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Mitane Budō Kai, BJJ Japan

Where is the gym located?
Mitane, Akita, Japan

How many people train there?
13 regulars. Classes range from 1-10 people on any given day.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Currently, no. COVID-19 protocols restrict us from accepting new members. However, we have a lot of local interest and get an average of 2 inquiries a week.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
Brown, purple, blue, and white.

We currently do not have a Black Belt instructor. We hope to remedy that in 2022.

When did the gym open?
July 2020

Some facts about you:

Name: Michael Brevig
Age: 39
Belt: Purple 1 stripe
Profession: Software engineer
Years in BJJ: 8 years, 4 months (https://www.beltchecker.com/u/mitanebudo)
Other martial arts: Judo
Currently living in: Akita, Japan
Originally from: Minneapolis, MN USA

Mitane Budō Kai, BJJ Japan

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
Oh man, where do I start… I suppose you could say it started back in 2019. I was walking around Chiang Mai, Thailand when I bumped into a Jiujiterio I trained with at Pure Grappling (puregrappling.org). He asked if I wanted to grab a drink. Well, one became many and the rest of the night is a bit of a blur.

I woke up the next morning sitting upright on my couch, shoes on, and my phone in my hand. I unlocked my phone, hoping for clues as to what happened the night before, to find the website for TaneHub (tanehub.asia), and no Tinder replies. I’m not sure why I was looking at the site, but what I found was a co-working space in rural Japan. They were running an experiment to see if digital nomads would want to live in reclaimed abandoned homes.

I was intrigued.

I contacted the owner via Facebook, booked a flight, and arrived in Japan a week later. I fell in love instantly. The rice fields, clean air, nihonshu (sake), cheap eats, friendly farmers, and hundreds of years worth of history at your fingertips. I was amazed by how at home I felt.

I left Japan three months later.

Fast forward to March 2020 – I was traveling around Portugal when various countries started shutting down due to COVID-19. I saw the writing on the wall, weighed my options, then decided to get “stuck” in Japan.

Three months went by. I was isolated, getting fat, and missed training regularly. So, I bought some mats, used gis from a friend in Malaysia, and invited a few locals to train with me. They loved it! They told their friends and we grew unexpectedly. Since then, we’ve had local judoka cross-train, a sumo instructor drop in a couple of times, and several people come from across the prefecture to take part in our Super Saturday class.

This past August, I teamed up with TaneHub and Start-up Akita to develop a plan to revitalize Mitane’s local economy with martial arts tourism and digital nomad cohabitation. Things are moving slowly but surely. We’re close to acquiring a new (to us) building for our dojo, our first shared house ready to go, etc.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
They’re probably the most diverse club in all of Akita. Our members are teachers, engineers, business owners, a model, etc. And from all over the globe.

Our gym is inclusive.

Why do they train in Mitane Budō Kai, BJJ Japan?
The new guys do it for stress relief, to get in shape, for the community, etc. The rest of us are just obsessed.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
I’m always fixing or cleaning something haha. Besides that, collecting payments, adjusting lesson plans on the fly, answering questions, and taking a beating from new students day-in-and-day-out.

Not being Japanese has created its own set of challenges. Everything from getting my business visa to finding out who owns xyz property. The customs, rules, regulations are so vastly different than the US. This process has deepened my respect for immigrants everywhere. Every day is fucking challenge, but I’m grateful for it.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
We have big plans to expand our little club into a village for martial artists, digital nomads, and travelers. Check out our site for more information :p

What’s the best thing about your gym?
We’re a chill academy. Lots of drilling, discussion, and trial and error during each class

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
In this order:
1) Onsen – natural and man-made hot springs are sprinkled all over Japan. We have four within a 5-minute drive from the dojo. Tattoos okay!
2) Hiking/Camping – There’s a crazy amount of hiking and free camping in our area.
3) Food – We’re near a fishing port, a horse butcher, etc.
4) Beach – We have a great beach (camping allowed) about 8km from us.
5) Festivals – Japan is known for its crazy street festivals. There’s one or two a month in this area during the warmer months.
6) Nihonshu – Sake! Akita rice is the best in Japan. Brewery tours abound!
7) Moritake Kabuki – Moritake Kabuki has been performed for over 200 years, and is a local production put on by community members.

For more, check out: https://visitshirakami.com/blessings/

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Thanks for sharing with us! If you’d like to pay a visit to Mitane Budō Kai, BJJ Japan you can find them here.

Pámela Bóveda and Josue Gonzalez BJJ

Age: 32 (Pámela) and 29 (Josue)

Belt: Black (Pámela) and Purple (Josue)

Profession: Aerospace Engineer and Language Teacher (Pámela), Chef (Josue)

How many years in BJJ: 14 (Pámela) and 8 (Josue)

Other martial arts: MMA (Pámela), only BJJ (Josue)

Where do you live: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Where are you originally from: Paraguay (Pámela) and Argentina (Josue)

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: Pámela was the first female black belt from Paraguay and also the first female aerospace engineer from her country. Josue can juggle and he cooks the best vegan pancakes in the entire world.
We have a YouTube channel where we show the academies and other places we visit while traveling.

