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Dust Mop Jiu Jitsu: The Combat Base: Part Two

Limitless BJJ- Cincinnati Ohio

-On taking breaks, coming back fresh and the myth of ego death in jiu jitsu

This is the Tenth article about my journey in Jiu Jitsu. If you want to know more about what this project is, you can read more about it in the first article here.

It’s also the second of 7 articles about my time as a member of Combat Fitness MMA. While I was there, I would learn to push myself beyond harder than I ever had. 

In a previous article, I talked about going to Ohio for a grad school residency. The closest academy at that time was Fairborn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but, due to the academy circle or life, they had merged with another academy all the way in Dayton. With no car, there was no way I was going that week. 

Going back to Yellowprings felt incredibly different from the time before. In December, I had been traveling for three months prior and was not doing anything in particular. By May of 2019, it had been quite the opposite. I had several part time jobs which were making me crazy.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I was a full time French teacher. 

How did I get that job? Funny story:
Substitute teaching is honestly a pretty great way to learn about a new area. All you do is get registered and then, based on your location, you see what schools need a person. You can work five days a week or none, it’s all up to you.

One Middle School was looking for a gym teacher for a day. Those classes are huge so they honestly don’t even need a sub since one of the two normal gym teachers was still there. He was so burnt out that he didn’t introduce me to the kids or himself. I had fifty middle schoolers trying to figure out who I was. 

It was also crazy loud. Gyms echo, and middle schoolers like to shout. OSHA apparently has noise limits for its employees that should apply to gym teachers. That poor gym teacher was basically deaf after 20 years of enduring that kind of ear beating. 

After two of those classes, I wandered around the hallways just to get the layout of the school. I ran into a friendly woman in the hallway and we had a little chat.

Her: Hi, you look new

Me: I’m just subbing for the day

Her: Oh cool! I’m the in-building sub. They put me where they need me each day.

Me: Nice, I have gym. It’s kind of brutal.

Her: I love gym! I would so trade with you. You don’t speak any French do you?

Me: …I mean, a little, yeah.

So I ended up with the French class…For the rest of the school year.

I wasn’t lying. I do speak some French. I was in a relationship with someone from France for a few years and I got a bit carried away with the language. For the record, I never claimed to be fluent and still don’t. I’ll tell you exactly what I told the kids: “I know exactly what it’s like to go from knowing zero French to knowing some French. And that’s where you’re at.”

Thursdays I taught Hebrew at a synagogue in South Burlington. Everyday I had graduate work to do for my degree in mental health counseling including a class on group therapy culminating in a residency in Yellow Springs Ohio. 

In between, I had been finally convinced to start weight lifting, an endeavor that I seriously resisted in my attempts to hold on for dear life that size and strength didn’t matter in Jiu Jitsu. By the second week of January I had already become a member of Combat Fitness MMA. Under the tutelage of my good friend and coach, Aaron, I finally got to try a competition. It was super local, the kind of competition where everyone watches every single match because there’s only space for two grapplers. 

I remember going and feeling that adrenaline dump for the very first time. It felt like I couldn’t even move let alone defend myself. I was almost relieved to find myself in a triangle choke after 30 seconds. The second guy got me in an armbar and I still felt like I couldn’t breathe or do anything. That day, the myth of strengh-less jiu jitsu died. I knew I had to do something to improve my strength and my cardio if I was going to achieve a different result.

I didn’t know it then, but that would be the first of three competitions in a row where I didn’t win a single match. But since it was my first competition, I didn’t allow myself to get depressed. I still felt like there was something to do about it. 

Luckily I had someone at Combat who could help me in that department. Anthony Bambara is a boxing coach who is without a doubt one of the biggest draws to the gym. Whereas the BJJ class usually had up to 12 people on a good day, the Boxing classes filled the cavernous warehouse and were absolutely packed. It’s easy to see why, he’s just so freaking enthusiastic when you talk to him about martial arts and fitness. So much so that it feels like he’s almost shouting with excitement. 

Since I never took the boxing classes, I rarely interacted with him but always knew that he was a good strength and conditioning coach. I always saw him working with people of all shapes and sizes to get more fit. Yet there’s something funny that can prevent you from admitting that you want to be and feel stronger. Almost like wanting to be taller except you can actually do something about this. But those losses at the tournament got me past that timidness. Once I got back to the gym, I approached him right away and he made an appointment. 

From there I had a two day a week lifting regimen. I had done some weights in the past but never thought I would start squatting, deadlifting and swinging kettlebells. I did, and I still do. It revolutionized my game but it was still just another thing to squeeze into my busy week of work, grad school and jiu jitsu. 

So as I got back to Yellowsprings for the residency, aside from lifting, I did nothing but focus on my grad school week. I went to the classes, performed group therapy and participated in it as well. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever been in group therapy but it’s exhausting. Our University had a strict no role-playing rule when it came to practicing counseling. People who are told, “act depressed and see where it goes’ ‘ don’t know when to start cooperating with the therapist. Instead, we just talk about lives but try to discuss things we’ve already processed in the past. It keeps things from getting too intense but almost everyone breaks that rule by the end of the week.  

Facilitating group counseling is even more tiring. The skill is in learning to allow the group to naturally go in one direction but to use the members of the group to deliver therapy to the others instead of everything having to come from you. My professor said she always packs the extra strength deodorant for group sessions. So imagine doing that for eight hours every day. Nobody wanted to hang out at night, they all wanted to sleep or process their life. 

That was fine with me, I had a new season of Cobra Kai and I couldn’t believe how good it felt to have nothing to do in the evening. Oh and that schedule that I referenced before, it’s a pattern that I frequently get myself in. I do too much. In undergrad I had two majors and two minors. Even as I write this, I’m on my lunch break in between the morning Jiu Jitsu class, the kids class later tonight and an insight meditation group I attend on wednesday nights.

