December 1, 2022 | BJJ Globetrotters

Featured Camp Instructor: Zachary Miller – BJJ Globetrotters

December 28, 2022/in Blogs/by BJJ Globetrotters

Zachary Miller – BJJ Globetrotters

Belt: Black
Age: 30
Profession: Serving in the United States Marine Corps since 2013
Started training (year): 2009
City/country: Arizona, USA

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

I’m relatively new to competing in Jiu Jitsu and have just recently found a desire for competition, so still building experience in that regard. I do however take much pride in my teaching abilities and consider my experiences of teaching in other countries with BJJ Globetrotters as the current highlight of my career. I’m honored to have met so many wonderful people and blessed to have been afforded the opportunity to help others along in their journey on the mats. Being able to teach my style in a realistic, relatable and most importantly, humorous format will continue to be my goal.

In addition, I’m very pleased to be working as a volunteer with We Defy Foundation, an organization focused on rehabilitating combat disabled veterans through jiu jitsu. I am currently their Training Facility Coordinator and responsible for making sure all affiliated gyms who partner with us meet the criteria for providing a safe space for our scholarship recipients. Given the fact that Globetrotters is so welcoming and non-political, my experience with them has given me great insight on what to look for and avoid in the process of screening potential gyms.

Which Globetrotters camps have you attended:

Iceland, St. Barthelemy, Germany and every Arizona camp there’s been.

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

It’s definitely a tie between Iceland and St. Barthelemy. Iceland because I was able to experience a culture and region vastly different from my home for the first time, and St. Barts because of the small interpersonal camaraderie your afforded.

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

Zachary Miller – BJJ Globetrotters Iceland Camp

Another toss up between so many memories! It’s between competing in the Glima tournament and hiking with friends to watch an active volcano eruption in Iceland or the last minute mansion party in the hills of St. Barts and competing in the Caribbean Island camp surf competition, despite sucking royally!

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp?

Recently in Germany my Coach and good friend, Michael Currier and I started co-teaching a Big Guys vs Little Guys class. This has been the most fun class to teach thus far as we both enjoy making everyone laugh and entertaining the group. With him being 145lbs and me being 215lbs we have to modify so many things when rolling against each other’s style. Sharing those adjustments has been really fun and helpful at camp.

Zachary Miller – BJJ Globetrotters Camp

Anything else you want to add to your profile:

I’m truly grateful for BJJ Globetrotters. Because of this organization I have been able to identify and avoid cult gyms, skirt around unnecessary politics, find and embrace my new and current gym/team, make wonderful friends all over the world, teach my style of Jiu jitsu, travel and experience new cultures with my wife, and live the dream. I encourage anyone reading this who’s never attended a camp to take their first step and purchase a ticket!

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Zachary Miller – BJJ Globetrotters instructor

Faroe Islands Camp 2022: Better mount control and attacks with Kenny Polmans

December 27, 2022/in Faroe Islands Camp 2022, INSTRUCTIONALS, Kenny Polmans, Mount, Submissions from mount, Videos/by BJJ Globetrotters

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Faroe Islands Camp 2022: Leg attack entries and takedowns from Shin-to-Shin with Bjarni Baldursson

December 12, 2022/in Bjarni Baldursson, Faroe Islands Camp 2022, Guard, INSTRUCTIONALS, Sweeps from guard, Takedowns, Videos/by BJJ Globetrotters

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Featured affiliated academy: Fat Man Gym, BJJ Croatia

December 11, 2022/in Blogs/by BJJ Globetrotters

Where is Fat Man Gym, BJJ Croatia located?
Osijek, Croatia.

How many people train in your gym?
About 10-12, but not always at the same time.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We are growing but not by much because we don’t have space (only 20 m2). So 4 people can train at a time, but when there are more than that it’s not so good. For now we are growing though – we started with 4 people and now we are 10-12.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
Highest is brown, lowest is white belt.

When did the gym open?
The gym opened in 2021.

Some facts about you:

Name: Marko Torić
Age: 36
Belt: Brown
Profession: Special education teacher
Years in BJJ: 14
Other martial arts: Sambo, Boxing, Kickboxing
Currently living in: Osijek
Originally from: Zagreb, Croatia

Please tell us the story of how Fat Man Gym, BJJ Croatia came into existence
Four of us (Igor, Bojan, Želimir, and myself) started to train outside when all the gyms were closed. We bought some mats, found a place that no one was using, and after a few beers we were training.

