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| | | BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // April 2024 | | Dear Globetrotters,
BJJ Globetrotters allowing self promotion to blue belt now? Nah, probably not. But humor is important! Especially in a sport where sometimes people tend to take themselves and their hobby maybe a bit too serious. I believe it's healthy to pull a bit in the other direction and remind ourselves that at the end of the day, we are still basically just adults who like to grapple. So our annual April Fools joke will probably continue to be a tradition for a while 😂
This is a rare newsletter without photos from a camp and that's because it's currently our "holiday" with the longest break without camps in the year. But not to worry, in a few weeks we're off to Poland and Estonia for back-to-back camps!
This month we also hosted a small competition at the BJJ Globetrotters HQ in Saint Barthélemy. It was a fantastic day with more than 100 competitors and I was busy refereeing from morning until evening. I used to host lots and lots of competitions back in the days and it's always good fun, albeit a lot of work. The one in St. Barth will for sure be an annual event, though!
Ok, I'm off to my spreadsheets again. Hope you're all doing well out there and have a nice day, | | | |
What you'll find in this month's newsletter: - Featured Globetrotter: Josh Collins
- Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Stadium MMA
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| | Additional tickets available!! We've managed to book even more apartments and Camp 100 is now looking to be 130-140 participants, up from the original 90 🙂 |
| | * Jiu Jitsu classes and all day open mats *
* Daily yoga and meditation *
* Chillout/hangover lounges *
* Stage with professional sound system *
* All the lights and lasers that money can rent *
* Day 1: Pool party *
* Day 2: Costume party (bring your own / we provide) *
* Day 3: Glow in the dark party in 1300 year old private church *
* Day 4: White party w/ bouncy castle and foam cannons *
* Professional, Italian pizza bakers *
* All meals included *
* Fireworks *
* 100s of waterguns *
* Daily laundry service *
* All-day bar by the pool *
* Professional barista cart on-site *
* Shows and entertainment *
* Syncronised swimming competition *
* A vast amounts of decorations and lights *
* Hammocks, lounge chairs, sunbeds and fatboys *
* All the floaties we can fit in the pool *
* Photographers and photo booth *
* Wine tasting *
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| | | 7 tickets left for Maine Camp! |
| | For a full week, an enthusiastic community of Globetrotters will settle into the cabins and fully equipped sports hall of Camp Manitou, fueled by the crisp woodland air of Maine! Each morning we’ll hit the mats as the sun rises over the lake and keep going until the embers of the bonfire settle down for the night.
We take care of absolutely everything – food, accommodation, laundry, and Jiu Jitsu. All you need to do is show up, get in your gi or shorts, and get ready for the experience of a lifetime.
Hope to see you there! |
| | | | Featured Globetrotter: Josh Collins |
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| | Age: 27
Belt: Blue (awarded in November)
Profession: Freelance photographer
How many years in BJJ: Two years in May
Other martial arts: None
Where do you live: Bristol, UK
Where are you from: Bristol, UK
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I'm a freelance photographer, and most of what I photograph is live music, concerts and events. It’s really fun doing what I do, but I would love to widen my portfolio by photographing more subject matter such as BJJ. I follow Attack The Back on Instagram and get inspired by the photography that he captures at BJJ comps and events all over the world!
Aside from BJJ, I’m an avid cyclist. I live in a city, riding hard and fast on my fixed gear. Weaving through traffic and paying lots of attention to road laws, regulations and traffic lights… I used to skateboard a lot more, but then I broke my arm, had a metal plate inserted to fix it, lost confidence, and was never able to get back to the standard that I had and wanted. Cycling and BJJ felt more rewarding than falling over hundreds of times. I found them both to be more rewarding, as I feel like I have and still am progressing more. |
| | Tell us what inspired you to travel and train? Travelling is something I’ve always wanted to do. Luckily for me so does my partner, so it was a natural thing for us both to save up money and want to do it together. We both want to see the world, and for us there seemed like no better way than to do it together.
In terms of my whole life BJJ is still a relatively new thing for me, but it has become a huge part of my life very quickly. If I didn’t train while I was travelling, I feel like I would miss my gym, my fellow grapplers, and lose some of my ability as a grappler. In addition, through my gym back home I’ve met people that have travelled and trained. They recommended doing it because you can learn so much from different instructors, gyms, and sparring partners.
Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
For a while my partner and I have been saving to go travelling. Cambodia has always been a place we've wanted to go because we're interested in the history and culture of the country. We are travelling through South East Asia. So far we've spent a month in Thailand and are currently in Laos. After that we'll be making our way through Cambodia into the south of Vietnam and flying home from the north.
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| | What are the things you enjoy about travelling? While studying at university and for a few years afterwards I worked as a Chef. Through that I developed a love for food and lots of different cuisines. I enjoy trying new foods, then attempting to make them myself back in the UK and learning how to recreate them.
Experiencing new (to me) cultures is amazing, seeing how people live their lives on the other side of the world. Coming from the UK the routine is wake up, go to work for most of the day, go train, shower, eat, sleep and repeat. It’s great to break out of that and spend more time learning.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I’ve met so many great people that have shared their knowledge with me. We might not speak the same language, but sharing the same love for grappling allows us to communicate regardless. Visiting different gyms has opened me up to new ways of training, learning, and even teaching. I didn’t know I was capable of teaching BJJ, as I still feel like a beginner. While travelling, I've been able to share the techniques I feel confident in and see the results when others execute them.