Pámela Bóveda and Josue Gonzalez – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Self improvement keeps us motivated. From every place we learn more and more, not only technically but mentally. Also, getting to know so many different and cool people around the world is what keeps us inspired. We hosted a lot of globetrotters at our place in Buenos Aires, and always had such cool experiences. We can’t wait to host again. We also have been hosted in Europe when we had the chance to travel.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
After living in Cordoba, Argentina for several years, then Asunción, Paraguay for a year, and finally in Buenos Aires, Argentina for 4 years, we decided that experiencing the US BJJ scene would be a great option. So we applied for a Sports Visa, came to Miami, and started training at Fight Sports Miami and Vagner Rocha’s martial arts academy. We competed a lot. We also had the chance to teach and travel to El Paso, Texas, where we trained with Kings MMA El Paso and Fight Sports El Paso. Then we came back to Florida and trained at Fight Sports and Aviv Jiu Jitsu.

Next we’re going to South America, to visit our family and compete around there. We miss the food so much, that we need to get back for a while. (kidding)

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
We enjoy being in places we haven’t been, getting to know people, training and learning from the culture and the people. We also enjoy sharing what we know. Teaching Jiu Jitsu or languages is always cool.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I remember one time Josue and I were going to Germany to compete, and this girl reached us out because she saw we were from South America, so she actually went to the train station to wait for us and show us around. Someone we had never met before. Our friend from Paraguay was also there waiting for us, and they ended up training together because he was living there.
Getting to know these kinds of people is priceless. After that we trained together, and now she is a friend.

Another thing that happened in Germany is that we made a mistake on the date while booking a hostel, so we had no place to sleep and no extra money either. So I just googled “jiu jitsu Munich” and found this academy, Munich MMA. I asked if we could spend the night there. The owner had never seen us in his life, and he said yes – he trusted us with his academy with no one there. The next day, I had the chance to teach a women’s class at his academy. It was amazing.

Pámela Bóveda and Josue Gonzalez – BJJ competitions

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
This happened back in 2013. My friend Raith and I went to compete in Gramado, Brazil, and we had no money to go back to Argentina. So we started to hitchhike, and this guy saw us with a Jiu Jitsu t-shirt from the tournament, so he stopped his car, took us to the bus station and bought us tickets back. We asked him for his info so we could send the money later, but he said no. He said one day we also need to help someone, and then left.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
As you guys have read, we are 100% budget travelers. Competing and traveling is not easy at all, but it is worth it! We plan a trip using public transportation as much as we can, buying the tickets in advance to get better prices, matsurfing or couch surfing or staying at a friend’s place. We also try to teach seminars or classes when we go to a new city. We have a lot of experience at refereeing, so we offer that kind of training also.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
The advice would be – go for it. There is nothing like seeing the world and enjoying what you love doing. It will be very hard sometimes, but it will be worth it, especially if it’s a long trip.

Thank you to Pámela Bóveda and Josue Gonzalez – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Age: 37

Belt: Purple

Profession: Managing Director of a personal safety company called RESOLVEit.

How many years in BJJ: Almost 5 years.

Other martial arts: Oh where do I start!

I won’t list the black belts, I cringe at things like that, but let’s just say the few look quite nice framed on my wall now lol! Initially, I started in Kung Fu with my dad because I was bullied. Then I joined a Taekwondo club and by the age of 10, I was already part of the Welsh Squad and competing heavily. In my early teens, I ended up moving cities and by sheer chance, started Karate after a friend asked me to go with him. Subsequently, he quit and I stayed.

Fast forward 28 years, I met someone at a Mixed Martial Arts seminar, who changed my whole perception on martial arts (and life). It was one of those defining moments that led me to hanging up my Kyokushin gi in exchange for the BJJ and Shin Atemi gi and the rest is history…

*Shin Atemi is a form of Mixed Martial Arts that combines the striking art of full contact karate with locks and throws and then ground work and grappling.

Where do you live: Wales, UK

Where are you originally from: I was born in Zimbabwe and moved to the UK when I was around 2 years old.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I’m a huge fan of Wonder Woman and every belt I have in BJJ has a small Wonder Woman logo on it haaaa!

Eira Culverwell – BJJ World Masters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Travelling and training has been built in me from the age of 7, so being in the UK for long periods irks my soul.

I’m inherently quite a detached person from the mainstream crowds, and find socialising quite overwhelming and usually disappear or make my excuses. I like the mix that travelling and training offers me. It allows me time to balance my soul again – as deep as that sounds. I have undisturbed time to reflect and process my thoughts; to set my intentions and to keep my training and development moving forward.

