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Galeb Brothers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Gold Coast, Australia)

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Gold Coast, Australia — After Byron Bay, we kept driving north along Australia’s east coast. We had opportunities to make stops at various scenic beaches along the way, but I, unfortunately, had no chance to train. After a few days of sleeping and camping in our lovely van, we reached the Gold Coast. It was the first metropolitan city since Sydney, and, of course, my first google search was “Brazilin Jiu-Jitsu Gold Coast.” This led me to Galeb Brothers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

City
Located 80 km south of Brisbane, the Gold Coast is a city in Queensland renowned for its pristine beaches that stretch for almost 60 km. Combining its high-rise skyline with a subtropical climate and epic surfing beaches, the Gold Coast is regarded as an iconic holiday destination in Australia. In addition to its beaches, the city is equally famed for its theme parks and nightlife that attract high-school graduates on schoolies and families on vacations. Shopping malls, golf courses, white sandy beaches — the city has it all.

Overview
Galeb Brothers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is headed by Professor Fabio Galeb who is a third-degree black belt and a former professional MMA fighter. After moving to Australia in 2007, the professor competed in BJJ and MMA to establish his competition records in Australia. Although he is still regularly competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, his focus has shifted to coaching for UFC fighters such as Mark Hunt and Michael Bisping.

The Academy is located near Mermaid Beach, which is about 8 km south of Surfers Paradise. Luckily, I was able to drive my lovely van/current home to the gym. Though the gym seemed close, the Gold Coast’s notorious traffic made the drive longer than expected. Prior to my arrival, I called and received a welcoming response from the gym. They also offered the possibility of renting a gi, which is tremendously helpful when you are traveling and staying in a hostel. Since it was a low season for the Gold Coast, the majority of students were regular rather than visitors. I can only speculate that, during the summer times, the academy is filled with BJJ Globetrotters from all around the world.

Just what I expected from a beach town, everyone I interacted with at the academy was extremely friendly. Due to a long drive along Australia’s coastline, my body was stiff, and it was quite challenging to get back into training. That said, the Galeb Brothers BJJ community created a welcoming atmosphere for me. During training, I had the opportunity to share my traveling stories and interact with students; I immediately felt included in the community although I was just visiting for one day. The class consisted of intensive conditioning and drilling followed by a positional sparring and rolling. The intensity and level of the academy were notable as multiple students regularly competed.

It is easy to fall into the trap of partying and procrastinating in such a city like the Gold Coast. Whether you are enjoying the sunshine all day on Broad Beach or having a night out near Surfers Paradise, I would recommend visiting Galeb Brothers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu if you are in the Gold Coast. Don’t miss out on a top-notch training in this restless city!

Location & Facility
Galeb Brothers BJJ is only a few streets away from the highway near Mermaid Beach. Although the facility looks like a former warehouse, it has a clean and spacious open mat for training inside. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
The classes, mostly focused on gi, are held Monday through Saturday with sessions in both the morning and evening. Galeb Brothers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most recent BJJ training program is posted below:

Miscellaneous
– Galeb Brothers BJJ’s Website

Tourist Attractions

  • Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary — The sanctuary is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Gold Coast. The very origins of the park were to conserve Australia’s indigenous and extraordinary wildlife from Koala to wombats. With exciting shows and hands-on encounters with Australia’s wildlife, the sanctuary provides you with a unique experience. Plus, I got to hold a Koala and pet Kangaroos here so why wouldn’t you go here?
  • Beaches in Gold Coast — From Surfers Paradise, one of the busiest and most popular beaches on the Gold Coast, to Burleigh Beach that is renowned for its spectacular surfing breaks, the Gold Coast has countless beaches that you can choose from. Besides its white sandy beaches, the proximity to the nearby shopping and dining options provides a unique experience to your vacation.
  • Other tourist attractions — From its popular SkyPoint Observation Deck to Dreamworld theme park, my friend and I deliberately chose to skip some tourist attractions as our priority was to spend time by the beach and relax. It would not hurt to check out what the city has to offer.
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Melbourne-Bali

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Sorry for the tardiness on my posts lately.

