A fighting chance
In a city where football is king, there is little room for other sports to thrive. Nevertheless, martial arts are gaining momentum in Barcelona, slowly but surely.
Although they can be hard to classify because they involve many different practices and styles, martial arts are generally defined as a combination of movements and techniques used to defend oneself from harm, not to harm others. Whether it’s taekwondo, judo, boxing, karate, kendo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai, the techniques you learn at the gym are not to be used elsewhere unless you are in legitimate danger.
The cornerstone of all martial arts is to bring together the philosophies of hard work, humility and dedication. “Just like any other sport, practising martial arts will help you improve your fitness. The main difference, however, is the fear you must overcome to face your opponent. If you’re able to master this, you’ll gain an extra boost of confidence that’ll help you face other problems in your life,” said Jordi Lloveras, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, accomplished boxer and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) professional. Lloveras also owns El Club de la Lucha Barcelona (Casp 147), which has recently had to expand to fit its growing membership.
The reason behind Lloveras’s success has a lot to do with his tenacity and his ability to rebound after a rough start, just like a fighter would recover from an uppercut. Small local gyms have to work hard to bring new people to their facilities. That being said, as society’s perception of martial arts shifts and they begin to attract more mainstream attention, it’s getting easier.
“Martial arts are growing more popular every day. There used to be a broad misconception that it was an underground thing but that’s not the reality of it anymore,” explained Lloveras. “At my gym alone there are many different practitioner profiles—from people who’ve been training for many years to those who join because theylike to box as their cardio workout rather than go to a spinning class.”
Lloveras also works as a UFC commentator for GOL, a TV network mainly dedicated to football. He often shares the stage with his brother Abner, who was formerly part of the reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter, where he fought for Conor McGregor’s coaching team.
The steady growth of martial arts is such that Fight Time, a Barcelona-based production company turned TV channel, is organising its own reality show. “We’re just a couple of passionate martial arts lovers, but we always imagined our channel for cable TV,” said Marc Campos Mula, the CCO of Fight Time. “Now we have a presence in different parts of Spain and continue to expand our reach each month, but everyone can already watch our content on our app.”
“We don’t pretend to be a mass media channel. Of course we want to spread awareness about martial arts and teach people about their benefits, but we have to be realistic. Yoga, for example, has a lot of followers but it can’t compete with football. Brazilian jiu-jitsu can’t even compete with football in Brazil. Martial arts will never take centre stage, but I believe we can attract more people to the sport and help them bury their prejudices. Martial arts are for everyone, no matter your fitness level nor your social background,” assured Campos.
Catalunya has produced accomplished martial artists such as Joel González, the taekwondo practitioner who took home gold at the 2012 London Olympics in the 58-kilogramme division and the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the 68-kilogramme category. The most practised styles in the region are judo, taekwondo and karate, although the popularity of MMA—which allows the fighters to mix both standing and ground styles—is quietly taking over. Foreign residents are contributing a lot to this shift.
“I’d say the ratio of locals to foreign residents at the gym is 9:11,” said Lloveras. “British, American, Italian, Swedish, German, Portuguese… Whether they’ve settled in Barcelona long-term or they’re just passing through, they come to the gym to train. We’ve begun teaching classes in both English and Spanish to accommodate everyone.”
According to Campos, martial arts have the capacity to create special connections in a short amount of time due to the close interaction of practitioners during training. And although they have different mother tongues, ages and beliefs, martial artists share a love of the sport and are quite bonded in that respect. “If you’re new to the city, or just the sport, martial arts can help you find a group of friends who won’t hesitate to grab you and throw you to the ground and then take a moment to get to know you,” laughed Campos.
Put up a fight
If you’re ready to work on your self-defence moves and mindset, these gyms offer training in different styles of martial arts
Muay Thai Thailand Barcelona Camp
Learn two new skills at once with MTTB Camp. Specialising in the traditional Thai martial art Muay Thai, its teachers have all lived in Thailand and use Thai during class. This connection to the language allows students to fully engage in the practice of Muay Thai. All skill levels are welcome to join the gym’s daily classes, which include individual and group sessions as well as women-only classes.
If you’re looking for something a bit more adventurous, Capoeira Cordão de Ouro offers classes in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, which combines elements of fight, dance and acrobatics. The club is under the guidance of Mestre Suassuna, who has been practising this art for over 50 years. Classes take place in three different locations throughout the city every weekday evening and have as much of a social element to them as they do practical.
Espai Shen focuses on maintaining a healthy lifestyle through tai chi and Xing Yi Quan. The trainers here believe the best form of self-defence is to know yourself, to have good balance and to learn to breathe. Through this philosophy they are able to implement a programme that benefits all parts of the body, both internally and externally. Their tai chi methods also include the use of swords, which can add an extra element of fun to class.