Written By Guillaume Huni, BJJ black belt and head instructor of Kimura Academy in Serbia.

I had planned my mini Euro BJJ tour for months. I could only take a week off as I had too many obligations with my family, work etc..The first step of the trip would be a 1 day stopover in Istanbul, Turkey, followed by a 2 day seminar that I would be doing in Aalborg, Denmark and to finish it off, 3 days in Paris, France visiting my sisters and relatives together with training sessions in the best BJJ academies there.

In Paris, my first stop was at the Luta Livre academy of 5x ADCC vet Nicolas Renier.

I have known Nicolas for the past 13 or so years back when I was truing and living in Paris. Nicolas Renier is arguably the most accomplished No Gi Grappler in Europe, having been Fila World Grappling champion, and being the only European to participate in 5 ADCCs. He teaches in Paris, in his club called NRFight Club.

Nicolas with Pequeno

I had trained some Luta Livre in the past at another school in Paris and had also trained with two Luta Livre black belts in Serbia. My BJJ academy in Serbia also has 50% of training in No Gi so I wouldn’t that much of a fish out water. Or so I thought…..

I got to the academy a bit early and was sitting on the side waiting for the Muay Thai class to finish. NR Fight Team has its own gym, but also offers Muay Thai, and Wrestling.

Nicolas arrived and he treated me with a big hug. He looked in great shape. This was 2 months before ADCC 2015, so he was already in his training camp.

We got changed in our rash guards and shorts and training started. There were about 20 of us. For the salute everybody had to wear their Luta Livre belts and they took them off afterwards. I’m a BJJ black belt but a white belt in Luta Livre so of course I stayed at the end of the line.

We had a regular warm up consisting of light jogging and calisthenics (it was the middle of summer and was very hot) and then we went straight to the techniques portion. Nicolas showed us 3 variations of guard passes that went straight to a choke. One was to a guillotine, the other to a Darce, and the third was to a modified Darce that I had never seen before. Nicolas corrected one detail in how I set up that Darce and it has changed my whole Darce game!

Great training session!

Here is what Niolas Renier has to say about Luta Livre and how it differs from No Gi Jiu-Jitsu:

Luta Livre is a combat sport in its own right, it has a history, its own techniques, an international federation with grades … It can be practiced in kimono pants or shorts with a rash guard. I find Luta Livre really effective, it goes straight to the goal which is to submit, we are not trying to adopt the set format from BJJ​​ which is pass the guard, stabilize cross position, take the mount … We always try to surprise the opponent by going where he does not expect.

This search for the submission is what I noticed was different from BJJ. Like I said, I had trained Luta Livre before in different schools, and for me those schools followed more the BJJ model of position before submission. Nicolas’ school was the opposite. It was all about hunting the submission. Nicolas is a student of the famous Alexandre Pequeno, who has a lethal guillotine and Katagatame (arm triangle).

My friends had told me to watch out for Guilotines. I tried my best but these guys were catching me in flying guillotines as they were in top half guard! Yes flying Guillotines! You would think that top half guard is not the best place to set up a guillotine, but they would place their bodies perfectly and transition to the mount.

Then I rolled with Nicolas. I’m 1m85 and 85 kilos and Nicolas was at least 20 kilos lighter but his timing and speed were laser sharp. He sets up the Guillotine and Darce perfectly. He kicked my butt.

At the end of the training I was tired as hell, and we hanged out and talked for a good hour about Luta Livre, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA etc…The atmosphere in the academy is excellent. No ego, just hard work and a collective will to improve.

Nicolas has big plans for Luta Livre in Europe. He travels all over to give seminars and I truly believe that he will be a leader of Luta Livre.

I 100% recommend this academy as a great place for any grappler!

 Evolve MMA Far East Branch (Singapore)

Evolve has 4 top locations in Singapore. All are designed by one of the top design firms in Singapore, Evolve Far East Square is the highest quality, state-of-the-art, premium training facility of its kind in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, Evolve MMA has World Champion Instructors, modern state-of-the-art facilities, a comprehensive selection of martial arts classes, and the biggest class schedules in Asia. It offers a safe, fun, and supportive environment for everyone.

Middleasy visited Evolve and made this video which was eventually rejected eventually by Evolve’s management. It shows the state of the art facilities and shows a BJJ training session featuring Shinya Aoki::

Over a year ago, I flew to Singapore in order to get the jump on the MMA industry and be the first site to thoroughly cover an emerging gym called ‘Evolve MMA.’ No one really knew much about it aside that it appeared to be a slice of Beverly Hills nestled deep in the South Pacific. Back in 2009, MiddleEasy broke the news about the grand opening of the gym and served the MMA world with some of the first pictures of the facility.

In early 2011, I took the pilgrimage to Singapore and met with Evolve MMA owner, Yodchatri Sityodtong. If you’re an avid MiddleEasy reader, then you probably remember the first article I composed on the gym with a tour of the Evolve MMA facility. Shortly after that feature was published, I promised all of you a second video which covered fighters actually training in the second Evolve MMA gym, also located in Singapore. Unfortunately, that video never surfaced — until now.

When I finalized the video, I sent it over to Yodchatri to get his opinion on the piece. Within seconds, I received an email with something along the lines of ‘Dude, don’t release this!’ Apparently, Yodchatri felt the video didn’t really do justice to the talent Evolve MMA truly had to offer. I guess he felt that a flying armbar performed by Shinya Aoki just wasn’t impressive enough. I think I responded to his email with ‘Look, we don’t have to release it, but it would be an incredible waste of really good hip-hop.’ There was no budging, so the feature was hacked, slashed and murdered on the MiddleEasy editing room floor.

Well, here’s the video that took me 48+ hours of traveling planet Earth just to complete. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s pretty damn slick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcw0RpU4XXE

Ever wondered what a competition training session is like at Roger Gracie’s academy in London?

Check out this short video from Jiu-Jitsu style magazine of Roger putting his students through their paces.

Visit http://www.bjjstyle.com/ for details on how to pick up their magazine in print and digital.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj10GcIxKPg

Atos San Diego HQ not only has one of the best levels of Jiu-Jitsu in the world with champions such as Andre Galvao, JT Torres, Keenan Cornelius, Lucas Hulk, Mike Carbullido etc…But it now has one of the best Jiu-Jitsu facilities in the world. Since the end of 2015, the team has moved a to a new location which definitely has the “wow factor”.

The new space has 2 huge mats, a lounge area and lots of space.

Check out this video gym tour showing the beautiful facilities:

https://vimeo.com/153969985

Guest post by Andre Sato, a Judo black belt and BJJ brown belt from Checkmat Sao Paulo. He works as a Journalist in Brazil. He was recently on a Europe trip where he spent time in Ireland, France and Serbia.

For two days I trained with very nice(and tough) people and discovered a beautiful(and cold) city that I want to come back to.

During a trip through Europe in the beginning of this year, I went to Belgrade – Serbia -, to meet a friend Guillaume (Gile) Huni– a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and editor of the web page BJJEE.com (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Eastern Europe) and instructor of Kimura BJJ Serbia. Guillaume is 1/2 French and 1/2 Filipino and has been living in Serbia for 9 years. He actually faced my cousin in competition a few years back. Small world.

In two days I was there, I saw that the sport over there is already a reality, as well as the athletes are super hooked into it, fans of Brazilian culture and that they have a incredible strength.

The first serbian black belt was graduated by Fernando Pinduka and he is called Jovan Zerjal. Nowadays, some of his students, already black belts, started to run their own academies, five in total, with different flags.

From L to R: Uros Domanovic, Andre Sato, Uros Culic

In my period in Belgrade – january 6th and 7th – I trained with some people, including three who were preparing for the IBJJF European Championship in Lisbon, which happened in the same month.
I noted that those guys know the brazilian culture – Guillaume had spent couple of months in Rio already -, and that they train and deeply study BJJ. It is usual for them watch some videos and analyze positions carefully, moreover, they know all brazilian top dogs.

