Episode 44: Christian Graugart - The Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Globetrotter

Today’s guest is Christian Graugart. Christian is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, author, and founder of BJJ Globetrotters. BJJ Globetrotters is the world’s largest BJJ affiliation (of which I’m a member) with over 750 academies and over 21,000 members on the community’s Facebook page. The BJJ Globetrotters 5-7 day long training camps have become some of the most sought after fixtures on the jiu-jitsu calendar – they’re hosted everywhere from the Austrian Alps to the Arizona desert and the tropical island of Saint Barts. The mission of the community is simple: To continue spreading the message of a non-political, open minded and positive approach to training and life. Christian is originally from Denmark but currently lives in Saint Barts in the Caribbean. He started grappling in 1999, and in 2010 took an around the world trip to train Brazilian jiu-jitsu in as many places as possible. It took him to 56 academies around the globe in 140 days. It was this life-changing experience that led him to writing a book about the trip and eventually starting BJJ Globetrotters. In this interview, we get into Christian's martial arts background, the early days of jiu-jitsu in Europe, his around the world trip, and all things BJJ Globetrotters.

Timestamps

00:02:55 Growing up in Denmark

00:04:30 Martial arts journey before jiu-jitsu

00:07:43 Discovering and starting jiu-jitsu

00:09:55 Training and competing in jiu-jitsu before his trip

00:13:51 Inspiration for his around the world jiu-jitsu trip

00:18:38 The around the world trip

00:24:37 Biggest takeaways from the trip

00:27:20 Returning from the trip

00:30:13 Inspiration for BJJ Globetrotters

00:33:55 BJJ Globetrotters community and camps

00:44:37 Moving to Saint Barts

00:47:00 Living in Saint Barts

00:49:00 Fascination with natural disasters

00:50:22 His contribution to jiu-jitsu

00:54:40 The day he got his black belt

00:55:55 His favorite submission

00:57:55 His daily routine

01:02:33 His driving force

01:03:39 He doesn't want to be anyone's life coach