The first time I was in Yellowsprings, I couldn’t stand the fact that I wasn’t training Jiu Jitsu. This time, I was so relieved to have permission to do nothing. 

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By the end of the week, however, I knew it was time to go back. Of course, I could have waited to get back to Combat Fitness, but my rested self was antsy to explore. I had one night in Cincinnati before going back to Vermont and my host would be a fantastic friend of mine from a camp I had worked at years before. Alicia was studying to be a Rabbi and was excited to host me, but she had some classes until the early evening. She asked if I would be okay waiting somewhere. So my classmate from the residency drove me straight to Limitless BJJ.

Limitless is in, what looks like, a hollowed out factory floor. The raw bricks combined with the shiny modern mats almost made it feel like a hip coworking space. A real rust belt chic vibe. I got the attention of a coach who was already in the middle of teaching the fundamentals class. He assured me that I could pay a drop-in fee later, borrow a gi and hop in right in the middle. 

A word about drop-in fees. As a member of BJJ globetrotters, I wholeheartedly subscribe to the idea of letting travelers drop-in free of charge. But I’m never offended by a gym that asks to pay a reasonable fee. I never know what a gym’s finances are but I’m sure a great deal of them struggle to keep the lights on. In writing this blog, I’ve learned that some of the gyms I’ve been to have permanently closed. According to a sociologist friend of mine, in bad economies gym memberships are often the first thing people get rid of. I’m fine paying 20 bucks so someone can keep their lights on. 

I was still reeling from my two major losses at that local tournament. Competition isn’t everything but it does give you a barometer of where you are in your Jiu Jitsu. So I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder during that class. I wanted to see where my skill was at compared to the folks I would be training with. 

We did a bunch of rounds of positional sparring from the guard. These guys looked at me in my oversized smelly borrowed gi and figured it was my first day. When I threw their legs up in the air and landed in side-control, I felt pretty good about myself. After a week being away, I had really missed it. It felt good to be going in fresh. 

At the end of the class, the coach said he owed me a roll since I was visiting. I had never heard anybody say that before. What an interesting idea to roll with the newest person as a thank you for showing up. I had never been so honored to get submitted four times in a row. 

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After that class I went upstairs to the office and met the head coach and owner Robby Malof. I saw he had a Jewish bumper sticker somewhere in his office and asked him about it. Turns out he’s competed in Israel, teaches Jiu Jitsu to a local Rabbi’s kids and his instagram name is the @HebrewHearthrob. That was kind of cool to see, I’ve met other Jews who do Jiu Jitsu but not a whole lot of them. Not everyone makes it as public as he does.

The fundamental class was over but he invited me to stay for the Intermediate No-Gi class that he was about to teach. I changed out of the rental as some of the fundamentals guys were putting on their civilian clothes.

“So, were you a wrestler or something?” I turned around and realized one of the guys was talking to me. I explained that I train in Vermont but am just in town for the night. But again, I was at a point where I was looking for something to feed my ego.

Jiu Jitsu guys will ask questions like this all the time. It’s not to gauge where you’re coming from, it’s for them to see where they’re at. Some other varieties of the same question are:
-How long have you been doing this?

-Is this your first class?

-You play any other sports before this one?

Sometimes it’s not even a question. I remember submitting a new guy at Combat Fitness one time and he did exactly what I did when I was new. He sat on the side to watch me get my ass kicked to see just how low he was in the pecking order. 

But there it was, my ego boost. It was the first time I had ever visited a gym and had people comment that I seemed like I had learned Jiu Jitsu before and wasn’t a complete beginner. 

The Intermediate class was a different story. Robby had all sorts of drills that I had never really seen before. I had never done shadow grappling and it was interesting to try and get into a flow. Then we did some two-man drills where we took turns carrying each other across the room and climbing around each other. 

I can’t honestly remember what ] technique Robby taught. But I remember the rolls being intense. Again, people didn’t know who I was or what I was going to do. Every gym has it’s own way of thinking about setups to submissions. In that way it becomes like their own dialect. Somebody new will either subject them to what they’re used to or vice versa. It’s always interesting to see. 

At the time I was working on what we at Combat Fitness called Amber’s throw. Named after our coach Amber Farr who liked teaching it to small people so they can use it on unsuspecting giants. I actually learned from her husband Rob.

Rob is a jiu jitsu coach with no interest in pure grappling. He only wanted to train it insofar as it would make him a better martial artist. If he can’t hold you in side-control without being able to hold a rubber knife at the same time, that technique does nothing for him. He wasn’t mean, but he wanted to be skilled in violence. Nothing fancy but everything painful. He was my first instructor to encourage me to force my elbows into peoples faces.  

Initially, I never saw him roll with anyone. He could usually be seen throwing elbows on the heavy bag or practicing wind sprints with a spear or another thai weapon. Aside from Muay Thai, his main passion in life was fighting with the dog brothers. If you don’t know what that is, enjoy your newest rabbit hole.

 Still, it’s Amber’s throw. You put your arm around a person’s head and step though so that you land in Gesa Ketame. From there, you put your leg over their forearm and, voila, instant armbar. 

I feel like I should pause for a second and reflect on the fact that I was being a little bit aggressive when I visited Limitless. I felt like I was going through a period where I maybe felt like I needed to improve myself and work toward a new self concept. On the one hand, I struggled with being non-competitive. But I was trying to think of myself as someone who could and deserved to win. 

I rolled with a guy that was much bigger and much stronger than I was. At that point, my proud moments came from making that person more out of breath than I was. A smaller dude who was my around the world partner was very wiry and very dynamic but I was working on my pressure. It ended up being a great match.

