I think you'll like this one: in this episode I speak with Ando Mierzwa (Sensei Ando) who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu San Soo with extensive experience in BJJ, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate. We talk about levels of realism in training, tribalism in the martial arts, the fighting arts as a tool to feel some control in a chaotic universe and much more. Ando's website is http://www.senseiando.com and you can also follow him on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndoMierzwa/videos...
Jun 07, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 65
In this rant I take on the myth perpetuated in many martial arts and by many martial arts instructors, namely that they are the source of all the knowledge you'll ever need. The truth is that everyone has holes in their knowledge and that the good instructors will admit that they don't know everything.
Jun 03, 2017•5 min•Ep. 64
You'll really like this sit down I had with UFC star Alan Belcher, a man who has had some of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat fights in UFC history. Alan shared lessons learned from his 26 MMA fights including details of cutting major amounts of weight pre-competition, his mindset while fighting Rousimar Palhares (one of the dirtiest and scariest fighter in MMA), lifting weights as physical therapy to hold his body together, how he structured his UFC training camps and preventing overtrainin...
May 29, 2017•49 min•Ep. 63
I'm on fire for this one because it really gets under my skin when people focus on the wrong thing in their martial arts training. Boys and girls, it's about skill acquisition and NOT about the color of your belt. Get this wrong and it will destroy your relationship to the martial arts!
May 26, 2017•13 min•Ep. 62
Unfortunately injuries are just part of the game, and getting back to training after recuperating from an injury is always a tricky business. In this episode I give some of my best advice about exactly how your return to the mats should be structured. This is advice I've learned the hard way so take my advice - for the longest time I didn't use it myself and I wish I had!
May 19, 2017•9 min•Ep. 61
This is for everyone - beginner and experienced martial artist - with a very tight schedule who can't train more than once a week. Can you still make progress? What are some tips for getting as good as you can when time is limited? How do you not lose hope, momentum and confidence during these inevitable training slowdowns? Of course my main site is Grapplearts.com , but also check out my other site SelfDefenseTutorials.com where I'm posting a TON of martial arts and self defense tactics, techni...
May 16, 2017•12 min•Ep. 60
Endurance is the most important physical attribute in combat sport, but it can be time consuming to develop. In this short episode I talk about some of the most efficient cardio protocols that I've used during periods of my life when I had no time for long, leisurely cardio.
May 11, 2017•6 min•Ep. 59
I'm thrilled to bring you guys Pshemek Drabczynski who was my first BJJ teacher. Pshemek is a BJJ black belt, a WKA North American kickboxing champion, and a physical conditioning guru. In this episode we talk about martial arts specific fitness, getting stronger, improving endurance, eating properly preventing injuries, fasting and much more. If you're in the Orange County area and are looking for a personal trainer make sure to check out Pshemek at http://www.besthometrainer.com...
May 08, 2017•27 min•Ep. 58
A few days ago I had a great training session, and then today I had a bad one. Here's why I didn't get too excited or bothered by either one, and why you shouldn't either!
May 04, 2017•5 min•Ep. 57
This is a really good episode in which I talk to my friend, BJJ black belt, and world traveller Budo Jake. We cover a ton of topics including the evolution of Japanese ju-jutsu into BJJ, getting choked unconscious, the effectiveness of wrist locks in grappling, brain damage from striking, yoga and other recover methods, training at different academies, and advice for newbies. Enjoy!
May 02, 2017•45 min•Ep. 56
I really enjoyed being on James '300' Foster's podcast where we talked about figuring out grappling from scratch, why fighters fight injured, PEDs in the MMA, how jiu-jitsu will always be there for you after a long layoff, and a lot more! I hope you enjoy it too! Check out Jame's podcast on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spartan-underground/id1070092297?mt=2
Apr 27, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 55
Here's a quick rant about whether you should still train if you're beginning to come down with something. The lessons in this particular podcast have repeated themselves many times until learned...
Apr 21, 2017•5 min•Ep. 54
This is a fantastic episode. I chat with historian Daniele Bolelli about everything from rough and tumble frontier wrestling, Theodore Roosevelt sparring in the White House, what it's like to be a historian lecturing with bruises and black eyes, how martial arts helps people survive tough times, and much more. Check out Daniele's amazing History on Fire podcast at http://historyonfirepodcast.com Check out Daniele Bolelli teaching an strange technique for MMA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka...
Apr 10, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 53
It's a HUGE mistake to focus on techniques like biting, finger breaks and eye-gouging and avoiding techniques you can try out under pressure and against resistance in sparring. Here's why that's the case, and why most martial sports participants are actually far deadlier than most martial artists.
Apr 04, 2017•13 min•Ep. 52
You'll like this episode! In it I talk with 62 yr old BJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley (the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a heart attack, the horrors of the Eastern Front in World War 2, interpreting the Torah, being Leonard Cohen's Rabbi, and awarding Blue Belts in marriage counselling.
Mar 30, 2017•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 51
In this episode I go into depth about why you (and everyone else) should train in martial arts. Hint: it's not about self defense, fitness or socialising; those things are definitely benefits, but they're not the core reason that martial arts training is so transformative. For more on this topic you can also check out a blog post I wrote on Grapplearts called Blood, Sweat and... Sparta!