From L to R: Uros Domanovic, Andre Sato, Guillaume Huni, Luka Radulovic, Aleksandar Milicevic

Serb style

Furthermore, something that really got my attention was their strength. Apart from a good and modern technique, I felt a grip that I have not seem yet in bjj and even in judo! Their top game impressed me too with loads of breaking rips, leg drags, knee cuttings, always with pressure.
I believe that some characteristics counts in their BJJ style, one of them is the weather! The cold make them naturally resistant. Also, although they are in Europe, Serbia is not a rich country and as happens in Brazil, life is a daily challenge.

Additionally, the war history – recent by the way – is a fact that oblige them to be a warrior people, men and women that got used to guns, bombs, death and life.

While in Brazil we have the ability with the rips from samba, the smartness of capoeira and the Brazilian way to deal with hard situations, they have the strength built by the weather, the warrior spirit taught by the war and the capability to learn as well as to reinvent themselves to live in a country with difficulties.

Andre and Uros

Finally, I recommend to all Brazilians living or in a trip through Europe to visit Serbia.
Firstly because serbs are very gentle, friendly and if you visit their academies, surely they will receive you very well. Secondly, due to the fact that Brazilians do not need visa to enter and the same happens with them when coming to our country.

My tips

– Try a night out at Savamala and Skadarlija and talk to everybody, they are very sociable;
– If you are not in a diet, ask for a dessert called Tufahija(apple, walnut, water sugar);
– If you are not in pre contest period and like alcohol, go for a shot of Rakia(local drink);
– Learn couple of words as excuse me, thanks, bye and use it, locals will love your effort to speak their language.

Andre enjoying a night out in Belgrade

Guest post by Marcin Polczyk, BJJ brown belt from Poland. He is touring Europe for BJJ. Please LIKE his cool Facebook page BJJ Explorer

Marcin visited one of the top 20 highest level BJJ academies in Europe: Frontline BJJ in Oslo, Norway.

Taking opportunity of possessing a moment of free time and finding a super cheap airline ticket, I eagerly accepted invitation of my friend Sebastian Brosche and decided to visit him in Oslo, in one of the best and most influential European teams – Frontline Academy.

This gym has proved its level and reputation numerous times – for example its regional branch in Oslo won 18 medals in European BJJ Championship, within which 12 were gained in color belt division (!). It is worth mentioning that among Frontline’s alumni there is a fighter well known in Poland – Andrzej Migaj, who totally smashed Purple belts category during the 10th Polish BJJ Championship last year. However, Frontline’s spectacular results are no longer surprising me after my visit to Oslo.

My first thoughts after arrival on Viking’s territory were limited to: „Everything is so expensive in here!” I paid more for the transfer from the airport to the city than for the airline ticket, buying one bottle of water is equivalent to buying six identical bottles in Poland… More or less I knew what to expect.
Despite high prices, Norway makes an impression of a friendly country. First of all, English is a commonly known and used language and it functions in a public sphere nearly on an equal scale with Norwegian. It is very helpful in having a pleasant bjj training as you can chat with – absolutely – everyone. However, going back to my journey…

In the evening I checked in Frontline Academy. Frontline Academy exists for more than 10 years. Eduardo „Teta” Rios – main trainer, excellent theorist and practitioner – works with boys and girls training in Frontline from the beginning of its existence. The maim goal of my travel was training so I begin my visit with two trainings: gi and no-gi, one after another.

Marcin and Eduardo Teta

Unfortunately, the last time I trained without gi was year ago (not taking into account 2 fights during sparings in Alliance Warsaw). No doubt, I weaned off specifics of this kind of fight and got quickly smashed by local guys Fortunately, My fights in gi were far more better. Nonetheless sparrings with young ambitious Purple belts cost me a lot…and gave me a lot of satisfaction. It is not everyday that you have a chance to fight with competitors representing such high level.
The trainer „Teta” (despite the fact that he suffered from a contusion) honored me with a fight. After every experience of this kind I realise how long and difficult way to go I have to become a black belt… The very training in Frontline was exactly what I expect from my foreign voyages. Excellent techniques thought in a clear, coherent and logical manner, lots of drills and last but not least, easy-going and very friendly atmosphere. I really appreciate when BJJ training is not limited to techniques demonstration. What I find extremely important are: theoretical introduction, discussion about the very merit and BJJ specifics and motivation talks. Trainer Teta did his best to ensure each of these elements.

Traveling and training wouldn’t be anything special without this legendary „spirit of jiujitsu” – this „little” something which makes BJJ something much more than just a sport. Despite the fact that Norway is not known for its good weather, Oslo is not Paris nor Barcelona and a cost of a ride to Rygge airport is equivalent to Polish minimal fee – I really wanted to visit this place, cause I knew I will find here everything what is most precious in bjj.

David’s words are the best proof that I was right. David is a very experienced Purple belt, whom I met in Oslo one day and he claims that BJJ and Frontline Academy are these crucial things which makes him stay in Norway. I feel I know this kind of engagement from personal experience.

However, the main trigger of my travel was an invitation from a very good friend of mine – Sebastian Brosche. Sebastian has Swedish origins. He moved to Oslo in aim to train BJJ on highest level. Knowing the kind of person he is, I’m sure that atmosphere of trainings also possessed a great importance.

Marcin and Sebastian Brosche

Thanks to Sebastian I had a chance to take part in yoga training, which according to a very popular trend constitute a perfect complement of BJJ training. It s hard for me to comment on the impact of yoga on BJJ from my own experience, because during one yoga training I attended I felt like a little bit retarded unit in respect of elasticity and movement – and you have to wait for the results of yoga hardships:) Nevertheless, observing Sebastian’s style it is hard not to admit that elasticity may give you a great advantage during a fight. Additionally I consider the union of these two disciplines as shedding new light on BJJ – not only on the technical level, but also from the perspective of the very approach to BJJ – what I find extremely fascinating as person who is always striving to find a deeper sense in everything connected to BJJ. So much fascinating, that I would love to dedicate my next post to this topic.

To sum up my travel – I really hope that every next visit in foreign gym will leave me with such positive feelings. I would like to thank all my Norwegian friends for their hospitality, wonderful time and trainings.

Guest post by Colin Leigh, a Canadian living in Riga, Latvia. He is a white belt under Vladislavs Čerņavskis, training at LEWC- Giudici BJJ in Riga. Colin trains at least 5 times a week and is 47 years old.

I travel all the time with work and find myself in many different cities around the world. When I travel now, I take my kit bag with me and find an academy to train at in the city I am visiting. It has become a bit of a ritual now and I have met so many wonderful people!! The BJJ community is one of the most open and friendly groups I have ever experienced!

Colin and Vladislavs Čerņavskis

What I plan to do in this article is write about my experiences with the academies I visit, the profs and instructors and to help create an awareness of the BJJ community as a whole. It is also nice to get the word out there about the academies for anyone that decides to visit the cities that I write about in this blog. I hope you enjoy what I write and any feedback is always welcome.

A little while ago, I had the pleasure to travel to Haugesund, Norway. I had to travel a day early due to the trip being 2 flights…and to get my BJJ on! Haugesund is a beautiful city on the west coast of Norway…as are most of the coastal cities.

The hotel I picked was literally 50 meters from the gym, so it worked out really well! Before I travelled, I checked the internet and only one academy fit my time schedule, Guigo Jiu Jitsu academy, run by Prof Luis Alberto Armas Gamarra, a black belt hailing from Peru. I wrote him in Facebook asking for permission to join their class that night and got a very quick reply. I walked over to the address and found a place called Power Gym and popped inside. The guy that owns the actual gym was really helpful and introduced me to Prof Luis. The room itself was a comfortable size and Luis used the space really well.

