Jiu-jitsu black belt Adam Nadow was recently attacked in the street and used his training to defend himself and control his attacker until the police arrived. The video of this confrontation later went viral in the BJJ and self defense community. Adam came on the podcast today to talk about this incident, his training, and the relevance of BJJ to self defense. Video of that fight can be seen here: https://www.grapplearts.com/podcast-with-adam-nadow/ In addition to breaking down the street incide...
Jan 08, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 186
In this coming year it's 100% certain that some days you'll be the hammer and other days you'll be the nail. This is normal and to be expected. In this podcast I share some advice from Japan and from Ancient Rome that might help you deal with the highs and lows that are inevitable when you're putting it on the line and chasing any sort of goal. Welcome to the New Year and good luck with your training in 2019!! Stephan
Jan 02, 2019•8 min•Ep. 185
How to figure out what makes you train and how to use that to improve your skills. Being self aware about whether you're intrinsically or extrinsically motivated is sports psychology 101 and super important; it will increase your longevity in the sport, keep you enjoying training, and give you some powerful levers with which to manipulate your motivation levels! Check out my latest instructional on the No Gi de la Riva Guard with Rob Biernacki at https://www.grapplearts.com/no-gi-de-la-riva Chee...
Dec 22, 2018•15 min•Ep. 184
Cliff Jacobson wrote 'Canoeing Wild Rivers' which was a HUGE influence on me as an outdoorsman (the other two cornerstone books were 'Path of the Paddle' by Bill Mason and 'The Complete Walker' by Colin Fletcher). Cliff has spent decades paddling dangerous rivers in the remote corners of North America and Northern Europe and has some incredibly important lessons to share about mindset, teamwork and risk management. I'm thrilled that we had the opportunity to get him on the podcast. And if you ar...
Dec 14, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 183
Dr Mark Cheng has rehabbed TONS of combat athletes, has trained with some of the best instructors in the world, and has a wealth of experience in the martial arts. In this podcast we cover pressure testing of traditional martial arts. The 8 exercises of the Functional Movement Screen. How training should be for stretching the envelope, not breaking the envelope. Dog Brother's full contact stick fighting. Punch drunk boxers and CTE. Break falling on dirt and concrete, and much more. Check it out ...
Dec 12, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 182
In this episode Ritchie Yip and I go deep into the sparring process. We explore why it's so hard to transition from from hitting pads to full on sparring, how to avoid head injuries while kickboxing, the importance of continual learning, how to avoid getting tired, and the best ways to have low risk training with high benefit. And if you didn't know it already, I've just released a really cool instructional called The Precision Kickboxing Masterclass in which Ritchie Yip takes you through his be...
Dec 08, 2018•42 min•Ep. 181
Tito Ortiz vs Chuck Liddell got us all talking about it again: when should an MMA fighter retire? In the last 10 years we've learned that brain damage in combat sports is a HUGE problem. CTE makes this retirement question even more critical because if you go beyond a certain threshold of damage then there's no coming back. For more of my thoughts about brain damage and MMA check out https://www.grapplearts.com/does-mma-make-you-stupid-impact-concussions-and-brain-damage-in-mixed-martial-arts/...
Dec 02, 2018•17 min•Ep. 180
The ketogenic diet is really hot right now for weight loss, health, disease prevention and longevity. But when your doctor calls you in a panic then you find out that, like with all diets, individual results may vary. This episode is a quick summary of what I ate, how my energy changed, and how my bloodwork went absolutely crazy on the ketogenic diet.
Nov 25, 2018•10 min
There are 5 ranges of combat, but many martial artists only train in one or two of those ranges. Ideally though you should be at least familiar with each of those ranges to be a complete martial artist and not have any gaping blind spots! I know that many of my listeners will already be familiar with https://www.grapplearts.com but also check out my self defense oriented website https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com...
Nov 19, 2018•8 min•Ep. 178
How to train mentally and physically to become a world calibre champion wrestler, with Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 5 times national team member Nick Ungoalah. We go DEEP in this episode and really dig into physical conditioning, honing technique, developing a winning mindset, recovering from injury, fixing imbalances in your body, optimal mental state for competition, and much more. I think you'll like this one, and if you do I would love a rating or review of this podcast on whatever p...
