Subject: [May newsletter] Featured Traveler // Maeda Team Tunisia

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BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // May 2019
Dear Globetrotters,

At the time of writing, I'm in the airplane and on my way to the first two camps of what will be an incredibly intense summer. In less than 24 hours, I will arrive at a 1300-year old castle in Italy for our second Castle Camp, immediately followed by a week-long camp in Estonia with more than 250 participants. The last 2.5 months of no camps have felt like forever and I can't wait to get going with all the exciting destinations I'll be training and hanging out with many of you in this season.

Make sure to join our Facebook group and follow our Instagram account for regular updates from the camps! :)

Have a fantastic day,

What you'll find in this month's newsletter:

  • Featured Traveller: Raffaela Milner
  • Sponsored podcast: The Hero with a Thousand Holds
  • Globetrotters Academy in Focus: MAEDA Team Tunisia
We held our first-ever US camp way back in 2015, and it worked out so well that we’ve been going back every year since. All our camps so far have been in the northeast though (Maine and New Hampshire), and we know it can be hard for many people in the US to get there due to the distance and time needed off work.

There’s a huge Globetrotters community in the US, and we want to ensure that all of you have the opportunity to attend a camp someday. So here is one for you! It’s a bit different than usual (in that we don’t usually do city camps like this), but we are excited to see it act as a great gathering point for all of the Globetrotters in that part of the world.

Consider this your gateway to the Globetrotters camp experience!

* October 23rd to 27th in Tempe, Arizona *
* 15 minutes from Phoenix International Airport *
* Five days of training *
* Gi and no-gi classes all day long *
* Outdoor BBQ in gym’s back yard *
* Yoga classes *
* Extra mat space for all-day open mat / drilling *
* All experience levels and affiliations welcome! *

Featured Traveller: Raffaela Milner
Let’s start out with some quick facts about you…

Age: 26
Belt: Purple
Profession: Retired physicist, current martial arts instructor
How many years in BJJ: 5 this summer
Other martial arts: Since I started martial arts because I wanted to become a well-rounded MMA fighter, I've been training in all areas: striking, wrestling/judo, and ground fighting. My main stand-up style is Dutch kickboxing and Muay Thai. I'm definitely better in wrestling than in judo, but I'm learning! The ground game is where I feel most comfortable and where I have my main fighting experience, but I've also had 6 MMA fights and done a few kickboxing tournaments.
Where do you live: Nowhere and everywhere, since I don't really have a home base right now. I'm just traveling to different places where I can teach and train for a while.
Where are you originally from: I was born in Offenbach am Main (Germany) and grew up in Germany. My parents are from the Republic of Moldova.
Other fun or curious information you'd like to share: I'm not Russian, but I speak Russian; I'm not German, but I am a German citizen; I'm not American, but I played American football; I'm not Brazilian, but my life revolves around Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
I used to travel a lot while I was still at uni. During the semester breaks, I would work for a month and then travel for 6 or 8 weeks. After getting my degree I was either too busy or too broke to travel, and I was really missing it a lot. Once I started martial arts I only ever traveled to fight MMA or to go to tournaments or camps, but that never really gave me enough time to actually explore the places I went to. Last year I had a knee injury that took me off the mats for a while, and I decided that I will give my body a break from competing until I really feel like it again. Taking that break allowed me to travel. As soon as my knee healed enough to train again, I hit the road.

I've always been interested in learning new languages, getting to know people, exploring nature, and discovering cultures. I am happy to combine that with training and teaching martial arts.

Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
Right now I'm in Asheville, North Carolina in the US. I'm training BJJ and judo at Open Source Jiu-Jitsu, and was teaching there and at another gym in town. Open Source is one of my favourite places ever. The atmosphere is great, the owners Bobby and Amanda McMasters are awesome, and it attracts a lot of very cool people. Also, Asheville is known for its breweries and the magnificent nature around it. There are lots of beautiful hikes about an hour away from here. I've been to Mount Pisgah, looking at the Blue Ridge mountains off in the distance. I saw some waterfalls, and my favourite place was Max Patch where I had one of the most surreal views ever.  

Before I came to Asheville I was in the Netherlands, where I trained at Apex Jiu Jitsu in Enschede. Despite the obvious reasons why it's cool to hang out in the Netherlands, there are also a few good BJJ gyms and many really good kickboxing gyms. The forest in Enschede is also really beautiful, and I loved just walking through the woods.

I'm not exactly sure where I'm going next. On my list are Portugal, Estonia, and Ireland. When I get back from the US, I'll be in Germany for a few weeks and will help a friend out with his gym, since he just had surgery. After that I'll go to one of those places I mentioned above, or another country in Europe. For the next big trip in 2020 or 2021, I plan on going to Japan.

What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
Meeting interesting people and making friends, learning about history and culture, training at different places and learning martial arts from and with so many different people, eating local food, being invited to teach at different places, exploring nature and hiking, learning new languages or getting to speak the ones I can.

