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A Surprise Visit From Sweden: A Lesson in Budo
Some of the best moments at the dojo are the ones you don’t see coming.
On Saturday 4 July, we had a couple of unexpected guests at the club. Anders and Viveka popped in to watch our Jujitsu and Judo class, and by the end of the session they had left a wonderful impression in all of us.
Anders, 74 years young, is a 3rd Dan BJJ practitioner who trains at Combat Academy in Sweden, the dojo of Jesse Enkamp, better known to many of our budo students as the Karate Nerd. Anders told us he likes to watch other martial arts as part of his own ongoing study of budo, a mindset that says a lot about the kind of practitioner he is.
We got chatting, and it quickly became clear he was as generous with his knowledge as he was easy to talk to. Viveka was every bit as wonderful, full of warmth and stories that had us all smiling. It wasn’t long before we invited Anders onto the mat, and he graciously accepted, joining our older students at the end of the session to share a glimpse of BJJ technique. Watching him move and teach was a real gift, and a reminder of how much we can learn from other arts when we stay open to it.
Before they left, Anders shared a piece of wisdom that we think sums up the martial arts journey: “A black belt is just a white belt who never gave up.”
It’s a simple line, but it carries real weight. Every grading, every setback, every time on the mat when you’d rather be anywhere else; it all adds up to the same thing: showing up again. Getting thrown and getting back up again. And again. That’s the whole philosophy in one sentence.
We’re so grateful and genuinely honoured that Anders and Viveka chose to spend part of their Saturday with us. Encounters like this are exactly why we love being part of the wider budo community, and it’s part of why we’re already planning a trip to Sweden next year to go and visit Anders at Combat Academy.
We’ll of course share more as those plans take shape.
Until then, thank you, Anders and Viveka, for a visit we’ll be talking about for a long time.
Anders, 74 years young, is a 3rd Dan BJJ practitioner who trains at Combat Academy in Sweden, the dojo of Jesse Enkamp, better known to many of our budo students as the Karate Nerd. Anders told us he likes to watch other martial arts as part of his own ongoing study of budo, a mindset that says a lot about the kind of practitioner he is.
We got chatting, and it quickly became clear he was as generous with his knowledge as he was easy to talk to. Viveka was every bit as wonderful, full of warmth and stories that had us all smiling. It wasn’t long before we invited Anders onto the mat, and he graciously accepted, joining our older students at the end of the session to share a glimpse of BJJ technique. Watching him move and teach was a real gift, and a reminder of how much we can learn from other arts when we stay open to it.
Before they left, Anders shared a piece of wisdom that we think sums up the martial arts journey: “A black belt is just a white belt who never gave up.”
It’s a simple line, but it carries real weight. Every grading, every setback, every time on the mat when you’d rather be anywhere else; it all adds up to the same thing: showing up again. Getting thrown and getting back up again. And again. That’s the whole philosophy in one sentence.
We’re so grateful and genuinely honoured that Anders and Viveka chose to spend part of their Saturday with us. Encounters like this are exactly why we love being part of the wider budo community, and it’s part of why we’re already planning a trip to Sweden next year to go and visit Anders at Combat Academy.
We’ll of course share more as those plans take shape.
Until then, thank you, Anders and Viveka, for a visit we’ll be talking about for a long time.
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