Robby offered me the same sign of respect as the previous instructor. I remember there was rap music playing in the background and he was almost dancing to it while advancing toward me at the same time. Eyes on me, focused for sure, but also loose and relaxed. I remember trying Ambers throw but eventually my back got slowly taken and the life squeezed out of me for the tap. I asked for anything he noticed about my rolling. It’s something I always ask higher belts for. 

He let me know that I turn my back a lot when I roll. That throw that Amber taught me, was effective. But the Gesa Ketame position had a downside, it put my back toward the other person. If they got their elbow out or if I stuck my head up too high, it was just asking for my back to be taken. His observation is exactly what I was looking for, direct feedback about something that I could be doing a lot better. 

My training partner for the day offered me a ride into downtown Cincinnati to my friends house. I love that I got to catch a favor from someone in the gym. BJJ guys can be crazy accommodating to outsiders.

I still see things that are going down at Limitless on instagram. The mats look as shiny as ever and Robby is still pushing himself to compete at really high levels. If you’re reading, thanks for the rolls and hope  to see you all on the mats again sometime.

Looking back, I thought the big myth that shattered for me during this time was that size and strength didn’t matter in BJJ. But I think another myth was beginning to disintegrate as well. BJJ, in no way gets rid of your ego. It can actually ramp it up.

Going to tournaments is what focuses a lot of people in BJJ. They also think of them as a barometer of their skill level and their academy. For me, visiting academies does the same thing. I get to see the holes in  my game and actually learn some alternatives to my flow. People are always welcoming but there’s still an idea that this visiting person is a chance to show off to their coach. It’s like a better tournament because there’s no adrenaline dumping and people actually try and use their skill instead of just muscling through.

Going to tournaments, you do see some beautiful technique. But there are times where you feel like none of it matters if the other person is bigger and stronger than you. It’s like the scene in the second book of Harry Potter where they’re learning how to duel. These cerebral spells that help them channel magic against each other go completely out the window and they just end up punching and headlocking each other. 

People in BJJ love to get super competitive, train for hours, do their best to strangle someone or destroy one of their joints and then say, “don’t compare yourself to other people.” I feel like that’s what happens in the cartoons and someone says “whatever you do, just don’t push the big red button.” We all know how that episode ends. 

Comparison to others is just a thing you have to learn how to live with. At that tournament, I was out of breath, gassed out and oddly euphoric afterwards. Aaron, a purple belt at the time, moved slowly and deliberately. While his opponents struggled to sweep him, his legs wouldn’t budge. There was one point where he gripped up with a guy, forced him to move to the center of the mat and then rolled into a picture perfect sacrifice throw landing in a soul crushing knee on belly. At that moment, the whole room actually clapped. 

I’m not advocating for constantly comparing yourself to others. That’s just a recipe for disaster. On the one hand, you can convince yourself that another person’s size, strength and experience doesn’t matter in a sport where your bracket is determined by all three of those things. The flipside is living a life filled with fear and creeping insecurity. Ignoring that mental tightrope is almost like refusing to learn the guard. 

After the tournament, I was down. The comparison game sent me on a wave that crested over at Limitless where I was telling myself I was awesome for passing a bunch of new white belts guards. Soon it was going to crash hard. But that’s for my next article. 

It would eventually be up to Aaron to help set me straight. After he had done a high level competition he said it was always important to take comparisons but really of yourself. “You today could beat the crap out of the person who first walked into Combat Fitness MMA a year ago. And it wouldn’t be a pretty fight either. That person would be begging for mercy by the end of it.” For Aaron, telling someone that you could inflict violence is always a compliment for Aaron. 

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If you ever want me to visit yours and write about what it’s like to learn from you, feel free to reach out at Du*************@***il.com. You can also follow me @DustMop_JiuJitsu If you want to read my articles as soon as they’re published be sure to subscribe on my blog site!

Where is the gym located?
The gym is located in Dahlonega, GA (USA), a small town in the north Georgia mountains.

How many people train there?
We have about 25 students currently. We just opened two months ago.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
It is definitely growing. We are adding about 10-15 members a month.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We have white belts through brown belts.

When did Dahlonega BJJ, USA open?
March 6, 2023

Some facts about you:

Name: David Curtis
Age: 37
Belt: Brown
Profession: Jiu Jitsu Instructor/Gym Owner
Years in BJJ: 6 years
Other martial arts: No
Currently living in: Cumming, GA
Originally from: Pennsylvania

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
After discovering my passion for Jiu Jitsu and truly falling in love with the art, it became apparent that not only did I love training Jiu Jitsu, I loved teaching and coaching Jiu Jitsu even more. I wanted to dedicate my life to it. After getting the opportunity to coach the no gi classes under my professor, Layton Wilcox at Canton BJJ, I felt that the next step of progression for me was to open my own gym.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have people from all walks of life. Dahlonega is home to one of the senior military colleges in the United States. It also houses one of the country’s Army Ranger training camps. So, we get a lot of members with a military background. We also have everyday people. Adults working your typical 9-5, moms, and other college students. Our kids program is starting to take off as well. Being a new, smaller school at the moment, we are excited with how things are progressing and the culture we are building. The gym is coming together better than I ever imagined that it would.

Why do they train in Dahlonega BJJ, USA?
The same reason that a lot of us train. They want something more in life. Something real. Many may want to feel empowered. Some come for exercise, self defence, or to sharpen their skills for their career. Ultimately, a lot of people come for that sense of camaraderie and community that comes with training at a good place.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
In general, the biggest challenge is learning the business side of running a gym. For instance, understanding marketing, advertising, and creating value for your members. Another big one seems to be just embracing the grind and responsibility. At the end of the day, the success of the gym hinges on you as an individual for a very long time and that feeling can be slightly daunting. Lastly, and maybe this is me specifically, but just trying to take care of my body while growing the gym. When there are a lot of people, you can pick and choose rounds, but when there are smaller classes you have to lead. You have to take the beating day in and day out.

