Training report: 10th Planet Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

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If anyone is planning a Euro trip, Amsterdam is always top of the list, and I was thrilled to finally visit the infamous city after 2 years of backpacking. Especially, I planned to catch up with my Dutch friends whom I met in Thailand (Hey Jan, Gaya, Kyra!), and I could not wait for the reunion. Before all the extravaganza in Amsterdam, I had an opportunity to join my new friends at 10th Planet Amsterdam.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

City
Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands, is known for its elaborate canal system surrounded by the iconic narrow houses in addition to legacies of the 17th-century Golden Age. Although the city is famed for its well-known coffee shops and extraordinary nightlife, Amsterdam offers way more than just cheap thrills. You can wander the sidewalks by foot or on a bike for an authentic local experience and explore the city of diversity and art through world-famous museums. With village-like charm combined with the cosmopolitan vibe and cultural heritage, the city has grown to become one of Europe’s most beloved and visited cities.

Overview
With its affiliation known for unorthodox techniques and unique warmups, 10th Planet Amsterdam mainly focuses on strictly no-gi Jiu-Jitsu and offers submission grappling classes every day. With my positive experience visiting a 10th Planet in Koh Tao, Thailand, I was excited to revisit another affiliate. The academy was led by Raoul Audhoe and Emad Ahmedin who are purple belts, but do not let their ranks fool you. Both instructors have cross-trained in MMA and other various martial arts and are actively competing in the submission grappling world in Europe. Further, they annually host Amsterdam Jiu-Jitsu Camp that invites famous athletes including Jean Jacques Machado, Masakazu Imanari, and Geo Martinez to this beautiful city to share passion and experiences with other Jiu-Jitsu practitioners from all over the world.

During my visit, I had the pleasure of training under one of the head coaches, Emad Ahmedin, who welcomed me to the academy and its community just like it was mentioned on the website: “Travellers and Drop-In’s welcome!”. The training area was spacious although the facility was shared with various gyms. On a rainy Saturday morning, I joined a class of around 15 students. The gym had a relaxing vibe, and everyone was quick to welcome me and say hello. My training partner for the day, Phillip, who recently returned to Jiu-Jitsu and joined the club, made sure I earned my night-out with a challenging training session. Coach Emad was humorous and engaging during the class and was not hesitant to help out with the techniques after the class even though I was simply a visitor. It seemed that it was not rare for the academy to host visitors and create a friendly atmosphere for everyone.

Amsterdam is already a captivating and charming city filled with history and liveliness to begin with and combining the Amsterdam experience with Jiu-Jitsu is a no-brainer. I would highly recommend paying a visit to 10th Planet Amsterdam for friendly training before exploring museums and coffee shops in the city. I would like to thank Coach Emad, Phillip, and the rest of the members for welcoming me to their city and the world of 10th Planet. Until next time!

Location & Facility
The club is located within the facility called “Amsterdam Training Center” on the south-east side of town. Via its well-established network of public transportation, you can easily reach the academy with a 10-minute train ride from the Amsterdam Centraal station. The academy has 100 square meters of mat space for grappling, and the facility also includes weight training equipment on the side of the training area and locker rooms with showers. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
10th Planet Amsterdam offers classes every day including morning and evening classes. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

10th Planet Amsterdam

Visitor Pass
10th Planet Amsterdam’s one day pass is €20.

Website — 10th Planet Amsterdam’s Website

Tourist Attractions

  • Nightlife — Although Amsterdam is a small city, from abandoned warehouses to posh nightclubs, the nightlife has different social vibes and cultures depending on the district of the city. The most well-known bars and clubs are located in Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein.
  • Coffee shops — Coffee shops in the Netherlands are legally permitted to sell small amounts of soft drugs for people who are over 18. If that is your thing, this is the place. Just do not be that person asking for a cup of Latte at a coffee shop (like I did).
  • Museums — With over seventy museums around the city, Amsterdam is the museum central of Europe. The Museum District houses the world famous Rijksmuseum, which exhibits incredible artwork of Rembrandt along with many other famous artists, and the Van Gogh Museum dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh. The cultural life is so varied and extensive that there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Big thanks to 10th Planet Amsterdam!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Sri Lanka (Colombo, Sri Lanka)

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Colombo, Sri Lanka — In order to get away from the harsh European winter, I booked a flight to Sri Lanka. My “winter” vacation mostly consisted of immersing myself in Sri Lanka’s scenic beaches and green highlands while eating delicious koththu rotti and sipping the country’s famous tea. Luckily after gaining 10lbs in 2 weeks, I had an opportunity to drop by BJJ Sri Lanka in Colombo to wrap up my trip.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

Country
Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia. While its coastline is lined with unpolluted sandy beaches, the mainland boasts compelling landscapes from highlands covered in tea plantations to wildlife-rich jungles. With its famous tea and flavorful local cuisines, the reasons to visit this beautiful South Asian country goes on, not to mention Sri Lanka’s more than two thousand years of recorded culture and history. With various sceneries and activities bottled up into a small island, Sri Lanka provides an array of holiday experiences.

Overview
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Sri Lanka is the first BJJ academy in Sri Lanka under the head coach, Tithira Hiranjith Perera, and is currently affiliated with Professor Rodrigo Teixeira. Established in 2016, the academy is one of the pioneers to introduce Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is a relatively new martial art, to the country. While training Jeet Kune Do, Coach Tithira had an opportunity to train with Professor Arun Sharma who is now India’s first native BJJ Black Belt and the founder of BJJ India. Subsequently, Coach Tithira was asked if he was interested in starting a BJJ program in Sri Lanka, which he gladly accepted. Shortly after that, Coach Tithira went to Singapore to train under professor Rodrigo Teixeira who later promoted him to a blue belt. Although the academy initially started at his house with a few jigsaw mats, BJJ Sri Lanka has grown with 3 in-house blue belts and more than 50 students with its own training facility.

Given the recent introduction of BJJ to the country and its geographical location, Sri Lanka has rather limited resources for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. However, that did not stop Coach Tithira from running a successful academy, and he has been going above and beyond to spread the gentle art to his home country including hosting the Invictus submission grappling tournament. Further, one of the ways was to promote and strongly encourage the exchange of knowledge and experiences by combining Sri Lanka’s famous hospitality and Jiu-Jitsu. When I got in touch with Coach Tithira, he welcomed me to the academy with open arms and hosted an open mat for me. With its visitor-friendly environment, I had a pleasant experience with my new friends, and I was happy to share my limited knowledge with them. Coach Tithira even came to hang out the next day with his son!

Sri Lanka is already an amazing country to visit and will remain one of my favorite countries. If you are in Colombo, which you are most likely due to the airport, I would highly encourage you to reach out to BJJ Sri Lanka and enjoy an experience at the academy. I cannot thank Tithira and everyone at BJJ Sri Lanka enough for their hospitality and such a memorable experience. I will be back!

Location & Facility
BJJ Sri Lanka is located approximately 20-minutes away from Colombo’s city center next to the Nugegoda Railway Station. I would personally recommend taking a tuk-tuk since it would be the most convenient way to reach the academy. The facility is located within the martial arts academy called “The Shed”. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
BJJ Sri Lanka offers classes every day including morning and evening classes. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

Visitor Pass
BJJ Sri Lanka did not charge anything for training. However, it is always courteous to reach out to the gym before your visit.

Miscellaneous — BJJ Sri Lanka’s Website

Travel Highlights

  • Mirissa — Surrounded by palm trees swaying in the sea breeze and turquoise waves, Mirissa, a small town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, is a magical beach town to let the days pass by without a care in the world. From whale watching tours to a handful of notable restaurants along the beach, Mirissa has it all for you to soak up the sun in peace. Don’t forget to take a picture on the famous Coconut tree hill!
  • Ella — Tucked away in the misty Sri Lankan high country, Ella is everyone’s favorite hill-country town with spectacular views. The train ride from Kandy to Ella through the tea plantations and mountain passes are considered one of the most scenic train rides. That’s not all. With its iconic Nine Arch Bridge and stunning 220m tall Diyaluma Falls, many of the Sri Lankan adventures can be found in Ella.
  • Sigiriya — Often referred to as Lion Rock. Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress in Sri Lanka. Built on top of a massive column of rock around 200 meters, the UNESCO World Heritage Site has a historical and archaeological significance. It is the most visited tourist destination in Sri Lanka providing unique harmony between nature and human creation. With its spectacular view and the remains of a royal palace on the summit, Sigiriya undoubtedly remains the star attraction in the country.
  • Galle — A city on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka known for the Galle Fort, Galle is a fortified old city in Sri Lanka. With stone sea walls and historical architecture, the city embraces its ancient and colonial past. The Galle Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a living monument, and the city connects European architectural styles and South Asian traditions.

BJJ Globetrotters banned from the IBJJF

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A little over three days ago, I received an email from the IBJJF, letting me know that BJJ Globetrotters, as an association, has been suspended from their federation. The accusation is that we have been approving and signing for athletes that have no relation with the signing black belt instructor. According to them, we are going “against the integrity of the martial art and safety of the athletes” since “it is important that athletes train under the overall guidance of a Black Belt professor”.

Naturally, I immediately responded to their email:

  • We sign IBJJF forms for all our members to be able to compete, just like any other affiliation in the world.
  • Our team signing the forms are high level, highly decorated black belts with decades of combined experience in the art.
  • We verify the belt ranks of anyone we sign for with their day-to-day instructors. For black belts, we require rank confirmation from five black belts. Last week, we announced that all members must have verified their belt ranks with www.beltchecker.com, which will ensure even more trustworthiness of their rank, as well as allow us to always keep up-to-date with any controversy around their promotions, should this arise.

This is not different than how pretty much every major BJJ affiliation around the world works. The head black belts who sign the forms for their affiliate academies’ members have, in most cases, no more relationship with the athletes than we do. In fact, our community is very tight knit, as more than 1,800 of our members meet around the world at our camps over 10 times every year. Everyone at all levels train hard, network and make friends. On a regular basis at the camps, I see and train with countless of the athletes I have signed IBJJF forms for. These are people I consider great friends and valuable training partners. Some of those who do not have instructors at home, choose to receive their belt evaluations from the combined opinions of the camp instructors. But apparently this is not enough to qualify as “overall guidance” from my and the other black belts’ side.

At the end of the day, the main difference between BJJ Globetrotters and any other large affiliation is, that we charge no money for what we do.

I have to this date still not received a reply to my email, but all our members’ IBJJF memberships have been abruptly cancelled and we are getting a lot of emails from concerned athletes with upcoming competitions, so we can not postpone this announcement any longer.

I am deeply sorry on behalf of our many hundreds of athletes around the world who are actively competing for BJJ Globetrotters, producing fantastic results at all levels, from white to black belt, from amateurs to professionals. While we are not an affiliation in the traditional (IBJJF-)sense, we ARE a community of highly passionate practitioners who believe that training relationships in Jiu Jitsu should be based on friendship, not business. That everyone should be treated equal on and off the mats. That people should be allowed to train with who ever they want. And that access to competition should not be based on contractual agreements with anyone at the top of an imaginary hierarchy based on pieces of tape on cotton belts.

While IBJJF is a private, for-profit company that can make whatever rules they like, I don’t think anyone should have monopoly on how a BJJ affiliation is defined. For those who agree that what we do also qualify as one, we are in fact the biggest in the world, with more than 750 registered academies. And I’m incredibly proud that we are so many who stand up against common perception of how things are “supposed to be done”. We’re not going away any time soon.

If you are affected by this recent decision by IBJJF, I suggest that you email them directly on [email protected] and let your opinion be heard. I’ll keep doing the same for you.

– Christian Graugart

Guide for going to the IBJJF European Championships

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If you’ve never been to Lisbon this guide will help you prepare for your trip. If you’re a regular Euros goer check if you’ve missed anything cool and let me know if I have!

Flights and Accommodation

IBJJF European Championships always take place in January, which is far from the high season in Lisbon. Unless you’re travelling from another continent the trip is very affordable. Booking your flights one month in advance will get you return tickets at around £100 from London Heathrow or up to 50% less than that from smaller London airports.

Airbnb is usually the best accommodation option in Lisbon. It’s much cheaper than hotels, you get access to the kitchen, which can lower food costs and is crucial when watching weight. Lots of places can be found all over the city.

There is just one thing you have to remember when booking an Airbnb in Lisbon for the IBJJF European Championship – heating. Make sure the place has it and when the owner lets you in make sure that it works too. Many buildings in Lisbon don’t have central heating and while the Portuguese winter is mild, 10 degrees inside the flat is far from pleasant.

Pricewise, in Jan 2020 a private double room in a fully equipped flat near Roma metro station cost £155 for 6 days. This is a decent price, but you can find even better bargains.

ibjjf european championship

Where to Stay for the IBJJF European Championship

Lisbon has a very good tube system. Generally, staying near one of the stations will allow you to get everywhere you need to go, which is useful if you want to minimise costs as much as possible. A single ticket is only € 1.50 regardless of your destination. You will also need to buy a rechargeable card for € 0.50 on which the tickets are stored.

If you want to stay in an area, which will let you enjoy Lisbon the most and guarantee easy access to the venue check out the map below. Bairro Alto is the most popular and touristy one. It’s close to many attractions and full of cool bars, restaurants and shops, but you need to be prepared to walk up and down numerous stairs. A bit further North there is the Roma area, which I stayed in this year. It’s halfway between the venue and the centre. It’s quieter than Bairro Alto, but there are still plenty of great food places and services available.

The Euros venue is now in the same hall in Odivelas every year. If you’re only flying out for a day or two to compete yourself you may want to stay next to the venue. If you’re staying any longer than that, choose somewhere closer to the centre as there is absolutely nothing else in Odivelas.

Fifty shades of tiles

Travelling to the Venue and Getting Around

If you’re a commuting Londoner at the IBJJF European Championship, you likely already have Citymapper on your phone. For those who don’t use it, it is a public transport app that’s more accurate that Google maps (it shows you which end of the train to get on, which side of the street to walk on and has a much more responsive gyroscope). It is great for figuring out your route and it’s very precise with public transport times. It works very well in London, Lisbon, Stockholm and it saved me in LA!

The easiest way of getting to the venue by public transport is to go to Senhor Roubado station and then walk for about 10 min. You might be tempted to take a bus from the metro tube station, but bear in mind that they don’t run very often.