I have been travelling across the world and trying o sort visas out for the beat part of the last 4 months.

I arrived in Melbourne in August and have been flat out since then.  Going in to Australia with two strapped up ankles due to some Canadian injuries meant that I had to start every roll with “PLEASE PLEASE DON’T ANKLE LOCK ME.. IF YOU GET A HOLD OF IT THEN YOU WIN”

Absolute MMA was just ridiculously welcoming and I didn’t have to worry at all. This meant that I didn’t get to visit as many gyms as I would have liked.

I got involved with Absolute MMA as much as possible in my month there. they have classes literally all day every day. I cant recommend them enough for fellow travellers.

Melbourne as a city is amazing. It seems to be the closest to a European city that Australia has to offer and it is hard to put down the main touristy hot spots. The best way to describe it is that it is a “living” city. There isn’t one thing that makes it stand out but the overall lifestyle seems to be what appeals to people the most.

Great food, great coffee, great training, great bars and an overall great life style. I can honestly say that I will be excited when I finally land and settle there at the end of the year!

So after my trip to Melbourne I stopped by Bali for a week while en route to Europe. I met a lot of friends and  a couple of family members there.

I was still suffering from an ankle injury so getting out to train at my original destination of Synergy MMA didn’t happen. Instead, my brother saw fit to bring his Gi along so we got to do some of the most scenic rolling ever at our villa overlooking the ocean.

35 degree celsius heat was rough but a quick jump into the pool sorted that out before we hit a few more rounds of sparring.

We managed to do the usual touristy stuff and even swung some VIP treatment at some very nice spots. I recommend Omnia, the RockBar at sunset and the Four Seasons Boozy brunch if you ever go that way.

Melbourne-Bali

It was great right up until I broke the cardinal rule of Irish People in Asia.. Don’t eat anything that was washed with the local water. Bali belly took me out for the last 2 days and the 14 hr direct flight to London was hell. I suffered but I reckon the other people on the plane got the worse end of the deal.

Next up was a trip to Europe for a few months and I will cover that in the next post next week :)

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you’re getting sleepy

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Lately when rolling, I have been trying different types of attacks and trying to use them to either setup the submission or attack from the get-go. I was looking at loop chokes which have long time been a favorite starting move for me as they lead into great transitions and the submissions are always there. It made me recall a time quite a while back, I rolled against Forrest Goodwin and hit a great rolling loop choke from the open guard, Forrest tapped and I was stoked, more so because I had already tapped about 300 times in the roll to him but I let go of the choke and he said “That was a great move, it came on…” and before he could finish the sentence, he passed out for a split second. This scared the shit out of me at the time but having worked on these more and more, I now see it was a true blood choke which as most of us know, these are on before we realize and this is quite a common thing that can happen! It has also been a great running joke for both of us, well this was until I got used as the partner for Karl Webber’s brown belt grading way back in December 2013! Karl was going through the techniques under Stacey Wilson’s instruction on Hayden but it was deemed a better idea for Karl to do these on me so Hayden and Stacey could discuss the results. I was happy, being a super heavy 70kg and Karl being…..somewhat more than me, I was not overly unused to being the smaller person in a roll but here, it was knee ride attacks being discussed and the baseball bat choke was the move in deep technical breakdown. If anybody has had the privilege of rolling with Karl, he has extremely good grips, weight distribution and really, all around jiu jitsu skills! Here, in this situation, he was asking about variations he could use. I was happy, just watching from the “uke” position when all of a sudden I was lying on my side, ears ringing with that familiar sound, drooling and had gone to sleep from the deep grip already being a blood choke! From what I recall, I was trying to tap but ended up kind of rubbing my hand on Karl’s shoulder with him asking if I was ok! Obviously I was not and was just really lucky to have a high level grappler putting the submission on me! It may not feel deep when the attacks are put on you but the more you know about jiu jitsu, the more you know in yourself when the technique is sound and they will be going to sleep!
Always apply chokes carefully and check on your training partner like Karl did, be like Karl.

