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| | | BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // September 2017 | | Dear Globetrotters,
I apologize for the delay of this newsletter. Pursuing your dreams in life is often a complete package of both adventure and difficulties. You can't just pick the good things and skip the hard parts. The challenges of navigating new cultures, languages and being away from family but also a change in living conditions can be something very different than you're used to. It is part of it. And so my family and I ended up being in the direct line of Category 5 hurricane Irma as it ripped through Saint Barth and Saint Martin last week. It was a pretty scary experience but we are alive and our home stands. The island is recovering well but there is a lot of work to do. A week after the hurricane, we got evacuated to Puerto Rico where I am currently writing this. Needless to say, I haven't had much time online during all of this and I apologize for the delay of the newsletter and any emails/messages I have not been able to reply to right away, but I'm catching up now and will get back to everyone.
Anyway, all is good and I'm making my way to New York in a few days because another hurricane might hit here in Puerto Rico. Funny enough, New York might also get hit next week when I'm there, so I'm looking at plane tickets right now. I feel like I'm in a reverse episode of Stormchasers.
I'll be heading to Europe next weekend for the Zen Camp in Poland, which I'm very excited for. After that, it's back to Saint Barth for my annual research period to plan next year's many camps. The two camps there will go on as planned; our academy and accommodation there is in great shape, luckily.
Long message this time, let's get on with the newsletter.
Have a fantastic day, | | | |
What you'll find in this month's newsletter: - August's photo competition winner
- Travelling from Texas: Kyle Baker
- Photos from our Fall Camp in Heidelberg, Germany
- Open Source Jiu Jitsu
- Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tbilisi, Georgia
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| | | August's photo competition winner |
| | They didn't exactly take the photo themselves but there was little doubt that this was the best travel gi photo of August :-) A huge congrats to Jamie and Kathey! (She said yes)
Every month we will give away a prize to the best travel photo starring our lightweight travel gi. If you want to participate, send your photo to mail@bjjglobetrotters.com with the subject "Photo competition". |
| | | * May 30th to June 3rd, 2018 in Maine, USA * * Beautiful location by a lake in the forest * * Approx. an hour’s drive from Portland, ME * * Five days intense training camp * * Great accommodation and training facilities * * High level international instructors * * Gi and no-gi classes all day long * * Four nights accommodation in cabins or double rooms * * Full laundry service * * All meals included * * Free use of paddle boards * * Bonfire every evening * * Lobster bake night * * Night out at local bar * * Many other available activities * * Everyone welcome regardless of experience and affiliation * |
| | | | | Travelling from Texas: Kyle Baker |
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"You will regret the trips you didn't take, not the ones you did, so take all the chances you get!"
- Kyle Baker
Kyle from Texas is currently travelling around Europe, hitting some Globetrotters camps on the journey! We caught up with him to see what inspired him to travel and train along the way. |
| Age: 27
Belt: Purple
Profession: Programmer
How many years in BJJ: 11.5
Other martial arts: Black belt in Judo
Where do you live: Technically nowhere--but right before this trip, my stuff was put into a storage unit in Austin, Texas.
Where are you originally from: Austin, Texas
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I have two Certifications from the Iron Butt Association!
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I was introduced to BJJ when I was 15 (I think? It's been a while...) by a kind family friend who took an interest in me. He gave me my first gi. I spent all the money I had on it until I ran out, and trained sporadically as I could afford to from then on.
When I was 18, I moved to the middle east for 3 years, and trained a bit there. I would train when I visited family several hours away.
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| I've always known I wanted to travel, and probably live abroad. I love languages, and speak several (no comment on how well!). I started learning Esperanto in part back when I was a teen because it had a book-based service like couch surfing called "Pasporta Servo" (Passport Service) that went back to the 70's which sounded awesome, and joined Couchsurfing over ten years ago as an early adopter there as well. I don't know how I first heard about BJJ Globetrotters, but it was before the idea of 'camps' or even any merch existed, and I "joined" the website's list of members straight away, too!
So mixing BJJ and Judo, things I know I will be doing for life, with travel, which is just how I live my life, was always kind of a given. |
| | Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I started in Northern Ireland, where some family just recently moved to, and visited a gym I saw mentioned in this newsletter! From there, I visited Dublin, and have stayed with a good friend in Lisbon, Portugal for most of a month, and also took surfing lessons for a week up north. Next stop is Spain for about a week, I think. Then I'll be in Germany for the Fall Camp in Heidelberg, hit a tiny place that calls itself "The Esperanto Town" in North East Germany, hopefully Matsurf a bit in Germany near the south east, have my first verified Matsurf experience yet planned for the Czech Republic, and from there I'm planning to go up to Poland for the Zen Camp!
