Team Trondheim Bjj

I have had the pleasure of training with Team Trondheim BJJ in Norway. 

The gym training area is 2 big matted areas and a space for striking with boxing equipment available. 

There is also private changing rooms, weight room for strength and conditioning and a kitchen for making snacks! 

There is something for everyone with a timetable full of BJJ, nogi, kids classes, krav maga, kickboxing and MMA classes. 

The club was founded in 2002 and the main instructor Per Christian Andresen has instructor licence under Harris International Grappling Association led by Roy Harris. Classes are also run by active members and coaches of the club that are also competing in national and international tournaments. 

The environment is relaxed and everyone was really nice and friendly to me as a visitor in their gym. The quality of the teaching has a high standard and you can see this in the rolling afterwards. 

There are some great grapplers here and the guys work really hard! I have been exhausted after every session trying to control some of these big guys, so it has been a challenge for me as a smallish girl. I get great use of my big legs though! 

As I now have been training in Glasgow and in Barcelona, I haven't really trained in my home country of Norway. I was quite nervous before as I am still only a white belt myself, and wasn't sure if I would have anything to bring to the table as a visitor in a new club. I manned up and tried my best and tried to just enjoy the experience. And that is what is just so fantastic about jiu jitsu! 

You can go anywhere in the world, and no matter what language we speak, we still all understand the language of jiu jitsu! 

As I stood watching he first technique being shown by the instructor, I felt relaxed immediately, because I know this. It is still the same positions, still the same submissions no matter where you are! 

I feel you instantly connect with people because everyone knows what it's like to be on the mats and work your ass off and get beat every day. 

I met some great people and everyone were friendly and welcomed me with open arms. I also learned some great techniques and got experience rolling with new people of all shapes and sizes. I got to test my skills and see how I handled myself in a new environment in a new club. 

As I started my jiu jitsu journey with my man Dean, I usually have him next to me as safety and as a support. It was a big achievement for me to visit a club by myself and represent my former team Gracie Barra and my current team Anaconda. I gained some confidence in my jiu jitsu as everyone gave me great feedback and I know I gave people a hard time on the mats! oSSS!

Team Trondheim BJJ - http://trondheim-bjj.no/

Post by Anne Sofie Skaalvik

www.annesofiesoprano.com

Barcelona Jiu Jitsu Team - Haubert Team - Warriors Factory

Barcelona Jiu Jitsu Academy - Haubert Team.

Or the warriors factory as they like to call it!

Tbh I would say that's exactly spot on as the amount of great quality Jiu Jitsu practitioners is insane!

Firstly Id like to say thanks to David and the team for having both myself and Anne-Sofie and for welcoming us. We both learned many techniques and knowledge was certainly passed on!


The gym is a short metro from the city and on first glance its big with large matted area, pull up bars, punch bags, weights section, cage and therapy room for massages. It has decent changing facilities too which is always a must have.

BJJ training is obviously why people come here and David Blankenheimer (Faxia Preta under Raphael Haubert) is the main professor.  I can say he is no slouch when it comes to Jiu Jitsu and is an advocate for healthy living!

I've seen the guy climb a rope upside down! No joke, upside down climbing rope! Sight to see haha!

His teaching techniques were straight forward and direct and I was lucky enough to join during Half guard week (a personal fave position) so I could somewhat tell if this was going to work which it did!

The warm up drills were great regardless of whether they were passing drills, guard retention or submission orientated they were always relative to the class techniques that day.

Everything I learned from his teachings made it into my game and that makes a good mentor!

This is shown in his teams attendance and numbers! Id say at night there could be 30 people on the mats and with a large majority of this female which was great to see.

Raphael Haubert was also luckily over from Dubai to teach so I got to experience the teachings from another very knowledgeable source!

All put together this is making for some great fighters!

3 golds from the Madrid worlds this week shows that this team is to be reckoned with!

Great team, great mentality and a pleasure to train with!   Ossss!

BJJ Journey!

It's been over 4 years now on my own BJJ journey and time for a new update!

I received my Purple belt nearly a year ago in Glasgow and since then I've moved not only countries but teams!

I've been enjoying my purple belt time so far and I have had the opportunity to learn from some great Professors and even a master of the sport.

Having so many great BJJ teams in Barcelona is certainly a benefit and it seems that the BJJ politics are not so tight here and cross training is rife with many of the top guys training in multiple gyms across the city.

Not because they do not value loyalty or friendships but because all athletes train to be the best and limiting yourself to one set of training partners simply will not make you the best you can be,

Brassoloto, Haubert, Blankenheimer, Moraes, Galvao, Cabanes, Liera Jr  are to name a few some of the black belts who are here regular if not all the time.

I have met many new friends through the sport and I have a small team of good guys that I can learn and improve with now under the tutelage of Chen Moraes.

I plan on staying here in Barcelona until the summer months and then see what happens and where life takes me on this wonderful journey!

Recently travelling keeps coming up in my mind so maybe its time to call shop here and travel elsewhere to pastures new!

Somewhere south , way south! South America? Down Under? Who knows!

Somewhere with a BJJ gym should I say!