Archive for category: Blogs

Katharina Danielski – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: 35

Belt: White

Profession: Field application scientist

How many years in BJJ: 1.5

Other martial arts: Two years of no-gi grappling before starting with BJJ in the gi

Where do you live: Landshut, Germany (Bavaria)

Where are you originally from: Poland

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: My special skills involve geeking out on science, Marvel, cars or fighting… at the same time. All the time.

Also, I’m particularly good at ignoring what my coaches tell me and ending up doing whatever I want in competition. I live for the moments when I see the mixture of rage and resignation on their faces after pulling side-control on top of me with Youtube
techniques I had reviewed one day before my fight.

Katharina Danielski BJJ

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I never thought I’d be traveling a lot, but I kind of stumbled into this lifestyle due to the job I found. Working in support for American biotech companies allowed me to see a lot more of the world than I ever imagined possible. During the early years of
my grappling/BJJ journey, I used to focus only on work during my business trips, and trained only back home in my own gym. After a while though, I realized that I wanted to get better in BJJ a lot faster than by only training once a week. That’s when I started searching for BJJ schools at the locations of my business trips, and that’s also the reason why I found BJJ Globetrotters.

Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
My most recent trip was to Lisbon in Portugal, where I competed at the IBJJF European Championship on 20th of January 2020 and won the gold medal in my division. My next trip is coming up already on 24th of January; I’m heading over to Palm
Springs, California, where my company is having its annual global meeting. But I’m flying out a few days early with a couple of colleagues, and we’ll do a weekend road trip to Las Vegas first.

Katharina Danielski BJJ

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
I guess the variety – not being stuck in the same place all the time. I did work for three years in an office before I switched to a field-based role. I can’t imagine going back to an office job. Working in the field and traveling for work gives me the (partial)
freedom I need. People in various countries can also be very different, and you learn a lot about the world and about yourself. Unfortunately, I am more of a nature girl rather than city, so after a while all cities look the same: airports, motorways, hotels. Also, since I travel a lot for work I tend to stay home when I actually have holidays, as I just want to relax in my garden and see
my own BJJ peeps for a change. Traveling to the BJJ Globetrotter camps is a big exception to this rule.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Combining training with my business trips has its pros and cons. Pros: you get to train a whole lot more than if you only focus on training back home, especially if you are traveling ~70% of your working time. You can develop your game a whole lot faster this way. Cons: since you visit various gyms you are always thrown into their training structure, which you obviously don’t know. The various trainers have their agendas and training plans for their students, and you are only visiting for a day or two. That means you get to see loads of techniques taken out of context, and they all swirl together into a massive mix at the same time in your poor white belt head. However, eventually I will be able to control the chaos (where are the Witcher fans??). And it’s a very rewarding feeling when you have learned a new technique or just some small detail you had missed before on a business trip and then get to try it out back home and it actually works (sometimes).

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Some countries surprise you in general due to the way how we are conditioned about them by the media. I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist nut, I’m definitely not, but just to give you an example: I have once been to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for two weeks for work. Talking to the people – and especially the women – did open my eyes somewhat. Every story is strongly influenced by the perspective it’s being told from, and those scientific women I spoke to painted a whole different picture for me than what the media has taught me to think. I am very grateful for having been able to experience this. Unfortunately, this trip happened just before I started with Grappling/BJJ, so I didn’t have a chance to see if I would have been able to find a women-only BJJ class there. That would have been interesting to see.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Not really. I would say I am somewhere in the centre: not too cheap and not too extravagant when looking at trips. But I do like to plan ahead, as I need to have structure of knowing where my next sleeping place is going to be.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Training while traveling benefits not only yourself, but sometimes also the people you visit. Therefore, use every opportunity you can get to visit other BJJ gyms while traveling. It can be scary at first; it really was for me. But as with everything in life, you only grow outside of your comfort zone. Every gym always involves rolling as part of their training, and that means you get to roll with loads of various people. It’s kind of like a tiny tournament for you each time. Of course, you don’t treat these rolls as actual tournament rolls: check your ego! Don’t hurt your hosts and don’t be hurt. But what I meant is, every new partner brings a new set of skills and movement patterns. Rolling against the same people every time in your home gym means that you eventually get to learn their styles and can use that knowledge to anticipate their moves. Well, not as a white belt (lol), but later on this will matter for sure. I had a situation once where I was training in another country, I can’t remember where. But I was rolling against a guy and we were fairly evenly matched. At one point I managed to get him into a body triangle. I didn’t think too much of it, but after the roll he told me that none of his training buddies ever does that kind of move on him and he had no clue what to do about it. That was a very refreshing perspective I hadn’t considered before.

Thank you Katharina Danielski BJJ for doing this interview!

