For a week of unforgettable days, we’re heading off to immerse ourselves in the peaceful atmosphere of the beautiful Dojo Stara Wies, a purpose-built Japanese-style village located in the middle of the Polish countryside. There we’ll lose ourselves in hours of friendly BJJ training, sunset Go matches, and conversations with friends both old and new that last long into the night.
This one is always something deeply special, so we’re very excited to invite you back to this truly unique location for the next installment of Zen Camp and even more excited to announce that we have extended it to be a full week!
"The Zen camp was in one word AMAZING. I had high expectations coming to the camp but the experience exceeded all of them. It's hard to describe how fun it is to meet like minded people from all over the world, making new friends while doing what you love to do. The facilities are superb and the nature surrounding the area is beautiful and really makes you feel like you're in an old school kung fu movie. Definitely coming back next year!"
- Ingolf, Iceland
For a week of unforgettable days, we’re heading off to immerse ourselves in the peaceful atmosphere of the beautiful Dojo Stara Wies, a purpose-built Japanese-style village located in the middle of the Polish countryside. There we’ll lose ourselves in hours of friendly BJJ training, sunset Go matches, and conversations with friends both old and new that last long into the night.
This one is always something deeply special, so we’re very excited to invite you back to this truly unique location for the next installment of Zen Camp and even more excited to announce that we have extended it to be a full week!
"The Zen camp was in one word AMAZING. I had high expectations coming to the camp but the experience exceeded all of them. It's hard to describe how fun it is to meet like minded people from all over the world, making new friends while doing what you love to do. The facilities are superb and the nature surrounding the area is beautiful and really makes you feel like you're in an old school kung fu movie. Definitely coming back next year!"
- Ingolf, Iceland
* Full week training camp: 25+ gi and no-gi lessons and 20+ hours of open mat*
* In the middle of nowhere, Poland *
* Accommodation in traditional Japanese houses *
* Huge mat space *
* Gi laundry service *
* Free use of spa and sauna *
* All meals and drinks included *
* Bottled water, tea, and coffee included *
* Daily guided sauna therapy sessions *
* Board games *
* Daily off-the-mats workshops and lectures *
* Mushroom picking in the forest *
* Morning yoga classes *
* Everyone welcome, regardless of experience and affiliation *
FACILITIES
Dojo Stara Wieś has been specifically designed for the practice of traditional Japanese martial arts, and as such we have everything we’d ever need for several days of intense Jiu Jitsu training. Classes take place in a large matted hall with a gorgeous view out over the forest, and we have a smaller matted area we can use for drilling and open mat throughout the day.
Included in the price of the camp is access to the on-site sauna. We also offer a free laundry service for training gear, so you’ll always have a fresh gi waiting for you.
ACCOMMODATION
Located on the same site as the dojo are 16 high-standard cottages, all built in traditional Japanese style. Each cottage has three double rooms and one single room, and feature beds or futons for sleeping, a kitchen, a fireplace, and private bathrooms. Also available are four VIP houses for either four or two persons, if you prefer extra privacy.
All of the cottages are located less than a minute’s walk from both the dojo and the canteen, and give you the perfect peaceful place to hang up your hakama at the end of the day.
FOOD
Food is included in the price of the camp and will be served three times a day in the restaurant. Tea, coffee, and water is available free of charge during the entire camp. We’ll also be providing all the bottled water you need for training.
If you’d like the vegetarian option, or if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, just give us a shout at mail@bjjglobetrotters.com and let us know :-)
BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU TRAINING
We have two large matspaces available for the camp, where we’ll host more training than you can handle – both gi and no-gi. Classes and open mat sessions will be running from morning to evening every day, taught by a variety of experienced, friendly, and high-level black belts from around the world who have a genuine interest in sharing their knowledge as well as in participating in the social aspects of the camp. BJJ Globetrotters camps are known for being full of friendly people from all over the world, who enjoy good training in a fun, relaxed and open-minded environment, with a heavy emphasis on everyone being equal, both on and off the mats. White belts are real people too!
BEGINNERS WELCOME!
BJJ Globetrotters is built on a foundation of treating everyone equally, both on and off the mats. We understand that signing up for a week-long training camp as a beginner in the sport can be a very intimidating thought. People often ask us if they are even allowed to join as beginners or if they would somehow be a burden to the instructors or other participants. However, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. We are most happy to have beginners of all levels join us, both for the training and social aspects of the camps. At many of the camps, we even host a “White Belt Appreciation Hour,” which is a closed event where white belts can have “alone time” with the black belt coaches and ask all the beginner questions they might have. So, if you’re still inexperienced in BJJ and on the edge about coming, just do it! We’ve all started where you are now, and one day you’ll probably be able to beat us, so we better be nice to you now
YOGA AND MEDITATION
Regardless of the colour of the belt around your waist, six days of 8+ hours on the mats is tough on the body! In order to keep us limbre and loose right until the end, we’re bringing in a dedicated instructor to run morning yoga sessions every day of the camp.
