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| | | | BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // November 2020 | | Dear Globetrotters,
I hope you're all doing well out there despite the restrictions and difficulties seemingly having a little comeback these days. Unfortunately we had to postpone our camp in Germany until the summer, but at this point it doesn't seem like a big deal and everyone are very understanding of our situation and need to be flexible with dates.
Camps in Poland and Italy last month were absolutely fantastic experiences. We had the honor of promoting Giles Garcia from Scotland to black belt after having known and trained with him since the very first camps many years ago. Belt was cleverly disguised as a pizza and I think he was the last one in the room to realize what was in the box!
Have a fantastic day,
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What you'll find in this month's newsletter:
- Photos from Castle Camp
- Featured Traveller: Mike Abbate
- Photos from Zen Camp
- Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Shogun Panamá
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| | We're going back to Arizona next month!
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| | | | Photos from Castle Camp in Italy |
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| | | | | | | | | | | Sign up for the free online premiere of our documentary! |
| | The Gentle Art of Travel is following the BJJ Globetrotters camps behind the scenes over the course of one full year and 12 training camps around the world. Sign up now to receive an invitation for the free online premiere. |
| | | | Year seven and still going strong! We’re kicking 2021 off in proper style, as we head back up to the towering white heights of the Austrian alps for our annual Winter Camp. Four days of skiing, snowboarding, and Jiu Jitsu
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| | | | | Featured Traveller: Mike Abbate |
| Age: 35
Belt: Blue belt under Frank “Dukes” Livorsi
Profession: Traveling Critical Care Nurse
How many years in BJJ: 3 years this Christmas!
Other martial arts: None. I grew up playing ice hockey as a kid and always thought I could handle myself in a fight. Jiu Jitsu proved me totally wrong.
Where do you live: Currently Las Vegas, NV
Where are you originally from: I was born in New York City but call Cocoa Beach, Florida home. I moved to Florida for college and realized how special it is.
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I love to surf as well. Jiu Jitsu and surfing really compliment each other in unique ways.
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| | Tell us what inspired you to travel and train? As a traveling nurse, I am constantly on the move. I realized that Jiu Jitsu and traveling go great together, especially when you have organizations and resources like BJJ Globetrotters. I got my blue belt after training a year and a half at Off the Grid in Cocoa Beach. Since that time, I’ve just been lucky to find great gyms to train at while I travel the country.
Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?I typically stay in one location for 3 months or so. I’m currently in Las Vegas training with an awesome group at Vills Bros. I’ve traveled to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, all the way to Reno, Nevada, and even spent a few months in Southern California surfing and training. Before coming out to Vegas, I spent a couple months in Washington DC working a Covid response assignment, and was lucky enough to train at a small gym there.
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| | | What are the things you enjoy about traveling? Gaining perspectives on life I wouldn't have otherwise had. I’ve realized there are great people anywhere you go, especially within the Jiu Jitsu community. The U.S. is an incredibly beautiful and diverse country which I didn’t really appreciate until I started traveling.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I’ve trained under some world-class coaches, and even for a short amount of time was able to pick up tips and techniques along the way. It’s fascinating seeing the different styles of Jiu Jitsu and how so many styles and approaches to the game can work.
I once walked into a random gym in Las Vegas for an open mat, and a multiple-time world Jiu Jitsu champion walked up to me (I’ll keep her name a secret) and invited me to roll. She is about 85lbs and absolutely worked me, but it was such a fun roll. I was lucky enough to train at that gym for a few months and was surrounded by incredible talent. It’s one of the reasons I travelled back to Las Vegas to train again.
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| | What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling? How easy it is! This country is built to travel. We have safe roads and accessible airports. Traveling in the U.S. is affordable as well. There really isn't a good excuse not to travel.
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip? Budget traveler. Although as I've gotten older, I’ve traded in couch surfing at friends' houses for staying at Airbnbs.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be? Just go for it. The experience you will get traveling and training can’t be had any other way. |
| | | Photos from Zen Camp in Poland |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Life in St. Barthélemy is back to normal and borders are open to all nationalities |
| | A full week of training, surfing, exploring, beaches and sailing that you don’t wanna miss. |
| | | | BJJ Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Shogun Panamá |
| | Where is the gym located?
The gym is located on Via Ricardo J. Alfaro, Plaza Belair (second floor), La Alameda in Panama City. We're located right in the middle of the capital city on one of the main avenues, easily accessible by local bus or taxi.
