Finding a BJJ Gym in Korea

As I’ve already mentioned I always try to drop by for a training at a local gym wherever I go. The procedure is usually pretty simple. I just go to uncle google and ask for training options at a given place. I start with ‘name of the place + BJJ’, then I move to ‘name of the place + MMA’ and if nothing pops up I keep trying different options. Then, most of the gyms have websites or facebook pages, so  I usually email or text them via facebook, asking if I could drop by for a training. It’s simple as that.

In Korea though, it’s not that easy. Try to google a gym in a city other than Seoul or maybe Busan and see what happens. Beside few gyms in cities mentioned above, Korean gyms don’t usually have facebook pages and websites are usually all in Hangul – they don’t make it easy for foreigners.

So what’s the easiest way to find a gym in Korea? Find foreigners that trained here, and ask them! That’s at least what I did. After I failed to find any website or any useful information in English I came across several blogs, run by expats that used to train in Korea. I messaged few of them and I actually got some great feedback ( http://mmatlas.blogspot.kr/ & http://iloveleglocks.blogspot.kr/ - Thanks guys!). John from Iloveleglocks not only gave me directions to one of Daegu gyms, but also shared plenty of tips about life in Korea and information about what BJJ looks like in Korea.  Brent from mmatlas contacted me with few English-speaking Koreans, that are familiar with Daegu BJJ scene, who eventually directed me to the gym, where I train now.

I ended up, choosing Dong-gu BJJ, gym run by top Korean brown belt – Bo Guk, located just 5 minutes away by bike from my university. I’ll write more about the gym and my first impressions about BJJ in Korea soon.

The next few months, I want to visit at least few gyms in different cities. Now since I got to know some people, I hope it will be at least a little easier to find some training opportunities outside Daegu.

But anyway. If you ever happen to be searching for some BJJ in Korea and you accidentally stumble across my blog, don’t hesitate to text me, if you think I may help you!