If there is something I cannot complain about in life is to be able to live where I live.
The archipelago of Bocas del Toro, located in the Caribbean side of Panama, is an amazing place if you want to connect with nature and enjoy a healthy life.
With a total of 7 important islands and a little bit more than 250 islets or small islands, with several unique beaches and spots, makes it a Paradize I fall in love with. There is no other place I have visited in my life that can give this Natural High!.
An important part of my island life is the healthy lifestyle we can enjoy from. With this tropical heat combined with the soft breeze from the sea, makes it so easy to practice several sports here, such as:
- Surfing
- Scuba Diving
- Biking
- Stand Up Paddle Boarding
- Yoga
- Fitness Training
- Kayaking
- Jogging
And as most of the latin american destinations, locals like to play football, basketball and baseball as well.
But for the purpose of this post, I will tell you a little bit about how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu came to Bocas to put more color to this Island.
In January 2014, my professor Ray Quintana, came to Bocas to live and open up an Academy. We met and I was very happy about this great opportunity, it has been my dream to learn martial arts since I was a kid.
This is Ray with me the day he promoted me to purple belt.
We became friends and meanwhile I was helping him find the right spot to open the academy, we started to train in the back of his yard, making me the very first Brazilian jiu jitsu student in the history of Bocas del Toro.
Since then, a lot of locals and visitors have visited the academy, becoming students or just passing by to train.
The Academy also has a class for kids, and it’s a total success! By bringing another option for kids to learn an art, it creates a much better environment for kids to learn about discipline and humbleness. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has changed the lives of several people already in Bocas. The kids class is big, more than 20 kids come to class every week.
If you have never heard about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it’s known as the “gentle art”. The ground fighting, grappling, Judo and Japanese Jiu Jitsu are considered the base of this martial art.
It is not a martial art where you hit or punch your opponent, you control and neutralize him/her instead, until you are able to submit the opponent through chokes and locks. Techniques learned allow a smaller person to overcome a bigger opponent. That is why we learn "Technique over Strength".
Since Bocas is a Surf destination, I was practicing surf before BJJ came to Bocas. Because of my work and family time, I had to decide to practice one or the other one, so I chose BJJ. Although I would like to go back to the ocean and start surfing again at least 1 day a week.
The Jiu Jitsu community is growing little by little, and it is becoming popular among travelers who visit the location and bring their gear.
We also had the opportunity to hold seminars. There is nothing like participating in a bjj seminar with caribbean ocean view:
Sometimes we even take the jiu jitsu to the beach and connect with nature while we train. Rolling on the sand could be challenging, but after a good training at the beach we never miss the refreshing coconuts from the same palm trees that provide us with shade.
You have to know that the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) community in Bocas is very small but growing, but the most important thing for us is the friendship we were able to build between us.
I really enjoy writing this post about the Bocas beach location combined with my favorite sport Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I hope you enjoyed it too.
Thank You!
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