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| BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // October 2016 | |
Dear Globetrotters,
This is a busy month for me, as I'll the big move to Saint Barthélemy in the Caribbean is just 25 days away. So much work getting rid of all my stuff, selling the apartment and planning everything. But in a month's time, I'll be writing the next edition of this newsletter from my hammock on the terrace of my apartment there. I'm very excited to start teaching the group on the island and hopefully get a lot of visitors coming to roll with me (you're welcome too!). As a start, we have the camp there a month after I arrive with 50 people for an intense week of training, surf and sun :)
Last month, we hosted our annual USA Camp in New Hampshire and it was yet again a great success. My second child was born the day the camp started, so it was the first and only one I couldn't attend myself, unfortunately. But I was there in spirit. And as a lifesize cardboard cutout.
Ok, gotta get back to the packing. Have a nice day! | |
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What you'll find in this month's newsletter:
- Desert & Ocean: Hannah Waddington about traveling and training
- Bringing inspiration to Northern Ireland: Mat surfing in the US
- Photos from the USA Camp in New Hampshire
- Globetrotters Academy in focus: Blackhole Jiu jitsu, Fishkill, NY, US
- Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org
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| Just 3 spots left for the Beach Camp in El Salvador |
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Desert & Ocean: Hannah Waddington about traveling and training |
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"When I’ve told friends I’m having BJJ travelers to stay with me they are always a bit surprised and some have been genuinely worried - they just have no concept of how far reaching and welcoming the Jiu Jitsu community is!" - Hannah Waddington on traveling and training
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The picturesque Moroccan dry land. Jiu Jitsu can be found there! |
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Fancy some beautiful desert, ancient culture and stunning ocean views...?
Then you should probably consider traveling to Morocco. The BJJ community is strong, sun is shining, and it's definitely one of the more affordable places you could travel to.
We had a good talk with a new member of the constantly growing community of travelers that form the BJJ Globetrotters. Hannah Waddington, originally from Tauranga, New Zealand, but now based in Brighton, UK where she works as a bar manager. Hannah loves to travel, and she was kind enough to give us some insight into how she got started traveling and even a bit on her recent travel to Morocco where she met up with the local Simo Cherkaoui who is also an active member of the BJJ Globetrotters community.
Read the story below...
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Welcome Hannah and thanks for helping us with this interview. Let’s start out with some quick facts about you…
Age: 30
Belt: Blue
Profession: Bar manager
How many years in BJJ: 2
Other martial arts: nope
Where do you live: Brighton, UK. Training at Elements Martial Arts (we love having visiting globetrotters!)
Where are you originally from: Tauranga, New Zealand
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I’m sponsored by the incredible Rainha Fightwear who are based in the UK and make gear specially for women :-)
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Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I originally tried jiu jitsu to get someone to stop bugging me! I’d been living an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle (easy to do when you run a bar!) and was seeing a personal trainer as a token gesture towards getting in better shape. My PT Sam had been doing jiu jitsu for years and started bugging me to try it, saying I’d love it. I held out for AGES but eventually gave in and fell in love pretty hard. Now I still train with Sam but we get to roll too!
I initially realized how awesome it could be training and travelling on a visit home to NZ- my coach had suggested the Globetrotters FB page as a way to suss out some training. Stopping into a gym where I didn’t know anyone made me nervous as my gym is Brighton is a huge comfort zone and I really didn’t know what to expect! But, as often happens with jiu jitsu folk, I was immediately made to feel super welcome, and now I visit that gym every time I’m in NZ.
When I got back I started to see the El Salvador Globetrotters camp being advertised and decide to pull the trigger and head there after competing at the European Open in Lisbon at the start of this year. It was - not surprisingly - amazing.
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Ah, so it took some guts to get out there and start visiting the gyms, but after you realized that people will receive you with open arms, things changed :-) Tell us about you recent experiences in Morocco...
I saw an offer in the newsletter and made a bit of a spontaneous decision to go for it - I told a couple people I train with I was going and one of my training partners, Lucy, decided to come too!
Our host Simo was incredible! He picked us up from the airport and as it was Ramadan took us to his family home to break fast- what a way to be welcomed to a new city! Having no idea what to expect we’d prepared ourselves to be sleeping in a corner somewhere, but Simo had arranged for us to stay with a friend of his in what turned out to be an amazing house (complete with pool!).