Uber is a good option too. Depending on demand it costs around € 10 to get there from most areas close to the city centre.

Things to Do

I won’t go into the details of the biggest attractions, because this post describes all of them better than I ever could. A true no-bullshit guide to Lisbon’s landmarks.

I will say though, that if you end up having a free day it’s worth it taking the tram 15E from the centre to Belém (the first area described in the blog post above).

Belém is where the most famous custard tart place, Pasteis de Belem, is located. The first time I went to Lisbon, I was very skeptical of travelling somewhere to stand in a famously long line just to eat the original egg tart. This time around I gave it a try and definitely didn’t regret it.

When you get off in Belém do start your exploring by trying the original pastel de nata. But! There is nothing special about the cafe itself, so feel free to join the takeaway line, which moves very quickly and you’ll be supplied with your pastries, cinammon and sugar to have them with in under 7 min. We decided to enjoy them in one of the stunning parks nearby, which is what I’d recommend. Once you’re done with your pastries, the Monument of Discoveries and the Belém Tower are just a short walk away.

With the Belém Tower in the background

What to Eat

There are lots of amazing food places in Lisbon, so instead of trying to list any specific ones let me tell you about the types of local food worth seeking out!

  • Pastel de Nata – they can be bought all over Lisbon, but make sure to get them from a bakery for the full experience of the soft crunchiness that melts in your mouth. The cold ones are lovely too, but it’s not quite the same.
  • Churrascaria – aka the Portuguese barbecue, where the waiters walk from table to table carrying around freshly grilled pieces of various meats, which they carve straight onto your plate. They are all-you-can eat places, so be prepared for a big meal and prebook your table to avoid waiting.
  • Grilled octopus with potatoes – if you like seafood, this is to die for.
  • Pastel de Bacalhau – these are cod cakes filled with warm goats cheese. You can also find similarly shaped cakes filled with meat and cheese, which are even better.
The food pictures aren’t mine. I always get started on the food before I remember to take them…

Other Useful Tips

Locals don’t do anything in a rush, so make sure that you have enough time for everything.

There are many luggage lockers in the city, which are handy if you can’t leave your luggage at the Airbnb after checkout. These ones are particularly well-priced, but avoid making my mistake of not bringing coins.

Coffee sizes in Lisbon are 1/3 of what you’d expect in the UK. If you can’t live without normal sized cups (I like to enjoy my coffee for longer than just 2 min) check out places like Dear Breakfast or if desperate, seek out a Starbucks.

What is your favourite thing to do/eat in Lisbon?

Infini

Infini Jiu-Jitsu (Strasbourg, France)

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Strasbourg, France —Next Stop: Strasbourg and its most popular and possibly the oldest Christmas market in Europe! Also, it was my first city in France on my journey, and I could not have been more excited. Although my weekend trip to Strasbourg was rather short, I had an opportunity to drop by Infini Jiu-Jitsu’s open mat to sneak a training session in.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

City
Located along the Rhine River in France and across from Kehl, Germany, the city simultaneously walks a fine line between a medieval past and a progressive future. France and Germany argued over custody of the region for centuries, but every aspect of Strasbourg including food, languages, and culture is neither German nor French: It is truly Alsatian. A blend of German and French influences in the city is what makes Strasbourg so unique among other European cities. From Strasbourg Cathedral to Petite France, the city truly looks straight out of a fairy tale.

Overview
Infini Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club offering grappling and yoga classes in Strasbourg. The academy is led by Salah Mezhoud who is a black belt under David Giorsetti since October 2016. Professor Mezhoud started Jiu-Jitsu in 2009 at the age of 31. Despite being a late starter, he frequently traveled to Brazil to dedicate himself to the art at well-known academies including the Carlson Gracie Academy and honed his skills among the best. Being a trainer by profession, he was able to easily translate his grappling skills to the students and created the academy that is now known as Infini Jiu-Jitsu.

Infini Jiu-Jitsu’s name was derived from the constant evolution and limitless nature of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the academy promotes a sharing culture by proudly stating, “We gladly welcome any newcomers and visitors on our mats!” on the website. Living up to the expectation, my Facebook message for the visit was responded to promptly with a welcoming message: “It’s free, you’re invited 😉.”

Unfortunately, my schedule only allowed me to attend the open mat, and I joined about 15 students on the mat on a Saturday afternoon. I awkwardly walked onto the spacious open mat within the sports complex in Strasbourg. Luckily, people in gis came up to me first and invited me. From talking about our backgrounds to which restaurants I should try that evening, the atmosphere at the gym was vibrant and welcoming. Although I was not able to join a class at Infini Jiu-Jitsu, judging from the skills of the students who were on the mat that day, I can only imagine classes are well-instructed and organized.

If you are in Strasbourg, I encourage you to reach out to them and join them for evening training sessions. I am sure you will be welcomed into the Strasbourg BJJ community with open arms. Thank you, everyone, at Infini Jiu-Jitsu for great rolls and food recommendations. I hope to see you all soon!

Location & Facility
 Infini Jiu-Jitsu’s facility was located approximately 20-minutes away via public transportation from Strasbourg’s city center. It was located within a mega-sports complex and had a spacious mat space for grappling. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
Infini Jiu-Jitsu offers classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays followed by yoga classes. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

Visitor Pass
Infini Jiu-Jitsu is a BJJ Globetrotters affiliated gym. However, it is always courteous to reach out to the gym before your visit.

Miscellaneous — Infini Jiu Jitsu’s Website

Things to do

  • Cathédrale Notre Dame — The Gothic cathedral is the highest medieval building in Europe built in 1842 featuring an impressive astronomical clock. This impressive monument of Alsace’s heritage is an outstanding masterpiece surrounded by many local legends. It is hard to miss the cathedral when you are walking around Strasbourg.
  • Christkindelsmärik —  The annual Christmas market in Strasbourg is one of the most popular Christmas markets throughout Europe, which draws approximately 2 million visitors every year. Opened from the last week of November to the end of December, the Christkindelsmärik with over 300 stalls across the entire city of Strasbourg is currently one of the largest in the world. Don’t forget to pick out a few Christmas gifts from the market!
  • Flammkuchen — Although this traditional dish might have different names depending on the region, flammkuchen in German, tarte flambée in French or flammekuechle in Alsatian all translate to “pie baked in the flames.” It is a specialty of Alsace and Baden-Württemberg regions on the German-French border, and this delicious pie is composed of bread dough covered with crème fraiche, sliced onions, and bacon.
Munich

Visiting Munich MMA (Munich, Germany)

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Munich, Germany — Next stop: Munich and its wondrous Oktoberfest! Before my trip, I posted on BJJ Globetrotters’ Facebook page asking for a gym recommendation while I was in Munich for Oktoberfest. Although most people in the group predictably and understandably did not agree with my choice, I got in touch with Ben Schotthöfer at Munich MMA and had an opportunity to train with his team.

Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for recent updates: @jwwseo

City
 Munich is home to centuries-old architecture and the legendary Oktoberfest. The capital of Bavaria, Munich is a city where traditional and modern stand side by side. With its renowned universities and headquarters of multinational enterprises, it is also one of the most prosperous cities in Germany. Although Munich was heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II, the majority of its historic buildings have been rebuilt and the Old town (Altstadt) appears mostly as it did before the war. With its unique combination of Bavarian culture, beer, and stunning architecture, Munich was one of my favorite cities to explore during my travels.

Overview
 Munich MMA is a mixed martial art school founded as an affiliate of the Pound for Pound team. The head coach is Benedikt Schotthöfer who is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Sergio “Canudo” Zimmermann. The academy was established in 2007 when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or MMA was not easily accessible in Munich but only 12 years later the club has established its position as the leader in martial arts cross-training. They have over 500 members training in two state-of-the-art facilities. Especially, the new facility located in Nordbad is fully covered in glass with a floating MMA cage over the ground floor training area.

I was told that Munich MMA is always open to visitors and the academy lived up to that expectation. From the time I stepped on the mat until I said goodbye to my new friends, there was a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere. Although I did not have a chance to meet him in person, Ben followed up my visit with a simple message “Hey, did you like the training?”. Of course, my answer was yes. During my visit, Nergis, who was a purple belt (now a brown belt), was leading the class. The training was more intimate than normal as a fair portion of the class was competing in Nuremberg, but the training level at the club that day made me wonder how it is like to train with the rest of the team.

With its expansion in Munich and experienced instructors, Munich MMA is a well-established academy in the city. A trip to their fantastic facilities will complete your vacation in this memorable city. Even though you might offset all of your hard work with the city’s delicious beer! Thank you, Nergis, Ben and everyone at the academy for the memories. See you later!

munich mma

Location & Facility
 The club’s two facilities are located approximately 20-minutes away from the main station via public transportation. I have not personally visited the new location in Nordbad, but the training facility is equipped with a cage and spacious mat space for grappling. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
 Munich MMA offers over 70 classes per week including the weekends. With the academy’s expansion into a new location, the curriculum is comprehensive. From BJJ to MMA, the academy has a class for everyone. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

Visitor Pass
The club is open to visitors, and there is no charge. However, it is always courteous to reach out to the gym before your visit.

Miscellaneous — Munich MMA’s Website

Things to do

  • Oktoberfest — A legendary event and the world’s largest beer festival. It runs from mid-September to the first Sunday in October and attracts over 7 million visitors from around the world. If you need a break from beer, you can enjoy endless rides and carnival games on the grounds that surround the beer tents. I was happy to check it off my bucket list. Please drink responsibly :)
  • Marienplatz — Marienplatz or Mary’s Square is the heart of the city since 1158. Dominated on the north side by the magnificent neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus, New Town Hall, Marienplatz is full of vibrant energy and activities. Today, the square is a center for festivities and traditions, especially during Munich’s oldest traditional Christmas market.
  • Schloss Nymphenburg — This commanding palace in the western part of town is not just home to the Bavarian royal family. Its lavish garden surrounding the palace is a favorite spot for both locals and tourists. With its luxuriously decorated interior and galleries, the Nymphenburg palace is not to be missed on a sight-seeing tour through the Bavarian capital city.

Thanks to everyone from Munich MMA for the hospitality!

DSC01203-700x500

Van Jiujitsu, Jeonju – Bringing Old School Jiujitsu To Korea!

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It wasn’t until seven months into my time living in Korea that I discovered Jeonju. A small city cradled in the bottom west part of Korea. Within this city I found a precious corner of jiujitsu in Korea.

This part of Korea is simply gorgeous. It’s small size and spacious layout breeds a chilled, laid back atmosphere to the city.

Though foreigners aren’t in abundance, the locals seem un-phased by your presence, which is surprisingly a stark contrast to cities like Daegu; the 4th largest city in Korea.

Given the small size and stature of this cute city, you wouldn’t expect much of a scene for jiujitsu. Fortunately, you would be dead wrong to think that.

Van Jiujitsu has raised the bar for Jeonju’s jiujitsu tenfold.

Though a new club, it’s rise is inevitable, and it’s been making waves within weeks of opening.

Below I’ll go into why that is, and everything you need to know about this awesome club!

Jeonju

As I mentioned above, Jeonju isn’t as world renowned as most of the major cities in Korea. This is by no means a reason not to visit. 

The city is home to some of the most authentic, vibrant and delicious attractions that Korea has to offer!

Hanok Village

The Hanok village sits at the top of the most popular things to do in Jeonju.

Though many Hanok villages occupy various cities in the country, Jeonju’s is one of the most widely regarded. 

Not only is the village teaming with history, there are countless ways one can indulge themselves. 

This includes shopping, donning the famous Hanbok garb, and sampling the world renowned cuisine to your heart’s content! 

A view from above of the famous Hanok Village!

A group of ladies donning the Hanbok garb

Foooood

Considered by many as the culinary capital of Korea; Jeonju certainly sets the bar when it comes to Korean food done right. 

One of the most famous of it’s specialties is the chocopie. A delicious cake-like confection, with a creme or strawberry jam filling. 

Be sure not to get this from any old store, as you’ll find imitations dotted around all of Jeonju. 

Below you’ll find the location of one of the original, authentic Chocopie bakeries. 

 

Head to the article on my website for a live, interactive map.

Another key player in Jeonju’s food industry, and by far the most popular meal is their Bibimbap. 

Luckily for you, you’ll be able to find this signiture dish in most restaurants around the city, however you’ll find it at its tastiest in the Hanok Village. 

 

Jeonju’s signature dish, Bibimbap

 

The culinary treats don’t stop there however. You’ll sure to find the pinacle of Korean food in many other recipies through out Jeonju!

Explore Jeonju’s Fascinating History

Jeonju has a deep and thriving history that is paraded through monuments and buildings through out the city. 

You really are spoilt for choice over places like these to visit.

Such places include The Gyeonggijeon shrine, which was built in 1410, and reconstructed in the 1600s! 

The shrine is home to a famous portrait of the dynasties founder, and also acts as a library. 

Jeondong Catholic cathedral, one of the first and oldest Romanesque buildings in the region, is another fascinating site to visit. 

Finally just a two minute walk from Jeondong is the Pungnammun gate.

This is the only surviving gate of the four that once surrounded the now leveled castle. 

Be sure to check this artifact at night, as the lights make it especially beautiful!

All of these facets of Jeonju somewhat distract people from the fact that it recently became a pioneer of jiujitsu in Korea!

For more information on awesome things to do in Jeonju, check out Nomadasaurus!

Van Jiujitsu

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, lets get down to brass tax.

Though Jeonju is full endearing experiences, which merit multiple visits in their own right, I had another reason for being there. 

That was to visit Van Jiujitsu. 

There aren’t many gyms in Korea that I would happily travel the width of the country for. Van Jiujitsu is most certainly one of them. 

Below I’ll give you an insight into what makes this gym so special, and everything you need to know before you go there. 

Before we get into that, here’s a brief insight to the lay out of the inside of this awesome gym.

 

Location

Head to the article on my website for a live, interactive map.

The gym is easy enough to find when you get to the location. Just be sure to look up, and you’ll see the following symbol:

The Van Jiujitsu Symbol at the Front of the gym

 

You’ll also see this sign on the other side of the building:

 

The other van jiujitsu sign around the side of the gym

 

Instructor

 

Me and Patrick after a hard sesh of rolling (him smashing me)

 

Spending a lengthy stay in Vancouver, Partick has been long acclimated to western culture and jujitsu. 

