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| You know you're catching the early bus if the sun is still in bed. |
Another uneventful bus ride, and a shirt one at that, straight to Montreal. I was looking forward to seeing Montreal again, it's been forever, close to 10 years, since I was last in the city. During my visit I ran around the downtown, reliving the old times of going there for the weekend to party with my Toronto club friends, man times have changed..
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| Chinatown in Montreal, celebrating Chinese New Year. |
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| Year of the Rooster, my year! |
I also checked out the Old Harbour and took a bunch of pics of the old buildings and the Igloofest going on, the annual Carnival was about to start and both Montreal and Quebec City were going to full with winter games and booths selling all kinds of things. Here's some pics I took during my walks.
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| Walking through the streets of Old Montreal and the Harbour, lots of old stone buildings and great churches like this one. |
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| Outdoor ice rink by the harbour, there's a stage on the other side playing music, probably had bands or shows going on in the evening. |
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| The Habitat, built for the the Expo '67. It's not a great picture but it was one of favourite buildings in art history. |
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| The Montreal Bioshpere, also built for Expo '67. which it was summer and I could a day to go see it closer. |
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| The St Lawrence River, Canada's primary seaway for freight and also the most important river used during the colonization, and war over, Canada. |
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| Guns still mounted from WWII, as the threat of U-boats entering and getting this far was very real. |
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| A look at Old Montreal from the harbour. |
Staying In A Jiu-Jitsu Dorm
The place I was staying at I found through the way of internet magic and awesome people in the Jiu-Jitsu community. Montreal was still on the last few places I was looking for a place to stay and I posted a message on the BJJ Globetrotters Facebook group asking if anyone could help me out. From there I met Corey, who trains at 10th Planet Montreal, he asked around to try and find me a place to stay while visiting, and eventually I met Francis and Johnathan, brothers who have place full of people who train Jiu-Jitsu, 6 of them in total I believe, complete with their own gym in the front room, this is why I call it a 'Jiu-Jitsu dorm'. It was that gym that was my bed, this would be the closest yet to mat crashing and sleeping in a gym. There was a small couch in the corner, not long enough for me to stretch out on but hanging my legs off it while rolled up in my sleeping bag was good enough, I tried the mats one night but I preferred the couch.
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| The front room of 'Jiu-Jitsu dorm' as I call it. Behind me was a couch, it would be my bed for the few nights I spent there. |
During my stay there I didn't get a chance to hang out with the brothers Francis and Johnathan but on my first day in I got to roll with Johnathan in the front room, and chatted with Francis one night about the journey and my experiences so far. The brothers, and everyone else who stay there, were all cool easy going guys who have a great passion for Jiu-Jitsu. It was cool hanging out there, watching a few of them do there conditioning in the living room as I worked on the blog. My train for Quebec City was early in the morning so I sort of snuck out while everyone slept, unable to say my thanks and farewells. Thank you Corey for introducing me to the guys, thank you Francis and Johnathan for letting me stay at you place and helping me out, thanks all the guys who live there for setting me up some other classes in the city, it was a blast to meet you all!
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| Montreal Olympic Stadium, just around the block from where I was staying. |
McGill Jiu-Jitsu with Star
When I first started planning out my visit to Montreal I was connected to Star, a friend of my coach. Originally the plan was to stay at star's club and train around the town with him, but as life happens he had to close his club. We kept in contact and managed to meet up on the weekend as Star was teaching a Jiu-Jitsu class at the McGill fitness building. If anyone reading this goes to McGill, or knows someone who is, check out the BJJ and MMA classes at the gym that Star runs, great stuff!
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| The the McGill BJJ class. |
Class was about 2 hours and most of the large class was made up of people brand new to martial arts or BJJ. Star went through a lot of the basic movements as a warm up and then we got into some take downs. From what I gather we were working off of techniques shown in past classes. After drilling different techniques for an hour we had some rolling, most people were working positional rolling but there were a few more adventurous students who wanted to roll with the experienced guest. It went how most rolls with a young athletic guy versus a older experienced guy goes, they tried powering a lot of the moves they had learned but to no avail. After rolling each one I gave them pointers, if they keep at it and work on their technique they will be killers in a year or so from now.
