Archive for month: January, 2022

Age: 35

Belt: Black Belt 1st Degree

Profession: Jiu Jitsu Instructor

How many years in BJJ: I’ve been saying 15 years for a few years now

Other martial arts: Tae Kwon Do, American Kenpo, Kickboxing, Judo, Submission Wrestling, Kung Fu, Kali

Where do you live: Gainesville, Florida, USA

Where are you from: Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I stopped training martial arts for a few years in college and took up breaking (breakdance), and I honestly think it is the thing that helped my Jiu Jitsu more than anything else. I also was a Physics major and definitely see Jiu Jitsu through lense of simple machines (levers, wedges, etc.) and relative motion (lines and circles).

Charles Harriott – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to become a “full-time traveling coach”?
I honestly kind of fell into it. At first I was just trying to see the world and train for a year as an adventure. I was at a point in my life where I felt if I didn’t do it now I would put it off forever. After a year of traveling, making friends and teaching, I got home and thought “I think I would rather just keep traveling.” I got a little bit more organized… sometimes. I wouldn’t actually say I am full-time traveling anymore since Covid. I am probably travelling more than a lot of people, but I spend most of the year in Gainesville, FL with my partner Natasha Collazos.

How do you find new academies to coach at?
A bit of everything. I meet a lot of people at BJJ Globetrotters camps. Sometimes they tell their coaches back home about me or they themselves own a gym and invite me to teach. Some people have found me via my Instagram (@charlesharriott). After I did an instructional with BJJ Fanatics (Leglocks101), I had a few people that liked it reach out to me and book a seminar or two.
However, my first substitute teacher opportunity came at Octopus Academy in Tel Aviv. One of the students there (Johnny Axelrod) was an American Kenpo student of my friend and first blue belt Alexander Perez. I had been sparring with his elder brothers and him back when he was a teenager. Fast forward almost a decade and he had seen me on social media and he reached out and said I should come visit Israel. I get asked how many classes I can handle by the gym owners Saul and Gidon, and I say all of them. The first visit was for two weeks, and I ended up loving it there so much that in 2019 between the visits I spent more time in Tel Aviv than any other single city including my home in Gainesville.

The second location I got to play substitute teacher was in Mallorca, Spain. My friend Yogi Jack had a job as an instructor at a gym and wanted to take some vacation time to handle some things back home. We were talking about it and I just said hey I can cover for you. I hopped on a plane to Mallorca and got to live almost on the beach for a week and learn about Mallorca and get to know the gym owner Joe and the cool students that trained there or were just passing through.

My most recent and longest stay in New Mexico at Binder BJJ was literally due to a fellow Globetrotter named Rich telling his coach that there was a guy at camp whose personality and teaching style reminded them of him. From there he told me that his coach was going to need shoulder surgery and was looking for blackbelts to fill in. We spoke on the phone and got along and the rest is history.

Charles Harriott – BJJ Globetrotters

What are some challenges of jumping in and covering for another coach for an extended period of time? Do you stick entirely to their curriculum or do you try and add some stuff of your own too?
The main challenge is that the students there are accustomed to the culture and methods of their coach. They love their coach – that’s why they go to their gym. So at first there can be a little “who the hell is this guy?”, but it generally shifts into curiosity and by the end friendship and/or mutual respect.

Another challenge is striking the right balance between technique drilling and rolling. I recently learned that lesson. Some gyms want to roll way more than others. On one hand, students need and want to roll; on the other I am being paid to instruct. If they just wanted to roll, they wouldn’t need me and just have an open mat for that right??? Wrong. Putting myself in the shoes of students and knowing that some people come to BJJ for the stress relief and need those rolls every class has definitely improved my balance and class planning.

I am lucky that no one has ever asked me to teach a curriculum on my travels. I think the reason people hire me is because there is something I do that they like that they want their students to learn. Or at the very minimum they respect what I do and how I do it. I am usually given general guidelines like “Teach the beginners defense” or “Can you show them your approach to single x and leglocks.” Even in the case of those prompts, I don’t think the coaches would have expected Priit-style Defensive Jiu Jitsu postures being taught when they gave me that cue.

I have been so lucky that I have always been supported and embraced by the gyms that host me. At Octopus in Tel Aviv, I taught some of what Chris Paines taught me and they had him come out with me on my next visit. At Binder, they allowed me to teach a special seminar and put on mini-events while I was there.

