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| | | | BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // February 2017 | | Dear Globetrotters,
I am back home in Saint Barth after two, long weeks in El Salvador for our Beach Camp. It was our 4th year hosting our camp there and it never disappoints. Outdoor training on hands down the most beautiful matspace I've come across in the world, surfing every day, good food etc. Check out a few photos from there further down in this newsletter.
Now I have a two month break before our the summer madness of camps start in May (six camps in five months). But don't worry, I won't be bored. Our warehouse just went bankrupt after four months of problems, so I'll be busy figuring out how to move all our gis etc. to another one. Until then, the online store is unfortunately closed. All customers with pending orders have been contacted and offered refunds.
Anyway, enough boring stuff! Let's get on with this month's stories :)
Have a fantastic day, | | | | |
What you'll find in this month's newsletter:
- Biking for Jiu Jitsu
- Hitting the BJJ roads of South East Asia
- Photos from the Beach Camp in El Salvador
- Globetrotters Academy in focus: High Rollers, Lichtenfels, Germany
- Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org
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"Traveling by bicycle affords so much freedom, you can go anywhere you want and it feels so good that it is all powered by your own body"
Rachel Wise, Bicyclist and Jiu Jitsu explorer
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| You want to go travel but don't have the money for a plane ticket? Well, if you ask Rachel Wise, that shouldn't hold you back. Not at all! Just grab your bike, load it with your favorite travel gi, saddle up and pedal. Go get it!
We talked to Rachel who spent a good deal of time on the road as she biked over 6.000 km on her way from Calgary, Canada to Mexico City. Yes. Really. On her bike! Searching out places to train... |
| | Hi Rachel, so you like to bike, and you like Jiu Jitsu, and you found a way to combine these two great things. Tell us about your journey...
Okay, my bike trip...so last June I quit my job and left my original BJJ club (Bushido Kai, MXT Halifax) to begin a bike trip to Argentina. I spent 2 months in Calgary with my parents, training at JR Academy while I was there. Then on August 18th, I hit the road with my friend (who does not do BJJ, I can't imagine why). We cycled through the mountains out to Vancouver. We headed to the island and cycled down to Victoria, then through the San Juan islands before getting to the mainland in Washington. From there we took the Pacific Coast Highway mostly all the way down to San Diego.
We crossed into Mexico in early December and cycled down the Baja Peninsula to La Paz where we caught another ferry to mainland Mexico. We then headed to Guadalajara and then to Mexico City, where I am now. I have not kept track of exactly how far we have cycled, but it has definitely been over 6000km so far.
We carry everything we need with us on our bikes and mostly camp, although we do stay in hotels or with Warmshowers hosts (like couch surfing for cyclists) sometimes too. Especially in Oregon where it rained every single day for weeks.
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| | Traveling by bicycle is incredibly rewarding, and very challenging at times. Up until this trip, I had almost no experience with long distance cycling. It took a few months for me for my body to adjust so that I wasn't simply exhausted at the end of every day. But now, doing 100km in a day feels normal. And I don't think I want to travel any other way ever again.
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| | Traveling by bicycle affords so much freedom, you can go anywhere you want and it feels so good that it is all powered by your own body. And moving so slowly, you get to know the land and the people in a whole different way. It is a lifestyle of extreme challenges and extreme rewards, just like BJJ...I think I love them both for very similar reasons.
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| | | Some of the best parts of the trip have been at the BJJ clubs I have visited along the way: Vancouver, Victoria, LA, San Diego, La Paz, Guadalajara. It took me a little while to figure out how to find and contact clubs. Traveling by bicycle makes it a little tricky as I do not have room for a gi and generally get to a city exhausted and with no clean clothes to train in.
But since hitting Mexico and discovering the vibrant martial arts community, I have been prioritizing BJJ more, which means staying in one place a little longer. Mexico is amazing and finding clubs to train at here has been easy, even with the language barrier. The BJJ scene here is incredibly strong, and it is an extremely welcoming, supportive, and connected community.
I am currently training at Promahos and was offered a place to stay and coaching for the next few weeks so I can compete in the IBJJF Open that will take place here in Mexico City on February 25th. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. So that's where I am right now. |
| From here, the plan is to take a bus to catch up with my friend somewhere in Oaxaca and then we will continue south through central america and hopefully into Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina. The dream is to make it to Ushuaia, but we are focused on enjoying the trip and all the experiences it has to offer, so may not make it all the way by September, which is when we agreed to return to Canada.
