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Josephine GroundFighter Linz

I miss BJJ

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I haven’t posted in ages, but I see neither have many others (for those reading in the far future, note: COVID-19). Many gyms around the world have closed temporarily, but I’m sure there are fight club arrangements going on somewhere. 

Just going to get to the point real quick. I’ve been back home in Toronto, Canada since mid-March. Over here, we’ve been in a state of emergency ever since. We’re supposed to ease restrictions mid-June if they don’t push it again. Yes, as the country slowly opens back up again (keyword: slowly), what have YOU learned over the last few months?

Because this was what I learned.

  1. BJJ Deprivation is a real thing. I’ve been dreaming a lot about going to any gym, putting my gi on, squatting on the balls of my feet and grabbing thick cotton. Alas, just a dream. I’ve even worn my gi at the dinner table one evening.
  2. Don’t suppress. Release in another way. Okay, so it’s obvious that I’m going insane. Raise your hand if you are, too. I’ve begun doing yoga, attending live HIIT workouts on Zoom, joining stretching classes… find another way to release your stress that you’d usually release with a chokehold.
  3. …It’s okay to not porrada everyday. 2020 has been… it is the year no one wanted but perhaps, something everyone needed. I feel like as the years passed, people became busier and busier. But enter 2020, they just threw down a large sign that said, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE STOP FOR ONE MINUTE.” Society teaches us to ‘go hard’ in all aspects of our lives – at school, at work, do your best, or don’t even try at all, ‘go hard or go home’. Getting out of the mindset of having to porrada in every aspect of my life has been one of the most difficult things, but frankly, I think it is worth the effort discarding.
  4. You are not alone. It’s not like you’re the only one who’s held up at work for many evenings, preventing you from going to training. No, a majority of people are in the exact same boat. Unless you live in a BJJ family. Then maybe you can train together and actually dominate the gyms when they re-open.

So, I’ve been meaning to document my last few BJJGlobetrotter adventures – I remember my last day of any BJJ was March 10th in Stuttgart, Germany. Long story short, I had a job where I got to travel to create content. My first leg of travels started in Europe. As a result, I ended up dropping into numerous gyms, meeting so many new training partners and friends. Here’s a quick glimpse into my list:

Ireland

First stop, Ireland! I started there in January. But I had visited not too long prior, back in August 2019. I knew which ones I wanted to drop into (hint: read this).

Portugal

My next stop was Portugal, and I dropped into Five Elements JJ – Rato. What stood out to me was their inclusion of self-defense in their training sessions. It taught me that if I were ever equipped with a stick-like weapon in my hand, I would probably still lose any battle seeing that I don’t actually know how to strike properly.

UK

It’s been a dream of mine to roll in London. I know there’s a bunch of great schools, and thankfully I was staying quite close to London Fight Factory, so I got to try out a couple of classes there. I couldn’t travel with my gi, only borrowing/renting as I went along and praying that no-gi classes would fit my schedule.

The Netherlands

Team Agua in Rotterdam was super welcoming, and also the first place I’ve been where it was a shared gym space where they were laying and packing up mats every class. I had good conversations with a few people who were about to compete in their first tournaments. Speaking of which, I wonder if they ever got to do that, or if timing was too tight and COVID canceled everything.

Linz

So the paid Google ads are working really well for Groundfighter Linz. They pop up on top when you google “BJJ in Linz.” I don’t think it was hard to rank for top keywords, since there’s not too many gyms in the area. But it was great to see so many people come out and train!

Vienna

Of course, WOM (word of mouth) works. That’s how the BJJGlobetrotters community continues to thrive. The guys up top ^ told me to check out Science of Jiu-Jitsu. When I visited, it was their grand opening week!

Stuttgart

Falcões-Top-Team gi and no-gi was my final drop-in. They also share gym space like Team Agua in Rotterdam, but the mats are permanently put in place. Of course, little did I know that when we took these photos that this would be one of the last BJJ photos I’d be taking for the time being. Thank you for being so welcoming, everyone!

Anyways, til next time. I’m excited to write future post-COVID-19 BJJ blog reflections. How will our new normal look like?

Guide for going to the IBJJF European Championships

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

Flights and Accommodation

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

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

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

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

ibjjf european championship

Where to Stay for the IBJJF European Championship

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

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

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

Fifty shades of tiles

Travelling to the Venue and Getting Around

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

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

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

Things to Do

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

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

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

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

With the Belém Tower in the background

What to Eat

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

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

Other Useful Tips

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

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

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

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

Vienna, Austria RGV

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Orlando Neto and I

A summary of a week in Austria. I shaved my beard and started growing it again.  I met some cool young travelers at my hostel. I trained at Roger Gracie Vienna. I met some cool Globetrotters that shared stories of the Globetrotter Camps.  I ate some Schnitzel, drank some beer and attempted speaking German.

 

 

Walking back from the gym to my lodging is one of my favorite parts about traveling.

I trained at Roger Gracie Vienna with Orlando Neto.  I trained six times there. We went over some techniques from sleeve grip from butterfly/sitting guard to a couple combinations. i.e arm bar, turnover. On another day we drilled a Fireman’s carry take down. Then open mat the last three sessions.  The people there were really friendly, like most gyms. I enjoyed the diverse culture of the city, it showed very much in the gyms demographic.  There were Germans, Italians, Brazilians, Croatians, South Africans, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and I probably left out a few. Most classes that were taught by Orlando were in English. I had a really good vibe from the gym. 

 

Me, Tina and Eda on a ferris wheel in Prater.

I stayed at the Meininger hotel on Rembrandt street. It was a clean, modern hostel with wifi everywhere in the hotel. As a normal European hostel experience you meet many young travelers solo or in pairs. You exchange info and back stories. Solo travelers tend to flock together and go out together. That’s one of the best parts about traveling solo in Europe, there’s always people to go out with.  There was Tina, a German on holiday, Chase, a Canadian doing Erasmus in France, Elie, a Frenchman traveling around Europe, Michelle, a Penn college student coming back from birthright from Israel and many more people.  My life seems to gravitate towards being around a motley crew people.  Or do I gravitate towards being around several different types of people that have distinct backgrounds than my own? 

 

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It’s customary to take pictures in your Globetrotter Gis. (Not sure if that’s true.)

 

Repping hard at the Dinner table.

 

 

I met Ähn and Karla, German BJJ Globetrotter veterans, at the open mat at the gym. They showed me around parts of Vienna.  We had several conversations about Jiu Jitsu. I rarely have these types of conversations outside of training, it was very enjoyable.  They shared stories of all the camps they attended and funny stories that happened during the camps.  I’ve never been to a Globetrotter camp. After meeting these two it gives me a great impression of the camp’s attendees.  I hope the rest of the globetrotters I meet love to have fun, eat, and train. I can’t wait until the Copenhagen Camp.

A good part of being in the military that was easy was not really worrying how you style your hair. There were  hair regulations and dress codes.  It was easy to adhere to those rules. I’m out of the Navy now, traveling the world, unemployed with no hair regulations. I’ve had the same hair cut for the last four years and I was not allowed to grow a beard except when I was on Leave.  I grew it for two and half months. No one would really understand this unless you were a male in the American Military.  I decided to start over and cut it all off again.  I’m searching for a balance.