I also find there’s way more women abroad who train; it’s refreshing to roll with women as opposed to just men. Women’s physiology is so different, it’s so much fun to roll with women and you know what… it’s damn right amazing not to constantly be one of two women, the smallest and oldest haaaa! We all know those very excitable and explosive 18 year olds…

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
Ah, the great escape…

My most recent travel (escape) was to the BJJ Globetrotters Zen Camp in Poland. And by now, you’ll see why it grabbed my attention. Set in a Japanese-style village in the middle of nowhere, with like-minded people, all united together, to escape the madness of the world for a few days, just to train…

It was a much needed reprieve.

My next plans are Japan. My other half lives and trains there. He’s a 5th dan in Judo, purple belt in BJJ, is a sambo and catch wrestler, and heads up Shin Atemi. So going back there has dual meaning. I hope to extend my time there by spending time in Tokyo, at Carpe Diem BJJ. One of the places I really felt at home and mirrored the same style of coaching I get at CRA.

I’d like to go back to Orlando. I made some wonderful memories at Bruno Malfacine’s club, and miss Steve and Bruno and their classes. There are just some places you feel as though you fit, eh?

There’s also one person I’d love to be taught by, and that’s Margot (Mars) Ciccarelli. I rolled with her in Carpe Diem, before the Tokyo and Asian Masters. Since then, I’ve followed her teachings online as she’s travelled round the world. She’s a huge inspiration on and off the mats.

Eira Culverwell – BJJ training

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
I love exploring. It’s the freedom of not having a routine. I can just get up, pack a rucksack for the day, google a few places, and head out the door. I’m not the type to just sit around and sunbathe. I have to see and experience what the place has to offer; be it on foot, bike, car, plane etc…

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I was prepping for Worlds Masters in 2018 and flew to Orlando to train at Bruno Malfacine’s (oh, and obviously to go to the adventure parks – huge Harry Potter geek). The experience was 1st-class. The comp classes were tough and the standard was extremely high. The USA has an incredible standard of BJJ and is kinda a mecca, especially around Worlds.

My other favourite places to train are Thailand, at Phuket Top Team with Professor Olavo, and at Keenan’s new club in San Diego. Again, both were super welcoming, no rules on colour gis or affiliation patches, just good old-fashioned warm welcomes, hard training, and brilliant teaching.

Eira Culverwell – BJJ training

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Besides not killing myself on the American freeways haaa. It’s how comfortable and adaptable I’ve become when travelling, even down to being a pro packer; I’m the travelling martial arts Marie Kondo ha!

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I always budget, but I will always stay in one nice hotel during my trip, especially if I’m competing. I don’t do hostels anymore, and I’m a pillow snob.

I don’t drink or party, so my home life really only revolves around work, training, studying and travelling to training… man I sound boring! I tend not to spend money on anything else, plus I’m sponsored by Aesthetic, so all of my BJJ kit is paid for (which saves a ton).

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Whatever camp or holiday you’re pondering over, don’t. After a fairly shitty year, we all, I hope, can agree that life is way too short.

Maybe don’t buy that coffee or takeout two, three, or four times a week….

I have two actual piggy banks sat on my kitchen window, where every week I put £1 coins in one and loose change in the other. That’s how I paid for the Zen camp!

Thank you Eira Culverwell – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Age: 35

Belt: Blue belt under Frank “Dukes” Livorsi

Profession: Traveling Critical Care Nurse

How many years in BJJ: 3 years this Christmas!

Other martial arts: None. I grew up playing ice hockey as a kid and always thought I could handle myself in a fight. Jiu Jitsu proved me totally wrong.

Where do you live: Currently Las Vegas, NV

Where are you originally from: I was born in New York City but call Cocoa Beach, Florida home. I moved to Florida for college and realized how special it is.

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I love to surf as well. Jiu Jitsu and surfing really compliment each other in unique ways.

Mike Abbate – BJJ Globetrotters

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
As a traveling nurse, I am constantly on the move. I realized that Jiu Jitsu and traveling go great together, especially when you have organizations and resources like BJJ Globetrotters. I got my blue belt after training a year and a half at Off the Grid in Cocoa Beach. Since that time, I’ve just been lucky to find great gyms to train at while I travel the country.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I typically stay in one location for 3 months or so. I’m currently in Las Vegas training with an awesome group at Vills Bros. I’ve traveled to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, all the way to Reno, Nevada, and even spent a few months in Southern California surfing and training. Before coming out to Vegas, I spent a couple months in Washington DC working a Covid response assignment, and was lucky enough to train at a small gym there.

