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| BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // October 2017 | |
Dear Globetrotters,
I'm currently sitting with my laptop in a library in Copenhagen and writing this. After being evacuated from the hurricane to Puerto Rico, I had to flee again and barely made it to New York just one day before Maria hit. My thoughts go to all the many people who were affected by these hurricanes, what a nightmare :-/ After the Zen camp in Poland last week, I am now back in Copenhagen for a little bit before I can go home to Saint Barth.
The camp in Poland was really a unique experience that exceeded all my expectations. The place was stunning, the weather was beautiful and everyone were wearing the complimentary white camp gis for the full Zen look of the camp. We will definitely be back next year.
The next camp will be in two months in Saint Barth. Luckily, the academy and accommodation there are in great shape and we're excited to invite everyone to come visit. The island is recovering quickly and near by Saint Martin airport is scheduled to re-open next week (without roof, but those are details!).
I will be spending the next two months hiding in my cave to research next season of camps; writing countless of emails, spreadsheets and budgets. I'm nervous about being able to live up to the amazing camps this year but also excited to see what adventures we can come up with to top it. Keep an eye on the newsletter and our website for announcements.
Have a fantastic day, | |
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What you'll find in this month's newsletter:
- Jitz with Woodys - BJJ family on the Road
- Sponsored Traveller: Robert Coaker
- Photos from the Zen Camp in Poland
- Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Boa BJJ Club, Montreal
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Last chance to grab a ticket for the Winter Camp, almost sold out! |
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| Jitz with Woodys - BJJ Family on the Road |
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"Being able to share the mats with some of the best in world is one of the biggest bonuses of travelling and training in the USA."
Adam Miles-Woodland, Jiu Jitsu explorer
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Age: 35, 34, 9, 6,
Belt: Purple , Blue , Yellow and Grey
Profession: Adam - Heavy Duty Mechanic / Dee - Massage therapist
How many years in BJJ: Adam - 9 / Dee - 5 / Lilly -5 / Kobe - 3
Other martial arts: I did Shotokan Karate for 5 years as a child - Adam
Where do you live: Newman, Western Australia
Where are you originally from: Adam - Born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when I was 3
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: In the first 2 years of training BJJ I would fly 1200km to Perth to train every couple of weeks as that was the nearest club!
So Adam, tell us what inspired you to travel and train.
I had accrued 6 months worth of leave with the company I work for. Joking around some of the guys at work they said I should disappear and train for a while. After about 24hrs thinking about it and discussing it with Dee we decided to go for it. Living in a remote area without a coach on hand it would be an opportunity for us to expand our view and knowledge of BJJ while taking our whole family of a trip of a lifetime. |
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Sounds good to me! Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
We are part way through our trip around the USA. We have visited Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, New York and are currently in New Jersey about to head towards Washington DC. We plan on continuing across the United States and flying out of San Francisco in December with a couple of weeks stopover in Hawaii before heading back to Australia.
During the trip we have been training at a number of great Academy's, seeing the sights and schooling Lilly and Kobe along the way.
What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
Definitely meeting new people!! Everyone has been so nice and accommodating along the way. Also moving to a new place every few weeks keeps it exciting! Travelling like this as a family with 2 children definitely has its own special challenges but seeing what the kids are getting out of it makes it all worth it.
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I'm sure you'll all have great stories to tell when you arrive back home. Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth travelling and training?
Being able to share the mats with some of the best in world is one of the biggest bonuses of travelling and training in the USA. It has opened our eyes to so many different views of Jiu Jitsu. Every club/Academy has its own culture and feel to it.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when travelling?
It would have to be how friendly and accommodating everyone has been, we have truly been accepted and welcomed everywhere we have been so far. We have had so many amazing experiences already! From training with Jeff Glover, catching up with Rigan Machado or taking a class with John Danaher and so many more it is hard to pick a single moment.
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Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Travelling as a family you most definitely have to budget. Plan ahead to ensure you can get accommodation at a reasonable price (AirBnB). Shop at the local market so that you can prepare your own meals and snacks, as eating out can become very expensive.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Step out of your comfort zone .... some of our best experiences have come off the back of uncertainty!
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| Sponsored Traveller: Robert Coaker |
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"I want to see my bucket list places plus feel like i'm on vacation and do something fun"
Robert Coaker, BJJ Globetrotters Sponsored Traveller |
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Age: 38 Belt: 4SW Profession: Engineer (Electrical) How many years in BJJ: 1.5 Other martial arts: Judo Brown Belt / Boxing Novice Where do you live: Australia Where are you originally from: Canada Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I think Australian Crocodiles are born with (at least) instinctively the equivalent lethality of blue belts.
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train.
I want to see my bucket list places plus feel like i'm on vacation and do something fun like a hike or the beach and then training BJJ at night with awesome people. Maybe I'll even learn a new language!
So what about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I just finished travelling across Australia's North. I started in Karratha, Western Australia and then drove upwards to train in the historic Japanese pearl logging beach town of Broome. The town has an amazing local culture & during the high season the population is densely made up of friendly campers & working backpackers...and of course amazing BJJ. After Broome I camped across the Gibb River Road 4x4 track and visited some pretty awesome waterfalls and gorges......next I kayaked in Lake Argyle to see freshwater crocodiles. Then I saw Darwin and now I'm in Cairns. I am currently in Bloomfield River, N-E Queensland.
