▶ Eco-Adjacent Training and How to Do It Correctly, with Rob Biernacki
One of the biggest trends in BJJ right now is the so-called ecological approach. In episode 412 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm joined by renowned coach Rob Biernacki to discuss the do's and don't
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▶ 411 - Smashing the Mental Barriers Holding Back Your Jiu-Jitsu
Erin Herle is a BJJ black belt under Cobrinha and is a certified Mental Performance Consultant. In her work she uses an evidence-based approach and has a master's degree in sport and performance psych
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▶ 410: How B Team Prepared for ADCC and CJI, with Chris Wojcik
Would you like a behind-the-scenes peek at what really goes on at one of the most successful grappling teams in the world as they get ready for ADCC and CJI, the Olympics of grappling? Today I'm joine
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▶ 409 - Denis Kang, From Underground Bareknuckle Fights to the Biggest
Denis was one of the top MMA fighters in the world with wins over Minoru Suzuki, Murilo 'Ninja' Rua, Akihiro Gono and Marvin Eastman. In this interview he opens up about the mindset shift that took hi
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▶ 408 - Ramsey Dewey on Effective Combat Sports and What Self Defense E
Ramsey Dewey is an MMA coach now based in Shanghai, China. I really enjoyed our conversation which included... How wearing headgear in sparring actually makes things WORSE for your brain His controver
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▶ 407 - 3 Big Lessons Learned On During 19 Days of Isolation in the Arc
I just did a 19-day solo canoe trip in the Canadian Arctic, and here are the 3 big lessons I learned! If you want to see hotos and a day-by-day description of the trip please go here: essentialwildern
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▶ 406 - Goodbye - I Am Out of Here!
This podcast episode covers all the details and preparations for a long solo trip in the Arctic that I'm starting today! After 30 hours of driving and a 2 hour bush plane flight to Nueltin Lake I'll b
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▶ 405 - Three Ways that Training for MMA Fights Has Changed Since the E
Short episode today with my friend Denis Kang sharing three ways that fighters have improved their training methods to get ready for MMA fights. Denis fought for the first time in 1998 (in an event wi
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▶ 404 - What the Hell Happened to MMA?
Luke Thomas is one of the most influential MMA analysts in the game and the host of The Morning Kombat Podcast. I was delighted to talk to him today about How the sport of MMA has changed The rise of
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▶ 403 - Is Bear Spray Better than Guns vs Aggressive Bears? Here's What
In this episode I put on my adventurer hat and use my biology background to look at four studies and 352 aggressive bear encounters in Alaska to see whether bear spray or firearms was more effective a
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▶ 402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough Times in Life
There are times when it feels like life has you trapped on the bottom of mount against a vastly heavier, more experienced opponent intent on mauling you. The steps to deal with these two situations ar
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▶ 401 - Modifying BJJ for Self Defense, with Rachel Honeyman
I really enjoyed talking with Rachel Honeyman about modifying BJJ for self defense, which techniques to focus on and which positions to avoid. Rachel has trained in BJJ, the Filipino Martial Arts, Mua
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▶ 400 - How to Use Injuries to Actually Refine and Improve Your Jiu-Jit
Rob Biernacki is my guest today to talk about how injury and physical limitations have led to some of the fastest technical development of his career and the refinement of entirely new techniques like
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▶ Breathing for Endurance during Sparring in BJJ and Other Martial Arts
Many people completely run out of gas when they're sparring, and often this is because they are inadvertently holding their breath. In this short podcast I share four very specific ways that I've coac
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▶ 398 - Building the Skills to Do Amazing Things, with Matt Pycroft
From war-torn Africa to climbing remote peaks in Greenland with Alex Honnold, Matt Pycroft has built a very impressive career working as a journalist and filmmaker. In our conversation he goes into de
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▶ 397 - How to Train Jiu-Jitsu to Get Maximum Results in Minimum Time
The traditional class structure of doing a warmup, learning a couple of new techniques, and followed by sparring is NOT an efficient way to learn jiu-jitsu. We can do much better if we use insights fr
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▶ Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu with Mike The Old Bastard Mahaffey
