Subject: [October newsletter] Sponsored Traveler: Graeme McKenna // The Forge, Karachi

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BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // October 2018
Dear Globetrotters,

This time of year is always nerve wrecking for me. It is when I barricade myself in my basement for a month and do nothing but research next year's potential camp destinations, make 100s of phone calls, negotiate contracts and drown in wast spreadsheet budgets. The most difficult part is to solve the calendar puzzle of the season, trying to confirm dates for numerous camps simultaneously and hope they all go through so they fit in the assigned weeks of the year. It's like juggling 15 balls in the air at the same time and hoping that they all land nicely in my hands once they come down.

So far, so good, though. I am starting to see an interesting 2019 camp season take shape and I'm very eager to get everything confirmed so I can start letting you know about all of it.

For now, you will need a bit more patience :)

Have a fantastic day,

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

  • Sponsored Traveller: Graeme McKenna
  • Globetrotters Academy in Focus: The Forge, Karachi, Pakistan
Less than 25 tickets left!
* January 2-6 in Wagrain, Austria *
* 70 km from Salzburg airport *
* Beautiful location in the middle of the alps *
* Now FIVE days of BJJ and skiing / snowboarding *
* Four nights accommodation *
* All meals included *
* Free skiing and snowboarding lessons *
* 24 hr free fruit and non-alcoholic beverages *
* Free laundry service *
* Direct access to huge skiing area with 120+ km slopes *
* Free access to water park and sauna facilities next door *
* Afterski parties *
* All levels of BJJ and skiers welcome *

Sponsored Traveller: Graeme McKenna
Let’s start out with some quick facts about you…

Age: 32
Belt: Blue
Profession: Itinerant sales and marketing manager with nothing to sell or market currently
How many years in BJJ: 2 years
Other martial arts: Got beat up a lot as a kid and Kenpo for 8 years
Where do you live: Currently in between London, UK and Melbourne, Australia for the next 3 months
Where are you originally from: Dublin, Ireland
Other fun or curious information you'd like to share: I am a Kung fu Master with a pirate’s mind. I spent the better part of a decade in a rock and roll band travelling through the deep south of the USA. And Highlander is the greatest movie ever made (there can be only one, but the sequels and the TV show aren’t THAT bad either).
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?

There are two possible answers here.
Option 1: I am a disavowed IMF agent completing secret missions, and it brings me all over the world.
Option 2: I was given a great opportunity with my job to travel across Canada to Australia and back towards Europe for 12 months.

Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
Just got to London from Melbourne via Bali, and will be heading to the BJJ Globetrotter Zen Camp in Poland in a few weeks, but not before a trip to Manchester, Dublin, and Birmingham. After that, I'll be visiting the Dominican Republic in October and hitting a few European destinations before I fly back to Australia to explore for the first few months of 2019.
What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
I love to meet new people and to see new places. Travelling with work has given me the opportunity to see parts of the world that I would not have even considered visiting otherwise. The Globetrotter community has helped me meet so many people who otherwise would not exist in my life. 

Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
I've been travelling with my girlfriend and working long hours. Training has helped me make so many new friends along the way. When not staying in a place for a long time, it makes it hard to meet new people. Jiu Jitsu is like speed dating for new mates, so after a class or two people tend to invite you out for beers or over to watch fights etc.

What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Apparently in Asia you should not eat fresh vegetables out of a restaurant. That 15-hour flight to Europe with severe food poisoning was surprising for a lot of people.

Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I am definitely not a budget traveller. I'd love to be, but I'm just too good at spending money on things. It's almost an art at this point.

If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Do not eat anything that gets washed in a sink and served without being heavily deep-fried while in a lot of Asia. You will regret it and it will make grappling a massively more extreme sport than it's supposed to be.
* May 29th to June 2nd, 2019 in Maine, USA *
* Beautiful lakeside location in the middle of a forest *
* Approx. an hour’s drive from Portland, ME *
* Five-day intense training camp *
* Great accommodation and training facilities *
* High-level international instructors *
* Gi and no-gi classes all day long *
* Four nights accommodation in cabins or double rooms *
* Full laundry service *
* All meals included *
* Free use of paddle boards *
* Bonfire every evening *
* Lobster bake night *
* Regular Jiu Jitsu and sports-related workshops *
* Movie nights featuring martial arts classics *
* Many other available activities *
* Everyone welcome regardless of experience and affiliation *

BJJ Globetrotters Academy in Focus: 
The Forge
Where is the gym located? 

Our dojo is located in Defence, a neighbourhood in the heart of Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan. Just a 10-minute walk from the seaside.

How many people train there?

We have about 60 registered students in different classes, all training in different styles.

Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?


Over the past year we've seen an increase of roughly 3 members per month, with some months having higher attendance than others.

What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?

For BJJ we only have white belts. For other martial arts being taught in the dojo, the highest rank is black belt and lowest is white belt.

When did the gym open?

Our first class officially started on November 5th 2017.
Some facts about you:

Name: Momin
Age: 30
Belt: White
Profession: Engineer
Years in BJJ: 3
Other martial arts: Judo, wrestling, grappling, Shorinjikan and Shura Ryu jujutsu
Currently living in: Karachi, Pakistan
Originally from: Pakistani born in Luxembourg
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence: 
I had been training grappling and Shura (a traditional form of jujutsu) for a few years, and realised that there was no suitable training facility in Defence, the most affluent part of the city with a vast population of young adults who had no access to proper martial arts training. To meet this shortfall, I opened the dojo with 3 other like-minded individuals who had been training in different traditional and modern martial arts in Karachi.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
There's a wide range of people who train at The Forge: students, business owners, employers, engineers, doctors, journalists, artists, designers, and teachers. Most train for sport and fitness, but some train for self-defence

What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Some of the challenges are: interest but lack of commitment from some, student retention, high turnover, people walking off the street and thinking they are better fighters and challenging those leading the class, and the constant cultish bullying from high-ranking belts not residing in the same city.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Awareness is increasing, so interest and commitment to BJJ will increase over time. I think more competitions are required to help that along the way.

What’s the best thing about your gym?
We welcome everyone regardless of affiliation or rank. Unlike other gyms in the city. Most importantly, we have the best facilities in the city!

What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
There are a lot of places to visit around Karachi, including the seaside, the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, and the mausoleum and museum of Quaid-e-Azam - the founder of Pakistan.


Thanks for sharing with us! If you would like to pay a visit to The Forge, you can find them here.
 
 
 
3 tickets left for February Caribbean camp
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.