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At the dawn of the 2025-2026 season, CFJJB referee Wilfried Sam launches his podcast On the Road. For his first marathon episode of over two hours, he welcomes Kenji and Mathias Jardin for an unfiltered discussion: French national team selection, the growth of BJJ in France, the non-profit vs private academy debate, and realistic projections for the future. A true dive behind the scenes, at a time when French BJJ is growing spectacularly.
A new lens on French BJJ
Wilfried Sam is no stranger to the community. An experienced CFJJB referee, he launched On the Road as a space for exchange and reflection. His credo: “a mindset, a philosophy” to support practitioners’ progress, mixing technique, tactics and mat-level insight.
For the inaugural episode, he brings together two key guests. Kenji Sette, former competitor and teacher at BLR, also known for refereeing IBJJF events at the highest level. Alongside him, Mathias Jardin: commentator, founder of BJJ Canapé, teacher at Infinity, and above all head coach of the CFJJB French national team with Baptiste Landais. Two complementary visions offering a lucid reading of French BJJ’s development.
The national team revealed: youth, performance and budget realism
The big novelty of this podcast is the transparency about the national team selection criteria. Mathias lays out a clear line: “It’s a long-term project, and it’s built on youth.”
The three pillars of selection
- Youth first: priority to practitioners trained since childhood. The goal: reaching black belt with 4 to 5 years of national team experience already behind them.
- Performance potential: “If you’re not winning at brown belt already, you won’t win at black.” International results outweigh isolated national titles.
- Professionalism: lateness, lack of seriousness or inappropriate behavior rule out candidates, however talented.
Who got cut… and why?
Behind the scenes, several promising athletes were not selected. Main reason: a lack of international IBJJF results, despite strong national titles. Example cited by Mathias: an adult competitor with French titles but no impact at the Europeans or the Worlds. Another frequent reason: behavior. Two young athletes from the same club were eliminated after showing up 45 minutes late to the tryouts.
A limited but structuring budget
No state subsidies: the national team runs on the CFJJB and its sponsor Kingz. Registrations paid, gear provided, sometimes even monthly sponsorship contracts: a real step toward professionalization. But with a tight budget, choices are hard. “If we had 200,000 € a year, we’d take 15 women and 15 men”, Mathias points out.
How much does a national team athlete cost?
Mathias gives an order of magnitude: 10,000 to 15,000 € per athlete per year. That covers registrations, travel, accommodation and gear. By comparison, a French national team judoka costs more like 100,000 to 150,000 €, thanks to public funding. French BJJ runs without that support, relying on the federation and the Kingz sponsorship.
A 2025 selection between confirmations and surprises
On the women’s side
- Noémie GLUCK and Chloé HEYRAUD (confirmed)
- Janel MARINE, 15, a Team CDK prodigy able to beat titled adults
On the men’s side
- Comebacks: Léon LARMAN (hip surgery), Freddy LELE TALLA (sponsor issue resolved)
- Newcomers: Nicolas SCHWINNINGER (2024 world champion, brought in after steady progress), Henrique SOARES (impressive level, based in Portugal)
- Confirmed: Youness BENNOUALI, Ibrahim REGNIER and Mohamed REGNIER (Mohamed being a blue belt world silver medalist), Virgile GRANDJEAN, Lucas GAFFET (17, 3rd at the Europeans)
- Young talents: Noah PERNOT, Keylian PLANQUE, Tristan Bourly (15)
Who could be world champion in 5 years?
All eyes turn to a few names:
- Nicolas SCHWINNINGER: already a world champion at colored belt, he embodies steady progression.
- Tristan BOURLY: 15 years old, described as “stratospheric”, he could define his generation.
- Mohamed REGNIER: blue belt world silver medalist, a serious contender if his progress continues.
No guarantees, but one certainty: France’s first black belt world medal will come from this new wave.
Kids who outclass the adults
A striking observation: some 14-15 year-olds already dominate adult French champions. The gap comes from accumulated experience: “An adult with 5 years of training doesn’t speak the same language as a kid who’s been training for 11”, Mathias sums up. The trend is clear: within ten years, the top level will be out of reach without an early start.