Nov 15, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 177
Rob Biernacki and I sit down to discuss BJJ guard passing from a strategic point of view. When should you pass standing and when should you pass on your knees? When should you go for submission based guard passes and when should you try to force your opponent into a different type of guard? Check out Rob's groundbreaking BJJ Formula at http://grapplearts.com/bjjformula and his amazing leglock instructional at https://www.grapplearts.com/leglocks/...
Nov 12, 2018•15 min•Ep. 176
A quick rant about the absolute easiest way to add effective and proven techniques to your game, namely going through the memory banks and trying to figure out what you used to do that worked great that you then stopped doing for no good reason! Check out my Grapplearts BJJ Master App for iOS and Android for free at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp . It comes with a TON of free material on it, including a complete standalone module on weak side back attacks! Good luck with your training! St...
Nov 06, 2018•8 min•Ep. 175
I was thrilled to appear on The Great Flip Podcast to talk about jiu-jitsu, specifically why it's probably the best self defense martial art for women and girls. I hope you enjoy it! Catch up with the work Coach Jody is doing at https://thegreatflip.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thegreatflip/, or on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJleGbTwtlTL4GXLMl6sL6A And, as always, a rating or a review of this podcast is super-appreciated. It helps the show grow and acts as an i...
Nov 04, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 174
In this episode I talk about the importance of self experimentation and how your results may be different from most other people's. I share some dietary experiments I've been fooling around with and exactly what I've been doing to limit the potential downsides. And yes, I do talk about limiting the downside when dating crazy chicks. Stephan
Oct 28, 2018•10 min•Ep. 173
Rob from McDojoLife has been relentless in his attempts to expose martial arts frauds, exposing everyone from from chi-based knockout masters to ninjas who practise bending joints in the direction they are designed to bend. Honestly some of the videos he's shared with people over the years have been hilarious for all the wrong reasons! In this episode we talk about his favourite frauds, where he gets the biggest hate and pushback from, his own martial arts training history, and his big plans for...
Oct 19, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 172
If you're interested in self defense then how do you train techniques that are too deadly to spar realistically, like eye gouges and groin punches, and combine that with the safer sportive techniques that you can learn to apply to against resistance and get really good at? This rant should give you some answers to this perpetual dilemma. Check out my two sites: https://www.grapplearts.com and https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com And if you're a grappler (or interested in grappling) then make sur...
Oct 16, 2018•11 min•Ep. 171
My guest is the science advocate generally known as The Genetically Modified Skeptic. In this hard-hitting (and likely controversial) discussion he discusses magical thinking in the martial arts, essential oils, alternative medicine, cult leaders, Jordan Peterson, religion, the anti-vaccine movement, fake cancer cures and much more. I hope you find it interesting and though provoking. Check out Drew's popular youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/geneticallymodifiedskeptic...
Oct 06, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 170
Iain Abernathy is an author, a 7th degree black belt, and an expert in the application of traditional karate techniques. He joined me on the podcast today to talk about kata as a training method, techniques advancing over time, ancient martial arts training methods, "freezing" between moves in kata, pushback from the traditional karate community, drills to make the application of moves instinctive, and more. Find out more about about Iain, his books, articles, and apps at https://iainabernethy.c...
Sep 30, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 169
Leadership is easy when things are going well,but is considerably more difficult when all hell is breaking loose and the s**t is hitting the fan. In this episode we look at a common denominator of great leadership in difficult situations, the optimal state of arousal, and a few examples of good and bad leadership in the fire department. If you enjoyed this episode then please subscribe, rate, and review the show. I can't tell you how much that helps and encourages me to pump out episodes more fr...
Sep 28, 2018•20 min•Ep. 168
JP Dinnell spent nearly a decade in the SEAL teams, including serving with Task Unit Bruiser in Ramadi, Iraq, where he was a point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon. He worked with his officers Jocko Willink and Leif Babin on many combat operations, and then used the knowledge he had gained in the field to train the next generation of SEALS. In this conversation we talk about what made JP want to become a Navy SEAL, surviving BUDS and Hell Week, becoming a sniper, managing t...
Sep 19, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 167
This discussion with multiple time BJJ world champion Fabio Gurgel was amazing. He talked about coming up under Jacare, being trained by Carlson Gracie to fight in Vale Tudo, and then battling Mark 'The Smashing Machine' Kerr in his prime under the old school, no gloves, no rounds, style Brazilian No Holds Barred rules. We also talked about the traditional vs modern jiu-jitsu debate, why the level of BJJ right now is the highest it's ever been, how stalling in matches was worse in the old days, ...
