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BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // December 2016
Dear Globetrotters,

It's so quiet here on the island now after everyone left. Last week I had the pleasure of hosting more than fifty people here for the Caribbean Island Camp and it was—as always—an extremely intense and fun time. I'm very happy to live here now and be able to host more camps on this beautiful island which fits the BJJ Globetrotters theme so perfectly :)

Now I'll rest for a few weeks before heading to the Austrian alps for our traditional Winter Camp in January. All I gotta do is figure out how to obtain a jacket and shoes for a week as I left that home in Denmark when I moved.

More camps are in the works and I hope to be able to announce a few really exciting ones before New Year!

Have a fantastic day,

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

  • Yes, you can roll and surf in China!
  • Photos from the Caribbean Island camp last week
  • Featured Traveller: Pernille traveling the world to convince herself to go full gi…!
  • Globetrotters Academy in focus: Poseidon BJJ, Sweden
  • Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org
Yes, you can roll and surf in China!

"I see the mats as just another vehicle to accelerate and build those relationships.
Like in life in jiujitsu we're are nothing without each other."
Greg Johnson, jiu jitsu traveler

We had the pleasure of talking to a traveling member of the BJJ Globetrotters community, Greg Johnson, who's currently in China taking care of a friend's gym. And he does not miss out on the chance to surf in China, and perhaps even do an MMA fight! Read his story below...
Age:33

Belt: purple bet

Profession: part time travel/business consultant (actually helped a couple jiujitsu schools with the business end of things)/ jiujitsu traveler before that I ran a multi million dollar Starbucks and also a competitior for about 7 years each.

How many years in BJJ: the last USA camp started on my 5 year jiujitsu birthday

Other martial arts: 10 years of a grappling stand up style called keichu-do also called Cajun karate it's a hybrid style it certainly prepared me for a lifestyle of jiujtisu (if you YouTube worlds fastest gun disarm you will find my instructors instructors son demonstrating a gun disarm lightning fast hands)

Where do you live: Living in haikou China for a couple months. I am basically running a school and coffee shop bakery while my friend (a black belt) is back in the states going though a family crisis. He had a tragic death in the family and they are basically taking some time to go home and heal. I'm basically covering for them while they are gone.

Where are you originally from: born in NYC raised in philly, USA but I have the unique childhood in that my parents are from Ireland and California respectively and so I have grown up traveling visiting family each direction.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: through my Dad I am a citizen of 3 countries (USA, Ireland, UK) and have been to every US state except Alaska. 
Greg, glad to bring your story here in the newsletter. You've been all over the world - why don't you start by telling us what inspired you to travel and train?
Growing up with travel as soon as I hit adult hood (basically allowed to travel without supervision) I was off Morocco, Italy, all over USA climbing mountains and surfing and other adventure sports. When discovered I could travel and train it's been non stop the last 3 years. I've been super blessed to train with amazing high level guys all over the world. But the best part is getting to know these guys and meet people in the jiujitsu community. I've always had friends and family all over the world. Now I have jiu jitsu friends and family all over the world.

That's true BJJ globetrotters thinking! So tell us about your most recent travel to China – how did that happen?
As I said earlier a good friend needed some help. When the family tragedy happened they had a black belt come from Brazil and it didn't work out. He knew I was an adventurer so he asked for help and I was game. They are newer business owners too. So it's been fun helping get that organized and training the local staff. Also learning how business culturally gets done in china. It's been an experience to say the least. So far I've been her almost a month. Got about another month to go.
One month in China so far - what have you been up to?
Jiujitsu! 13 classes a week. And then work in the coffee shop. It's cool...it is on an island called Hainan. It is the Hawaii of the orient. I live 500 yards from the beach and I have to ride half a mile to the school along the beach. It's basically the islands Honolulu. 