The training was excellent and if I am being honest, he nearly killed me in the warmup! Whenever I warm up in a larger hall, you get some time to relax (slack) while you trot back to your starting point. Not here, down and back I went, shrimping, rolling, flipping, flopping…I almost threw in the towel then and there!

After the warmup and Prof allowed us a small sip of water, we paired up and started on the drills…the usual ones, arm bars, omoplata, triangle chokes, guard passes and a few others. We ran the drills for about 20 minutes and went straight into techniques.

This was very interesting for me being the first time training outside of my home academy. Normally you spend all of your time learning the techniques that your own coaches teach, so to learn something totally new was brilliant! We spent most of the time learning how to set up and execute a powerful omoplata from the guard position. The way Prof Luis teaches made it really easy for us to pick up and sooner than expected, we were snapping this in place!

The last 20 minutes were spent rolling with 5 minute rounds and no break…jumping from one person to the next. By the time the session was over, we were all thoroughly exhausted but energized at the same time! I can honestly say as well that everyone that I rolled with were respectful, careful and a pleasure to train with. You know sometimes you get the ones that want to rip your arms off or put you to sleep, but everyone seemed to have a certain discipline about them that did not allow this type of behavior.

Prof Luis is an amazing person and coach and his students were all really open and helpful. I would highly recommend a visit if you ever find yourself nearby…even if just to meet the gang and say hello. We are friends now and keep in touch, which in my opinion, is what it is all about.

Stay tuned for my next blog where I write about my trip to Hilti BJJ Academy in Parnu, Estonia! Ossss!

Hi everyone! My name is Colin Leigh and I am a Canadian living abroad in Riga, Latvia now. I am a one striped white belt under Vladislavs Čerņavskis, training at LEWC- Giudici BJJ in Riga. I have been training since the 1^st of September, 2015, train at least 5 times a week and I’m 47 years old!

I travel all the time with work and find myself in many different cities around the world. When I travel now, I take my kit bag with me and find an academy to train at in the city I am visiting. It has become a bit of a ritual now and I have met so many wonderful people!! The BJJ community is one of the most open and friendly groups I have ever experienced!

Colin and Vladislavs

What I plan to do in this article is write about my experiences with the academies I visit, the profs and instructors and to help create an awareness of the BJJ community as a whole. It is also nice to get the word out there about the academies for anyone that decides to visit the cities that I write about in this blog. I hope you enjoy what I write and any feedback is always welcome.

A little while ago, my lovely wife decided that we would travel to Pärnu, Estonia to a huge water park there for my daughter’s 6^th birthday. Once confirmed, I immediately went online to see if I could find an academy to train at. (I also used this time to figure out how I was going to escape the festivities to train BJJ!) One of the hits that came up was Hilti BJJ Academy and I clicked in to check it out. As is my practice, I checked out the instructors and the Prof that ran the gym ended up looking VERY familiar! His name was Prof Robert Tomingas and I had already met him when he stayed at our academy in Riga to prepare for a tournament, so that worked really well for me!

I sent him a message asking his permission to train at his academy, and he got back to me within minutes with a resounding YES! It seems that he was really good friends with my Prof and they have trained together often, so that was both really cool and comforting.

So we drove up to Pärnu the following week and checked into the hotel attached to the water park. I checked out the Hilti Facebook page to see if there were any changes or news and saw that he announced my visit on their wall like I was a visiting superstar and man did it feel good!

I was somehow able to convince my wife to let me slip away for a few hours that evening after dinner to go and train. I sent an sms to the Prof asking him the best way to get to his academy. He called me right away and offered to come pick me up. Another wow moment! He came and collected me and we drove to the site, which ended up being an old school…a pretty cool venue in my opinion but really hard to find if I was on my own. We changed and headed up to the training room to get started. I received a very warm welcome from everyone and I felt like family right from the start.

We started the warmup and it was a unique experience for me. It was a yoga based warmup and I loved it! It stretched us out, warmed us up and also made me feel calm and relaxed at the same time. After the warmup we went into drills and techniques.

After the basic drills, arm bars, triangles etc, we move to techniques. Prof showed us a crazy kimura transition move to mount. To be honest, all I could envision at first was my arm getting ripped off in a horrible fashion! It ended up being a really slick move once you got past the initial fear factor! We drilled this for a bit, then we went into his speciality of deep half guard. This was a first for me and I found it challenging but very cool once I got them working.

After that, we took a small water break and prepared for rolling. The first guy I rolled with was a brute of a man! Strong as an ox! I was able to get him into an early kimura only to be lifted off the ground like I was a Gucci handbag and tossed to the ground where he subsequently destroyed me. I then moved on to roll next with Kristi, a higher ranked girl. At first I thought, “I better be careful here, she’s smaller than me, and a girl”. Well, was I wrong! She was so fast, I had no idea where she was at any point in time and I had to fight off submission attempts one after the other…the only way to stop her was to lay on her like a wet mattress and hope she passed out before she got free!

At the end of the training session, I was fortunate enough to experience a grading where some of the students received stripes…an honor for me to witness.

Since my trip there, I have noticed that they treat ALL visitors to their academy with the same level of reverence that they did me. I am absolutely humbled to have met these wonderful people and I will keep the amazing experience with me forever. Whenever in Pärnu, Estonia, I would absolutely recommend a visit to the Hilti BJJ Academy (https://www.facebook.com/HILTI-BJJ-P%C3%A4rnu-843932935624277/?pnref=story ).

Stay tuned for my next blog where I write about my trip to Bergen Grappling in Bergen, Norway! Ossss!

Written by Emir Alagic from Team Edson Carvalho Bosnia.

The best thing about BJJ in my opinion is that it changes people in a good way. Because this, a lot of us don’t want to stop training even when we go on a vacation. A BJJ gi is only two more kilos in our baggage, but you know that if you bring it with you, there will be an adventure.

When i decided to spend my vacation with my family in Germany, I knew that I would bring it. The plan was not to visit as many academies as possible, but to visit a local academy in that area that I was going to and see what it would look like if I lived in that area and trained on regular basis.

I was going to Dusseldorf (Germany), so i googled about bjj in that area. I already knew about Checkmat team in Cologne because I had was attended a seminar of profesor Petar Schira in Sarajevo, which was a very cool 5 days seminar organised by Arena BJJ from Sarajevo. So ggogle gave me two locations where I could go to.
I went on facebook and sent a message to both teams that that I found. I didn’t get any response from one team (i don’t blame them) other one was PANKRATION ACADEMY Checkmat Dusseldort. I got an instant response from Dimitrios Kotsidis their HEAD COACH who is a purple belt under Chico Mendes. Thats how I found the academy that i was looking for.
In our first training, I was glad to see that in this team they like guests and don’t just treat them as a targets, which was good because i ate a lot that day. After politely introducing myself and warm uping, we started to work on techniques. In this team they are very open minded, so they brought one luta livre guy to show some leg locks which are not allowed under ibjjf rules for lower belts which was good and funny at a same time. This was good because from my experience sometimes a lot of us while focusing on competitive bjj under ibjjf rules forget and leave our legs exposed or maybe it’s just me.

In another training session we were doing a lot of triangle variations, I taught a couple of my triangle tricks, and did a couple of rolls. I even brought my family to check out this team, so maybe my younger cousins will be a couple of stripes white belts next time I visit them. That would be awesome.
Conclusion is that I highly recomend visiting Pancration Academy in Dusseldorf. It is important to say that this is not only a bjj gym, they also train MMA. I plan to visit them next year also, because it became my Dusseldorf bjj team by default. It will be nice to see how all this great guys improve when i get back there.

Head coach Dimitrios Kotsidis has this say about his academy:\

PANKRATION ACADEMY is part of Checkmat under head coach Chico Mendes. In our academy, loyalty, respect and discipline are very important. We want to teach the old school way of Martial Arts to the people: respect each other and you will earn respect. Leave ego outside. Besides we are having fun of course and we train as a family. PANKRATION ACADEMY is a very competitive team but we don’t force people to compete. Most of our students love to compete no matter what age.
1.Can u tell me more about bjj scene in your city?