After class Star and I hung out and grabbed some food, chatting about past experiences and Jiu-Jitsu philosophy. It was fun finally meeting him and hanging out, learning about a lot of the Jiu-Jitsu scene of Montreal and connecting with another friend I've made through this journey. It's too bad we couldn't together, Star had an injury and couldn't roll, but there's always next time. Thanks for the good times Star!
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| It was fun hanging with Star, until next time! |
HoMa BJJ
Before coming to Montreal and staying in the Jiu-Jitsu dorm I had not heard of HoMa BJJ, as it happens it was just around the corner from the house and the instructor for the noon time class is a high level black belt competitor from Brazil under the BTT banner, Prof. Leonardo Saggioro. The founders of HoMa, David Coré and Johnny Zemouli have set up the club in the Montreal Olympic Park and I don't know what the space was originally, maybe a vending area, but it's in a building square and it's literally just a space of mats inset in the wall with one side completely open to the square for people stop and sit and watch while drinking their coffee. It felt like training in a mall. It's not you typical set up but it's all we need, everyone who showed up for Prof. Saggioro's class was a blue belt or higher and he taught us some great competitive concepts.
We started with take down entries, they were very Judo inspired with the getting proper grips and really working the footwork and snap downs to get the Uke in the proper movement before entering for the take down itself. Then we moved on to techniques, which we did as a chain, starting from guard passing and ending with armbars or chokes. There were all sorts of small points 'Cascão' showed us about grips and body placement, little things that made a big difference, things only someone who has used in competition time and time again would know to really focus on. I learnt some valuable points on techniques I thought I knew that day.
10th Planet Montreal
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| HoMa BJJ, inside one of the Olympic buildings |
Before coming to Montreal and staying in the Jiu-Jitsu dorm I had not heard of HoMa BJJ, as it happens it was just around the corner from the house and the instructor for the noon time class is a high level black belt competitor from Brazil under the BTT banner, Prof. Leonardo Saggioro. The founders of HoMa, David Coré and Johnny Zemouli have set up the club in the Montreal Olympic Park and I don't know what the space was originally, maybe a vending area, but it's in a building square and it's literally just a space of mats inset in the wall with one side completely open to the square for people stop and sit and watch while drinking their coffee. It felt like training in a mall. It's not you typical set up but it's all we need, everyone who showed up for Prof. Saggioro's class was a blue belt or higher and he taught us some great competitive concepts.
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| A class of killers. |
We started with take down entries, they were very Judo inspired with the getting proper grips and really working the footwork and snap downs to get the Uke in the proper movement before entering for the take down itself. Then we moved on to techniques, which we did as a chain, starting from guard passing and ending with armbars or chokes. There were all sorts of small points 'Cascão' showed us about grips and body placement, little things that made a big difference, things only someone who has used in competition time and time again would know to really focus on. I learnt some valuable points on techniques I thought I knew that day.
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| Thanks for the awesome class, Prof. Saggioro! |
10th Planet Montreal
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| 10th Planet Montreal. nice open mat space. |
When I first started planning out the Canadian Odyssey making a stop in Montreal was a must and 10th Planet Montreal was quickly added to the list. I had never been to a 10th Planet gym, being more a gi guy, and with Corey from 10th Planet helping me find a place and the guys I was staying with training there it was a must visit place. I made it out to the gym on my last night in town, unfortunately all the guys had a busy weekend, out competing in Ottawa and their own schedule to deal with so they weren't able to make it out.
The club was easy to find, just around the corner from a metro station and a big sign above the door, which is a good thing as it's up on the second floor so you won't be seeing any steamed up windows from the street.
I walked up the stairs and into the gym. the first room is a small area for weights, with mats and even a cage for training in, around the corner to the left opens up to the main training area, which is a big matted room for the classes. People were slowly showing up but there were quite a few of them by the time class started. Prof. Louis Ho, the the owner, head instructor and actually the First and only 10th Planet black belt in Canada to date recognized me and made introduction before class. He was a pretty chill guy and we ended up chatting quite a bit during rolling time after class.
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| Louis Ho teaching class. |
Class was pretty relaxed, we warmed up then got into techniques with the whole night being a chain, starting with butterfly guard and ending in different positions or submissions. Prof. Louis is a small guy so he's techniques are all about using the opponents power against them, rather than grappling it out with strength. That is something I'm used to seeing in no gi classes, wrestling influences and mentalities, but with 10th planet it's a different mind side, well, the same mind set of gi BJJ but, you know, without the gi. Watching the guys there roll they were very slick, fast moving guys. I had one roll with a friendly guy who was a killer on the mats but then my leg started to cramp up. They were stiff and sore from all the walking I did around the old harbour the day before and with the HoMa class earlier that day I was on 3 hours of training. I decided not to push it and sat out and chatted with Louis and watch the others roll.
