One of the great things i love about martial arts, is that wherever you are, you should be able to find an academy around you can visit to train and have fun. This is the first of many articles I will be sharing on Martial arts academies I’ve had the privilege of visiting. When travelling, the things I look for the most are good instructors, good training partners, clean mats, a respectful and fun vibe.
In 2017, I travelled to Thailand for a couple weeks and Bangkok was one of the places I wanted to visit. I started looking for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools near the hotel I was staying at and decided to visit and the Q23 BJJ Academy.
The academy is well located, on the third floor of a nice mall, right next to a gym in downtown Bangkok. I arrived early so I took some time to look around and read the articles on the window looking inside the gym until I was greeted by Adam Shahir Kayoom, owner and head instructor at Q23 BJJ Academy. We took the time to talk before the classes started, he was a very good guy, very relaxed and authentic.
He was teaching two classes in a row that evening, takedowns and BJJ, so I stayed for both. We were around 15 students and I found everyone was really nice and welcoming. Adam’s coaching was exactly how I like it, good and effective techniques, explained with attention to every little detail.
Everyone I had a chance to train with was really nice. I was mostly paired with a very good blue belt by the name of Eric, who was similar to me in size and had been training with Adam for a couple of years.
As mush as i love learning and trying new techniques, one thing i always look forward to in BJJ is to roll! I started with my new partner Eric and then rolled with two other students. No ego, no stiffness, just great respectful technical Jiu Jitsu like i like it. In some schools, when you’re the new guy from another academy, students will try to test you a little. Some don’t want to get tapped by the new guy, some see you as an opportunity to test and prove themselves. At Q23 it was not the case at all. Everyone tried to tap me for sure, some succeeded, but there wasn’t a threat or risk of injury. They were great rolls.
After a couple rolls, Adam picked me for the next one. As we rolled, I almost laughed at how easy it was for him to toy with me even with a 30 pounds advantage in my favor. He was doing it effortlessly, using no pressure or strength at all. It was all technique and timing. He wasn’t trying to impress me, no ego, just rolling and having fun. After the roll, at my request, he gave me some feedback and even added a couple pointers.
Then we all sat down in a circle and did some stretching while each of us would take turns and tell the rest of the group one good thing we enjoyed about our day. I was mind blown by that. I remember thinking to myself: what a great idea! In all my years of training and teaching martial arts, I had never thought about that. To be honest, i feel this is something that should integrated in any martial arts class.
I travelled twice to Bangkok, both times dropping in for a couple classes and I even took a private at with Adam. It was a great experience, one that I would do again anytime.
What I look for in a gym, I found at Q23 BJJ Academy. The place was very clean, the training partners were all really nice and welcoming and the teaching was great. I highly recommend stopping by if you go to Bangkok!
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