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“One day, somebody gonna try take something from you and you gonna hafta choke that motherfu^&er. It’s that simple”. – Ralph Gracie

Episode 10: The BJJ Globetrotters Boat – About following a crazy dream, failing and then try again; a story four years in the making.

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Viktor and Dan had a dream since they were kids; buy a boat and sail around the world. This is the 4-year-in-the-making story of how they tried, failed hard and then ultimately succeeded. Enjoy!

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The Amazing Mat Spaces of the BJJ Globetrotters Camps

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Designing unique mat spaces and rolling experiences at the BJJ Globetrotters camps has become some what of an art form as well as a drug for me. I crave these rare, pure moments of beautiful scenery and beautiful Jiu Jitsu coming together.

Over the last 5-6 years of camps, I think we have managed to pull off some pretty amazing mat space setups; some of them you can see below.

Hold on for many more in the future!

The legendary Beach Camp in El Salvador that ran for four years. 

Rolling under a starry sky in a lush garden like this, was a very unique experience

Intruders vs. Vikings challenge in Glima (Icelandic Wrestling) at the Iceland Camp.

Zen Camp in Poland with a panoramic view over the forest.

Rolling in our private, 1300-year old church at the Castle Camp in Italy.

Our second mat space of the Castle Camp.

Morning rolls with fresh air from the beach in Sardinia, Italy.

Early Caribbean Island Camp outdoor open mat in Saint Barth.

Our most recent set up for the opening open mat at the Caribbean Island Camp in Saint Barth.

An early exotic mat space attempt in Boracay, Philippines during my trip around the world in 2011.

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The Academy Byron Bay (Byron Bay, Australia)

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Byron Bay, Australia — After Sydney, my friend and I drove up north making various stops along the east coast of Australia in Port Stephens and Port Macquarie. Each coastal city had its own unique color, but our ultimate destination was magical Byron Bay. After a few days of driving, we finally arrived in one of my favorite destinations in Australia. Byron Bay is known for a relaxed beach town with its hipster surfer vibe. After a long drive and sleeping in a van, I was itching for some training, and I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to train at the Academy Byron Bay.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

City
Byron Bay is located about 2-hour drive south from Brisbane and 9-hour drive north from Sydney. This mainland Australia’s easternmost town is home to picturesque beaches and trendy dining scenes. Spectacular beaches along the coast with reliable surf breaks offer various activities such as surfing and dolphin watching while Byron Bay’s town center presents laidback dinings and lively bars. There is something about Byron Bay’ vibe that captures every visitor passing by.

Overview
The Academy Byron Bay offers a wide range of combat sports and fitness classes ranging from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to MMA. Its Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program is headed by Daniel ‘Jacaré (alligator)’ Almeida who is a 3rd degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and an active MMA fighter. From Australian Championships to Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, his competition records in the Heavyweight Division leaves no doubt about Professor Daniel’s Jiu-Jitsu. In his recent MMA wins at Diamondback FC (won by knock out) and Eternal MMA (won by submission) also vouches for his well-rounded skill set as a martial artist.

The Academy is located 5-minutes from Byron Bay’s town center, which attracts BJJ Globetrotters who want to get some sneak BJJ training in while their family members are occupied by beautiful Byron Bay. The Academy Byron Bay created a welcoming atmosphere for visitors as it is not uncommon to host outsiders at the gym. When I walked in, Professor Daniel and friendly students welcomed me to the Byron Bay’s BJJ community. It is fair to assume that coaches are often not as attentive to visiting students compared to the regular ones. However, Professor Daniel’s instructions proved me wrong with his insightful advice as if I were one of the members of the Academy.

Fun fact: 6 months later, while I was training at Alliance in Frankfurt, Germany, someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I rolled with him in Byron Bay. Yes, we did. What were the odds that Rajan and I cross paths with each other again by coincident on the opposite side of the world? This is why I love Jiu-Jitsu.

