Archive for month: June, 2021

Age: 37

Belt: Purple

Profession: Managing Director of a personal safety company called RESOLVEit.

How many years in BJJ: Almost 5 years.

Other martial arts: Oh where do I start!

I won’t list the black belts, I cringe at things like that, but let’s just say the few look quite nice framed on my wall now lol! Initially, I started in Kung Fu with my dad because I was bullied. Then I joined a Taekwondo club and by the age of 10, I was already part of the Welsh Squad and competing heavily. In my early teens, I ended up moving cities and by sheer chance, started Karate after a friend asked me to go with him. Subsequently, he quit and I stayed.

Fast forward 28 years, I met someone at a Mixed Martial Arts seminar, who changed my whole perception on martial arts (and life). It was one of those defining moments that led me to hanging up my Kyokushin gi in exchange for the BJJ and Shin Atemi gi and the rest is history…

*Shin Atemi is a form of Mixed Martial Arts that combines the striking art of full contact karate with locks and throws and then ground work and grappling.

Where do you live: Wales, UK

Where are you originally from: I was born in Zimbabwe and moved to the UK when I was around 2 years old.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I’m a huge fan of Wonder Woman and every belt I have in BJJ has a small Wonder Woman logo on it haaaa!

Eira Culverwell – BJJ World Masters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Travelling and training has been built in me from the age of 7, so being in the UK for long periods irks my soul.

I’m inherently quite a detached person from the mainstream crowds, and find socialising quite overwhelming and usually disappear or make my excuses. I like the mix that travelling and training offers me. It allows me time to balance my soul again – as deep as that sounds. I have undisturbed time to reflect and process my thoughts; to set my intentions and to keep my training and development moving forward.

I also find there’s way more women abroad who train; it’s refreshing to roll with women as opposed to just men. Women’s physiology is so different, it’s so much fun to roll with women and you know what… it’s damn right amazing not to constantly be one of two women, the smallest and oldest haaaa! We all know those very excitable and explosive 18 year olds…

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
Ah, the great escape…

My most recent travel (escape) was to the BJJ Globetrotters Zen Camp in Poland. And by now, you’ll see why it grabbed my attention. Set in a Japanese-style village in the middle of nowhere, with like-minded people, all united together, to escape the madness of the world for a few days, just to train…

It was a much needed reprieve.

My next plans are Japan. My other half lives and trains there. He’s a 5th dan in Judo, purple belt in BJJ, is a sambo and catch wrestler, and heads up Shin Atemi. So going back there has dual meaning. I hope to extend my time there by spending time in Tokyo, at Carpe Diem BJJ. One of the places I really felt at home and mirrored the same style of coaching I get at CRA.

I’d like to go back to Orlando. I made some wonderful memories at Bruno Malfacine’s club, and miss Steve and Bruno and their classes. There are just some places you feel as though you fit, eh?

There’s also one person I’d love to be taught by, and that’s Margot (Mars) Ciccarelli. I rolled with her in Carpe Diem, before the Tokyo and Asian Masters. Since then, I’ve followed her teachings online as she’s travelled round the world. She’s a huge inspiration on and off the mats.

Eira Culverwell – BJJ training

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
I love exploring. It’s the freedom of not having a routine. I can just get up, pack a rucksack for the day, google a few places, and head out the door. I’m not the type to just sit around and sunbathe. I have to see and experience what the place has to offer; be it on foot, bike, car, plane etc…

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I was prepping for Worlds Masters in 2018 and flew to Orlando to train at Bruno Malfacine’s (oh, and obviously to go to the adventure parks – huge Harry Potter geek). The experience was 1st-class. The comp classes were tough and the standard was extremely high. The USA has an incredible standard of BJJ and is kinda a mecca, especially around Worlds.

My other favourite places to train are Thailand, at Phuket Top Team with Professor Olavo, and at Keenan’s new club in San Diego. Again, both were super welcoming, no rules on colour gis or affiliation patches, just good old-fashioned warm welcomes, hard training, and brilliant teaching.

Eira Culverwell – BJJ training

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Besides not killing myself on the American freeways haaa. It’s how comfortable and adaptable I’ve become when travelling, even down to being a pro packer; I’m the travelling martial arts Marie Kondo ha!

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I always budget, but I will always stay in one nice hotel during my trip, especially if I’m competing. I don’t do hostels anymore, and I’m a pillow snob.

I don’t drink or party, so my home life really only revolves around work, training, studying and travelling to training… man I sound boring! I tend not to spend money on anything else, plus I’m sponsored by Aesthetic, so all of my BJJ kit is paid for (which saves a ton).

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Whatever camp or holiday you’re pondering over, don’t. After a fairly shitty year, we all, I hope, can agree that life is way too short.

Maybe don’t buy that coffee or takeout two, three, or four times a week….

I have two actual piggy banks sat on my kitchen window, where every week I put £1 coins in one and loose change in the other. That’s how I paid for the Zen camp!