It’s a small world, you might meet someone that knows someone that you know.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Discovering how much I am interested in history and how long I can spend in a museum, or talking to someone and finding out more about them. In Chiang Mai, whilst in a temple, I spoke with a monk for about 2 hours. We had a really organic conversation where we both enlightened one another and shared stories of each of our countries and cultures. Nop, the monk, asked me “If you could choose an animal to describe yourself what would you pick?” I said a heron, because I like the idea of flying and seeing things from a different perspective. Plus herons probably have the longest legs for a bird, so they're most likely to ride a bike.
Also how friendly people are and can be, whether it’s the BJJ community or not. I was at a gym and when we were leaving someone I sparred with offered me a lift back to my hostel on the back of his moped. Thank you Harry if you read this!
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| | Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I’m definitely a budget traveller. - Save up as much as you can within your means before you leave.
- Stay in hostels. You might meet more people this way too. I've stayed in a few cheap hotels too, and as long as you have a bed, a mosquito net, and running water you don’t really need anything else. Have a look around for options you can afford.
- Eat local and street food. Ask hotels and other travellers for recommendations.
- Use public transport and local travel agencies. When booking travel between cities/countries I found it best to go to the travel agents and book in person rather than online. I won’t name names, but I used a very popular online service and ended up never being picked up from my accommodation. I missed all my connections and in turn two days worth of accommodation to and from the Thai-Laos border.
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| If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
- First off I’d like to repeat the advice Professor Mario Saeed back at Trojan Free Fighters Bristol said to me before I left: Be open minded, and not just on the mats. Make the most of it and have a good time.
- Coach Mark McLelland (shout out and congrats on his recently awarded black belt), now professor, recommended the Globetrotters FB group to me and to make a post in the group about my travels to get up to date grappling and travel recommendations. I’d say the same.
- Don’t plan too far in advance. Plans can change or you might get delayed.
- Prepare for long uncomfortable journeys.
- Ask questions.
- Embrace the culture wherever you are.
- Respect people, respect the places you visit.
- Pack a super light gi and nogi gear if you have the space. I got the Globetrotters gi and it’s been great.
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| | | | More than 200 participants already booked |
| | The first two Beach Camps in Pärnu were a tremendous success, so we’re once again heading off to this summer gem on the Baltic coast. A full week of sun, sea, sand, and all the Jiu Jitsu you can handle. Hope to see you there!
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| | | | BJJ Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Stadium MMA |
| | Where is the gym located?
We are located in Port Orange, Florida, the city right next to the world famous Daytona Beach.
How many people train there?
We currently have 45 consistent members training with us.
Is the gym growing - if so by how many new members each month or year?
The gym is growing, we add around 10 new members a month.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training? We have all skill levels training here, from "never stepped on the mats" white belts to black belts.
When did the gym open?
I opened the gym two years ago this month (March).
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| | Some facts about you:
Name: Kelly Green Age: 49 Belt: Brown Profession: Gym owner Years in BJJ: 14 Other martial arts: Besides BJJ I also have trained Muay Thai in combination with MMA since day 1 Currently living in: Port Orange, Florida, USA Originally from: Rochester, New York |
| | Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence I had moved to Thailand to live and train permanently, and was back visiting my sister to get a new visa. She asked me to stay for a few months and then we got the Covid shutdown. This threw a wrench in my living in Thailand, and when I was fed up with cancelled flights and regulations changing daily I decided to move back to Florida where I had lived many years ago. I wanted to share all that I learned training at Wand Fight Team in Las Vegas and my time living and training in Thailand. I flew down to Florida for a week and found the location to open my gym.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they? The students at Stadium MMA are from all walks of life, like most of the gyms. We definitely see more of the very new to combat sports type of people. We pride ourselves on being a place without cliques and where everyone feels confident and welcome.
Why do they train? The people who train at Stadium MMA are just like all of us. They all train for their own reasons, from getting in better shape, mental well being, and some to test themselves and compete in combat sports.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically? The biggest hurdle in running a BJJ gym is the same as any business that has competition - making yourself stand apart from the rest.
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| | How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
BJJ in our area will continue growing, and we hope that anyone with interest will give it a shot and find a spot in the perfect gym.
What’s the best thing about your gym?The best thing about Stadium MMA would be our students and the acceptance of anyone with an interest in giving training a shot, no matter what their personal reasons are. Everyone is welcome here.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym? We are in Florida, so the beach of course! We're also within an hour or so of all the theme parks and the Space Centre. There's tons of stuff to do in the area.
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Thanks for sharing! If you'd like to visit Stadium MMA, you can contact them here. |
| | | Less than half of tickets left |
| | Our week long camp in Arizona has quickly become a staple for the BJJ Globetrotters community in the United States. Come enjoy the desert air, BBQ, and some proper frontier rolls with us!
There’s a huge Globetrotters community in North America, and this is really turning out to be an ideal gathering point for them. If you’ve ever been eager to try one of our camps, but haven’t been able to due to the time or distance involved, this could be the one for you. Consider it your gateway to the Globetrotters camp experience!
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