Haven't been training much lately after I got a toe in my eye and ripped off the entire cornea on the right eye. Spent all night in hospital, then four days in pain without being able to open my eye. Still got blurry vision, but it is improving steadily and there shouldn't be any long term complications.
Four months ago, I scratched my cornea (same eye) by sliding it along the collar of my opponents gi during a double leg sweep. It was probably the most horrible pain of my life.... untill this happened.
Fucking hell, worst injury ever. I don't recommend it.
Managed to teach a seminar in Bolton in the UK with one eye though!! :)
I spent the weekend in Bergen, Norway, teaching a seminar and also had time for a day on snowboard. Had a great time, it is such a beautiful country and the people there were very nice. Also some good Jiu Jitsu to be found! I got to roll a lot with most people at the seminar - hard work, but I enjoyed it a lot :)
Gave out four well overdue blue belts and is excited to come back in the future and see how they progress!
I've been traveling quite a bit the last month and a half. Actually so much, that I haven't really had time to update the blog :)
After Moldova, I went to Paris for the weekend with my girlfriend. No training there though. Week after, I taught a seminar during a flash visit on only 34 hours in Edinburgh, Scotland. Then I did a seminar in Odense, a city here in Denmark, and Monday I came back home after four days in Russia.
Seminar in Odense, Denmark
Seminar in Ryazan, Russia
Seminar in Edinburgh, Scotland
Tomorrow, I am off to Norway for snowboarding and seminar and soon after, I will go to England to watch Manchester United vs. Manchester City and teach a small seminar in Bolton.
Here is a short video of a roll in Moscow, Russia:
Chris Haueter has a special place in my Jiu Jitsu-heart, as he was the first person to ever "teach" me BJJ, when I bought his VHS tapes back in the late 90s and was blown away by this conceptual and positional approach to grappling, I had never seen before. His philosophies and view on training has influenced my own career and gym immensely, so it was a great experience for me to have him visit me last night for a small class and a nice, slow roll.
I am currently studying the low single leg a lot and trying to implement it into my game. Constantly wrestling for that foot from any neutral or bottom position. It's a great takedown and sweep, but it comes with a price... for my face!
This is what I collected in one week of low singles:
They already have a strong group of some really talented grapplers with great physique and work ethic. This gym is going to be a great succes, there is no doubt about it! Look out for them at the competitions in the future :)
For the third year in a row, I took a team to the Europeans in Portugal. It is becoming a nice little tradition for our gym to go there, and every year, it seems like we are improving our performances and results.
My own preparations had been pretty much non-existing due to injuries and being sick, but there was no chance, I wasn't going to compete anyway. Excited to battle against some of the many Brazilians in my division, I was a bit disappointed to find out, I had been matched up with another Danish guy in my first match—one who trains only 500 meters from my own gym and the same guy, I met in the semi-final last year. Although it was an exciting rematch (won last year by ref. decision after 0-0), both of us had hoped that the brackets had looked differently.
Last year, I spent six minutes in his very strong guard, so I thought I would try something else this time and pulled guard right away. The plan was to relax and hope he would either get tired or make a mistake I could capitalize on for a sweep or submission. He seemed to be in really good shape and from the first second of the match, he bombarded my guard with passing attempts at a relentless pace. I tried to spend as little energy as possible, hoping that he would turn down the intensity. Unfortunately, he was like an unstoppable steam train for six minutes and never really made any mistakes. My few attempts to sweep him was well defended and I simply didn't have the power to beat him. End result was 0-0 and two advantages to him. Well deserved victory!
The lesson learned was obvious; I need to be in much better shape. Having spent the entire 2012 rehabbing injuries, have really set me back physically, but I hope to get back up in strength and cardio as 2013 progresses. Back in the gym!
For the rest of the team, it went ridiculously well. I'll almost say, that I wasn't surprised about the result they made, because I knew how good they were and how intense and concentrated an effort they have put into the preparations. The few holes in their games had been closed during the fall season competitions and there wasn't much for the opponents to capitalize on.