Let’s start out with some quick facts about you…

Charles Harriott BJJ

Age: 32
Belt: Black
Profession: Wandering Jiu Jitsu instructor and Airbnb Host
How many years in BJJ: 10 or 14 years, depending on when you start counting
Other martial arts: Tae Kwon Do, American Kenpo, Universal Martial System, and Judo
Where do you live: Technically Gainesville, FL, USA (really out of a backpack)
Where are you originally from: Boca Raton, FL USA
Other fun or curious information you’d like to share: I studied physics in university, was president of the UF Breakdance club and Hip Hop Collective (I actually got deep into BJJ after a breakdancing knee injury), enjoy origami but can only make two things, and love long walks on the beach, lillies, and summer sunsets.;-)

Charles Harriott BJJ

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I always loved travelling, but had never really done it beyond a few weeks for vacation or studying abroad back in college. I’ve always been taking little road trips around Florida to train at different gyms since I was a white belt. Visiting open mats appealed to me more than training, because then you’d get to roll with everyone. Over the years this grew into visiting gyms further and further from home, or finding a gym while on vacation or traveling for work.

A few years back, I planned a 3-week trip that used all my vacation time to go to Los Angeles, Japan, London, and the Netherlands. Training in Japan, as well as training and competing in England, really affected me. It kind of opened my mind to the possibility of doing this for a longer time. In Japan, I saw an old friend from home, John Hommel, but the real lightbulb moment was meeting Jose and Miharu. I didn’t know them, but they put me up in their house and treated me like family while I was there. Next, in England, another friend from home who had moved there about 8 years prior, Alain Pozo, took me on a whirlwind tour of gyms. This really gave me the bug. Training, getting on a train, eating some food, then training again at the next gym. I loved it.

I went back home to my job and got my black belt shortly after. The feeling marinated for a while. Then I found myself in a situation where I had the freedom to actually do it. I sold a lot of my things, and gave away and lent even more. Then I took the plunge and hit the road on 14th Feb 2018.

Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
I just finished a road trip with Chris Veilegaard through Denmark and Germany. Traveling by car is really different and fun. Next up is Milan, Mantua, and Vigevano (Italy), followed by a week in England and a further week in Ireland.

Charles Harriott BJJ

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
Meeting people and learning what aspects of their city and country they’re proud of. The food! Seeing how different cultures do the same thing. Natural landscapes. And museums.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?

1. Hanoi, Vietnam on Ho Chi Minh’s birthday. I’ll hand it over to my Instagram post from the day!

“I am going to miss #hanoi and #vietnam in general. Our last night in hanoi, @hugsandsalsa(Lorna) and I were just walking down the street looking for a place to eat dinner. We came upon a large group eating and drinking. They signaled us to join and gave us some Vietnamese Whiskey as well as some ginger lemongrass duck meat. We struck up a conversation via Google translate and eventually figured out they were celebrating Ho Chi Minh’s birthday and would not let us drink beer on such an occasion. They taught us how to cool and drink the whiskey in the local way with a ladle and ice in a bag so that the whiskey doesn’t get watered down. The whole scene was amazing.”

2. Danimal BJJ Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
I taught a seminar here, and at the end Dan surprised me with the news that they have a tradition that the instructor rolls with everyone in class: sub-only, no time limit. So I had 21 people to roll with, starting with Dan, who is a monster with whom I’d been having absolute wars all week. He tapped me the first day I was there and we’d been stalemating ever since, with the arms race of counters and new strategies in full effect. So Dan and I end up going about 8 or 10 minutes and are both slowing down a little as we crash into the wall and have to reset. I dive in and catch a desperation heel hook. This is still the only time to this day I have caught Dan. However, there are still 20 people left…

I go on and, about 5 people in, I get tapped by Ryan (a strong blue belt at the time; now purple). The second I tap I realize I really have to pee. So I ask for a break and run to the bathroom, then I’m back in there feeling refreshed. I work my way down the ranks and finish with Pan, a 120+ kg monster white belt I’d rolled with a few days earlier and had had a hard time dealing with fresh. I can barely stand at this point, so pulling guard was not a good idea. I get crushed and passed and then it is arm triangle city. So I finish my gauntlet at a respectable 19-2.

I love this gym and everyone there. A few days later, I ended a dance battle at the bar they own on the ground floor. It was also off of Dan’s recommendation that I even got a small sponsorship deal with Globetrotters, and an opportunity to teach at the Summer Camp in Heidelberg. So you could say that without this first visit I wouldn’t be living the life I am today. Much love to all you guys – I will be back this year.

3. All the camps. I’ve been to three types of camps, and they were all different and all amazing.

Craig Jones’ Heel Hookers Camp
It was amazing to see so many people together that all want to play heel hooks. Usually I have to ask and make sure I won’t be viewed as some sort of monster. However, here I was among my people. On a professional level, to see how Craig was able to fill an entire week with twice-a-day sessions focusing just on the heel hook was amazing. It helped my understanding of not only the technique but also interesting ways to drill and improve them.

I made a lot of friends and had a great time.

Ballaton Summer Camp
This was the most intense of all the camps. It was packed with black belts and pretty much all the killers of every belt level from ZR Team Europe. There were three sessions a day and I went to all of them. All the rolls were hard, and for some reason all the 220lb /100 kg + purple and brown belts wanted to roll with me. I never say no to a roll, so every day was war! This camp defined #everydayporrada. However, it was also fun. Intense fun, but fun. I ate so much food and yet still finished the camp weighing less than I have at any point since high school.

Globetrotters Camp (Fall ‘08)
This camp was a game changer for me. The focus was on Jiu Jitsu, but more so on fun. As a new instructor, I was terrified and didn’t want to screw up. After meeting Priit Mihkelson, Jeff Knight, and some of the other instructors, it was clear the level of instruction was very high. On top of this I met Chris Paines, who promptly asked me to darce him if I could in a roll. I was scheduled to teach a darce class the very next day.