The biggest challenge specific to our area is the rotating membership due to the college and military schedules.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Honestly, I see it growing quite a bit. We have seen a real desire for high level grappling in the north Georgia area. There are actually quite a few high level people who want to learn it not just for sport purposes, but for practical purposes as well. Be it for occupations and careers specific to this area, or to learn some self defence, or maybe just to get the kids off screens for a bit, it seems like north Georgia wants Jiu Jitsu in their lives.

What’s the best thing about Dahlonega BJJ, USA?
The people. Watching everybody go from strangers to each other to seeing them form friendships and bonds with one another. Watching them achieve their goals, not just with Jiu Jitsu, but with life. Seeing their confidence grow in different situations. Watching the growth of each individual. Those are the greatest moments.

If I had to pick just one though, it’s doing this with my wife and kids. One thing that hasn’t been discussed yet, is how much help you need along the way. If it weren’t for some very good friends, an incredible coach, a supportive family and an even more amazing life partner, I truly would not be given this opportunity. It is to them that this gym is, in many ways, dedicated to. We would be nothing without the help and support of those in our lives.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
The list could go on forever, really. From amazing local food to large community driven festivals, Dahlonega stands alone in its people and its beauty. You could get lost in the scenery forever. We did. That’s why Dahlonega BJJ exists and we truly hope to see you all on the mats.

To be more specific, you should definitely check out:

Gold rush (festival once a year)
Bear on the Square (festival once a year)
Amicalola Falls (state park)
Historic downtown
Winerys
Golf Course
River Rafting
This truly could go on forever…

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

Priit Mihkelson  – BJJ Globetrotters

Belt: Belt black belt 3rd degree
Age: 45
Profession: 1/2 Gym owner, 1/2 Defensive BJJ owner, full time Globetrotter
Started training (year): ~2000ish
City/country: Tallinn / Estonia

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

Competition wise I think 2008 Scandinavian Open Gold -88,3kg purple belts. But overall I think it would be the fact that I am able to travel the world doing BJJ and I found a niche in the system that I can help to improve.

Which Globetrotters camps have you attended:

So far I have done 39 of them and the first one was 2017 Copenhagen.

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

Because my location where I live I would have to say St-Barts but actually I think it is the Winter Camp in Wagrain because that camp combines two of my favorites things – BJJ and snowboarding.

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

Somebody actually came and talked to me :)

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp?

I think one of my best classes was teaching layered twister defence in 1h and I think I pulled it off during one of the Spring Camps in Tallinn. Also I think my Zen Camp Anaconda defense class was the one that I am actually happy with.

Anything else you want to add to your profile: No! (it was a joke …a good one I might add)

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Priit Mihkelson – BJJ Globetrotters instructor

William Dorman – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: 43

Belt: Black belt 3rd degree

Profession: Retired piano player in a brothel

How many years in BJJ: 16 years and 6 months

Other martial arts: Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, MMA, Judo, all types of fighting, I guess. Train everything with everyone, there is no one art that is better than the other (I prefer BJJ though, it is the very best). Fighting is fighting and if we want to understand all areas of combat, we should dabble in all of it.

Where do you live: Sarasota, Florida, USA, but I travel half of the year.

Where are you from: Frankfort, Michigan

Other fun or curious information you would like to share:

• I am sailing across the Atlantic Ocean as soon as the Maine Camp is done.
• I used to be a beekeeper.
• Traveled to more than 40 countries so far.
• Teaching Jiu Jitsu seminars along the east coast on the way to Maine, and I am willing to travel anywhere on the planet to teach at any academy regardless of affiliation.
• I sometimes throw people out of airplanes for money (they are attached to me).
• I do odd jobs when I want now that I am retired. Teach Jiu Jitsu, SCUBA Diving, Tandem Skydiving, Handyman, Landlord, Expert Witness, Consulting, Chef etc.
• I climbed the highest mountain in the Americas (Aconcagua).
• Golden Croissant Surf Champ at St. Barts.
• Pretty good at drinking beer and I will still hit every class I can get to.
• Don’t be mad at me when I forget things. My brain is a bit broken. It is nothing personal.

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?

William Dorman – BJJ Globetrotters

   “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!'”

Life is good! This pretty much sums me up..

I grew up in a small town in northern Michigan where it is easy to never leave. People get stuck easily if you let it happen. I had multiple friends with kids prior to graduating from High School, and I decided that life was not for me. I took the more difficult path and joined the Navy. I have always been drawn to excitement and adventure. While on active duty with the military, we traveled all over the world, and I was able to train everywhere we went. For my last 14 years in Special Operations, we brought a whole fight gym set up with us no matter where we went. I was gone roughly 300 days per year, and I was rarely in the same place for more than 3 weeks at a time other than 4 month deployments. I guess that kind of ruined me and now all I want to do is travel full time. I am now free to travel on my own with no time limit or restriction, so I am fully embracing this. A good friend of mine, Soonja Tyrrell, told me about BJJ Globetrotters many years ago, but I was never able to make it to a camp due to my unknown schedule. After I retired in July of 2022, I made it a priority on my list of things to do. St. Barts was my first camp and I fell in love with every aspect that the BJJ Globetrotters embrace.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
The last couple of months have been full of adventure for me. In January I helped sail a boat from Sarasota to Key West and had some fun weather along the way. The boat was about 50 years old and it had no autopilot – or motor for that matter. The last day we had 30 kt winds and 10’ seas, so that’s what I mean by fun weather haha. I had a great time.

