feeling of traveling as I did." Christian recounts and continues to tell how his initial grand scale idea of a couch surfing site wasn't as feasible as he had first thought.

"I initially registered www.BJJglobetrotting.com but quickly realised that a full-blown website a la couchsurfing proved too much tough work, not to mention trying to build a social media site to compete with Facebook would be hard to succeed with. I shelved the idea for a long time but later on, the BJJ Globetrotters started to take shape, and I brought it back in another shape than I had originally planned. I always really liked to send postcards and enjoyed the process of waiting for a message or something to dump into your mailbox as a contrast to living in a world of instant messaging and constant notifications. So Matsurfing became my little nostalgic corner of the internet, taking shape of a newsletter that would only be delivered once a month, so you had to sit and wait for it and take your time to really sit down and read it if you wanted something (in this case a travel experience or at least the fantasy of one) out of it."
The demand for the service is growing
Things are changing, although the service in many ways still is in its infancy. Mat surfing receives several new hosting offers each week, so the base of hosts just keeps growing. At this point anyone with the desire would probably be able to travel to 20+ countries in the world and twice as many cities and stay for free while training jiu jitsu. Three hosts are advertised every month in this news letter and a separate matsurfing.org newsletter is sent put monthly (sign up here).

Eventually times might turn the service into something more like the original idea as Christian Graugart sees it:

"The romantic part of it might be over soon though, as I, after much pressure from the users, might make a little searchable version of the matsurfing archive on the website. There are many, many hosts registered now and even though I do enjoy the thought of wanting people to sit down, take their time and scroll through old newsletters to find just the right travel destination, maybe it's time to just give in to technology and make a little search function for old ads. It'll be a compromise between still sending out monthly newsletters and also being able to search in the old ones, instead of just browse them like now."

That said, Christian still feels that a lot of the magic of any adventure comes from not really knowing where things are heading, and asked to tell us what his plans are with the traveling BJJ community he simply answers:

"I don't know, really. I really don't have any plans or goals with what I do. I just feed the huge, living BJJ Globetrotters organism with a bit of karma, then lean back and see what comes out of it. Who knows how things will look in six months from now? I have no idea."

Hey, you can stay at my place!
But Christian was and is not alone with his fascination of meeting new people, and as the global jiu jitsu community expands more and more people seem to enjoy the hospitality of hosts sharing the same passion. Jiu jitsu enthusiasts of all ranks travel the world and stay with people they only briefly communicated with on Facebook. They make friends and break down borders. The number of hosts is rapidly growing, and for the love of the sport and meeting new friends they welcome fellow BJJ practitioners in their homes. We talked to a couple of them to find out more about the hosts and how they benefit from the mat surfing. Check out the article a bit further down!
2016 BJJ Globetrotters Competition Gi
Our first competition legal, high-end gi is now available. Free tracked world-wide shipping as always.
Hosting strangers: meet a couple of mat surfing hosts
"Mat surfing brings people together with the common interest of traveling and the BJJ Lifestyle
 and creates the opportunity to travel and make great friends"
- Rob Wu, matsurfing.org host from Suzhou, China


Joey Carta - going the extra mile
Joey from Connecticut, USA, teaches at some of the BJJ Globetrotters camps and also had several people staying with him:

"So far I have had a total of 5 people come stay with me. First was Ellis Younger who I met at the first globetrotter camp in Copenhagen in 2013, I taught at that camp and myself and Ellis and Andrew Younger have become good friends. Next was Haldor from Iceland. Both him and Ellis stayed with me during Feb when we had a blizzard and got I think 5 feet of snow. They both stayed with me the week of my birthday so they got to meet my entire family. The day I was supposed to pick up Ellis at JFK airport in Queens, NY that morning myself, my fiance and my sister and her husband go and get breakfast. I get extremely sick and have to go back to the apartment. I come to the realization that there is no way I am going to make it to JFK and back. So my sister, fiance and brother in law go to pick Ellis up with a sign that says Ellis Younger. He spent his first night with me at my fiance apt because I have puking and an awful time with my stomach. The funny this about both of these guys is that they came the exact time a year apart. They both stayed with me a week and traveled any trained around CT and NYC."

Joey tells us, and adds "I love having people come stay with me. We obviously adhere to the rules where it's free and I would never charge another globetrotter to come stay and train at my gym."

Joey Cartas hometown Connecticut - go there and you get free training!



Mark Vandermade - visitors from across the world
Mark Vandermade from Taupo, New Zealand has benefitted from having a more experienced practitioner and also enjoyed the company of visitor from far away:

"I have had a couple of visitors in my time as a matsurfing host and in both cases it's been a great experience! My first offical visitor was Chad Wright from Australia, the fact that he happened to be a black belt was a double bonus as our small town of Taupo only has blue belts as our highest rank. Chad took a couple of classes out our gym of which everyone enjoyed and has been back a second time since he enjoyed it so much.

My second visitor was Kaarel Saal from Estonia and again it was another cool experience with Kaarl coming with me to both gyms I train at and enjoying the sites of Taupo as well. Both guys were very nice and fitted into our small family really well and I think they enjoyed my lovely wife Sophie's great cooking. I am always happy to show our guest around our lovely town and would welcome another Bjj person anytime."
Visit Mark in lovely Taupo, and you will be greeted by this sight...