This week I'm headed to Sanya 2 hrs to the south. That looks like Bali. Beautiful water. I'm gonna be doing a pro surf comp. That should be interesting. Haven't surfed in a little bit. I surf back home all year round and try to surf on my trips. In a couple weeks I'm slated to do an MMA fight. We are trying to agree on rule set and weight. Apparently all the local Chinese are either way heavier than me or way lighter. So we will see if that materializes. But I'm up for the adventure either way. 
Martial arts is an interesting thing in china. They are behind in development of martial arts. But they are quickly catching up. I'm at the school with the only BB on the island. But in the country as a whole there is only about 3 Chinese black belts and 10 overall. With a nation over a billion people it's got a lot of room to grow. Getting to have a part in that however small has been amazing.
What's the daily life like there for you, and what do you like about it?
Aside from the beach everyday and the great weather,  just getting a chance to meet new people and develop friendships has been amazing. The school and bakery are a taste of America. And they have 3 meals a day and all the kids will sit and eat dinner together after the kids and adult classes. See, the BJJ community really played out across a bunch of nationalities everyday eating and training together. Lots of people from all over the world are here teaching English so I eat dinner with a South African, Mongolian, Russian, and Chinese almost every night. All talking moves and just enjoying each other's culture.
Our BJJ Globetrotters community is full of travelers, I'm sure they are curious to hear what you like about traveling in general?
People. I was raised in a tight nit family but a huge international extended family. We Irish love stories and my Italian family loves to eat. So I've always loved getting to know people and learning about their views and cultures. I see the mats as just another vehicle to accelerate and build those relationships. Like in life in jiujitsu we're are nothing without each other. Doesn't matter who you are or your rank we all need each other. Jiujitsu would look kind of weird and a lot less fun if we did it alone. 

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Interestingly the other night I hung out with a bunch of South Africans during the pro surf comp and they told me about the wildlife and reality of just taking a hike. I basically realized there are a bunch of things that can kill you.

Same time I met a head judge for the WSL surf tour and we were all trading tales of travel. So much to learn and experience. I got to give a private lesson to the top surfer in china. I know that's a long answer. Hahaha. But basically the whole experience of the little surf town on the coast all the people, having a good nights and just enjoying appreciating each other's cultures and all loving it.
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Definitely a budget traveler. I also run a small travel consulting group (detour adventure guides) and people ask me all the time for tips and advice. I research research research. Every trip has a budget option. Every country or destination has hacks to get cheap options. For example my trip to china. Most flights were $1200-1500 rountrip from NYC. But if I flew from LA it was $500 and I got a ticket to la for $250 so for $750 I hacked the access to Asia. Every spot is like that.

That's useful information - hope you guys out there are taking notes! If you were to pass on other travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Enjoy and be open to new cultures and new people. Just like each person has their own personality each gym or destination has its own culture and people ultimately we all have one thing in common: life. We all get one and when you meet them you can learn something from them about the world and yourself. If you just train in your gym and stay in your own circle you're missing half the experience of the Bjj community.

Thanks a lot for your story, Greg, we wish you all the best! If you're around China or would like to contact Greg for other reasons, you can do it here.
Photos from the Caribbean Island Camp last week
Next Caribbean Island Camp in Saint Barthélemy announced for May
Featured Traveller: Pernille traveling the world to convince herself to go full gi…!

"The love that I'm feeling for the people I've met training BJJ is a big part of the love I have for BJJ. The feeling of this being something that we do together and support each other in, is an important element for me"
Pernille, traveling the world

Name: Pernille Bredgaard

Age: 28

Belt: white

Profession: Preschool teacher

How many years in BJJ: 2 years training no GI, 3 months GI.

Other martial arts: 1,5 years MMA

Location: Lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, currently traveling Indonesia and Australia. Originally from Denmark