After that, I'll return to Northern Ireland for a bit, see family and get some training in again with our dear newsletter writer and the cool folks at Kyoujin BJJ, and then probably head back to the US for a hot air balloon festival in New Mexico!
The question then is - do I move back to Austin, or keep travelling? I'm thinking central America, probably Nicaragua right now, though South America is a contender. I'd like to actually get better than "OK" at Spanish.
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| | | What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
Language, food, nature, culture, history. We forget the routine, the repeated. Life is short. We learn about ourselves and the world most, and live the most, when we're mixing it up and seeing more. It's almost impossible to see the things about our culture and perspective that we take for granted until we're in a place where those things are no longer 'normal' - I think we find more of our real selves when we look at who we think we are in the context of other 'normals' out there.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth travelling and training?
-Troubleshooting an electrical breakdown on my 30 year old motorcycle on the side of a dark highway in Mexico with a kind stranger in my questionable Spanish. So satisfying to be able to end up hot wiring it and make it to my friend's place later that night.
-Flying one way to a broken motorcycle to buy it, fix it on the side of the road, and drive it 3000 miles back home over the course of a month.
-Hitching a ride with a semi trucker across half of the US.
-Living on a small farm in France for a month
-Staying with family in a tiny village in the mountains of France and having a getting to be a part of a traditional Chillean Asado and so many more!
It's been a lifetime of experiences that has truly changed everything about myself. My political and religious views are the opposite of what they were before I started travelling, and continue to grow and evolve with every encounter.
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| | | What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when travelling?
I'm continuously surprised by how welcoming and friendly the world is, and how beautiful nature is. It's something you can count on, but it never stops humbling and impressing me. ?
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Major costs while travelling are transport, food, and lodging.
For transport: Bring only a comfortable carry-on-ably backpack--the farther you can comfortably walk, the more options you'll have. Even do three months of travel, I'm using a 60 liter duffel with backpack straps--technically it barely fits as carry on when I have my two travel gis in, but if I ever find an airline employee who has a problem with it, I can put on the gis and crush it down.
For lodging: Couchsurf--it's not just cheap, it's far richer experiences than the typical tourist path.
For food: cook in kitchens (I do eggs and butter and milk everywhere I go as my staples, figure out what works for you--oatmeal is another great option). Minimize eating out. I've found in portugal, I can find fresh grilled chicken in supermarkets for stupid cheap, which is a nice, relatively healthy treat. I try to minimize the bread I eat, but that's obviously cheap as well. I personally justify eating out by bringing my host out when I do--getting us both a meal occassionally is cheaper than me paying for lodging, and I eat better as well, and get to treat them.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
You will regret the trips you didn't take, not the ones you did, so take all the chances you get! The world has a way of just working things out. Don't stress about the details, just figure it out as you go. The less you lock yourself into, the less stressed you'll be, and the more open to adventure and unexpected opportunities you'll be.
Thanks for sharing your stories with us Kyle - it sounds like you are off on a great adventure and hopefully you'll decide to keep on travelling! |
| | | Photos from our Fall Camp in Heidelberg, Germany
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| | It was our first attempt at a camp in Heidelberg, Germany and what a success it was! The facilities there are great and Heidelberg is such a beautiful town. I suspect we will be back next year and invite even more people :) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Less than 30 tickets left for the 4th Winter Camp in Austria |
| | | | | | Open Source Jiu Jitsu, USA |
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"We're really trying to set up a BJJ work-exchange program, where a BJJ practitioner can come and have 24h/7days access to the mats, hot meals, internet and a shower in exchange for their time teaching; our gym is called "Open Source Jiu-Jitsu" for a reason!"
- Robert McMasters
Robert and his wife have recently set up their own academy with a unique twist. We're sure that it will appeal to lots of Globetrotters! |
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| Name: Robert McMasters
Age: 36
Belt: Purple
Profession: Fledgling jiu-jitsu school owner and landlord
How many years in BJJ: 13
Other martial arts: Does wrestling count?
Where do you live: Asheville, NC, USA
Where are you originally from: E. Lansing, MI, USA
I've been training since 2004, with some lay-offs here and there, due mostly to injury, travel and BJJ politics getting in the way. I'm a purple belt. I just really love the grappling arts. I'm not sure if it's the release of chemicals in the brain as some sort of biological reaction to the "aggressive cuddling" factor in BJJ, wrestling and other grappling sports, but for some reason I really enjoy it! I've also always very much enjoyed teaching others; there's something very rewarding when you see jiu-jitsu positively impacting the lives of others. Most of my BJJ career has been in the teaching realm, so I'm happy to finally be able to do it professionally at Open Source.
