Fashion designer, former competitive swimmer and twenty-nine year old Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Viking Wong has spent half his life in many countries.
Known for his ferocious competitive record in the UK, Viking has been training BJJ since 2009.
After graduating from London College of Fashion and having worked at different design houses such as Vivienne Westwood, Burberry and Victoria Beckham, he decided to launch his own brand.
However, Jiu Jitsu impacted his life in large way, and after deep consideration, Viking decided to quit his job and pursued BJJ full time.
Earlier this year, Viking decided to move back home to Hong Kong to spread the art of Jiu Jitsu.
When asked, Viking has already lost track of how many times he has competed, but he recalls, since purple belt, he has been actively competing. At brown belt, he medaled at the IBJJF Europeans in both gi and nogi and bagged a double gold at the Greece national pros. At black belt, he has obtained gold in the IBJJF British nationals and pan-Asian events.
He now acts as a freelance Jiu-Jitsu consultant at JAB, Kowloon BJJ & HK Fight Club.
We got down with Viking and he shared his bold thoughts about fashion on the mat, training, teaching, competition and his views towards BJJ.
Any fashion tips for the brothers on the mats? Things not to wear?
I would really just suggest people to be themselves and be happy with who they are. Fashion is a very subjective thing, and from past experiences, even if you own a serious wardrobe it simply won’t suffice at the end of the day if you’re not comfortable in your own skin. I’ve been there, Jiu Jitsu saved my life. I generally like a more minimalistic approach when it comes to style.
You’ve designed a Gi for Shoyoroll. Are there any future designs in the works?
We’ve constantly got a few projects in the works, and all I can say is that we’ve been planting some seeds this year in the Asian region so all the fans around can expect something special in the coming year.
What problems have you faced in BJJ?
The unique thing about Jiu Jitsu is that there is an endless list of problems presented your way in a daily basis, much like life. I guess one of the most vulnerable moments most Jiu Jitsu practitioners encounter would be the moment when you decide to do your own thing upon graduation, and thus, in some cases, losing the support of your instructor/team. In my opinion, there is no remedy to anything, you simply learn to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations and make the best out of what you can. C’est la vie.
Where do you train nowadays?
Nowadays, I have these free training sessions called the hurt locker for competitors in HK, people from different gyms just roll in, do the rounds and shoot back off to work. I do my strength training with the guys at JAB, mobility work at Joint Dynamics and wrestling with Matt at Warrior Academy. That about sums it up… for now.
Describe your training, what do you think sets you from different people?
Rooted from my training in my old academy in London, we’ve always done long rounds of live sparring, so I’ve always tried to maintain that wherever I go. On top of that, it would be open-mindedness, the freedom to train with everyone.
Injury is part of training. Would you agree?
Injury and learning how to train with injury is part of training. As a competitor in this sport, there is no time to stop, you stop evolving and you’d get taken out. Hence, the key is to train smart and train around the injuries.
(Picture credits to AFG)
Do you have a busy teaching schedule? How often do you train? Do you enjoy training? Why do you enjoy it so much?
I teach and train everyday regardless. I think training should always be enjoyable, and so should everything you do, once you stop to enjoy doing a certain thing, it’s time to stop. I guess I like the grind, and the relatively straight-forward input-output ratio to the work you put in, it’s an honest business; you work hard you get better, that is what’s most appealing and rewarding to me.
How do you set your goals with regards to your sport?
Goal setting for me should be set in 2 ways. Firstly, the main ones are always set as high as possible so you’re always striving to do better and never satisfied. Then comes the smaller ones that are more immediate and reachable, so you get motivation to keep trucking.
Do you read a lot regarding martial arts? If you do, roughly how many books do you have? Which one gave you so much inspiration that gave you a quote you couldn’t forget? If not, are training sessions (or seminars) your sole medium of learning, or do you use other mediums as well.
I don’t read about martial arts and i don’t think there is a lot to read about martial arts. I do however, read a lot of books unrelated to martial arts and I have a small library in every house that I’ve lived in. Recently, “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin has played a paramount role in reshaping the way I conduct myself and in business. He has been an inspiration to me on how to be a humble, decent human being just getting after it on a daily basis. You can buy his book on Amazon, or listen to his podcasts, which on many occasions, can be very dark.
If there was one quote that has always stuck with me it would be Bob Marley’s “none but ourselves can free our minds”.
In my free time, much like all other Jiu Jitsu practitioners, I watch a lot of grappling videos. Guilty.
Do you try to train your mentality as well? Are there any exercises you do?
I used to put notes around the house to remind myself of my goals, nowadays it’s so clear i don’t need them anymore. I do do self-reassuring and self-talk to get myself into zone before competitions, visualization helps too.
What exercises do you think are a must for competitive BJJ training?
Long, hard rolls.
What is your philosophy of coaching and its relationship to education?
I’ve been exposed to many different styles of coaching and can’t seem to pinpoint one that truly satisfies me. I guess it’s the same answer to every question, there is no concrete solution, no one-size fits all mould. My instructor has always taught absolutely everyone, and I agree on that if it was just education; but combat is slightly different, we’re teaching them life skills that could be potentially dangerous in the wrong hands, so I think as instructors you have a moral obligation to make sure your students turn out to be good people too, not just good fighters; and with that, you need education.
What does it mean for you to be a fighter?
A constant challenge to bettering yourself regardless of success or failure, the realisation that life is a never-ending pursuit of perfection.
What separates you from every other fighter in your division?
I can take a lot of punishment, and I mean a lot.
If you could have one dream fight with anyone, who would it be?
I don’t think I have a dream fight, but my target right now is to be in the semis at the World Championships at the adult black belt category.
Do you see yourself crossing over to MMA?
Yes, when my stand up is up to scratch. I am currently adding in boxing sessions into the training routine and would like to continue to hone my wrestling skills to a high-level. I believe we’ve got to keep learning with an open mind in order to keep evolving and stay grounded.
I think every form of challenge should be experienced at least once.
What is your philosophy towards your art?
Train with everyone.
What’s your signature move?
Recent years I’d say mounted cross-choke.
Have you experienced a breakthrough whilst training, and if so, how did it happen, what did it lead to it?
I started teaching in a wrestling gym in London, and stayed to learn wrestling after. Those 2 years were imperative to shaping my game, my training intensity and dealing with a different kind of pressure.
Looking back at where you were when you started this journey, where did you think it was going to lead you?
Never in a million years would I think I’d be doing this as a career and living my life as a martial artist. Everything is such a contrast to what we are brought up to believe in and yet feel so real, so right simultaneously.
Anything you regret? What would you have done differently?
There are a lot of things I regret doing but ultimately they are all events and experiences that make me who I am today. Of course, I would have liked to start Jiu Jitsu earlier, and perhaps instead of fashion school, culinary school.
What would you like your legacy to be?
I would like to be remembered to be one of the pioneers in the development of combat sports in China and to bring the open mindset to the new generations before those old-school guys poison the future minds and obstruct growth by personal greed and over-possessiveness.
What would be your ultimate achievement?
Medalling at the adult black belt worlds in this lifetime and build a multi-field corporation that invests in the interest of better humans and products.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Yes indeed, my new workspace “The Openmat” is opening in the new year, it’ll be a creative space available for people to hot desk and attend some fitness classes at the same time, so far we’ve got yoga, pilates, TRX and Jiu Jitsu on the menu, so watch this space!
I would also like to thank my long-time supporter Shoyoroll and Joint Dynamics for their excellent work in repairing my body.
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