The scene here is pretty small. Unfortunately everyone is doing their own thing. I would Love to see more cooparation.

2. How u see yours team in next 5 years?

We will grow together as a family and will get better day by day.

3. Do u plan to organize any seminar in near future?

Yes.We already had our master Chico Mendes here couple of times plus Jackson Sousa and Rafael Heck. Next we will get Chico and Leonardo Viera here.

4.Who is yours favorite bjj black belt which is still an active competitor?

Chico Mendes.
5. Can u describe your style of jiu jitsu?

My style? I train all the situations I am Always prepared. Jiu-Jitsu wins (laughs) CheckMat BJJ OSS

I will take opputunity to say thanks to my sponsors supporting my bjj journey. Big thanks NG System, Elit Nutrition and Legion Fightwear from Sarajevo.

Akademija Kimura Brazilski Jiu-Jitsu Srbija se nalazi u Beogradu, Srbija. Njen osnivač je Guillaume (Gile) Huni, sa crnim pojasem u BJJ i vlasnik je veb-sajta BJJ Eastern Europe www.bjjee.com i www.watchbjj.com.
Akademija se nalazi u centru Beograda, a deo je borilačkog kluba Olimpik u Bulevaru Kralja Aleksandra 79.

Raspored treninga: GI (sa kimonom): ponedeljak, sreda, petak u 21:10h. NO GI (bez kimona): utorak i cetvrtak u 17:30, i subota u 11:00. 6 termina nedeljno.
Svi nivoi su dobrodošli i u akademiji vlada prijatna i prijateljski nastrojena atmosfera.

Kiumra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Serbia Belgrade

Kimura Jiu-Jitsu Academy is based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is lead by Guillaume ‘Gile’ Huni, BJJ black belt and owner of the website BJJ Eastern Europe www.bjjee.com & www.watchbjj.com.
The Academy is located in the city center of Belgrade, part of Borilacki Klub Olimpik on Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 79.
Trainings are  GI: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 21:10. No GI: Tuesday and Thursdays at 17:30, and Saturdays at 11:00. 6 Training sessions per week.

All levels are welcome and the academy has a friendly atmosphere.
All levels are welcome and the academy has a friendly atmosphere. https://www.facebook.com/brazilianjiujitsuserbia?ref=bookmarks

Check out the nice roll between Kimura BJJ Serbia Instructors Guillaume (Gile) Huni (Black belt) and Branko Simonovic (Judo black belt, BJJ purple belt):

Russian BJJ blue belt, Alexander Fedotov trains out of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu in Moscow. He is a good friend of BJJ Eastern Europe and is a IBJJF Rome Open gold medalist as well as London Open silver medalist.

Alexander Fedotov moved last year to Cuba for work and wanted to continue his BJJ training but didn’t find any academies there. He started his own small BJJ training group and also trains Judo with some members of the Cuban national Judo team (like the first opponent in this video). Cubans are known for their high level in Judo.

Havana, Cuba

To read more about Alexander’s adventures in Russia CLICK HERE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwMBm-N95J8

Our friend Stephane, French brown belt from planetejjb.com went to visit Gracie Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal and wrote this training report:

I propose you to discover the Jiu Jitsu Gracie LISBOA academy in Lisbon, Portugal.

For professional reasons, I go often to Lisbon. My flight is at 16:20. I also want to look at BJJ academies (like any good BJJ practitioner) of this beautiful city before taking off. Being a fan of the Gracie family, I chose the Academy GRACIE LISBOA and send them an email to let them know of my coming. My surprise when I immediately got a response when Joao (Chief Instructor) cordially invited me to come train.

GRACIE LISBOA: http://gracielisboa.blogspot.fr/

FACEBOOK Group: https://pt-pt.facebook.com/gracie.lisboa

Once finished with my work duties, I head to the academy to join Joao.

The club is located just off the CUF hospital east of the city, and takes about 10 minutes from the airport (taxis are very economical and cost virtually nothing, about 7 euros).

Club-jjb-gracie-lisbon

Address : Externato João XXIII
Corsário Rua das Ilhas
Parque das Nações
(ao lado do Descobertas hospital CUF)

I advise you to be dropped off at the hospital and the club is in Annex Joao XXIII about 10 meters.

On my arrival, Joao Santos, the head and a black belt in BJJ, greets me with a big smile. Joao is a black belt under Robin Gracie and runs several academies in Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
He is a lightweight, and showing what pure Jiu-Jitsu is all about, he spars with me in a very technical roll. Joao is a very friendly person and he shows me that at the European Championships a few years ago, members of Team Lloyd Irving (famous coach in the USA and former mentor of Keenan Cornelius) came to his academy to prepare for the competition. This year Joao has welcomed people from the USA, Spain, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, England, Canada and France, all from different teams.

Joao is also very active with the champions of JJB and it has already brought in internship at his academy personalities like Caio Terra, Samir Chantre, Rolker Gracie, and many others

About 20 people are here tonight, a lot of white belts, a little blue and purple and a few browns. This is an open mat type session. Free training begins at 19h and ends at about 21h. The hours are the same every night of the week and take place within the same dojo.Club-jjb-gracie-lisboa

Stephane with Joao

I roll with a purple belt, super nice too but it is already time to leave. I really enjoyed my time in the academy and I can only applaud the welcome that was reserved for me. Do not hesitate to Like their Facebook page as they are very active.

Joao proposed to drop me off at my hotel and of course, we are talking Jiu Jitsu on the way back: an encyclopedia that is Joao.

If you are in Lisbon, I can only advise you to come and train you in GRACIE LISBOA. A very warm welcome awaits you and good rolls.

Written by Hugo Miranda, Carlson Gracie Portugal

Recently I had to travel to Munich for work, along with my girlfriend. Since we both train and are sort of addicted to BJJ, bringing a Gi with us wasn’t really a choice, it was a given that we’d train. In the absence of a Carlson Gracie (where we train in Portugal) branch there, we sought the very best next thing, somebody with Carlson Gracie roots, as well as somebody who I knew of before travelling to Munich. Our choice was to visit Pound for Pound – Munich, led by Mr. Sergio Zimmerman “Canudo”.

From the first time I contacted “Canudo” he was very nice and welcoming, telling me that there wouldn’t be any problem for us to come and that we’d be at home. I knew of Sergio because of the time he spent in Portugal and through common BJJ friends, but I had never met him personally.

Sergio ‘Canudo’ Zimmerman

Getting to the academy wasn’t really a problem, save for the fact that German bus drivers aren’t all that nice if you don’t speak their language, but we got there and we brought another friend who does Muay Thai and didn’t want to spend a week away from physical activity.

First thing you see when you arrive is a small room where it says ‘Shoes off’, so we knew we found the right place. At the time there were around 5 people finishing No-Gi class and a lot more waiting for BJJ in the Gi to start. The academy is comprised of large matted area, along with an octagon, a ring and a bunch of punching bags along a wall. The Carlson Gracie logo painted on one of the walls, along with Master Carlson’s picture, made me feel right at home. There are male and female locker rooms and Master Canudo kept reminding the guys to shut the door (I guess men are the same no matter which country we come from, haha). So, the first impression was great. The man is polite, enforces good manners and the gym is clean.

Everybody was friendly in the locker room, nobody giving me the nasty eye or anything of the sort. Moving on to the mat, there was one black belt, a female brown belt, around 6 or 7 purple, 10 blue belts and the rest was white belts. In all we were about 30 people, including almost 10 girls and Canudo tells me there are days with over 40 people on the mat.

Everything was conducted in a very relaxed but very professional way, from the warm-ups to the techniques. The training was comprised of a pretty standard warmup, with all the things that are common in most academies, two techniques explained in a clear way and rolling.

