Archive for month: September, 2020

Where is the gym located?
We’re located in Playa Venao, Panama, which is on the Azuero peninsula on the country’s Southwest Pacific coast. Playa Venao is known as one of Panama’s best and most consistent beach breaks. The gym is physically located at Beach Break Surf Camp (www.beachbreaksurfcamp.com), a beachfront hotel steps from the waves.

How many people train there?
Playa Venao BJJ Panama has a kids program of local and expat kids from ages 3-16+ yrs old, and around 10 adults in BJJ. We also do Muay Thai and conditioning classes with around another 10 or so people.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Playa Venao is a small community, but it’s definitely growing and developing. With the expansion, there are more families, service industry workers, and others that could potentially start training. I just need to show them the light (BJJ :)). For now, our numbers remain more or less consistent.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The gym has the whitest of white belts in for their first classes, 1 blue belt, 2 purple belts, a brown belt, a black belt, and many visitors from the whole spectrum of belts.

When did the gym open?
2017.

Some facts about you:

Name: John Boyle
Age: 34
Academy: Playa Venao BJJ Panama
Belt: Black
Profession: Surf Camp Hotel Manager & BJJ Academy Owner
Years in BJJ: 12
Other martial arts: Muay Thai
Currently living in: Playa Venao
Originally from: South Jersey / Colorado, USA

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
I moved to Panama in 2013 in need of adventure and change. In the first year, my friend and I founded AlleyCat Fitness Foundation (another Globetrotters-affiliated school). After 4 of the best years of my life operating this non-profit academy which provided free martial arts and fitness classes to impoverished communities, I again needed change. I meditated, focused, and pondered on what my wife and I’s perfect life would look like. The picture I came up with was living at the beach, surfing, training, and sharing Jiu-Jitsu with people from all over the world.

In 2017, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to use a small space at the back of Beach Break Surf Camp for BJJ classes for the community. My wife got a job at the hotel, and I was making ends meet with teaching classes. A year and a half into our lives at the beach, and another opportunity presented itself – to become the manager of the hotel and expand the BJJ gym into the amazing new facility it is today, with 80m2 of brand new Fuji mats just steps away from the surf break.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We’re lucky enough to have people from all over the world that train here. Some of the countries represented are: Panama, United States, Australia, Belgium, Israel, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Uruguay, plus visitors from all over the rest of the world. Many of our full-time members are local expats who have different jobs in the area or are self-employed.

Playa Venao BJJ Panama

Why do they train?
Many of our students started their Jiu Jitsu journey here. Some have moved here and continued their practice. I believe everyone has their own reasons for training that are personal to them, but speaking for myself I love the health and physical benefits, as well as the amazing community of people it brings together and the friendships I’ve made on the mats.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Work can always become work, even if it is your dream life/ job. So I try and remind myself not to get stressed about the normal business stuff. Other challenges include: deciding whether to surf before or after training, having so much fun you forget to take a nap, and going out with friends visiting on vacation and turning their vacation into my own…

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
I see the future generations wondering why the hell there are so many killers coming from Playa Venao that can speak three languages, surf amazingly well, and strangle 99% of the untrained population.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
For sure the people that fill its mats…. But the world class waves out front aren’t so bad either.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
The inside of some barrels.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Playa Venao BJJ Panama, you can find them here.

Where is the gym located?
Bangalore, India

How many people train there?
Reign MMA India has currently around 15 members.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Since we only opened about two months ago, there’s a weekly increase in the number of students. We’re doubling the numbers every week.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We are a bunch of white belts coached by a blue belt.

When did the Reign MMA, India BJJ open?
April 2019.

Some facts about you:

Name: Vighnesh Nathan
Academy:Reign MMA India
Age: 32
Belt: Blue
Profession: MMA / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning coach
Years in BJJ: 8
Other martial arts: Kickboxing and wrestling
Currently living in: Bangalore, India
Originally from: New Delhi, India

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
I was the owner and coach at my previous academy for the past 6 years, a gym handed over to me by my first BJJ coach, Rama Reddy. My current academy, Reign MMA, is my attempt to do things bigger and better and, more importantly, give back to my students what they require – quality training with a lot of attention.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have a variety of students at the academy. Most of them are working professionals, but we have a few full time fighters too.

Why do they train?
Getting fit is the initial motivation for most beginners, by trying something different than what they’ve done before. That motivation almost always changes once the students get a proper taste of BJJ. It becomes a passion to learn more for 99% of the students.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
The general lack of awareness about BJJ in India even today is the biggest challenge. Despite the growth in mixed martial arts even in Bangalore, BJJ is still a foreign discipline. Most academies and students who currently train BJJ in Bangalore and India take an approach of learning techniques which are trending rather than trying to understand concepts, hence new students get lost and quit within a few months. Parents relate BJJ to traditional martial arts like karate, and are reluctant to let their kids to practice the arts. Women are apprehensive of BJJ too, rather preferring activities like cardio kickboxing which they feel is safer and less invasive.