Thank you Eira Culverwell – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Where is the gym located?
No.52, Eldams Road, Teynampet, Chennai – 600083, Tamil Nadu, South India.

How many people train there?
Currently I have 5 people training in my gym under my brand.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Not exactly because of the pandemic, and the market here in this city in general is not an ideal place for starting an MMA academy. But teaching MMA for self defense has always been my passion, so I’m pretty much swimming against the tide here.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We don’t have any belt system in my gym, as I don’t have access to learning from a quality BJJ instructor/school here in my city. I come from a Krav Maga background. After I came across BJJ back in 2015, I’ve been smitten by the amount of sense it made in terms of taking it up as a self defense martial art. Hence, I teach Gracie Combatives as part of my MMA fundamentals training program.

When did the gym open?
September 15th 2020.

Forge MMA, BJJ India

Some facts about you:

Name: Shyam Kumar
Age: 34
Belt: White
Profession: MMA combatives instructor/ GPP coach (general physical prep)
Years in BJJ: 4 years (following the Gracie syllabus)
Other martial arts: WAKO kickboxing, 1st degree black belt in Kyokushinkai Karate
Currently living in: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India
Originally from: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
Having been into Krav Maga for over 7 years, I came to realize its shortcomings. I also realized that MMA offered a much more hands-on training approach for unarmed combat. Hence, after learning and training under a few professional MMA athletes, I opened my gym on September 15th, 2020.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Mostly young adults from the age of 20 to 30 years old, from all walks of life.

Forge MMA, BJJ India

Why do they train?
Mostly, the glamour factor of UFC 😄😄. But some of them are students doing their masters in the United States and Canada. So they’re looking to be in decent shape to join an academy/club there and start competing.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Cosmetic solutions. That’s what majority of people in my city’s market look for. Flashy, quick fix solutions to look cool and do cool things by totally ignoring the fundamentals or looking at it from a long term point of view.

Forge MMA, BJJ India

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Growth at a very very slow pace due a well-brainwashed populace brimming with ignorance.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
Unlike the 3 famous so-called MMA gyms in my city, we’re not a corporate/sports promotional hub. We’re more of a community than a factory-tailored cult.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
The food joints. Notable street food joints and eat outs. Some surfing and open water swimming too. But damn are there endless possibilities for exploring your gastrointestinal urges around here.

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

Age: 35

Belt: Blue belt under Frank “Dukes” Livorsi

Profession: Traveling Critical Care Nurse

How many years in BJJ: 3 years this Christmas!

Other martial arts: None. I grew up playing ice hockey as a kid and always thought I could handle myself in a fight. Jiu Jitsu proved me totally wrong.

Where do you live: Currently Las Vegas, NV

Where are you originally from: I was born in New York City but call Cocoa Beach, Florida home. I moved to Florida for college and realized how special it is.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I love to surf as well. Jiu Jitsu and surfing really compliment each other in unique ways.

Mike Abbate – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
As a traveling nurse, I am constantly on the move. I realized that Jiu Jitsu and traveling go great together, especially when you have organizations and resources like BJJ Globetrotters. I got my blue belt after training a year and a half at Off the Grid in Cocoa Beach. Since that time, I’ve just been lucky to find great gyms to train at while I travel the country.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I typically stay in one location for 3 months or so. I’m currently in Las Vegas training with an awesome group at Vills Bros. I’ve traveled to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, all the way to Reno, Nevada, and even spent a few months in Southern California surfing and training. Before coming out to Vegas, I spent a couple months in Washington DC working a Covid response assignment, and was lucky enough to train at a small gym there.

Mike Abbate – BJJ gym

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
Gaining perspectives on life I wouldn’t have otherwise had. I’ve realized there are great people anywhere you go, especially within the Jiu Jitsu community. The U.S. is an incredibly beautiful and diverse country which I didn’t really appreciate until I started traveling.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I’ve trained under some world-class coaches, and even for a short amount of time was able to pick up tips and techniques along the way. It’s fascinating seeing the different styles of Jiu Jitsu and how so many styles and approaches to the game can work.

I once walked into a random gym in Las Vegas for an open mat, and a multiple-time world Jiu Jitsu champion walked up to me (I’ll keep her name a secret) and invited me to roll. She is about 85lbs and absolutely worked me, but it was such a fun roll. I was lucky enough to train at that gym for a few months and was surrounded by incredible talent. It’s one of the reasons I travelled back to Las Vegas to train again.

Mike Abbate – BJJ Globetrotters

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
How easy it is! This country is built to travel. We have safe roads and accessible airports. Traveling in the U.S. is affordable as well. There really isn’t a good excuse not to travel.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Budget traveler. Although as I’ve gotten older, I’ve traded in couch surfing at friends’ houses for staying at Airbnbs.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Just go for it. The experience you will get traveling and training can’t be had any other way.

Thank you to Mike Abbate BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!