What struck me is that Master Canudo mixes old-school Carlson simplicity with new-age BJJ while keeping the same no-bullshit approach that made Carlson Gracie famous. No flying ninja youtube crap whatsoever. Keep it simple, keep it effective. I absolutely love that. For example, we trained a pass of the fairly new inverted de la Riva guard, but he made it so simple that everybody from white to black could do it.

Both me and my girlfriend had been eating poorly for a week (at our work we couldn’t choose our meals, had to eat what they gave us), and we weren’t feeling so well after a while. Nothing to blame on the training, just on our meals. I ended up only rolling with a white belt and Master Canudo. My girlfriend rarely rolls with other girls so she kept finding other female partners to train with. It was great for her, no guys smashing her finally! The guy I rolled with was a bit heavier than me, but quite technical. Canudo of course destroyed me left, right, up and down. Wristlock, armbars from every possible position… And without using one gram of his strength. Just technique. The sort of thing you expect from a guy who’s been winning tournaments for 20 years. I loved rolling with him.

In the end we ended up talking a little bit, exchanging stories about common BJJ friends and teachers and with him inviting us to come back any time. Sadly because of work we couldn’t, but if we’re ever back in Munich, count on our visit.

I strongly recommend a visit if you’re in that area. The teacher knows his stuff, the students are polite and attentive and much nicer than the average german guy. Same thing with the girls. I had much more to write but this has turned out to be a quite large report, so bottom line is: Highly recommended, go there!

Last Saturday (4th of July) BJJ practitioners from Southern Poland gathered on the 7th BJJ Picnic that took place on the beautiful beach by the Pogoria lake (Dabrowa Gornicza, Upper Silesia). Hot and sunny weather and a nice, sandy beach drew BJJ fighters alongside with their friends and families from almost all major academies from across the region.
Apart from the sea of white, blue and purple belts, quite a few BJJ celebrities showed up on the mat with Marcin Held (BJJ black belt, Bellator and Polaris star), Jaroslaw Ogieglo (brown belt 2015 Polish champ, 2015 Polish BJJ Cup winner and Ragnarok competitor) and Robert Henek (2015 purple belt Polish BJJ Cup winner, currently a brown belt) on the lead.

 
The event was organized by the charismatic BJJ Factory Gliwice leader – Pawel Banczyk (2015 European Jiujitsu Newaza champ, 2015 NAGA Germany brown belt champ) who decided that this year’s edition theme is fruit party – everyone willing to roll on the mat had to bring fruit, fruit salad or any other food or beverage that is fruit-related. This turned out to be a hit as the tired and thirsty jiujiteiros constantly occupied the fruit stand as well as flirted with girls by inviting them for a slice of watermelon or a glass of juice.

The heat, sandy beach, BJJ mats and beautiful girls in bikini made an impression of rolling on the Copacabana beach in Rio, but minus the costly trip and just a few kilometers from home. It was also a great chance to roll and socialize with the BJJ crowd from this huge region of Poland. The rolls were demanding and hard, but enjoyable and friendly. I am sure that everyone who attended the picnic had a great time and is looking forward to the next edition. Everyone’s invited!

Photos by Karolina Blazejczyk

Here’s a video clip of this year’s edition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SM60r82Kio&feature=youtu.be

By Guillaume (Gile) Huni, BJJ black belt and head instructor of Kimura Academy in Belgrade, Serbia.

I had planned my mini Euro BJJ tour for months. I could only take a week off as I had too many obligations with my family, work etc..The first step of the trip would be a 1 day stopover in Istanbul, Turkey, followed by a 2 day seminar that I would be doing in Aalborg, Denmark and to finish it off, 3 days in Paris, France visiting my sisters and relatives together with training sessions in the best BJJ academies there.
I took the short plane ride from Belgrade, Serbia where I live, to Istanbul. Before the trip I had contacted Burak Deger Bicer, Turkey’s first locally based BJJ black belt. He is a BJJ black belt under Ricardo Vieira and owner of Corvos BJJ and MMA Academy. I knew Deger from before as I had interviewed him for BJJEE.com in the past and had met a couple of times at Europeans IBJJF competitions.

Deger picked me up at the airport with his assistant, BJJ girl, Melike. He had told me via facebook message beforehand: “When you arrive, go right and I’ll be waiting for you at the Starbucks..” .

I followed his instructions and like any BJJ geek, I saw from a far someone who looked like a grappler: bald head, tanned, IBJJF competition T shirt, athletic build. I waved at him and greeted him with a handshake and hug. Before we hit the road, we sat down for one of our many coffees of the day. I right away started asking him about how the BJJ scene is growing in Turkey. Deger said that it was growing at a steady pace but that he was still not satisfied by the way things were going. We talked about the fact that there had not been any legit BJJ competitions yet in Turkey and that there was also strong politics between the main academies in the country. There was some positives though, like some very promising BJJ athletes . At this point, his assistant Melike joined us. I had not met her before but had seen here compete at the Europeans earlier this year. She is a very talented purple belt BJJ player.

From L to R: Deger, Melike and Gile

We jumped in his car, and headed towards Istanbul’s heavy traffic. I only had one day to spend in Istanbul so wanted to make the most of it. I let Deger take care of the schedule. This was not my first time in this amazing city, as I had spent New Year’s eve 2009 there with my wife. That was when I had first contacted Deger. I had googled BJJ Istanbul back then as I was hoping to train during the trip. Deger was a purple belt back then and so was I. We never did meet, as I had too little time and his academy back then was on the Asian side which was too far for me to get to.
So here I am 6 years later with Deger in Istanbul, and we are now both black belts. Deger told me the schedule for the day: We would first go for lunch in one of Istanbul’s new high class shopping malls and stay there until about 6 pm where we would then head to his academy to prepare for the evening training. We arrived at the mall, and met up with 2 of his students from Ankara, Turkey’s capital. We sat down at an Italian restaurant and the conversation was going from BJJ in the world, BJJ in Turkey, living in Eastern Europe etc… I noticed that their mentality and behavior was very similar to the Balkan ways: very friendly, very welcoming and they NEVER let you pay for anything. This was understandable as the Balkan region of Eastern Europe was for around 400 years invaded by the Ottoman Turks so I could see the similarities.

Lunch was over and we walked around the mall for a few more hours, alternating between more coffee and food breaks. Man, these people love their coffee and food! I kept on talking to them about various subject such as BJJ women in Turkey, affiliations to Brazilians, Turkey’s BJJ federation and its lack of initiative and organization, Deger’s BJJ journey etc…

At 6pm, we headed to Deger’s academy: Corvos BJJ. It was just a 5 mins car ride away. It was the end of Ramadan and Deger told me that there would be less people than usual. The academy was beautiful. It was in the old Japanese zen style complete with Samurai statues, top of the line Judo tatamis, everything clean etc… It was located in a wealthy, residential part of Istanbul.
I took advantage of the wifi to update BJJEEE.com and also took a 30 mins power as the amount of of food eaten that day made me tired!
At 8pm, it was a full house with at least 35-40 people on the mats. Deger said that on a normal day (when there is no Ramadan) that number could be around 50-60. Everybody was very friendly and greeted me. Many of them were regular readers of BJJEE.com.

We started the training with a Q & A and Deger and myself did our best to answer various questions such as: How do you escape omoplata, how do you prevent someone from inverting, how do you set up your favorite takedown etc…

It was then time to roll and I was put in a group of around 10 purple and brown belts that were eager to roll with me. I was eager too as I always like to have new sparring partners. It’s the occasion to learn something new and be faced with different games. We had some really good rolls, a few in particular I will remember, Omer a brown belt originally from Azerbaijan had a really good two on one arm control and also did a very good job of countering my half guard. I asked him to teach me his very sneaky loop choke that he is famous for. Now that technique is mine! I also rolled with an absolute beast called Saygid who was from Dagestan. This kid according to Deger was a legend in the making. He had won silver at the Europeans at white, blue and purple (I may be mistaken though) and had tapped quite a few black belts in Brazil. He also took down during a roll, an elite black belt competitor that was visiting Istanbul. So I had to be extra careful when rolling with him! The roll was awesome. He has amazing balance, and moves like a monkey. One guy to watch out for sure. All the guys I rolled with were super tough and also super friendly and humble.