Not only does he speak completely fluent English, but he also holds a black belt from Vancouver Alliance, an old school gym that has the same mentality.

As a result, Patrick’s jiujitsu is self defense orientated, and is concerned with preserving Jiujitsu as a martial art rather than a sport. 

He’s full of devastatingly effective techniques that work wonders in self defence situations. 

Some schools get so engrossed in the competition mindset that they’re more concerned with sweeping and holding than submitting. 

Patrick is always hunting for the submission, and has truly creative and brutal ways of achieving it. 

I could only marvel as he was doing his work. 

After being annihilated Patrick gave me some vital advice about jiujitsu, from more of an overarching perspective, than individual techniques. 

The advice went something like this: 

“In Jiujitsu, you need a plan which has a specific goal at the end. Your route to a series of positional hierarchies should already be laid out in your mind. Don’t just rely on figuring out your next move at each position.”

I’m definitely paraphrasing, however the philosophy still stands. 

Since learning this I’ve been refining my plan, and I’ve noticed some big improvements in my game, and my approach to jiujitsu.

 

Class Structure

Due to the fact I could only visit on a Saturday, I unfortunately didn’t get to experience a standard weekday class at this nugget of jiujitsu in Korea.

I did however get to experience a self defense class, conducted by Patrick himself.

Classes like this make up part of the reason why I mention that Patrick preserves “old school jiu-jitsu”. 

During the class, Patrick had us drill a technique for escaping side control, along with a technical stand up after being pushed down. All techniques were drilled with the emphasis of being conscious of punches to the head.

The students were almost brand new during this class so he kept it very basic. 

In light of keeping it basic, the lesson was reserved solely for drilling. 

The real fun started after the class when me and Patrick got straight to rolling… and did I mention I got smashed?

Atmosphere

Similar to the Lucas Lepri gym in Daegu, Gracie university in Seoul and Taiwan BJJ in Taipei, Van jiujitsu screams professionalism. 

Not only does Patrick run a thoroughly thought out training schedule for his students, he also teaches it brilliantly. He’ll go into so much detail above the transitions in each technique, and explain it in both English and Korean!

The gym itself is another key part of Van Jiu-jitsu’s professionalism. Everything is pristine, and as you’ve seen, the lay out is absolutely gorgeous.

In terms of the general vibe of the place, everyone I met there was super welcoming, and just happy to meet you. 

Given the small size of Jeonju, I was surprised to find a large foreigner (westerner) presence at this gym. This is most likely due to Patricks fluent english, and his wide reaching friendship circle through out Jeonju.

In terms of the level, being a new gym, the students were generally new to the art. Make no mistake though, this place is guaranteed to boom in the near future, bringing people from all walks of the jiujitsu life!

Summary

Normally I include multiple gyms in one article, however I knew that this place deserved its own piece as as soon as I stepped on the mats. 

Visiting this gym was an absolute pleasure, I can’t recommend it enough. 

It’s reignited my hope that Korea isn’t just a place for competition jiujitsu, that old school jiujitsu really does have its place out here. You just need to know where to look. 

Hopefully this article has made that an easier endeavour for you :).

Happy rolling!

If you found this article informative, you’ll find plenty more like this at roamingrolls.com! A website full of guides and articles on jiujitsu and travelling!

Exitasia

ExitAsia (Freiburg, Germany)

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Freiburg, Germany — Living and working in Europe presented me with many opportunities for weekend trips. Compared to the United States and Australia, weekend getaways to different cities and even new countries were easily manageable in Europe. I could simply leave either Friday evening or Saturday morning after work and return Sunday night. One of the destinations over the course of several weekend trips was Freiburg where I had an opportunity to train at ExitAsia one Saturday morning.

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City
Freiburg, located on the western edge of the Black Forest and parts of the upper Rhine valley, is a picturesque city known for its medieval town. With its miniature water channels and cobble-stone squares, Freiburg is full of history. However, it is not only the history that makes Freiburg so attractive. The city is home to one of Germany’s oldest and reputable universities, which adds to its appeal. Despite the destruction during World War II, the city retains several impressive historical structures. Food, beer, and the Black Forest within the area make Freiburg one of the most unique cities in Germany worth visiting.

Overview
 ExitAsia is a martial art school offering a variety of disciplines including Kickboxing and Muay Thai. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Team is led by Mateo Bernhard who received his BJJ Black Belt from Olavo Abreu of Phuket Top Team in 2018. Having its direct lineage under Professor Olavo Abreu, ExitAsia’s grappling team is heavily connected to Phuket Top Team in Thailand and instructors frequently visit Phuket to train.

ExitAsia is one of the largest academies in southern Germany, and I was impressed by the two-story facility when I walked in. With a boxing ring on the first floor and a wide-open grappling mat next to an MMA cage on the upper floor, the academy has everything you need for combat training. The day of my visit happened to be a special seminar day that grapplers from the surrounding regions in Germany gathered to work on the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu German national team. Although we did not speak the same language, I was blown away by the welcoming atmosphere at the academy. Instructors and students did an incredible job to make me feel included in their community. From Professor Mateo’s detailed class focused on the variation of single-leg takedowns to chances to roll with high-level active competitors in Germany, my experience at ExitAsia was nothing but positive.

With ExitAsia’s superior facility combined with high-level training, the academy will provide you with a great experience. Before or after exploring Freiburg’s old town and the Black Forest, stop by at ExitAsia, and you will not regret it. Thank you, Mateo and Björn for an amazing experience in Freiburg!

Location & Facility
 ExitAsia is located approximately 20-minutes away via public transportation from Freiburg’s old town. The training facility is equipped with a variety of exercise equipment including an MMA cage, a boxing ring, and a spacious grey mat space for grappling. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
 ExitAsia offers classes from Mondays to Fridays and typically three grappling classes are offered on those days. From BJJ to Muay Thai, the academy has a class for everyone. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

Visitor Pass
ExitAsia is one of the BJJ Globetrotters affiliated academies, and there is no charge for visitors. However, it is always courteous to reach out to the gym before your visit.

Miscellaneous — ExitAsia’s Website

Things to do

  • Freiburger Münster — Freiburg’s awe-inspiring minster took almost 300 years to complete. This incredible Gothic structure reaches 380 feet into the sky and hanging inside are 19 bells, which the oldest dates back to 1285. Although Freiburg was heavily bombed in 1944, the church suffered little damage.
  • Münsterplatz — Surrounded by beautiful buildings, Münsterplatz is the largest square in the city and is home to the Freiburg market. On both sides of the cathedral, local vendors sell vegetables, flowers, and even tasty local wursts. From the blazing-red historic Merchant’s Hall to cafes, it is a scenic square to spend time getting lost in Freiburg.
  • Schauinsland — As Freiburg is nestled at the base of the German Black Forest, hiking is only steps away from the historic Old Town. Its name literally means “Look at the land” in German, and the mountain lives up to its name. The summit offers magnificent views in all directions over the Black Forest and the Rhine Valley. One of the best ways to reach the summit is by the Schauinsland Cableway, but you can also drive up.
sabine-harrisburg-pennsylvania-usa-river

Back to the US! New York City & Harrisburg

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East Coast Friends

With fall arriving in Europe (I hate the cold) and the first ever BJJ Globetrotter camp in Phoenix (my home town!) on the horizon for the upcoming month – it was time to head back to America! There was still some weeks before camp though, so I took a little detour on the way back from Spain to Arizona to visit a few friends along the way, and to see a few new US states!

One of my dearest and closest friends Rebecca had recently moved from Phoenix to Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) upon graduation from dental school, and had invited me to come visit and stay at her place. After a little searching, I was able to find a cheap flight from Spain to New York City (NYC), so we decided to meet there and stay overnight before taking a train back to Harrisburg, together.

I’d never been to NYC before, and it had been on my list of US cities to visit for quite some time now. As chance would have it, another good friend of mine, Jeemin (originally from Phoenix as well) now lived in NYC. Upon hearing we were planning this trip, she instantly very generously offered to host us and to take the day off to show us around!

New York City

New York City Mini Trip!

I stayed in NYC one night, just enough to take in the ambiance and get a few impressions of this great American city I’d heard so much about. NYC did not disappoint! I can definitely understand why people fall in love with this place – it’s one of the most lively, colorful, cultured and diverse cities I’ve ever been to, massive and modern with a rich history. The food is great with many very cute cafes and restaurants throughout, and the public transportation is excellent!

I didn’t get the chance to train in NYC, which is a little unfortunate since there are many top gyms with very prestigious instructors in the area. But, since I was only in NYC one night (not even two full days), I opted to spend the short time being a tourist with friends instead. Below are a few of the specifics sites we had the opportunity to visit.

New York City: pretty neighborhoods

Luggage Storage

I was traveling with my usual full backpack plus suitcase. Wanting to make the most of our short time in NYC, it didn’t make sense to go to Jeemin’s apartment to drop off my luggage, nor did I want to carry it around all evening. So, we left it with one of the baggage storage places instead, which worked out really nicely. There are many of these throughout the city, which are actually regular businesses that very conveniently double up as luggage storage. A quick search revealed many in the area, I reserved one in advance. It was quick, easy, secure and cheap (about $11 to store luggage overnight). One word of caution – do double check the drop-off and pick-up times if arriving very early or very late, since these follow the regular business hours of the store and are closed at certain times.

9/11 Memorial

This is the location of where the twin towers used to stand. In the place of the buildings, there’s now giant square holes going many meters down with water pouring over the edges into a pool at the bottom, with the names of the victims engraved on plaques along the edge. The memorial was unfortunately closed by the time we arrived late in the evening, and was also additionally temporarily closed for restoration to the plaques with names that week, so the lights were off and we couldn’t get up close to the railing or peer over the edge. But, it was still pretty neat to see it from a distance, and to stand at the site where such a momentous event took place many years before. I was actually a little surprised at how small the perimeter indicating what used to be the base of the buildings were – I didn’t imagine such tall buildings could possibly stand so high on such a small base.

New York City: 9/11 Memorial at night

Times Square

This is a bustling plaza and pedestrian area in midtown Manhattan lined with businesses, clubs and restaurants, many of which don’t open until evening. Massive bright billboards and towering buildings dominate the horizon and illuminate the plaza at night. It’s the site of the world renowned New Year’s Eve celebration where millions of viewers squeeze into the plaza to watch a countdown and ball drop.

New York City: Times Square

Central Park

This is a giant urban park in the middle of Manhattan borough, with numerous sculptures, nice landscaping and paths meandering throughout. It’s about 0.5 miles wide by 2.5 miles long, with a lake in the center. It was far more beautiful than I expected.

New York City: Central Park

Bryant Park and Library

This area consists of a small lawn and majestic library built in the 1900’s in Manhattan borough. You can enter for free and wander throughout the various rooms, the ornate architecture and decoration are quite beautiful! It’s still a fully functional library with books you can request or check out. The library includes many grand high ceiling walkways, a few large stately study rooms with rows of tables (full of people reading and studying), and many old paintings throughout. The lawn outside has chairs and tables scattered about and cheerful relaxed ambiance, great for a picnic, hangout or coffee with friends. It was quite busy and lively when we visited.

New York City: Bryant Library

Harrisburg (Pennsylvania)

I stayed at Rebecca’s place in Harrisburg for about 2.5 weeks in September-October, which felt very short and flew by much too quickly! We quickly fell back into a regular routine of working all day (me from my computer at home, Rebecca at her dental office), then hanging out together in the evenings and weekends. Overall, was a very relaxing and laid back couple of weeks!

Pennsylvania was one of the original 13 colonies US colonies, which you see represented on flags with the 13 stars arranged in a circle instead of the usual 50 stars in a grid. Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania, despite being much smaller than at least 8 other cities in the state.It has a peaceful small-town vibe and is very green, with cute little neighborhoods and forested areas throughout. The Susquehanna River runs through the middle, crossed by a handful of bridges. The city center area is small and nice, with some interesting older buildings in a handful of different architectural styles. The weather while I was here was pretty mild – summertime warm with blue skies most days, with a few rainy days and cooler temps toward the end of the stay. A few of the trees were just starting to get gold and red leaves, though overall it still felt more like summer than autumn.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: City center

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Bridge near City Island

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Susquehanna River

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: So green!

Transportation

Like most American cities, the public transportation is basically nonexistent. It’s very difficult, inconvenient and time consuming to get around without having a car. In addition, Uber/Lyft rides are pretty expensive in USA. You can expect to pay $15 for a 15 minute car ride, with prices increasing during rush hour traffic times. Coming from SE Asia were Grab scooter taxi rides were just a couple dollars, the thought of paying these prices for short trips seemed a little outrageous.

The only place I really needed to go on a regular basis was BJJ training. My original plan was to purchase a cheap bike (I found many for sale for under $40 on Craigslist) and bike to the BJJ gym every day. This had seemed totally feasible looking at a map online, but after seeing the distance in person it really didn’t seem like a practical plan anymore. Fortunately Rebecca, being the very wonderful friend that she is and understanding the importance of training almost daily for me, very generously offered to drive and pick me up from training every day! And, since we were doing things together the rest of the time, my own lack of car didn’t really turn out to be a problem at all.

Troegs Hops Dash 5K in Hershey

Somewhere around the middle of the stay, Rebecca, Paul and myself participated in the Troegs 5K race, which was hosted by one of the local breweries in the nearby town of Hershey. The morning was unpleasantly chilly, but warmed up by the time we got moving and the race began. It was a pretty nice course in the countryside, going over a handful of mild hills and through some tree tunnels. This actually made me realize how much I sometimes enjoy running and rekindled my interest in getting into jogging regularly again.

Hershey is a small town named after humanitarian and philanthropist Milton Hershey, founder of today’s Hershey chocolate empire. The town includes a Hershey’s factory, a chocolate history museum, a theme park and has an overall chocolate theme. All the roads are named after chocolate related things, and the ends of the lamp posts are shaped like little Hershey kisses!