Mike Abbate – BJJ gym

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
Gaining perspectives on life I wouldn’t have otherwise had. I’ve realized there are great people anywhere you go, especially within the Jiu Jitsu community. The U.S. is an incredibly beautiful and diverse country which I didn’t really appreciate until I started traveling.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I’ve trained under some world-class coaches, and even for a short amount of time was able to pick up tips and techniques along the way. It’s fascinating seeing the different styles of Jiu Jitsu and how so many styles and approaches to the game can work.

I once walked into a random gym in Las Vegas for an open mat, and a multiple-time world Jiu Jitsu champion walked up to me (I’ll keep her name a secret) and invited me to roll. She is about 85lbs and absolutely worked me, but it was such a fun roll. I was lucky enough to train at that gym for a few months and was surrounded by incredible talent. It’s one of the reasons I travelled back to Las Vegas to train again.

Mike Abbate – BJJ Globetrotters

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
How easy it is! This country is built to travel. We have safe roads and accessible airports. Traveling in the U.S. is affordable as well. There really isn’t a good excuse not to travel.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Budget traveler. Although as I’ve gotten older, I’ve traded in couch surfing at friends’ houses for staying at Airbnbs.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Just go for it. The experience you will get traveling and training can’t be had any other way.

Thank you to Mike Abbate BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Where is the gym located?
The gym is located on Via Ricardo J. Alfaro, Plaza Belair (second floor), La Alameda in Panama City. We’re located right in the middle of the capital city on one of the main avenues, easily accessible by local bus or taxi.

How many people train there?
We are around 50 people between Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing, and kids classes.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We have a few people coming in every month to try our classes. I would say it is never enough, but the numbers are always steady, so that’s important for us.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We currently have 6 black belts in the gym, all active, and lower belts would be from our kids class. In between we have colored belts of all ranks between the women and men currently training with us.

When did the gym open?
The gym officially opened back in 2015.

Some facts about you:

Name: Stephen Martinez
Academy: Shogun Panamá BJJ
Age: 46
Belt: Black belt first degree
Profession: Hotelier
Years in BJJ: I have been training since 2000
Other martial arts: Nothing serious, but at one point or another I’ve trained
wrestling, kickboxing, and judo to complement my Jiu Jitsu.
Currently living in: Panama City, Panama
Originally from: Born and raised in Panama

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
The gym owner – Ivan Quintanar, currently a black belt first degree – started training back in 2003 under the first official school in the country, Gracie Barra Panama. Later in 2009, together with some members from Gracie Barra Panama, they decided to open a new independent school named Spartan Jiu-Jitsu.

From 2009 to 2015, Spartan Jiu-Jitsu was one of the biggest and stronger academies in the country, but sadly the same year 2015 the academy closed and later on he opened Shogun Panama.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
I’m very proud to say we have an amazing crew of people training with us. Also I’m proud of the fact that we try to keep an open space for everyone who likes to train Jiu Jitsu or kickboxing, regardless of what exactly are your goals. Most members are local people who just like to come in and train, as well as competitors that train intensively for local and international competitions. We are very well balanced between adult females and males, both in kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu, as well as in the Jiu Jitsu classes for kids.

More importantly to us, we are not a commercial gym. We are open to everyone regardless of profession or economic status. We try to aim for people to come in, have fun, learn martial arts, and get value out of martial arts and training.

Shogun Panamá BJJ

Why do they train?
Everyone has different goals when they walk into a gym. We try to keep an open mind regarding your goals and what exactly you are looking to get from training.

We have people who train just for hobby or fitness. We have people who want to compete locally and internationally. We have a little bit of both, and we have a place and time for everyone.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
We are first and foremost a passion project. Nobody is getting rich here from teaching Jiu Jitsu or running a gym, but then we need to take into consideration bills to pay to keep the place running, so it’s like a catch-22 kind of situation. However, we try to keep going and look for solutions to such problems along the way. Due to the country’s economy, we try to keep prices accessible to everyone. Still with all that, we face the same problems just like every other gym around the world. We have people coming in and training for a while, we have permanent people who no matter what will come to train, and we have people who eventually quit and leave because something else shows up in life.

As an instructor this can be a little frustrating, because you invest time in teaching someone and sometimes people don’t appreciate that the same way you do, but eventually with time to learn to accept not everyone is meant to stay with you forever. Also, you learn to understand there are other important things to do in life – so just go ahead and take it as it is.

We try to make sure that no matter what, you know the mat will be there always waiting for you, whether you decide to come back or not.

Shogun Panamá BJJ

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
It’s been roughly 20 years since the first group of people started training grappling and BJJ in Panama.

I think is growing up, slowly but steadily. We have been fortunate to host IBJJF and UAEJJF events in the country, something that I believe is big for us for being such a small country. Locally, we have tournaments and different gyms besides us, so we have a big community here of people training Jiu Jitsu.

At least for us, sometimes it picks up in popularity or sometimes it gets more steady, but never slow.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
I believe, more than anything, that we have built a good foundation where we try to make everyone feel welcome and we don’t force you to do anything you don’t want. Whether you just want to train for a hobby or competition, we don’t care. We will support you the same way.