Open Source Jiu Jitsu is located in Asheville, North Carolina, USA and has been open since July 2017. It was founded by myself and my wife, Amanda. Right now we're fairly small, and are averaging about 7 people per class. This is bound to change over the following months, though; we have tons of mat space waiting to get filled.
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| | We're only in our first month, but it's fairly obvious that the word is spreading; we get at least one phone call a day from people interested in training with us. We're really doing what we can to market to brand new students from the area and not to try and poach existing students from other gyms, so that we can grow jiu-jitsu and have a win-win situation for all gyms in the area. We also want to get as many travelers as we can in our gym, so don't be a stranger!
I'm a purple belt, so I guess I'm the highest-ranking person, and then we have tons of first-timers who don't even have gis yet. Wrestling is very big in the area, so we're blessed with some fairly high-level wrestlers that come through.
Asheville has traditionally attracted an incredibly diverse group of people to its city limits for various reasons, and our gym is no different. For example, just yesterday we had a police officer, a gay school administrator, a masseuse covered head-to-toe in tattoos, a grizzled old-school army vet, a lawyer with an epic handlebar moustache and two people with indiscernible genders, all training with each other on the mats. How's that for diversity? We have a couple people who are there for self-defense purposes. We have a handful of wrestlers and wrestling coaches who are looking for something to do in the off-season. We have some who are just there because it's something new and different, not that this town needs any more of that, haha. We don't tend to attract, or at least retain, a great deal of "hardcore" people who are looking for careers in street fighting or mean-mugging other dudes at the club.
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The challenges of running a BJJ gym at the moment seem to be that I'm attached by the hip to my business. We can't just decide to go out with friends for drinks when it's time to train because now we are the ones in charge, and we have to be there. Eventually, our various challenges will change over time.
I've had the great fortune to have been able to train long-term at a good handful of gyms all over the place. One of my goals for this project is to bring all of the great things I've learned from these various gyms, to my gym, while disregarding aspects of them that I didn't like or that wouldn't work here. The BJJ community here is unfortunately very closed, secretive and tribal compared to what my experience has been in other parts of the world. I'm hoping to help open up people's hearts and minds to training with each other, regardless of background or affiliation. So, in the future, I see tons more people interested in Jiu Jitsu, training with each other at various open mats across the city, hand-in-hand, singing kumbaya... or something along those lines at least.
I think the best thing about our gym is that we offer "pay-what-you-want" fundamentals classes. Throughout most of my BJJ journey I have not made very much money, and it's always been an embarrassing experience to approach a prospective instructor and ask them if there is a way for me to do some work for them in exchange for training. Luckily, most of the time my past instructors have asked me to help out with teaching, which I love to do anyway, and this has helped to raise my teaching ability to the level it is today and I can continue giving back to the BJJ community by offering this program. So now, my students have one less excuse not to show up for practice!
Apart from our gym, there are lots of other cool things to do around here. Asheville is a super eclectic, artsy town with tons of beautiful mountains and waterfalls in the area to hike to. We have one of the highest concentration of breweries in the States. There's also the Biltmore mansion, which is the largest privately-owned house in the U.S. The music scene is also something that should be mentioned. Asheville attracts thousands of (mostly domestic) tourists each year; it's a hot destination for Americans but isn't as well-known outside of the States, so it might just be America's best-kept secret!
We're really trying to set up a BJJ work-exchange program, where a BJJ practitioner can come and have 24h/7days access to the mats, hot meals, internet and a shower in exchange for their time teaching; our gym is called "Open Source Jiu-Jitsu" for a reason! For anyone who has read the BJJ Globetrotter book, I was the "tour guide" for Christian Graugart's journey through Romania, Moldova and Virginia. I'm really happy to say that the Moldova program is completely sustainable at this time, which is why I've decided to embark on this new venture of bringing BJJ to "the masses" here in Appalachia. Any readers of this article who are interested in a few weeks of jiu-jitsu and tourism in the coolest town in America can contact me via email: bobby.mcmasters@gmail.com.
The Open Source gym itself is 100% completely unaffiliated. The BJJ scene in the Asheville area is unfortunately very tribal and insular. Therefore, since we're trying to open people's minds to training with each other, we've decided to go the unaffiliated route; kind of like a low-budget, Appalachian version of Studio 540.
While the gym will remain unaffiliated, at least until this mentality of BJJ politics changes, I am of course proudly personally affiliated with the BJJ Globetrotters, and so is my wife. I really think that the BJJ work-exchange program we have set up along with the fact that we subscribe 100% to the ethos of the BJJ Globetrotters, will be attractive and mutually-beneficial to various wandering Globetrotters who happen to come through Asheville. Hope to meet some of you Globetrotters soon!