Mar 22, 2017•10 min
I think you'll like this one! In this episode I talk to 280 lb BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster, fresh back from a pre Pan-Ams California training trip. We discuss getting kicked our of Karate after starting BJJ, the process of finding the correct mix of training that works best for you, cutting weight in BJJ, how to train successfully with smaller and/or less skilled students, 'modern’ BJJ techniques appearing in old Judo, the movie Logan and our favourite comic books.
Mar 15, 2017•1 hr 9 min
Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparring with sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express itself when you're trying to use it under stress. Jarlo Ilano is an instructor under Burton Richardson https://jkdunlimited.com/ in his Battlefield Kali system and a purple belt in BJJ. And as well as being a physical therapist since 1998 with a board specialty in orthopedics, he is a co-founder and ...
Mar 08, 2017•45 min
Stephan rants about the ethics and legal consquences of smashing someone's head in with a piece of concrete, otherwise known as the pavement coup de grace. Check out the video version of this rant at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RF-J1M5QJs
Mar 02, 2017•4 min
In this 13 minute rant Stephan goes into the 3 essential components that make up every martial art on the planet, a concept he learned from the famous Filipino martial artist (and protege of Bruce Lee) Mr Dan Inosanto! Lots of examples from Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, BJJ, MMA, Kali, Capoeira, and Kung Fu...
Feb 21, 2017•14 min
This is a fun conversation about BJJ, Judo and MMA with Jeff Meszaros, one of the guys I started training with 23 years ago! Self defense applications of BJJ Russian team MMA events Judo, BJJ and the early days of the Uncle Willy's Grappling Association The joys and hazards of learning BJJ in Brazil The evolution of BJJ (and how we got to double guard pulls) Why describing BJJ as 'Male Pyjama Wrestler' tends to give people the wrong idea And much more......
Feb 15, 2017•1 hr 14 min
It's way too easy to slack off and get totally out of shape when things get busy in your personal or professional life. Here are some tips and training methods that'll keep you within striking distance of your optimum fitness level. Something is better than nothing, always!
Feb 06, 2017•13 min
Bernardo Faria, 5 x BJJ World Champion, discusses his training and conditioning routine with Stephan Kesting. We talked about what Exactly what his day to day training regimen looks like, Who he spars with How he's balancing his training as he gets older, How his training regimen changes as he gets closer to competition, Whether you should do extra conditioning or not, How he gets his signature guard pass on everybody, Health and nutrition, And a whole lot more. This was an episode of my podcast...
Feb 01, 2017•1 hr 14 min
The simple fact is that you'll learn techniques faster if they fit with your current game and what you're already good at. And the flipside is that if techniques don't mesh with your current game then expect the learning process to take a lot longer. The term I use for this is 'congruence'. For example, the berimbolo isn't really congruent with the closed guard and the half guard... This audio rant goes into depth about congruence for BJJ techniques and positions, and gives you some concrete exa...
Jan 23, 2017•7 min
Stephan rants about martial arts overtraining, which is the surest route to getting sick, injured, and bringing your training to a screeching halt. He's been there many times, so he speaks from experience here. Stephan also covers how to recognise overtraining before it gets too bad, and what you need to do to prevent it.
Jan 06, 2017•12 min
Starting with a discussion of Darth Vader's lightsabre technique in Rogue One we then go deeply into the topic of paralysis by analysis in jiu-jitsu, teaching technique, the best way to train to get good fast, and many other fun topics. We finish up by talking about areas that we've focussed on in our own training this last year and what's on the menu for next year!
Dec 31, 2016•53 min•Ep. 40
In the first part of this episode Stephan discusses how BJJ training is fantastic preparation for dealing with adversity in all aspects of life. In part 2 he shares 7 reasons that your mind might be going blank on the mat and what you can do about it. Get notified of future podcasts, videos and articles by signing up at http://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter
Dec 11, 2016•43 min•Ep. 39
Whether you're working a full time job, a parent with a couple of kids, or a student juggling a crazy class schedule, almost everyone is really busy these days. And if you're also trying to squeeze regular training into that busy schedule, well, things can end up in the ludicrous zone pretty quickly... I'm no exception: of course I'm running Grapplearts, training in BJJ and trying not to fall too far behind on my conditioning, but I'm also a full time firefighter, have a couple of kids, and - un...
Nov 05, 2016•30 min•Ep. 38
On the one hand, I’m a huge fan. I’ve been watching the UFC since its inauguration in 1993, and have enjoyed fights in Pride FC, Shooto, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator, and many other organisations. I have good friends who are professional fighters, and have helped them prepare for their fights. And I have nothing but respect for the skill, athleticism and mental toughness of the modern MMA fighter. But on the other hand I’ve always had misgivings about the sport too. Initially it was the seedy unde...
Oct 27, 2016•53 min•Ep. 37
The ever-controversial Rob Biernacki is back on the podcast. We answer BJJ questions ranging from the deification of instructors to passing the guard and he doesn't hold back.
Sep 28, 2016•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 36