Rob Wu - hosting a colleague
Robert is from Suzhou, China and has had the pleasure of inviting Steve from the US to his gym

"Steve had already lived in China for about a year. He planned to move to the city I'm staying at. He contacted me first and asked if he could come by and practice at our gym. Without realizing it the day before coming to the gym we found out that we work at the same company!"

Obviously it's amazing to have people travel half the globe to meet, and Robert finds it to be a great opportunity to make friends:
"Matsurfing is kind of like couch surfing without the creepiness. Mat surfing brings people together with the common interest of traveling and the BJJ Lifestyle and creates the opportunity to travel and make great friends. I encourage for more people to travel. Utilize this matsurfing program. " he reflects and continues to hand out an open invitation to anyone searching for work in China:

"If searching for work English teaching is a possibility in China (Suzhou where I'm from), and if you're in search for a host or permanant stay in Suzhou, by all means get in contact with me. I would be more than willing to help. RISE Immersion Subject "
Perhaps teaching English and training in Suzhou?


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 our second Brazilian Jiu Jitsu camp on the island! A full week of training, surfing, exploring, beaches and sailing that you don’t wanna miss.
Photos from the Summer Camp in Belgium
Our annual Summer Camp in Belgium is the biggest of the year, this time with no less than 250 people on the mats. It was a super intense week with insane amounts of training (and beer). It's hard to describe the experience, but it's highly recommended for sure. We're already working on booking the dates for next year's mega-camp in Leuven, hope to see you there :)
What’s a Winter Camp without snow?? Come join us in January for the third BJJ Globetrotters Winter Camp in the beautiful Austrian Alps. Prepare yourself for four super intensive days of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, ski sports, party and lots of new friends!
BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: Bangkok Fight Lab, Thailand
This month we talked to Morgan Perkins from Bangkok Fight Lab in Thailand. Morgan is the head coach of the gym and has practiced BJJ for quite some years!

Name: Morgan Perkins

Age: 36

Belt: Black 

Profession: Head BJJ Instructor

How many years in BJJ: 21

Where do you live: Bangkok, Thailand

Where do you live: Nuuk.

Where are you originally from: Salt Lake City, Utah
So, Morgan, how did the Bangkok Fight Lab start?
Well, there were already BJJ gyms in Bangkok, but no complete fight sports gyms. We wanted to create an environment where someone could train with high level coaches in BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Western Boxing and no gi.

Cool, and you clearly managed, tell us about the people that train in the gym - who are they and why do they train there?
Our students come from various backgrounds and include, locals, expats, students, teachers, laborers, doctors, amateur and professional fighters. For the same reason - because our student base is so diverse - the motivations for training will vary as well. Some people want to learn how to defend themselves while some have more fitness oriented goals in mind.
Morgan Perkins teaching in the gym in Bangkok
What are some of the challenges of running a gym like yours?
Building a good core group of students can be the one of the most challenging aspects of running a gym in the beginning. But I think once the student base is established, as long as the coach is technically competent, genuinely cares about spreading the art and has the best interest of his/her students in mind, it is very possible to succeed and thrive in the industry. BJJ in Bangkok is growing in popularity and I think it will continue to do so in the future.

What's the best thing about your gym?
The quality of the coaches :-)
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Exotic Temples, bustling night markets and short day trips away from the big city are your best bet. For longer stays I recommend heading to the beach or north to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Thanks a lot, Morgan, and good luck with your future endeavors - get in touch with Bangkok Fight Lab here
Shorts back in stock in all sizes for the summer :)
 
 
 
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!

***
Dublin, Ireland
Host: Hugo Borim
Contact email: hugo.borim@hotmail.com
Can host: 5

The host: I'm a very friendly instructor of Brazilian jiu-jitsu living in Ireland! I'm European champion, Brazilian champion and I have my own gym in Ireland.

The place: Beds, sofas, mat, shower, kitchen!

The training: Get ready for 3 classes a day and a very friendly place on middle of Dublin city center!!!
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Host: Pamela and Josue
Contact email: pamela.boveda@gmail.com
Can accommodate: 2

The host: Pamela and Josue, brown and blue belt, a lot of experiences doing couch surfing, we are waiting for you!

The place: Palermo is one of the best locations in Buenos Aires, a very cool neighborhood near everything

The training: Morning, afternoon and night

The accommodation: One bed one matress at the living room, comon space
Graz, Austria
Host: Simon
Contact email: simon.kroesslhuber@gmail.com
Can accommodate: 1

The host: I'm a 31 year old physiotherapist who trains Bjj for 2 years now. I got my blue Belt from Orlando Neto who is a black belt under Octavio Couto from AXXE BJJ and is now with Roger Gracie here in Europe. I live with my girlfriend in a small flat here in Graz and we plan to go on a wrld trip in Oktober 2016

The place: Graz is the 2nd biggest city in Austria and it is a very young and green city with man historic buildings and a lot of students who know hw to have a good time

The training: We are just a small group here in Graz with a purple belt teaching but we our professor, Orlando Neto from Vienna, is with the Roger Gracie Academy.

The accommodation: Basically I just offer a couch and a meal. But everyone who wants to visit is welcome
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