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| | | We wish you the best of luck, Rachel, and a big thanks for sharing your story. Keep up the pace :-)
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| | | Less than 10 spots left for the USA camp in May |
| | | | | | Hitting the BJJ roads of South East Asia |
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"Be careful of chinese new year, cambodians will give you free beers and your berimbolo won’t be as good the next morning" Benjamin Ledudal, SE Asia BJJ Traveler
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| | | Are you looking for yet another of our stories of people that travel and train? Look no further, meet Benjamin!
We had a good talk with Benjamin from France who - as we see it happen to more and more people - decided to take a break from his structured normal life, and travel around the world doing BJJ.
Hi Benjamin, nice to meet you - maybe you could start by telling us the usual important facts...
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| Age, city, profession?
Hi guys, I'm 26, I’m from France and I usually live around a city called Saint-Brieuc, in Brittany (western region in France). I work as a nurse and also volonteer as a paramedic.
Other martial arts I always had a thing for martial arts as a kid and did a few years of karate and aïkido, long before I found out about jiu jitsu. But when I did, of course, it was like finding the gold mine, as Chris Haueter would say.
How many years in bjj When people ask me how much time I’ve been training jiu jitsu, I usually say 2 years but in fact, I started back in fall 2010. The thing is I got a knee injury after a bad judo throw about a year and a half later, in early 2012. I let it heal for a few weeks and then tried to come back on the mats several times, and injured myself back again every time. So after about two months of coming and going, I said to my friends at the gym I had to take a real break. What I meant however, no matter how painful it was to admit, is that jiu jitsu was over for me. I even sold my gis and gave away my white belt! At some point, my knee started to feel better but I didn’t really took notice. And then one day, I said to myself : "Hell, I might just go back. What’s my excuse now ?" And that’s how I got back to bjj in may 2016, after 3 years of absolutely zero training! I accepted it and got back to training with even more pleasure than before and was quickly rolling at the level I used to have before my injury. So, yeah, 2 years total of actual training ;)
Fun fact about myself Fun facts… well, let me see, I like those… ah, got one ! I have the knowledge to dislocate your shoulder and then put it back in its socket, with a little morphine shot if I’m on duty ;) |
| So how did you get the idea of traveling and training?
I first read about bjj globetrotter on the internet I think. I heard about Christian Graugart and his crazy trip around the world, training jiu jitsu in countries I wasn’t even sure where to place on a map. I read his book and thought that it must have been a life changing experience. Jiu jitsu and surf, around the globe : I mean, you can not beat that easily…
I always liked to travel and read about people’s trips in remote places. As a nursing student, I did an internship in a cambodian hospital. I learned a lot, both in and out of the hospital, and had a crush for this country so I promised myself I would come back there someday.
So in 2016, me and my girlfriend (also a nurse and white belt in jiu jitsu) decided we would eventually hit the roads of South-East Asia. This time, the plan would be to backpack our way across Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, Burma and Thailand. When I started digging informations for the trip, it became quickly an evidence that there was jiu jitsu along the way and that I had to train there. And while I was at it, why not take the challenge and train in all 5 countries of our trip ? That’s how it started. Me and my girlfriend then quit our jobs on january the 1st 2017 and left France for a 4 months adventure.
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| | First stop was Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I trained there at Saigon Jiu Jitsu and was warmly welcomed by a bunch of really nice people with very good technique. After that I spent 2 weeks in southern Vietnam, just wandering about in the delta and Phu Quoc Island.
After a few days along Cambodia’s southern coast (Kep, Kampot), I took a bus to Phnom Penh, where I just trained a whole week at H/Art Academy. Vi, the teacher there, is a remarkable blue belt, very comitted to spreading jiu jitsu and giving it a solid foothold in Cambodia. And from what I saw, he’s getting there: the guys there have great stamina and a very nice arsenal of leglocks and chokes.
I’ll spend another 3 weeks traveling across the country and then I’ll move up north to Lao, where I hope to train in Vientiane. After that, next bjj stops will be Thailand and Burma if all goes well.
As a fresh blue belt, I focus on both guard defense and guard passing and also added to my bucket-list the study of leglocks, especially ankle locks.
I learn a lot, my knee is holding up for now…what more can I ask for ?
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| | What do you personally think you get from the traveling. What drives you? I like to write and take photos so traveling for me is a constant source of inspiration. On the road, everyday is a white page, waiting to be filled by the story of one’s discoveries about new places, new people and new experiences.
