Archive for month: February, 2024

Where is the gym located?
Abstract is located in Kingwood, about 25 minutes north of Houston TX.

How many people train there?
So we have two parts to the business model. One part is of course Jiu-Jitsu which entails 4-6 year-old classes, 7 and up classes, women only, and adult gi/nogi classes. This would be close to 100 to 120 members. The other side is the acrobatics side where we work with a large amount of competitive dancers, cheerleaders, and gymnasts in the area. This program has between 90 and 120 students as well.

So 200 to 240 or so students total.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We have grown a lot the last few months. We recently moved into a space nearly five times as big as our last one. I would say we’ve had 5 to 10 new members added each month.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
White through black.

When did Abstract Jiu Jitsu, Houston open?
2019.

Some facts about you:

Name: Mat Brooks
Age: 34
Belt: Black
Profession: Acro coach and head Jiu-Jitsu instructor
Years in BJJ: 15
Other martial arts: Nope
Currently living in: Kingwood, TX, USA
Originally from: Sugarland, TX

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
I trained under a local instructor until I was a purple or brown belt. It eventually came to light he was doing plenty of questionable things, so I couldn’t stay. I helped a friend when he opened his own space, but that quickly turned sour due to poor work effort and all the bad stuff Jiu-Jitsu culture can do to someone. I quit at brown for nearly a year. During that time me and my two friends Garrick Chan and Pedro Hermosa stayed in contact and often talked about Jiu-Jitsu. We talked about possibly opening our own classes mostly to train ourselves, since all the Jiu-Jitsu in the area was pretty bad. I linked up with a local karate studio and they let us work out of there from 9:30pm to 11pm two nights a week. That turned into some morning classes as well. Just us training turned into about 10 students before… a flood came and destroyed all of our mats.

We decided then that if we were going to do this we should find a space for lease. We made an LLC and found a spot. Signed a lease and I used the money from my father’s passing to furnish it. That was about one month before Covid. Lockdown shut us down for a month and then we started back up. After a year we expanded into double the space (2k) and worked the next two years building our acro program and kids/adults Jiu-Jitsu programs.

Fast forward to now. We have opened a 10k square foot space that is nearly everything we wanted it to be. I do this full time with two great friends/owners nearly every day. Life is good and moving in the right direction.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have a lot of interesting people in this space. From homeschool kids doing Jiu-Jitsu and dance working on becoming a better athlete. Moms and dads of these kids that have started training and become an integral part of this ecosystem. Young adults from several walks of life that train competitively or just to get a workout in. We have a solid group and I can’t say enough good things about them. We wouldn’t be here at all without the local support.

Why do they train in Abstract Jiu Jitsu, Houston?
Health, mental stability, because their kids train. Most just seem to like the community and time they get to spend together.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
Honestly we haven’t encountered too many aside from people just not liking the contact of the sport. The acrobatics side of this business has really helped give us time to grow. Like all good things there is a specific amount of time needed to grow.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Things are bright in this area. We are lucky to be in a spot easily accessible from several communities. We have a long lease so we are not going anywhere soon. Our goal is to show these kids and adults another outlet to be and live like an athlete aside from the usual means.

What’s the best thing about Abstract Jiu Jitsu, Houston?
How open and welcoming it is. You would feel lovely just walking in and seeing how open and clean it is. The amount of free space really shines here and gives you room to relax.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Houston has some of the best Vietnamese, Indian, and BBQ around. There is a ton of food to explore not too far away. Aside from that, Houston doesn’t have a huge amount of nature to see or anything too great. I don’t say that in a bad way, but Houston is for the food experience for sure.

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Thanks for sharing! If you’d like to visit Abstract Jiu Jitsu, Houston you can contact them here.

Age: 29

Belt: Blue

Profession: Software Engineer

How many years in BJJ: I had my first class in September 2017

Other martial arts: I have had very short stints trying boxing and Muay Thai. I have vague memories of doing karate as a kid too. But with the time that I have, I chose to focus on BJJ. Originally it was a way to keep active and meet people when I moved countries.

Where do you live: London, England. I moved here in July 2017.

Where are you from: Dublin, Ireland

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I have a lot of metal in my body – 18 screws and a pair of rods through most of my spine. I had scoliosis etc. as a kid, so at 16 I had a pretty major operation (two actually) to get it corrected. A bonus was that I became three inches taller overnight! It doesn’t really affect me day-to-day or in BJJ. I know my limits and there are certain movements that are troublesome (my berimbolos are not a pretty sight) but I have found a way to train around it.

I also really enjoy running. It took quite a while for me to actively enjoy it but I have found it to be one of the best things for my BJJ cardio without taxing the body as much as just doing more rounds and now I have it as a core part of my weekly activity.

One day I would like to get into teaching BJJ. If I wasn’t a software engineer I probably would be a teacher. Right now, I’m just focused on collecting as much knowledge as I can from people in the BJJ community.

Tomás Barry – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I tend to travel quite a bit throughout the year. Whether that’s going back to Ireland or somewhere further afield, I wanted to find a way to keep training while I was gone. The first gym I ever went to was CVA JiuJitsu in Edinburgh, and Ben Fletcher who runs it was extremely welcoming. From that experience I realised that I could learn a broad range of styles of BJJ by dropping into gyms when I’m on the road. So far I’ve been to about 35 academies across 23 countries.

