Page 44 - ISSUE 2

GRAPPLER Fall 2018

10TH Planet Koh Tao

Throwing our bags in with the rest of the tourists in the dorms during our stay, and we were more than
shuttled between islands on the ferry systems of happy to accept. This opened up our budget a bit for
Thailand, we set off on the final leg of our trek from food, recreation and recovery.
Bangkok to Koh Tao. Twenty minutes into trip the boat
stopped moving. Ten minutes later a diver splashed off Our plan was to rest that evening, but as soon as we
the back of the boat to clear a fishing net that had fouled settled into our new living quarters Marshall threw on
the propeller. his spats. Instinctively, we all followed suit and joined
him to check out Koh Tao’s very own 10TH Planet
This gave Rome and Marshall time to get to know training lab. The space was new, built in six weeks start
Tom, who noticed the BJJ patches on Rome’s bag and to finish, and consists of just one thing: mat space.
sparked up a conversation. He was taking a dive course color difference, the lower belt will receive one wild card. The 10TH Planet system is a language unto itself.
on the island, so Rome told him about the 10TH Planet Luke, wearing a Game of Rolls rash guard and So a white belt would be given two wild cards if matched Riddled with simple names like “zombie” and “honey-
gym and invited him to join us for a roll. This exchange fighting shorts, greeted us with a smile and open arms. with a purple belt. And that’s it. The players roll with hole,” the system was designed for BJJ in MMA. It is
reinvigorated my appreciation for grappling’s ability to We warmed up on our own for about 15 minutes before the higher belt handicapped by the implications of the learned by an array of artists and aliens that all seem
create an instant connection with strangers. Victor, an unassuming Swedish entrepreneur with a wild card, and if there is no submission the lower belt is drawn to both the creative and effective side of Jiu-Jitsu,
golden pony tail, offered to teach us how to play Game declared victorious. If the belts are equal, house rules. keeping their bodies flexible and movements precise.
Once the engines were working and the boat was of Rolls. Victor created the game as a way to inspire the
moving we arrived at the Koh Tao Pier, grabbed our creative side of Jiu-Jitsu and facilitate a medium for Tucking the game away, we entered into a drilling Each day in Koh Tao started with an alarm clock of
bags and set off down a path that must have shared the “giggles” as he would affectionately describe it. session that was as much dance as Jiu-Jitsu. It began roosters and rap music, as the pop of shin-thumping
same decorator as the Conch Republic. Small dive shops with a standing entrance followed by a back step and pads echoed through the dorms. Training sessions began
and boutiques line the brick street, which led us to the The game is simple. There is a deck containing two flow of the hips that led your partner to the floor, leaving with gluten-free pre-workout shakes, and ended with
main road that encircles the island. We took a left and types of cards, position and wild. Each position card has you perched with knee-on-belly. The tango continued to high fives and fist bumps. Marshall, a 10TH Planet purple
continued up a hill, that took us past a temple with tall the name of a position accompanied by an intuitively a front roll over your shoulder and under your opponents belt, acted as our interpreter each night as we engaged in
wooden doors flanked by wax statues of meditating designed anatomical demonstration of said position. un-trapped leg, which ended in the “truck” position, the ritualistic post-training discussion of techniques.
monks draped in orange robes. As we cleared the peak of The wild cards hold a variety of “advantages” and one of the many 10TH Planet vocabulary terms that
the hill, like a message from the great beyond, we saw a mirror that of a chance card from Monopoly. A wild card anchor the algorithm of tape and index cards on the wall Koh Tao has more Burmese workers than Thais and
sign reading “MONSOON GYM AND FIGHT CLUB, 10TH may require a participant to play with a “broken arm,” at this brain trust. Westerners combined, yet there is a sense of community
PLANET” restricting them from engaging with it throughout the everywhere you go on this island. People are welcoming
roll, or could lead to the player being blindfolded with Eric and I found our corner and started drilling. and generally honest. A variety of shops, gyms and
Dropping our bags at the base of the stairs leading a sleep mask (or just closing their eyes on the honor We weren’t planning on filming that day, and Eric was restaurants keep the island full of energy to compliment
up to the Muay Thai platform, Rome communicated system). tired of being asked, ‘So when do you get to train?’ so some of the best diving in the world.
with the dorm attendants the only way he knew how, he just jumped in. As a surfer and athlete, he has a keen
through charades. It took a hot minute, but he finally Each player is dealt two position cards. These are awareness of his hips and body weight, which allowed
got the message across. The owner of Monsoon, Darius, the only positions from which the player may attempt him to pick up the technique quickly. Luke stared in
who was gone on holiday, had offered to let us crash a submission from throughout the roll. For every belt disbelief when Eric told him it was just his first class.

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