Also, I believe we have created an infrastructure where we don’t follow any specific team flags or creeds. We have been associated at some point or another with great people or teams, but at the end of the day we are the ones running the place, teaching classes, and making sure we take care of everyone. While the ugly side of the business always shows its head (bills), we always want everyone to feel like coming to train is like going to a get-together with your friends, rather than a chore.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Please don’t come to the country only to see the Panama canal! Jokes aside, Panama is a nice place to visit. We are small in size, but we’re fortunate to have easy access to both the Pacific and Caribbean oceans in case you like the beach. Also we are a multicultural country with great food, both local and international. We have great natural spots to visit and discover. Nightlife is vibrant. Our shopping area is one of the best in the region, and people in general are very friendly

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

Where is the gym located?
Heidelberg, Germany
(SRH Campus Sports e.V.
Bonhoefferstr. 4/1
69123 Heidelberg)

How many people train there?
We have about 50 people training with us in total, with typically 8 to 16 on the mat for most sessions.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Yes, it’s growing slowly but steadily, so far only through word of mouth, since we didn’t get into marketing/social media action until recently. There are surges with 5 or more people joining in a month, and there can be several months with only 1 or none joining. On average, I’d say our net growth is around 1 person per month.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
White to black and everything in between.

When did the gym open?
At our current location, in October of 2016. Many of us were at a different gym before, where we left in unison due to a problematic gym owner.

Some facts about you:

Name: Thomas Stoll
Age: 34
Belt: Black
Profession: Student and research assistant in sports science and psychology;
tutor in math and physics for high school students
Years in BJJ: 8.5
Other martial arts: Karate (Shotokan), WSL Wing Chun, FMA, Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA
Currently living in: Heidelberg, Germany
Originally from: Filderstadt, Germany

Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
Many of us started at another gym, which was run poorly and where we basically didn’t have a proper instructor for the most part. Therefore we taught ourselves and each other. I basically dove into Marcelo Garcia and Ryan Hall instructionals and copied their games.

Due to some lucky circumstances, we eventually got a great black belt – our head coach Vinnie Carlucci – to step in and take us on. He drove 2+ hours to teach us, twice a week, every week. After several severe troubles with the gym owner, we decided as a group to leave that gym and look for our own place. After some searching and trying out different places, we were lucky enough to have a friend (who trained with us at the time) to recommend SRH Campus Sports e.V., where we found our new home. From there it just kept growing from word of mouth and friends bringing friends.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have mostly students and personnel of Heidelberg university training with us. Also a few from all sorts of other occupations: social workers, policemen, medical doctors…

Our youngest member just turned 16, the oldest is in his forties. We have more men than women training with us, but fortunately this is slowly changing, and we now have a couple of women on the mats for most sessions. Most of our members prefer nogi, which is probably not least influenced by my own preference, the fact that several of us “founders” came from MMA and/or wrestling backgrounds, and our training schedule being nogi-heavy.

Team Choco Heidelberg BJJ

Why do they train?
I think most train for fun, plus the intellectual and physical challenge. Some are certainly coming mostly for socializing and meeting their friends on the mats. We have few competitors, with myself being the main one, which I’d love to see pick up a bit. Unfortunately, many are busy with uni, work and family, so it’s just not on the cards for them. Our training schedule tries to cater to everybody, so that the competitors have their needs met just as much as the ones who come once or twice per week to learn the fundamentals.

While self-defense and MMA aren’t the focus at our school, I believe many students have this in the back of their mind. I try my best to teach “universal grappling” and point out cases where we’re playing to the rules of the sport and how this would relate to a more open/chaotic environment with striking etc. Periodically we hold a “street fighting day”, where everyone wears regular (or fancy) street wear and we include light striking into the grappling. Last time we did it in the dark and with disco lights. So everyone is prepared for their next disco scrap. Next time might be Oktoberfest themed ^^

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Since Heidelberg is a student town, one challenge is members frequently moving away, since many just come here for university studies and move away right after finishing their degrees. This does mean we constantly have new students coming to us as well, and while this is positive it’s also unfortunate for us – since we’re built on caring about and developing each member and building strong relationships.

Unfortunately, this aspect of Heidelberg – with people frequently arriving and departing – also enables some poorly run gyms to survive a lot longer than they should. They can milk their students and still not be wiped out due to their bad business practices and consequential reputation, since they always have a fresh supply of new members to exploit. There’s one such particular gym in Heidelberg, which is well known in the martial arts scene in Germany. Of course, this is unbeknownst to the fresh arriving new students that get caught in their net each semester. They realize it after a few months, at which point they remain trapped in long-lasting contracts. Some of them land at our place at one point, but many are probably done with martial arts for good, as they may assume that’s how things are run everywhere.