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
My favorite thing about travelling is the people I meet and then getting to experience what they deem special about their town and their view of the world. I have traveled alone and with company and every small change adds a little spice to the experience. I love food and locals always know where to take you. In Tel Aviv, all the guys at the gym would take me to their special spots. This is the spot for Sabich, that is the spot for the best hummus, or falafel. I also love nature and museums so if I am lucky to be hosted by people who love that stuff then I get to see that. I learned early on that hotels are lonely, so I always try to stay in a guest room or couch in order to get to know people and learn something while I am there.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training (and coaching)?
In Berlin, Yogi Jack showed Natasha and I Wartenburg, the launching of a barge, a shipping container party, family breakfast, and a street market all in a few days. In Sioux Falls, we were hosted by Rich, who took us to natural history museums, cooked us amazing keto food, and gave us insight into his time as a police officer. In Enschede, Leah and Marwin took us on a beautiful walk and we sat around talking about hip hop, anime, and BJJ until I fell asleep on the couch, and Natasha and Leah bonded over all kinds of spiritual stuff. In Albuquerque, I was able to enjoy the beautiful nature by day and then really get to enjoy watching the students grow by night. On top of that, each student gave me advice on which nature trails or volcanoes or mountains to see. On top of this a few students (Matthew and Dan) and Natasha set up a camera and made a bunch of funny informative videos together. The icing on the cake was my roommate Gannon, who is a firefighter and cowboy. I got to get to know him and learn from his immense experience for his young age, and he took me to where he works on a Native Reservation and ate some fried bread.

Pre-pandemic in Köln, I got to teach one of Sven’s students a flying armbar at CAGE MMA. I got a video a month later of Sven telling me that he managed to hit it on him, only to get thrown into the cage fence à la Crazy Horse. In Köln this past year, I returned and got to see they now have their own gym, and it is thriving and they still have a good relationship with the owners at CAGE. I got to introduce Nelson and his wife Annelen to Natasha and they immediately asked if this is the one you were on the phone with last time. I laughed and said yes. That is, in a nutshell, what I love. I have this loose extended family all over the world of people I see infrequently, but when I see them we pick right up where we left off.

Charles Harriott – BJJ Globetrotters

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes sir, I just take care of airfare and lodging first. They are the ones that are the most variable in price. I use Skyscanner for international flights and Frontier for inside the USA. I heavily utilize the “to anywhere” feature and just figure out where the cheapest place to go from a given airport is. If I need to get to a particular place, then I will always look to go on an off-day, or leave my departure and return dates flexible. I will often take the cheapest flight into Europe then take a small flight, train, or bus to my final destination. I highly recommend Skyscanner and rome2rio. I also travel light with a backpack as a personal item. I avoid taking a checked bag for both the size and cost, unless I am bringing a large amount of gis for a long stay. In general, I can travel for 6+ weeks with just a backpack.

For lodging, I use the “Members of BJJ Globetrotters” Facebook group and matsurfing. First, it is free or costs me trade like cooking or teaching some Jiu Jitsu or breakdance. If you don’t have anything like that to trade, bring something from home to share your culture or passion with them. Second, as stated before, I love the people and find hotel rooms lonely.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Always bring an extra charger – they will break at the worst time. Portable chargers are your best friend. Take some photos and videos that you don’t share on social media. It’s nice to share them in person with friends and loved ones, family photo-style.

“Things will either go well or you will have data material for a great story”
I keep this in mind at all times. Anything that goes wrong in your travel will, in enough time, make for a great story. So don’t get mad, just pay attention and try to remember everything, especially if it is ludicrous.

“Don’t waste time trying to figure out whose fault anything is; just focus on moving forward and solving the problem”
This is something I learned from travelling both alone and with people. I noticed when I was alone I made just as many errors and had just as many setbacks as when I had company, but I never had anyone to complain to, so I just solved the problem. This helped prepare me for traveling with a partner as I currently do. It doesn’t matter who forgot something at home; we can always borrow or buy it when we are there. It doesn’t matter why we are running late; having a scapegoat doesn’t get us there any faster. Once you free yourself from finding someone to blame, you have all of your energy to work together to find a way forward and a much happier trip. I try really hard not to let myself complain. It’s useless and only makes your trip worse.

“You will remember the first, last, and best (most intense) 15 minutes of each experience”
I don’t know if this is true, but I heard it on a podcast and have used it to hack my memories. I don’t need to spend 6 hours on the beach, because I’m not going to remember 6 hours. I’m only going to remember how it started, ended, and what I found most memorable. So because I like to sleep in, I don’t worry that I only have 2 hours or even 45 minutes to do something that people say you need 6 hours for. I just go enjoy what I can and try to leave on a good note. This has allowed me to do more and not be victim to the feeling of “I guess it’s too late.”

“Visiting a gym is about learning and having fun more than establishing dominance”
It’s a fine balance between being nice and just letting everyone wreck you in training. It’s their gym and I always try my best to adopt their culture as long as I find it safe for me and appropriate. I feel comfortable in goofy, serious, intense, and laid back gyms. I can roll super playful, or have an ADCC reenactment. However, if you don’t feel comfortable rolling hard, and this gym has a competition culture, it’s okay to sit out. If you do like to compete with them, enjoy the porrada LMAO.