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| GReat times at 10th Planet with this man, Prof. Louis Ho, as he shows that my Panda patches make the best 10th Planet sign. |
Interview With Prof. Louis Ho, 10th Planet Montreal
Prof. Louis knows Coach Ari, my instructor back in Victoria, as he used to do 10th Planet as well, I totally forgot about this and how small the world really is and how easily everyone is connected. It was fun to talk with him about the random Jiu-Jitsu things and I would have loved to have the time to set up an interview with him and talk about the difference between the styles of Jiu-Jitsu as Prof. Louis also holds a black belt in gi under Pablo Popovitch, but it just wasn't an option, but after my visit I decided to get message him and ask about doing an interview through correspondence, and here it is.
Panda's Odyssey (PO): Thanks for doing this for me, it was great training with you!
Let’s start with your martial arts history, I understand you have both a 10th Planet and BJJ black belt?
Louis Ho (LH): That is correct. I received my blue belt many ages ago from the original UFC Champ, Royce Gracie. After that I received my purple, brown, and black from Eddie Bravo. More than anyone, Eddie Bravo has influenced my game. He’s also the one who encouraged me to compete when I thought my competition days were already over. I’ll be forever grateful for that. I am also a black belt under Pablo Popovitch, as well. He’s a great dude and a multiple time world Champion.
PO: How does it feel being the first Canadian 10th planet black belt? There must have been some pressure having that title at first.
LH: It was an honor being the first in the country. In fact, I wasn’t just the only first Canadian black belt under Eddie Bravo, I was the first on the entire East Coast, the States included. I can’t say that there was any pressure. I had competed a lot and done very well representing 10th Planet before receiving my black belt. So the promotion was like a recognition for all the hard work I had put in. Actually, after receiving my black, I was like “Where do I go from here?” But since then, I have competed...doing superfights against other black belt instructors. So far so good. J
PO: I’m sure you get asked this all the time, and I see a lot of “modern vs traditional’ jiu-jitsu posts online, other than gi vs no gi, what’s the biggest differences you find between 10th planet ‘modern’ jiu-jitsu and ‘traditional’ BJJ?
LH: My particular style of Jiu Jitsu is very similar to Eddie Bravo’s in the sense that both our styles are “clinch” oriented. I know a lot of the newer guys out there (10th Planet or not) are focusing on leg locks…so I see a lot of guys direct their Jiu Jitsu at primarily hunting for legs. The original 10th Planet flavor is to clinch, sweep or submit. This style works very well for MMA. When you clinch your opponent from a guard position, they are basically stuck and can’t strike or work their passes effectively. That’s my game. I don’t see that many people playing a clinch style. Jiu Jitsu is a martial art after all. So if someone is in your guard and wants to hit you, you better have some clinch game. Or it can be game over pretty fast.
PO: With no gi tournaments growing in popularity and EBI leading the way, have you noticed a rise in newcomers at 10th Planet?
LH: I would say so. The days of IBJJF being the only legit competitions out there are done. I feel the EBI format is way more entertaining from a fan perspective. And the focus on the submission is truer to the art. What’s so great about winning by advantage? There definitely is a new wave of interest out there sparked by this.
PO: I noticed you have a pretty open door policy, welcoming people visiting, thanks again btw. I’ve seen a bit of divide in clubs’ policies, particularly with the big competing clubs for EBI ect. That aren’t so friendly with members of other clubs visiting and training together. What are your thoughts about that? Should Jiu-Jitsu clubs be looking to be like MMA camps and maybe the doors when getting ready for tournaments?
LH: Seriously, there are more important things in life than where you are training Jiu Jitsu. In this day and age, people are getting killed in unnecessary wars, dying of hunger, etc. As long as you are respectful, I couldn’t care less about where you train. So as long as you are respectful, all are welcome to train at my gym. Now in times of specific competition preparation, clubs can be more “strategic” in who they let into their training sessions. But other than that, I really don’t like instructors who have a closed door policy. I don’t feel it’s good for the Jiu Jitsu community overall.
