This blast from the past podcast brings back a good friend of mine, Brandon Mullins. In our time together, we discussed Life and Death on the seminar circuit, transitioning from gi to no-gi, the evolution of Jiu Jitsu and some ways to help manage training, conditioning and sparring.
Roy Dean is a martial arts pro. In this podcast, he explains the fundamental differences between the different martial arts, including Aikido and how he translates it over to other martial arts. He also talks about what kind of markers and skill differences he looks out for when bringing people up to the next belt and whether the belt should be used as motivation or if it disrupts the learning process. To check out his apps or instructional DVD's, go to his website at: roydeanacademy.com...
This is a short rant about the dichotomy of individuality in the martial arts. On the one hand you absolutely have to take responsibility for finding techniques and strategies that fit your body, your physical attributes, and your personality. On the other hand if you spend too much time training in a small group without the opportunity to calibrate your skills against people much better than you then you can end up king of your local hill and never make it up the slopes of the higher mountains ...
Not many people know that in 2015 I was dying of kidney failure and had to have a lifesaving kidney transplant surgery to save my life. Here is the story of that transplant from my brother (eternal thanks to https://www.instagram.com/christophkesting/ ), the recovery process, and getting back to normal. IMPORTANT: Listen to the end of the podcasts to get the details on how I'll give you a complete BJJ instructional just for signing your organ donor card!!! Don't you love it when people bribe you...
Scotty Nelson is one of the original gangsters of North American BJJ. From training at the Ralph Gracie Academy back in the day, to training jiu-jitsu in Brazil, to developing one of the first online BJJ technique resources, to his adventures in Pakistan sourcing gi's for On The Mat, Scotty shares some incredible stories with us today! Grab my app for learning high level BJJ for FREE at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp
TEDx speaker Brett Piperni joins us on The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about discipline, decision making, and deliberately putting yourself into situations where you have no options other than going forward. Brett was a nationally ranked Taekwondo competitor who was diagnosed with an illness that crippled him which specialists told him was incurable. He fought through it, returned to competition, and even managed to medal at a national championship again. This is a great example of the power ...
I'm just getting over an injury that was completely, utterly, absolutely my own fault. The fastest way to stall your BJJ progress is to get injured. It's true that some injuries are unavoidable, but so many of them can be avoided by KEEPING YOUR EGO IN CHECK! Also, have you downloaded my free BJJ Master App yet? Even if you never buy anything on it you still get more than 457 minutes of completely free instruction including a complete back attacks instructional! https://www.grapplearts.com/maste...
Vanessa Wexler is a BJJ black belt and a multiple no-gi world champion, PanAm champion, and Masters champion. I caught up with her shortly after she won Gold in the Pan Ams competing with a completely destroyed ankle. We talked dealing with injuries, pre-competition visualisation, how running a school does NOT give you unlimited training time, and her modelling career(!).
Knuckle conditioning is a two-edged sword in martial arts. On the one hand hard knuckles and a conditioned fist make for a much more powerful punch in a streetfight and make it less likely you'll break your hand or sprain your wrist. On the other hand it increases the risk of arthritis and non-functional hands as you get older. What should martial artists do? If you're interested in more information like this then check out the 3 free self defense PDFs I have available at http://selfdefensetutor...
Monty Collier is a black belt Judoka who worked with Keanu Reeves to get him ready for the amazing fight sequences in the movie John Wick 3 Parabellum. This conversation was a fun one and we started with how Judo has evolved from combat art to Olympic sport, how he taught Keanu highly technical moves, breakfalling on concrete vs mats, and how to fix Judo. Follow Monty's work and see some amazing Judo on Instagram @collierjudomethod And, as always, please leave a rating or a review for this podca...
Jess Munster was born with a severe brachial plexus injury which left her with only one functional arm. But this disability hasn't stopped her from training BJJ, competing against able-bodied fighters, and travelling the world to compete in para-athletic championships! In this episode I talk with Jess about what drives her past the limits of her disability, how she modifies her training and her techniques, and her hopes for the future. This is one very inspiring lady! Follow Jess Munster on Inst...