With Byron Bay’s renowned beaches and relaxed lifestyle, training at the Academy Byron Bay will complete your vacation in this remarkable town. Thank you for perfecting my unforgettable stay in Byron Bay! In hindsight, maybe I should have done my working holiday in Byron Bay fulfilling my dream of surf and jits instead.

Location & Facility
The Academy is located 5-minutes away from Byron Bay’ town center. The facility has a spacious open mat for grappling on the first floor and heavy bags for striking on the second floor. The gym also has a weight training area that is open to all members. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
The gym is open Monday through Saturday offering morning sessions at 7 am and everyday evening classes at 6 pm. The classes are well-balanced between gi and no-gi classes. The Academy Byron Bay’s most recent BJJ training program is posted below:

Miscellaneous
– The Academy Byron Bay’s Website

Tourist Attractions

  • Cape Byron Lighthouse — Built along with the most eastern point of mainland Australia, the lighthouse can be reached by following the walking track along the beach. The loop track is about 3.5 km, and the view is simply breathtaking.
  • Byron Bay Beaches — From Main Beach that is conveniently located adjacent to Byron Bay town center to the Pass, which is extremely popular with surfers, Byron Bay has a beach for everyone. You can enjoy turquoise water and white sand beaches while watching dolphins surf the waves. If you prefer being more active, you can jump into the water and join surfers and snorkelers from all around the world.
  • Night Life in Byron Bay — Once the sun goes down, the main street of Byron Bay becomes lively again. Byron Bay offers plenty of options for a night out depending on what you are looking to do. From “Cheeky Monkeys” and “the Sticky Wicket” filled with backpackers to “Beach Hotel” with live bands, you can easily steer your night where you want to go.

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– Lighthouse

Out and about in Sao Miguel which is quite possibly one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Introduction for Sabine

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Hi Everyone! Some of you already know me from camps, training and seminars but for those that don’t – just wanted to take a moment to introduce and tell you a little bit about myself.

The Beginning

From Alaska to Arizona!I was born in Belgium, but grew up in USA – first Alaska then Arizona. I think I’ve always had a bit of an adventurous streak. I can remember, from a very early age, reading with awe and admiration the stories of other travelers, and imagining what it would be like to go explore unfamiliar places myself.

In 2015, I decided I wanted to get to know Belgian culture and my Belgian extended family firsthand. So, I quit my job, ended my apartment lease, sold most of my things, gave my car to my parents and moved to Belgium on a one way ticket!

It sounds so simple and fearless when stated like that, but the truth was – this was a HUGE first step for me! It wasn’t without planning though – I spent almost the entire previous year saving up funds for the upcoming trip. Having family there was immensely helpful and reassuring as well. I’d been to Belgium a couple of times before on family vacation trips, so it wasn’t a completely unknown destination.

Still, this was more than just a short vacation. There were many moments of extreme doubt when I questioned every aspect of the decision to move. It’s difficult to leave the security and comfort of a familiar and stable routine in favor of the unknown. But, it’s also very exciting. And, a part of me felt that I just had to go. Even if it ended disastrously, I knew without a doubt that the regret I’d feel for not having had the courage to pursue this dream would have haunted me for the rest of my life.

I look back on it now as one of the best decisions ever made.

Pretty pretty Belgium!

BJJ Begins!

For the previous 10 years or so, I’d been a somewhat athletic person, trying a variety of sports from yoga to indoor rock climbing to jogging to power lifting, all of which I enjoyed to some extent.

I first heard about jiu-jitsu from a friend who was practicing the sport, and talked about it constantly. It piqued my curiosity enough to look up a gym in my city and try an intro class – I was instantly hooked!

Shortly thereafter, I booked my first Globetrotter Camp (Leuven 2017) which through pure amazing luck was located just an hour away by train from my home! I had some second thoughts about the wisdom of attending a multi-day training camp without knowing anyone, being a somewhat shy and introverted person, and still being so new to BJJ. But, I ended up having the BEST time!

Those Summercamp Days!