Thanks so much for sharing Robert. We hope all goes well with the gym! If anyone would like to contact Open Source Jiu Jitsu you can find them on Facebook or email Robert: bobby.mcmasters@gmail.com. |
| | | Maximize the space in your backpack with our new compression bags
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| | | | BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| | "All the BJJ Globetrotters are welcome at Legion!" -Alexander Umantsev, Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
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| Check out this months featured gym - Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Georgia. It sounds like a fun place to train with a high level of Jiu Jitsu and a friendly vibe. |
| Name: Alexander Umantsev Age: 36 Belt: Black Profession: IT specialist How many years in BJJ: Over 10 years Other martial arts: Boxing, Arnis (Kali), Judo Where do you live: Tbilisi, Georgia Where are you originally from: Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Please give us some facts about your gym.
Our gym was founded a few years ago but having encountered several bumps in the road, it stopped functioning temporarily. The gym reopened with my help and now I am the co-owner and an instructor of Legion Jiu Jitsu. I hold a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt rank under Ido Pariente. The gym is located in Tbilisi, Georgia. Our Address is: Akaki Beliashvili str. 5, Dighomi (Judo Academy).
How many people train there?
Having been opened for about three months now, currently we have around 15 students. The team is growing; every month we have 3 to 4 new students. Our Professor is a black belt, but mostly we have white belts, a purple belt and a blue belt.
When did the gym open?
The gym in it’s current form opened in June of 2017. It was founded by myself, Alexander Umantsev and Teimuraz Mamatsashvili.
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| | Can you tell us some facts about you?
I am a lifelong athlete and coach fighters in ground & standing combat, as well as self-defence techniques. I have been competing worldwide in BJJ tournaments therefore I have hands-on experience to pass on.
My achievements in BJJ are the following:
London International Open 2012-Master-Blue-1st
Rome International Open 2013-Master-Purple-2nd
European Jiu Jitsu Championships-NOGI-1st
Rome International Open 2014-Master1-Purple-1st
Worlds Masters 2014-Purple-3rd
Long Beach Internationals Open 2014-Master-Purple-1st
European Jiu Jitsu Championship 2015-Master-3rd- NOGI-1st
Rome International Open 2015-Master1-Brown-1st
London Fall International Open 2015-Master1-Brown-Feather 1st-Open Weight-1st
London Fall Int. Open 2015 NOGI-3rd
Munich International Open 2016-Brown-Adult-3rd
Munich Int. Open 2016 NOGI-Master 1-Brown-1st
New York Spring Int Open 2016-Brown-3rd
New York Spring International NOGI 2016-Brown-1st
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence.
The new version of our academy was founded after seeing the opportunity of establishing a high level Jiu Jitsu program in Georgia. My partner and I saw the available segment and decided to establish Legion Jiu Jitsu academy in Georgia. Also, one of the main reasons was the need for a training place for myself and at this point in Georgia establishing this team was the best option.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have a pretty international team. Besides our regular students we have frequent visitors from the BJJ Globetrotters community. We have several local students and some students from other countries. Most of them are beginners but a few of them are more advanced practitioners. Most of them come for the self-defence aspect of Jiu Jitsu but they stay for its other benefits also. Some of our students want to just get fit and we have few guys who are supplementing their MMA training with BJJ.
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| | What are some of the challenges running a BJJ gym?
The biggest challenge is popularization of BJJ and convincing people of its benefits, given the fact that BJJ is not very well known at the moment in Georgia. We are certain that we will popularize BJJ in Georgia and I have no doubt that our team will keep growing every month. In the future Georgians will be considered a strong fighting force in the world BJJ community and Legion BJJ will be on the forefront of it all.
What’s the best thing about your gym?
We have a high quality program with a very talented team on the mats and very nice people off the mats. A family environment can be felt when you visit our team.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
We suggest they travel all over the country and not just stay in Tbilisi. In Tbilisi there are many cultural sightseeing options and a very good tourist area in the old town. They can visit Kazbegi and Svaneti if they are interested in breath taking mountain scenery, Gudauri and Bakuriani for skiing in the winter, Adjara region for a nice seaside experience in the summer, and Kakheti region if they are interested in winery!
All the BJJ Globetrotters are welcome at Legion! If they need further assistance or advice on or off the mats we are willing to help.
Thanks for sharing with us - hopefully you have lots of visiting Globetrotters and the gym continues to grow! If anyone would like to contact Legion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you can find them on Facebook here. |
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