Once I arrived in Key West, I rented a car and drove back to Sarasota to catch a flight to Puerto Rico to visit some friends who live there. I met a couple in the Azores last year and we were able to reconnect on a hike to a waterfall as well. During my visit, we were able to get some really good training at several academies and also spent some time exploring the island and snorkelling.

After I left Puerto Rico, I flew to St. Barthelemy and attended the Globetrotters Camp. I was very impressed with every aspect of the camp and am now hooked. The instructors were all amazing and I took something away from each class that I attended (I attended them all). People think that being a black belt means that you know everything, but I promise you we do not. I like to enjoy life off the mat as well, and the social activities and aspects of these camps are something that I think is even more important than the amazing Jiu Jitsu. Everyone is welcoming and helpful and tries to include you in everything. Of course there will be small groups that form naturally with the party people or the introverted people, but everyone gets along so well. The logistics of the camp was also amazing as well. I am pretty picky on everything and the only thing that I could suggest is to have a blanket for the camp and some really good ear plugs for the noisy frogs and snoring people. I met so many great people during the camp and will have lifelong friends from it.

After the camp, I flew back to Puerto Rico for a few days and I was supposed to get on a boat to sail around South America through Magellan’s Passage and Patagonia up to Chile. The boat got caught in a big storm is is now broken in Argentina. With my sailing trip cancelled for now, I headed back to Sarasota for a few days to get rid of boating gear and decided to visit some friends in Germany.

After some great training and sight seeing in Germany, I flew back to Miami for a Roger Gracie Seminar and prepared for the PAN. I will likely be in Florida until May 6th (Mike Love Concert in St. Petersburg on May 5th) and then I will start my journey to Maine, teaching a few seminars along the way. I’m going early to prepare the sailboat that we’re sailing across the Atlantic after the camp. I will spend some time in the Azores and then I will start to hit all of the camps starting with Pärnu.

William Dorman – BJJ Globetrotters

What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
There are so many to list. I enjoy meeting new people from different cultures and learning about their lives. It seems that you learn quite a bit about yourself when you start to see things from a different perspective. I normally travel for specific things such as mountain climbing, Jiu Jitsu, sunshine, ice fishing, parties, or concerts, and I normally chase the nice weather. I also enjoy the challenge of travelling to and from a remote location and figuring out how to do everything. I am not going to lie, I normally use UBER in most of the places that I have travelled to, but figuring out connecting flights, boat schedules, and train schedules is challenging and fun sometimes. It can also be quite frustrating, causing me to exercise patience – which I am often lacking.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Even before I became involved with the BJJ Globetrotters, I was traveling solo and training all over the world on my own. I have visited more than 100 gyms all over the world, and have instant friends who are just like me anywhere I go. It is amazing to see how many people welcome you with open arms at their gym or into their homes. It seems most people in Jiu Jitsu enjoy life, are accepting of your views, and are always up for a challenge or an adventure.

I have been able to train and teach Jiu Jitsu seminars in some amazing places so far. A couple of the notable ones were at Bunker Cusco Training Center in Cusco Peru at nearly 10,000 ft while preparing to hike the Inca trail, and another at Jiu Jitsu Roots Villa Mercedes Filial Cicero Costha in Argentina after summiting Aconcagua. After the Argentina Seminar, they hosted a barbeque that would make a medieval feast look like a snack! It was amazing! #MacKsandHerSnacKs would have loved it!

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
This is a hard question to answer because nothing really surprises me anymore. I guess it surprises me to see how many people are stuck doing something that they do not enjoy and are not actively trying to change. Jiu Jitsu seems to be a unique outlet for some of these people, but most will just continue to dislike where they are and what they do until they die. Kind of a bummer, I know…

William Dorman – BJJ Globetrotters

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I am not a budget traveler but I do understand how to do it. I chose convenience and ease over budgeting for the most part. I live within my means, but don’t mind spending money. I have the same mentality as Mack who was featured in the last newsletter. There is always time to make more money, and our time is probably not unlimited like our cell phone plans. You probably only live once! This is a new expression that we made during St. Barts camp due to reincarnation and what not…

Spend it all, put it on a credit card, pay it back later, have fun right now, and do the things that you want to do in life because tomorrow is not guaranteed. I have lost too many friends and family over the years who were saving up money or waiting for the right time to do something. The right time is now, just do it!

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Learn from everyone and create your own style of Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu is “a personalized art form, as elegant and imaginative as Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ or as brash and unconventional as Banksy’s street art. Whichever style or combination you choose, it is your quest in a never-ending game of human chess”, so make it your own!

Break out of your shell and try to see things from a different point of view. There are many ways to do something in Jiu Jitsu and in life. Try them all and see what works for you. Make new friends with different outlooks on life and respect them for it. We don’t all have to agree to get along. Each person is unique and we can all learn and grow together. We are all connected!

As far as traveling goes, just do it as much as you can while you are able to. A little bit of research goes a long way. Ask people that have done something like you want to do in the past and learn from them.

Stop doing that job you hate, find something that you enjoy doing in life, and do that. It will be hard at first, but hey – that’s life! Life is too short to do shit you don’t like to do. Travel as often as you can and enjoy this life because you probably only live once.