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
Most of those experiences are manifestations of how friendly and welcoming most people are. 

In Enschede (Netherlands), for example, I was hosted by one of the Team members of Apex Jiu-Jitsu for an extended period of time.

And I was asked to teach at three different places in Asheville. It was very cool to see how people appreciate having a female purple belt and MMA fighter around. I got the feeling that people in the US are really excited about having a female instructor, and getting more women on the mats in general. That is a very different impression from what I experienced in Europe most of the time - although there are of course many places there where people are excited about having a female instructor as well.

Another beautiful thing about traveling and training is making your own experiences. That might sound trivial, but I think sometimes the most obvious things are the ones that have a big impact. What I mean is that people talk a lot about other fighters or academies or cultures, but at the end of the day it's not possible to know how it would be to live or train somewhere or to live in another country without trying it. Who knows, maybe you can find a place that feels like home?

Coming from Germany, I'd heard all sorts of cliches about Americans, and I have to say that they are not true at all. In fact, most people I met (not only in the gym, also just random people) have been very ready to help and quite eager for a casual conversation.

And last but not least, I love martial arts. And it's great to meet so many different people with different styles, and see what works against which style and what does not. I'm thinking about running a gym at some point in my life, so seeing how other people do it interests me a lot.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
A recurring theme for me when I travel is finding some mind-blowing place in nature, often completely unexpectedly. If I just go somewhere to train or to be in a city, I still always seem to find a little place in nature or a forest that's just stunning. And even when I go somewhere specifically to experience nature, I'm still usually surprised at how it's even more beautiful than I imagined. 

For example, when I came to Ashville I knew that it's known for its nature, especially the Blue Ridge Mountains, the waterfalls, and the colorful trees. Nonetheless, I've been here for almost 10 weeks and still manage to get surprised by the views and by the blooming trees. I've never seen so many different colors in nature at the same time, and it is for sure one of my favorite places now - I had no idea when I came here!

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I try to either stay at a gym, a friend's place, or to find a host. If that doesn't work out, I stay at a hostel or an Airbnb. Eating out is usually one of the biggest expenses on the road, so I always try to stay at a place where I can use a kitchen to cook for myself - and also for my host if I have one. I try to find places where I can matsurf in exchange for teaching. Before this trip, I saved up some money in advance by working at a university and by minimizing my living expenses at all times - not only when I'm traveling. I also try to have some jobs that I can do online, like writing math problems and their solutions for school textbooks.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Plan your trip just enough to have some orientation, but don't plan too much, since that opens up the space for many opportunities and surprises. Stay open-minded, and don't fixate on a particular outcome in all the decisions you have to make along your travel - things usually work out fine! Enjoy the present moment, and try to be in nature as much as possible!

New 2019 competition & travel gis now available!
Next Caribbean Island Camp in Saint Barthélemy announced for February
Come run away from the cold winter together with us! The tiny island of Saint Barthélemy in the Caribbean used to be a hideout for pirates before Sweden and France invaded. Today it is usually off limit for anyone but Hollywood celebrities and the super rich, anchoring the world’s biggest yachts and staying in ultra expensive luxury hotels.

Working closely with the local St. Barth Jiu Jitsu club, we’ve managed to book a newly built accommodation facility there and will be hosting yet another Brazilian Jiu Jitsu camp on the island! A full week of training, surfing, exploring, beaches and sailing that you don’t wanna miss.

* February 3-9, 2020 in Saint Barthélemy *
* Easily reachable from United States and Europe *
* Seven days Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training camp *
* Six nights central accommodation *
* An affordable chance to visit exclusive celebrity island *
* Dinner in new local restaurant every evening *
* Daily surf lessons and board rental *
* Catamaran boat trip *
* Fresh bread from local bakery every morning *
* Laundry service *
* Stay extra nights at affordable rate *
* Mini vans and cars available for exploring the island *
* Some of the world’s best beaches *

Sponsored Podcast:
The Hero with a Thousand Holds
If you’ve been following the BJJ Globetrotters journey so far, there’s a good chance you’re keen on travelling and training in as many interesting parts of the world as possible. BJJ is becoming more and more popular out there, but there’s also a whole universe of more obscure, often ancient grappling traditions to discover as well. Some are incredibly popular in their home countries, whereas some might only be practiced in some tiny village on a mountain somewhere. And some have sadly now died out entirely.

We’ve all heard of the likes of judo and sambo, but what about Irish Collar and Elbow? Yaghan wrestling of Tierra del Fuego? Vietnamese Đấu Vật?

The Hero with a Thousand Holds is a podcast that looks at the history and culture of grappling styles from all over the globe - not just the rules and techniques, but the people who practice them. Where they came from, what struggles they’ve had to face, what stories they tell and songs they sing… and how they wrestle!