We finished the training session with a photo session and I also filmed some techniques that Deger demonstrated which will uploaded on watchbjj.com.
We then went for an epic meal with about ten team members. I’ll always remember the delicious Turkish fried dumplings in tomato and yoghurt sauce. I slept at Deger’s place that night and we exchanged T shirts of our academies: mine (Kimura BJJ Academy in Belgrade, Serbia) and his Corvos BJJ.

Deger dropped me off to the airport the next morning and I was on my way to my next destination: Denmark.

To be continued…

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Globetrotters have been growing rapidly over the last few years. Starting out as a small affiliation of Jiu Jitsu practitioners who had trouble signing up for IBJJF competitions due to issues with politics, it is now turning into a world wide community of Jiu Jitsu travelers, a gi brand, couchsurfing service and one of the most active organizers of exotic training camps around the world. The founder is Christian Graugart, a black belt from Copenhagen, Denmark also known for being the author of “The BJJ Globetrotter”.

Here is a report on their big, traditional Summer Camp which was held in a small, medieval town in Belgium called Leuven.

Written by Maddi Astell

It is a beautiful morning in Belgium, I’m looking out at all the old buildings over the balcony, my bag is packed and i’m ready to move on to Paris. I know I should be excited but I can’t shake this feeling that nothing will come close to the amazing week I’ve just experienced with old friends and new friends that I’ve made at the Globetrotters Summer Camp. The official term for this melancholy feeling is “Post Camp Blues” and if you’ve never been to one of the camps then it is impossible to understand what it is like but be warned that it’s felt by even the biggest, toughest guys on the mat and there is no escaping it.

Our week started on a sleepy Sunday in Leuven, most of the locals were inside as the shops are closed and 250 Globetrotters were making their way down the cobbled streets to hotels and hostels, everywhere you turned there was a cauliflower ear, a jiu jitsu t-shirt or a familiar face and you could sense the excitement for the madness that was about to unfold. Leuven was the perfect location for this camp, it’s a beautiful, quiet student town with well preserved historic charm, stunning architecture and over 3000 different beers to enjoy after training. The Sportoase sports centre was an easy bike ride from the town centre and following the Globetrotters signs lead you down to an industrial style basement with 450 square metres of high quality tatami mat space – which came to be affectionately known as “the sauna bunker”.

When I arrived I jumped down the stairs to go and hug a friend I’d met at the last camp and instantly regretted my decision, as soon as I reached my arms out I found myself flying through the air, staring up at the ceiling of the sauna bunker and ended up in a scramble on the mat. The social atmosphere at the camps is unbeatable, it’s the same relaxed, familiar feeling you’ll experience at your own gym but with hundreds of new people to roll with. Graugart kicked off the week with his usual Òspeed datingÓ intro which involves running around the mat, speaking to someone new for a minute until the whistle blows and then grabbing someone else, all while desperately trying to remember everyone’s name. What I do remember from speed dating was the variety of the camp participants, people of all ages from all over the world, some coming from as far as Australia to experience the BJJ Globetrotters magic. With so many different shapes, sizes and levels on the mat there was always a good training partner in arm’s reach.

We were lucky to have 16 instructors on the mat, several BJJ black belts, a UFC fighter, a national Judo champion, the world’s best wrestling coach* and a Luta Livre black belt. Having instructors from different styles gave the training exciting new dimensions and there was always someone to ask if you needed advice on your technique or had questions after the classes. Looking at the timetable was quite overwhelming, 34 individual classes with names ranging from ‘G-Spot guard passing’ to ‘Big pressure torture passing’ and 6 open mats, there are some super humans on the mat who challenge themselves to go to every class but choosing your own timetable from the classes on offer is the norm.

After training we would use the Sportoase centre’s swimming pool and water slides (which are still fun) or discuss BJJ techniques in the sauna, it was the perfect way to unwind after a long day on the mat. Then as the sun started setting we would venture into Leuven in search of the best Belgian beers and waffles. Although everyone stayed in different accommodation we always managed to meet up with each other in town and figure out where everyone was going each night by checking the camp Facebook group. I’ve been to three Globetrotters camps on my own now and I have never felt isolated, everyone on the mat is so welcoming and friendly that it is almost impossible to feel alone so if you’re worried about travelling solo, please don’t let it hold you back from coming to one of the camps.

We ended this intense week of training and socialising with a World Record attempt for the biggest open mat in history, 148 people on the mat at once, exhausted but still smiling. Anyone who didn’t attend can be forgiven for saving their energy for Graugart’s epic End of Camp Party where we took over an entire bar, celebrated another incredible week together and said very emotional goodbyes. Thank you to the Globetrotters team for pulling it off again, these camps take so much planning and coordination, the end product always feels effortless but there is a lot of work going behind the scenes. Thank you to our 16 awesome instructors who all brought their own unique style to the classes AND to the camp party, a welcome reminder that Black Belts are real people too. And thank you to all the amazing people who attended the camps, I had so much fun with you all and I always feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this community. I’m off to book my place on the next camp in an attempt to shake off my Post Camp Blues.

Hopefully I’ll see you there

For all your globetrotting needs, go visit the website www.BJJglobetrotters.com. I also recommend joining the ever-growing Facebook group “Members of Team BJJ Globetrotters” for instant networking if you’re traveling and is looking for someone to train with.

Hi everyone! My name is Colin Leigh and I am a Canadian living abroad in Riga, Latvia now. I am a two striped white belt under Vladislavs Čerņavskis, training at LEWC- Giudici BJJ in Riga. I have been training since the 1^st of September, 2015, train at least 5 times a week and I’m 47 years old!

I travel all the time with work and find myself in many different cities around the world. When I travel now, I take my kit bag with me and find an academy to train at in the city I am visiting. It has become a bit of a ritual now and I have met so many wonderful people!! The BJJ community is one of the most open and friendly groups I have ever experienced!

What I plan to do in this article is write about my experiences with the academies I visit, the profs and instructors and to help create an awareness of the BJJ community as a whole. It is also nice to get the word out there about the academies for anyone that decides to visit the cities that I write about in this blog. I hope you enjoy what I write and any feedback is always welcome.

A little while ago, I had the pleasure to travel to Bergen, Norway on business. As it was with Haugesund, I had to travel a day early due to the trip being 2 flights…and to also get my BJJ on! Bergen ended up being one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen. Located on the southwest coast of Norway, it is surrounded by mountains and was simply amazing…oh and all it did was rain the whole time I was there!! Apparently, this is normal.

Before I left I checked out the academies in Bergen and found a few of them. The one that had the most convenient schedule for me was Bergen Grappling (http://www.sentrumjujitsu.no/ ) so I sent a letter to them asking permission to join them that evening for training.

I got a response back quite fast from Knut Roald Skitskjegg Wake, a purple belt, with a resounding YES! He even invited me to join their yoga class on the same day. My body does not bend well enough for that so I opted for the BJJ class instead. I was also sent a photo of the street and front of the building to help me find my way. Excellent touch in my opinion and I already felt good about them!

I stayed at the Scandic as usual and it was only 1 km or so away from the academy. The class was starting at 1930 so I headed out from my hotel around 1800 just to make sure I got there on time. I found the place easily enough and proceeded upstairs. I found out the hard way that there are two entrances and I took the wrong one, of course! I met Knut when I got up there and was escorted to the change rooms. The hall itself was a good size and well equipped.