Thank you to William Dorman – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Age: 27

Belt: Blue

Profession: It’s complicated

How many years in BJJ: 2 years

Other martial arts: Kickboxing

Where do you live: Queen Creek, Arizona, United States

Where are you from: Mesa, Arizona

Other fun or curious information you would like to share:

• I coach the little kiddos at my gym!
• I am starting a women’s athletic clothing line.
• I have crowd surfed at every camp that was not in my home state (3/3) and would like to keep that streak going *cough cough.*

MacKenzie King – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I initially did the November 2021 Arizona Camp. I loved everything about the experience. At the March 2022 Arizona Camp I met this super cool guy named TJ who pushed me to go to Heidelberg Camp (thanks, TJ). Before that, I really didn’t think it was that feasible for me to travel overseas. But I did it – and now here I am 6 camps in, ready to hit 10 by year’s end! It’s amazing to be able to get to train with so many new people that have so many unique styles.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I just got back from the Caribbean February 2022 Camp. I can’t begin to explain how beautiful St Barths is. This camp is different from the training-packed camps I have attended. There was surfing, beach time, and a LOT of eating (okay, that last one was on me but if you follow my instagram you know I have an entire highlight reel devoted to #MacKsandHerSnacKs).

Upcoming I have Maine 2023, Beach Camp Estonia 2023, Summer Camp Heidelberg 2023, and, of course, Arizona Camp 2023. While in Europe for Estonia and Germany, I plan on staying there for 3+ weeks to attend both camps and visit people and places.

MacKenzie King – BJJ Globetrotters

What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
The people, seeing new places, and even the challenges of getting around somewhere you may not be familiar with. The memories that can’t be bottled up are worth the headaches of planes, trains and automobiles (but also I have met really cool people on the plane rides, so bonus talk time).

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
If you know me, you know I love making friends. Everywhere I go, I collect new stories and new experiences through my interactions. I love meeting fellow Globetrotters (you guys are like really, really cool) and it’s amazing to see my friendships in the community grow and change. I also love meeting the locals and random strangers while I’m out and about. This last camp, I met a man named Paulo, who spoke almost no English. His native tongue was Portuguese. I speak a decent amount of Spanish, but it wasn’t entirely helpful (he understood my Spanish more than I his Portuguese). But between a glass of wine, wild hand gestures and lots of laughs, an entire hour had passed before I knew it. I honestly can’t remember what we even talked about other than him visiting his family the next day, but it puts a smile on my face. This recent trip also landed me on a beach around two in the morning at a techno concert surrounded by locals. My legs were scratched up and almost everything hurt the next morning, but the crowd surfing (apparently I give off a “carry me over the crowd” vibe that I am perfectly happy with) made it all worth it.

Seeing new places is kind of a “well, duh”/given when travelling, but I can’t begin to explain the tranquillity you feel while looking at the clear blue waters of the Caribbean with the ocean mist splashing in your face and the sounds of laughter in your ears when your surrounded by like-minded people as you attempt to surf for the first time; or the smell of hops in a German bar with your shoes sticking to the ground from the (sadly) spilled beer as the music plays too loud for you to hear those around you but the slurring smiles let you know everyone is having the best time; or the moments when you’re alone staring at parts of a once-whole castle wondering what it looked like in its prime while the sun beats down a little warm but not uncomfortably so and you find the perfect tree to sit in contentedly while others move about and you write in your journal. It’s something you can’t replicate. But these images and feelings and sounds are burned into my brain.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
How willing people are to help. I cannot tell you how many times I have looked like a silly tourist having to ask directions because I am too stubborn to turn on my data and pay the $10 (?!) a day. I have only been met with smiles or, if there is a language barrier, confusion but still a willingness to help as I type out the name of where I am trying to go in my notes app or point to my desired destination on an insane map of 40 different colored bus lines that were faded by the sun and nearly impossible to distinguish. People want to help. I do not enjoy feeling like a silly tourist. But in order to get past it, I have to be willing to ask and learn, or really push through the discomfort. Why not both?

MacKenzie King – BJJ Globetrotters Camp in St. Barts

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I am not but I need to be. Oh well. Always time to make more money. Never time to make more time.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Talk. Talk to people while you’re visiting places. I have never run into a time that I was wanting to make conversation and someone outright turned me down. The laughs and occasional confusion are worth it.

Stop. Stop and take the time to soak in everything around you. Even if it is just ten seconds of standing off to the side and watching people smiling and laughing or dancing to the music off beat. These ten second bits are what my brain holds on to.

Be silly. Be silly and do what you want. Life is too short to worry about what everyone else is thinking. I know it’s cliché, but it also holds true. We are often far too serious because we assume people will think we are weird. Let them. Be weird. Do fun stuff. Live a silly life.

I love you guys. Thank you for accepting me and all my weirdness and loudness and everything else-ness that has made me feel like I am “too much.” I love my silly life and I love that you’re in it.

Thank you to MacKenzie King – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Age: 30 (yes, I know, surprising!)

Belt: White belt – 4 stripes

Profession: IT Lead Officer, but used to work in theatre as a lampy!

How many years in BJJ: 5 years. However, it feels longer with the amount of injuries that I have.

I started to train after I worked on a teaser trailer for a film based around MMA called ‘Law of One’. This is where I met one of the lead actors, Steve ‘Spartan’ Obe (a brown belt under Andy Roberts). Steve became my personal trainer and helped me a lot with core movements. At the gym Christmas party I met Tim Radcliffe, my coach, and long story short I made a dodgy deal: sold my soul (which is why I’m a wristlocker nowadays) and started training BJJ.

Other martial arts: I did judo once as a kid. I had no balance and that’s where my shoulder issues started. Well, either that or falling off a horse too many times!

Where do you live: Woking, in the UK. It’s a really leafy part of Surrey (countryside in England) and it’s where the Martians landed in the H.G Wells classic The War of the Worlds (which we’re all made to read!)

