BJJ Globetrotters: A world wide community of BJJ travelers!
The members doesn’t represent a specific person, academy, instructor or lineage. They are merely a world-wide community of people, who share a common set of values:
- We don’t pay each other any affiliation fees
- We wear any patches we like on our gis
- We are free to represent any (or no) team in competition
- We encourage training with anyone regardless of affiliation
- We are willing to promote anyone who deserves it—members or not
- We arrange camps, seminars and visit each other for training and fun
- We believe everyone is equal both on and off the mats
- We strive to enjoy life, people and the world through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Go to www.BJJglobetrotters.com
Book about my around-the-world BJJ trip is finally released :)
After two years of planning, writing and editing, the book about my around-the-world Brazilian Jiu Jitsu adventure is now available as paperback and eBook.
Both the trip and the writing process was quite a ride for me and in case you decide to read the book, I hope you’ll enjoy what came out of it.
Thanks for your patience!!
Click here for more info on how to get your hands on it :)
-Christian
BJJ Globetrotter wins “Best BJJ blog of 2011” award… twice.
Recently found out, that BJJ Globetrotter won best blog of the year awards with both GiReviews.net (tied) and Jiu Jitsu Laboratory.
Man, I miss writing this blog :)
Final article in Jiu Jitsu Style
In the newly published issue 4 of Jiu Jitsu Style magazine, I have the final article about my trip printed. It’s a really nice and professional magazine, I recommend you check it out :)
Secret BJJ move that cannot be defended
It’s been a while since I wrote, that if I got 1000 likes on my FaceBook page, I would post a video of a technique that cannot be defended. I reached the 1000 likes a while back, but the video took a while to get online. It is finally here, and you can enjoy a move, that I still haven’t found any defense for.
Me and my friend have actually pulled this off in competition a few times. Depends on the mood of the referee, his nationality and your nationality, but sometimes we have gotten away with it. I don’t think it states anywhere in the rules that you cannot do this?
(All credit goes to my good friend Chris Haueter, who demonstrated this move on one of the first VHS instructional tapes I ever saw)
Fightworks podcast episode about my trip today
The Fightworks Podcast has published an episode about my trip today.
You can catch it on iTunes or download it directly as an MP3 file.
Please like my Facebook page
…because I think it would be cool to have 1000 likes and I am so close now LOL
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BJJ-Globetrotter/136649549710503
At 1000 likes, I will reveal a secret BJJ technique here on the blog, that there is no defense to.
Article in Jiu Jitsu Style magazine
One of the stories from my trip, that I haven’t written much about here on the blog, was my experiences with the team in the Dominican Republic. It was a very interesting story, that I promised Jiu Jitsu Style to save for their magazine, and it was just published today.
You can buy the magazine on www.bjjstyle.com or if you have an iPad then in the app store. Alternatively, you can wait for the BJJ globetrotter book to come out ;)
For your reading pleasure…
…and because I am really bored, waiting in Quito airport for my flight to Guayaquil, I have just made all the destinations in my little itinerary here to the right on the front page, clickable.
Go ahead and click any destination to bring up all the posts from that place. In case you are also bored in an airport and have nothing to do :)
Podcast interview on BJJweekly.com today
BJJweekly.com posted a podcast interview with me today, check it out here :)
I have decided to take a few days off from training, just to get my mind on something else and heal my body a little bit. I have five sprained fingers from competing last weekend and they hadn’t really had any time to recover yet. Two days should do it :)
Tonight, I am going to Ecuador. I have a flight to Guayaquil, where there supposedly is lots of really high level BJJ. I might also head to the Galapagos islands to train. From there, I will go to Brazil, perhaps with a stop in Peru on the way, if I can find the right plane ticket.
Leaving California for The Big South American Adventure ™
It has been a hectic week here in California, visiting three cities and competing at the Worlds. It was a week of seeing old friends, Søren in San Francisco, Martin in Las Vegas and Chris here in Los Angeles. I also got a short visit from my old friend Adam Blake, who was the first guy I stayed with on one of my first BJJ globetrotting trips to New York back in 2004.