I'm not going to talk too much about it (there would be too much to say :D), but will let the result and photo above speak for itself. Six gold and one silver medal. I am fucking proud of them all :)
As always, when traveling, we like to do something else than just sit in a sports hall the entire trip. This year was no different as we were stupid tourists in little scooter-cars and went surfing the last day. Great trip!
My preparations for the Europeans in Portugal next week as been as horrendous, as I had expected. Although my back is feeling pretty strong, both my knee still hurts quite a bit. I have an appointment at the hospital to have a look at them in two weeks, so at least I'll know whats wrong there.
I had just gotten up in gear with the training, when I was hit by the flu and had to stay away from the mats for about eight days. First training back was Friday, five days ago, and I felt like my lungs were collapsing. It feels like I am getting back in shape quickly though and have been rolling and doing strength and conditioning almost every day now. I just hope I'll peak a little bit next week at the competition :D
As always, I am excited to go down there. It will be my first time competing at this big tournament as a black belt, and I expect it to be as tough as it can be. Probably won't be any medals this year, but at least I am stepping on the mat and not just staying home :)
BJJ Globetrotters offers an alternative to traditional affiliation within Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Membership is open for anyone (both individuals and gyms), and there are basically no requirements to join, other than to spread—and agree with—the message :
The members doesn't represent a specific person, academy, instructor or lineage. They are merely a 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
The team is officially registered with the IBJJF, in order for our members (and non-members, for that sake) to compete at those tournaments.
If you or your gym are interested in being a part of the team, shoot me an email on graugart@gmail.com and I'll hook you up with some sweet gi patches :)
The Christmas and New Years craze is over, my body feels quite ok (the definition of "ok" these days is a bit low, though :D) and I have managed to actually train a bit. My knee hurts pretty bad in every sparring session, but I am all in on the rehab and when I wake up in the morning after having trained, it feels alright. I've managed to do a handful of good sessions this week already, both rolling and physical training, and it feels great to be a bit up in gear.
I can't stop being fascinated by, how competition again and again proves to be so healthy for me. As I talked a bit about in my book, the whole win/lose thing doesn't do much for me, but there are so many other things that makes it a good thing. Ultimately, I have concluded, that there is not a single aspect of competition, that is not healthy for my mind or my body.
It is so evident these days, leading up to the big one in Portugal in three weeks:
I eat much healthier and drink nothing but water
I make sure I get lots of rest and sleep
I try to train as much as possible and push myself at every session
I am more focused on my strength and conditioning training
I am eager to perfect my game and close the holes in it
I challenge my ego—the inevitable doubts about myself, that are being produced in my head—face to face
I throw myself out into deep water, mentally and physically, to grow in confidence
I inspire those I train with and teach
That's what happens to me, when I sign up for a competition. So even though, I really don't enjoy competing per se, it is obvious, how that very thing sharpens my mind and body.
And that is why I have realised, there is no way, I can go through this life, trying to shape myself as the strongest, healthiest, happiest person I can possibly be, without that. Being a competitor.
Amazing!
"Fantastic book! The message is simple, get out there and love life. Love people, and enjoy everything you do. Genuinely hilarious in parts, and equally deep and philosophical in others. I would recommend this book to anyone. It seems that for Christian, jiu jistu is about people, and nothing more. Belt colour and affiliation mean nothing to him, and in this community I believe that is something to be highly respected."
The number one book I have read this year
"This book and the stories in it have been the best thing I have read this year. Christian has a great way of story telling which shows in his blog too. You don't have to be a BJJ fan to appreciate this book and appeals to BJJ practitioners, travellers and anyone who wants a great read. Many things Christian mentions resonate with me which is why I love this book, get yours today and you will love it too!"
