Featured Camp Instructor: Christian Graugart

Christian Graugart – BJJ Globetrotters

Belt: Black belt
Age: 40
Profession: Manager of a boutique travelling circus
Started training (year): 2000
City/country: Saint Barthélemy, French West Indies (originally from Copenhagen, Denmark)

Main achievements in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

I guess I would say that BJJ Globetrotters is my biggest achievement. I have competed a bit—won some and lost some—but my focus or interest was never really Jiu Jitsu. It was always the other things that came along with it, such as making friends, seeing the world and having a good time. BJJ is a fantastic vehicle for that and BJJ Globetrotters is basically just a bunch of tools designed to make that vehicle even more efficient. In the same category, the academy I started in Copenhagen and ran for 15 years was another wonderful vehicle for making great things happen. I met so many wonderful people and made countless good memories from that place.

Which Globetrotters camps have you attended:

All of them, except Maine 2016.

Which camp has been your favorite so far?

I do not have a favorite camp, I love them all. And no, you can not get me drunk enough to where I’ll admit one of them is my favorite. It’s not happening.

Favorite stories/moments from the camps?

It’s really hard to pinpoint anything. I’ve done more than 85 camps at this point and looking back at them, they all seem like one big blur. A mashup of memories, laughs, experiences, exploring, people, training and good times. I would say that my favorite story is the camps. I’ve lived a lifetime through them.

Your favorite class/classes to teach at camp?

Like most camp instructors ultimately conclude, I find that conceptual classes about fundamental mechanics are the best for camps. Often, we are teaching groups of 100-150 people at every skill level, so it’s important to do something that applies to as many people in the room as possible. I try to teach as little technique as I can and stick with principles, ideas and mechanics. Simple things that people can hopefully remember and apply, regardless of their level. I am at a point in my career where I don’t really “study” Jiu Jitsu anymore. I’ve been working to catch up with the technique “arms race” for many years in the past but at this point, I just really enjoy playing the game for fun and fitness; akin to kicking a ball around or doing a few tricks at the skatepark. While I still very much enjoy teaching and seeing the joy and value it brings—especially at the camps—I no longer feel that being an instructor is my main contribution to Jiu Jitsu. I am much more efficient in other areas and the young guns have long surpassed me in athletic and technical abilities anyway, so I’ve bowed out of the role as a coach and am leaving that to other people.