Spencer Hall recently interviewed Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones, whose new show Dhani Tackles the Globe premieres on the Travel Channel March 16th at 9PM.↵
↵Spencer Hall: Been to Cambodia yet? ↵
↵Dhani Jones: I have not been before, but I went a couple of weeks ago to train in Pradal Serey. ↵
↵↵SH: What were you trying there? ↵
↵↵DJ: Dhani Tackles the Globe is a show where I travel to different countries, try different sports, and utilizing that sport try to learn about the culture. In Cambodia I was doing Pradal Serey, which is kind of like the big brother to the more well-known Muay Thai boxing. At the same time, I went to Australia to do surf life-saving, or I was in New Zealand to do America's Cup racing. All these different sports summarize what Dhani Tackles the Globe is about: people meeting people, cultures interacting with each other, and competition. ↵
↵↵SH: And about trying new things. What have been a few of the things that really surprised you in terms of difficulty? You're a professional athlete, and not much is really supposed to surprise you in terms of skill and ability, but I'm sure some things along the way had to make you say, "Wow, that's way harder than I thought it was going to be." ↵
↵↵DJ: Each sport is sort of a different challenge unto itself. You're only in the country for 10 days, and only working out for eight days. You have time for five-to-seven different practices, and then at the end I compete at the highest level possible. Everything from swimming in the ocean, to being a grinder on a sailboat, to competing in a Pradal Serey competition, to jai-alai ... not one of them has been more or less difficult than the rest. They've all been challenging unto themselves. ↵
↵↵SH: Which place has been the most foreign to you? ↵
↵↵DJ: Cambodia. You show up and think that this was a country that was in disarray not but a few years ago, and people don't have that much. Even amidst that, they have this amazing personality that brings you closer to them. Even training in a facility in someone's living room in a house on stilts built over garbage ... you're just taken aback by wondering how you got so much, and how your attitude is relative to theirs in terms of how positive they are in their lives. ↵
↵↵SH: I know this is Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain territory, but did you try any exotic local fare? For instance, say, the grilled spiders in Cambodia? ↵
↵↵DJ: There's always different types of food to try. In Cambodia, I had the different assortment of bugs and insects like they have in Thailand. In Cambodia, though, the tarantulas were a different experience. It seems like you add a little bit of salt and pepper to anything and it adds some kick to it. Regardless of what anyone says, I wasn't on the show saying, "This is a wonderful treat." It was definitely an interesting treat, but I'm not going to say it tastes like chicken, either. ↵
↵↵SH: You did rugby, too. How does it compare to football in terms of being an impact-heavy sport? ↵
↵↵DJ: It's a completely different sport. For one thing, rugby started the essence of American football. It's different because there's no pads, there's 15 or 16 people on the field at the same time, and you play offense as well as defense. It's a different mindset because you have the ball, and then somebody else has the ball, and then the ball goes backward, and you have to tackle them. The intensity's the same, but the hits are different. In rugby, you're trying to bring a person down, but not to make an imposing hit. In football, you're trying to knock someone down, get inside their head. There's many similarities between the two. ↵
↵↵Was football more difficult than rugby? I'd say football's far more difficult than rugby. The fitness level you need for rugby, though, being on the field the whole time, is a whole other level. ↵
↵↵SH: The other one that interested me: Muay Thai. It looks horrible getting hit with an elbow or knee on film, it sounds horrible, it-- ↵
↵↵DJ: It is horrible. ↵
↵↵SH: It's the opposite of fun, right? If you looked that up in a dictionary, the antonym of fun would be "getting hit in the face with an elbow," right? ↵
↵↵DJ: It's that, it's schwinging, it's a lot of the things I try in Dhani Tackles the Globe. Can I survive these sports? How well can I do in these sports? Am I able to truly compete in these sports: Pradal Serey, Muay Thai boxing, schwinging ... all very aggressive sports. Getting hit in the face by an elbow doesn't feel very good. Sometimes I've come out of the show with black eyes, busted lips, things like that. The minor amount of pain I endure in order to communicate a message of cultural understanding is what will hopefully make someone say, "I don't want to get hit in the face, but maybe I'll go there and watch." ↵
↵↵Another thing about sports: it brings people together. Here in America, football brings people together. Basketball bring people together. Competitions like Muay Thai or Pradal Serey bring people together to bond. That's another part of the cultural experience on Dhani Tackles the Globe. ↵
↵↵SH: You've got Russia on the list. Already done, or coming up? ↵
↵↵DJ: I was in Russia in St. Petersburg. I participated in a movement combat called Sambo. It's an all-encompassing martial art combining a lot of mixed-martial arts used by the Russian Army in combat. After the tanks run out of artillery, after the guns run out of bullets, after the knife has been taken way, that's the hand-to-hand combat they learn. I competed with them in their big competition. ↵
↵↵SH: You participated in Aussie lifeguard skills training. They wear speedos for this. Did you? ↵
↵↵DJ: Well, it's not called a speedo. It's called a "budgie smuggler." And yes, my budgies were smuggled. ↵
↵↵SH: Which place would you consider going back to and purchasing real estate. ↵
↵↵DJ: New Zealand. When I got there, everyone said, "This is a beautiful country." Everyone says that about their country, but when I got back my mom said, "I thought you were going to stay longer." Looking back, give New Zealand eight days and they'll give you your life back. It's an amazing country and an amazing group of people. Lots of energy, invested in competition and in living life to the fullest. I've already started researching real estate, so maybe I've already made the move mentally. The Lord of the Rings? That's not computer generated. That's what it actually looks like. ↵
↵↵SH: The New Zealand Board of Tourism and Commerce appreciates your endorsement. Where do you want to go in the future? What do you want to try? ↵
↵↵DJ: I know people don't think I can ride a horse --because I fell off one before -- but I want to do polo in Argentina. ↵
↵↵SH: Oooh, good pick. You like steak? ↵
↵↵DJ: Oh, I love steak, and it's so good down there. The culture of South America is something we haven't touched on yet on the show, so I'd like to get it into the program. ↵
↵This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.