The class started off with the usual greetings and introductions then on to the warmups. It was a pretty intense warmup and to be fair, I had no idea one could shrimp up and down the hall in so many different ways! We also did warmups relevant to the butterfly position and sadly I was not coordinated enough yet to do them properly and ended up looking like a turtle on its back!

Once we had built up a good sweat, we went into drills. This was my first experience with the butterfly guard and it was really cool! Knut was the instructor on duty that evening and his method of instruction was easy to understand and visually broken down into simple steps. Before I knew it I was sweeping like a pro from the butterfly and really enjoyed this movement.

As most of you know, when you are an early white belt, we are all trying to figure out first of all, what it is we are even doing, but also the techniques that interest us the most. I found that I took to the butterfly right away and it is one of the techniques that I try to employ in my ground game today.

After about a half an hour of working on various sweeps and positions we were finished with the drills. We took a small break and jumped into rolling. (my favorite part of the night!) I had a chance to roll with everyone that night, holding a variety of belt colors. Everyone was super friendly, very helpful and well skilled. I got my butt kicked each time but by now I was well used to it and it didn’t make curl into a ball in the corner and cry! ☺

At the end of the session, I stayed back and talked to Knut and some of the others for another hour. I noticed they had some patches and stickers for sale and asked them about them. That is when they introduced me to the BJJ Globetrotters, their philosophy and the amazing community around it. I later looked into the BJJ Globetrotters and have since signed up for their Summer Camp in Belgium in June. I will of course write all about that when I go there!

I would really recommend you check them out if you are ever in Bergen, Norway. I feel I made very good friends that night, and I will definitely visit them again when I am there.

Stay tuned for my next blog where I write about my trip to Team Agua BJJ Academy in Amsterdam! Oussss!

Guest post by Christian Wighus, a blue belt under Eduardo ”Teta” Rios at Frontline Academy in Oslo, Norway.

You can read a training report done about Frontline Academy here, and please come check us out if you’re ever in Oslo.

I decided to go for the full immersion, all out Phuket Top Team experience and booked myself in to an on-site deluxe room, which is nicely located right behind the training facility. The head coach in Phuket Top Team is no other than Olavo Abreu, 5^th degree black belt under Carlson Gracie.

Olavo Abreu

At 09:40 am, the alarm clock goes off. I manage to stumble out of bed by 10:25, unpack my gi, mix some electrolytes with water and walk the 50 meters to gym. I meet Olavo as I walk in the door. I introduce myself, and he greets me with a big smile and asks how Teta is doing. We have a little friendly chat and I get ready for the 11:00 class. Quite a few people showed up, considering it is in the off-season. Belt-wise the mat is filled with white and blue belts, with the occasional purple and brown belt.

Phuket, Thailand

One thing I noticed rather quickly was the heat. Even though we got two aircons and a few fans blazing the heat quickly crept in and I’m just drenched two minutes into the warm ups. We do the usual running around the mat, jumping jacks and shrimping, all with the encouraging shouting from Olavo. After becoming properly soaked from the warm-ups we proceed to the techniques. Olavo show some elementary butterfly concepts on how to lift the opponent, how to hold on to them and how to angle yourself so you won’t get passed too easily.

What strikes out is that he gives advice that fits all levels. As we start with the simple lift with double under hooks and push back to get the correct distance and grip on the opponent I can hear Olavo adjust one of the brown belts and gives him some pointers. After drilling the basic butterfly sweep a few times, we move into the good stuff. We went through a whole string of different techniques from when you do technical standup from butterfly with under- or overhook. The concept was a little new to me, but all the more fun. We did the little more conservative sitting back to triangle, pulling the opponent forward using the underhook to go straight to attacking the turtle guard. The one I liked the most was the one where you put your knee on the opponent’s chest and drive through them for a pretty decent knee slide. It fit right into my game. You kinda feel like a kid on Christmas getting his new toy once you discover something that you can use just straight of the bat.

How ever, the technical part was over and we went into to rolling. I was matched with a brown belt with the same body type as Keenan Cornelius, nicknamed “Iceman” for good measures. Oh the joy… After getting choked by a pretty damn tight bow and arrow choke lightning strikes. Iceman gets colossal side control pressure right at a rib I had bruised a few weeks earlier at home. Such a small and useless thing, but just devastating when you are moving around on your back. I’m not just sitting here bitching about an irritating injury, but this actually became quite the blessing as I now had to focus on being on my side and get my arm position in the right place. Funny how things turn out good if you just look for the light at the end of the tunnel. The rest of the matches I went again some fellow blue belt and white belts. There were many back and forth scrambles, which is exactly what I love about rolling.

Doing two hot hard classes a day for a week will leave you bruised, banged up and tired, but your mind will be so at ease. Especially since I’m accustomed to training 2-3 times a week back home. Nevertheless, I can tell you I really loved the experience. I’m really starting to notice that the BJJ community is just filled with so many open-minded, easy-going people that is just there to welcome you with open arms. What I also want to point out is the Phuket Top Team really gives off a close-knit, family vibe. The staff takes good care of you, especially Noy, the chef in the restaurant out back behind the gym. She is just a blessing.

Guest post by Christian Wighus, a blue belt under Eduardo ”Teta” Rios at Frontline Academy in Oslo, Norway.

You can read a training report done about Frontline Academy here, and please come check us out if you’re ever in Oslo.

I’m going a little back and forth on the timeline as this training report is actually from before I went to Phuket Top Team. I landed in Bangkok for a few days before flying south. Luckily, a friend of mine, Kjetil, whom I’ve trained with back at Frontline Academy in Oslo is living in Bangkok for the time being. We had set plans to go to Arete Brazilian Jiu-jitsu while I was there.

We got off the incredibly crowded BTS/Metro and jump on some motorbike taxies, which in and of itself is quite the experience. We got to what seemed like an office building. Walk up the stairs and there the gym reveals itself. I immediately notice the chill vibe. Most people are already in their Gis and doing some techniques/light rolling. I introduce myself to Andrew, the head instructor, and ask if it is OK for me to join. I jump into my Gi and tie my belt; Game time!

The class starts off easy with some warm ups. The usual format with running and shrimping. Then we move into some positional drilling to loosen up. I pair up with a white belt and we’re set to practice some spider guard, which is really not my forte at all. I feel out of my comfort zone and a little pressured since I’m a blue belt and should probably know better, but decide to give it a wholehearted try. Atleast I’m used to being on the receiving end of an offensive spider guard as there are some assassins back home that utilizes it quite a lot. The first drill is pretty straight forward as it’s just the switching sides with the spider guard. I get more comfortable and loose after a few tries and the switch becomes pretty easy. The white belt I’m drilling with is quite new and I try to help him out with the positioning and pressure according to what basics I know. We then move to getting the omoplata from spider guard. As we break down the position I realize the immense benefits of helping a lower belt out with the basic movements. I really forced me to open up and try to creatively problem solve, which is the essence of jiu jitsu. Without getting too philosophical here, I do get why instructors usually find teaching bjj so rewarding.

After some experimentation on the omoplata and some adjustments from Andrew we move on to taking the armbar. The transition from omoplata to this particular armbar was pretty damn slick. The way to do it is to butt scoot away from the guy, pull the leg that’s pinning the arm towards you and turn it out towards the floor with your shin resting on the back of the shoulder. The other leg swings over the head and you can pull back for the armbar. The way to prevent your opponent from rolling forward for escaping is to hold on the belt. I practically liked this setup to the armbar as I use some omoplata attacks.

But much to my surprise the chain was not done. We finished up with a back take where you insert the upper leg in between your opponents thigh and stomach. Then you just switch the hips again and use the same grip in the belt to pull the guy back into the back mount. What I really liked about this chain was that it forces you to utilize switching from one side to the other, which was especially good for me as I have a bad habit of laying too flat on my back.