PO: Everyone has different reasons they join jiu-jitsu, to be the best, get in shape, gain confidence, etc. what are your goals for new students? Self defense? Body movement and awareness?
LH: What I would like to see in ALL my students, is that they find their game. I hope to pass on some of my game to everyone. But everyone is different. So realistically, most guys who train long enough find their own flavor, their own path. I encourage my students to be creative. I don’t claim to have all the answers to all situations. But that’s part of the beauty of Jiu Jitsu. It’s a never ending puzzle. There is much satisfaction in finding those missing pieces to one’s game.
PO: Your class is really relaxed, lots of drilling, working on techniques and chains etc. what are your thoughts about gyms that focus on more conditioning as a warm up? Some gyms like to have a good 15 to 30 mins of conditioning, like doing a fitness class before jiu-jitsu. Should we be doing both at the same time or have conditioning classes and jiu-jitsu classes separate?
LH: I have no problem with gyms that do a very extensive workout before any technique. But personally, I don’t enjoy that. I like jumping into technique, drill, and have plenty of energy left to roll. I can do jumping jacks and pushups on my own. I don’t need to do that in a Jiu Jitsu class. Those who want to get into competition shape can do more classes and also supplement their rolls with extra conditioning.
PO: I’m sure you get asked this all the time, and I see a lot of “modern vs traditional’ jiu-jitsu posts online, other than gi vs no gi, what’s the biggest differences you find between 10th planet ‘modern’ jiu-jitsu and ‘traditional’ BJJ?
LH: My particular style of Jiu Jitsu is very similar to Eddie Bravo’s in the sense that both our styles are “clinch” oriented. I know a lot of the newer guys out there (10th Planet or not) are focusing on leg locks…so I see a lot of guys direct their Jiu Jitsu at primarily hunting for legs. The original 10th Planet flavor is to clinch, sweep or submit. This style works very well for MMA. When you clinch your opponent from a guard position, they are basically stuck and can’t strike or work their passes effectively. That’s my game. I don’t see that many people playing a clinch style. Jiu Jitsu is a martial art after all. So if someone is in your guard and wants to hit you, you better have some clinch game. Or it can be game over pretty fast.
PO: With no gi tournaments growing in popularity and EBI leading the way, have you noticed a rise in newcomers at 10th Planet?
LH: I would say so. The days of IBJJF being the only legit competitions out there are done. I feel the EBI format is way more entertaining from a fan perspective. And the focus on the submission is truer to the art. What’s so great about winning by advantage? There definitely is a new wave of interest out there sparked by this.
PO: I noticed you have a pretty open door policy, welcoming people visiting, thanks again btw. I’ve seen a bit of divide in clubs’ policies, particularly with the big competing clubs for EBI ect. That aren’t so friendly with members of other clubs visiting and training together. What are your thoughts about that? Should Jiu-Jitsu clubs be looking to be like MMA camps and maybe the doors when getting ready for tournaments?
LH: Seriously, there are more important things in life than where you are training Jiu Jitsu. In this day and age, people are getting killed in unnecessary wars, dying of hunger, etc. As long as you are respectful, I couldn’t care less about where you train. So as long as you are respectful, all are welcome to train at my gym. Now in times of specific competition preparation, clubs can be more “strategic” in who they let into their training sessions. But other than that, I really don’t like instructors who have a closed door policy. I don’t feel it’s good for the Jiu Jitsu community overall.
PO: Everyone has different reasons they join jiu-jitsu, to be the best, get in shape, gain confidence, etc. what are your goals for new students? Self defense? Body movement and awareness?
LH: What I would like to see in ALL my students, is that they find their game. I hope to pass on some of my game to everyone. But everyone is different. So realistically, most guys who train long enough find their own flavor, their own path. I encourage my students to be creative. I don’t claim to have all the answers to all situations. But that’s part of the beauty of Jiu Jitsu. It’s a never ending puzzle. There is much satisfaction in finding those missing pieces to one’s game.
PO: Your class is really relaxed, lots of drilling, working on techniques and chains etc. what are your thoughts about gyms that focus on more conditioning as a warm up? Some gyms like to have a good 15 to 30 mins of conditioning, like doing a fitness class before jiu-jitsu. Should we be doing both at the same time or have conditioning classes and jiu-jitsu classes separate?
