Featured affiliated academy: Cicero Costha Jiu-Jitsu Madagascar
Where is the gym located?
We are located in Madagascar, in the city of Antananarivo (2eme arrondissement, Mandroseza). You can see us on Google Maps here (data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x70e8d508b7e03258!8m2!3d 18.9298303!4d47.5446659).
How many people train in Cicero Costha Jiu-Jitsu Madagascar?
20 people altogether now.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We just moved in recently, so people are starting to get to know us. There are about 5-10 new people who want to train with us every month. Unfortunately we’re still closed at the moment because of the COVID-19 situation, but I am confident for a better future.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The highest rank is brown belt (me, the coach), the highest student’s rank is blue belt, and the lowest is naturally white belt.
When did Cicero Costha Jiu-Jitsu Madagascar open?
Our gym opened in February 2018.
Some facts about you:
Name: Alexandre Herilanto
Age: 43
Belt: Brown
Profession: Web / Application Developer
Years in BJJ: 14 years
Other martial arts: Judo, Boxing, Kusari Jutsu (samurai/ninja chain)
Currently living in: Antananarivo, Madagascar
Originally from: I’m from Madagascar; I am Malagasy
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
When I was a purple belt in 2010, I had to move to a place where there was no Jiu Jitsu club. I already had the idea of building a small team so that I could continue to train, but unfortunately people there weren’t interested in ground fighting like BJJ, even though Marcelo Bocão (Brazilian Top Team) tried to help me out when he visited us. When I returned to Antananarivo in 2013, my schedule didn’t allow me to rejoin my old club, so I told my teacher that I’d like to build my own club.
Unfortunately, in 2015, we had to move and start all over again. Only a few students could join the new dojo, because it was too far away. In 2017 the same thing happened again, so I decided to do everything in my power to make sure we could have our own dojo, with help from some friends and companies. In February 2018 we finally opened our new dojo in Mandroseza.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Anyone who upholds the values of Jiu Jitsu and martial arts (respect, discipline, hard work, humility) is welcome in our dojo. Our students are between 11 and 30 years old. One is from Zambia, and since last year we’ve had visitors from Greece, the US, Poland, Norway and Réunion.
Why do they train?
Some dream of becoming a BJJ athlete; others train for self-defence and self-improvement.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your location specifically?
I think BJJ is a beautiful martial art and sport, but it is quite expensive. If you want to run a successful BJJ gym, you have to perform well in high-level competition, so you and your athletes have to train at least twice a day, alongside study, job and family.
It’s the same here in my country, but on a different level, I think. Dojo equipment like mats is very expensive, and so are gis for the practitioners. On top of that, some people, especially those who have trained other martial arts, think that BJJ is not effective in a street fight. That’s why we teach self-defence in our fundamentals classes for first and second stripe white belts. Even afterwards, higher belts must do at least one fundamentals class every week.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The future is the product of what we do today. The BJJ community in Madagascar is currently building a Jiu Jitsu federation, which I hope will bring something positive for BJJ in Madagascar, together with the individual efforts of each academy.
What’s the best thing about Cicero Costha Jiu-Jitsu Madagascar?
We do our best to find a good balance between the roots of Jiu Jitsu, which is the self-defence side, and the evolution of Jiu Jitsu, which is the sport side. Whatever we do and learn, we try to build it around one concept: efficiency and effectiveness.
We apply the kaizen principle (small but continuous improvements), which is why our motto is “Kaizen the self and make a positive contribution to society”.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
In Antananarivo, Globetrotters can visit:
- Lemur Park
- Ambohimanga (the King’s Palace)
- The Museum of Photography
- The crocodile farm
- Analakely Market
- The Queen’s Palace, Manjakamiadana
- Tsarasaotra bird park
- The zoo
Thank you Cicero Costha Jiu-Jitsu Madagascar for making this interview! If you’d like to visit, you can find them here (cicerocosthajiujitsumadagascar).
This interview first appeared in our August 2020 newsletter.
Training in Mandroseza? See the Cicero Costha jiu jitsu Madagascar academy page for the map, contact and nearby academies.
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