Simo organized for us to train for free during our week’s stay (shout out Elite Training Centre!) and everyone there made us feel so welcome. The training was immense, and we managed to encourage a couple of their Muay Thai girls to try jiu jitsu- in exchange we had to tough out one of their Muay Thai sessions :-)
I’ve also hosted a couple BBJ travelers myself (Hi David! Hi Steppi!), which has been awesome, and makes me feel like I’m contributing to other people being able to get out and see the world- or Brighton at least :-)
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Hannah and Lucy with Simo Cherkaoui and the rest of the guys from the gym in Morocco. |
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What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
Hahaha, first thing that comes to mind is food!
I love the feeling of being immersed in something unknown - we live every day playing out the same routines, so to drop yourself into something new and crazy and exciting is an amazing jolt to the system.
Now that I’ve got jiu jitsu to open some doors it feels like there’s a ready-made support network to tap for advice and company. I actually really enjoy planning where I’m going to visit too - sitting down with some well travelled pals and picking their brains about what’s unmissable.
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Looking back at your traveling, if you were to point to a couple of things that really makes it all worth it, what would those things be?
Stepping onto the mats in a place where you don’t speak the language, and it not being an issue at all. I was surprised the degree to which jiu jitsu does the talking for you!
Also I think it’s genuinely life affirming that there’s these people all over the world who don’t know me, but are prepared to welcome me into their home, go out of their way for me, feed me, and share their life for a few days.
When I’ve told friends I’m having BJJ travelers to stay with me they are always a bit surprised and some have been genuinely worried - they just have no concept of how far reaching and welcoming the jiu jitsu community is!
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Do you travel on a budget, and if you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
I'm budget-ish! I tend to eat at local markets really cheaply or picnic style lunches, then blow everything I’ve saved on a ridiculous meal and too much wine.
DO IT. Book the ticket, send some emails, and don’t sit on the idea! Say ’yes’ to everything you can. And come visit me in Brighton! |
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| First ever competition legal BJJ Globetrotters gi is here |
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Bringing inspiration to Northern Ireland: Mat surfing in the US |
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"We both just love the whole experience of travelling and learning/competing and I suppose what really inspired us was the opportunity to meet so many people and learn from them" - Becca and David on traveling and training
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| Becca and David living together in Northern Ireland recently decided to open their own gym as the sport is still small but growing in their area. After their first jiu jitsu training trip abroad they were completely hooked! We had a chat with Becca about their approach to traveling and training, and gained some insight on their planning of their upcoming trip across the US to train and bring back inspiration to their little gym in Castlerock, Northern Ireland |
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Ages: Becca is 23, David is 25
Belts: Blue both of us...
How many years in BJJ: I have been training over 2 years now, David has been training almost 3.
Other martial arts: I started BJJ through doing kickboxing and just being curious about the other classes running at the gym. It was actually through doing fencing when I was younger which led me to try kickboxing because of people saying the stance was similar - so one sport really led on to another and now BJJ takes up the most of my time. We both still do a bit of striking for fun now and then but don’t take it too seriously.
Location: Castlerock, Northern Ireland |
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| Becca, glad to hear from a fellow BJJ Globetrotters traveler, and in your case two of you together!
Tell us how you yourself got started with the traveling?
I went to my first training camp at the start of October last year. It was the BJJ Bonanza Ladies Only Camp in Copenhagen ran by Shanti Abelha and Ida Hanssen with guest coach Mackenzie Dern. There were about 70 women on the mats over the course of the camp from Friday to Sunday.
It was great to train with so many other people in an entirely different environment. BJJ at home in Ireland is still small but growing quickly - I had never had an opportunity before to train with many other women at all, let alone 70 in the one place! |
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| So you were hooked, we're guessing? Yes! As soon as I got back from the camp I started looking at other places to go and train. I couldn’t wait to set off again after having a really good weekend of training. The chance to travel while learning something new is the perfect combination. I booked a place on the BJJ Globetrotters winter camp in Wagrain, Austria in January. In between, myself and David went to Fort Myers, Florida for a holiday in November and trained with Marcelo Pereira while we were there.
When we came home we didn’t have long to wait for our next trip. We were heading to Austria in January for the camp, Europeans in Lisbon later on in the month and then Scotland to compete shortly after.
We both just love the whole experience of travelling and learning/competing and I suppose what really inspired us was the opportunity to meet so many people and learn from them. At the moment, we have to drive for over an hour to train with our black belt coach Peter Lavery who runs Kyoujin Fight Academy in Belfast. To have so much knowledge on one mat at the likes of a camp or country where the sport is more widely recognised, is a real privilege.
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And now you’re heading of one another trip again very soon. Could you lay out your travel plans to us and tell us a bit about your expectations for the trip?