In this episode I talk BJJ longevity, weight training, home gyms and training methods with BJJ old-timer Mike Mahaffey. I think there are a TON of valuable takehome lessons here for anyone who trains
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▶ 395 - The English Roots of Catchwrestling, with Oz Austwick
Did you know that the England had many different wrestling systems including Cornish, Lancashire, Devonshire, Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling and catchwrestling? In this conversation Oz Austwick
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▶ 394 - The Anatomy of a Training Camp
Rob Biernacki and his competition team are on a tear. Rob recently took gold in masters middleweight the Canadian ADCC Open, silver at the California ADCC Open, and gold in black belt M4 at the IBJJF
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▶ 393 - Historical Bareknuckle Boxing and European Swordfighting, with
In episode 393 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk to Oz Austwick, who has extensively studied armed and unarmed combat systems in Europe. Topics we cover include the origins of boxing in England, hi
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▶ 392 - Everest, Alone, In Winter, and Without Oxygen, with Mountaineer
Today I pick the brain of the amazing Jost Kobuschis a German mountaineer who spent two seasons on Everest trying to ascend the legendarily difficult West Ridge route and the Hornbein Couloir alone. A
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▶ The Most Important Mental Models in BJJ, with Steve Kwan
Today I'm joined by Steve Kwan, the host and creator of the wildly popular BJJ Mental Models podcast. We discuss the most important mental models in the art and how they can improve your ability to pe
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▶ 390 - UFOs, UAPs, and Alien Bodies with Skeptical Investigator Mick W
With eyewitness testimony in the US Congress and purported alien bodies being wheeled into the Mexican Congress, it looks like we're in another UFO craze right now. It was great to have science writer
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▶ 389 - How to Train for Strength, Endurance and Jiu-Jitsu Simultaneous
I caught up with world record holder James Pieratt shortly after he completed a 500-mile, self-supported mountain run along the Pacific Crest Trail. But James isn't just an ultrarunner - he's also a s
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▶ 388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo
The Ultimate Self-Defense Championship was a competition in which six martial arts YouTubers competed against each other in seven self-defense challenges to find out what works, what doesn't and who w
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▶ 387 - The Most Successful Gracie Fighter Of All Time, with Robert Dry
Not only is Robert Drysdale a BJJ and ADCC World Champion, he has also conducted extensive research into the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this interview, he reveals some of what he's discovered,
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▶ 386 - Seven Reasons Why Carlson Gracie Was The First Modern MMA Fight
Carlson Gracie fought in 18 Vale Tudo matches, brought jiu-jitsu to the masses, and innovated many of the MMA training practices we now take for granted. He innovated many seemingly radical ideas at t
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▶ 385 - Grappling with the Implications of the 46 Million Dollar Lawsui
The jiu-jitsu world was shaken recently when Jack Greener, severely injured in 2018 while sparring at a San Diego gym, was awarded $46,475,112 dollars by a jury. Rener Gracie testified for the plainti
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▶ 384 - Neopagan Vegetarian Authoritarian Heavy Metal Nature Lovers wit
Jesse Bryant is doing his PhD on the politics of nature, and has come across some amazing examples of both far left and far right groups wrapping themselves in the mantle of nature and what is deemed
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▶ 383 - Amanda Bruse on Storming the Medals Podium at No Gi Pans
Amanda Bruse took home Gold as a black belt in her weight division at No Gi Pans in 2022, and also a Silver in the open division facing much heavier opponents. She's also done amazingly well at ADCC T
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▶ 382 - On Learning Jiu-Jitsu with 100% Live Training and No Formal Tec
To say that Greg Souders is a huge believer in drilling and gamification is actually an understatement; he believes that BJJ training methods have not kept up with the science of learning, and runs St
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▶ 381 - The Battle Against Disinformation and Information Nihilism, wit
Brooke Binowski is a journalist specialising in debunking disinformation and misinformation. She has worked for Snopes and is now the managing editor at TruthOrFiction.com. In this episode we talk abo
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▶ 380 - What Do You Need to Know to Be a BJJ Blue Belt?