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In Broome I did Jiu Jitsu for 7 classes and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I knew while there that I'd regret leaving the place. Before I even entered the gym I was rushing to get all my gear together and the head coach Kris came out and was so friendly. His demeanour inside and outside of classes didn't change ever - he taught an exciting class and carefully watched everyone to keep all safe and individually progressing but also working hard. The next few classes were missed by Kris but second coach Blake took over spectacularly. Not only did Blake share with us amazing techniques but his fluency and ability to hit them in our timed rounds showed the obvious work and dedication required. The warm ups and pace of the club was intoxicating because you know you are getting super fit. However all classes aren't like that. The end of week classes were tailored to be less difficult and aimed to help each students individual weaknesses and get drill time/share knowledge. These are the type of BJJ friends displaying attitudes and professionalisms that i aspire to have...so grateful for the visit!
Unfortunately I couldn't train BJJ in Darwin because I was involved in a serious head-on motor accident near Darwin. I ended up with a broken forearm keeping me off the matts for the last 5 weeks (God bless there were no other injuries and I hope to be back in early October - where i'm going to train with my brother in Atlanta). So, I spent a few weeks in Darwin Hospital (where I received the absolute best treatment and care) then after another week or so at Darwin to look around, I flew to Cairns where I could rest up with friends. 5 Weeks post injury I am typing this message and I even did my first Muay Thai session earlier in the week and today I ran the Strand beach and climbed castle hill in Townsville (Queensland). Just cardio until my fracture review next week; I hope to visit Renegade Queensland (Brisbane) in early October for some light rolling (I mean tapping, haha). |
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Oh no! Sorry to hear about that but glad you are on the mend. What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
I enjoy meeting new people and doing different things, I also love getting shown new jiu jitsu and learning new concepts from people around the world.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth travelling and training?
Waking up in a beautiful peaceful place and knowing that after a fun or relaxing day you've got great training later that night with the best people.
Always taking the longer path because you have the time.
Loosing count from tapping to so many new people (I love that part), hahaha
Appreciating new envirnoments and seeing how people and places thrive.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Realising how much I don't know and finding new cool places,
And getting less and less nervous about entering new gyms, hahaha.
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Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I have found camping in Australia to be the best (cheaper than hostels, more private and has great shower & laundry service), also you still get to meet new people daily which is always good.
Planning meals is cheapest and healthiest for me. French press coffee instead of buying fancy.
I look for cheap food on sale (at markets and grocery stores), and eat plainly. Consider vegetarian sometimes and BBQ others, and fill up on cheap food whenever possible (markets).
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
It is very common to be treated excellent as an outsider visiting a club. I feel very honored and privileged to be treated that way and I will always try my best to do the same! OSS.
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Super Light weight travel gi v2 - as seen all over the world |
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| Photos from the Zen Camp in Poland |
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| "Leave Your Ego at the Airport" t-shirts available in all sizes |
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| BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: BOA BJJ Club, Montreal |
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"Our club is basically just a funny bunch of animals grappling each other." Patrick Beaudoin, BJJ Club, Montreal |
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Name: Patrick Beaudoin
Age: Officially, 33 years old. Physically, 43 years of age. And mentally, I wouldn’t even give me 13.
Belt: I was awarded my BJJ black belt in April of 2017 by my good friend and mentor, Caio Terra. That’s about 2 weeks following the grand opening.
Profession: I teach and do Jiu Jitsu. I’m a bum.
How many years in BJJ: 7 years. I’ve been training BJJ full time for the past 4 years.
Other martial arts: I did some Judo as a teenager (and i sucked at it). As well as Muay Thai for 6 years. But after a year & a half of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu I got so obsessed by it that i quit everything else to focus on it 100%.
Where do you live: In an apartment located 10 minutes away from the club (I usually bike or run to the club)
Where are you originally from: I was born and raised around here.
Some facts about you: I love cheesecake & ice cream way too much for my own good.
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| Some facts about your gym:
Our club is basically just a funny bunch of animals grappling each other. Even though we have a belt system in place and a professor, we are all equals on and off the mat. We say that Boa Jiu-Jitsu is an elite club full of mat savages that was created by passionate people FOR passionate people. Those who are, will thrive with us and reach new heights. Those who aren’t will sadly fail miserably. We don’t take ourselves seriously neither the art, but we do train very hard!
Where is the gym located:
Our club is located in Montreal’s Old-Port. Montreal is a bilingual city (English & French) in the Canadian province of Quebec.
How many people train there:
We do have between 20 and 30 signed up, most of which are blue belts and up.
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| Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
The gym is actually pretty stable by nature since we do have a student cap of 30. That’s right, we do not accept more than 30 signed up members. It allows us to one; give a lot of attention to each member. And two; to be very selective to who can permanently join the team.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
From white to black. But as of right now we only have 5 members who are white belts. It’s a very tough mat space most of the time!
When did the gym open and who founded it?
The club opened less than a year ago - April 1st, 2017. It was founded by Jean-Marc Chev (Manager, purple belt in BJJ & brown belt in Judo) and by myself, Patrick Beaudoin (Head Instructor & BJJ black belt).
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence.
I was tired of the martial arts politics and wanted to train with different people from different teams. So I built my own playground and invited some friends!
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Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they and why do they train?
A bunch of clowns. They want to kill me. And maybe get better at Jiu Jitsu, stay in shape and learn to defend themselves. But mostly they want to beat me up.
What are some of the challenges running a BJJ gym?
Besides being broken physically and financially, it is pretty much a dream! But seriously, just managing to keep somewhat of a selfish competitive mindset and being a giving teacher at the same time is the hardest part.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
It seems to be growing even though the competitive side of it got banned province wide recently. There is a group of people within the BJJ community working on the matter right now. Hopefully, they will be able to legalize it soon before it affects the whole scene. But for now, it forces us to travel more to compete. Which to me, is not a bad thing by itself.
What’s the best thing about your gym?
The people!
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Just come train. Nothing else matter here. The food is amazing though... So come train hard and gain some weight at the same time!
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