Archive for month: May, 2024

Where is the gym located?
Húsavík, Iceland. It’s a small town with a population of 2500 people. The closest big town/city is Akureyri.

How many people train there?
Around 25 people, which makes 1% of the population of Húsavík.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
It has grown on average by 5-10 people a year. During the summer we see an increase in members, as well as some people who move into town just for the season.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The practitioners are white-purple. The coaches are both brown belts.

When did BJJ North, Iceland open?
Early 2021, just in time for Covid closures.

Some facts about you:

Name: Andri Dan Traustason
Age: 32
Belt: Brown
Profession: CFO
Years in BJJ: 15 (with a few years’ break)
Other martial arts: Dabbled in kickboxing years ago
Currently living in: Húsavík
Originally from: Húsavík

Name: Kristján Gunnar Óskarsson
Age: 35
Belt: Brown
Profession: Psychologist
Years in BJJ: Almost 9
Other martial arts: No
Currently living in: Húsavík
Originally from: Húsavík

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
Both of us moved back to Húsavík a few years ago, after living elsewhere for several years to pursue higher education and work. After moving back to town, we wanted to start a club both to introduce other people to the sport, and frankly for an opportunity to train ourselves.

Within a few months, a decent amount of mats had been bought, a room in the town’s gymnasium was booked, and the first beginner’s course was advertised. From that point onwards, the club has kept growing. We have now moved the club to a new space, built a subframe under the mats, and grown the overall mat area.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
It is a diverse group of people, aged 16-48, from several nationalities and backgrounds. Most are hobbyists, but there are a few competitive practitioners that have gotten podium finishes in tournaments, most recently in the last Icelandic National Championship.

Why do they train in BJJ North, Iceland?
Aside from their passion for BJJ and interest in improving their skills, they train for their health, wellbeing, and entertainment.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
Since the club is run on a volunteer basis, the classical issues of funding etc. are less important for us than many other clubs. In our case, the issues are usually related to the specific circumstances of the club. For instance, the diversity of the practitioners is of immense value for the club, but it also brings certain challenges. Since we have a relatively small group but a large spread in technical capacity (white to purple), it can be challenging to set up classes in a way that benefits everyone.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The number of practitioners has grown a lot since the club was founded, but the growth has tapered off now as the group has become more established. We currently only have classes for adults, but this is likely to change soon. Later this year, the club will start offering classes for children and teenagers, which will boost our numbers again.

Having said that, we are happy with the reach of the club. A large percentage of the adult population of the town (≈2-4%) either currently trains with the club or has given a beginner’s course a try, so we are happy with how the sport has spread within the town in just a few years. Assuming we manage to maintain some growth, BJJ will become one of the biggest sports in the area soon.

What’s the best thing about BJJ North, Iceland?
How personal and close-nit it is. Everyone is welcome so long as they treat others with respect.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Húsavík is very well placed as a hub for sightseeing in the area. The town is located on the shore of Skjálfandi Bay, which is world renowned for its whale population and whale watching. So much so that it was recently named a Hope Spot by Mission Blue. Additionally, the town is within a short driving distance of many amazing nature spots, including Dettifoss (UNESCO site and Europe’s most powerful waterfall), Mývatn, and geothermal hot spots.

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Thanks for sharing! If you’d like to visit BJJ North, Iceland you can contact them here.

Age: 29

Belt: Brown

Profession: Manager for the municipal department for roads and parks

How many years in BJJ: 11 (although the Covid years make this sound weird)

Other martial arts: I’ve done a few years of judo, and during my first year of BJJ I was lucky enough to have an Iranian family where the uncle taught freestyle wrestling move to my town. He only spoke Persian except for when he told you your technique was off, but you can’t really be picky when it comes to freestyle as a European.

Where do you live: My last residence was a small village called Kuivakangas outside of Övertorneå. It’s on the Swedish side of the border with Finland, and pretty much smack dab on the Arctic Circle.

Where are you from: I was born in Germany, but we moved to the south of Sweden when I was three years old as my parents had bought a house in the middle of the Scandinavian woods.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: Yeah, my name really is Baloo. Just in case that wasn’t unique enough, Falco, the name of the 80s pop artist, takes up some space in my passport as well.

Baloo Peinkofer – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Originally my parents. They did more during their early 20s than many people do in a lifetime. The amount of chutzpah it takes for a lot of their travels (some of which was with a small kid) is something I can only hope to exhibit some day.

I never got around to travel during my 20s. I spent all my time either training or studying. Then I kind of hit a wall. My studies weren’t going anywhere, and Covid put the BJJ academy in a coma. So I moved north, met my current girlfriend who already had plans to travel, and after roughly two years of working and saving up, we went for it.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I’m currently writing this in Singapore, where we arrived after island-hopping through Thailand and travelling southwards along the west coast of Malaysia. On the 6th we’ll leave for Cebu, Philippines. Beyond that, we’re looking to see as much as possible of southeast Asia. Thereafter, we’ll assess the situation, see where we are budget-wise, and what we feel like. Provided the circumstances are right, we’ll most likely head for South America.

