| View this email online if it doesn't display correctly |
| | | | BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // November 2017 | | Dear Globetrotters,
I am finally back home and enjoying working in my office on a real computer instead of on my laptop in hotels, airports and cafés. It's been a crazy last few months being on the road but it feels great to be home again. I pretty much hit the ground running when I got here and dived right into the 2018 camp season research, which I've been working really hard on. I'm excited for the camps that I hope to announce for next year; so far the Zen Camp in Poland has been confirmed and there are more to come.
In a few weeks I'll have 50 people visiting for our Caribbean Island camp. Saint Barth has made an impressive recovery and I can't wait to take everyone training, surfing, swimming and sailing here.
We're officially back on track!
Have a fantastic day, | | | |
What you'll find in this month's newsletter:
- Travels with Lim Ming Kern
- More photos from Zen Camp
- Thailand, San Diego and Beyond!
- Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Submission Lab, New Zealand
|
| | | | * Wednesday, October 10th to Sunday, October 14th * * In the middle of nowhere, Poland * * Five days training camp * * Huge mat space * * 2x free white pearl weave gis * * Gi laundry service * * Free use of spa and sauna * * All meals included * * Bottled water, tea, coffee included * * Board games * * Morning Yoga classes * * Everyone welcome regardless of experience and affiliation * |
| | | | Travels with Lim Ming Kern It's been great to hear how the Globetrotters community can help out when plans change on your travels! |
| "Don't be too stressed about it and go with the flow." Lim Ming Kern, Jiu Jitsu Traveler |
|
|
| | Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I went to the BJJ Globetrotters Summer Camp in Leuven! After the camp I visited a few cities in Belgium (Brussels, Gent, Bruges) and moved on to Copenhagen, then Bangkok. For my upcoming travels, I haven't confirmed any trips yet but I am planning to visit Laos in early 2018.
What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
I think it's the people you meet along the journey, the conversation, the hangout. You can always visit the place again but the people you meet might not be there the next time.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth travelling and training?
I suppose the main thing would be that I get to roll with different people with different styles of BJJ, which is an eye opener and also helps me in developing my own game. The other little experiences can also make a huge impact - I had a great time at the post camp party at Leuven and then after that watched UFC with camp mates from 4am to 7am, end up not sleeping for the entire day because I was having so much fun!
|
| | | What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when travelling?
I arrived in Leuven a day before the camp started and realised that I did not have a place to sleep for the night due to miscommunication between my roommates and I (my fault totally). I panicked and asked for help at the camp Facebook group. Luckily a local Jiujiterio, Kris, offered to let me stay at his place for the night and I accepted it. It turned out to be my first Matsurfing I guess!
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes I am, I would look for cheap flights a few months before my trip and plan accordingly to the dates. I would look for cheap accommodation like hostels or Matsurfing to save some accommodation cost. I would also sort out the public transportation of the cities before I go so I can save some taxi fares.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
It's always good to have your journey planned, but sometimes when things don't go our way it's alright - don't be too stressed about it and go with the flow!
|
| | | More photos from Zen Camp
|
| | Our Zen Camp photographer Jay Chow just sent us these photos he took at the camp last month and we thought they were too good to not include in this newsletter :-) The next Zen Camp will be in October next year, registration is open at www.bjjglobetrotters.com/zencamp2018 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Less than half the tickets left for USA Camp 2018 |
| | * 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 * |
| | | | Thailand, San Diego and Beyond We caught up with Karl-Johan Larsson to find out where he's been and plans for future travels. |
| "Travelling and training often brings you out of your comfort zone. You have no choice but to talk to strangers and ask questions that feel stupid."
Karl-Johan Larsson |
| Age: 25 years old Belt: Blue, 3 stripes Profession: I’m an electrician How many years in BJJ: I have trained BJJ for about 1.5 years Other martial arts: Grappling, Full Contact Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and MMA Where do you live: Örebro, Sweden Where are you originally from: A small village outside Örebro, called Glanshammar Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I am a pretty mean tattoo artist when I’m drunk, I think…
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
The first time I travelled to train was in 2014. I went to Thailand for a month to do Muay Thai at Dragon Muay Thai in Chalong. I had set my mind on doing my first fight ever but while training for the fight I realised that meeting people from all over the world who shared my passion for a good fight was the thing I wanted to do. I won the fight, but compared to the friends I met that doesn't matter much does it? |
| | Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and
where are you going?
My most recent travel was to Barcelona with some of my students who I currently coach in my home town. My girlfriend and I used to live in Barcelona and that is why we graduate under Robin Gracie who is the son of Helio Gracie. We chose to live at Rocket Hostel Barcelona which I can recommend to everyone regardless what your plans are in Barcelona. Everyone at the hostel was so helpful and friendly, I really can't give them enough credit for it! The hostel is located about 300m from Gracie Barcelona academy, which obviously is perfect if you go there to train. A friend of mine, José, who is a brown belt under Robin, hosted a self-defence seminar with Robin at Gracie Molins de Rei, which is located 20 min outside of Barcelona. After the seminar José threw an amazing BBQ in his house up in the mountains. The ride home from the mountains was also an experience. For those who have had a car-ride with a Brazilian you know what I'm talking about! On the weekdays Robin does four one hour sessions, always the same setup: light stretching, three techniques and three rounds of sparring. The atmosphere at the academy is one of a kind! Everyone is welcome to train at their own pace. You can do all the techniques and all the sparring or you can choose to just sit back and chill or try some cool stuff you saw on YouTube. Anything goes as long as you aren't too loud.