Check it out at the link below. It’s also available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

And you can keep track of all the related old photos, maps, technique manuals, cave paintings, and scrolls on Instagram at www.instagram.com/thousandholds.

Last 20 tickets remain for our first Summer Camp in beautiful Austria
A familiar setting, but at a new time of year and with an entirely fresh set of possibilities! For this summer camp, we’re heading back to Wagrain for five days of training among the rolling hillsides that are now brilliantly green and ready for you to explore. We’ll probably still manage to fit in the odd après-ski party though…

* June 28th to July 2nd in Wagrain, Austria *
* 70 km from Salzburg airport *
* Beautiful location in the middle of the Alps *
* Five days of training *
* Four nights accommodation *
* Families welcome *
* Daily class and open mat for kids *
* Yoga classes *
* All meals included *
* Daily workshops, lectures and movie nights *
* 24-hr free fruit and non-alcoholic beverages *
* Extra mat space for all-day open mat / drilling *
* Free laundry service for training gear *
* Free access to water park next door *

BJJ Globetrotters Academy in Focus: 
MAEDA Team Tunisia
Where is the gym located? 
The gym is located in a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

How many people train there?
50.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
The gym has experienced significant growth this past semester. We have an average of 5 new members a month. There is, however, often turnover due to injuries.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
The lowest is white and the highest is purple.

When did the gym open?
2016.
Some facts about you:

Name: Samir Annabi
Age: 47
Belt: Purple belt
Profession: Newaza Technical Director at the Tunisian Jujitsu Federation
Years in BJJ: Since 2008.
Other martial arts: No.
Currently living in: Tunisia
Originally from: I’m half French and half Tunisian.
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence: 
I've always been passionate about martial arts. After an accident which led to a physical handicap (knee and foot/ankle), I become more oriented towards fighting on the ground as opposed to standing. My uncle, a Judo 4th Dan black belt and Newaza Sensei, transmitted the technical basics. I had the opportunity to have many foreigners from different countries come to my gym. Most of them practiced BJJ, which led me to be drawn to this sport. 

My belt evolution is not mainstream or usual. We started inviting black belts from abroad for workshops and training. This enabled me and my students to learn new techniques, but also be tested for our belt colors. The club’s orientation today is dedicated to self-defense, self-confidence, and Newaza/BJJ competitions, both at the national and international level. We can proudly say that we have Tunisian Newaza champions at our club, who will soon be participating in the African and World championships.

The gym is proud to have been contacted by the Caveirinha Academy (https://cjjfacademy.com/) to represent them locally. We will make this official in June when one of their representatives will come to Tunisia.

Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
I have two kinds of people who train: kids and adults. About 70% of the adults are less than 25 years of age. Most of them are university students; the rest are businessmen, architects, software engineers, male nurses, lawyers, and mechanical engineers. They come from different social classes, and they have become a family.
Why do they train? 
Most of them want to discover their capacities and limits. They also want to achieve more and push their limits to the maximum. Discovering a martial art which takes place on the ground will enable them to be more complete by mixing it with a “standing” sport. Some aim to eventually do full-time MMA.

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
One of the challenges is getting students and their parents to accept that this sport becomes a full part of your life. The first difficulties encountered are dealing with pain and injuries. Then comes managing the different egos of the students. Apart from that, there are no particular challenges in my area specifically.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
The future is rather bright for BJJ in Tunis. The sport is becoming well-known, more and more people getting interested. There are clubs opening every year. And there is a national will to push the sport forward and make it mainstream. I am hopeful and I expect to see many people from different backgrounds and education levels become smitten by BJJ.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
From a technical point of view, we apply all the BJJ basics, but we've also developed our own particular style centred around everything related to escape positions. This is not something we see regularly on YouTube. We apply this when we compete, and it has been extremely effective and efficient.

From a personal point of view, the students have become a family. They have a strong feeling of belonging and there is a special relationship between myself and my students.

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
The gym is in the suburb of Carthage, Tunisia. Carthage has been the center of the Punic and then Roman worlds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage). We also have superb beaches and great Mediterranean gastronomy, which is based around lamb and fish.

Thanks for sharing with us! If you'd like to pay a visit to MAEDA Team Tunisia, you can find them here.
 
 
 
We weren’t quite sure what to expect when we set out towards the very first Zen Camp in 2017, but whatever those expectations were – it exceeded them in every possible regard. Over the course of a few days, we immersed ourselves in the peaceful atmosphere of the beautiful Dojo Stara Wies – a purpose-built Japanese-style village located in the middle of the Polish countryside – and lost ourselves in hours of friendly BJJ training, samurai photo shoots and early morning mushroom hunts.

As soon as it was over, we knew we had to make it happen again and again. So we’re very excited to invite you back to this truly special location for the next instalment of Zen Camp!

Hope to see you there. If you can find it.