Featured affiliated academy: Pui O’hana Grappling, Hong Kong BJJ
Where is the gym located?
The gym is in Lo Wai Tsuen, which is a village in Pui O on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. If you remember that movie Contagion where the local Hong Kong guy kidnaps Marion Cotillard and takes her to a village. It’s near there.
So it’s not your typical idea of Hong Kong. We are a 5 minute walk to the beach, surrounded by hikes, paragliding and little surf shops/beach bars.
How many people train there?
We were getting close to about 20 regulars split between the kids and adults. This was before the whole Covid-19 thing started. The gym has quite a few expats so at any session we would have people from all over the world training, different languages and cultures just meshing together. It’s quite a sight to see.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We were. And we hope to be soon. Right now the government has shut down all the academies to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. When this is all over we really hope to have a lot of new members. Our goal is to get the kids in the village to train and create a nice Jiu Jitsu community here in Pui O.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
Highest rank is brown, lowest is brand new no stripe sub-human white belt :)
When did the gym open?
We opened last November. It was the perfect time to open a gym, right before a huge pandemic broke out 500 miles away and the government shut down all the gyms…<🤦🏻facepalm🤦🏻>
Some facts about you:
Name: Alika Wong
Age: 38
Belt: Brown
Academy: Pui O’hana Grappling, Hong Kong BJJ
Profession: Airplane pilot
Years in BJJ: 10+
Other martial arts: MMA, judo, some wrestling
Currently living in: Pui O, Hong Kong
Originally from: Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence:
We opened the gym as a way to give back to the kids in the community here on South Lantau Island. The cost of living, and the cost of gym membership, is so high here. We noticed that kids don’t get into Jiu Jitsu because it’s just too expensive. So we started a donation only gym. Now if anyone says they want to learn Jiu Jitsu they can’t use cost as an excuse. You just lazy!
We have kids and adult classes now. Our coaching staff consist of two former Division I athletes, a Pro Muay Thai and up and coming MMA fighter, and me – the guy who can catch Pokémon with both hands simultaneously.
Tell us about the people that train in Pui O’hana Grappling, Hong Kong BJJ – who are they?
We have a pretty diverse group of people at the gym. Being in Hong Kong, it’s a huge melting pot of cultures. We have Hong Kongers, Americans, Canadians, Filipino, French, Irish, Russian, Aussies, Pakistani, I’m sure I’m missing some. It’s really cool to see how everyone interacts with each other with Jiu Jitsu being the common language.
Why do they train?
Some have aspirations to fight/compete professionally. Some come to work out and learn a new skill. But the one group of people that have a really special place in my heart are the parents who put their kids in Jiu Jitsu then decided they also wanted to learn. They had no interest to learn Jiu Jitsu at all, but when they saw their kids getting into it they wanted to share that experience with them.
As a parent myself, this is the one piece of advice I wish I could tell new parents. Whatever your kids get into, do it with them. It gives you a common ground to talk to them. When they grow up you will always have that bond. And it’s really fun choking your kids!
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Right now it’s the Covid-19 and government shutdowns. But that’s hopefully a short term problem.
In general in Hong Kong, I think it’s that Jiu Jitsu is just not a known thing. A lot of people here know about traditional martial arts and Muay Thai/boxing. But Brazilian Jiu Jitsu isn’t very well known. It’s very different for me because I grew up in Hawaii where we had Relson Gracie spreading Jiu Jitsu in the early 90s. Everyone in Hawaii knows what Jiu Jitsu is and knows someone that trains. I have found myself explaining what Jiu Jitsu is a lot more than I expected.
I am hoping to help change this though. Jiu Jitsu is really exploding here, and I can see some high-level competitors coming out of Hong Kong in the near future.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Hong Kong is at a very pivotal time right now when it comes to Jiu Jitsu. Let me explain. Back, back, back when Jiu Jitsu was first starting to grow, it was dominated by Brazilians. I think one of the major factors was the language barrier. A native Portuguese speaker wasn’t able to communicate the intricacies of techniques to a non-Portuguese speaker. So an English speaking/non-Portuguese speaking student wasn’t able to understand as well as them and didn’t learn as fast.
I remember the first instructionals I had from Brazilians were just English dubs, “push here, pull, grab, see, tap.” Like yeah ok, then me and my simple-minded, single-language-speaking friends would get together and try to figure it out.
Remember the first time you saw that Robert Drysdale DVD?
Or Ryan Hall.
That was a game changer. I understood those techniques before I even drilled them.
Having an instructor that speaks your language just elevates the game so quickly. When the US got our first wave of American black belts is when we finally had instructors that could teach us in our own language. There was no lost in translation. The students of these black belts are the killers of today.
That’s what’s happening in Hong Kong right now. There are local black belts who are able to explain Jiu Jitsu to Hong Kongers. And these students are going to be the most competitive Jiu Jitsu athletes Hong Kong has ever seen. It’s a very exciting time for Jiu Jitsu in Hong Kong.
What’s the best thing about Pui O’hana Grappling, Hong Kong BJJ?
Standard answer, but it’s gotta be the people. The people make the gym. We have some hilariously outspoken kids and some very shy ones. But they all help each other. We have serious competitors and complete novices. People from all over the world. We still BBQ in front of the gym, watch UFC together, and just all get along great. I’ve learned a ton about the world just from talking with the people here. And I’ve got to share my favorite American holiday, Thanksgiving, with a few locals. For those that don’t know, it’s eat, sleep, tell stories, eat more, drink, eat, eat dessert all day.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
There is so much history here it’s a great place for tourists. Check out Kowloon, see the Bruce Lee museum, ride the Star Ferry, tram up the Peak. Eat some street food, check out the night markets, hit up LKF. Ride a ferry to Lamma Island, Cheung Chau or Peng Chau. We are on Lantau Island, so you can take the gondola up Ngong Ping, see the Big Buddha, and check out Tai O village.
We have a bunk bed in the gym, so if anyone wants to check us out just let me know. You can spend a night or two and we can show you around our village, take you surfing, go on some hikes.
Thanks for having us in the newsletter! It’s an honor. BJJ Globetrotters till the wheels fall off!