Team Choco Heidelberg BJJ

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Despite the problems mentioned above, it is definitely growing, and we now have some great things going on here that we didn’t have just a few years back. Not only do we have the biggest BJJ Globetrotters camp in town, we’ll also (as soon as Covid gets out of the way) finally have several bigger competitions (AGF) here every year, which will be fantastic for the local scene.
As well as that, we’re getting more and more visits from students of surrounding gyms and Globetrotters. The latter has obviously slowed down dramatically recently, but I’m confident it’ll pick back up once the Covid situation eases up.

What’s the best thing about Team Choco Heidelberg BJJ?
From what I gather, for many it’s the vibe and the opportunities on offer. We do our best to make every member feel welcome and supported in reaching their goals.

Everyone can train at least three hours every day, with at least one hour of open mat every day. While fundamental classes are more structured, advanced classes are more open and focused on positional sparring and individual exploration of techniques. This enables everyone to find and develop their own style, which I believe is highly important for advanced athletes. For most of the year, open mat is entirely unstructured, and some people have tough rolls, while others drill, do conditioning, or sit around and talk. I really love for everyone to come in and feel happy with the opportunity to use the mats the way they prefer.

One thing I’m particularly proud of (and which took a long time to cultivate) is our strong drilling culture. Some of us regularly watch instructionals and competition footage, and use open mat to integrate, explore, and drill new ideas. Others drill the moves and ideas they’ve learned in class, which makes me happy, as it means they trust my teachings. That said, I like to see them – particularly the advanced students – finding their own style that fits their body, personality and preferences. I’ll try to help to the best of my abilities if I’m asked for it, while also holding back if people are experimenting on their own, so they can make their own experiences.

To be honest, I think Heidelberg generally doesn’t offer the toughest and most athletic students/training partners (Heidelberg has one of the wealthiest demographics in Germany) but instead smart and educated folks, often with academic backgrounds. I think we harness this in a good way, focusing on knowledge and understanding first, toughness and athletics after.

I personally dedicate a lot of time to watching instructionals and matches, forming conclusions and testing them on the mats, so I can offer the best possible up-to-date training for all of my students. Combining it with everything I’ve learned from sports science and psychology, looking into what high-level athletes and coaches are doing, and constantly experimenting with training structure and methodology to find what works best (while keeping it fun).

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
I don’t do much besides training, working, and studying, so I’m not of much help in this area! I guess the famous castle is an obvious spot to check out. Also the Neckarwiese, Old Town, and Philosophers’ Walk (with Thingstätte on top) are tourist favorites, from what I could gather over the years ^^

So many places and buildings in Heidelberg look beautiful and interesting, it’s hard to go wrong here.

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

Age: 34

Belt: Blue

Profession: Speech pathologist

How many years in BJJ: 3 years 6 months

Other martial arts: I did 4 years of kickboxing / Muay Thai before starting BJJ

Where do you live: I lived in Heidelberg (Germany) for 5 years until I quit my job, left my apartment, and started globetrotting. Currently I’m stranded in Hamburg because ‘Rona forced a decision.

Where are you originally from: Stuttgart, Germany

Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I have a sixth sense for Ezekiel chokes. I will start laughing before you get it.

Mina Rauter – BJJ training

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
When I was a child, my family moved around a lot in the region of southern Germany, so I was always used to being some kind of nomad, exploring new areas and finding new friends. Travelling feels natural to me, and somehow it’s an addiction too. I’m always on the hunt for adventures and new things to explore. Training while travelling makes it a lot easier to find like-minded people to hang around with. I found a couple of my current best friends while travelling to Globetrotters camps :) And I love BJJ. Couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
From February to April this year, I lived in Thailand, on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. In between that, I did some short trips to Cambodia and other islands nearby. Because of Corona, I decided to come back to Europe, since I didn’t want to be stuck somewhere far away in the world if something happened to my family. Now I’m in Germany/Europe with the option of always jumping in my car and driving home if necessary. I’m in Hamburg now, and I think it’s the perfect city to live through these pandemic times. If you compare southern and northern Germany, it’s like travelling to a foreign country – the people here are just different haha ;)

Mina Rauter – BJJ friends

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
I’m a “slow traveller”. I want to get to know places and people deeply. I don’t like to just scratch the surface, and I’m not a fan of small talk. The things I highly appreciate while travelling are: meeting friends, having good conversations, a great vibe, a lot of nature around, delicious food, and high-level training options. Just like in Hamburg :) Also, in general travelling forces me to grow in various ways and develop new skills. You have to get out of your comfort zone. Especially while solo travelling. For example, in Thailand I learned how to drive a scooter, how to sleep with snakes and lizards in my jungle bungalow, how to snap bottle caps and cut coconuts. You never know when you’ll need such skills again :)