I really can’t say enough good things about my experience at the Globetrotter Camp. The training, organization, and venue were wonderful, but what made the biggest impression on me was the people involved. From the moment I arrived, participants and organizers were friendly, welcoming, and excited to train regardless of age, gender, rank, gym affiliation, language or nationality. It made me realize that BJJ was much more than a casual sport – it was a passion that connected people from all paths of life, an entire community!

First patch I ever sewed onto a gi, while sitting on a bench overlooking the ocean in Malta!In regards to traveling, BJJ is one of the big unifying factors of my trips. With every new location, everything might change – my home space, the neighborhood, the people around me, the food, the language, the currency, the climate, the culture etc. but despite all this – the experience of training BJJ remains very much the same. Every new destination only feels foreign until I step on the mats then, with a fist bump and a smile, it suddenly feels like home again.

A New Adventure

While living in Belgium, I had the opportunity to visit many of the neighboring countries in Europe for short trips, sometimes solo and sometime with friends. These countries included France, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Malta, Cyprus, and Ireland – all of which further increased my love of traveling and desire to experience different cultures.

Towards the end of 2018, I took the very big step of leaving behind a fixed location in favor of slowly traveling the world for the upcoming year, relocating every couple weeks/months.

The world is full of such beautiful places!

The Plan

I’ll be returning to USA to visit family December/January (as I do every winter), then plan to begin exploring the Asian countries early 2019. My past travels have been largely restricted to Europe, so I expect this to be quite different than what I’ve experienced before. I’m still in the process of researching logistics, but will probably start with Bali then country-hop from there, returning to Europe for the big BJJ Globetrotters Germany Summer Camp in July/August!

My criteria for choosing a location is loosely as follows (not in priority order): good public transportation system, has stable fast wifi, reasonably cheap, reasonably safe, has at least one place to train BJJ, and has decent weather/climate (I hate the cold). Of course, not every destination will meet all of these points, but these are my general guidelines.

As I’m budget traveling, great deals on flights and accommodations might mean choosing some unexpected locations, which I think is a great opportunity to visit a place I possibly wouldn’t have otherwise considered. Of course, I’ll be training in every city, with the goal of visiting 200 BJJ gyms around the globe! I’m still very much in the process of learning the ropes of traveling and living this way, so will undoubtedly learn a lot in the upcoming year. Besides BJJ, my interests include art/graphics, nature, beautiful spaces, animals, and desserts. Therefore, you can expect future posts to touch on some/all of these of these topics to some extent.

So… cheers to the adventure, new experiences, and to the ongoing BJJ journey! Hope to see you on the mats :)

BJJ Globetrotters USA Camp 2018 Instagram video

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UPCOMING CAMPS


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Legacy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Sydney, Australia)

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Sydney, Australia — Let the road trip begin! After Vietnam and Cambodia, I returned to the land of kangaroos and koalas. My friend and I rented a van for two weeks and planned to drive up the east coast of Australia, and our initial point was Sydney. Before picking up the camping van and spending the first night at the Mcdonald’s parking lot on the way to the next destination, I had an opportunity to train at Legacy BJJ.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

City
Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and the largest city in Australia. It is commonly referred to as the Harbour City as it is known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House and iconic Harbour Bridge that illuminates the city every night. With its setting next to sandy surf beaches and modernized skylines, Sydney possesses its own unique color.

Overview
Legacy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy was founded by Thiago Braga who is a 3rd-degree black belt under Paulo Guimarães. The academy initially started with a few classes a week in a small space in the Sydney suburb of Glebe, and now Legacy BJJ has multiple branches under its flag around Australia including Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast with its headquarter in Chippendale, Sydney. The Academy has competition-proven black belt instructors leading 3–4 sessions of gi and no-gi classes every day, and its program is catered for all levels from beginners to competitors.

Although I wanted to train a few times before living out of a van and driving all the way up to Gold Coast, I could only squeeze one no-gi session. The gym’s proximity to the Sydney Central station made it easily accessible, and the surrounding area was lively with restaurants and shops next to the University of Sydney. The gym entrance made the facility look like a fire station. However, as I stepped in, the spacious white mat caught my eyes.