Where are you from: Woking, UK. Never moved

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I coach and manage U13 & U14 girls in cricket, and score for a local men’s team. I’m also sponsored by Woking & Horsell Cricket Club, which is why you’ll see me walking around in a cricket top. I’m ambidextrous due to the tremor in my right arm. I’m an avid competitor and love going to competitions and, having competed several times in the South of England, I’m now looking for the right opportunity to compete internationally.

Seb Egan – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
When I started travelling and training, FOMO (fear of missing out) was real and a big problem for me. I just wanted to be in the gym training when I was on holiday. I was in Myrtle Beach, SC on a family holiday and I just needed to train. I found a local gym where I was welcomed with open arms, and ever since I’ve looked at gyms within a short distance of where I’ll be staying. Even whilst doing a group travel tour holiday, I still managed to find the time to train.

BJJ Globetrotters was a lucky find for me. After spending a weekend in hospital during the pandemic and staying in a COVID-19 geriatrics ward, I started looking for somewhere to lie in the sun and do some Jiu Jitsu, that’s when I found BJJ Globetrotters. Which really takes FOMO out of holidays since I can now train and travel at the same time.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
My most recent trip was to Austria for Winter Camp via Kauai, Hawaii for a beach trip and to let some of my injuries recover. This was the first time in five years that I’ve had a holiday without some Jiu Jitsu! And Christmas in Hawaii was too good to refuse. A big mistake not doing anything but lying on a beach and training the muscles in my left arm picking up a glass of beer over and over again! I really suffered in the first few rounds in Austria!

My next trip is going to be a short trip over to Wexford, Ireland for Micheal Currier’s seminar. Also one of the guys that used to train with me now trains there (and I owe him a wristlock or two!).

Currently on the books already are camps in Tallinn, Maine (where I’m spending a week either side of the camp in Boston/NYC for work), Poland for Zen Camp, Arizona, and a trip to Kansas City for work before travelling to St Barths – yacht owners lock up your yachts!!!

I do want to get over to Ukraine and train there, but this may not happen for a while. Other places that I want to go to are South Africa and South America, in particular Peru.

Seb Egan – BJJ Globetrotters

What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
I enjoy seeing different places, meeting new people, drinking with them, and sharing stories. I also enjoy the culture in new places. I love going on adventures – especially those with adrenaline, like throwing myself off bridges or jumping out of planes!

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I was travelling to Florida after Christmas 2021, which is where two fellow Globetrotters, Matt and Cynthia, live. I got in touch with Matt for a post-Christmas meet up. This ended with us doing a private session with Charles Harriott in a park just outside of Clearwater, one of the best travel and training experiences I’ve done – where else are you going to go to roll and have a private session?

On the training front, you can’t train at your gym the way you do when at camps. Your training partners grow accustomed to your style, and your game stops evolving. Somebody at your gym has to be learning from someone somewhere else, otherwise you’re still drilling the same techniques as each other with no exposure to how others are training.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
The general kindness of people. How they can act with so much care for you if you tell them that you’re alone, turning up to a restaurant and saying table for one and then strangers going out of their way to come and talk to you (maybe that’s just me though!)

Also when getting blackout drunk in a foreign country and finding local people to take you back to whatever accommodation I’m staying in, usually helped by having my address scrawled across my arm with a sharpie.

Seb Egan – BJJ Globetrotters

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
No to the budget travelling, but I do look for cheap deals and I do this by planning early and rebooking hotels last minute. I would normally class myself as a middle-luxury class traveller. I don’t stay in hostels very often. I prefer hotels and Airbnbs even if it means that I have to be on my own.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Keep doing you, keep travelling, and generally say yes to most things – it might be an experience that you would never have otherwise. The most important piece of advice is, whatever you do, don’t listen to Michael or to Francesco, as that’s usually where chaos begins. And if they’re both together, just enjoy the ride – it’s going to be a crazy one (Michael gets slapped and pubs get set on fire)!

Thank you to Seb Egan – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Age: I am 32 years old.

Belt: A 2-stripe blue belt (I often get demoted by my washing machine, but that’s a story for another day).

Profession: I am a small business owner working in marketing, advertising, and investment.

How many years in BJJ: Only been on the BJJ train for 3 years, yet it feels like forever.

Other martial arts: Boxing and Muay Thai have both been a consistent part of my life since I was 16 years old.

Where do you live: 4 years ago, after experiencing the worst snowstorm and almost losing both my ears and fingers to the harsh Canadian winter, I decided enough was enough and packed my bags for a forever sunny location. From the crazy sub-zero Quebec Arctic to the buzzing desert. Happily living in the sunny Abu Dhabi, UAE desert ever since.

I am forever grateful that this was possible due to the flexible nature of my work. This was also very strategic, since it would allow me to travel to my favorite countries more efficiently.

Where are you from: From Montreal, Canada, an absolutely beautiful and culturally rich city, with so much to offer, whenever it’s not freezing 8 months of the year. All righty, I’m just kidding, slightly…

Montreal will always have a special place in my heart as it’s also where I first started BJJ.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I obsess and meticulously plan so that I can travel as light as possible and all my stuff fit into one glorious bag. It’s like a religion to me at this point, or a fun psychotic game.

Stephanie Barthelemy – BJJ gear for travelling

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I travel for both fun and work. I would always visit local gyms for weight training. But when I started BJJ, I noticed that I was feeling anxious at the thought of missing training due to work travel. Then I remembered how popular the sport was globally and how awesome it would be to add BJJ to my travel routine, trying new clubs all around the world.

The rest is truly history. Now the first thing I do when I’m planning to travel to a new place is look for a BJJ gym. You know how some people love to check out UNESCO heritage sites? Well it’s a bit of a similar situation for me. I even go as far as choosing the apartment that’s closest to a BJJ gym.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I was in Belgrade, Serbia last October for a friend’s birthday and we both fell head over heels with the place. Then I spent 3 weeks in Riga, Latvia for medical tourism.