Sep 18, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 166
I'm thrilled to have Ando Mierzwa back on the podcast to discuss dealing with fear, overcoming claustrophobia, whether martial arts lessons can be life lessons, training differently based on your age, fitness, and goals, and much more! Find out more about Ando at http://www.senseiando.com And if you do BJJ (or are interested in finding out more about it) make sure you download the Grapplearts BJJ Master App for iOS and Android with more than 457 minutes of FREE black belt instruction at https://...
Sep 13, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 165
I LOVED talking to Will Gadd, champion ice climber, X games gold medalist, and extreme adventurer. In this episode we covered his epic climb up Niagara Falls in the winter, organising big climbs, climbing up icebergs and down ice caves in Greenland, dealing with risk and unknowns, close calls, the 25 people he's known who have died in the mountains, fear of loss vs hope of gain, and how to execute on audacious goals. Check out my "Grapplearts Minimum Profile Ear Guard for BJJ and Wrestling" on A...
Sep 10, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 164
Weight cutting is a fact of life in modern MMA and also in many jiu-jitsu and submission grappling competitions. In this episode Ben Zhuang and I talk about how to cut weight safely, effectively replenishing your body after a weight cut, the differences between cutting weight for day-of vs next-day events, and more. We also talked about strength training, and if you're interested in the exercises, article, or PDF guide that Ben and I talk about then go to https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-strength...
Aug 30, 2018•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 163
I really, really enjoyed talking to Shane Adams, the godfather of modern full contact jousting, in this on-site interview. Full contact jousting involves two knights in full armour attack each other on charging horses using solid wooden lances that deliver 2,000 lbs of force. Shattered lances, unhorsings, broken bones, concussions and impacts that feel like you're being hit in the chest with a sledge hammer. Oh, did I mention that dodging, ducking, parrying, and blocking your opponent's lance is...
Aug 25, 2018•22 min•Ep. 162
BJJ black belt Sim Go and I explore the early days of the Vegas jiu-jitsu and MMA scene, how a 'garage' club can evolve to be a professional school, structuring a class, Marc Laimon's legacy in BJJ, rule sets, transitioning from competitor to instructor, and much more. Find out more about the Cobra Kai school at http://www.ckjj.com Please rate and review my podcast on iTunes or any other platform of your choice - it really helps! And check out all the techniques and training tips on my own site ...
Aug 20, 2018•49 min•Ep. 161
I really enjoyed talking with Andreh Anderson who started training in the very early days of North American MMA with famous fighters like Oleg Taktarov and more. We cover the specific ways how MMA (and BJJ) were very different in the early days, tribalism in the martial arts, training in Brazil, making the switch from JKD to jiu-jitsu, the evolution of leglocks, old school jiu-jitsu, and more!
Aug 01, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 160
Loved chatting with articulate Seph Smith, Ryan Hall's first BJJ black belt and a Combat Sambo black belt as well! We cover training leglocks safely, competing in Judo and Sambo, his instructional products, potentially career-ending injuries, where the sport of Jiu-jitsu is headed, developing a well rounded game, and tips for performing well in competition. Find out more about Seph's school in Richmond VA at http://www.upstreambjj.com Find out more about Seph's BJJ mini-courses at https://upstre...
Jul 27, 2018•55 min
OK, I kind of go off on a big rant here about traditional Kung Fu forms and Karate kata based on my years of training Hung Gar, Northern Shaolin, Southern Crane, Hsing I, Tai Chi and Wing Chun Kung Fu. Are they at all useful for learning how to fight? In this episode I refer to an article I wrote called "How to Make Sure Your Martial Art Will Work in the Street" - you can find that here: http://selfdefensetutorials.com/how-to-make-sure-martial-art-work-street/ You can also find the video version...
Jul 23, 2018•12 min
In this rant I go off about my single biggest problem with Crossfit, especially when people try to use it as a conditioning method for another sport. I also go into the exact exercises and combinations of exercises which I find particularly dangerous, and how to mitigate these risks. Sign up for my BJJ and martial arts training tips at https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter
Jul 20, 2018•20 min