After 30 minutes of trying, I couldn’t. I went back to my room and went over my seminar obsessively and made sure it was as bulletproof and as polished as I could get it. When it was my time to teach, I was in awe of how many people showed up. It went really well, and when I was done I received loads of positive feedback. The whole camp was amazing, with everyone just freely doing their own thing. I got to pay Dungeons & Dragons for the first time, then go on a pub crawl, and then I was gifted a stuffed sloth. I love Globetrotters camps.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
How kind and helpful most people are. You hear on the news and social media about the bad ones; how we as people are so different and just can’t get along. However, in every country I visit, the strangers and people I’ve met have been so kind and helpful.

From the random elderly women who guided me through the Osaka Kansai subway system despite my incredibly basic Japanese, to all the various people who helped me when I injured my knee in Germany (Chris, Craig, Ivo, Sven), to great people in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Montana that treat me like family whenever I come to train.

Everywhere on Earth has awesome people, and we really aren’t all that different. This is what I love about Jiu Jitsu. When you’re rolling there are no politics; it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, black or white, liberal or conservative, we’re there in that moment trying to submit each other. To outwit each other and have fun playing human chess.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes, go somewhere that you can matsurf. That takes care of lodging. In terms of training, take just nogi gear or a travel gi (I have an Origin Warrior that is super light and a Globetrotters travel gi).

Make sure you know the bag policies for airlines in Asia, Europe, and the USA, as they all tend to be different. Once you know the policy, you know exactly how much you can bring without having to pay any extra for it. Also, always check in as early as possible so you can avoid the sneaky fees from discount airlines.

In Europe, check the saver fares. Especially in England, book your trains early! The price really climbs dramatically the closer you get to the date. For something like Flixbus you can procrastinate a bit more, but keep in mind that the price increases a lot within the final hour before they leave – even if they’re not highly booked. For all of these, get the apps.

Don’t forget to get your train tickets validated in Italy or Germany. The fine is €50+, and they don’t care if you are a tourist/traveler.

In general, plan ahead! Sometimes I don’t and it almost always costs more. You pay a premium for flexibility.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?

• Charging cables are worth their weight in gold. Have backups.
• Spring for the local SIM card, if only for the GPS.
• Always try to call the gym you’re visiting to make sure the info on the website is up to date.
• If possible, matsurf and make friends with a local before or while you’re there. Things are more fun and people are interesting.
• Say yes as often as possible. These adventures are more fun when you step outside your comfort zone.
• Kinesio Tape, antibiotics, and Ricola.
• If you’re buying soup, make sure the water is boiling!

“Treat everyone you meet like they could be your new best friend.”
From Christian, but it serves me well.

Thank you to Charles Harriott BJJ Globetrotters

Where is the gym located?
The gym is located in the Colombo district (Western province) of Sri Lanka. The exact address is: No. 457, 3rd Floor, Galle Road, Rawathawaththa, Sri Lanka.

How many people train there?
Roughly 20 people for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 70 for Karate, and 20 for KAPAP Krav Maga.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Yes, our monthly average is 2 to 3 new members.

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

When did the gym open?
2017.

Some facts about you:

Name: Thushara Wasantha Kumara Ratnayake
Age: 42
Academy: Total Extreme Budo Academy Sri Lanka BJJ
Belt: Blue belt
Profession: Consultant – SAP Technical, IBM World Trade Corporation
Years in BJJ: 4 years
Other martial arts: 6th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, 3rd degree black belt Krav Maga, International Level 1 KAPAP instructor under Avi Nardia Academy, KAPAP Federation Israel
Currently living in: Colombo
Originally from: Sri Lanka

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
Martial arts training is the great passion of my life, and in 2017 I was able to achieve my biggest dream and open TEBA Sri Lanka BJJ.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
The gym has people of all different age levels and backgrounds, from professionals and entrepreneurs to pro fighters and recreational practitioners.

Why do they train?
Recreation | Fitness | Self Defense | Pro Fighting

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
BJJ is very new in Sri Lanka, and currently we don’t have any BJJ black belts here. There are Sri Lankans with higher ranks, but they all live out of the country. Since we lack access to regular input from higher ranks, I either have to invite my masters to Sri Lanka or need to travel to other countries myself in order to gain new knowledge.

TEBA Sri Lanka BJJ

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
In Sri Lanka there is a huge potential for BJJ. It’s a current trend, and everyone is curious to learn more about it.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
The main strength of the gym is my students and their parents – we’re like a small family.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Sri Lanka is very beautiful island with lots of historical places to visit, including UNESCO World Heritage site the Lion’s Rock at Sigiriya, Lord Buddha’s tooth relic at Kandy (“Daladamaligawa”), and the ancient city ruins of Polonnaruwa at Anuradhapura.

And with some of the highest biodiversity per kilometer on Earth, Sri Lanka is indeed a beautiful place to visit, stay, and train. We were recently recommended as the best place to visit in 2019 by National Geographic. Moreover, Sri Lanka is a country with rich culture and diversity, with many wonderful foods and drinks to try out. Surrounded by the ocean, Sri Lanka has the most amazing beaches with sunny weather throughout the entire year.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Total Extreme Budo Academy Sri Lanka BJJ, you can find them here.