BJJ black belt Elliott Bayev and I discuss the minimum knowledge set required to be a competent blue belt, including... The 8 basic positions in jiu-jitsu A 3 phase strategy for beating a bigger perso
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▶ 379 - A Fascism Checklist, with Professor Daniele Bolleli
In episode 379 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with podcaster, martial artist, and history professor Daniele Bolelli about the characteristics of fascism. This is a loaded topic for both of us, b
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▶ 378 - The 5 Most Common BJJ and Judo Injuries and What to Do About Th
Joshua Arellano is a physiotherapist with a black belt in Judo and a brown belt in BJJ. He works with combat athletes on rehab, prehab, and injury prevention, and - since injury is the enemy of progre
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▶ 377 - John Will, Member of BJJ's 'Dirty Dozen' on Sport vs Self Defen
John Will trained in Southern California in the late 80's, was one of the first 12 non-Brazilians to get a BJJ black belt, and then went on to create the largest jiu-jitsu association in Australasia.
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▶ 376 - Mental and Physical Endurance with James 'The Biking Viking' Be
James 'The Biking Viking' Benson King is cycling from Alaska at the very top of North America to Argentina at the very bottom of South America. He's covered thousands of miles, endured injuries, dealt
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▶ 375 - How Skill, Athleticism and Rank Correlate in BJJ, with Rob Bier
00:29 - Is technique enough by itself? 04:47 - Is Jiu-jitsu for everybody? 09:59 - Skill vs athleticism vs rank 22:43 - The resurgence of guard passing 25:34 - Intensity in training and belt promotion
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▶ 374 - Adam Shoalt’s Amazing 3,400 km Solo Journey to the Arctic
Explorer Adam Shoalts is fresh off a 3 month, 3,400 km solo trip to the Arctic. It’s an amazing story, and he shares a TON of tips for travelling in the wilderness 00:32 Adam’s 3 month, 3,400 km solo
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▶ 373 - Alex Jones, Alt Right Hippies with Guns, and More with Derek Be
Derek Beres is an author and co-host at the Conspirituality Podcast. He joined me today to talk about the recent Alex Jones verdict, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theories, conspirituality and his predicti
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▶ How to Come Back After a Training Layoff!
0:37 Why layoffs are inevitable 1:39 Loss of endurance 3:36 Loss of sport-specific strength 5:46 Loss of timing 7:19 How to minimize the loss 7:40 How long does it take to come back Please share this
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▶ Battling Bullshit in the Martial Arts and Everywhere Else, with Phros
From Steven Segal getting choked out on set to health influencers and how to develop information literacy I think you'll like this conversation with Phrost. Follow Bullshido on Twitter @bullshido, Phr
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▶ Inclusive Jiu-Jitsu, with Erin Wedekind
Erin teaches jiu-jitsu in Appleton Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode we have a great discussion of trans athetes in jiu-jitsu and a little bit of polite debate about trans athletes competing in elite sport.
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▶ How to Add Judo Takedowns to Your BJJ Game, with Chris Round
Chris Round is a Judo black belt under Jimmy Pedro. In this episode we talk about how to add Judo throws to your BJJ arsenal, old school vs new school Judo training methods, Kosen Judo which focuses v
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▶ The Red Flags That Indicate You're Dealing with Pseudoscience, with J
Being able to tell the difference between real science and pseudoscience has never been more important, especially given the staggering amounts of misinformation and disinformation being circulated on
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▶ Crashed Civilizations and Lost Human Lineages, with Patrick Wyman
Patrick Wyman from the amazing Tides of History Podcast joins us today to discuss Large civilizations that disappeared (12:22) The human evolutionary family tree and paleogentics (17:41) The explosion
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▶ Covid is Airborne, Here's What to Do About It (with Epidemiologist Dr
Covid is Airborne, So What Can We Do About It? No, the answer is NOT lockdowns. In this interview University of Toronto epidemiologist Dr Colin Furness, PhD, goes into detail about Covid transmission,
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▶ Limit Your Training Options to Improve Faster!