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Thailand is a great destination for starting a world trip. The training options are awesome. Mostly I trained at Super Pro Samui and at Momentum on Koh Phangan. Momentum opened up my mind to different movement styles; it totally changed my perspective on how to move my body on the mats. Every now and then, it’s very healthy to step out of your Jiu Jitsu brain and do something else for the body. But the best thing is still the people you meet. I’ve met friends from the Globetrotters family on both islands, which always creates a feeling of coming home anywhere in the world. The easiest way to connect with people is just a smile and a hello; the rest will come as simple as that. For sure the jungle is also very nurturing, and once the jungle is a part of you you’ll never forget it. That’s also how training in the jungle feels like ;) I think any experience makes it worth travelling. Even bad ones like a fucking pandemic and having to decide to go back home shows you what you really appreciate, where your personal priorities lie, and how you solve problems and find solutions.

Mina Rauter – BJJ Globetrotters

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
I don’t like wearing shoes anymore. Hiking for hours is so much easier barefoot. If something light-green that looks like a leaf falls down in front of you, be aware – in Thailand it could be a snake (very tricky situation if you’re on a scooter and driving at the time). Also, I’m in Hamburg. I’m still surprised I ended up here for now.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Budget traveller. The idea of globetrotting was born on short notice, and thus I only had a couple of months to save money. So I moved out of my apartment in Heidelberg and crashed on friends’ couches while still working and saving. I am so grateful that I’m blessed with friends like that, who made this trip possible.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Trust the way. It will open up as you start walking. Especially when you’re lost! Just do it. Don’t plan too much, if you do so, you might miss spontaneous adventures that pop up along the way. And everytime you feel like quitting – don’t! Just like in BJJ, there is always a way ;)

Thank you to Mina Rauter – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Age: 30

Belt: Black (purple in BJJ formally, black in Luta Livre – so blackbelt)

Profession: Special Education teacher, academy owner of Game Theory Jiu-Jitsu (one of four owners), Jiu-Jitsu teacher

How many years in BJJ: Should be around 9/10

Other martial arts: I started martial arts by doing Judo as a child, did some self defense Ju-Jutsu, then moved on to grappling and MMA

Where do you live: Cologne, Germany

Where are you originally from: A small town close to the German-Dutch border

Sven Groten – BJJ Globetrotters camp

Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Only a couple of years ago – and to be honest, somewhat still to this day – Germany was a developing country when it came to grappling. There was grappling training, but it was still stuck in the Stone Age of development. After my first glance into modern Jiu-Jitsu, it was pretty much apparent that getting decent teaching, training partners, and influences would be hard to come by without travel.

Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
Just before Corona hit the world, I was able to cross a week in the Jiu-Jitsu Mecca of New York off my bucket list. Also, as I’m writing this, I just returned home from the BJJ Globetrotters Camp in Iceland.

Sven Groten – BJJ Globetrotters camp in Iceland

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
The main aspect I really like about Jiu-Jitsu travelling specifically is that, to the locals, it instantly makes you more than a random tourist. You are a fellow practitioner. That makes the interactions with people less superficial and somehow more real. You might much more easily end up having some form of connection with people, and be invited to spend time together.

Furthermore, travelling as a blackbelt and instructor often leads into teaching, and somehow the idea that someone from the other end of the world learned a tiny bit of Jiu-Jitsu from me and carries that with him is a very satisfying one.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Well, I can’t really tell you about one or two amazing crazy things I’ve experienced. It’s more about the mass of tiny ones that make it worth the effort. Being invited to teach while in New York was quite the honor for me, I’ve always had my eye on people over there, so for me – a random guy from Germany – to be teaching there was kind of crazy. Similarly, I remember one day during my first Iceland camp, staring out in the ocean, wondering how this weird thing that started as a hobby somehow took me there.

One big thing I can point out for sure was the opportunity of having a private lesson with Garry Tonon. I’m not a fan of personalities, but his grappling is something I’ve been looking up to a lot.

Sven Groten – BJJ training

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Each and every time I visit a new place and be myself, I’m surprised people don’t drive me out of town with pitchforks.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I don’t have excess money, but I’m not really a budget traveller anyways. I somehow try to save enough to not have to be too careful about my spending when traveling.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Tough one… In general, I guess I should recommend to not do anything the way I do it. But especially if you don’t travel regularly, I think in every “Should I do/try this?”-type scenario, I’d say go for it. It might be the one chance you get!

Thank you Sven Groten – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!

Mike Hartmann – BJJ Globetrotters

Age: 45 years old
Belt: Black Belt First Degree
Profession: Police Trainer for Tactics, Shooting, Self-Defense
Started training (year): 2001 with Mario Stapel in Germany
City/country: Wetzlar / Germany

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

I´m very happy to be Germanys National Coach for BJJ in JJIF (Adult Women). It´s a small but great team and going to competitions with them is awesome.