Where is the gym located?
MAEDA Team BJJ Tunisia is located in a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

How many people train there?
50.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
The gym has experienced significant growth this past semester. We have an average of 5 new members a month. There is, however, often turnover due to injuries.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The lowest is white and the highest is purple.

When did the gym open?
2016.

Some facts about you:

Name: Samir Annabi
Age: 47
Belt: Purple belt
Academy: MAEDA Team BJJ Tunisia
Profession: Newaza Technical Director at the Tunisian Jujitsu Federation
Years in BJJ: Since 2008.
Other martial arts: No.
Currently living in: Tunisia
Originally from: I’m half French and half Tunisian.

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
I’ve always been passionate about martial arts. After an accident which led to a physical handicap (knee and foot/ankle), I become more oriented towards fighting on the ground as opposed to standing. My uncle, a Judo 4th Dan black belt and Newaza Sensei, transmitted the technical basics. I had the opportunity to have many foreigners from different countries come to my gym. Most of them practiced BJJ, which led me to be drawn to this sport.

My belt evolution is not mainstream or usual. We started inviting black belts from abroad for workshops and training. This enabled me and my students to learn new techniques, but also be tested for our belt colors. The club’s orientation today is dedicated to self-defense, self-confidence, and Newaza/BJJ competitions, both at the national and international level. We can proudly say that we have Tunisian Newaza champions at our club, who will soon be participating in the African and World championships.

The gym is proud to have been contacted by the Caveirinha Academy (https://cjjfacademy.com/) to represent them locally. We will make this official in June when one of their representatives will come to Tunisia.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
I have two kinds of people who train: kids and adults. About 70% of the adults are less than 25 years of age. Most of them are university students; the rest are businessmen, architects, software engineers, male nurses, lawyers, and mechanical engineers. They come from different social classes, and they have become a family.

MAEDA Team BJJ Tunisia

Why do they train?
Most of them want to discover their capacities and limits. They also want to achieve more and push their limits to the maximum. Discovering a martial art which takes place on the ground will enable them to be more complete by mixing it with a “standing” sport. Some aim to eventually do full-time MMA.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
One of the challenges is getting students and their parents to accept that this sport becomes a full part of your life. The first difficulties encountered are dealing with pain and injuries. Then comes managing the different egos of the students. Apart from that, there are no particular challenges in my area specifically.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The future is rather bright for BJJ in Tunis. The sport is becoming well-known, more and more people getting interested. There are clubs opening every year. And there is a national will to push the sport forward and make it mainstream. I am hopeful and I expect to see many people from different backgrounds and education levels become smitten by BJJ.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
From a technical point of view, we apply all the BJJ basics, but we’ve also developed our own particular style centred around everything related to escape positions. This is not something we see regularly on YouTube. We apply this when we compete, and it has been extremely effective and efficient.

From a personal point of view, the students have become a family. They have a strong feeling of belonging and there is a special relationship between myself and my students.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
MAEDA Team Tunisia is in the suburb of Carthage, Tunisia. Carthage has been the center of the Punic and then Roman worlds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage). We also have superb beaches and great Mediterranean gastronomy, which is based around lamb and fish.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to the MAEDA Team BJJ Tunisia, you can find them here.

Where is the gym located?
We’re located in Playa Venao, Panama, which is on the Azuero peninsula on the country’s Southwest Pacific coast. Playa Venao is known as one of Panama’s best and most consistent beach breaks. The gym is physically located at Beach Break Surf Camp (www.beachbreaksurfcamp.com), a beachfront hotel steps from the waves.

How many people train there?
Playa Venao BJJ Panama has a kids program of local and expat kids from ages 3-16+ yrs old, and around 10 adults in BJJ. We also do Muay Thai and conditioning classes with around another 10 or so people.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Playa Venao is a small community, but it’s definitely growing and developing. With the expansion, there are more families, service industry workers, and others that could potentially start training. I just need to show them the light (BJJ :)). For now, our numbers remain more or less consistent.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The gym has the whitest of white belts in for their first classes, 1 blue belt, 2 purple belts, a brown belt, a black belt, and many visitors from the whole spectrum of belts.

When did the gym open?
2017.

Some facts about you:

Name: John Boyle
Age: 34
Academy: Playa Venao BJJ Panama
Belt: Black
Profession: Surf Camp Hotel Manager & BJJ Academy Owner
Years in BJJ: 12
Other martial arts: Muay Thai
Currently living in: Playa Venao
Originally from: South Jersey / Colorado, USA

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
I moved to Panama in 2013 in need of adventure and change. In the first year, my friend and I founded AlleyCat Fitness Foundation (another Globetrotters-affiliated school). After 4 of the best years of my life operating this non-profit academy which provided free martial arts and fitness classes to impoverished communities, I again needed change. I meditated, focused, and pondered on what my wife and I’s perfect life would look like. The picture I came up with was living at the beach, surfing, training, and sharing Jiu-Jitsu with people from all over the world.