By limiting what you do during training and drilling you become much more precise and will improve much faster in jiu-jitsu. Today's episode is also available in video form at youtube.com/watch?v=drqV
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▶ Julie Kedzie on Fighting MMA, Dissing Vladimir Putin, and More
Julie Kedzie is a retired MMA fighter who now works as a fight commentator, interviewer and matchmaker for Invicta Fighting Championships. In this episode she shares her experience of meeting Vladimir
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▶ Key Takeaways for Older Grapplers Trying to Stay Competitive in Jiu-J
To celebrate the launch of the new BJJ for Old F***s instructional (available at grapplearts.com/oldguard) here are some of the most important takeaways for the older grappler. In this episode Rob Bie
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▶ Knockout UFC Win While Partially Blind - Lance Gibson Sr on MMA Train
Lance Gibson Sr made a HUGE impression on me when he KO'd Jermaine Andre in the UFC while partially blind in one eye. That fight was a masterclass in both grit and strategy, so I was thrilled to have
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▶ Navigating the Diet Wars, with Kevin Bass
Kevin Bass is a medical doctor and PhD student, a grappler, and a weightlifter who has been deep in the trenches of the diet wars. In this episode we discuss the evidence for keto and carnivore diets,
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▶ Mixing Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and Weight Training, with Tyson Larone
I really enjoyed talking with Tyson Larone today. He's a badass Jiu-jitsu black belt who also teaches Muay Thai and is a certified strength and conditioning coach. We went deep into effective training
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▶ Margot Ciccarelli, Travelling the World While Training Jiu-Jitsu
Multiple time World and European champion Margot Ciccarelli joins us take us through travelling and training at different gyms while competing at the highest level, how to feel invincible on the mats,
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▶ Lower the Cost of Failure to Get Better Faster
Lowering the cost of failure in your training is the best way to get more reps in against a resisting opponent. And getting more reps in against a resisting opponent is the best way to get better fast
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▶ How to find the high percentage techniques in jiu-jitsu,
How to find the high percentage techniques in jiu-jitsu, false positives and standards of jiu-jitsu evidence, MMA vs gi BJJ vs submission grappling, attribute based techniques, and how to know what th
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▶ ARMBARS DON'T WORK! What if Armbar Deniers Used Anti-Vaxx Logic?
I'll make some new enemies with this one for sure! Thanks to Rob Biernacki for helping witih this project, and to everyone who contributed to the If armbar deniers used anti-vaxxer and covid-denier l
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▶ 355 - Extreme Whitewater Canoeing with Paul Mason
Paul Mason is one of Canada's foremost whitewater instructors and the son of Paul Mason, the man who introduced canoeing to the world with the Path of the Paddle films and book. I was thrilled to ta
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▶ 354 - How to Get Started In Outdoor Adventuring, with Mikaela Ferguso
Mikaela Ferguson has been introducing people to the outdoors for years with her guiding and with her writing. In this episode we cover how to get started in the outdoors, paddling safety, dealing with
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▶ 353 - Scientifically Informed Chiropractic Care, with Troy Schott
My conversation with Troy Schott about martial arts, recovering from back injuries, and living healthy. In a world full of woo I really appreciate his thoughtful, skeptical and scientifically informed
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▶ 352 - Jiu-Jitsu in a Time of Omicron
DrNicholas Tyau is a BJJ Black Belt and an internal medicine specialist who worked in NYC hospitals during Covid Ground Zero in 2020. Today we discuss the Omicron variant, therapeutics, long covid, ho
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▶ 351 - How to Talk to the Vaccine Hesitant, with Ami Palmer
Ami Palmer has been on the podcast before (ep 325) and I was thrilled to have him back. He's a wrestler, judoka, jiu-jitsuka and teaches at the University of Texas. The focus of today's conversation w
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▶ 350 - Don't Call Me Professor, Why I Don't Like Fancy Titles in Jiu-J
I know people mean well but here's why I don't like them calling me 'Professor' or 'Sifu' or 'Sensei' or 'Guru' or 'Master' or 'Shihan' or 'Kru' or 'Sabom' Or 'Kwisatz Haderach'... So if we ever meet
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▶ 349 - Three Ways to Immediately Improve Your Jiu-Jitsu Defense, with
Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models joined me today to share some guidelines that'll immediately improve your jiu-jitsu defensive skills. Check out the BJJ Mental Models Podcast wherever fine podcasts a
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▶ 348 - Nate 'The Rock' Quarry on MMA, the UFC, and Being Raised in a C
I was thrilled to have MMA fighter Nate 'The Rock' Quarry on the podcast where we talked about being raised in a cult, his comeback to the UFC after a serious back surgery, his biggest loss in MMA, th
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▶ 347 -Pressure Testing BJJ Against Knives, Guns and Sticks (with Burto
Burton Richardson is BJJ black belt and has an incredible lineage in the Filipino Martial Arts as well, having trained with many of the top instructors in the world. I was thrilled to have him on the
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▶ 346 - A Deep Dive into the Omoplata as Submission, a Sweep, and a Pos
In this episode Steve Kwan from the BJJ Mental Models podcast grills me about the omoplata, the most versatile submission in all of jiu-jitsu. Check out my latest instructional, Omoplata 2.0, at grapp
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▶ 345 - Out of Date Training Methods in Modern Martial Arts, with Richa
00:37: Richard Bejtlich's background in martial arts 08:39: Where does fascination with martial arts history comes from 18:08: What research on historical martial arts looks like 20:10: Preservation o
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▶ 344 - Reporting on the State of Jiu-Jitsu, with Averi Clements
Averi is a BJJ brown belt who has written extensively for the Jiu-Jitsu Times. Together we go deep into why jiu-jitsu is popular for women, coming back from injuries, some recent high profile sexual a
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▶ 343 - Update: Four Weeks In After a Total Hip Replacement
I had a hip replacement to fix a joint worn out by 40 years of martial arts training, conditioning and fitness activities. This video details the first 4 weeks of my recovery, going from barely being
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▶ 342 - Exploring the Remote Northern Wilderness with Adam Shoalts
Canadian explorer Adam Shoalts is back to talk about some of his recent expeditions, including a search for a mythical beast in the wilds of Northern Labrador. We also discussed balancing family and a
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▶ 341 - Why Conspiracy Theories Are So Damn Hard to Disprove, with Dr H
Dr Hanan Buskin is a clinical psychologist specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In this episode we go deep into the benefits conspiracy theorist get from believing and sharing their crazy ide
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▶ 340 - Why I'm Getting a Hip Replacement Tomorrow...
After 4 decades of training Jiu-jitsu, MMA, Judo, Kajukenbo, Muay Thai, Karate and Kickboxing my right hip is worn out. Here's how I became aware that it needed replacing, what the surgery is going to
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▶ 339 - The Five Exercises All Grapplers Should Do Every Week
Steph Gaudreau is a strength coach, nutritionist, podcaster, author and BJJ practitioner. I was thrilled to have her on the podcast today to discuss the overlap between strength training and jiu-jitsu
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▶ 338 - An Epic Rant Against Conspiracism
In this rant I go off about conspiracism, Ivermectin, Joe Rogan, anti-vaxxers, elk meat diets and more. This is from an Instagram Live session I did with Dr Hanan Bushkin (@drhananbushkin) - Dr Bushki
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▶ 237 - Lessons from Competing in 25 Matches in 8 Divisions in 1 Tourna
Jeff Shaw runs Bellingham BJJ and despite coming to jiu-jitsu late in life fell in love with competition and eventually competed 8 divisions in a single tournament with pretty good results. I particul
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▶ 336 - Why Some People & Groups are More Prone to Conspiracy Theories,
Julian Walker has researched, written, and podcasted about cults and gurus, spiritual bypass and quantum woo in New Age circles extensively. He is also a cohost of the (amazing) Conspirituality Podcas
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▶ 335 - Rescuing People Trapped in Cults, Stephan Kesting with Joseph S
In episode 335 of The Strenuous Life Podcast Stephan Kesting talks to cult expert, cult survivor and cult deprogrammer Joeseph Szimhart. We go into depth about QAnon, New Age cults, Theosophy, cult re
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▶ 334 - Ten Guru Warning Signs with Dr Dr Chris Kavanagh
Dr Dr Chris Kavanagh is an Oxford trained evolutionary & cognitive anthropologist who co-hosts the 'Decoding the Gurus' podcast with Mathew Browne. Together they tackle the secular gurus propagating t
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▶ 333 - Sometimes to Win the Fight You Have to Move the Fight
From the cheekiest triangle choke counter I've ever used to Khabib slamming the crap out of his opponents in the UFC, here's a short episode about the times you simply have to move the fight to a new
