Training BJJ abroad
Training is expensive!
If you’re from the UK (not London, as it can be expensive training in London) then expect training to be a lot more expensive than you might think. From a little research and from what I personally experienced, a session can be anywhere from £15-£30 for a non-affiliated BJJ tourist. If you’ve not factored that into your spending money, than it could come as quite a shock. If I’m miles off and any Americans want to correct me on the average training prices for BJJ tourists, then please do but even if I’m wrong and was just training at expensive places, training abroad is a lot more expensive than back in the UK and I’m sure the rest of Europe.
Email ahead to tell them you’re coming.
Most gyms will be more than welcoming of you visiting and training at their gym but it’s only polite to send a little email their way just to ask if it’s ok. If you draw up a wish list of gyms to train at and it turns out they’ve got really limited mat space, don’t except drop ins (some just don’t apparently) or don’t allow non-affiliated members to train with them (particularly on the run up to a major competition), then you may have a problems that a simple email could have avoided. I’m being a little over cautious here but it’s better to be safe than sorry because I know such problems can exist.
Don’t wear your club kit/patches
Unless you know that a club has an open policy about you wearing different club/association patches or t-shirts, then don’t wear them. It’s just respectful, and will avoid any unnecessary awkwardness. As well as patches be aware that some of the more traditional BJJ clubs only allow you to wear full white, blue or black gis, so don’t be rocking up in your red jacket and MK green pants, as it just won’t fly.
Take a lot of kit
Seems like an obvious point but if you’re competing, training, going out, doing the tourist things and finding time to sleep in between then getting kit washed isn’t going to be high on the agenda. Fortunately things like rash guards and t-shirts take up hardly any case space, so take a load. Shorts are great too as you can wear them both inside and outside of the gym. Gis on the other hand are the space guzzler. For a 10 day trip I took two jackets and about 4 pairs of pants and had to hit the laundrette a few times. In short the more kit the better.
Hunt out a laundrette
Don’t think that because it’s baking hot abroad that you can get away with just sun drying your gi after a tough session. It’s plain unhygienic, so make sure you wash it! If you look around you’ll basically find a laundrette, or more colloquially - wait for it… a ‘Laundromat’, on every block and they’re really really cheap. The big washers will fit in about 4-5 gis, pants and a load of other bits and pieces and it costs like £2! If you’re not in a rush then you can air dry things and if you are in a rush then dryers are about £1.50 for enough time to dry a thick Atama gi. We hit the laundrette a few times and because of the price I actually washed ALL of my kit and clothes before I came home. It was great! I got home and that horrendous after holiday wash that you have to do, was non-existent as everything was washed and dried. Yay!
Train safely
Training safely should be your priority and if you’re reading this blog then you’re obviously of a certain intelligence to see the benefits of doing so. Regardless I noticed a lot of young beat up dudes in America at gyms and at the comp. Crazy ass knee braces, back supports, miles of finger tape and carrying injuries people of that age just shouldn’t be getting. So make sure you train safe! Warm up, warm down and tap early! It goes without saying but if you’re visiting a gym then you might be tested a bit and tapping early will prevent any needless injuries, particularly if you’re training before a competition. Even so tapping early will show you’re a laid back chap/chapette and they’ll much likely show you their secret rolling sweep to choke they’re famous for, so everyone’s a winner!
Training abroad can be intense!
If you’ve never been on a training holiday before, be prepared of how tiring it can be. The accumulative affect of training every day, eating the sparkly and alluring food and maybe having to deal with jet-lag and the heat, all take there toll. To combat this try and sleep well, hydrate properly, eat a lot of proper food and warm up, warm down and tap early to prolong your training whilst you’re out there.
Remember, you’ve come a long way and it would be terrible if you had to miss sessions because you were injured, run down or sun burnt. (One of our guys got bad sunburn and couldn’t train for two days, so be warned if you burn easily, cover up and apply the sun screen.)
Have fun and take loads of photos and videos
Most importantly remember to have fun, make a load of new friends/connections and take loads of video and photos. Training abroad has been some of the best training I’ve ever done, so make notes, shoot video and remember to ask a million questions when training. I’ve made lifelong friends from meeting people whilst training abroad and it certainly opens doors for future trips, seminars and the friendship of people you just wouldn’t have met otherwise.
I’m sure there are a lot more tips and pieces of advice out there so feel free to comment and add to the ones I’ve already mentioned.
Thanks guys. Writing that has given me itchy feet, where’s my passport?