In 2017, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to use a small space at the back of Beach Break Surf Camp for BJJ classes for the community. My wife got a job at the hotel, and I was making ends meet with teaching classes. A year and a half into our lives at the beach, and another opportunity presented itself – to become the manager of the hotel and expand the BJJ gym into the amazing new facility it is today, with 80m2 of brand new Fuji mats just steps away from the surf break.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We’re lucky enough to have people from all over the world that train here. Some of the countries represented are: Panama, United States, Australia, Belgium, Israel, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Uruguay, plus visitors from all over the rest of the world. Many of our full-time members are local expats who have different jobs in the area or are self-employed.

Playa Venao BJJ Panama

Why do they train?
Many of our students started their Jiu Jitsu journey here. Some have moved here and continued their practice. I believe everyone has their own reasons for training that are personal to them, but speaking for myself I love the health and physical benefits, as well as the amazing community of people it brings together and the friendships I’ve made on the mats.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Work can always become work, even if it is your dream life/ job. So I try and remind myself not to get stressed about the normal business stuff. Other challenges include: deciding whether to surf before or after training, having so much fun you forget to take a nap, and going out with friends visiting on vacation and turning their vacation into my own…

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
I see the future generations wondering why the hell there are so many killers coming from Playa Venao that can speak three languages, surf amazingly well, and strangle 99% of the untrained population.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
For sure the people that fill its mats…. But the world class waves out front aren’t so bad either.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
The inside of some barrels.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Playa Venao BJJ Panama, you can find them here.

Where is the gym located?
Bangalore, India

How many people train there?
Reign MMA India has currently around 15 members.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Since we only opened about two months ago, there’s a weekly increase in the number of students. We’re doubling the numbers every week.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We are a bunch of white belts coached by a blue belt.

When did the Reign MMA, India BJJ open?
April 2019.

Some facts about you:

Name: Vighnesh Nathan
Academy:Reign MMA India
Age: 32
Belt: Blue
Profession: MMA / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning coach
Years in BJJ: 8
Other martial arts: Kickboxing and wrestling
Currently living in: Bangalore, India
Originally from: New Delhi, India

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
I was the owner and coach at my previous academy for the past 6 years, a gym handed over to me by my first BJJ coach, Rama Reddy. My current academy, Reign MMA, is my attempt to do things bigger and better and, more importantly, give back to my students what they require – quality training with a lot of attention.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have a variety of students at the academy. Most of them are working professionals, but we have a few full time fighters too.

Why do they train?
Getting fit is the initial motivation for most beginners, by trying something different than what they’ve done before. That motivation almost always changes once the students get a proper taste of BJJ. It becomes a passion to learn more for 99% of the students.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
The general lack of awareness about BJJ in India even today is the biggest challenge. Despite the growth in mixed martial arts even in Bangalore, BJJ is still a foreign discipline. Most academies and students who currently train BJJ in Bangalore and India take an approach of learning techniques which are trending rather than trying to understand concepts, hence new students get lost and quit within a few months. Parents relate BJJ to traditional martial arts like karate, and are reluctant to let their kids to practice the arts. Women are apprehensive of BJJ too, rather preferring activities like cardio kickboxing which they feel is safer and less invasive.

Also, there are no black belts and very very few decent higher belts in the country. So most practitioners get stuck at white belt or blue belt level for quite a while.

Reign MMA, India BJJ

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The future can be huge in a populous country like India. But quantity and quality are very different to each other. There is a surge in the number of academies, competitions, and visiting BJJ practitioners in India. And with an increase in the demand for self-defense training, especially for women, BJJ is in demand. There are already an exponentially larger number of BJJ trainees compared to couple of years back. But the lack of quality instructors and especially higher belts is still a big issue.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
Reign MMA, India BJJ is open to everyone. Right from beginners to advanced practitioners. And we love to learn as well. If you’re a beginner, we are very dedicated to perfecting our fundamentals and would love to share that. If you’re an advanced belt, we would love to refine our game and pick your brain.

More importantly, we believe that knowledge not shared is worthless. Each and every detail we have, we want to pass it on to our students and help them on their journeys.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Bangalore itself is one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in the country. Apart from a few historic monuments and other typical city structures like malls and local eateries and shopping points, Bangalore is also known as the pub capital of India, with some amazing breweries around. And for any globetrotter the best thing is that, just a few hours from Bangalore in any direction, there are amazing beaches, hills or jungles, all waiting to be explored.

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

Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ

Where is the gym located?
The gym is downtown Kuala Lumpur behind Ampang Point Mall, on the 4th floor above the TIME ZONE shop. We’re about 10 mins away (via bus or taxi) from the iconic landmark KLCC twin towers, and the nearest train lines are Ampang Park (Putra LRT train line) and Ampang (Star LRT train line).

How many people train there?
Kambiz Warriors Gym has around 60-70. That’s Muay Thai and BJJ.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Growing gradually. We’re a gym that is more focused on producing local talent rather than making money.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
White is the lowest and purple is the highest.

When did the gym open?
Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia opened in 2002, but the BJJ programme started in 2014.

Some facts about you:

Name: Seyed Ali Ramezani Bayani, AKA Coach Ali
Age: 39
Academy: Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia
Belt: 1st degree black belt
Profession: I’m an English teacher by trade. The teaching of BJJ, which I do two hours a day, five days
a week, is purely for the purpose of giving back to an art which has given me so much.
Years in BJJ: 18
Other martial arts: I started my martial arts journey at the age of seven. I have a black belt in
Kenshen Karate, and full contact Karate.
Currently living in: Based in Malaysia for 11 years now.
Originally from: Iran, but I was born in Kuwait and I was raised in the UK.