Conversely, if you roll like a murderer in a super laid-back gym that is trying to “flow”, they probably will not appreciate it. Above all, I try to keep both me and my training partner safe. It is never worth it to get injured or injure your partner when visiting a gym. At a minimum you will be unwelcome, and worse you may put yourself in physical danger from an overzealous mat enforcer. Even if you are so skilled to wreck the whole room, chances are you didn’t make any friends, and for me that’s the best part.

“Make them think you don’t suck at Jiu Jitsu and that you are not an asshole”
…and if you suck at Jiu Jitsu as an underbelt no one actually cares!

Thank you Charles Harriott – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Dennis Gabriel Schindler – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: 32
Belt: 1st Degree Black Belt in Luta Livre & BJJ Purple Belt
Profession: Owner of CORE Fighting System Osnabrück
Started training (year): I can’t recall exactly. I got my first Luta Livre belt in 2011, so definitely before that.
City/country: Osnabrück in Germany

 

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

Opening my own academy and seeing my students grow and win more than I ever could. I’m not really a competitor and focus on teaching since that’s what I enjoy most.

 

Which Globetrotters camps have you attended?

Summer Camp in Heidelberg, Castle Camp in Italy, Iceland and Zen Camp.

 

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

I enjoyed each and every one of it. Every camp has a different feel to it. I enjoyed the Castle Camp for it’s intimacy and overall location. Iceland Camp were great rolls, an awesome gym with great local talent in a truly astonishing country. The Zen Camp is a great deal of fun because everyone is staying at the same facility which, by the way, is super cool. I’m looking forward to explore more camps in the future.

Dennis Gabriel Schindler – BJJ Globetrotters Camp in Iceland

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

Already too many to recall. I guess meeting all those new people, rolling and exchanging ideas with them, teaching my first class at the Iceland Camp and just the overall vibe.

 

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp?

Sadly Christian made me out to be the leg lock guy. Jokes aside (not really) I enjoy teaching everything .I try to be up to date to new developments / trends and like to teach them accordingly.

 

Anything else you want to add to your profile?

You’re more than welcome to visit if you end up in Germany somehow. 

I’m giving seminars at my gym quite frequently, which may or may not be a great excuse to come by.

Shoot me a message if you need help with any of the material I have or am going to put out there.

 

 

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Dennis Gabriel Schindler – BJJ Globetrotters instructor

 

Where is Inverted Gear Academy located?
Bethlehem, PA, United States.

How many people train there?
16 active members as of this morning.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We opened less than a month ago. We hope to reach 100 members within a year. So shooting for 8 new members per month.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training in ?
Brand new white belts, to second or third degree black belts.

When did the gym open?
December 5th, 2021

Some facts about you:

Name: Nelson Puentes
Age: 35
Belt: 2nd degree Black Belt
Profession: Entrepreneur
Years in BJJ: 15
Academy: Inverted Gear Academy
Other martial arts: Wrestling, Judo, Sambo.
Currently living in: Whitehall, PA. Little town in the Lehigh Valley. An hour north of Philadelphia, 2 hours west of New York City.
Originally from: Quinchamali, Chile.

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
Lehigh Valley PA had 5 schools as of a few months ago; two of them were 10th Planet and did only nogi. The other 3 did both but leaned heavily towards nogi. Nogi has become really popular in the area. So we felt the area needed a gym that dedicated itself to not only gi Jiu Jitsu, but also had a strong fundamentals program.

Tell us about the people that train in Inverted Gear Academy – who are they?
Right now we are in a unique situation for a new gym. We are mostly upper belts. We have more black belts signed up than white belts. A lot of the upper belts in the area that want to focus on the gi have joined the gym. As well as lots of visitors that want to sharpen up their gi skills or add variety to their training.

Why do they train in your gym?
We have mainly hobbyists at this point. They train to stay in shape, to learn how to defend themselves, and for the community aspect of the sport.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
Opening a gym during a pandemic might not be my brightest idea. Starting a gym can be stressful, and it can be months before the gym is profitable. I am in a situation where my main source of income, Inverted Gear, is fairly stable and I will not depend on the gym for income. This allows us to make good long term decisions.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The area is having an influx of population. It will be fascinating to see what the future brings. The area is renowned for their wrestling, both at the high school and college level. So if we could get some of those kids interested in grappling, throw a jacket on them early, and teach them some basics as they come up and learn wrestling at the same time, the sky is the limit.

What’s the best thing about Inverted Gear Academy?
We spent a lot of time working on our curriculum. We are also planning on taking a look at it every three months to make adjustments. We hope this allows us to bring up some well rounded grapplers, that are comfortable playing different guards, passing in different styles, and escaping gamut positions. Once they are comfortable with that, they can specialize in whatever game they want, since they have a solid foundation.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Historic Bethlehem is a must, 5 minutes drive from the academy. Neat restaurants and bars, and lots of amazing historical buildings. Another stop is the Steel Stacks, the remains of Bethlehem Steel, and one of the coolest open air museums I have ever seen.

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Thanks for sharing! If you’d like to visit Inverted Gear Academy, you can find them here.