Mike Hartmann – BJJ Coach

Which BJJ Globetrotters camps have you attended?

Copenhagen (2), Heidelberg Summercamp (2), St. Barth (3), Sardinina (1), Winter Camp Austria (1), Leuven Summercamp (2)

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

My clear favorite was St. Barth 2016. I was absolutely overwhelmed by the great atmosphere and the island itself. So I came back two years in a row and can’t wait to return soon.

Mike Hartmann – BJJ Globetrotters Camp in St. Barths

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

The catamaran trip in St. Barth as well as the camp parties over there are unforgettable!

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp?

I have no topic I like teaching the most, but in general I prefer fundamental topics and teaching beginners who still have a big desire to learn and improve.

Anything else you want to add to your profile? 

Feel free to join our academy any time you visit the middle of Germany! Visitors always welcome!!!

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Mike Hartmann – BJJ Globetrotters instructor

“We created a non-profit, open and inclusive gym, owned by the members and administered by a committee elected annually to steer clear of the politics and business issues experienced in the past.”
Submission Lab, Dunedin, New Zealand

Hi guys! Tell us some facts about your gym – where is it located?

114 St Andrew St, Dunedin, NZ. We have 132 sqm of mat space. The gym is centrally located in the CBD. Dunedin is a small but vibrant city of 120,000 people with a strong Scottish heritage, good beaches and good access to wildlife, remotely situated in the South of the South Island of New Zealand.

Sounds cool! How many people train there?

We have around 30 to 35 regular members.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?

The gym is very new (4 months), but we are slowly getting new students. Hard to say we are currently growing though, as the increase in members due to new students has been offset by a few experienced people leaving the city.

Submission Lab, BJJ New Zealand

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?

One newly promoted black belt, 2 brown belts, 5 purple belts, around 20 blue belts and under 10 white belts.

When did the gym open?

May 2017.

Who founded it?

Around 20 students (virtually all the senior students except from the owners) walked out of a local BJJ gym a few months ago and hooked up with all the students from another small local BJJ gym (around 10 people) whose head instructor had recently left for Canada. The 2 gyms actually used to be together until a previous split occurred in 2010 so a few students from both gyms used to be team mates a long time ago. BJJ politics…

All together we created a non-profit, open and inclusive gym, owned by the members and administered by a committee elected annually to steer clear of the politics and business issues experienced in the past. We have since attracted a few students from a third BJJ gym in town.

Submission Lab, BJJ New Zealand

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?

Most people are experienced members (blue belts or above, and blue belts make up the bulk of the people training) since we didn’t start from scratch. We have a mix of younger and older people training (mostly from 20 to 40 years old), including students from the local university and professionals from all walks of life. We have a few members with other martial arts experience: MMA, judo, wrestling, kick boxing. We are also starting kids’ classes, but have only 5 kids training for now.

Why do they train?

For a variety of reasons but mostly because it’s fun. We cater for everybody; some members are actively competing but not all.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym?

Until recently we didn’t have a black belt in-house which limited our ability to promote people legitimately (at least under IBJJF) and created problems with entering IBJJF competitions. This should be all sorted soon when our black belt gets IBJJF certified and we can register our gym directly under the IBJJF. No other major challenges otherwise.

How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?

Bright. There are 3 BJJ gyms in town including us and all 3 seem to be thriving. We don’t have a particularly good relationship with the owner of one of them at this point as a lot of us come from there and we didn’t part in good terms with them but we are hoping this will get resolved over time. Some of their members and former team mates cross train with us however, which is awesome. We also have excellent relationships with other gyms in the country.

Submission Lab, BJJ New Zealand

What’s the best thing about your gym?

We have a long list of teachers (around 10) rotating to teach, which gives us a lot of variety and allows each of us (including teachers) to attend many classes. We offer classes 6 days a week, including morning classes 3 days a week. We offer a balanced mix of gi and no gi classes and open mat, and also one kickboxing class a week. We have experienced members from many different lineages, which adds to the variety of teaching and rolling. The gym is unaffiliated to any large BJJ organization and completely open and welcoming.

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

Lots of opportunities for outdoor activities and nature and wildlife with the Otago Peninsula nearby, beautiful beaches and good surfing (the weather is very cold however!). The city also offers a lot for its size, a few nice buildings and museums, and tourist activities, and a healthy number of bars and restaurants. The nightlife is good when students are around but can be pretty quiet during the university breaks (especially summer).

Any other comments you’d like to add?

We had 3 members competing at the IBJJF World Master recently, 2 of them under BJJ Globetrotters. One of these 2 medalled in the Master 3 female heavy weight blue belt division. Another member medalled in Master 3 male medium heavy brown belt.

That’s brilliant, congratulations! We wish you all the best in the future and hope the gym goes from strength to strength. If anyone would like to get in touch with Submission Lab, BJJ New Zealand, you can find them here.