Also, there are no black belts and very very few decent higher belts in the country. So most practitioners get stuck at white belt or blue belt level for quite a while.

Reign MMA, India BJJ

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The future can be huge in a populous country like India. But quantity and quality are very different to each other. There is a surge in the number of academies, competitions, and visiting BJJ practitioners in India. And with an increase in the demand for self-defense training, especially for women, BJJ is in demand. There are already an exponentially larger number of BJJ trainees compared to couple of years back. But the lack of quality instructors and especially higher belts is still a big issue.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
Reign MMA, India BJJ is open to everyone. Right from beginners to advanced practitioners. And we love to learn as well. If you’re a beginner, we are very dedicated to perfecting our fundamentals and would love to share that. If you’re an advanced belt, we would love to refine our game and pick your brain.

More importantly, we believe that knowledge not shared is worthless. Each and every detail we have, we want to pass it on to our students and help them on their journeys.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Bangalore itself is one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in the country. Apart from a few historic monuments and other typical city structures like malls and local eateries and shopping points, Bangalore is also known as the pub capital of India, with some amazing breweries around. And for any globetrotter the best thing is that, just a few hours from Bangalore in any direction, there are amazing beaches, hills or jungles, all waiting to be explored.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Reign MMA, India BJJ, you can find them here.

Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ

Where is the gym located?
The gym is downtown Kuala Lumpur behind Ampang Point Mall, on the 4th floor above the TIME ZONE shop. We’re about 10 mins away (via bus or taxi) from the iconic landmark KLCC twin towers, and the nearest train lines are Ampang Park (Putra LRT train line) and Ampang (Star LRT train line).

How many people train there?
Kambiz Warriors Gym has around 60-70. That’s Muay Thai and BJJ.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Growing gradually. We’re a gym that is more focused on producing local talent rather than making money.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
White is the lowest and purple is the highest.

When did the gym open?
Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia opened in 2002, but the BJJ programme started in 2014.

Some facts about you:

Name: Seyed Ali Ramezani Bayani, AKA Coach Ali
Age: 39
Academy: Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia
Belt: 1st degree black belt
Profession: I’m an English teacher by trade. The teaching of BJJ, which I do two hours a day, five days
a week, is purely for the purpose of giving back to an art which has given me so much.
Years in BJJ: 18
Other martial arts: I started my martial arts journey at the age of seven. I have a black belt in
Kenshen Karate, and full contact Karate.
Currently living in: Based in Malaysia for 11 years now.
Originally from: Iran, but I was born in Kuwait and I was raised in the UK.

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
The gym was opened up in 2002 by Master Kambiz, and initially it was purely a Muay Thai gym. Master Kambiz himself is a 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo and a true master in Muay Thai, which he practiced and fought in Japan. He has produced multiple champions and even world champions. I joined the gym in 2014 and started the BJJ classes. Since then, Master Kambiz and I have been working in perfect harmony alongside each other. He teaches Muay Thai and I teach BJJ, and together we teach MMA.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ has practitioners from all walks of life. Master Kambiz and I have always been focused on teaching the very essence of martial arts; we’ve never been a commercial gym. Through the years we’ve produced many Muay Thai and BJJ champions, but our crowning achievement has been the fact that we’ve produced humble, kind, and generous human beings. That is how we aim to give back. A lot of our members are refugees, and from low income families. I myself have never made money from the BJJ I teach. There was a short documentary that was made on our gym and how we’ve taken in refugees and given them an opportunity through martial arts.

Why do they train?
They all have different reasons. Some do it for fun, some to become champions. We try to cater to all needs. The practitioner who does it for self-growth and the one who goes on to become champion are all given the same treatment. I always tell my boys and girls that they do not need to compete to be great martial artists. There is so much to the martial arts, and competition is only one small part of it.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Well, we have such a mixed background of students studying here, and once they’re done with their school course they return to their home country.

Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Definitely growing. There are a lot of new competitions popping up, and the interest in the art has gone up. When we first started our BJJ classes here, there were only a handful of gyms and competitions, but now there are quite a few of both.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
I would say the environment. We’re not a fancy gym with a lot of facilities, but we do put our heart and soul into our practitioners. We’ve built an environment where all members are respectful and very caring of each other no matter what background of life they come from. Our BJJ class is run in a very unique way. Due to my experience of teaching inside a classroom, I am able to apply some of my teaching knowledge into my instruction of BJJ. Our BJJ class has differentiation, meaning that practitioners are divided into groups based on ability and everyone follows a scaffolded curriculum when it comes to technique. Start our class with solo BJJ drills, then partner drills, and then one throw for the week. We then go on to technique and rolls.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Malaysia is famously known for its iconic twin towers (KLCC), beautiful beaches, and for its mouth-watering cuisines. Luckily enough, our gym is located only about 10mins away from KLCC (which you can see it from the gym’s window) and it’s in one of the most multicultural parts of the city. The Ampang Point area is also home to a variety of famous local and international dishes from Malay, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, and Western cuisine. So after a training session the hardest decision to make is what you want to eat.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ, you can find them here.

