Featured affiliated academy: Simrishamns Muay Thai & BJJ, Sweden
Where is the gym located?
The gym is near the train station in Simrishamn, Sweden, a small, typical old fishing town with a history going back to the Viking era. We’re surrounded by history, old runestones, rock carvings and much more. The town is dead during winter, but in summer it’s full of tourists.
How many people train there?
We started up in October 2024, so we’re still a pretty small gym with around 30 members.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We’re getting new members every month, and a lot of people have come and gone during the first two weeks. We had over 40 unique visitors in the first two weeks, and most of them came back again.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
Andres Taylor is the highest-ranked, and he’s a black belt. He runs the ecological grappling classes. I’m a brown belt, and there are some purple belts and blue belts too.
When did Simrishamns Muay Thai & BJJ, Sweden open?
We started the grappling classes in our new location on 13/1 2025. Previously we had a temporary arrangement at a Dance academy. Unfortunately the floor was hard and unsuitable for grappling, so we could only do Muay Thai. During the summer we were also able to do weekly open mats on the beach.
Some facts about you:
Name: Pär Berg
Age: 45
Belt: Brown
Profession: At university studying archaeology
Years in BJJ: 18
Other martial arts: MMA, Muay Thai & Boxing
Currently living in: Simrishamn, Sweden
Originally from: Östersund
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
My wife and I lived in Malmö, where we trained with Peter Blackwell (Checkmat). We are both small city kids and decided to move to the country. Simrishamn only had Shotokan Karate and old school Jujutsu, so we had to start our own dojo. We looked around and found some locals who wanted to train something different from what the city had to offer. With Andres’ black belt and long experience as a coach, and my background as a Muay Thai coach and BJJ brown belt it was a no-brainer.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
It is a mix of people from all walks of life and all ages, but the atmosphere is good and the people are nice.
Why do they train in Simrishamns Muay Thai & BJJ, Sweden?
I think it is mainly social; it is not easy to meet new people as an adult, and then there is the health part.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
Money – it is all about the money. We are a non-profit gym, but we still invest private money and hope to get it back one day. We still have to pay for the mat, the equipment and the rent. It’s hard to get sponsors and we have to survive the first year before we can get any help from the government.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
I think it will grow. The closest gym is in Ystad – 45 minutes by train from here. It’s a nice gym called Mañana and they have a lot of members.
What’s the best thing about Simrishamns Muay Thai & BJJ, Sweden?
The people. It’s a friendly atmosphere. We’re not a tough-guy gym.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
OMG! There’s so much to see, all the history from the Stone Age through the Viking Age to more recent times. The surrounding nature is beautiful with beaches and nature reserves.
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