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Troegs Hops Dash 5K

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Hershey town

Boxing and Yoga

One Sunday morning, Rebecca took me to her boxing class at Title Boxing Club. There was no live sparring, but it did include wrapping hands, wearing boxing gloves, and practicing various combos against heavy bags for about an hour. And let me just say, I was NOT AT ALL prepared for what an intense workout this turned out to be! I have some chronic shoulder/elbow issues and was a little worried the repetitive punching motion would put too much strain on my shoulder/elbow, but it turned out to be no problem at all.

Boxing was followed by an hour of yoga right across the street hosted by Evergrain Brewing a brewery which every Sunday offers free yoga classes! The class was held inside the main restaurant area, with benches and chairs moved to the side. It was a very full class, including a nice handful of pretty standard yoga sequences. We stayed for a really good brunch breakfast at the brewery after. If I lived in this city, this boxing + yoga + brunch combo would definitely be my regularly Sunday routine!

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Evergrain Brewery

Training at Harrisburg BJJ And Judo

Harrisburg BJJ (Globetrotters affiliated!) became my home gym for the time I stayed in Harrisburg. Everything about this gym was excellent, and I really enjoyed my time training here!

Harrisburg BJJ offered a very full schedule with both gi and nogi classes many times throughout the day, as well as kid’s classes, women’s self defense, judo, kickboxing, and boxing classes. With about 500 members, most classes were pretty full all days I attended. It was a pleasure having so many different people of all levels to train and roll with! The gym was medium size, clean and well maintained, with high quality mats. They were in the middle of painting a large mural across the back wall, which even only half finished looked really nice! I attended the beginner’s followed by advanced classes most weekdays as well as the open mats on Fridays. The ambiance was friendly and welcoming with many tough and very technical rolls – I felt instantly at home here!

Black belts Gregg Anderson (head instructor), David Brogan, Luis Rosa, Shaun Raber, Monica Brogan, and brown belt Bob Landry were the instructors while I was there, all of who were exceptional instructors and a pleasure to learn from, with clear and detail oriented explanations of the techniques. I would have loved to stay here much longer to continue training with this group!

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: A small part of the Harrisburg BJJ & Judy group

Reflection on 2019 Travels

With the end of Pennsylvania trip, it was finally time to head back to my desert home for the “winter”, and for the upcoming BJJ Globetrotters Arizona Camp in Phoenix! Looking back on the last 8 months of travel, I’m amazed at how quickly time goes by – it feels like just yesterday that I was nervously boarding that first plane to Thailand!

Below are some statistics for the 2019 travel year!

  • 232 days of travel since I left Phoenix
  • 12 cities visited (10 of which were new)
  • 7 different countries (4 countries and 2 US states of these were new)
  • 15 new gyms visited
  • 1 BJJ Globetrotter camp (with another coming up before the end of 2019!)
  • 1 belt promotion (from white to blue!)

For the first time, I also completely circumnavigated the globe, leaving from the west and returning from the East! Looking at these numbers, they seem much too small to adequately encompass all that’s happened in the last 8 months, the vast amounts of new experiences and millions of unforgettable little moments. Traveling to SE Asia represented a HUGE step for me as a traveler, as it was the furthest and most culturally different places I’d yet traveled to. Going there solo and planning to stay for many months was a huge step outside my comfort zone. After these many months of travel, I feel I’ve become considerably more confident, knowledgeable, and comfortable with this kind of long-term travel, and much less shy when it comes to meeting new people and interacting with strangers (some of whom don’t always speak English). I’ve also greatly improved and streamlined my packing and unpacking techniques, and embraced the minimalist lifestyle, which I’d already been doing before but just not to this extreme.

After these last months of traveling SE Asia and parts of Europe, this is what I’ve learned.

  • People are amazingly kind and helpful everywhere.
  • Despite seemingly huge cultural differences, people are actually pretty similar all over the world, with the same basic hopes, fears, problems, and dreams.
  • Clean air is a wonderful thing and not available everywhere. Do not take it for granted!
  • Training BJJ transcends all languages and cultures! And is a great way to meet local people and connect over a shared interest.
  • With some careful planning and smart destination choices, it’s entirely possible to budget travel the world for as little or considerably less than it would cost to live in the US. You do not need tons of money to travel!

In regards to BJJ, I feel like my skills have vastly improved over the last year! I now have a much better grasp of the fundamentals, and can absorb new techniques with much greater ease than was possible a year ago.

Google Map screenshot of 2019 travels!

Thank You!

I’d just like to take a moment to express thanks to everyone who’s been a part of my 2019 travels. Thanks Christian for sponsorship and blog space, and for creating the incredible community that is BJJ Globetrotters! Thanks to the many instructors and training partners who have welcomed me to train with their teams, for some great rolls and the knowledge you’ve shared. Thanks Vara for being part of that first big plunge into SE Asia, and for introducing me to Thailand! Thanks to my Belgian relatives for their endless hospitality and many wonderful meals – it is always a great pleasure to return and visit! Thanks Rebecca for letting me stay at your place for awhile, and for showing me around your beautiful town! Thanks to my parents for their unending support of my somewhat unconventional lifestyle. Lastly, thanks to everyone I’ve met along the way for your kindness, recommendations, gym invites, tips, encouraging words, insights and for sharing your cities and cultures with me!

Future Travels

Looking ahead to the upcoming months and the 2020 year, I plan to stay in Phoenix until at least Christmas but will undoubtedly continue traveling for a large part of 2020. While being a full time traveler is not sunshine and rainbows all the time, the experiences and memories gained make the challenges and difficult days well worthwhile. I can think of no better way to spend the upcoming year then continuing to slowly traveling the world, training BJJ all along the way! I’m already registered for Estonia Spring Camp and Summer Camp Germany, so will definitely be back in Europe around that time, and will undoubtedly be spending some time in Belgium visiting family again. Beyond that, there is no concrete plan yet – 2020 is full of possibilities! Cheers to the BJJ community and the ongoing adventure!

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Strange Injury. Do I Still Deem This West Coast, Best Coast?

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TL;DR – Messed up my neck/shoulder, but the recovery is going well. Although I am not training right now so I’m lowkey depressed. You live and learn. Also talking about some gyms in Las Vegas + The Bay Area. 

For a recent work trip, I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas and San Francisco. I was so excited to check out the fight capital and the big-name gyms in the Bay area. All very exciting until I realized:

  1. Traveling for work is NOT traveling for fun
  2. Scheduling is a big issue
  3. Work won’t cover my Ubers/Lyfts to training
  4. So… the conversion between CAD -> USD is heartbreaking 
  5. Also, drop-in fees! I was taken aback. Sigh, all done within reasons I understand.
    But still. 

After taking all this into account, I was only able to drop into 3 gyms – Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu in downtown Las Vegas, Guardian Gym in Oakland and San Francisco BJJ in San Francisco.

Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu – A gym tucked away in a little plaza on Oakley Blvd. You can see the Stratosphere Hotel in the background. I gotta say, walking west on Wyoming Avenue from the Strip was sort of sketchy. I was told that they’re gentrifying the entire area (think – quiet street, boarded up shops everywhere, missing coats of paint) – I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into. Glad I made the trek though. It’s a really friendly place. I participated in the no-gi class with their teacher Rodrigo. We were going over side mount escapes. On top of getting decent rolls and no injuries, I was really happy with my experience here. Of course, if I had the time, I would’ve loved to check out Sergio Penha or Robert Drysdale’s gyms too. 

CKBJJ

Rodrigo and I @ CKJJ

San Francisco BJJ – I heard that Caio Terra would be around. If you don’t want to finish reading this post, I’ll be the first to tell you that he was NOT around the Tuesday I visited. I stayed for 2 sessions of no-gi with Denny Prokopos (I believe this used to be a 10th Planet SF) and had a good chuckle, as Denny’s lessons had a dramatic/comedic flair to it. I drilled technique with the only other girl there. It was nice to drill with someone my size- it had been a while since I’d seen another girl on the mats (which speaks to my inconsistency). Overall, I had some challenging rolls (everyone’s hooks were quite sticky- I had trouble passing one guy for the entire round). Again, if I had the time, Bay Jiu-Jitsu, Empire Jiu-Jitsu and Ralph Gracie were on my list too (oh well, next time!).

SFBJJ

Kristen, Denny and I @ SFBJJ

Guardian Gym – I found the gym via the Matsurfing map and really supported the nonprofit work they do. Kids train free there and supports a lot of youth programs. They accept donations for drop-ins. A very honest environment and cool space, but they’re apparently moving to a larger location (a bit further into Oakland, though) soon. I attended an incredible no-gi open mat on Sunday with my friend Ivo. I had a great time, and could tell that I landed a great group of higher belts because I came out injury free! I rolled with someone 3 times because we were roughly the same size and weight – I could truly practice my techniques and movement a lot more. So seeing how successful Sunday was, I opted to come back on Wednesday with Ivo’s coworker who actually trains at Guardian.

Open Mat @ Guardian Gym

Ivo and I. Been told my mouth guard makes it look like I'm missing teeth.

We did a beginner’s no-gi class. I partnered with someone roughly my size. Everything was going well- technique and drilling all worked fine, it was all great, until the roll. I don’t know what happened (typical BJJ answer) but I was in side control at some point and perhaps it was from the pressure (because there was no hint of submission) but the joints in my neck cavitated (these are all words from my friend in Chiropractor school). Imagine knuckle cracking. Except on my neck. It sounded like a semi-automatic rifle going off (too soon?) and my partner kind of dropped me and screamed. Again, never had this happen to me before. Here I am trying to catch my breath and refocus my vision, and everyone’s stopped to make sure I have no numbness or tingling sensations flowing through my fingers. I was even foolish enough to try drilling with someone, then realizing that the pain had traveled to my shoulder/I could not even complete the motion of leg dragging. I sat out for the entire round, very frustrated but not stupid. It just sucked that it was my last night before going home and I really wanted to get some good rolls in. But I’m not stupid.

If there’s anything I learned, traveling for work is not traveling for fun. I work in media production/marketing/communications/creative. That field. What if I had to run some type of production the next day? Oh sorry, I can’t do my job because I messed up my neck and shoulder in jiu-jitsu? I’m not out here to get fired (especially also since I just started a new gig). I’ve learned that I need to be more careful and stick to rolling with higher belts, especially if I am away from home. 

Pro-Tip: Unless you’re on some insanely expensive travel/medical insurance coverage, BJJ is usually NOT covered. My company will definitely not buy me the highest level of World Nomads Insurance, let me tell you that!

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Ground Fight Family (Training report for BJJ in Mallorca, Spain)

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BJJ in Mallorca, Spain

 While working in Frankfurt, I chose Mallorca as my first vacation destination. With turquoise-blue waters and scenic beaches, the island was a perfect location to get away from somewhat gloomy Frankfurt. However, first things first, I had to find an academy to train during my vacation. After some digging, I got in touch with Ground Fight Family through BJJ Globetrotters who welcomed me to the incredible island. (Also, I received a t-shirt as a gift, which remains one of my favorites).

bjj in mallorca

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Island
 Mallorca, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, is one of the most sought-after summer destinations filled with clear waters, hidden coves, and vibrant nightlife. The island is generously furnished with luxury hotels and villas, and the incredible local cuisines and wines only add to its appeal. From charming villages to beach clubs, the island is filled with activities and relaxation. After the sun sets, there is always the nightlife to complete your vacation. To get away from mundane city life, Mallorca is arguably one of the perfect holiday destinations in Europe.

Overview
 Ground Fight Family (GFF) was established by Javier Jurado, José Martin, and Isaac Indart in 2015. With various martial arts backgrounds including Judo and MMA, the founders brought their expertise together and started a school dedicated to MMA and BJJ in Mallorca. GFF is currently under the flag of Crazy Team, which is led by Tito Beltran who awarded all of the founders their BJJ black belts. Under the guidance of the head coach, Javi Murdock who is a BJJ Black belt under Professor Tito Beltran, Ground Fight Family has approximately 140 students and constantly growing.

My experience at Ground Fight Family was nothing but positive. I got in touch with Javi via BJJ Globetrotters’ Facebook page. I messaged him and received a welcome message “Hey mate, you are welcome here.” After realizing that it was quite challenging to reach the facility via public transportation, Humberto and Mateu were kind enough to drive me to the gym. I cannot thank everyone at Ground Fight Family enough for their hospitality during my visit. The friendly training atmosphere was not the only element that stood out about the academy. The level of grappling skills at GFF was also notable. From drilling to rolling, the students at GFF seem to have solid foundations and grappling instincts. Under the outstanding instruction, professors and students actively compete in national and international levels to constantly challenge themselves and frequently place in those tournaments.

With Ground Fight Family’s welcoming environment combined with high-level training, I could not ask for more. I understand that when you visit Mallorca your priority might not be training. However, Ground Fight Family is an outstanding academy worth visiting, guided by incredible instructors. The academy will welcome you to join the training on the island with open arms. I truly felt that Ground Fight Family was a family rather than just a regular academy. If you are in Mallorca, you should not miss out on the quality training at GFF that Mallorca has to offer. Thank you, Ground Fight Family. I will be back!

Location & Facility
 Ground Fight Family is located in the north of Palma, and the facility is located within the Mallorca Brotherhood Sports Complex (Castello Street Gremi Fusters 13). The academy has a spacious gray mat with basic training equipment on the side. There are public transportation options in Mallorca, but it is more convenient to rent a car to navigate around the island. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
 Ground Fight Family offers classes from Mondays to Fridays with open mats on Saturdays. From no-gi BJJ to MMA, the academy presents a variety of options to its members. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

Visitor Pass
 Ground Fight family did not charge me for training. However, it is always courteous to reach out to the gym before your visit.

Things to do outside of training BJJ in Mallorca 

  • Palma Cathedral Le Seu — Originally started as a mosque, Catedral de Mallorca was reconstructed by the King Jaume of Aragon as a cathedral. Overlooking the Bay of Palma to the south, Palma Cathedral Le Seu features a spectacular Gothic masterpiece. The exterior of the cathedral cannot be missed in the Mallorca skyline, but its magnificent stained glass and interior are just as stunning.
  • Sóller — Take a vintage train from Palma through the Tramuntana mountains, and you will reach the town of Sóller that sits in the heart of orange groves between the mountains and the sea. With countless tapas bars and local ice-cream shops, there is little temptation to leave the town. With its rich history and full of architectural gems, the town draws affluent travelers from all over the world.
  • Mallorca’s Beaches — With 262 beaches around the island, Mallorca is a paradise for sun-lovers and beach-goers. The clear waters of Mallorca are perfect for water sports from sailing to surfing. If water, sports are not your thing, you can simply relax and enjoy the pearly sands surrounded by pine trees and beautiful waves.
  • Beach Clubs — Mallorca offers some of the finest beach clubs in the world, which will take sunbathing and relaxation to a new level. With services ranging from comfy lounges and signature cocktails to exciting pool parties with live music, Mallorca’s beach clubs are a must-visit.