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
The gym was opened up in 2002 by Master Kambiz, and initially it was purely a Muay Thai gym. Master Kambiz himself is a 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo and a true master in Muay Thai, which he practiced and fought in Japan. He has produced multiple champions and even world champions. I joined the gym in 2014 and started the BJJ classes. Since then, Master Kambiz and I have been working in perfect harmony alongside each other. He teaches Muay Thai and I teach BJJ, and together we teach MMA.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ has practitioners from all walks of life. Master Kambiz and I have always been focused on teaching the very essence of martial arts; we’ve never been a commercial gym. Through the years we’ve produced many Muay Thai and BJJ champions, but our crowning achievement has been the fact that we’ve produced humble, kind, and generous human beings. That is how we aim to give back. A lot of our members are refugees, and from low income families. I myself have never made money from the BJJ I teach. There was a short documentary that was made on our gym and how we’ve taken in refugees and given them an opportunity through martial arts.

Why do they train?
They all have different reasons. Some do it for fun, some to become champions. We try to cater to all needs. The practitioner who does it for self-growth and the one who goes on to become champion are all given the same treatment. I always tell my boys and girls that they do not need to compete to be great martial artists. There is so much to the martial arts, and competition is only one small part of it.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Well, we have such a mixed background of students studying here, and once they’re done with their school course they return to their home country.

Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Definitely growing. There are a lot of new competitions popping up, and the interest in the art has gone up. When we first started our BJJ classes here, there were only a handful of gyms and competitions, but now there are quite a few of both.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
I would say the environment. We’re not a fancy gym with a lot of facilities, but we do put our heart and soul into our practitioners. We’ve built an environment where all members are respectful and very caring of each other no matter what background of life they come from. Our BJJ class is run in a very unique way. Due to my experience of teaching inside a classroom, I am able to apply some of my teaching knowledge into my instruction of BJJ. Our BJJ class has differentiation, meaning that practitioners are divided into groups based on ability and everyone follows a scaffolded curriculum when it comes to technique. Start our class with solo BJJ drills, then partner drills, and then one throw for the week. We then go on to technique and rolls.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Malaysia is famously known for its iconic twin towers (KLCC), beautiful beaches, and for its mouth-watering cuisines. Luckily enough, our gym is located only about 10mins away from KLCC (which you can see it from the gym’s window) and it’s in one of the most multicultural parts of the city. The Ampang Point area is also home to a variety of famous local and international dishes from Malay, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, and Western cuisine. So after a training session the hardest decision to make is what you want to eat.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Kambiz Warriors Gym Malaysia BJJ, you can find them here.

Where is the gym located?
Curepipe, Mauritius.

How many people train there?
Curepipe BJJ Mauritius has 4 adults, 12 kids.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
For now, the number is more or less constant.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The highest belt is blue belt, and the lowest of course is white.

When did the gym open?
Curepipe Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mauritius opened about 2.5 years ago.

Some facts about you:

Name: Govind Rummun
Age: 31
Academy: Curepipe BJJ Mauritius
Belt: Blue
Profession: Management support officer
Years in BJJ: 4 years
Other martial arts: Karate and Japanese Jujutsu
Currently living in: Curepipe, Mauritius
Originally from: Mauritius

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
First, you have to understand the situation in Mauritius. For the longest time we didn’t have a BJJ black belt in Mauritius. It’s only been a couple of years since we’ve had one. And yes, this guy is my teacher.

So I was training at this place where our teacher had set up a gym. He’d come regularly for classes, but eventually left the responsibility to the most experienced/oldest member (he was 50+ years old). My teacher would come from time to time to supervise, but it was really up to the members to do their training.

For a time it was good, but little by little everyone just stopped coming and we were left with only a few guys. Eventually, at some point, being one of the most senior there, I was given that responsibility. I did what I could at that time until the club was back on track. That’s when my teacher told that I should set up my club in Curepipe (my hometown). Since then, I’ve been doing my own thing.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Curepipe BJJ Mauritius has your typical kids classes. Chaotic, messy and lots of shouting and ordering! As for the adults, you get a broader range of people. From adolescents to a 40-year-old ex-army man.

Why do they train?
Some come to keep fit; some for competition. The kids come mostly because their parents brought them, but they really like it.
But my most interesting student is the 40-year-old guy, Joe. He’s been with us since the beginning. He’s been to a few competitions, but that is not his objective. He also likes to keep fit, and has been to the gym more than once. I’d say he likes to train just for the sake of it. There is this thing in BJJ that just makes you want to keep coming!

As for me, I love BJJ because it’s such a wonderful art. I’d done some other martial arts prior to this, and don’t get me wrong, they were good, but BJJ just hits the right spot. It’s safe, practical, and you’re always learning something new. I meet new people all the time and have lots of fun at competitions. The introvert that I am gets to express himself in another way.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
The biggest challenge is getting your name out. Most people here don’t know what BJJ is, and it’s very hard to get new people to join. We usually get confused with Karate because we wear the gi.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The future is the kids. Right now I can see how they’re developing an interest in the art. At competitions, and by training in other gyms, you can see how the athletes are developing. We have a couple of international-level athletes here, but the next generation is definitely going to be better.