Our BJJ gym, BJJ Prime (run by BJJ black belt Vedran Budetić) was also closed. After the first lockdown we went back to BJJ Prime, but vew few people returned since there was still the fear of COVID in the air. Then the second lockdown came and we were again hiding and training. During that time I was looking to buy a house, and one of the requirements was that it had to have space for a small gym. Nothing big, just for few people to come and train in case of a new lockdown.

A few months after the second lockdown, in May 2021, I bought a house with one more guesthouse in garden. The logical move was to renovate it and make a small gym inside. So from May 2021 we have been training there. We were planning on going back to BJJ Prime, but it didn’t feel right. We all love each other, I am a great friend with Vedran, his best man at his wedding. But the four of us started to train differently and learning different techniques (we were all doing techniques for heavy people!). We liked the relaxed training, watching tutorials etc. When you’re in a normal BJJ club you can’t usually do that. You have to have structured learning. So we parted ways and that’s how Fat Man Gym was created. We still go to Prime and hang out, but we are older and fat, so we can’t train like some 20-year-old competition BJJ player…

Tell us about the people that train in Fat Man Gym, BJJ Croatia – who are they?
Three people we have to talk about are Igor Dundović, Bojan Mikac and Želimir Gusak. They are the core founders of Fat Man Gym. All good people, they like to train and learn. They supported and helped financially me when I was doing home improvement in the gym. Other members are also Marin Šutalo and Tomica Mandić who are there every training and doing their best to improve. Our logo creator Ivan Janković, who is helping us by printing logos on t-shirts. Mauricio Lazarić is coming and training with us and in his original BJJ gym, Univerzum. And a few others who come and go, but these 7 are there on a weekly basis.

Why do they train?
We love the complexity of Jiu Jitsu and like to see how much our bodies can do when pushed. And it is a great way to get away from the wife and kids :D

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
This is a small gym and we are all friends, so we talk every day about how to schedule a training session.

How do you see the future for Jiu Jitsu in your area?
The area is good. In Osijek there are 5 Jiu Jitsu gyms and all are doing great. We are friends with all of them and are hoping that we can create massive open mats so all of our styles can come together and we can all learn from each other.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
It is open 24/7 and we can have parties in there :D

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Try the food here – it’s great! – and see the city and the countryside.

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Thanks for sharing! If you’d like to visit Fat Man Gym, BJJ Croatia, you can contact them at [email protected]

Featured Traveller: Lea-Marie Stock – BJJ Globetrotters

December 6, 2022/in Blogs/by BJJ Globetrotters

Lea-Marie Stock – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: I am 26 years old

Belt: A freshly promoted purple belt (dyed my hair purple the week after!)

Profession: I am currently working on finishing my Masters degree in psychology to work as a forensic psychologist. I also work as a bouncer from time to time.

How many years in BJJ: I’ve trained BJJ for 4 ½ years now. It feels like ages and that the time just flew by at the same time.

Other martial arts: I never did anything sporty before I started Jiu Jitsu. I was a nerd in school and I used to prefer to write (mediocre to be fair) homework about muscles rather than performing step aerobics in front of the class, and so my teacher told me that I am probably “just not a sport person”. Definitely proved her wrong by now. I also tried MMA and Muay Thai a couple of times in the past years, but I didn’t like it. I sometimes do Combat Jiu Jitsu though!

Where do you live: I live in Duisburg, Germany. Duisburg is known to be the ugliest city ever, and if you ever end up at the train station (I hope you never do) then you will know why. In the first week of living in Duisburg I witnessed a robbery in front of my door, involving a wrestling belt. After having lived there for a year now, it makes sense from a retro perspective. (If you ever catch me at camp, ask me for that story, it’s a good one). In the future I would like to live somewhere nice and maybe even abroad.

Where are you from: A German city close to Duisburg. I downgraded myself to be closer to my Jiu Jitsu gym in Düsseldorf.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: Three years ago I decided to build my own (chromatic, google it!) harp, ignoring the fact that I had never played a harp before. I am now the worst harp player known but I can tell you everything about the history of different kinds of harps and other totally useless knowledge.