A big thanks to all the people who helped me train BJJ in Mallorca!

Travel & Training in Seville, Spain

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Reasons to go: Great weather, beautiful ancient architecture, friendly people, extremely safe for solo female travelers, great food, great nightlife, pedestrian friendly.

Seville was my final European destination before heading back to USA. I spent six weeks here between August-September. It was my first time in mainland Spain, a country that had been on my “places to visit” list for quite some time which I previously just never seemed to get around to visiting. I’d debated between Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, but ultimately chose Seville for a combination of cheap flights and city size. After recently spending many months in SE Asian mega cities such as Bangkok and Hanoi, I now wanted something smaller so quickly ruled out Madrid and Barcelona. Following the recommendation of my aunt who had been to both Seville and Valencia in the past, Seville seemed like the better choice.

Seville, Spain

Seville

Seville is a beautiful and very clean city. A river runs through the middle, crossed at intervals by bridges of different styles of architecture. A wide path runs along both sides of the river, cobblestoned in some areas with smooth asphalt in other places, with beautiful graffiti along the walls on the East side between the Passarela del la Cartuja (a pedestrian bridge) and Barqueta bridge. This became my regular jogging path on nights when BJJ class wasn’t an option. 

City center is full of narrow little streets, tall buildings, cozy cafes, tourist shops, elegant sculptures of metal and stone, ornate ancient churches, and grand monuments. It’s a super charming ambiance for strolling through the city, especially at night. Going further away from the city center, the buildings become progressively more modern. 

Logistics

Seville, Spain: Nutella cookie dough ice cream!Sevilla is large enough to have an airport (a small one), located about an hour by bus from the city center. Buses go there very frequently and cost 4€ one way, which you pay in cash as you board the bus.

One of the places to purchase SIM cards is Vodafone, which has many locations throughout town. Like most places in Europe, it’s quick, cheap, and easy to purchase a SIM card. You can also purchase SIMs from some of the tourist information booths, though I found these to be a little more expensive. I had a European SIM with some data left when I first arrived in Seville, so didn’t check if any of the stores at the airport actually sold SIM cards. 

Many grocery stores do open pretty late (9-10ish), but some close during the midday hours (1pm – 5pm), and are frequently close Sundays (so remember to plan ahead). 

The city is extremely pedestrian friendly and easy to traverse without a car. There are bus routes throughout, one above ground tram line, a metro, bike share and electric scooters for rent. I stayed close to the city center so actually just walked everywhere.

Seville is very much a tourist city. It wasn’t uncommon to catch bits of French, English and other languages being spoken when walking through crowds. Seville is also the city of ice cream! You can find ice cream stores on just about every corner in city center, with great selections of flavors. 

Seville, Spain: misc. little city center courtyard

Seville, Spain: cafes and lively nightlight

Seville, Spain: graffiti under Barqueta bridge

Language

The main language is of course Spanish, though most people speak English as well (ranging from just a few words to being close to fluent). I had been learning Spanish myself using the Duolingo app on my phone for the last two months, so knew a handful of phrases and words and was happy to practice and try to speak Spanish whenever I could. The Spanish here (I’m told) is spoken much faster than in other parts of Spain, and people tend to cut off the ends of words. Nevertheless, I was often able to pick out some words and have a little idea of what was being said.

I’m continuing to learn Spanish (a little every day on my phone app) and hope to end up in other Spanish speaking countries in the future to have the chance to practice conversing more in person.

Seville, Spain: near city center

Hot Summer Days

The climate in Seville actually reminded me a lot of my home town of Phoenix (Arizona). It was hot and dry with cloudless blue skies most days.

During August, Seville became a ghost town during the middle of the afternoon when the sun was at its peak, streets empty except for maybe a few brave (or foolish) tourists. Stores would close around 1pm and re-open later in the evening. At night, once the sun began to set and the worst of the daytime heat was over, the city came to life again with streets full with people walking around and having food/drink at the many cozy cafes. 

My first apartment didn’t have AC. I was a little worried about this reading the listing in advance, but it didn’t end up being a problem. Located on the ground floor and in the shade of other buildings, it stayed comfortably cool throughout most of the day and night. 

Seville, Spain: beautiful evening river views!

Catholicism & Capirote

Seville, Spain: capirote figuresSeville has a huge Catholic population and many (fully functional, well maintained) churches throughout the city. You’ll see in some stores little stone figures or images of people wearing tall pointy hats and robes, called capirotes. To an American, this is initially a little shocking and instantly brings to mind the KKK. But, these costumes predates that and has no association with the KKK in Seville. Capirotes were worn by people arrested during the inquisition, with different colors representing the different punishments they were given. In modern times, it’s a symbol that represents Catholic penance worn by members during certain processions.

Processions

Seville has a lot of processions/parades celebrating various catholic holidays, and celebrating the movement of holy relics from one church to another. One such parade passed through the tiny streets of my neighborhood one evening. It included people playing trumpets and drums, people in fancy suits carrying standards and candles, loud firecrackers, people throwing flower petals from the rooftops, and (most important) a large ornate box decorated with a tree and lady (Virgin Mary, probably?) containing a relic being manually carried by a bunch of people. I asked my roommate why the churches need to move the relics around so frequently. He told me that without moving the relics, there would be no excuse to have a parade. 

Seville, Spain: procession box containing relics

Work Crunch

I spent less time in Seville than I normally would being a tourist and exploring the city and surrounding area. Having taken some time off for BJJ Globetrotters camp in Heidelberg and visiting my Belgian family the previous month, and wanting some time off to visit with my American friends and attend another BJJ Globetrotters camp the next month – this six week period was more heavily focused on getting as far ahead on my projects as possible. Nevertheless, I did get the chance to visit the following locations close to city center.

Seville, Spain: Alamy fountain

Las Setas de la Encarnación (Incarnation’s Mushrooms)

This area consists of a giant wooden sculpture that looks like a cross between clouds, a waffle, and a beehive hanging over a plaza. It was designed by a German architect using birch wood imported from Finland, and cost over 100 million euros to build! 

Seville, Spain: Las Setas de la Encarnación sculpture

Royal Alcázar (Palace)

This is the Royal palace built for Peter of Castile, a Christian king, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s right next to the Seville Cathedral (which is breathtakingly beautiful in ornate exterior architecture and grandeur), so it works well to plan to see those two locations together. 

The royal Alcazar consists of a series of rooms and courtyards in a couple different buildings with beautiful architecture of a couple different styles, which is really quite impressive in detail and density of patterns and decoration. The palace visit also includes a very nice tile collection on the second floor of one of the buildings, which is a traditional artistic style of the city.

There’s a separate ticket option to see the gardens (which look quite beautiful and extensive) but due to incoming stormy weather, these were closed on the day I visited. There is also a separate option to purchase an audio guide. One word of warning, the lines to purchase a ticket and enter are extremely long. I went on a Saturday morning and had to wait about an hour to get in, though I’m told it’s not uncommon for there to be very long lines every day of the week. I’d recommend purchasing a ticket online in advance if you plan on going, as that lets you wait in a different, much shorter/faster line to enter.

Seville, Spain: Royal Alcázar courtyard

Seville, Spain: Royal Alcázar

Seville, Spain: Royal Alcázar

Plaza de España

This site consists of an immense plaza surrounded in a semi circle by long buildings lined with columns, with a couple fountains, statues, water passages and bridges. It’s truly impressive in size and grandeur. If there’s one thing I recommend you see in Seville while visiting, it would definitely be this! A scene from Star Wars: Episode II was actually filmed here. 

Seville, Spain: Plaza de España

Seville, Spain: Plaza de España

Parque de Maria Luisa

The area surrounding the Plaza de España is a large, well maintained park with many plants, walkways, flowers, ponds, and sculptures. It’s a lovely place to go for a walk or jog.

Seville, Spain: Parque de Maria Luisa

Training

C.D. Crossfight (BJJ Globetrotters affiliated!) was my home gym for the duration of the stay in Seville. In addition to BJJ classes, C.D. Crossfight offers kickboxing classes and includes a regular gym room with machines and weights. I didn’t use the regular gym part, but it seemed well maintained with a good set of basic equipment. The mat room is actually located down the street from the weights room. It’s not a huge space, but is clean and has good quality mats. 

The C.D. Crossfight team was very friendly and welcoming to travelers – I felt instantly at home here! Aurelio Castilla (black belt) was the main instructor, with other brown belts occasionally giving class when Aurelio was unavailable. Aurelio himself had traveled and trained in a handful of other places throughout his BJJ career as well, such as Poland, Dublin and California. 

BJJ class normally took place in the evenings, 5 days/week. Being a smaller gym, there were no separate fundamentals/advanced or kids classes. Rather, everyone trained together, with more advanced students helping the newer ones when needed. Classes were given in a mixture of Spanish and English. Fortunately, there was always someone who spoke English around who was able and willing to help translate. Or, Aurelio himself would repeat the explanation in English if anything was unclear to me. The beginning of my stay fell during summer break, so classes were much more intermittent for the first couple weeks with many students out of town. I unfortunately wasn’t able to train quite as regularly as I normally would have during that period. Once summer break ended though, the normal classes resumed and become much more regular.

Some days, students and instructors came to visit from gyms of other nearby villages as well, packing the mats of the small C.D. Crossfight gym space! It was not uncommon for the students and instructors to go out for drinks after training, with everyone invited to join – it was a very inclusive, welcoming, and family-friendly atmosphere.

Seville, Spain: training with a part of the C.D. Crossfight team!

Seville, Spain: post training drinks with a part of the C.D. Crossfight team! 

Aruelio’s Birthday

Sometime during the middle of my trip, Aurelio had a birthday party held outside at a country house in a nearby village, with many of the people from the gym attending. There was a small square of puzzle mats set up in the shade for rolls, and a giant public pool – perfect for cooling off after rolls on a hot day! There was also cold drinks and tons of great food (including some Spanish specialties like salmorejo and tortillas). Salmorejo is a thick drink made of tomatoes, oil, bread, garlic and spices, a little like gazpacho but different. Tortillas here are NOT the thin wraps we use to make burritos in the states. Here, tortillas are a savory dish that looks like a very thick omelette made of eggs, potatoes, onions, oil and spices. Very tasty!

Seville, Spain: rolls with Seba at Aruelio’s birthday celebration!

Giant thanks Aruelio for making me feel like a part of the team while I was here! I leave Seville with many good memories of the city and the friendliness of the people here. 

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Rainy Rolls – Training report of BJJ in Ireland

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Hi to whoever’s reading! It’s been awhile. I just got back from a short stint of BJJ in Ireland. Can’t shut up about the weather.

There were many firsts on this trip!

1) It was the first time I’ve posted on the members Facebook group and received so many helpful recommendations and replies. I wasn’t able to drop in to every single gym recommended, but I was able to do one of them.
2) It was my first time officially (and successfully) mat-surfing!
3) It was the first time I reunited with someone whom I met prior thanks to a previous globetrotting-involved trip.
4) It was my first time dropping into gyms as a BLUE BELT! I finally got my blue belt after 2 years of BJJ this June, it feels really good !

I’ve been increasingly curious about training BJJ in Ireland because I’ve heard about the abundance of gyms in the country.

I was chatting with my friend Moritz, whom I met last year while dropping into gyms around the Balkans area (in this case, Sofia, Bulgaria). At the time, he moved to Ireland for college and had started training at East Coast Jiu Jitsu Academy. I continued throwing around the idea of visiting for about 7 months and then finally put forth a plan.

During this BJJ in Ireland trip, I visited:

Point Blank Submissions – Galway
I emailed about dropping in and the head coach, Tim, replied very quickly. By then, I had a feeling this would be a great gym (aside from all the glowing recommendations from the members Facebook group). The gym is located north east of the Galway city centre (about a half an hour bus ride for me, assuming the buses came on time). I was lucky enough to drop in twice for their advance classes. I was greeted with lots of friendly faces and an abundance of good rolls. We were working back takes that week- always good to brush up on the fundamentals.

bjj in ireland

Jorge Santos Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – Dublin
I mat-surfed with Denis, one of the blue belts from JSBJJ. First of all, super hyped that it worked out. For those of you going to Dublin, Denis is your guy! The gym is located conveniently in the city centre and I got to attend one of their Thursday evening advanced classes and the rolls here were definitely challenging. We practiced some lapel techniques from half guard before heading straight into the rolls. Unfortunately, my short trip itinerary only allowed me to drop in for one class- I would’ve loved to train more.

East Coast Jiu Jitsu Academy – Dún Laoghaire
I ended up here for an open mat session on the Friday before Polaris and NAGA Ireland, meaning Ffion Davies wasn’t there (my heart …broke). There was a good handful of people at the gym though, and I was able to get some gi and no-gi practice in. People here seemed to love their berimbolos and lapel guards. I think I spent most of my time trying to untangle myself from pretzel-like positions. More importantly, I got to roll with Moritz again! I’ve never really considered the possibility of reuniting with people I’ve met while traveling- the notion seems more unlikely than likely, in my head at least.

If you’ve made it to the end of this post, give yourself a pat on the back. I don’t expect people to read my word vomit.

Tl;dr-I’m very grateful for the warm welcome I’ve received when training BJJ in Ireland and the opportunity to meet more people :-)

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“Disneyland is overrated” – The first family friendly BJJ Globetrotters camp

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So there I was, staring at this picturesque lake with blue skies hidden like a pearl in the midst of the great Austrian alps. It just occurred to me that I was staring at it through my work computer- a post from the BJJ Globetrotters Facebook page that said “Summer Camp Wagrain”.  Looking out the window I was back to reality in the bustling Dhaka city.