What I like during a trip is to feel the atmosphere of the country : I like to eat in popular street restaurants, learn a bit of the language, visit the temples, things like that. When traveling, it’s really important for me to not just go somewhere to train but also to find out about the way they live there.
But I think one of the best things about training abroad is meeting new people from all over the world : locals, travelers, expats… they all have a story to tell and some techniques to share ! During my trip, I try to see everyone I meet as a potential coach, on and off the mats : there is always something they have, some quality that I lack and that makes them good exemples for me…
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| During a trip you live a lot of moments you don’t really pin as importants at first but that you think of later. For example the other day I went at the gym in Phnom Penh on my bike. It was early in the morning so when I left after training, buddhist monks in their orange clothes were walking down the streets, stopping in front of the little shops where they received their food. It smelled like encense and I was still feeling a bit light-headed after a few hard rolls…on the way back, I had this feeling of simple happiness, you know, when there’s really nothing left you could ask for.
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| | Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip? Definitely traveling on a budget. My trip is a 4 months unpaid career break and my savings just allow me to live a simple life without having to restrain myself from visiting cultural places and taste good cuisine from time to time. I try not to worry too much about money but I chose amongst the cheaper options wherever I go, only allowing myself an extra here and there. Bjj, for example, is not that cheap in Asia. Between the drop-in fee and the moto taxi to get there when it’s far, each class costs about 5 or 10 dollars.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be? Be careful of chinese new year, cambodians will give you free beers and your berimbolo won’t be as good the next morning ;)
Thank you very much Benjamin :-) and good luck with the traveling ahead of you. If you want to follow Benjamin (and you read French that is...) you can do that here. |
| | | Less than 20 spots left for next camp in Saint Barth! |
| | | | | | | Photos from the Beach Camp in El Salvador |
| | | | | | | | | | | BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: High Rollers, Lichtenfels, Germany |
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| | "sometimes we serve beer directly to the customer on the mats ;)" Francisco Gutierrez, High Rollers, Lichtenfels, Germany
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| | The featured gym of this month is taking us to Lichtenfels in Germany, where two passionate guys, Martin and Francisco, have built a small gym from the scratch. |
| Name: Martin Page
Age: 31
Belt: Blue
Profession: Nurse
How many years in BJJ: 5
Other martial arts: Karate, Weng Chung
Where do you live: Unterküps (a little village 20 minutes from the gym)
Where are you originally from: born in Frankfurt (am Main) and then been to lots of different places
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| Name: Francisco Gutierrez
Age: 32
Belt: Blue
Profession: Mechanic / Welder
How many years in BJJ: 5
Other martial arts: Boxing
Where do you live: Lichtenfels (2 minutes from the gym)
Where are you originally from: born in Heidelberg but spend nearly my whole life in this area.
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| | Ok, Francisco, let's hear the basic facts about the gym from you...
So, our gym is located in the basement of a tennis club in Lichtenfels, Bavaria (Germany). We usually have between 4 and 10 people for classes. We opened just a year ago, so we are growing slowly, so far we have white, blue, and purple belts.
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| How did you get to the point of starting your own gym?
Back in 2015 we both were members of a school closer to Martins place, after spending 4 years there and doing everything a gym owner should take care of, we were looking for our own place for additional training, to be not restricted by the gym schedule and to train whatever we feel like.
Long story short – we found a little bit of space, started an awesome roadtrip to get our first OWN mats and build a training environment where nobody gives a s*** which lineage you are from as long as you are a good guest and trainingspartner.
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| | Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Our students come from everywhere. We have americans, russians, paraguayans, mexicans and yes, even some germans :-)
Sometimes we teach in german, sometimes in english – depends on which crowd dominates the mats that night. We have some competitors, some older folks, a pretty good kids class and a lot of trash-talking-grappling-loving-jiu-jitsu-enthusiats who love to learn, roll and sometimes even drill ;)
Why do people train at your place?
because they love it!
Haha, of course, yes! So what are some of the challenges running a BJJ gym?
Keeping slowly progressing students motivated and on track. Staying calm while observing students chatting with each other when they should be drilling. Arrange regular job, family, friends and jiu jitsu without failing or falling short in one of the points. Not to mention staying sane in the whole process.
What’s the best thing about your gym?