Lethwei is an incredibly intense full contact combat sport from Burma that allows punches, kicks, elbows, knees and headbutts. And did I mention that the fighters don't wear gloves and only have a thin layer of gauze over their knuckles? Today's guest is Patrick Marcil who combined Muay Thai, Sanshou, and JKD in order to coach Dave Leduc to World Openweight Lethwei Champion. This chat will be hugely interesting for anyone who follows MMA, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, or is interested in real life self...
Tarsis Humphreys is a multiple time BJJ black belt world champion and Brazilian National Champion. In this episode we go DEEP into the mental game, including how to keep a match on your terms, the optimal state of mental arousal for a match, how to avoid overtraining, how Tarsis came back after ACL surgery, mixing weight training and jiu-jitsu training, training with BJJ legend Fabio Gurgel, mental breakthroughs, going to Burning Man, and more! Follow Tarsis on Instagram (@tarsisbjj) And check o...
Switching to no gi grappling can be difficult. Here are 5 steps that will make it easier... 1) Accept that No Gi is an inherently faster style of grappling and be prepared to push the pace harder at times, 2) Change your grips so that they aren't gi dependent, 3) Get rid of your gi dependent guards and start developing guards that work in no gi, 4) Learn how to take the back, maintain the back and submit from the back because it's the best position in no gi grappling, 5) Develop your leglock and...
Here's one simple thing you should do every time that your training has stalled out and you're just not getting any better. Hell, you should probably be doing this even if your training is going great! Today's episode came from a Q&A I did on Instagram. Follow me there where I'm @stephan_kesting or go to https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting
Today I talk with Kathy Hubble who is a professional Stuntwoman and multiple time Canadian National Judo Champion. She shares how she got started in stunts, how she got injured on set in a Jacky Chan action movie, and how Judo helped her stuntwork. We also delved into the differences in between Judo and BJJ energies, transitioning from throws directly into submissions, and the funny dynamic of battling people on the mat but then being best friends afterwards. This was a lot of fun and I hope you...
It's important to be able to dial your aggression level up or down in a BJJ match. There are essentially 3 ways to do this... #1, by using so-called 'dick' moves, and/or #2, by using more force and strength, and/or #3, by simply moving faster. You turn the dials on these 3 variables in your training, but be especially careful if you're using options 1 and 2 against smaller training partners or people who aren't serious competitors. This question came from a Q&A I did on Instagram - follow me...
I think you guys are really going to LOVE this talk I had withJamie Flynn, a British Special Forces operator turned world base jumping champion. Jamie is also a wingsuit pilot, a professional bodyguard, has protected giant tanker ships against Somali pirates, and - surprise, surprise - does BJJ. In this episode we go into the selection procedure used by elite units in the British army, the crazy story of how he started base jumping and parachuting, close calls in Iraq and Afghanistan, triggers i...
"Overnight success feels great after 10 years of playing behind chicken wire in honky Tonks" - Willie Nelson. I recorded this rant halfway up a snowy mountain during a rest break because I was thinking about how willingness to work is MUCH more important than talent or genetics, regardless of whether you're talking about sports, business or music. It's amazing how people don't want to acknowledge how much work went on behind the scenes before a major success...
Reaching a state of flow where you respond automatically and correctly to your opponent is the goal of martial arts training. But how do you get there? In this episode I go through what flow is, what it feels like, and some of the triggers and prerequisites for flow to occur. Hint: relaxation, competence, engaging with your environment, and having a single clear goal without distractions are all important. For more information on flow check out the book 'Flow' by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It's a ...
Today I chat with Liz Beaver. She's a fitness writer, BJJ practitioner, adventurer, mental health advocate and self-described 'cantankerous bitch'. It's a wide-ranging yet deeply personal conversation in which we go right for the jugular in many important topics including Workout design Balancing work and workouts using time management Are there people who shouldn't train in martial arts Mental health, depression, anxiety and fitness Suggestions to help overcome mental health issues The critical...