Where is the gym located?
Curepipe, Mauritius.

How many people train there?
Curepipe BJJ Mauritius has 4 adults, 12 kids.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
For now, the number is more or less constant.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The highest belt is blue belt, and the lowest of course is white.

When did the gym open?
Curepipe Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mauritius opened about 2.5 years ago.

Some facts about you:

Name: Govind Rummun
Age: 31
Academy: Curepipe BJJ Mauritius
Belt: Blue
Profession: Management support officer
Years in BJJ: 4 years
Other martial arts: Karate and Japanese Jujutsu
Currently living in: Curepipe, Mauritius
Originally from: Mauritius

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
First, you have to understand the situation in Mauritius. For the longest time we didn’t have a BJJ black belt in Mauritius. It’s only been a couple of years since we’ve had one. And yes, this guy is my teacher.

So I was training at this place where our teacher had set up a gym. He’d come regularly for classes, but eventually left the responsibility to the most experienced/oldest member (he was 50+ years old). My teacher would come from time to time to supervise, but it was really up to the members to do their training.

For a time it was good, but little by little everyone just stopped coming and we were left with only a few guys. Eventually, at some point, being one of the most senior there, I was given that responsibility. I did what I could at that time until the club was back on track. That’s when my teacher told that I should set up my club in Curepipe (my hometown). Since then, I’ve been doing my own thing.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Curepipe BJJ Mauritius has your typical kids classes. Chaotic, messy and lots of shouting and ordering! As for the adults, you get a broader range of people. From adolescents to a 40-year-old ex-army man.

Why do they train?
Some come to keep fit; some for competition. The kids come mostly because their parents brought them, but they really like it.
But my most interesting student is the 40-year-old guy, Joe. He’s been with us since the beginning. He’s been to a few competitions, but that is not his objective. He also likes to keep fit, and has been to the gym more than once. I’d say he likes to train just for the sake of it. There is this thing in BJJ that just makes you want to keep coming!

As for me, I love BJJ because it’s such a wonderful art. I’d done some other martial arts prior to this, and don’t get me wrong, they were good, but BJJ just hits the right spot. It’s safe, practical, and you’re always learning something new. I meet new people all the time and have lots of fun at competitions. The introvert that I am gets to express himself in another way.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
The biggest challenge is getting your name out. Most people here don’t know what BJJ is, and it’s very hard to get new people to join. We usually get confused with Karate because we wear the gi.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The future is the kids. Right now I can see how they’re developing an interest in the art. At competitions, and by training in other gyms, you can see how the athletes are developing. We have a couple of international-level athletes here, but the next generation is definitely going to be better.

Our Federation is on the right track by doing its best to make BJJ known throughout the island. We have lots of competition from other sports and disciplines, but little by little we’re making our way.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
The training atmosphere, I would say. I, the coach, don’t believe in running a hierarchical gym. Sure there are belts, but the essential thing is that we’re all here to learn. And also have fun!

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
We have wonderful beaches here in Mauritius. People are usually very friendly, and most of the natives speak both English and French. You can find some good deals online for hotels. We also have a big BJJ community, where anyone knows anyone and you can train at any gym on the island.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Curepipe BJJ Mauritius, you can find them here.

With some small adjustments, the BJJ Globetrotters camps are still happening in 2020 & 2021

At the beginning of this pandemic, we were afraid that we wouldn’t be able to host a single camp all year. But this summer, we managed to host two highly successful camps in Iceland and Austria, totaling around 300 participants (and zero infections). This has given us a lot of optimism for the upcoming camps we have planned!

• A recent C-19 test is mandatory for all camp participants. For health reasons—of course—but also to ensure that nobody is forced to quarantine away from job, family, sport etc.
• We offer full flexibility on all tickets this season (voucher/refund) in case you can’t make it to a camp due to the virus situation.

A lot of changes has happened in our program due to the virus. So we thought it was time to give you an overview of how our schedule looks right now. Tickets are available and we are very confident that we can pull off even more camps :) If you want to stay up to date with our future camp announcements, don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter!

Camp is 70% full at this point and new instructors just announced for this super isolated camp in the forest!

Small luxury camp in private castle. Two instructors this year and plenty of good food and wine.

Our big summer camp in Germany was postponed and we get to see beautiful Heidelberg in a different setting than usual.

The first camp to be postponed this season, but we’re not giving up! We will ultimately return to the desert.

We’ve booked the entire hotel just for our camp. More private rooms this year and families are welcome too!

Life is pretty much completely normal in St. Barth. Virtually no infections and borders are open to all countries!

Moved from October to April, we will once again roam the streets and mats of Tallinn.

Too complicated to host this year, we will be back stronger than ever at our classic camp in the forests of Maine

Too many people missed out on this one a few months ago, so we’re going back to wrestle the Vikings all over again!

Our biggest camp of the year & the ultimate BJJ-travel-revenge on the pandemic

Our family friendly camp in the alps was a blast this year despite the pandemic, so we immediately booked it again for 2021.