LH: I have no problem with gyms that do a very extensive workout before any technique. But personally, I don’t enjoy that. I like jumping into technique, drill, and have plenty of energy left to roll. I can do jumping jacks and pushups on my own. I don’t need to do that in a Jiu Jitsu class. Those who want to get into competition shape can do more classes and also supplement their rolls with extra conditioning.
PO: Just before I visited I saw you had a seminar with Geo Martinez, and just afterwards visiting I saw you went off to see Eddie Bravo at a seminar. So you must be pro seminars and all for getting your students to go to them. Who would you say are some of the best seminars you’ve seen, or think people should get out to?
LH: Oh man, that is a tough question. I’ve had a lot of great training from many different masters over the years. I will say that one cannot expect to absorb most of the material from any one seminar. At least for me, I would say you would be lucky if you could absorb one or two techniques into your game from any given seminar. There are just so many different styles out there. But it’s definitely good to be exposed to different techniques. Speaking of Geo Martinez, that dude is on another level. You have to roll with him to know what I’m talking about. A true beast, but also a super nice guy. Very humble.
It was a pleasure having you train at my gym, Robert. Safe travels and have fun!
PO: Thanks again, was great talking to you!
OSS!
Interview With Daniel Guillemette of Evolution BJJ Gatineau/HQ
Here's my interview with Prof. Dan from Evolution BJJ HQ in Gatineau. We did this interview back when I was visiting Ottawa and since I used the Interview with Ryan Kellar for the Ottawa article I figured I would put this one here. I have met Prof. Dan a couple of times now and I always walk away with something that changes my game, a little defense here, or different stance there. He is very good is picking apart someone's game and adding to it. Prof. Dan also, along with Prof. Steve Burgess from Petawawa, runs the Evolution BJJ team of 14 clubs, to date, across Canada and USA. I sat down with him to talk about the philosophy of Evolution BJJ, doing seminars, and running a BJJ, Judo and MMA gym and how he keeps each one true to it's sport.
If the video doesn't load you can watch it here on the Panda's Odyssey YouTube Channel. While you're there, show some love, like, comment, and share the video and maybe even subscribe to my channel, thanks!
If you like reading these stories and watching these interviews sign up to the Panda's Odyssey Patreon Account and help support me on my journey!
Also, you can buy my Panda's Odyssey Patches at The Gi Hive, check their stock too and take advantage of the flat rate shipping for Canada and USA!
AND if you love the cute Panda logo like everyone else does then you can now get it on a T-shirt! Just head over to Teespring.com and either search for Panda's Odyssey or click here for the Panda's Odyssey T-shirt! Like, buy and share the link, every shirt bought helps me on this journey and makes it possible for me to keep regaling you with these awesome experiences and adventures!
After a short but busy stay in Montreal it was time to take the train to Quebec City and see some old friends!
Until next time, see you on the mats,
OSSS!!
Here's my interview with Prof. Dan from Evolution BJJ HQ in Gatineau. We did this interview back when I was visiting Ottawa and since I used the Interview with Ryan Kellar for the Ottawa article I figured I would put this one here. I have met Prof. Dan a couple of times now and I always walk away with something that changes my game, a little defense here, or different stance there. He is very good is picking apart someone's game and adding to it. Prof. Dan also, along with Prof. Steve Burgess from Petawawa, runs the Evolution BJJ team of 14 clubs, to date, across Canada and USA. I sat down with him to talk about the philosophy of Evolution BJJ, doing seminars, and running a BJJ, Judo and MMA gym and how he keeps each one true to it's sport.
If the video doesn't load you can watch it here on the Panda's Odyssey YouTube Channel. While you're there, show some love, like, comment, and share the video and maybe even subscribe to my channel, thanks!
If you like reading these stories and watching these interviews sign up to the Panda's Odyssey Patreon Account and help support me on my journey!
Also, you can buy my Panda's Odyssey Patches at The Gi Hive, check their stock too and take advantage of the flat rate shipping for Canada and USA!
AND if you love the cute Panda logo like everyone else does then you can now get it on a T-shirt! Just head over to Teespring.com and either search for Panda's Odyssey or click here for the Panda's Odyssey T-shirt! Like, buy and share the link, every shirt bought helps me on this journey and makes it possible for me to keep regaling you with these awesome experiences and adventures!
After a short but busy stay in Montreal it was time to take the train to Quebec City and see some old friends!
Until next time, see you on the mats,
OSSS!!
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