Our Federation is on the right track by doing its best to make BJJ known throughout the island. We have lots of competition from other sports and disciplines, but little by little we’re making our way.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
The training atmosphere, I would say. I, the coach, don’t believe in running a hierarchical gym. Sure there are belts, but the essential thing is that we’re all here to learn. And also have fun!

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
We have wonderful beaches here in Mauritius. People are usually very friendly, and most of the natives speak both English and French. You can find some good deals online for hotels. We also have a big BJJ community, where anyone knows anyone and you can train at any gym on the island.

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

Michael Velotta BJJ

Age: 43
Belt: 1st degree Black Belt
Profession: Physical Therapy Assistant in an acute care hospital
How many years in BJJ: Oh gosh… almost 24 years now?
Other martial arts: High school wrestling, Muay Thai, Boxing, and a little bit of Sambo. Oh, and now a little bit of Irish Collar and Elbow Wrestling (Thanks to Ruadhán MacFadden for making that happen!)
Where do you live: Currently living in Madison, Wisconsin
Where are you originally from: Southern California
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I’m an avid woodworker. I have my own wood shop in my basement, and I play Dungeons and Dragons like it’s still the 80s and it’s cool… hahaha.

Michael Velotta BJJ

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
When I first joined the US Army, in 1999, my first duty station was Bamberg, Germany. I’d only been outside the country to Mexico before that, so I had ZERO traveling experience. But when I got to Germany, the wanderlust hit me HARD. Since then, I’ve been to just about every Western European country and most of the East as well. As for training, I find that almost everywhere I travel to, there’s Jiu Jitsu in some form or another. For me, THAT’s the common language. I can speak the language of grappling to anyone.

Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
My most recent was probably one of my greatest trips ever. I was lucky enough to get a last-minute ticket to the 50th Globetrotter Camp in Heidelberg, Germany. It was such an amazing atmosphere, with some truly great Jiu Jitsu instruction from passionate and skilled BJJ coaches from around the world. The whole experience was completely unreal, and I met so many great people!

My next trip is coming up in September; I’m heading to London and Belfast, Ireland with some of my fellow Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood instructors from across the U.S., mostly for a vacation, but also to get some great training in!

Michael Velotta BJJ

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
This list would take all day for me. So I’ll try to keep it simple. Getting out of the humdrum of the normal daily grind, getting on a plane and landing in another country… you simply can’t beat that feeling of exploration and excitement! As soon as I leave the confines of that airport, it’s an open map to whatever destinations I want. I love experiencing other cultures, other coastlines or mountains, other languages and foods. Whether I’m there for business or for fun, it doesn’t matter; the next new experience is just around that corner.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Another long list that I’ll keep short. I’ve eaten the best fish and chips in my life at a gas station sitting across the street from an amazing, ruined castle on the coast of Ireland. Castle-hopping with friends along the Neckar River while at the 50th Globetrotter camp to do research for a book I’m trying to write. Meeting so many talented and amazing people around the world, each with something interesting to share, or teach you… I could list a thousand more great experiences!

Michael Velotta BJJ

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
That’s an interesting question actually. Probably one of the most surprising experiences I’ve had while traveling is learning just how tiny my known world was before I traveled. In life, you gain knowledge and you grow by doing, by seeing, by experiencing. And until you actually step out of your comfort zone, and change your comfortable little personal environment, you don’t really have a grasp of what life is like, globally.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Most definitely. Any trip I think I want to do, I plan months in advance. I start checking all the best flight apps, I start comparing locations and costs, and I start planning what I’ll bring so I can travel as light and condensed as possible. That way, when the time comes, I can just go for it instead of being stuck on the fence about it. Doing it this way has really helped me to actually be able to plan on short notice as well. I know all the tricks of the trade – travel is a passion for me, not just a hobby!

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Be open to new experiences. If you think you want to try something, TRY it. If you want to go somewhere, but aren’t sure, just DO it. “I can’t do it because (insert all the lame excuses we tell ourselves because we’re afraid here…)” and you WON’T end up doing it because you already said “I CAN’T”…

Follow your heart, follow that adventurous spirit inside you… and your feet will come along for the ride!

Michael Velotta BJJ

Agnes Lisik – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: Master 2

Belt: Blue, Icon BJJ (Pablo Cerino’s team in Brussels)

Profession: I’m a translator by training, but I worked in different jobs in my life, including fishmonger, journalist and currently, policy advisor in an environmental NGO.

How many years in BJJ: 3

Other martial arts: My first martial art love was Capoeira. I trained it regularly for about 3 years. I love how expressive it is, and how deep its cultural roots are. Now, I’ve just started historical fencing (HEMA) and picked up a sword thanks to having met a brand new bunch of martial art fanatics.

Thanks to that experience, and Ruadhán MacFadden’s podcast about our common grappling heritage, I start to discover how martial arts influence each other, and that everything is connected: wrestling, boxing, fencing… I hope to live long enough to take up boxing, and maybe even some MMA in the future, inshallah!