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Training BJJ abroad
Training is expensive!
If you’re from the UK (not London, as it can be expensive training in London) then expect training to be a lot more expensive than you might think. From a little research and from what I personally experienced, a session can be anywhere from £15-£30 for a non-affiliated BJJ tourist. If you’ve not factored that into your spending money, than it could come as quite a shock. If I’m miles off and any Americans want to correct me on the average training prices for BJJ tourists, then please do but even if I’m wrong and was just training at expensive places, training abroad is a lot more expensive than back in the UK and I’m sure the rest of Europe.
Email ahead to tell them you’re coming.
Most gyms will be more than welcoming of you visiting and training at their gym but it’s only polite to send a little email their way just to ask if it’s ok. If you draw up a wish list of gyms to train at and it turns out they’ve got really limited mat space, don’t except drop ins (some just don’t apparently) or don’t allow non-affiliated members to train with them (particularly on the run up to a major competition), then you may have a problems that a simple email could have avoided. I’m being a little over cautious here but it’s better to be safe than sorry because I know such problems can exist.
Don’t wear your club kit/patches
Unless you know that a club has an open policy about you wearing different club/association patches or t-shirts, then don’t wear them. It’s just respectful, and will avoid any unnecessary awkwardness. As well as patches be aware that some of the more traditional BJJ clubs only allow you to wear full white, blue or black gis, so don’t be rocking up in your red jacket and MK green pants, as it just won’t fly.
Take a lot of kit
Seems like an obvious point but if you’re competing, training, going out, doing the tourist things and finding time to sleep in between then getting kit washed isn’t going to be high on the agenda. Fortunately things like rash guards and t-shirts take up hardly any case space, so take a load. Shorts are great too as you can wear them both inside and outside of the gym. Gis on the other hand are the space guzzler. For a 10 day trip I took two jackets and about 4 pairs of pants and had to hit the laundrette a few times. In short the more kit the better.
Hunt out a laundrette
Don’t think that because it’s baking hot abroad that you can get away with just sun drying your gi after a tough session. It’s plain unhygienic, so make sure you wash it! If you look around you’ll basically find a laundrette, or more colloquially - wait for it… a ‘Laundromat’, on every block and they’re really really cheap. The big washers will fit in about 4-5 gis, pants and a load of other bits and pieces and it costs like £2! If you’re not in a rush then you can air dry things and if you are in a rush then dryers are about £1.50 for enough time to dry a thick Atama gi. We hit the laundrette a few times and because of the price I actually washed ALL of my kit and clothes before I came home. It was great! I got home and that horrendous after holiday wash that you have to do, was non-existent as everything was washed and dried. Yay!
Train safely
Training safely should be your priority and if you’re reading this blog then you’re obviously of a certain intelligence to see the benefits of doing so. Regardless I noticed a lot of young beat up dudes in America at gyms and at the comp. Crazy ass knee braces, back supports, miles of finger tape and carrying injuries people of that age just shouldn’t be getting. So make sure you train safe! Warm up, warm down and tap early! It goes without saying but if you’re visiting a gym then you might be tested a bit and tapping early will prevent any needless injuries, particularly if you’re training before a competition. Even so tapping early will show you’re a laid back chap/chapette and they’ll much likely show you their secret rolling sweep to choke they’re famous for, so everyone’s a winner!
Training abroad can be intense!
If you’ve never been on a training holiday before, be prepared of how tiring it can be. The accumulative affect of training every day, eating the sparkly and alluring food and maybe having to deal with jet-lag and the heat, all take there toll. To combat this try and sleep well, hydrate properly, eat a lot of proper food and warm up, warm down and tap early to prolong your training whilst you’re out there.
Remember, you’ve come a long way and it would be terrible if you had to miss sessions because you were injured, run down or sun burnt. (One of our guys got bad sunburn and couldn’t train for two days, so be warned if you burn easily, cover up and apply the sun screen.)
Have fun and take loads of photos and videos
Most importantly remember to have fun, make a load of new friends/connections and take loads of video and photos. Training abroad has been some of the best training I’ve ever done, so make notes, shoot video and remember to ask a million questions when training. I’ve made lifelong friends from meeting people whilst training abroad and it certainly opens doors for future trips, seminars and the friendship of people you just wouldn’t have met otherwise.
I’m sure there are a lot more tips and pieces of advice out there so feel free to comment and add to the ones I’ve already mentioned.
Thanks guys. Writing that has given me itchy feet, where’s my passport?