As a family man, I have to admit I have a great deal of “camp envy” whenever I see social media updates from my BJJ Globetrotters friends I’ve met a couple years back in Leuven- friends that I’ve met once but  keep close to me to this day. My first camp hit me like a truck. It was a whirlwind of adventures and meeting friends and drinking and getting lost both in rolls as it is in conversations. But I also understood it was an experience that might not happen again. Between 2 dogs, a  cat, 2 daughters, a wife and a job, I can’t just pack up and go off to my “Big Boy Disneyland” every month or so. I came to terms with it early on. Leuven was a great memory and I am happy with it. I scrolled away and did my best to get back to my work emails. 

But just like a reoccurring dream it came  back on my feed a month later but this time I saw on the text that it was family friendly. My heart stopped. At this exact moment my wife Carlin was planning our family trip around Europe for the summer. Instantly I thought “Wagrain is in Austria, and Austria is in Europe….”.

I casually showed her the post and she said “Send me the link and I’ll take a look at it.”. The Globetrotters staff at this time has matured to a team of travel agent/marketing professionals. The photos were amazing and the write up was very detailed yet enticing which made it a lot easier for planning it into our itinerary. All questions we sent out were answered immediately with enthusiasm. My kids have been doing a fair bit of “Play-jitsu” with me at home but Carlin has only done 5 classes (at most) over the years so she couldn’t care less about the training. What attracted her was the things that surrounded it. There was going to be daily access to the waterpark next door! There were playgrounds and mountain biking and of course the natural beauty of the Austrian alps but most of all it fits in our budget as it covered our accommodation with food and beverages it was something we could not let pass. It presented an opportunity for us to take a trip to an unknown place which would satisfy our inner nomadic nature. She booked it right away. My web of deception is completed. We’re going to a Jiu Jitsu camp!

Fast forward to 4 months later the school bell rang and the kids  were off to summer holiday. We headed straight to the airport and then our adventure began. We went to London, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Denmark (places we’ve read about in Christian’s book) and then we were in Munich. We arrived a day early  so we rented a car and spent a night in Salzburg. We met up with a few globetrotters in town over dinner. There was Kelsey- a Canadian blue belt who couldn’t find a place to stay as every single accommodation in Salzburg was booked so she crashed our hotel and became our adopted daughter. There was Stephanie- a German/American who was a former kindergarten teacher  who later on we found out later on was the “Pablo Escobar” of jelly beans and gummy bears for kids in camp. We also met Austin, a Canadian MMA fighter and was an awesome companion and great with kids too. And then there was Ciaran who was…. Irish. After dinner we had beers and then more beers and then went on to submit statues in old town (as you do). Next day we were off to Wagrain, the real reason we  were in Austria. The drive was spectacular. The mountain passes with each bend reveals boondocks that pierce through the clouds was breathtaking. 

When we got to the camp we were too early for check in so we headed straight to the waterpark. As excited as I was and as well traveled as I am, being in a new place still gives me anxiety. Here we are in a place we never knew existed. We had no clue what Wagrain was all about let alone had an idea what the people there were like. All I know about Austria was that Hitler was born there. As a brown man (Filipino) I kept thinking “what if people here are racist? What if somebody just gives us weird looks or tells us to get out of the pool?”.

I’m an idiot. 

As we got set up at the waterpark with our picnic blanket and umbrella, random people walking past us smile and give us the “shaka” sign. “How do they know we do jiu jitsu? we weren’t wearing any bjj apparel.”. I guess people who train just know. All my anxiety just melted away. And a few moments later our friends we met in Salzburg were there along with other new friends including the British duo Rob and Daniel who would later on be good mates through the camp. However the whole bunch were single people from all over the world just hanging out waiting for the camp to start. Where are the other families at?. Shortly we met a beautiful Norwegian family with daughters right about our girls ages. It took the girls 10 seconds to get introduced and another 2 seconds to become new best friends. The girls wasted no time at all, they went through all the water slides and whirlpool having a blast in a beautiful summers day in the Austrian Alps. We have been to a lot of places in a lot of holidays as a family but this was the first time our girls were able to instantly have friends. At that moment it dawned on me that this might be the best holiday we have ever had… And the camp has not even started yet.

The Camp opens and we tried to meet as many people as we could through the speed dating. I was amazed at how vast the range of ages of people were there from toddlers to…. The young at heart. We also met a Danish family Simon and Laura with more kids. I knew at that time that this is going to be a unique camp. It was followed by an open mat of course. No better way to break the ice than to choke each other out straight away. 

It was a relatively small camp (80-90 participants). In the evening (and all the other evenings) we hung out by the patio over beers. Max and Aaron stood out with their “shit” stories that were inappropriately funny. At one point The Danes, the Canadians, the Brits, the Americans and the Austrians got into a heated debate on which bacon was the best. It seemed like a very important discussion. There was also the Russian brothers (whose names I can’t recall) who told stories about the “real” Russia. They were great story tellers. (It was also cool because they had thick Russian accent).

The days went on and as a family we had organically made our own routine which also turned out to be the routine of most families. Morning schedule was breakfast followed by yoga then the kids class. The first kids class  was led by Steven Antoniou or better known to the children as “Super Steve”. The following days classes were led by Nelson Puentes and Hilary Witt. If you are looking into running a kids class in your own gym in the future you have to see them at work. It’s incredible how they were able to hold the kids attention and make it fun.

The waterpark was the go to place of most families, it was also the the go to spot for the younger lads to cure their hangovers under a tree. This was morning for the “holiday” mode groups while the mat rats indulged themselves in a day long of world class level of instruction of bjj. The conference room sessions I found to be something that I enjoyed too. It satisfied a lot of my curiosities about jiu jitsu and life in general coming from people who lived the life I often wondered about. 

We went down to the lake called Jägersee along with another family. And there we were standing at the same spot as the Summer camp poster. We all sat in silence at one point and absorbed the experience. I started to contemplate how lucky I am to be there at that exact moment. As a Filipino growing up nobody really plans on going on holidays to places such as these. With obstacles like getting a visa and socio- economic reasons it’s not common for us to a place called “Wagrain” . In most cases the only way you’re going to another country and leave the islands is for work and I can’t thank the universe enough that I was there with the people I cared about the most. Life is perfect.

The place was so beautiful I went back the next day along with my friends from camp. The day was hot but the water was ice cold. We went for a natural “ice bath” and it was exactly what we needed after a series of classes and open mats.  

 

Before we knew it, it was the final open mat. One last chance to roll with old and new friends. The atmosphere was filled with music and steam from a tribe of people rolling. 

As the sun went down the beers flowed, the Jagermeister shots dropped and the BBQ grill lit up. David Bruun- a soft spoken Canadian and a butcher by profession started grilling up steaks from grass fed cows in the Alps and hundreds of sausages. David was a god. He worked the grill like a machine making sure all meat served was cooked to perfection. It felt like a family barbecue on a weekend. Kids running around lost in their own world hunting for insects and bouncing on the trampoline. The younger crowd were crushing beers and Jager bombs, parents sharing life experiences and raising kids. The board game geeks were just a mix of everybody. 

At one point I saw my daughter Nico (7 years old) at the dining area sitting alone with a smile on her face. I sat across the table and decided to have this moment with her. She was drinking a mix of juices and soda she concocted from the beverage dispenser and I had a beer. I asked her what she was thinking and she said “today I learned a new technique in jiu jitsu…”. I smiled and said “I like it too when I learn new techniques”. Then we went on to close our eyes and tried to remember everything that happened in the camp from the time we got to the camp, from when we got out of the car and to that very moment in the mess hall. We tried to remember in our minds how beautiful the lake was. We tried to describe it as we remembered it. Mario overheard us and joined in a bit and shared how his experience on the lake was. Later on I told her that this is one memory I’d like to keep forever. And she said “me too”. 

My older daughter was with her own gang of girls exchanging contacts with promises to see each other in the next camps until they get older. 

The morning came and it’s been a quiet one. From the people in the dining hall to the people hanging out in the patio to the kids sitting quietly on the bench silence was broken from the occasional logistical statements like “what time is your flight?” or “Do you want to share a cab?”. It was a feeling I’ve had before. The post camp blues have begun. The realization that this will soon be over. Then it was time to go. We said our goodbyes like a million times before we actually got in the car and took off.

 

Disneyland is overrated. 

 

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A Practical Guide to Competing in Abu Dhabi

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I’ve had a lot of questions before my first trip to the UAE. As a female traveller, I wasn’t sure what would be safe to do, wear or visit or how everything works in the country. Whether you’re considering competing in UAEJJF’s Abu Dhabi-based events or simply visiting the city for holiday, here is a short guide to getting around it.

1. Check if you need a visa to enter the UAE

Citizens of many countries, including the UK, simply have to go through passport control at the airport upon their arrival. There, they will be issued a free visa valid for 3 months. If you are visiting the Emirates for the first time, it will be issued as a stamp in your passport. You will also be automatically enrolled into the country’s e-passport system, which means that on your next trip all you’ll need to do is scan your passport at the e-gate.

To check whether you are eligible for the free visa click here.

2. Book your flights & hotel

The best time to book your flight is no earlier than 4 months before and no later than 1 month before your journey. Travelling with Emirates, Etihad and British Airways has been a positive experience so far. The flight will set you back £320-£400 and may be cheaper if you book through external agencies rather than the airline website – the case with British Airways, who will also charge you extra for the luggage.

Even if you’re travelling to Abu Dhabi for a competition, it is still worth it to stay in an area where there are other things you can enjoy. Apart from the Grand Mosque, there are hardly any other tourist attractions near the venue (more on this later). The most interesting area to stay in seems to be the strip along the Corniche Beach (see map below). There are plenty of restaurants, service points, and shopping malls around there and the location also allows relatively easy access to the beach, Louvre, Heritage Village and a few other things mentioned below.

Both times, I was able to book the hotel for £200-£320 – double/twin room for 6 days in a good location. This is the price range for standard 3-star hotels, often coming with rooftop pools.

3. Taxis

Taxis is Abu Dhabi are relatively cheap, which makes the distance between your hotel and the Mubadala arena irrelevant. They are all clearly marked, fitted with meters and driven by uniformed drivers. It is also the policy, that if the driver doesn’t turn the meter on for the ride, it is free of charge.

Travel from the Airport to Corniche area will cost about AED 90-150 (£19-31) depending on the traffic. Make sure that you get into one of the taxis waiting outside the airport, rather than opting for a fixed price ones, which are generally more expensive.

Travel from the Corniche area to the arena will cost about AED 30-50 (£6-10) depending on the traffic.

4. Weigh-In

Towards the end of 2018, UEAJJF have altered their weigh-in rules. It is now legal to weigh in wearing leggings or long shorts and an opaque t-shirt instead of a gi.

However, as a female, it’s important to remember that you may not be able to compete wearing leggings and a rashguard under your gi on the day. According to the rulebook ‘in the female divisions it is mandatory for the use of a stretchy or elasticated one-piece suit (leotard) that hugs the body beneath the gi; it can be short of long sleeved. It is also permitted for athletes to use one-piece swim garment (bathing suit) or gymnastic top.’

The rulebook itself is tricky to find, so being unaware of the uniform requirements, on my first visit I was forced to buy a full-body suit at the venue, which is a good option if you forget your gear on the day. The downside is, it is priced at AED 157 (£33) and it’s impossible to put on or take off, not to mention that make bathroom trips more challenging than the competition itself. Really, it’s best to buy that swimsuit.

On the other hand, some women competing in my last event there, got away with wearing leggings and rashguards. Sometimes the uniform is not being checked very carefully, but if this is noticed then there is no way around it.

5. Safety & Buses

During my first trip to the Emirates, I was joined by the lovely champion Ffion Davies. Even though we are both small blondes, there wasn’t a single moment when I felt unsafe on the streets of Abu Dhabi. Most people on the streets are South-East Asian workers, mainly from India and the Philippines, who generally have a friendly attitude towards tourists. Light skin and hair turns heads, but only because it’s a curious sight in the area.

In terms of dress code, wearing long skirts and dresses covering the shoulders, or loose t-shirts and shorts reaching down to the knee (the perfect excuse to walk around in grappling shorts all day) proved to be a good idea.

If you’re on a really tight budget, you can get around Abu Dhabi on buses. They are very cheap, clean, air-conditioned and are split into men’s and women’s sections. They are easy to navigate, but the journeys take ages. Find more information here.

6. Things to Do

There are many better guides listing the city’s numerous attractions, but here is a short list of my personal, affordable favourites.

  • The Grand Mosque – within walking distance from the arena. It’s convenient to visit it after the weigh-in or after the tournament.
  • Corniche Beach – there are paid and free sections, some of which allow sunbathing in swimsuits.
  • Rent a bike – and ride along the beach boulevard. Cyacle operates many pick-up and drop-off stations across Abu Dhabi.
  • Umm Al Emmarat Park – beautiful park in the centre of the city. Tickets cost AED 5 (£1) per adult.
  • Filipino Panaderias/Bakeries – full of delicious pastries, including some interesting finds such as a sweet bun with berry filling, sprinkled with… cheddar? Look for them in back alleys.

I hope I haven’t missed anything important, but if I did, let me know. Enjoy your trip to Abu Dhabi!

Highrollers

High Rollers Jiu Jitsu (located in Lichtenfels, Germany)

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High Rollers Jiu Jitsu in Lichtenfels, Germany

 Prior to starting to work in Frankfurt, my German road trip had one more stop. Via my friend’s recommendation, I discovered Bamberg, Germany, which is one of those beautiful German settlements with a rich history but are often overlooked by the average tourists in favor of more famous cities such as Munich or Dresden. Through Matsurfing, I got in touch with Chrissi, who connected me with Martin, the head instructor at High Rollers Jiu-Jitsu in Lichenfels.

High Rollers Jiu Jitsu

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Region
Lichtenfels is a town in northern Bavaria located about 30 km (19 miles) north of Bamberg. It is a small Bavarian town with a population of approximately 20,000. The city is known for its basket-making and has the only college that teaches the old craft skills.

The closest city with a well-known tourist attraction is Bamberg. Divided in half by the Regnitz River, Bamberg is a rare German city that escaped Allied bombing during World War II. While other cities have been rebuilt or redesigned, Bamberg retains much of its original infrastructure and charm. Untouched by the countless wars, its preserved historical relics are arguably the reason to visit this small town in Germany.