I could write something like ”its like a family” and sorts of this but the best part (at least for me) is that every single person in our gym is unique and mostly a little bit crazy in their own special kind. We are no professional fighters or trainers and we dont pretend to be but i think i can say we definitly try our best and we know how to have a pretty good time on the mats.
And yeah, sometimes we serve beer directly to the customer on the mats ;)
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| What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Our school is situated in the middle of a region called ”garden of god”, ”land of breweries” and ”the savory region of upper Franconia”. We got thermal baths, wonderful historic cities, a well known abbey and a mountain called ”Staffelberg” from where you can see the entire ”garden of god” with an epic view you´ll never forget.
But try to make it over here in spring or summer, just saying;)
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| Anything you want to say to the community out there?
We only got 50 qm/sm but we will share them with whoever is willing to come over and have a good time. If you are looking for a traditional dojo/gym you will be heavily disappointed with the way we rock the rolls.
See you on the mats :-)
Thanks a lot, Francisco, and good luck with the gym! If you would like to get in touch with the guys from High Rollers you can do that here |
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| | 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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| Long Beach, California Host: Philip Cordova
Contact email: philipjgcspt@yahoo.com
Can host: 1
The host: Brown belt from Brazilian Top Team, training for over nine years. I've travelled all over the world, and once in a while, bring my gi with me to train. I encourage others to do the same; take advantage of the breath and depth of BJJ, especially in the heart of Southern California, right where some of the largest international competitions such as IBJJF PamAms and Worlds (both regular and Masters) take place. I also study muay thai, yoga, and weightlifting; so if you want to train, I'm here to help.
The place: Long Beach is the largest port in the U.S, thirty minutes south of Los Angeles, thirty minutes west of Disneyland, thirty minutes from LAX via shuttle/taxi. Downtown Long Beach is tourist centric with multiple restaurants, bars, and shopping outlets, with a small arts community. You can surf in Huntington Beach within twenty minutes. You can be skiing up in the nearby mountains in about 90 minutes. Los Angeles is, of course, a mecca onto itself with sights and museums and culture unlike any other.
The training: There are several jiu jitsu gyms in the Long Beach area. I train at Brazilian Top Team, and I have invited other international students to train at our school. Of course, I understand certain affiliations and loyalties with certain schools, but I encourage goodwilled education and sparring at my dojo. If you do have an affiliation, we just ask to honor the dojo by using non-affiliation-marked gi while you train/spar. Other than jiu jitsu, you can find other gyms for boxing, muay thai, capoeira, yoga, judo, and such all over the city.
The accommodation: I live in a one-bedroom condo, and can have a futon setup arranged in my living room. My place has a kitchen if you want to cook, laundry machine & dryer. I do not have an extra assigned parking space, so if you need to rent a car, there is paid parking in lots as well as street parking, as well as across the street at a hotel parking garage. I respect those who need a place to stay for about a week, but I don't want anyone staying for longer durations. Anything you wanna add?: I'm not an axe murderer. I hope you're not one either. I hope you like to eat because SoCal has some great places; just don't expect to cut weight for tournaments...
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| Santiago de Chile, ChileHost: Carlos Contact email: ccastrillov@udd.cl Can accommodate: 2 The host: 24 years student , 5 years training bjj , i speak spanish english and portuguese.
The place: I lived in santiago de chile La reina. The training: training with the best team in Chile!
The accommodation: bed, food, training!
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| | East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia Host: William Suryadi Leman
Contact email: williamleman88@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.s.leman Can accommodate: 2 The host: Hi, my name is william. I'm a white belt, I just train for a few months. But I really like BJJ, it's a fun sport :D The place: Surabaya is a big city, with lots of cheap food, fried rice is about 15-20k IDR (arround 1-2 USD ). There're 5 big malls here, and lots of coffee shops for you to just chill and hang out for the day :) We got a tourist heritage track to for foreigners to see the old surabaya the people here are friendly and helpfull, I believe you'll like it here :D
The training: we got lots of blue, a purple. we got two places with different schedule. the first is located in west surabaya ( monday , wednesday and friday ). The second is located in east surabaya ( thursday, tuesday and saturday morning (basic class ). We're fun and you're welcome to come and join :)
The accommodation: I'll personally try to accompany the guest for a city tour, and I can give you a budget hotel for 1 or 2 days stay. just contact me :)
BJJ is a growing sport in surabaya, I believe with lots of foreigner practitioner that visit. we can host and exchange lots of information
I Hope you'll enjoy your stay here :D
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