Fun fact: Only started training in GI due to lack of no GI classes. The guys in my gym tried for a long time to persuade me with the promise of lending me a GI for the purpose, but had to go around the world to try it and discover my love for it!
Hey, Pernille, welcome to the Globetrotters Newsletter! Tell us a your backstory for your current traveling. How and why did you decide to travel far away from little Denmark?
I was finishing my education and I was tired! I needed a break so I decided to go backpacking around Australia. I Didn't think I'd miss BJJ that much, I mean I liked it, it was fun, I brought my training clothes, but was not really sure I was gonna use it.
Ah, so you started out not really being a Jiu Jitsu traveller! But perhaps more of a...surfing traveler?
Well, going to Australia surfing is obviously on the list of things to do! I did a surf camp, I liked it, and I ended up with a job in the kitchen and stayed there for 2 months. This camp was located two hours south of Sydney, in a small town, where nothing really happened except surf and new campers every week, so each day started to look more and more like the previous, and when one of the surf instructors offered me to join him for his weekly BJJ no GI class, I was stoked to get out for just one night! I came to this small gym, run by the sweetest Brazilian brown belt guy! The gym was small and pretty new, but the atmosphere was amazing! All friendly and respectful people, and I soon started coming every week for that one NOGI class the gym offered. 

Towards the end of my stay in the area I was done working at the camp and had now a lot more time to train, but the problem was I didn't do GI!! However the gym offered a free rental GI for me to train in, and many GI classes to take.. "Was I really gonna try the GI? I mean, I had tried to avoid it for so long back home.. It felt SO out of my comfort zone.. Was I really gonna try and get out of my comfort zone..?"
Haha, how did you cope with such a big game changing question???
Well, right there I knew the answer! Traveling by myself, learning to surf when I'm kind of scared of the ocean, but trying to train in a GI would be too much out of my comfort zone..? 

I think I needed a reality check! Haha! So I did it! 

It was difficult and fun! I trained for about two weeks before moving on to Melbourne.
So you were finally caught by the gi-bug?
My passion for BJJ was growing inside of me, and I knew I needed to find a gym in Melbourne as soon as possible! The problem was though, that the reason I went to Melbourne was to find a job, because I absolutely had nothing! Not a single dollar to spare!
I asked people I knew who had been to Melbourne and got recommended a gym. I went and here I was met by this super friendly Estonian guy. I explained my situation, and he let me train for free until I got a job and was able to pay. What was so amazing about this, was the fact that the sweet Brazilian guy south of Sydney, had let me train at his gym for two months for free! He knew about my situation, that I didn't earn anything at the surf camp, and really didn't have any money, and he just really wanted to help. My love for people doing BJJ grew.
Amazing...that really is the hospitable mindset of the BJJ community in action!
Yeah, I’ve got a lot of respect for these people who wanted to help, and was supporting my journey, even though I had nothing much to give in return! And even though they didn't really know me to begin with. In Melbourne my love for BJJ grew, I was training 3-4 times a week, and I met a lot of people who had a huge impact on my training and progress! I went from liking no GI, to loving BJJ! -GI and no Gi! It is no longer a hobby for me! It's a passion, and I'm determined to go back to Denmark and keep progressing and start competing.


Well, congratulations to you. And welcome...this world wide community is full of people who have had that revelation! Maybe you could try and put into words what you - like the rest of us- find so amazing about BJJ?
The love that I'm feeling for the people I've met training BJJ is a big part of the love I have for BJJ. The feeling of this being something that we do together and support each other in, is an important element for me. Besides that, the feeling of pushing myself, keep on learning new things, finally getting a technic that I've been struggling with, getting someone in that omoplata that I have tried to set up so many times, people telling me that I can be whatever I want to on the mat! That's what keeps me going and falling more and more in love with the sport! I am definitely going back to Denmark a changed woman!
Great to hear. Let’s hear about the last part of your traveling adventure before we let you go back, what was next after your great BJJ experiences?
My travels then took me to Bali. Here I found a gym, again with amazing atmosphere and great people! I've been here now for two weeks, training first week 2 times a day, second week 1-2 times a day! I am so much in love with the sport, that what was supposed to be two more months of traveling Bali and Australia before going back to Denmark, now has training as a main goal and purpose, I will travel Indonesia for a little bit, relaxing and recharging my batteries before returning to this gym for a couple of weeks of training, after that I go back to Melbourne and train for a week, then Sydney for a week training as well, and then I'm going home!


Thanks a lot for your time, Pernille, we wish you the best of luck in the future. If any of you feel inspired to contact Pernille you’re welcome to do that.
More than 50% of tickets sold for Copenhagen Camp
BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: Poseidon BJJ, Järfälla
"The love, appreciation and encouragement we give each other is amazing."
Steven Antoniou, Owner of Poseidon BJJ

Quick facts about the owner of the gym...