Overview
Established in 2016, High Rollers Jiu Jitsu was founded by Martin Page who is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt under Luiz Palhares. Unlike other German cities, a small town like Lichtenfels has rather limited resources for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. However, that did not stop Martin from starting his own BJJ school, and he went above and beyond to get the relevant experience required. Initially, a few people gathered to train without having a higher belt’s instruction. Then, the academy started its affiliation with Luiz Palhares who is a coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In 2018, they officially decided to switch affiliation to train under Mario Stapel, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and one of the BJJ pioneers in Europe. The academy’s effort does not end there. The instructors, Martin and Chrissi, are relentlessly on the road to either compete or attend seminars to expand their grappling knowledge and hone their skills.

With a caption on the website — “We open our mats to visitors from all over the world. Don’t speak German? No problem. Just visiting? No problem. Give us a call and let us know you’re coming — we’d love to roll with you! No drop-in fees EVER!”, High Rollers BJJ had the BJJ Globetrotters affiliation since inception and has successfully hosted travelers from all over the world to join the training sessions. From getting picked up from the train station to staying at Martin’s house for a night, my Matsurfing experience with the guys was superb. I cannot thank Martin and Chrissi enough for their hospitality.

High Rollers Jiu-Jitsu started with a few students but has now grown to about 20 adult members and 15 kids. Being in a town with a population of 20,000, the small club has had tremendous success. If you are reading this and planning on going to Germany, try to drop by . The academy welcomes everyone to train with them and strongly encourages the exchange of knowledge and diverse experience. I believe that HRJJ is a notable example of what the BJJ Community should follow. If you are near Lichtenfels, I would highly recommend reaching out to Martin or Chrissi and enjoy an experience at their academy. Thank you, Martin and Chrissi. I will be back!

Location & Facility
High Rollers Jiu Jitsu is located in Lichtenfels and the facility itself is located within a sports club. The academy has a spacious gray mat with basic training equipment on the side. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
The club offers 3 adult classes and 2 kids classes per week with a women’s self-defense class offered once a week. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

Visitor Pass
The club is one of the BJJ Globetrotters affiliated academies, and there is no charge for visitors. However, it is always courteous to reach out to the gym before your visit.

Miscellaneous
— High Rollers BJJ’s Website

Things to do

  • Old Town Hall — There is no better place to begin a tour of Bamberg than Obere Brücke, the pedestrian bridge. In the middle of this beautiful bridge, the view of the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) will grab every tourist’s attention. Built in 1386, the stunning piece of architecture with beautifully painted exterior walls that have survived centuries will greet every visitor into the city.
  • Bamberg Cathedral — Escaping the catastrophic damages like Nürnberg and Dresden, Bamberg features some of the oldest structures in all of Germany, and one of them is the Bamberg Cathedral (Bamberger Dom). The cathedral boasts numerous architectural features that date back to the early 13th century.
  • Altenburg Castle — Standing high atop Bamberg’s tallest hill, Altenburg Castle (Schloss Altenburg) is one of the town’s most popular tourist destinations. Dating back to the early 12th century, it served as the home of Bamberg’s bishops. The highlights of this castle would be the spectacular views of the Old Town and the surrounding area.
sabine-heidelberg-summer-camp-2019-rolls

Heidelberg Summer Camp Days!

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BJJ Globetrotters Summer Camp 2019 was the 4th BJJ Globetrotters camp I’d attended, and as I’ve come to expect was a truly exceptional and amazing experience! The week flew by in a whirlwind of rolls, classes, great conversations, laughter, catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones!

As usually ends up happening for me at these camps, I spent most of my time at the gym and didn’t actually get the chance to see much of the city beyond what was along my daily commuting route. It would have been smart to book an extra 2-3 nights before or after the camp to be a proper tourist… but, I guess I didn’t think of that in advance when I booked transportation and accommodations months earlier.

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg

Heidelberg

Heidelberg is a medium sized beautiful old university town. It includes a handful of castles and churches, a river called the Neckar running through the middle, and is surrounded by lush green hills in the distance in every direction. The city was far prettier than I remembered from the time I previously attended Fall camp in 2017. Perhaps it’s because the seasons are different – summer now instead of autumn. Or, perhaps having spent the last 6 months in South East Asia, I was now able to see and appreciate Europe with fresh eyes in a way I couldn’t before.

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Bridger over the NeckarSummer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Small castle ruins

Laundry

Being a full-time traveler, I had with me only 2 gis and 3.5 nogi outfits. I worried this wouldn’t be enough for the all-day week long camp training, but it ended up working out pretty well. I used 1 gi and 1 nogi outfit per day and did laundry at my AirBnB in the evenings every two days. Since it was summer and both of my gis are the superlight Globetrotters travel version, they dried quickly enough overnight.

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Laundry drying over railing

Transportation

Public transportation in Heidelberg is extremely good. It consists of trams and buses, with the main train station close to center. Tram tickets can be purchased from machines at the train stops. The machines I used accepted coins only, but someone told me that other machines accept bills and cards too. You can also buy packs of tickets or a week long pass (which begins on Monday only) at the main station. You can pay for the bus in cash to the driver when you board.

Heidelberg is also an excellent city for commuting by bicycle, with many well developed bike paths throughout most of the city. Fellow globetrotter Rich, a local of Heidelberg who I’d met online some weeks before, was wonderful enough to lend me a bike to use for the duration of the camp! This greatly facilitated my week in Heidelberg, my AirBnB room was a bit far away from the gym and city center. Giant thanks Rich, much appreciated!

Heidelberg also has an app-based bike rental service called VRNnextbike which allows you to rent bikes throughout the city. I used it a couple years ago the previous camp, was quite happy with it. You can rent bikes for hours, weeks, or an entire month, picking them up and returning them to any of the many stations throughout the city. These bikes are simple single speed only, but great for commuting around the city.

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Bikes near city center

Summer Camp Days!

One of the things I love most about BJJ Globetrotter camps is the HUGE variety of activities that take place throughout the day. BJJ Globetrotters camps are very much a “choose your own adventure” format. The schedule is packed full of classes, open mats, presentations/workshops, yoga, group dinners at local restaurants, tourist outings, pub crawls, and dungeons and dragons games – just to name a few of the possibilities! Everyone has the freedom to attend as much or as little as they like. Below are a few of the activities I attended (besides lots of classes and open mats).

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Class in the Training Hall

Conference Presentations

In addition to BJJ training in the main hall, this camp included presentations/workshops on a variety of subjects loosely related to BJJ, fitness/health, and travel. I attended the following three. There were a handful of others I was very interested in attending as well, but unfortunately wasn’t very good at tracking time and somehow managed to miss all/part of those.

Create Something workshop by Christian Graugart
This was an inspiring presentation/slideshow about Christian’s methodology for generating ideas and creating things.

Break dancing lesson by Charles Harriott
This was a friendly introduction to the art of break-dancing, with music and practice of the fundamental basics to get started. It was a very beginner-friendly class easy to follow even for people who have no rhythm or dance background like me!

Physical Therapy talk by Mike Velotta
This was an informative overview of neuromuscular therapy, body maintenance, and how structural imbalances in the body can lead to all sorts of pain and problems.

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Mike Velotta's Physical Therapy talk

Dungeontrotters

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Duneontrotters patchesPossibly not something you’d expect to find at a BJJ camp but there’s actually a pretty big group of people who play Dungeons and Dragons at BJJ Globetrotters camps! Some are more experienced veteran players while others are total newbies playing for the first time. Can Sonmez (of Artemis BJJ in Bristol) is the unofficial organizer of these. I’d met Can at my first Globetrotters Camp in Leuven two years prior, never having played D&D before myself but interested to learn, and have been participating in the games a couple evenings every camp ever since! There are even two special patches available for players who participate in an in-person game at camps – one for regular players, and one for dungeon masters (the person in charge of the story and running the game)! For more info, check out the BJJDungeonTrotters Facebook group online.

This camp’s campaign was led by dungeon master Eva Gratze, a masterful storyteller who always takes things up a notch with beautiful costumes for extra game ambiance. We played on two different evenings with an pretty large group (7 players, whereas I’m used to 3-5). I unfortunately accidentally killed my character by the end of the second night (a first for me!), but as always had a wonderful time and lots of laughs!

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Dungeons and Dragons game!

Evening with the BJJ Globetrotters Ladies

One evening of camp, some of the ladies got together for an evening of snacks, face masks, and nail polish to get to know one another. As a minority in the sport, it’s always a pleasure to meet and chat with other women who train!

Local Restaurant

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Lucky bridge monkeyI attended one of the organized Globetrotters local restaurant dinners at a brewery near the city center called Vetter’s Alt. The food and beer there were great and I had a fun time meeting and chatting with some people I’d not previously met, or had not seen much of during the earlier part of the camp. I would definitely have wanted to attend more of these dinners, but waited too long to RSVP and spots filled up quickly! 

Black Belt Rolls Mini Quest!

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Training with Liz OlbertOn the second day of camp, I decided to go on a small quest to roll with as many black belts as possible for the remainder of the camp! I wasn’t sure how many there actually were in attendance. 23 were listed on the camp roster as instructors, but I’d also met a few additional black belts as guests, so there had to be at least 25 present. So, I attended as many of the open mats as I could and began actively seeking out black belts! This ended up being a little more challenging than I expected, since all black belts weren’t present at every open mat, were sometimes incognito in unranked rash guards, or were already busy rolling with others.

In the end, I managed to roll with 17 black belts! I learned something valuable from each and every one and actually feel like I improved my skills more on this mini quest than I normally would in 4 months of training. In the past, I was a little shy about asking higher belts to roll but see now there’s really no need for that, especially not at BJJ Globetrotters camp which specifically fosters an ambiance of inclusiveness and community. Everyone I asked responded quite positively and was very willing to roll. In the future, every chance I get, I won’t hesitate to ask the higher belts (including the black belts) for rolls!

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Black belt rolls!Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Black belt rolls!

Irish Collar and Elbow Competition!

Ruadhán MacFadden had spent the previous year studying modern and ancient styles of grappling from around the world and compiling some really incredible map and documentation of these (check out The Hero with a Thousand Holds). On the last day of camp, he gave a class called “Magnificent Scuffling” about an extinct Irish grappling style which he’d reconstructed using ancient texts and images. Winning a round consisted of starting a match gripping collar and elbow, not releasing the grip until an opponent was on the ground, then pinning 4 points (shoulders and hips) to the ground for 3 seconds. Following the class was a series of 6 “superfights” following that ruleset, complete with medals for winners and participants! The last recorded round of this sport was the Collar and Elbow championship in Chicago (USA), so these were the first official matches since 1877!

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Elbow and Collar competition

Crossface – First Ever BJJ Band!

The final day of camp at the gym ended with a giant 3 hour open mat and live band called “Crossface” made up of Globetrotter camp participants, with Christian himself on the drums! They’d been getting together to practice in the evenings a couple times during the previous week, and sounded amazing! Which was really quite impressive given how little time they’d actually had to practice together. The open mat was paused for one of songs so all the participants could take part in a mosh pit. Great fun!

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Crossface, first ever BJJ band!

50th Camp Party!

This being the 50th Camp, the end-of-camp party was a little extra special this year, located at event venue Altes Hallenbad downtown with guests in mostly formal attire. There was stand up comedy, a breakdancing competition, and a bodybuilding competition, done by Globetrotter participants! There was also a professional photographer taking pictures all night. And of course, lots of dancing!

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Final camp party!

Blue Belt Promotion!

Summer Camp 2019 in Heidelberg: Blue belt promotion!At the final camp party, the Council of Traveling Blackbelts gave me the immense honor of being presented with blue belt! It was the most perfect ending to an incredible week of training with very many extremely talented people from around the world. Needless to say, it was a very proud moment with a huge sense of accomplished after so many hours of training, rolls, taps, and repetitions over the last couple years. Receiving a blue belt also feels like just beginning, an acknowledgement that I’m committed to the sport and now have some basic understanding of the fundamental concepts. It feels like the tip of the iceberg, a framework onto which layers of detail, precision and refinement can start to be added. Now the real training begins!

Looking back at the last two years, I’d just like to take a moment to give a giant thanks everyone who’s welcomed me to train at their groups (53 gyms in 14 countries!), and to all my instructors and training partners who have shared their insight and knowledge with me along the way these last years. I didn’t imagine a sport would have such a big impact on my life, and am so grateful for the doors it’s opened and for all the amazing people I’ve met in connection to it. It’s been an incredible last couple years!

Addendum

As always after a camp and participating in such an immersive experience, it’s a little hard to get back to normal life and I can’t help feeling a little sad that it’s over. The “post camp blues” are a very real thing! Fortunately, Arizona camp was coming up in just a couple months more. In the meantime, I was on my way to Belgium to visit my extended family who I hadn’t seen in over a year, then off to Spain for 6 weeks. So, the journey continues, with no end to fun things to look forward to!

Hilti BJJ

Training report: Hilti BJJ in Berlin, Germany

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Training report from Hilti BJJ in Berlin, Germany 

Before I started working in Frankfurt, my German road trip continued. As Paris is for France and London is for England, Berlin comes first to everyone’s mind while thinking of Germany. From the Berlin Wall to the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin was the city I had always dreamed of visiting since I was a kid. After fulfilling my childhood fantasy, I had the opportunity to train at Hilti BJJ in Berlin.

bjj in berlin

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City
 Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany. Although severely damaged during World War II and broken apart during the Cold War, Berlin has reconstructed itself to boast everything from leading fashion to vibrant nightlife, but that’s not to say that the city has forgotten its dark past: landmarks like the Checkpoint Charlie and Berlin Wall are evidence of the city’s rich history. Its unique, quirky culture and history are arguably the top reasons to discover this incredible city.

Overview
Hilti BJJ, a part of IMAG Berlin eV, is headed by Frank Burczynski who is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Pedro Duarte. Professor Frank is a well-known and respected black belt in the German BJJ community. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend his class, but I had an amazing time training at his academy. I would like to highlight that Hilti BJJ is one of the most traveler-friendly academies. As an avid participant of the Matsurfing program, Hilti BJJ in Berlin hosts countless travelers who are visiting the city to crash and train at the gym. Matsurfing opens up such a unique experience of traveling with the perk of connecting with other local BJJ practitioners. I would highly recommend the program if you have the chance to participate.