At Legacy BJJ, I was welcomed by Professor Caio Tamura and the Legacy BJJ family. The session was led by Professor Caio Tamura, a 2x Australian national and 3x Pan Pacific champion, whose BJJ competency has been proven by his competition records. As bright as its white mat, the academy has a vibrant atmosphere. Everyone was friendly and approachable, and Professor Tamura created a cheerful environment for training. I was pleasantly surprised to be in such a large class for a lunch session, and I could only assume that the academy would be full of students for evening sessions.

Sydney is a city that has a lot to offer, but I would recommend you to drop by Legacy BJJ and receive a top-notch Australian BJJ training from friendly and expert instructors. Thank you, Legacy BJJ family. Until next time!

Location & Facility
Legacy BJJ is located between the Sydney Central station and the University of Sydney campus, and the academy is within a short walking distance from the Sydney Central station. The facility includes a clean white mat space with a boxing ring. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
Legacy BJJ’s most recent training schedule is posted below:

Miscellaneous
– Legacy BJJ’s Website

Tourist Attractions

  • Syndey Opera House — This architectural masterpiece is the most iconic landmark in Australia and one of the busiest performing arts centers in the world. The famous urban sculpture sets on beautiful Sydney Harbor next to the Sydney central business district. If you are in Sydney, you cannot skip visiting the Sydney Opera House.
  • Bondi Beach — Located next to the Icebergs pool, Bondi Beach remains one of the most iconic beaches in Australia. The white-sand beaches and curling waves draw surfers and visitors from all over the world, and the beach is surrounded by trendsetting cafes and laid-back pubs. You should go grab fish and chips and head out to Bondi Beach for a nice picnic!
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge — Connecting between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore, The world’s largest steel arch bridge provides a panoramic view of Sydney Harbour. If you are brave enough, you can climb to the summit of the bridge.
  • The Blue Mountains — The region gets its name from the distinctive blue horizon created by droplets of eucalyptus tree oil mixed with water vapor and sunlight. It is located about 2 hours west of Sydney, and it is known for its dramatic scenery with cliffs and forests. The views from the Three Sisters sandstone rock formation is simply astonishing. 
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Melbourne Australia

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Greetings From Melbourne Australia (8-14 Nov 2017)!

Moving from Geelong to Melbourne was the fastest and easiest travel between two stops on the Odyssey, it was literally just an hour or so train ride to downtown Melbourne, Geelong is really just next to Melbourne after all. This stop was my first time staying in a hostel in Australia, which I can say looking back I’m not a fan of them overall, but I’ll get into that shortly. I made my to the hostel, checked in and found my room without any problem after getting used to the transit system and finding my bearings. I had to quickly find my way around downtown and the area surrounding the hostel as when I checked in my one and only pair of shorts I’ve had since Paris decided to blowout and ripped practically in two. I bent over to pick up my bags after checking in and, in front of a packed lobby, my shorts ripped open showing off my ass to everyone, good thing I was wearing underwear that day. Finding my bed I dropped my bags off and changed into something that didn’t leave my ass hanging out and headed out to find a clothing store. While searching for a new pair of shorts, which I found easy enough, I was able scout out various interesting places to eat and stores of interest. This ended up actually being a really good turn of events since I later realized there was no way of being able to use the kitchen during my stay if I wanted to also make the class times.

As I mentioned before I did enjoy staying at the hostels in Australia. This stop was one of only two places I stayed at a hostel in Australia but I have heard that what I experienced is similar all or most of the hostels there. I had no problem with the bed or the room itself at this place, I was quite comfortable sleeping there, my problem is more with the kitchen. Not only could I never use the kitchen to cook but there was no space in the fridges to keep any food either. The reason for this is that in Australia getting temporary work visa is apparently easy, or a lot of work places seem to be lax for paperwork. I overheard people talking about spending a weekend to pick up a white card to work general labour but nothing about getting a work visa, in fact a few even said it wasn’t needed. So the hostels are packed with people all working, mostly illegally, living and eating in packs together taking over the entire kitchen space as if it’s their own place. I was unable to cook or keep food in either hostel and I don’t think anyone staying there for a short stay was either. I was forced to eat out the whole time and I went really over budget because of this. At least Australia is beautiful and has awesome Jiu-Jitsu. 