I’m not a competitor, but what I’ve found is that by training in a new gym your “game” is put to the test in a similar way (without the pressure of a competition). You will naturally build a game and instincts around, and for, people at your own gym but when you train in a new gym this all goes out the window and you can really see how effective your BJJ is.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I’ve travelled quite a bit in December and January. I spent some of December in Colombia. After the new year I came back to London as I then had to hop over to the west of Ireland where I was the best man at a wedding followed immediately by a trip out to the Caribbean camp. I’m looking forward to a more settled February (although I do have to travel back to Ireland one more time).

I have two other camps booked for 2024 already – Maine and Camp 100. On top of that I’ll be visiting a friend in Rome and I would really like to do some interrailing around a bit of Europe. You’ll see me posting on the Globetrotters Facebook page looking for suggestions on where to train.

Tomás Barry – BJJ Globetrotters

What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
It’s a bit cliche, but I love to meet new people and learn about the history of a place. It really opens your eyes to what the world has to offer. We also have such a strange community that is both incredibly niche but simultaneously spans the entire globe – you can always find somewhere to train.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
If it wasn’t for Globetrotters I don’t think I would ever have visited the Faroe Islands. That was such a surreal trip and I am very glad that I did it.

One of my favourite memories actually is from Estonia when I posted into the Globetrotters group to see if any other early arrivals wanted to meet me in the local Irish pub (I’m yet to find somewhere that does not have an Irish pub) to watch the All-Ireland Hurling final. I counted 6 different nationalities coming to watch a sport that they’d never seen before. It was really fun to share that experience with others.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
We’re not all that different from one another – we all want to live happy and fulfilling lives and although that may be an obvious statement, until you see the diversity that this world has to offer and the breadth of people that inhabit it you won’t truly appreciate how special it is to be able to connect with people from all corners of the globe.

When it comes to training, I have found it amazing that there is such a wide variety of people and styles. I can’t think of any other sport where you can do one round with a brand new white belt and the next with a top level professional competitor. It’s pretty wild.

Tomás Barry – BJJ Globetrotters

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I’m not a budget traveller but I am conscious of my spending. Ideally everything would be cheap but some things are worth opening your budget on and balancing elsewhere – if I have to spend a bit more on accommodation but I’ll save time and money on daily commuting it can work out as a net positive. I’m also more willing to bite the bullet on a ticket/expense while travelling if it’s going to be a now or never type thing. Saying that, you need to find what works for you and what is important to you. Fancy restaurants aren’t my jam but I have had really good experiences with guided tours. If I’m going somewhere more remote where the apartment is essentially just the bed then I will go cheaper.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Be open. Even if you visit somewhere that you ultimately don’t like, you will have had an experience. Use the Globetrotter community! A few of the gyms that I have visited have come as a result of me asking in the Facebook group or people that I’ve met at camps. Word of mouth is still the best way to get a recommendation. Try not to spend your time sleeping in – you can do that at home.

Thank you to Tomás Barry – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Aaron Esdon – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: 43
Belt: Black
Profession: Criminal Intelligence Analyst/Jiu Jitsu Instructor
Started training (year): 2014
City/country: London, Ontario, Canada

 

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

Prior to 2020, I would’ve said hitting the jiu-jitsu podium over 40 times at all belt levels, including a bronze medal at the Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championships was my main achievement. 

Then the global pandemic hit and my perspective changed.  It was during that time that I had the opportunity to open my own jiu-jitsu academy in London, Ontario.

In a million years, I would never have fully appreciated the fulfillment in developing and growing an academy from virtually nothing.  

During the last three years, the amazing people I have met, and the experiences I have been fortunate enough to experience have truly opened my eyes to what achievement really means.

Aaron Esdon – BJJ Globetrotters

 

Which Globetrotters camps have you attended:

Arizona Camp 2021, 2022, 2023.  Maine USA Camp 2022, 2023.  Zen Camp Spring 2024.

 

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

Maine USA Camp 2023 was, without a doubt, my favorite.  Being able to instruct a class at such a special place for so many incredible people is a memory I will cherish forever.  On top of instructing, it was my first opportunity to bring two of my students and show them what makes Globetrotter’s camps so special.

 

Aaron Esdon- BJJ instructor

 

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

Without a doubt, receiving my black belt from Professor Jay Pages and Professor Matt McPeake a the Arizona Camp in 2023 was a camp highlight for me.  I was floored and has no idea such an honour would be bestowed upon me in front of nearly 300 people.  Being able to share such a special moment with so many friendly and welcoming practitioners truly made it one of the most special moments in my entire jiu-jitsu journey.  

 

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp? 

 

Aaron Esdon – BJJ Globetrotters USA Camp

Anything half guard is such an enjoyable teaching experience for me.   As a white belt I quickly became drawn to other half guard practitioners like Lucas Leite and love exploring all the details of both bottom and top half guard concepts and techniques.  The position is so fundamental in all aspects of training that I find it best for teaching in the large groups often seen at camp.   This is even true for my favorite half guard class to teach – Octopus Half Guard.

 

Anything else you want to add to your profile: I know it goes without saying, but Platinum BJJ in London Ontario is the most welcoming academy in the area.   If you’re ever in our neck of the woods, please drop by for a class or our famous open mat.   All are welcome!

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Aaron Esdon – BJJ Globetrotters instructor