As Andrew got satisfied with the technical drilling we moved into the king of the hill, where a few people start in spider guard. Bottom guy has to sweep and/or submit, top guy has to pass or submit. As I’ve progressed in jiu jitsu I found I quite like these types of drills as they let you focus on one particular area of your game. I start top spider guard against a purple belt. I twist my arms in and down so I get a grip on the pants, taking his feet of my biceps, pull the feet up and pass to side control. He recovers to turtle as I get the one hook in. I try to set up a good control on the collar, but his defense was just better than my grip fighting. As he goes for the escape, I catch him and go for the twister. I suddenly realize my mistake. This isn’t nogi. I get embarrassed and apologize. Luckily, they are cool about it, but not a great start. As for the rest of the sessions I did manage to get some really tough rounds, hit a couple of techniques aswell as get tapped a little bit.

I guess my body was just in shock due to the climate change, since I didn’t notice anything unnatural until the very end of the class. But then the dizziness really got me. I started getting tunnel vision, tickling sensation in my fingers and dry mouth. I sat down and was a little out of it. Luckily Andrew was quickly on the ball and poured me some electrolytes and water, which fixed me up. I guess that’s a good testament of the kind of coach he is, he really does pay attention and care for his students, be it regulars or visitors.

After a much-needed shower, we headed down to the restaurant him and his wife is running, which is pretty close to the academy. After a good meal, bunch of laughs and good stories I finally retired for the evening.

Human beings are the most adaptable beings on the Earth. That being said, some of us have the luxury to seek out the best possible human experience in every activity we do. These are some of the most inspirational swanky bjj academy setups we’ve heard about:

Berkut BJJ (Grozny, Chechnya, Russia)

Berkut bjj academy is very clean and sharp looking but the location of Grozny, Chechnya promises as the birthplace of tough guys. While the facilities are very sharp looking and clean they are certainly outshined by the visitor seminars. Berkut practitioners have had chances to learn from Magid Hage, AJ Agazarm, Davi Ramos and Ari Farias just in recent past. And let’s not forget they were the hosts of Berkut Jiu-Jitsu event where they invested into bringing talent such as Andrea Galvao, Romulo Barral, Yuri Simoes and Jackson Sousa among others.

Studio 540 (Solana Beach, California, USA)

We’ve talked a little about studio 540 in the past but we neglected to mention its history. Studio 540 started as Gracie Academy Solano Beach – a certified training center for Gracie Combatives. Studio 540 came from a desire of Robert Zeps to get into business with his friend, professional surfer Joel Tudor who was at the time head of the Surfight Academy. The true apolitical spirit of studio 540 was born just then in the multi-lineage environment these two fostered. Soon after, they would start bringing in talent for free seminars – because they just didn’t like the idea of charging for it. In fact, it’s become the norm that fighters contact Robert for the chance to offer a seminar at the studio. While Leticia Ribeiro teaches every Wednesday, people like Braulio Estima, AJ Agazarm, Kenny Florian, Durinho and Tarsis Humphreys have held seminars in the past. And the guest list of talent keeps growing and growing!

Photo: Leon Sandoval www.heyleon.com, Instagram @heyleonmedia and Facebook.com/heyleonmedia

Photo: Leon Sandoval www.heyleon.com, Instagram @heyleonmedia and Facebook.com/heyleonmedia

Frota Academy (Zurich, Switzerland)

Frota Academy is a new 850 square meters facility filled with high end training equipment as well as world class instructional that will help you have the best development as a fighter and motivate you to sink everything into having a healthy lifestyle. While the instruction is mostly provided by Augusto Frota, Alfred Sutter and Stephan Ruegg you should seriously check out the list of world class players they’ve hosted in the past. Some of the guys that provided their guidance to Frota students were: Braulio Estima, Gezary Matuda, Rodrigo Miotauro, Rodolfo Viera, Leandro Lo, Marcus “Buchecha” and Gilbert Burns “Durinho”. And that was just in this past year! https://frota-team.ch/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Who-Inspires-you.jpg

Axis Jiu-jitsu Academy (Tokyo, Japan)

This academy from Tokyo, Japan was founded way back in 1997 by Takamasa Watanabe. Later on they relocated to a much better facility and also changed their affiliation – they became a Rickson Gracie Association affiliate. Lead by the only Rickson black belt in Asia it features special mats with two layers for the softest possible experience as well as anti-bacterial canvas.

Kron Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy (Culver city, CA, USA)

This academy is located in Culver city in California and there’s something postmodern industrial about the design that can’t help put pull you in. There are also large mats as well as spacious locker rooms and showers. Ideally you could even catch Rickson teaching a class at this exciting locale. The mats on this location are spring loaded which means they’re placed over hundreds of tires in order to prevent injuries and lessen the wear and tear on your body.

Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy (Costa Mesa, CA, USA)

Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy headed by world champion brother Rafael and Guilherme Mendes gives off intense luxurious vibes. Headquarters are located in Costa Mesa very close to Newport Beach.  AoJ is a bit over 6,400 square feet of training area divided into two separate mat areas and of course both male and female locker rooms have showers. You will also be delighted to learn there is a laundry service provided along with complimentary towel service. Beach adjacent gym that features world class instructional as well as the option to have your gi ready for your on next drop in is a dream come true for many.

Arena Martial Arts (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

Inspired with American Top Team facilities (and experience) Arena brought the first mma and crossfit instructionals to Saudi Arabia. The idea to have a gym that can transform into a fight arena and then go back to its previous state certainly brings a unique atmosphere. Multitude of programs and significant affiliations makes sure that you get the best possible experience. Arena has a state of the art crossfit tower with Olympic lifting stations, Olympic rings and monkey bars among other things. State of the art free weights area is also present. 400 square meters of mats cover 4 different squares so multiple classes can be run simultaneously. Of course there’s also a 32’ Octagon to help provide you with the ultimate MMA experience. But then again, this is a strictly boys only club.

Gracie Academy  (Torrance, CA, USA)

If you’ve ever watched a Rener Gracie video chances are you’ve glimpsed at his swanky Torrance headquarters. If Rener and Ryron have excelled at anything – it’s marketing so of course their facilities are impeccable. The trademark shade of green has also been passed onto a huge line of their affiliates. The school is clean, spacious as well as well equipped.  The only thing the reviewers seem to complain about (and yes, we checked) is parking. But this remains the go to place if you want a nice facility, people to go easy on you and you don’t mind being super slow and casual.

Evolve MMA (Singapore)

This s the largest bjj school in Singapore and the only Renzo Gracie affiliate around. The list of bjj instructors goes on and on, some of the most famous are: Rafael Dos Anjos, Shinya Aoki and 4^th degree black belt Teco Shinozato. Evolve Headquarters have official octagon mma cage as well as grappling mats straight from the US. And if you catch yourself getting too winded you can always head over to the Juice Bar and Protein Shake counter in the lounge area. They have 3 other locations beside the headquarters. Guidance of top design firms helps them bring the ultimate bjj experience.

Team Nogueira (Dubai, UAE)

These facilities are designed to cater to everyone regardless of skill and fitness goals. Of course there are swanky separate showers for both men and women there’s also a health café, top of the line equipment as well as the biggest MMA cage in the region. Under the guidance of Rafael Haubert this team was founded back in 2013. They also have many other coaches for different disciplines but more importantly they host a variety of superstars such as Rubens Charles “Cobrinha”, Marcus Almeida “Buchecha” and Renzo Gracie.

Alliance Jiu-Jitsu (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

The Alliance of Sao Paolo academy is the team’s Brazil headquarters. This is the place called home by Cobrinha, Marcelo Garcia, Lucas Lepri as well as Michael Langhi and Tarsis Humphreys. The instructor team is headlined by Fabio Gurgel 8x World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion. As if his own competitive success stories aren’t enough, he also has over 50 World Champions under his tutelage. Also worth mentioning: In 2009 he celebrated 20 years of being a black belt.