The Sights 

I got shown a lot of Melbourne outside the downtown area one night when I met up with Ian, a purple belt I met on the Globetrotters Facebook group and kept in contact for my visit to Melbourne. We met up to train a few times during my stay and both times Ian told me about the history of Melbourne and the area. My favourite thing about Australia, besides the amazing beaches, is the Australian Football League (AFL) and Melbourne is a big AFL city. Each district of Melbourne has it’s own team and they’re huge fans, it changes the feeling of each area, especially when one of them won the Championships recently. Think of being in New York and walking through Yankees territory who just won and crossing the street into Mets territory who just lost, and there’s six teams in this same city. Driving around with Ian explaining all this to me was awesome, I wish I had pictures of the different team banners and signs in restaurants and bar windows.

Other than checking out another big botanical garden again I did some walking around to some of the different monuments and historical buildings. Here are some pictures of Melbourne and a video I made. Check out the video over on Panda’s Odyssey Youtube Channel. You can also check out all my pictures of this and all my other stops over on my Flickr Account. 

During my stay in Melbourne Remembrance Day occurred, I almost forgot as there wasn’t much posted for it in the city, not like back in Canada where we sell poppies everywhere and have posters for the various services in the cities. In Australia Remembrance Day seems a smaller affair with Anzac Day being the bigger occasion. As it happens the day I was out sight seeing and filming was Remembrance Day, as you saw above I caught a bit of the service at the Shrine of Remembrance which is greatest monument honouring their fallen I’ve seen so far in my travels.

Clifton Hill BJJ

Melbourne is the Jiu-Jitsu central of Australia, there are many great gyms in the big city and I tried visiting as many as possible. Ian trains at Clifton Hill BJJ which is held in the Collingwood sports center, which closer to the Carlton Football team than Collingwood’s but who am I argue names. I arrived by train and with Ian’s directions I found the center without problems. I was a bit early so I was confused where the classes were held as there was no signs for it and when I looked inside there were no mats. One by one people showed up, greeted me and then started pulling puzzle mats out of the storage room. In no time the hardwood gym floor was matted and the class was warming up. By the time Ian showed up I had already meet Chris, the black belt and head instructor, who introduced me to everyone else.

I think we trained for 2 hours that night, I know we had a full hour of drilling before rolling and we rolled for a while. The gym really made me feel welcome, they’re not a big club but they’re all very kind and open people and most of them travel a lot themselves so we had all sorts of stories to share. Chris especially had a lot of stories. I can’t remember what exactly we drilled in class but I do remember sharing some little details with Chris who showed me an awesome quick shoulder lock from mount that surprised the hell out of me when he suddenly threw it on. It was great, however brief, meeting the Clifton Hill gym and training with them. Thanks for making me feel welcome, the fun chats and the cool sneaky move you taught me Chris!

Melbourne Budo Academy/Jean Jacques Machado BJJ Melbourne

I’m glad I was able to meet up with Ian, who not only brought me out to this gym and showed me around but to also brought me another place for open mat, Jean Jacques BJJ Melbourne. The gym is in a dojo, the Melbourne Budo Academy, which holds other classes.  The dojo is a big open square space with tatami mats and classical dojo tapestries and weapon racks on the walls. I got dressed and started warming up as Ian introduced me to everyone, they seemed welcoming enough, if a bit quiet, I figured maybe it was the traditional martial arts influence creeping into the Jiu-Jitsu culture. Either way we had fun rolling with each other.

It was a small group that showed up but everyone was there to drill and roll. The head instructor Jon wasn’t at the open mat but Ben was, a very skilled purple belt who I believe recently received his brown belt, and he totally destroyed me. I’m glad he has his brown belt now, I’m sure it won’t be long before his black belt either. Ian and I had a good 10-15 minute roll of just flowing back and forth and working on moving and defending, trying new things and seeing where it went. It was lots of fun, Ian isn’t just a great host showing me around and bringing me out to the gyms but also a great partner to train with. Thanks Ian for everything, you really made this stop a blast!