Fantastic Journey
"Picked this up last week after following Christian's travels via his blog, and even though I already knew the basics of his story travelling and training across the world, it's been highly enjoyable to read about it again in greater detail, both in terms of the journey itself, and in getting to know the writer better. If you enjoyed the Cauliflower Chronicals, then you should love this. In my opinion the story and writing far surpasses the Cauliflower Chronicals, making this a must for any BJJ or travel fans alike."
Must buy for Jiu Jitsu lovers and travellers a like
"I have followed Christian's journey through his online blog and a write up in a well known UK BJJ Magazine. So when I found out a book was being wrote I became particularly excited with anticipation for the release date of the book, monitoring updates daily via most social media. The book I ordered on 1st and amazingly it arrived this morning. I am already a chapter or 2 into the book and its engrossing, i have not wanted to put it down. I love jiu jitsu and just as importantly i love travel to so to link the two up in such an informative way is just brilliant. If there is one book you should consider buying this year this is it. Jiu Jitsu is an art that people all over the world can relate to and if you love it you know from deep within that its something to be respected and brings people to together with a common aim to improve and be the best."
"Part travelogue, part autobiography; "The BJJ Globetrotter" describes two journeys: One is Christian Graugart's journey travelling around the world, teaching and training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in a variety of well-known and obscure locations, meeting and connecting with hundreds of people. The other is his journey as a martial artist and as a human being. From a prodigious child, to troubled adolescent, on to self-realized man and, finally, BJJ Globetrotter, the author gives us an insight into everything leading up to his decision to take his journey around the world. Both stories are told with a great deal of honesty and introspection, making this book much more than just a travel-book. It's a story of personal growth through travel, of seizing the day and breaking out of the traditional patterns of society, in order to pursue one's dreams. This book will inspire you to take a long, hard look at your life and ask yourself: "Am I living my life to the fullest?""
The Globetrotter has feelings too!
"Very impressive book. Not only a story of a man training Jiu-Jitsu but a man discovering along the way who he is and the things that made him that way until now. Christian really strips away any ego and paints a very candid picture of himself is as a person all the while while enjoying an amazing round-the-world trip training the art he loves. If only all of us could be this honest with ourselves, the awesome Jiu-Jitsu experiences are only a bonus! Dont sleep on this one."
I am jealous of the experiences in this book!
"Christian brings his experiences to life in so many ways in this book. Who hasn't wanted to head out and travel the world doing what they love. Even if I am not able to do it on my own I gladly will share Christian's experiences."
"As a 56 year old BJJ competitor, avid surfer, and traveler, I totally enjoyed the BJJ Globetrotter. Christian's experiences always left me with a smile on my face and a deeper connection to my BJJ brothers and sisters throughout the world. Christian really illustrates how BJJ has united people of all races and nationalities worldwide and how we share a common bond that few can understand. I especially enjoyed the last chapter and how Christian teaches us that everyone that shares the mats is another friend just waiting to be made."
Excellent book
"Well written and well balanced between travel and BJJ stories. What a trip!
Do not hesitate to order it, it is worth reading even for non BJJ fans."
Ok, so I haven't updated much on the blog here lately. Why, you might ask? Because I am sick and tired of just writing the same crap about some new injury I got. To skip it real quick, I'll just list them instead:
- Inflammation in shoulder (16 months)
- Sore lower back from disc injury (8 months)
- Pain in left knee ACL (3 months)
- Pulled hamstring tendons (2 months)
The last one happened at the London Open (I suspect it happened 2:06 in this match) and the physio today told me, that I was looking at 6-9 months of pain and rehab there.
Enough about injuries! I have signed up for the European Championships in Portugal in January. It went pretty well last time, but with this years preparations consisting mostly of pullups and stretching (all I seem to be able to do), I don't have high expectations for a similar result in the black belt division.
I've actually managed to roll a bit today and yesterday, though. Everything hurts and I feel tired, weak and out of shape. But I'll do my best and I am sure the Euros will be a great experience no matter what.
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