Looking Back on 2 Years at CR

With some of the current CR crew down at Tropa Thai. photo by D. Asche

This past weekend marked a milestone in Nicole and I's time in Rio---two years in the Ciudade Marvelosa! For this weeks post I am going to look back and describe what it has been like to work here at Connection Rio, the world's first true BJJ hostel.

Shadow boxing after training.

First and foremost I have to talk about all the great people that have come and stayed at Connection Rio. Over 1000 juijiteiros have come down to the cradle of jiujitsu to train and experience the BJJ lifestyle with us. One thing that stands out is that there is no particular mold that BJJ practitioners fit into. We have had guests ranging from middle aged white belts with little to no experience to seasoned blackbelt competitors in their young 20's. Our BJJ hostel literally brings people together from all walks of life, and from all corners of the world. I have people I am happy to call friends in multiple countries. Here is just a quick list of only SOME of the countries where I have friends and training partners, whom I otherwise would not have met if it weren't for CR. The UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Malaysia, Jordan, Australia, Thailand, Finland, Germany, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, The U.S.A, Canada, Russia, Korea, Poland, and Bahrain. Not only have I had a chance to get to know these people, but I have also had the privilege to see many peoples jiujitsu grow and dreams get realized. I've heard the phrase (or something similar) many times- "I never thought I would actually be in Rio" or "I've always dreamed/wanted to come down to train". I know these phrases first hand because I myself said something similar my first time in Rio back in 2010. For me that's the greatest part of working for CR, helping people to enjoy their time in Rio.

Besides just the awesome people, let me tell you about the amazing training partners I have had living and working at a BJJ hostel. We have mats here at CR, and I have put a ton of time drilling, rolling, discussing the finer points of technique on them. I have had the "lightbulb" moment with multiple techniques from having a previously unknown detail revealed during a session on our mats. There has not been one person come through that has not been willing to kick off their shoes and step on the mat to help another guest figure out a position. With having so many people from so man
y different BJJ lineages nearly ever person can offer a different insight to training. There aren't to many places in the world where you can lay mats down under a palm tree and drill or roll with an amazing view of a mountain above you. If that isn't the definition of paradise, I don't know what is. Through CR I have trained with legends such as Ze Mario Sperry, Felipe Costa, Braga Neto, and Babalu---and that's just here on the mats of CR! I have surfed (unsuccessfully) with Coral Belt Master Silvio Behring, and toured Rio's Favela's with the elite BOPE-- there is NOWHERE else this would have happened. Not to mention I have stepped onto some of the most revered mats in the world. I've rolled at De La Riva, Carlson Gracie's, BTT, Nova Uniao, X-gym, Gracie Barra Matrix, Rio Fighters, RFT, Gordo's, and academia Strauch and this is just off the top of my head. All gyms and instructors have welcomed me and the other members of CR openly as if we had been training there since day one.

After my UD victory at MFL 4. Big thank you to my
sponsores Connection Rio and Senki Kimonos.
photo by D. Asche

Lastly I want to mention how working/living at CR has created a change in my lifestyle. We like to say Connection Rio is a BJJ Hostel, because its about more than just  accommodation. It is about embracing the BJJ Lifestyle. Time spent both on and of the mat is about enjoying life's journey and continually learning and growing on a personal level. Whether its longboarding through the city beach, swimming in the ocean, or cutting a coconut off the tree and watching the wind blowing through trees on Pedra de Gavea I have the opportunity to tune out any stress and solely focus on the present beauty of life. To be able to wake up, enjoy some fresh fruit and coffee and then work on what I love doing is such an amazing thing. Some people search their whole lives for this, and I am thankful that I am here experiencing it now. Every day here is at CR is a chance to learn something new about myself, the arte sauve, and about life---what more can a person ask for?