Academy BJJ

Academy BJJ was a last minute addition to this visit. A friend from the UK, Can (Jon) contacted me connected me to a former student of his that is now living and training in Melbourne, small world! I wasn’t able to meet up with the student as our schedules didn’t match up but I did make it out to class to meet and train with the gym. The gym is was easy to find with it being on the ground floor and big signage, as soon as I walked into the gym I met Prof. Dan the head instructor who greeted me openly and welcomed me into his club. I showed up early so while the white belt class was running I watched and spoke with Prof. Dan about the Odyssey between his teaching points to the class. The night I came out to class isn’t a big night for senior belts so most of the class were white belts, which was actually good for me because not only was I tired from the hectic schedule but that meant I can just follow along and work on refining fundamentals without the fear of being tested and crushed by senior belts. In all seriousness it was nice training at Academy BJJ with Prof. Dan’s students, we worked guard passing and retention concepts for different open guards I worked with some senior white and blue belts on their game for passing, I think there was a competition coming up. I felt welcomed and comfortable and would love to visit them again one day.

De Been 100% Jiu-Jitsu

Another gym I checked out while I was in Melbourne was De Been 100% Jiu-Jitsu. I found them on the Free Rollers site list of affiliate gyms that welcome visitors. I was only able to make it out to the noon time class, I think it was the same day I went to the evening class at Academy BJJ, hitting five gyms in one visit while also sight seeing meant some busy days. The gym is in an upstairs space, with the mat area is a long rectangular room, separate from the rest of the gym. The space is really nice, it’s too bad I could only make it out to lunch time class where only a few people come out instead the busy evening classes, either way I had a fun time. As there were only four or five of us we just went over one technique, I believe it was working De La Riva guard, or spider guard, retaining and passing drills. After the drilling for a short while we got to rolling round robin, I’m pretty sure I rolled with everyone at least twice before we ended the session. I wish I could say more but I didn’t connect with anyone online before dropping by like usual and I have no pics from this visit so I’m pretty empty handed other than my memories of having fun training and chatting with the small group who showed up. I know it doesn’t make for a great story to share but it was a good time none the less.

Absolute MMA

The last gym I checked out on this visit I had already been to before, Absolute MMA St Kilda held a seminar the week before and I attended with guys from Geelong. It was an awesome experience and I’m glad I did it as that was the only time I was able to meet Craig Jones, Kit Dale and Lachlan Giles as none of them were around for the only class I attended. Well, Craig Jones was hanging out in class but he wasn’t teaching or training as he was taking off right after for his trip to USA to compete in EBI and hold some seminars. Instead another instructor named Lachlan, who is a celebrated competitor, was teaching the morning class. This class was the only one I was able to show up to, I had plans to return for the evening classes but ended up oversleeping on a badly planned afternoon nap. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body and go with the flow and rest.

Anyways, I showed to Absolute MMA for the morning class, it’s an impressive space with two sizable mat spaces, one with heavy bags, and a weights area for conditioning. The BJJ classes are held in the larger back mat space. I got changed and, with permission of the instructor, set up my GoPro before class to capture the training session. During class we focused on guard breaking and passing then added more details and more moves to the sequence. After drilling we got into positional rolling in a ‘King of the Mat’ format. Pass or sweep, winner stays on the mat and loser goes back in line. A universal favourite drill among Jiu-Jitsu gyms. Of course positional rolling then turned to free rolling rounds that went pretty much until no one could roll anymore. It was a great time, I had some good matches and fun conversations along the sidelines. I wish I could have come back for more but there’s always next time.

Here’s a video of my time training at Absolute MMA, follow the link and you can see all my other videos as well at the Panda’s Odyssey YouTube channel, while you’re there please show some love, like, share, comment and subscribe!

After a really busy and way too short visit I was off to my next visit where I got to see more sun, beach and of course Jiu-Jitsu, Sydney!

Until next time,

see you on the mats!

OSSS!!

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