I was really glad I came back to the US for a week, even though it was quite a detour from Costa Rica. Tonight, I am flying to Panama, where I will be staying until thursday, then head to Medellin in Colombia.
Vamos!
Location:Avenue C,Redondo Beach,United States
Can’t decide on travel pace
I am sitting outside Xtreme Couture, trying to decide on where to go next week. I have been traveling at a very high pace since New York, visiting more than ten places in the last two weeks. It has been really fun and interesting, but I don’t know if I should keep going like this or slow down a little bit.
I have the option of getting a cheap ticket directly to Panama on Monday. One of my options is to spend the next month only in Panama, Colombia, Paraguay and Brazil. But I could also squeeze in a couple of more destinations, such as San Diego, Mexicali, Ciudad Obregon and Mexico city. It would take some time from my visit to Brazil and also demand a lot more from me in planning and finding the right tickets. Not to mention the extra costs of going to these many places.
Suggestions?
100 days on the road today!
Today was my 100th day on the road. Looking back, it is weird to think that I have traveled for so long. In some way it feels like it has been a short trip and in other ways like I have been going for years.
One thing is for sure though, the trip has exceeded all my expectations. I have been to 35 places so far and met a ridiculous amount of fantastic people. Still over a month to go and I can’t wait to see what it will bring.
I have become extremely comfortable and confident in traveling. Moving around, meeting people, talking to strangers and figuring things out in far away countries has all become second nature. In some strange way, I don’t feel like I am away from home. Where ever I am at a given point, feels like where I want to be.
More training in Vegas tomorrow, rest Friday, worlds Saturday and Sunday, then on to the big South American adventure!
Article in newspaper about trip
The Danish newspaper “Ekstra Bladet” has published an article about my trip today. It is in Danish, so most of you probably can’t understand it though :) Basically, the headline is that I pay for a trip around the world by getting beat up LOL
Check it out on http://ekstrabladet.dk/ferie/udland/article1551164.ece.
Looking for BJJ gyms in Latin America
I have about two months left of my trip and is trying to figure out where to go. I like it here in the US, but I have been here several timed before, and it is not much different from the world I already know.
It is important to me on this trip to push myself to visit places, that I don’t know anything about. Places, that are different from what I have seen before.
I haven’t travelled much south of the United States. In fact, I have only been to Jamanica, Cuba and Mexico, so this is an area I would really like to spend some time in.
Brazil is an obvious destination for my trip, but where else can I go?
If you train anywhere in Latin America, or know someone who does, please feel free to contact me on graugart@gmail.com asap. Size of gym, level or location does not matter, I am interested in training or teaching any place I can. All I need is a gym, couch or floor to sleep on :)
Article in Jiu Jitsu Style magazine
Check out the feature about my trip in latest issue of Jiu Jitsu Style magazine. Subscriptions are available both in print and for iPad!
First 50 days in the books!
Just noticed, that I have travelled for 50 days today. I am currently celebrating it with a “Banana Peanutbutter Dream” shake at a small restaurant on the beach, while looking at the local boys skimboarding, trying to figure out how they do it, so I can master it later tonight ;)
No signs of homesickness yet, I feel totally comfortable with being on the road. Everywhere feels like home and everyone feels like friends. I love it.
The other globetrotters
Erik and Liam went back home to Denmark yesterday. It has been really cool to hang out with them, I am very happy that they wanted to travel so far to visit me on my trip. It reminds me of all the great friends I have from my gym at home. Having someone to speak Danish with, who shares our very special kind of Danish humor, was really nice for a change.
It is also a good feeling to be able to take my students (I hate that word though, let’s say training partners instead :D) to gyms out in the world and see that they can hold their own against high level guys. I feel extremely honored to have the chance to teach BJJ to good guys like this, who puts so much effort and passion into learning it.
Get home safe guys, I’ll see you in the summer!
I guess this is why people say you should never wash your belt
(this is not a result of the food poisoning)
Location:Central Blvd,Singapore,Singapore
The Jiu Jitsu Jesus
I LOL’ed :)
http://vampiresandbrownbears.blogspot.com/2011/03/jiu-jitsu-jesus-and-me.html
