BJJ Laos Team Infinity - MMA Self-defense

Good training and good triangles from our new young friend from Korea! :)

Thanks to our friend for sponsoring our hot training session with his Amazing Water products!
Please a local business and stay hydrated during the hot season 💪

Consistency is key! Keeping the momentum 💪

Labour day training !

First regular class of the year of the Horse🐎

17 years ago, I dropped my backpack in Laos and called it home.
I didn't come with much.
No safety nets: no fancy job nor savings.
But I came with intangible assets: a passion for many kinds of art.
So I became a filmmaker and helped pioneer the blooming Lao movie scene for more than a decade.
I loved being part of it...
However, the movie world is, by nature, superficial.
The sets, the scenes, the stories, the people.
As Bruce Lee once said: "Martial arts are the only way to truly express yourself."
Because as judo people say: "the mat doesn't lie."
You can wear any mask in society; once you step into the dojo, it falls down and shatters.
So I went back to what once saved my life: Jiujitsu.
With old tatami from a judo teacher’s backyard, a couple of second-hand gis, and few partners, I got back to training.
I realized that to keep my skills, I had to open an academy with a regular schedule, welcoming anyone willing to learn the gentle art.
A decade later, here we are.
Still small, still underdogs, still hanging on.
People ask: "Why aren't there more BJJ gyms in Laos?"
Because the market is too small for other black belts to make a living.
I do this because this is the land of my ancestors.
Because the best contribution you can make is to give what you're best at: many filmmakers, but only one jiujitsu black belt.
So I do this because no one else can.
Because by training here, I became the first jiujitsu black belt made in Laos.
A black belt is a white belt who never quits—so quitting is no longer an option.
None of this was planned, but somehow it was written.
And none of this would exist without this small but strong community.
Thanks to all students, adults, kids, and parents.
Thank you for your support, your time on the mat, and for trusting me with your children—one of the best investments in their future.
Thank you for helping keep jiujitsu alive in Laos.
Happy Lao New Year!! ❤️

Very special moment this morning with the white belt promotion of little 'Georginho'❤️
Also thanks to .d from France for dropping in 💪

Bjj Laos competition team this year is composed of a 48yo old black belt, his 16yo blue belt apprentice and a bunch of regular lao white belts (+1 japanese) in their 30-40s, with a daytime job and family duties.

Jiujitsu demographics in Laos:

One IBJJF gym.

One IBJJF black belt.

Four IBJJF blue belts.

Couple of purples who left us😅

more or less 20 active practitioners along the seasons since my arrival in 2009 - (kids/adults combined) - among 8 millions souls.

We actively started competing in 2022 for fun and surprisingly got international recognition at the 2023 SEAgames in Cambodia with a silver medal.
In regional events, we regularly placing our little team in the top 1/3 among other academies and nations.

We can only compete 3/4 times a year due to the lack of local tournaments and limited travel budget.

On this last event, we sent 6 athletes (5 lao, one japanese) which count as 55% of out adults team.

On 6 athletes engaged 5 podiums, 2 golds, 2 silvers, 2 bronzes.

On 53 teams engaged, we ranked 11.

I'm very proud to see that years after years we're hanging on.
I'm very proud to see constant improvement despite our conditions and considering the pool of practitioners in neighboring countries.

I'm very proud of all my students, who are helping day to day to keep jiujitsu alive despite the local confidentiality and the lack of support.

I'm even more proud to see them growing into the art year after year, kids and adults alike.

Give us a few more years and Laos will have its homegrown black belts.

And from underdogs...
We will become undeniable💪


pierrelouis_ift