Lea-Marie Stock – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Originally when I started doing Jiu Jitsu (I was introduced by my current boyfriend at that time) I would never have imagined how far this would go. Jiu Jitsu was appealing to me because it seemed so nerdy and playful, and I was pretty much hooked after a few classes. And then it found more and more place in my daily life. I think that signing up for camps and competing helped me to start traveling. Of course, I always had some sort of travel plans, but they were pretty much always vague and “someday…”.
But with having concrete dates it was easy to realize it. I know the competition is on the 14th of something, so I know I have to be there on the 13th and so on. And once I started traveling it was much easier to continue. I feel like once you experience how easy it is (as a European) to go somewhere else for a weekend and you get confident in not getting lost somewhere, there’s not much that stops you anymore.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
So just two weeks ago I flew to Rome to drink Aperol Spritz (I drank plenty) and I also competed at the IBJJF No-Gi Europeans where I took gold and bronze. Three weeks before that I was in Latvia (shooting and learning something about history) and Spain (competing for the German national team).

So my next trip will probably be the BJJ Globetrotters camp in Austria (I will function as Christian’s helpful elf). Afterwards I’ll go to Paris and compete at the IBJJF Europeans and then I’ll go to Bucharest in Romania. I think I have too many places I want to see next year. I want to go to Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland (again!), …

Lea-Marie Stock – BJJ Globetrotters

What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
I just like seeing different places. I mostly like city trips, wandering around in a nice-looking city (Riga for example was sooo pretty!) and getting to know a little bit about the history of the country and do some sightseeing. I also enjoy meeting new people and making friends everywhere.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Before Jiu Jitsu I used to be extremely shy and not talk to people (in the first six months of going to class I couldn’t even say hello to my teammates) and if you meet me now it’s the complete opposite. Having the experience of being in a group of people who try to help each other out really helped me to grow into a confident person and that makes it worth it 100%.

And I think especially the combination of training and traveling is great. When you meet people at Globetrotters camps from all around the world it makes it easier for you to visit different places, because you already know someone who can give you a couch and good recommendations. You always get a better experience when you go with the local people. When I did the Iceland Camp in 2020, one of the women who worked at Mjölnir MMA and trained with us during the week took us for a hike the day after camp. After hiking for 1.5 hrs in the beautiful nature of Iceland (we had been told it was 30 minutes, but nevermind) we sat down in the hot springs in the mountains, and I think I will never forget how stunning that was. I would have never found that place without having someone local with me.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
That it’s incredibly easy to get recognized as a German as soon as I stop at a traffic light.

Lea-Marie Stock – BJJ Competition

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I am a budget traveller. For my last competition in Rome, I depended on people donating money so I could afford to go. I just try to book smart and find the best airplane prices and prefer Airbnb before hotel. But I also love having kitschy rooms when I can afford it.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Just go. Jump in and enjoy it! You will be overwhelmed by how welcoming everyone will be.

Thank you to Lea-Marie Stock – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Summer Camp 2022: Side choke / arm triangle defense with Priit Mihkelson

December 6, 2022/in Escapes from sidecontrol, INSTRUCTIONALS, Priit Mihkelson, Sidecontrol, Summer Camp 2022, Transitions from sidecontrol, Videos/by BJJ Globetrotters

Priit Mihkelson’s website: www.DefensiveBJJ.com

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Featured Camp Instructor: Wim Deputter – BJJ Globetrotters

December 5, 2022/in Blogs/by BJJ Globetrotters

Wim Deputter – BJJ Globetrotters

Belt: Black
Age: 40
Profession: Fulltime BJJ coach and competitor at Brasa Belgium
Started training (year): Started martial arts around 1990, started BJJ around 2000
City/country: Leuven, Belgium

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

-World Champion JJIF 2014

-MMA record 19 – 4 (all losses by decision)

-Silver medal IBJJF No Gi Europeans Masters Absolute

-Double silver medal IBJJF Silver masters, -76kg and -82kg

-Building my own gym and making a career out of Jiu Jitsu

-Triple Gold at Grappling Industries after 7 months of recovery due to surgery

-One of best selling instructors at BJJ Fanatics

Which Globetrotters camps have you attended:

-Every Leuven Camp (5x?)

–Heidelberg 3x

–Zen Camp 4x

-Bournemouth

–Talinn 3x

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

Zen Camp

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

Meeting my wife Yara two days before the 3th Leuven camp during a bar crawl in Brussels with some camp attendees who arrived sooner and wanted to go partying in Brussels. Long story :)

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp?

-Breathing techniques at Zen Camp 2022

-the formula for an Impassable Guard at Zen Camp 2018