Where do you live: Brussels

Where are you originally from: Poland

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: Originally, I left my country for a mere five-month Erasmus student exchange in Spain. Now, it’s been 14 years living abroad and counting. I’m a migrant by default.

Agnes Lisik BJJ

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Travelling is a way of life these days, be it for work or leisure. The world has shrunk so much! So far, I’ve lived in 3 countries, and visited around 30, mostly in Europe, which I love.

BJJ Globetrotters taught me to bring the gi with me wherever I go. I’ve visited different BJJ academies in Poland (Lodz, Gdansk), USA (Baltimore, Miami), Iceland (Reykjavik, Keflavik), Belgium (Brussels, Leuven), the Netherlands (Oss -sic!), Portugal (Ericeira), Spain (Vigo), the UK (London)… I usually travel solo and often I’m the only girl training in the club (never had an issue because of it).

Recently, I found out that a BJJ club is now present even in my home town of 30,000 people in the south of Poland. It’s impressive how much the Gentle Art is expanding.

Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
Almost all my holidays (and money ;) I spend on BJJ or other martial arts. I’ve just been to the BJJ Globetrotters Summer Camp in Heidelberg, Germany. On the first week of September, I organized a boot camp myself for 30 HEMA fencers in Stara Wies Dojo in Poland, the wonderful venue many Globetrotters know from Zen Camp. The HEMA community is awesome, but I think they need more integration and international exchange opportunities, like Globetrotters already do.

I have a Wanderlust syndrome, so I plan the next adventure even before my return journey. And I usually feel relieved only with a new ticket in my pocket and a new travel entry in my calendar. Next on my radar are weekend trips to Lithuania, Malta, and the beautiful Rhine Valley in Germany, full of castles and vineyards that I’ve recently discovered and keep coming back to in autumn.

Agnes Lisik BJJ

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
I like the initially unpleasant and anxious thrill of stepping out of my comfort zone. It’s getting more and more difficult as time goes by, because with age we get more lazy, cozy, and comfy, but as long as you don’t kill that curiousity and thrill in yourself, you feel truly alive.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Last year I was in Iceland twice. I couldn’t wait for summer camp, so I visited already in wintertime, as a stopover on the way to the US. In February, I got caught in a blizzard somewhere in the woods between Perlan museum and Mjölnir MMA gym. I thought that if I was going to die there alone and freeze to death in the dark, maybe some Globetrotter would find my body and gi in July. But I survived and got my daily BJJ dose. In that week, I went from training in subarctic Iceland to subtropical Miami.

Another crazy idea was when Robert Barker stayed at my place in Brussels on his Panda Odyssey, and then I spontaneously decided to join complete strangers on a quest to London to roll 24h at a charity Grappleton at Wave BJJ.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
We are one. Whatever our nationality, religion, profession, political views, gender, etc., and whatever they say on the media in this polarized world, we are all just a bunch of naked apes who like to eat, roll, play, sleep, repeat. It’s also surprising how much we underestimate body language, whereas it’s the most natural way to communicate. BJJ for me was a way to reconnect with my own body, and at the same time notice that most of people don’t know their own bodies at all; they only use their most basic functions and fear getting physical in so many ways.

For me, BJJ creates a true community and real sense of belonging: we have the same goal and our own corporal language and common understanding: slap hands, bump fists and roll, then try to submit and not let yourself be submitted. BJJ, like any other serious martial art, I think, teaches a lot of respect and humility. We can potentially hurt our partners or get injured ourselves, so with such a “superpower” comes a big responsibility for the others. The Gentle Art taught me discipline, put a structure and purpose to my messy life, and healthily humiliates my ego and challenges my self-limitations on a daily basis.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I’ve been using Skyscanner.net for years to map the best flight options, although I like travelling by train best and I try to do that more often. For accommodation, I use Booking.com – a very handy app that allows even last-minute decisions, although sometimes you can negotiate better rates if you call the property directly. Airbnb or couch surfing never really worked for me, because I don’t like to be dependent on others and their schedule. I am a highly functioning introvert moving at my own pace, so I appreciate single rooms and anonymity of hotels. I need privacy to recharge and prepare for my exhausting supernova blasts of social activity.

I used to get obsessed with planning my trips, whereas now I only plan “the anchors”: where I fly from/to and where I am going to stay on the first and last night. I like to keep “controlled spontaneity” and improvise in between those key points. I don’t plan what to see anymore – I got too overwhelmed and didn’t enjoy it anymore – except if there are any specific landmarks on my bucket list. I like just to wander around and absorb the genus loci, turn down the street that appeals to me most, and see how the place and me connect, and what mini-adventures spark in between. The cities where I was hit by such magic the most were Zurich, A Coruña, Valencia, and Zadar. I have a good sense of orientation and a radar in my head, so it’s difficult for me to get lost, but I try to make the path curvy enough to discover sidetracks.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Don’t listen to others’ advice, check it out yourself ;) But if you really have to:

Always go full mental and don’t bother what others would say. Notice the beauty around you, even the little miracles, and let yourself be amazed, absorb, and appreciate it. Don’t miss the opportunity to do new stuff, because it may never present itself again, whether it’s a chance to train Icelandic wrestling (Glima), Irish Collar & Elbow, or try new dance, love, food or drink. The worst thing is to regret not having done something.

Thank you Agnes Lisik BJJ for doing this interview!