We will be flying from Dublin to Los Angeles on 1st December and then travelling down to San Diego. We found a place to stay down there “Air B and BJJ” - actually found it through the BJJ Globetrotters Members page on Facebook. We’ll stay there for a while and train anywhere we can with San Diego obviously being so famous for Jiu Jitsu. We’re looking forward to going to the gym of our head coach of BJJ Revolution Team, Rodrigo Medeiros, but wanting to hit as many gyms as possible. We’re then going to head up to Los Angeles and San Francisco, before going to Las Vegas and on to Miami. We’re hoping to do a bit of driving on the east coast too but haven’t finalised plans yet.
Our expectations…? Well, we have actually just started our own gym last week, Kyoujin Ballycastle (affiliated to the Peter Lavery’s Belfast gym) on the north coast of Northern Ireland. We’re hoping to be able to pass on anything that we learn when we get back! If anyone is ever visiting the area they are more than welcome to pay us a visit. We’re also hoping to go to Lisbon for the Euros so hopefully this will be a great training camp. And of course as always we’re looking forward to meeting as many new people as possible.
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Congratulations on opening your new gym! A final thing as we let you go back to work and save up money for the trip...any advices on how to save up for such a trip?
When I was offered my current job I was lucky to have very understanding managers as the trip was already booked. Once everything was OK to go, we just had money to think about and planned what we were willing to do or sacrifice to get enough money saved up to go.
We came up with an idea to help us save for the trip which I have to say we will carry on again when we get back. We were given a large tin which started off as a container for beer to take to parties. We cut a small hole in the lid and then glued the lid on so it could not be opened. We then put any spare cash we had in there and will use this for food, accommodation, transport and anything else the both of us have to pay for on the trip.
We also have not really had a day off together since about March time - we both have been working pretty much every day to save as much as possible.
The beer-piggy-bank-saving-trick and a lot of hard work :-) ...we hereby pass that advice on and wish you good luck on your trip. If any of our readers wish to offer matspace for Becca and David or you come by Castlerock, Northern Ireland, you can contact them here |
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| 20% off remaining travel gi stock |
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Use coupon code "OCTOBERGI20" for 20% off on all our remaining stock of travel gis (limited sizes and colors available). |
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| Photos from the USA Camp in New Hampshire |
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| BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: Blackhole Jiu Jitsu, Fishkill, New York |
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This time around we're going upstate New York, as we are featuring The Globetrotters affiliated gym, Blackshore Jiu Jitsu in Fishkill, founded in 2004. We talked to the founder, owner, and head instructor Michael.
Name: Michael Wacker
Age: 30
Belt: Black
Profession: BJJ Coach/School Owner Full Time
How many years in BJJ: 18
Other martial arts: Boxing
Where do you live: Wappingers Falls, NY
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Hi Michael, we're happy to feature your gym! Let's start with you telling us a bit about the location of your gym
Quiet town, borders the gorgeous Hudson River. Good hiking and close enough to NYC that you can make a day trip and still be back home for a nice relaxing dinner. The mix of city and country pursuits is what I think makes the Hudson Valley such a great place to live (and visit, come on over!) – You are not out with no cell service and needing a burro to get around (not knocking that, if that’s your thing), but neither are you living on top of other people, with constant noise and activity all the time. You can literally choose which one of those, or mix of those (or honestly, neither of those) you can experience, often with multiple options on the same trip. |
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What's not to like about that - everything you need from both worlds! How did you start a gym in your favorite spot between nature and big city?
I started teaching out of my parents basement at 17 years old with just a group of friends and a love for BJJ. This is where the name ”Black Hole” came from as it was the nickname for the basement, the Black Hole.
It grew from there, from spcae in a Karate school and onto out own initial location location from which we doubled in size. And now it’s a 4,000 square foot facility and a second location in NP New Paltz.
If I were to say that I knew when I started in the basement that it would grow to be something like this, I would be lying...but I just kept a love for Jiu Jitsu and what it did for me and my friends at the forefront of any subsequent business/gym moves I made, and that compass has yet to steer me wrong. |
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| Always inspiring to meet people that managed to turn their love for something into their profession. With over 200 gym members we can imagine a wide variety of students - what would you say define the people in your gym, what's the "vibe" like there? |
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| We have an eclectic group of personalities. We attract all kinds, and this has definitely made me grow as a teacher. Different personalities call for different teaching styles, and I learned early on that one size does not fit all for almost anything that is really worth doing. However, just like there are a myriad of ways to modify the very moves of our Art, so too are there endless possibilities for how to impart that knowledge to others in ways that will make them feel like the lesson was tailor fitted for them.