Name: Steven Antoniou

Age: 39

Belt: Black Belt

Profession: Jiu Jitsu instructor, Personal Trainer, Health Coach

How many years in BJJ: 12 years

Other martial arts: Boxning, Muay Thai, Aikido, Aikijitsu, Iaido, MMA

Where do you live: 5 minutes from the gym

Where are you originally from: I´m half Greek and half Irish
Alright, Steven, we're really glad to feature your gym here. Let's start with a quick breakdown of the situation - where in the world are we, and how big is the gym? 

The gym is in Järfälla. Järfälla is about 20 minutes outside of Stockholm City, and at the moment we have roughly 450 people training.

We founded the Academy in 2008 and was just a few friends training. We´ve been really lucky and the gym is growing everyday. 2 years ago we´re about 40 people training in a bunker. Unfortunately we got kicked out and forced to find a new location. That was a game changer for us - a blessing in disguise :-) 

We just moved again to 1.000 square meter premises and since the move we´ve grown by about 50 members a month. We´ve got guys and girls at all levels actually, and we have 2 resident blackbelts training here.
Many people around the world believe Sweden is full of beautiful tall men in fancy clothes and even more beautiful singing blond girls, and that they all make pop music or work in IKEA. Is it really true, or do you hold a different story of the real Sweden?

I moved to Sweden almost 20 years ago after meeting one of those beautiful Swedish women. She put a spell on me and a couple of years after meeting her we moved to Stockholm. I love Sweden. It is a fantastic place to live and raise a family. The swedes are lovely people once you get to know them. Not everybody works in IKEA or sings all day long but it´s true that the women are georgous. One thing Sweden doesn´t get enough credit for is it´s nature. It´s really diverce and very accessible.
You mentioned earlier that being forced to move out was a blessing, but let's hear a bit about things before that. I know the BJJ scene around Stockholm is pretty strong, so what's your story from up there? 

Around 2007 I was training at Fight Zone Stockholm under Hans Ersson and Alan Finfou. One of the guys training there started an affiliate on the outskirts of Stockholm. A few months after that Hans and Alan asked if I wanted to start a Brasa affiliate where I live. The timing was perfect because about a week or two later I received a call from my old Aikido instructor asking if I wanted to use his premises and teach MMA or Vale Tudo as we called it back then. I said I was not really interested in MMA but definately BJJ. He said that would be ok, so I jumped at the opportunity and with some backup from FightZone I founded Poseidon Jiu Jitsu Academy.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they and why do they train?

Man, I have the nicest people training at my gym. We have all kinds of people from all walks of life. We have teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, carpenters, builders, architects, cab drivers and students. We have all nationalities, religions and ethnic groups. I think the youngest is 3 and the oldest 72. We´ve got all kinds of fantastic people and we love it.

The reasons vary quite a lot actually. Some want to become world champion, some do it for health reasons, and some just want somewere to hang out. No matter the reason, I think all agree that we provide an environment where they can grow as individuals. The love, appreciation and encouragement we give each other is amazing. 

Our academy is very family oriented. We provide activities for the whole family so we´re not just a BJJ academy anymore. We offer kickboxing, self defence classes, personal training, Soma Move (it´s similar to Yoga) and of course a real gym.
We're glad to hear that - it sounds very nice, indeed, and I guess there must also be some challenges in running a gym? 
The biggest challenge is of course trying to make a living off something that is a just hobby for most people. Especially when Martial Arts and sports in general in Sweden is practically free. What most people don´t realize is that everything costs money (i.e rent, water, heating, cleaning, equipment,salaries, licenses, further educating myself and our instructors) Trying to make ends meet and deliver high quality services without ripping people off is a challenge.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
I think it will keep on growing for a few more years Then I think it will stabilise. We know that a lot of the schools in our area talk about us and the kids that train at our academy usually become better students. We are a positive force in our community and I think BJJ will get recognition for it. We organize competitions and putting our area on the map when it comes to providing quality martial arts...I also believe that we will definitely have a few world champions from our Academy :-D
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Stockholm is a beautiful city and super friendly. I definitely recommend taking a trip to the Archipelago or one of our national parks. If you´re not a nature buff check out our museums. Vasa museum is freaky and the East Asian museum is a favorite. The food in Stockholm is awesome. If you´re in to the Vegan Lifestyle you will find paradise on earth here.