Baloo Peinkofer – BJJ Globetrotters

What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
Meeting people, eating new food, and seeing new things. Also, there seems to be a certain element of randomness that comes with travel, and it can lead to some surreal experiences.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
When it comes to training I’ve been unlucky so far. I caught ringworm on my final session at home, and it’s been a stubborn one. Thus, unfortunately I haven’t been able to train yet. Still, there have been some cool experiences that stand out.

For one, a friend of mine recently bought a traditional wooden Malay sailboat for one euro (long story) and he is sailing it back from Langkawi, Malaysia to Sweden at the end of the summer. We got the chance to spend a couple of days on the ship, help out, and just get a glimpse of everyday life at sea.

Another, rather surreal experience was when we went to what turned out to be a sex toy shop in Singapore (granted, there was the neon sign saying “Pow Pow” but you couldn’t really see in, and we had to know for sure). The lady working was immensely helpful but spoke no English, so she just walked after us explaining via Google Translate what everything was for and did. We didn’t buy anything.

On another, more general and serious note, I have friends spread out over several countries and cities. That is something I am incredibly thankful for.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
The vast array of stuff you can get at markets in bigger cities. More than half my packing list could probably have been covered with half a day in Bangkok’s Chinatown. It definitely would have been cheaper as well.

Baloo Peinkofer – BJJ Globetrotters

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes, we try to keep costs down and extend our travels as long as possible. That being said, you don’t want to limit yourself to the point where there isn’t much to look back on afterwards.

Not being too picky about accommodation, choosing street food hawkers over restaurants, going with the slower travel options (like busses or ferries) instead of flying gets you pretty far. Also, don’t be like me and stay four nights in Singapore. There is no reason unless you really want to drain your wallet.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
It sounds cliché, but just go for it. You can spend so much time planning, looking things up, trying to puzzle together the perfect route. In the end though you have to buy the ticket and take the ride. Don’t overthink things, in other words.

Thank you to Baloo Peinkofer – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Joshua Macri – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: 40
Belt: Black
Profession: BJJ Instructor
Started training (year): 2006
City/country: Weaverville, NC USA

 

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

The things I’m most proud of in my BJJ career are related to teaching.  I ran a huge Jiu Jitsu school for 6 years where I was able to start teaching kids and helping them love BJJ.  I’m most proud of having started my own school after that and building a gym culture I really enjoy.  I suppose it’s notable that I lived in the closet of a BJJ school for 3 years.  I haven’t really done anything super flashy and that’s not really my style.  I just love that I’ve done something cool for 18 years and met a lot of awesome people along the way. 

 

 

Which Globetrotters camps have you attended:

I have attended USA Camp 3 times, Arizona Camp twice, Beach Camp, Zen Camp, and Winter Camp.  USA Camp is my favorite and Winter Camp is a close second.  All the camps are great but I like when we all stay in the same place.

 

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

USA Camp is my favorite and Winter Camp is a close second.  All the camps are great but I like when we all stay in the same place.

Joshua Macri – BJJ Globetrotters Winter Camp

 

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

My favorite story from USA Camp is actually really tame compared to the camp.  Jay Pages sat with us all through our lobster dinner and we were just spraying lobster juice everywhere.  Jay just casually says “yea I am deathly allergic to shellfish” and then just keeps hanging out.  I was pretty sure I had found my people.  

  My favorite story from Winter  Camp was when a legion of middle aged people descended upon an Austrian dance club.  All the kids were basically well behaved and having a nice time and then we all showed up drunk.  Next thing you know there are mostly naked old guys hanging from the ceiling and crowd surfing for no apparent reason.  I was found wandering around in my t shirt trying to figure out where the hostile was.  Good times. 

 

The best part of every camp is the friends you make.  I’m writing this from the airport on my way to visit Angel who I met at USA camp.  My traveling companion is Frederik, a Swede I met in Arizona and then again in Parnu.  I’ve made lifelong friends at these camps and that’s the wildest story by far. 

Joshua Macri – BJJ Globetrotters camp

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp? 

My favorite classes to teach so far have been Creativity in Submissions and Arm Drag Hub.  It’s my goal to teach different stuff each time so every class feels like my favorite.

 

Anything else you want to add to your profile:

 I love visitors from globetrotters at my gym.  If you are a coach then please come out and have a seminar.  If you are a student then please come visit.  We will train hard and go see some pretty things in the NC mountains. 

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Joshua Macri – BJJ Globetrotters instructor