Today's episode is PURE GOLD for BJJ practitioners and No Gi grapplers. Fabio Gurgel - 4 time BJJ Black Belt World Champion (and trainer of more than 50 other world champions) - talks about his approach to passing the guard, including how to connect your moves, the evolution of guard passing, advice for older grapplers, when you should stop halfway through a guard pass to tire the other guy out, and alternatives to the modern styles of guard passing that rely on mobility, athleticism and floatin...
Eliot Marshall is BJJ black belt and a former professional mixed MMA fighter who also appeared in Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter show. In today's podcast we talk about how to run a successful BJJ school, the financial incentive structures in MMA fight teams, the physical and mental attributes you need to be a good fighter, making a living off of jiu-jitsu, Elliot's experience with anxiety and depression, his rules for raising kids, and his Gospel of Fire book coming out soon. Find out more abo...
Red Sullivan is a strength and conditioning expert who has worked with athletes in many different sports to help them realise their athletic potential. In this podcast we go deep into skill vs physical attributes, how body types influence sport, insane underwater workouts with Laird Hamilton, and the difference between improving as a person and improving in training. Find out more about Red and his training services at https://www.theredgimen.com/, or follow him on Instagram at @strictlyred ————...
Are you flailing around in your guard, trying to react to your opponent, without a clear plan of what to do? If so then this episode is for you! In it Rob Biernacki and I talk about the 3 step order of operations to make sure that you're dominating the guard battle every step of the way. This is from a video shot to support the launch of the 'No Gi de la Riva Formula' in online streaming, DVD and app form. More info about this step-by-step gameplan for the open guard here: www.grapplearts.com/DL...
Daniel Strauss (aka The Raspberry Ape) is a BJJ black belt under 10x World Champion Roger Gracie. But he's also a very serious advocate of strongman training including the development of crazy levels of grip strength. In today's podcast we start with Daniel's victory over Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at Polaris and BJJ competition strategy and then do a deep dive into strength training for grappling and for its own sake. I think you'll really like this one! Also make sure to check out Dan...
Rosi Sexton is a true renaissance woman. She fought in BodogFight, EliteXC, Cage Warriors and was the first British Woman to fight in the UFC. But she's also Cambridge educated with a PhD in Theoretical Computer Science, a musician, a writer and a physical therapist. So she knows a thing or two... In this episode we talk about learning new skills, improving in combat sports, and overcoming injuries. From about 38 minutes on we concentrate on neck injuries and the role of neck strengthening in mi...
Does training with grappling dummies actually work to improve your skills? And what else can you do to get better when training time is limited and it's difficult to make it to class as often as you like? This podcast rant is also available in written and video form as an in-depth blog post at https://www.grapplearts.com/will-grappling-dummy-drills-help-bjj/ Regardless of how you decide to solve the problem I wish you good luck with both your time management and your training! Stephan Kesting...
Daniel Bohigian is a Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Dave Camarillo, competes actively, and also teaches 'Philosophy of Sport' at San Jose State. In this episode we discussed philosophy vs jiu-jitsu, work vs play, mind vs body, teaching people how to think, why 'leaving your ego at the door' is a bad idea, and much more. Follow Daniel on Instagram at @philosograppler And download my FREE app for iOS and Android devices with more than 457 minutes of black belt BJJ technique at Grapplearts.co...
Paul Kindzia was immersed in the world of marathon and triathalon for many years before immersing himself in BJJ, even going so far as to write a book on the topic called 'Master Jiu-Jitsu, Master Life'. In this episode we focus on the lessons that can be brought into BJJ training from the endurance sports world, including efficient training, effective recovery, minimisation of injuries and maximising your time on the mat. I really think you'll like this episode and come away with some good 'Aha...