Additionally, we’ll be doing evening meditation sessions at the end of every day to wrap up the training and prepare you for a good night’s sleep.
SAUNA THERAPY
Our professional sauna therapist will be running daily sessions in the camp sauna. They’re usually 15 minutes at a time, followed by a quick cool down outdoors (and a swim in the lake for the brave). Join in for a different sauna experience than you’ve probably ever tried before!
WORKSHOPS
Off the mats, we’ll be holding a series of workshops taught by a selection of instructors and highly knowledgeable camp attendees. These will all take place in the camp venue. Generally they focus on Jiu Jitsu and sport-related topics, but we’ve also had presentations on things like improving your photography, making stuff happen, standup comedy and historic grappling arts – basically anything cool that we think might be interesting! You’ll just have to wait for the schedule and see what we’ve got lined up.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
As befits the nature of the camp, there’s nothing even remotely resembling urban bustle or other modern distractions around. You’re situated right in the middle of the tranquil beauty of Przedbórz National Park, so whenever you need a break from training just pick a direction, wander through the woods, sit beside a river, and listen to the birds. In the evenings, you can unwind in the hot tub, learn the intricacies of the oldest board game in existence, or get to know some new friends over a glass of sake. We’ll also be installing hammocks around the camp grounds for you to use any time you like.
ONLINE VIDEO LIBRARY OF CAMP CLASSES
We’ll be professionally filming many of the classes and then hosting them online at our video library: BJJ Globetrotters in Action. They’ll be entirely free to access (as will the videos from all our other camps), so if you want to refresh your memory you can go back and check out the technique as many times as you want.
Martin Mihajlov
- From Skopje, Macedonia / Ljubljana, Slovenia
- BJJ black belt
- Random AJP and IBJJF medals
- Helped colonize Macedonia with BJJ enthusiasts
- Pretends to not like cake
Maaria Haltsonen
-From Imatra, Finland
- BJJ black belt
- Bachelor of Sports and Exercise Medicine
- Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200)
- Has never, ever tapped to a banana split
Christian Graugart
- From Saint Barthélemy, F.W.I.
- Author of The BJJ Globetrotter
- 2nd place IBJJF Europeans brown belt
- IBJJF London Open black belt champion
- Multiple x IBJJF default bronze medalist
Wim Deputter
- From Leuven, Belgium
- 5x NAGA Europe Champion
- 2x IBJJF Europeans 2nd place
- JJIF World Champion 2014
- Favorite workout song is “G in a gi”
Priit Mihkelson
- From Tallinn, Estonia
- BJJ black belt
- Head coach Estum Jiu Jitsu, Estonia
- Creator of DefensiveBJJ.com
- Once stopped drone strike w/ turtle defense
Joshua Janis
- From Wisconsin, United States
- BJJ black belt
- 10+ yrs teaching at White Lotus
- Meditation/guilloutine specialist (not as combo)
- Wim Hoff fanclub vice president
Bernie Antle
- From Newfoundland, Canada
- BJJ black belt
- Owner of Kempe Fitness & Fighting
- In Canadian Airforce (could be just a janitor though)
- Insists his blood type is Imperial Stout
Francesco Fonte
- From Hanau, Germany / Gallipoli, Italy
- BJJ black belt
- A few medals here and there
- Next Level MMA head coach
- Will not accept milk in coffee
Will Dorman
- From Florida, United States
- BJJ black belt
- Won some stuff, drank a lot of beer
- Golden Croissant Surf Champ 2023
- Once armbarred a moose in Alaska
Tom Maenurm
- From Tallinn, Estonia
- BJJ black belt
- Gold ADCC European Open Pro 2022
- ADCC Estonian Open Champion 2022
- Actually just an Italian tennis snob
We really do go off the beaten track for this one. Deep in the heart of a stunning national park, you can train and relax alongside fellow grapplers from all over the world, surrounded by nothing more than trees, hammocks, and the open sky.
The address of the camp is Stara Wieś 1, 97-570 Stara Wieś, Poland. How you’ll get there is up to you. But if you figure it out, we promise you a fantastic experience.
* Check in is Monday from 14:00 *
* Camp welcome meeting is Monday 15:00 *
* Daily training, activities and open mat sessions from morning to evening *
* Check out is Sunday at noon latest *
Schedule and guidebook will be sent out one week before camp