French BJJ between euphoria and challenges
Explosive growth
With 25 to 30 % yearly growth in memberships, BJJ is winning people over. MMA served as a springboard, but so did rising figures like Freddy, who became a reference for young people through TikTok. BJJ attracts because it remains accessible at any age.
The tensions of popularity
Kenji, however, worries about a loss of martial values: “The hardest part is martial education.” Some students adopt a “customer” mentality rather than a practitioner’s one, a cultural shift teachers now have to manage.
Non-profit vs private: the rising debate
The podcast highlights a real divide. The non-profit model, dependent on city halls and limited time slots, shows its limits for high-level training. Conversely, private structures (Infinity, Gracie Barra…) bring flexibility, training volume and professionalization.
Kenji is blunt: “High-level performance cannot exist within non-profit constraints.” An interesting counterpoint to that position: the story of the Z-Team, a non-profit club crowned best club in France, told in the On the Road episode dedicated to the Z-Team.
France vs the United States and Brazil
United States: around fifteen world champions a year, powerful private academies, a sport-study oriented education system.
Brazil: still a talent factory, with modern, professional academies (Alliance, Atos, Gracie Barra).
France: fast growth (+25 % members per year), but still zero black belt world titles. The US lead is estimated at 10–15 years.
A technical-tactical training method
Mathias details the national team’s method: no technique catalog, but a focus on concrete situations and the rulebook. Mat exits, micro-situations, strategic management: everything is designed to optimize competition. Infinity applies the same logic with its “guided drills”, where competitors work on targeted sequences.
How do you join the French BJJ national team?
- Start young: selected athletes often have 10 years of training by their teens.
- Shine internationally: aim for podiums at the IBJJF Europeans and Worlds.
- Discipline: punctuality, lifestyle, professional attitude.
- Work the technical-tactical game: know the IBJJF rulebook, drill specific situations.
In short: the French national team isn’t just about talent, but above all about seriousness and consistency.
World champions goal: utopia or reality?
The final question is asked: “In 5 to 10 years, ten French world champions?” The answer is blunt: utopia. “Ten is dead on arrival. The first one alone would already be huge”, Mathias cuts. Kenji confirms: “Not even sure we’ll have the first at black belt in 5 to 10 years.”
A tribute to Oliver Geddes
The episode ends with a tribute to Oliver Geddes, an English figure of European BJJ, who recently passed away from cancer. We share our sadness, our respect and our condolences. International referee, titled competitor and pioneer in England, he marked the history and memories of an entire generation. A reminder that, beyond the debates, BJJ remains above all a human community.
FAQ: the French BJJ national team
Who selects the French BJJ national team?
Selection is handled by Mathias Jardin, assisted by Baptiste Landais, under the CFJJB. Three criteria guide the choices: youth (priority to practitioners trained since childhood), international performance potential and the athletes’ day-to-day professionalism.
How much does a French national team athlete cost?
According to Mathias Jardin on the podcast, an athlete costs between 10,000 and 15,000 € per year. That budget covers registrations, travel, accommodation and gear. It is funded by the CFJJB and the sponsor Kingz, with no public subsidies, unlike judo where a national team athlete costs 100,000 to 150,000 € per year.
How do you join the French BJJ national team?
The profile sought combines four elements: starting young, getting international results (podiums at the IBJJF Europeans and Worlds), showing impeccable discipline and mastering the technical-tactical side of the rulebook. National titles alone are not enough.
Bottom line: at the start of the 2025 season, French BJJ is at a turning point. Explosive growth, a structured national team, tensions between non-profit and private models: Wilfried Sam’s On the Road podcast is shaping up as a new reference to follow these shifts. A must-listen to understand where French jiu-jitsu is heading, and BJJ-Rules will be there to cover it all!
The first episode (in French) is available now on the usual podcast platforms.
Kenji Sette · Mathias Jardin
On the Road on Instagram · On the Road on YouTube