Thanks a million Steven, good luck with academy, sounds like a real perl you have there :-) Visitors are very welcome, you can get in touch with Steven here.
 
 
 
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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Itaúna, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Host: Pedro Almeida
Contact email: pedroalmeida.ef@gmail.com
Can host: 5

The host: My name is Pedro, I'm 32 years old, I'm married and I have a 3-year-old son. I fight jiu jitsu 5 years and I'm blue belt. I am a student of masters in sports sciences and I am a physical trainer of brazilian jiu jtsu.

The place: My city is near Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas Gerais. In this region there are several waterfalls and mountains and historical cities to visit. In our gym, we like to welcome athletes from other teams to make new friends and assimilate new techniques. 

The training: Our academy is called ARTE SUAVE and has a beautiful social project, with free classes for needy children and adolescents in our city. Although small, we have a team that is united and constant in training. We train every day at lunchtime and in the evening for adults.

The accommodation: I have a house with three bedrooms, one bedroom with a double bed for visitors. I also have a space for accommodation in the living room and the sofa in the TV room. Come and train with us, have some fun and know jiu jitsu from the interior of Brazil!!

Taipei, Taiwan
Host: Raymond Ko
Contact email: kor72@yahoo.com
Can accommodate: 2

The host: I am a blue belt and have done BJJ on and off for over ten years, with a large majority "off". I am at work most of the day and go to work very early so I don't have a lot of time during the week to train. Though not required, if you could be available for some drilling after I get off work, that would be most appreciated. Morever, I've been suffering from a medical condition the last two years which has made training tough sometimes so drilling is probably my best bet at the moment.

The place: I live a two minute walk from the Xinyi/Anhe MRT stop which will make nearly the whole city accessible to you. I am a five minute walk from the Tonghua night market where there is some great eats every night and one stop away from the Taipei 101, which use to be the tallest building in the world. As with anywhere else in Taipei, there is A LOT of cheap good eats around my neighborhood.

The training: There are two BJJ gyms both within reach by public transport or short cab/uber ride. First is Taiwan BJJ http://taiwanbjj.org/en/taipei/ which is easier to access as its within short walking distance from the MRT (subway) and the other one is PMA BJJ https://www.facebook.com/pmabjjtaiwan/ which despite being a little closer, is a bit tougher to get to by public transport. Half of my living room has puzzle mats for some light rolling and drilling. I also have kettle bells and a powerlifting set at home.

The accommodation: I have a guest bedroom and bathroom with a queen size bed which can sleep two people comfortably. I wake up at 5:15am every morning and I can be VERY NOISY when I am getting ready to go to work. I also aim to get to bed/sleep around 9pm so I ask you to be absolutely quiet at home after that. I have a dog so if you are afraid of dogs then you are out of luck. If you have time, though not required, I would much appreciate if you could take him out to walk sometimes.


Luanda, Angola
Host: Massalo
Contact email: massalomail@gmail.com
Can accommodate: 1

The host: I'm a black belt under Sergio Lopes (Z1 Academy) and currently run an affiliate school in uptown Luanda. I speak spanish, french, portuguese and english (and I have google translate powers!).

The place: Luanda is the capital of Angola, and boy is it crazy! Not cheap but having a local guide you shouldn't worry too much, there's km of beaches and the BJJ scene is getting bigger and bigger, plus you'll get to train with us!

The training: Z1 Team Elite. We are a small school but are always happy to receive new training partners and visitors, you'll be more than welcome to train BJJ with us. Our gym also offers Crossfit lv 1, western boxing and kick boxing (for a fee).

The accommodation: It will depend on availability, but I have a couch if you are crashing for 2 or 3 days!
Otherwise I'll help you find all the best spots in town and am generaly available for a coffee on weekends!
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