The whole group gels together very nicely, which I chalk up to (in large part) the universality of Jiu Jitsu; however I definitely make it a point to ensure that not a single student feels like they do not fit in. Our strength as a school, both in terms of the resiliency the gym has expressed during my over a decade-long teaching journey as well as how it seems to keep growing regardless of economic climate, comes from this diversity. Both casual practitioners that are looking for a workout as well as fierce, high-level competitors share the mats...but not grudgingly. They all help each other. I would have it no other way, and I guess that push for egalitarian comraderie regardless of BJJ goals trickles down to my students.
Everyone starts BJJ for their own personal journey – weight loss, self-defense, or to become an MMA fighter; others just love the martial arts in general, for the life-affirming and mentally recharging aspects of it. Most train because they want to be part of something bigger than just JJ – which touches back up on my previous answer. I strive to build a community within the gym, seeing Jiu Jitsu as both a means in and of itself as well as a pathway to a greater end. Yet, I am in no way preachy about that last part, which in truly paradoxical fashion makes that aspect of what I endeavor to maintain more effective.
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That really does sound like a welcoming place with a great vibe...
Yes, the people in general give off an awesome vibe. On any given day you can have 5 or 6 black belts training, all willing to help everyone improve – egos are left at the door and we all just train together. I sadly find that as our passion continues to grow, this message of universality and kinship is increasingly paid lip service but not as emobided in actual practice as it once was.
However, all the while the training is such that improvement comes in leaps and bounds. So we are neither a merely decent school that trades on its sense of community, nor a heartless gym that exists to do nothing more than produce champions. |
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Blackhole Gym being a Globetrotters affiliated gym, we would love to see people come and visit you guys. What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
The Hudson River is scenic and legendarily so. Parks, hiking, bike trails – there is nothing having to do with the outdoors that you cannot find here. Furthermore, the FDR (ed.: Franklin D. Roosevelt) and Vanderbilt mansions inject a deep sense of vital American history into the region. The mix of city and country delights is unique to our area.
We look forward to having Globetrotters stop by and see why they call the Hudson River Valley the ”Jewel of Upstate New York.”
Excellent, let's hope we can bring some stories here from visitors to your place. Thanks a lot for doing the interview. If you want to know more about Blackhole Gym, find them via their facebook page and on their webpage. |
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| Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org |
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| 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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Bogota, Colombia Host: Rafael Gomez
Contact email: rafaelest@hotmail.com
Can host: 1
The host: Blue belt in love with BJJ.
The place: Bogota the capital of Colombia, great city, with many things to do, cool place!
The training: Basically one academy but there are many academies, if the stay is long we can go to most of them
The accommodation: A double bed and a bath. No tv, but all wi-fi you need
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Santa Rosa Valley, California
Host: Steve Nieves
Contact email: tango@cryptolab.net
Can accommodate: 2
The host: BJJ whitebelt trying to make sense of it all :D
I work from home maintaining servers and software.
The place: Santa Rosa Valley is in Ventura County (next to Camarillo) about 15 minutes away from LA county. We are about 30 minutes from the beach.
The training: I don't know about other gyms but my gym is pretty cool. Here is the website: vilanovabjj.com, Professor Beto Vilanova is an excellent instructor. There are of course many well known gyms close-by and in the surrounding areas. If someone wanted to check out gyms in San Diego we have an Amtrak train station close by in Moorpark.
The accommodation: Large private residence in good location. We have lots of room. We can offer meals if you're going to be around and your requirements aren't too specific. We try to eat healthy diets. I might be able to offer rides to local gyms (ventura and LA counties) but uber is also available. Laundry and kitchen are available to use. Private room/s with bath. |
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Muriwai, New Zealand
Host: Oliver Cairns
Contact email: oliverbcairns@gmail.com
Can accommodate: 4
The host: Worked in physiotherapy in Australia and New Zealand. Surfed my way through Indonesia and Central America. Trained and competed in BJJ in South-East Asia and United states over the past 2 years. Blue belt under Steve Oliver. Now working in film and TV Industry based in West Auckland.The place: On the west coast of Auckland. 40min drive from Auckland CBD. Consistent surf - all levels, plus surf school. Cafes and restaurants. waterfalls/ bush walks, wildlife. Golf. Paintball, Mountain bike park, hotpools, 4x4 driving. Many local Vineyards and Breweries. The training: BJJ, Yoga, MMA, Muay Thai, Gym, Sauna, Wim Hof, Massage.
The accommodation: Couch, jiujitsu mats, Double bed. |
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