After a long day of being a busy tourist in Berlin, I arrived at Hilti BJJ. Once I set foot in the gym, it was hard to miss the vast blue training mat. Hilti BJJ might be one of the largest facilities I have visited, with countless martial artists training at the academy. The class I participated in had approximately 40 students, but, even with an ongoing MMA class next to us, there was enough space for everyone. However, the size of the academy was not the only notable feature at Hilti BJJ in Berlin. The training session led by Dennis was full of eager and friendly students, and his instructions were well-structured and highly informative. One of the Hilti BJJ students, Ugi, and Dennis paid attention to my drills during the sessions creating a friendly training environment. I felt welcomed to the Hilti BJJ community by everyone around me even though I was a visitor. I still keep in touch with Ugi who extended his hospitality to host me when I am back in Berlin, and I am hoping to visit him again one day.

Hilti BJJ is one of the most well-respected academies in Berlin. Combined with high-level instructors and students, it is worth the visit if you ever find yourself in Berlin. Dropping by Hilti BJJ for a couple of training sessions might just help you cancel out your beer consumption while staying in Berlin. Thank you, everyone, at Hilti BJJ. I hope to come back and train again in the future!

Location & Facility
Hilti BJJ is located in Northwest of the city near Berlin Tegel Airport. Via Berlin’s well-established network of public transportation, you can easily reach the academy. The nearest stations are Osram-Höfe (Tram) and Seestraße (U-Bahn), and the location is about 20 minutes away from the Berlin City Center. Hilti BJJ has two spacious sections of open mat space with heavy bags. The academy also includes weight training equipment on the side of the training area and large locker rooms with showers. (Google Map: Link)

Schedule
Hilti BJJ offers 2–3 BJJ classes during the weekdays and a 2-hour open mat on Saturday. The academy’s most recent schedule is posted below:

Visitor Pass
Hilti BJJ did not charge for the training. However, it is always courteous to reach out to the academy before your visit.

Miscellaneous
— Hilti BJJ’s Website

Things to do

  • The Brandenburg Gate — The Gate is Berlin’s most iconic historic landmark. More than just Berlin’s only surviving historic city gate, the monument has transitioned from a symbol of division to a symbol of unity after the reunification of Germany. The sandstone structure architecturally represents one of the earliest and most attractive examples of neo-classical buildings in Germany.
  • Berlin Wall — Originated in 1961 when East Germany sealed off the city to prevent citizens from fleeing to West Germany, the Berlin Wall is an important piece of German history. After it was torn down in 1989, only small stretches of graffiti-covered parts remain, but it serves as a chilling reminder of the separation and remains a defining feature of Berlin.
  • The Reichstag — Previously served as the home of the German Empires, the Reichstag became the home of the German Parliament after the reunification of Germany. With its historical significance, it is one of the most famous landmarks in Berlin. The highlight of this magnificent structure is the dome, the Kuppel, which is made of glass offering superb views of Berlin. Due to its high demand, the tickets must be reserved in advance.
  • Nightlife — As a European clubbing capital, Berlin is infamous for its nightlife scene with countless clubs and bars that last well into the morning with legendary venues including one of the most iconic clubs of all: the notorious Berghain. Berlin has earned a reputation for its party scene with no last calls. If you are in Berlin, it would be a waste not to have at least night out in the city.

Stopover in Nuremberg, Germany

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I needed to get from Bangkok (Thailand) to Heidelberg (Germany) in time for BJJ Globetrotters Summercamp. As usual, I had some flexibility in the dates before camp and was looking for the absolute cheapest possible solution. The best I found was a flight to the nearby small town of Nuremberg about a week before camp, on budget airline called Eurowings. So, I decided to take this little detour and visit an extra city on my way to camp.

Nuremberg, Germany: Streets near city center

Getting There

The trip over was exhausting and long, taking over 26 hours from the time I left my studio in Bangkok to the time I arrived at my new place in Nuremberg. As expected from a budget airline, nothing except the actual flight was included in the price of the ticket. Baggage cost extra, food and drinks cost extra, movies and earphones cost extra. That was fine, I’d brought plenty of snacks and entertainment (ebooks). What I hadn’t accounted for was that blankets weren’t automatically provided for the 11.5 hour overnight flight, and that the flight was FREEZING even with my standard long pants and sweater which are normally adequate. After about an hour, I caved and paid 6.50€ for a blanket, which was barely large enough to cover me entirely (and I’m pretty small), and so thin that I was still borderline shivering and had trouble sleeping most of the flight. So, for anyone who’s a sucker for a cheap flight deal like me… you’ve been warned!

Except for the temperature and blanket situation, the flight was pretty good and uneventful. One positive thing about Eurowings – their seats were pretty comfortable, and included much better bendable side headrests than most other planes I’ve been on.

Public Transportation and SIM Card

Upon arrival, I needed a public transportation ticket and a SIM card. The first was easy – I was able to buy an unlimited rides 7-day MobiCard pass from a small store in the airport for about 25€. Little pricey but I used it extensively so well worthwhile! Nurember has an excellent public transportation system which consists of metros, trams, and busses. There are very well maintained bike paths throughout most of the city making cycling a great option for transportation as well.

Getting a SIM card was a little more challenging since the Nuremberg airport is pretty small didn’t include any SIM card vendors. I ended up taking the underground metro to the Nuremberg Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) and was able to find a store which sold a couple different plans there. It cost 25€ for unlimited data including a phone number for a month, which was way more than this would have costed in SE Asia but still not too bad compared to standard American rates.

Back in Europe!

After so long of eating rice and noodle based meals, it was absolutely wonderful to have good European bread and cheese again! It seemed odd initially not to see any scooters on the roads, and to use crosswalks again instead of just walking across the streets anywhere whenever there was a gap between cars. Also, being back in Western Europe, everyone around me seemed HUGE, both in height and in weight. Whereas in Asia I was fairly average in height and much thicker than most people (I’m a size S shirt in America but size X-LG in Asia!) – here I suddenly felt very small. I also quickly noticed that everything was much more expensive that what I’d gotten accustomed to paying in SE Asia.

Nuremberg, Germany: Pretty little neighborhoods

Nuremberg

Nuremberg, Germany: Tower at the Imperial Castle of NurembergMost of the short week in Nuremberg was spent in a combination of working, walking around downtown, and going for walks in parks and along the canal in my neighborhood. Nuremberg is a pretty small city so it didn’t take more than a couple days to feel pretty comfortable and familiar with the overall layout. It felt very peaceful, slow and calm after the dense hustle and bustle of the big Asian cities. It was wonderful to be surrounded by mostly silence instead of the constant background noise of cars, people, and the city which I’d grown accustomed to in Bangkok.

The Nuremberg city center is quite charming with many cute restaurants and pedestrian friendly cobblestone streets. A lot of the city was destroyed during the war so rebuilt with more modern architecture, but some of the old castles and churches remain as well. On Saturday, the little streets of the city center were full of people, with vendor stalls selling craft goods, fruits, food and beer, and small groups playing live music throughout. I don’t know if there was some kind of special festival going on or if this was just the normal weekend activity for Nuremberg.

I also spent some time clothes shopping near the city center after Christian announced the upcoming giant 50th camp party dress code recommendation was formal attire, which my current traveler’s assortment of clothing did not include. Fortunately, after not too much searching, I was able to find a classic black dress which was not too pricey and a perfect fit!

Nuremberg, Germany: Busy streets near city centerNuremberg, Germany: Pretty buildings at the Imperial Castle of NurembergNuremberg, Germany: Misc sculptures around the city center

Nature

After having been in dense tropical cities for the last 6 months, I really enjoyed staying in a place with more greenery and temperate forests, and living close enough to parks and canals to go for walks among trees every evening. I guess I hadn’t realized how much I missed that. In the future, I might choose destinations that are a little closer to or immersed in nature.

Nuremberg, Germany: Nature!

Training

I did have the chance to stop by Alliance BJJ for some training! Class was taught by black belt Felipe who was originally from Brazil but had been teaching at Alliance for the last 2-3 years. Classes were given in English which most of the students spoke. It was a good class and friendly group of people. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures!

Back To Bangkok

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Just to recap… I’d been exploring SE Asia in February 2019. Since then, I’d stayed (and trained!) in the following cities: Phuket (Thailand), Bangkok (Thailand), Hanoi (Vietnam), Chiang Mai (Thailand), DaNang (Vietnam), and Penang (Malaysia).

Decisions

I now had only one month left in the SE Asian portion of my trip before flying back to Germany for BJJ Globetrotters Summercamp in Heidelberg. I debated for some time whether or not to return to Bangkok, or try somewhere new. Which, I think, is a dilemma that many travelers face. Is it better to explore an unknown city (which may turn out to be a new favorite), or to return to a place you already know and love?

The biggest appeal to Bangkok was budget, convenience, training, and… Vara! For convenience, Bangkok (specifically my little single-room studio close to the gym) really can’t be beaten. My tiny home was budget-friendly and well-equipped, with friendly landlords and close to a Skytrain entrance. There was a coin-operated laundry machine downstairs with plenty of hanging space to dry clothes (very important for daily training!). And (best part!) it was literally next door to Bangkok Fight Lab, which includes an amazing vegan cafe (Nourish) upstairs inside the gym! There was also a massive Tesco grocery store down the street and many restaurants in the area, placing everything I needed within an easy 10 minute walking radius. I was going to be taking some time off the following month to attend BJJ Globetrotters camp and visit my Belgian family, so wanted this month to be focused on training and making as much progress as possible on work projects in advance.

Ultimately, I left the decision of whether or not to stay in Bangkok again up to chance. I specifically wanted to stay in the same studio as before, which was often (unsurprising) fully booked (there’s only 6 rooms for rent, at least one of which was occupied by a year-long tenant). I thought to myself that if a room was available, I’d stay in Bangkok again. Otherwise I’d try a different city. As it turned out, the studio was free for the dates I wanted so – Bangkok it was!

Bangkok, Thailand: Stormy skies!

Bangkok, Round 2!

My month is Bangkok flew by! I quickly fell into a comfortable daily routine of training and working all day long, with breaks as needed for food and laundry. Everything that I loved the first time continued to be awesome – good weather (despite the occasional downpour that comes with rain season), good cheap food, hangouts with Vara, and a really great gym atmosphere! In addition, the pollution had significantly decreased since my last visit, making air masks and daily air quality checks unnecessary. I even had the chance to squeeze in a few new cool tourist experiences.

Massage Places

After traveling SE Asia for 6 months, I finally went to a massage place! I was blown away by how extremely affordable these are here. In the US, a typical one-hour massage can cost anywhere from $40-120/hour. Here, it’s $6.50 – $13 per hour! There’s massage places everywhere in Bangkok, so it’s really easy to find one. You can easily spot the legitimate facilities by the uniforms the people working there wear. If it’s a simple outfit that looks a little like medical scrubs, it’s a legitimate massage establishment. If the workers are beautiful ladies in skimpy dresses with lots of makeup on… it’s probably a different kind of establishment.

The Thai massage at the place I visited was actually pretty similar to the Thai Massage places I’ve been to in the US, minus the relaxing natural music for ambiance. The message place consisted of two stories. There was a large downstairs area filled with big comfy chairs with people getting massages and some benches for arriving/leaving guests. And, a smaller area upstairs with a series of smaller private rooms partitioned with curtains. The entire place smelled of spices and tiger balm. You can choose the kind of massage you want from a menu. Some focus more exclusively on certain body parts (back/shoulders, for example), or include extra lotions and oils.

I went for the typical Thai massage, which is a full body massage without oils and lotions, and involved lots of stretching. These are held in the private rooms upstairs. You’re given a loose, light comfortable shirt and very baggy “fisherman’s pants” to wear. FYI – the correct way to wear these is put them on with the string in the back, then fold the left and right baggy waist part over the front, then tie the string over that. Vara came with me the first time I went here and explained how to put on the pants. You can leave or remove underwear and bra beneath these, and if you’re a woman the staff will specifically ask if you’re comfortable with a male massage person. It’s customary and polite to tip.

Rooftop Bar

On my last day in Bangkok, Vara and Bohyun (who I’d met at Bangkok Fight Lab) had the brilliant idea of taking me to one of Bangkok’s rooftop bars! This is basically exactly what it sounds like – an open air bar on the top of one of Bangkok’s many supertall buildings. This one was on the 49th floor, was very impressive but was still by far not Bangkok’s tallest building. I expected it to be pretty cool, but the stunning 390 panoramic views of the city at night stretching off to the horizon in every direction still managed to exceed my expectations!

Bangkok, Thailand: Rooftop bar with amazing city views!

Hotpot

Another really neat thing that Vara and Bohyun introduced me to (on a different evening) was Thai Hotpot dinner. This consists of a pot of boiling broth on a hotplate in the center of the table. Guests order plates of various raw foods (meats, seafoods, noodles, tofu or veggies etc.) to add to the pot, making a sort of soup which cooks at the table with sauces to taste on the side. Very tasty!

Bangkok, Thailand: Hotpot meal!

Training at Bangkok Fight Lab

Training at Bangkok Fight Lab continued to be as excellent as before! Its was nice to be able to return to a gym and see familiar faces, and to catch up with everyone I met during my first stay here. The schedule continued to focus on one concept for a couple weeks at a time, progressively adding more details, related variations, and counters before moving onto the next technique. Which for me is the best way to learn, as I tend to forget things quickly if I don’t repeat them many days in a row.

Living so close to the gym, I was able to train twice a day on most days. The noon class was all-levels or fundamentals in gi, and I usually stayed for an hour of rolls. Evening class was all-levels gi or nogi. Classes most days were taught by black belt Morgan Perkins, with Friday evenings and Sunday mornings taught by black belt Colin Slider. I ended up renting a gi, since my two travel gis weren’t enough to train 2x/day and have clothing completely dry again in time for the next class (things dry more slowly in the very humid rain season). Having three gis to cycle through worked out really nicely.

Vara (purple belt) trained in the evening class as well, and continued to be my most regular training partner. A class with Vara always felt like I was getting 3x the experience as from a regular class, thanks to her insight and suggestions on how to improve my movements, and also for the number of reps we were normally able to get in. Giant thanks again, Vara, for a very awesome month of training!

Bangkok, Thailand: (left) Laundry time!, (right) hanging out with Boyun and Vara

Bangkok, Thailand: Bangkok Fight Lab, group picture!