The next few months should be just as hectic as I like it. I’m planning to go back to train with my new BJJ friends in Belgrade and Malaga. On the calendar there’s also Bulgaria, an Egyptian wedding, and Globetrotters camps in Estonia and Poland.

There are still so many places I want to go to. It’s been a lifelong dream to make it to Antarctica. Also would love to go back to Iceland to hike the Landmannalauger and a glacier again. Then there’s Argentina for a wine and Asado course with some tango.

There’s so much to do and such limited time.

Anyways, I digress. One thing is certain is that I get quite excited when I think about the possibility of still being able to drop by BJJ gyms even in the most remote places. Meteora (Greece) is the only place where I couldn’t find any BJJ gym so far.

Stephanie Barthelemy – BJJ Globetrotters

What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
As a history and architecture aficionado, it goes without saying that I enjoy checking out the historical landmarks and museums. I also like outdoor adventuring. That said, my travel pattern is still different nowadays. For example, my friends tease me and call me a turtle because, apparently, I travel way too slow. I tried my best to pick up the pace but with time, I finally got to understand and accept my personal travel style instead of fighting it.

If I only have one week, you best believe it will be spent in the same city. This reminds me of a guy I met in Istanbul a few years ago. He was telling me about how fast he was and how he was able to travel the entirety of Turkey in only a week. I still shiver at that thought up until today. I had no idea how he did it.

Anyways, on my side, I’m slow and I like diving into the local food as a self-proclaimed foodie. Getting to know the locals and sharing meals and drinks with new friends is my main focus and the absolute cherry on top for me.

Then when I started dropping by local BJJ gyms, my overall travel experience increased tenfold.

Nowadays my perfect travel itinerary looks something like: work in the morning, then a quick museum, cultural, or food walking tour in the afternoon. In the evening, I head to Gi and NoGi training… brownie points if there’s a 10th Planet around (yes I know). Afterwards I’d be hitting some of the best places to eat. Ending the day with some crafted cocktails in a hole in the wall bar lounge that only the locals know about.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I’ve been traveling for quite some time now, but only recently started to merge it with training. And let me tell you that I never fathomed this type of life-changing experience.

Back in November, I traveled to Latvia entirely alone to have a major surgery. Before the surgery, I managed to drop by Strela Riga BJJ in order to train. I still remember the pure joy I felt attending the class being fully taught in Russian. BJJ truly knows no limits. I just never expected to receive such a warm welcome and acceptance from the head coach along with the team members. After the training we all exchanged our @ on IG (how things have changed since the email days). I had only recently met these people and only rolled with them once, yet they all kept checking on me post-surgery, during my recovery and offering me their help. Up until today, I’m still flabbergasted by their kindness.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Yes, there are most certainly serial killers out there. That said, after continuously traveling all around the world, I’m determined that most people are good. And I don’t say this lightly but as a minority who sticks out like a sore thumb wherever I go.

My experience has never been short of amazing 99% of the time. It’s insane how people go out of their way to help you.

Another surprising thing is related to traveling in the modern landscape. I still can’t get used to how so many people use Instagram. I know that the platform gets a lot of hate, but I’m so thankful that I started using it this year. It has had a great impact in my life and has been a positive tool to stay in contact and nurture the friendship with all these amazing jiujiteiros/-as all around the world.

There was also that time when I was traveling through Palestine and met this lovely Palestinian girl at a local coffee shop. After talking for a few minutes, she invited me to stay over at her place so she could practice her English. She was a recent medical graduate looking for a job and was bored out of her mind. Next thing you know, my one week stay turned into 3 months and we were traveling round the region and having a blast. She also refused to let me pay back a single dime for the hospitality.

So many people with hearts of gold all around the world. I try my best to contribute and pay it forward in my own way.

Stephanie Barthelemy – BJJ Globetrotters

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I’m afraid I’m not much of a budget traveler. I see myself more of medium to luxury traveler with a passion for scoring good deals. That said, most of my trips are planned ahead of time, which gives me plenty of time to research the best prices.

I guess I still have my ways to minimize cost and strike a balance. For example, I don’t mind a budget airline for shorter trips but then I would splurge on a nice apartment rental, restaurants, wine, and excursions. That said, I will almost always say yes to any adventure so I don’t mind roughing it occasionally. All in the name of yolo-ing and making lifetime memories with amazing friends.

For the sake of transparency, I also do want to add that my favorite parts of the world to travel are the Baltics, Balkans, overall the geographical Eastern part of Europe (not trying to get political here), the Caucasus, and Central Asia (Silk Road). Coincidentally, these are all places that also allow me to stretch my dollar much further than, let’s say, Switzerland, France or Scandinavia.

So that’s probably my #1 travel hack right there.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
A reminder that even if we look different or speak different languages, have different nationalities etc., we’re all social creatures who crave various level of human interaction, connection, and a sense of togetherness and belonging. I think fellow globetrotters already know this to some extent and tend to be naturally adventurous at heart.

Still, it’s very easy to get complacent or let fear cripple us, as the news only seem to get worse by the day. So let’s all keep gallivanting around the globe in our gis whilst simultaneously connecting and sharing awesome moments together. Although we certainly momentarily choose violence on the mats, no one else knows how to have a good time like my fellow globetrotters.

Looking forward to seeing you half way around the world, perhaps even RNC’ing a couple of you guys, only to enjoy a few too many glasses of wine when all is said and done.

Cheers & stay curious and adventurous my friends!

Thank you to Stephanie Barthelemy – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!