How many people train there?
We are around 50 people between Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing, and kids classes.
Is the gym growing - if so by how many new members each month or year?
We have a few people coming in every month to try our classes. I would say it is never enough, but the numbers are always steady, so that's important for us.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We currently have 6 black belts in the gym, all active, and lower belts would be from our kids class. In between we have colored belts of all ranks between the women and men currently training with us.
When did the gym open?
The gym officially opened back in 2015.
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| | Some facts about you:
Name: Stephen Martinez
Age: 46
Belt: Black belt first degree
Profession: Hotelier Years in BJJ: I have been training since 2000
Other martial arts: Nothing serious, but at one point or another I've trained wrestling, kickboxing, and judo to complement my Jiu Jitsu. Currently living in: Panama City, Panama
Originally from: Born and raised in Panama
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| Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence The gym owner - Ivan Quintanar, currently a black belt first degree - started training back in 2003 under the first official school in the country, Gracie Barra Panama. Later in 2009, together with some members from Gracie Barra Panama, they decided to open a new independent school named Spartan Jiu-Jitsu.
From 2009 to 2015, Spartan Jiu-Jitsu was one of the biggest and stronger academies in the country, but sadly the same year 2015 the academy closed and later on he opened Shogun Panama.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
I'm very proud to say we have an amazing crew of people training with us. Also I'm proud of the fact that we try to keep an open space for everyone who likes to train Jiu Jitsu or kickboxing, regardless of what exactly are your goals. Most members are local people who just like to come in and train, as well as competitors that train intensively for local and international competitions. We are very well balanced between adult females and males, both in kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu, as well as in the Jiu Jitsu classes for kids.
More importantly to us, we are not a commercial gym. We are open to everyone regardless of profession or economic status. We try to aim for people to come in, have fun, learn martial arts, and get value out of martial arts and training.
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| | Why do they train? Everyone has different goals when they walk into a gym. We try to keep an open mind regarding your goals and what exactly you are looking to get from training.
We have people who train just for hobby or fitness. We have people who want to compete locally and internationally. We have a little bit of both, and we have a place and time for everyone.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
We are first and foremost a passion project. Nobody is getting rich here from teaching Jiu Jitsu or running a gym, but then we need to take into consideration bills to pay to keep the place running, so it's like a catch-22 kind of situation. However, we try to keep going and look for solutions to such problems along the way. Due to the country's economy, we try to keep prices accessible to everyone. Still with all that, we face the same problems just like every other gym around the world. We have people coming in and training for a while, we have permanent people who no matter what will come to train, and we have people who eventually quit and leave because something else shows up in life.
As an instructor this can be a little frustrating, because you invest time in teaching someone and sometimes people don't appreciate that the same way you do, but eventually with time to learn to accept not everyone is meant to stay with you forever. Also, you learn to understand there are other important things to do in life - so just go ahead and take it as it is.
We try to make sure that no matter what, you know the mat will be there always waiting for you, whether you decide to come back or not.
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| | How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
It's been roughly 20 years since the first group of people started training grappling and BJJ in Panama.
I think is growing up, slowly but steadily. We have been fortunate to host IBJJF and UAEJJF events in the country, something that I believe is big for us for being such a small country. Locally, we have tournaments and different gyms besides us, so we have a big community here of people training Jiu Jitsu.
At least for us, sometimes it picks up in popularity or sometimes it gets more steady, but never slow.
What’s the best thing about your gym?I believe, more than anything, that we have built a good foundation where we try to make everyone feel welcome and we don't force you to do anything you don't want. Whether you just want to train for a hobby or competition, we don't care. We will support you the same way.
Also, I believe we have created an infrastructure where we don't follow any specific team flags or creeds. We have been associated at some point or another with great people or teams, but at the end of the day we are the ones running the place, teaching classes, and making sure we take care of everyone. While the ugly side of the business always shows its head (bills), we always want everyone to feel like coming to train is like going to a get-together with your friends, rather than a chore.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym? Please don't come to the country only to see the Panama canal! Jokes aside, Panama is a nice place to visit. We are small in size, but we're fortunate to have easy access to both the Pacific and Caribbean oceans in case you like the beach. Also we are a multicultural country with great food, both local and international. We have great natural spots to visit and discover. Nightlife is vibrant. Our shopping area is one of the best in the region, and people in general are very friendly
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Thanks for sharing with us! If you'd like to pay a visit to Shogun Panamá, you can find them here. |
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