This past summer me and my girlfriend Elina travelled to San Diego for a month to train at Atos HQ. Atos had just won the prize for 'Best Academy’ at Worlds the week before and it really met all of our expectations. The training reflected the gold medals decorating the walls, you could understand why the place is pumping out some of the best BJJ athletes. The sessions were 1.5 hours consisting of a thorough warm up, drills, super detailed techniques and at least 35 minutes all in sparring. At first we were feeling smashed and defeated but after a few days we got more used to the tempo. It was easy to talk to everyone and the general feeling in the gym was very welcoming. Their well deserved reputation of being the best gym in the world brings a lot of travellers to pass by. It is also common that people move to San Diego just to train full time. While we where there we met Marcus Tan and Alessia Frissina, two super nice globetrotters who currently run a blog that you can find on globetrotters.com.
Elina and I just recently bought a van that we are rebuilding into a home to live in. We are gonna drive it all over Europe as soon as Elina finishes law school, to train BJJ and meet new friends for as long as possible - stay tuned!
|
| What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
Like I mentioned earlier, my favorite thing about traveling is to meet friends from all over the world! Other than that I love to experience different cultures and eat my way through new cities, gladly trying some new (vegetarian) dishes accompanied by a cold tap beer.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth travelling and
training?
Travelling and training often brings you out of your comfort zone. You have no choice but to talk to strangers and ask questions that feel stupid. I first started training BJJ in Barcelona, with the consequence of having all instructions in Spanish. I had to swallow my pride and not only get smashed in sparring, but also at the language. The experience made me a better person, more humble and more open.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when travelling?
How fucking gangster sea-lions are.
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
No, not really. But when we get the van on the road the budget-issue is gonna be real. Hit me with your best tips and tricks!
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
There are no strangers here, only friends you have not meet yet (quote: William Butler Yeats).
|
| | | | Free ebook available for download |
| | | | | BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: Submission Lab, New Zealand |
| "We created a non-profit, open and inclusive gym, owned by the members and administered by a committee elected annually to steer clear of the politics and business issues experienced in the past." Submission Lab, Dunedin, New Zealand |
| | | Hi guys! Tell us some facts about your gym - where is it located?
114 St Andrew St, Dunedin, NZ. We have 132 sqm of mat space. The gym is centrally located in the CBD. Dunedin is a small but vibrant city of 120,000 people with a strong Scottish heritage, good beaches and good access to wildlife, remotely situated in the South of the South Island of New Zealand.
Sounds cool! How many people train there?
We have around 30 to 35 regular members.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
The gym is very new (4 months), but we are slowly getting new students. Hard to say we are currently growing though, as the increase in members due to new students has been offset by a few experienced people leaving the city. |
| | | What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
One newly promoted black belt, 2 brown belts, 5 purple belts, around 20 blue belts and under 10 white belts.
When did the gym open?
May 2017.
Who founded it?
Around 20 students (virtually all the senior students except from the owners) walked out of a local BJJ gym a few months ago and hooked up with all the students from another small local BJJ gym (around 10 people) whose head instructor had recently left for Canada. The 2 gyms actually used to be together until a previous split occurred in 2010 so a few students from both gyms used to be team mates a long time ago. BJJ politics…
All together we created a non-profit, open and inclusive gym, owned by the members and administered by a committee elected annually to steer clear of the politics and business issues experienced in the past. We have since attracted a few students from a third BJJ gym in town.
|
| | | Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Most people are experienced members (blue belts or above, and blue belts make up the bulk of the people training) since we didn’t start from scratch. We have a mix of younger and older people training (mostly from 20 to 40 years old), including students from the local university and professionals from all walks of life. We have a few members with other martial arts experience: MMA, judo, wrestling, kick boxing. We are also starting kids’ classes, but have only 5 kids training for now.
Why do they train?
For a variety of reasons but mostly because it’s fun. We cater for everybody; some members are actively competing but not all.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym?
Until recently we didn’t have a black belt in-house which limited our ability to promote people legitimately (at least under IBJJF) and created problems with entering IBJJF competitions. This should be all sorted soon when our black belt gets IBJJF certified and we can register our gym directly under the IBJJF. No other major challenges otherwise.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Bright. There are 3 BJJ gyms in town including us and all 3 seem to be thriving. We don’t have a particularly good relationship with the owner of one of them at this point as a lot of us come from there and we didn’t part in good terms with them but we are hoping this will get resolved over time. Some of their members and former team mates cross train with us however, which is awesome. We also have excellent relationships with other gyms in the country.
|
| | What’s the best thing about your gym?
We have a long list of teachers (around 10) rotating to teach, which gives us a lot of variety and allows each of us (including teachers) to attend many classes. We offer classes 6 days a week, including morning classes 3 days a week. We offer a balanced mix of gi and no gi classes and open mat, and also one kickboxing class a week. We have experienced members from many different lineages, which adds to the variety of teaching and rolling. The gym is unaffiliated to any large BJJ organization and completely open and welcoming.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Lots of opportunities for outdoor activities and nature and wildlife with the Otago Peninsula nearby, beautiful beaches and good surfing (the weather is very cold however!). The city also offers a lot for its size, a few nice buildings and museums, and tourist activities, and a healthy number of bars and restaurants. The nightlife is good when students are around but can be pretty quiet during the university breaks (especially summer).
Any other comments you'd like to add?
We had 3 members competing at the IBJJF World Master recently, 2 of them under BJJ Globetrotters. One of these 2 medalled in the Master 3 female heavy weight blue belt division. Another member medalled in Master 3 male medium heavy brown belt.
That's brilliant, congratulations! We wish you all the best in the future and hope the gym goes from strength to strength. If anyone would like to get in touch with Submission Lab, you can find them here. |
| | | | | | | |