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▶ 332 - Trolling Anti-Vaxx Rallies, with Walter Masterson
Walter Masterson trolls anti-vaxx and pro-conspiracy rallies. He's brave, funny and insightful, and I was honored to have him as a guest on episode 332 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. Follow Walter on
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▶ 331 - A Gameplan for the Closed Guard with Jon Thomas
Jon Thomas is a BJJ master strategician with an uncanny ability to connect grips, sweeps, submissions and positions together to create a seamless attack gameplan. In this episode we do a deep dive int
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▶ 330 - Beating BJJ Instructional Overwhelm, with Sonny Brown
How to learn from instructionals, avoid bad seminars, improve BJJ training methods, the Australian MMA scene, trends in grappling, and much more with the eloquent Sonny Brown from the Sonny Brown Brea
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▶ 329 - How to Break into Stuntwork from Martial Arts with Steve Koepfe
Steve Koepfer is a Master of Sport in Russian Sambo, and has translated his skills on the mat into a busy career as a stuntman appearing in the John Wick movies, Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, The Punish
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▶ 328 - The Russians Are Coming - Combat Sambo, MMA and Jiu-Jitsu with
Steve Koepfer is a Master of Sport of Russia in Combat Sambo and the head coach of New York Combat Sambo. In episode 328 we talk about the impending wave of combat sambo specialists coming to the UFC
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▶ 327 - A Revelation That's Helped Me Win More Than 10 Streetfights
Here's a story about the first time I 'won' a streetfight when I realised that the other guy - an older, shabbily dressed, homeless man - was almost certainly mentally ill. A good streetfight is one t
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▶ 326 - Bringing Jiu-Jitsu into Public Schools, with Dom Hoskins
Dom Hoskins is a BJJ black belt, coach and fierce competitor who is helping bring the lessons of jiu-jitsu to public schools in California's East Bay. Follow Dom Hoskins on Instagram @dominat10n Check
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▶ 325 - Wrestling with Trust, Propaganda, and Conspiracies, with Ami Pa
Ami Palmer is a wrestler, judoka, and an adjunct professor of philosophy at Ohio Northern University. The topics he researches include how widespread conspiracism and science denialism affect democrat
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▶ 324 - Evolutionary Theory and BJJ, with Brazilian Biologist Marcio Pi
Today's conversation with Marcio Pie was a blend of two of my favorite topics: the science of biology and the science of BJJ. Marcio is a professor of zoology at UFPR and practices Jiu-Jitsu in Curiti
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▶ 323 - The Limits of Human Endurance with Mike McCastle
Mike McCastle set a new world record on Jan 23, 2021, immersing himself in ice for 2 hours and 40 minutes and surviving! He joined me on Episode 323 of The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about this ab
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▶ 322 - Epidemiology 101, with Colin Furness
What exactly is herd immunity? How can we be sure that the vaccine companies aren't lying to us? What is this 'R0' value and why does it matter? What are the proven methods to stop outbreaks? Are what
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▶ 321 - Improving on Outdated BJJ Training Methods with Priit Mihkelson
Priit is a renowned BJJ black belt who has taught his style of defensive jiu-jitsu to thousands of people through his classes, seminars and instructionals. He is known for his unusual approach to teac
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▶ 320 - OK, So You've Been Vaccinated, Can You Return to Training?
Today I talk with Dr Nicholas Tyau, a BJJ Black Belt and internal medicine specialist who was working in NYC hospitals during Covid Ground Zero in 2020. We discuss the 5 key factors you need to consid
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▶ 319 - Strength Training for BJJ and MMA with Brandon Morgan
Brandon Morgan is a high level powerlifter who trains, coaches and competes out of the Kabuki Strength gym in Portland Oregon. In this episode we go deep into strength training and conditioning for co
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▶ 318 - For the Love of Data; Risk, Science, and Who to Believe, with N
Nini Munoz PhD has a very strong background in risk and failure analysis, and statistical process. She has used these skills and a background in biology to make the science around the Covid-19 pandemi
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▶ 317 - Karl Gotch, the Godfather of the Japanese MMA Scene, with Tad M
In this episode I'm joined by pro-wrestler Tad Murphy to talk about the legendary wrestler Karl Gotch. Karl Gotch was a German-Hungarian wrestler born in Belgium who trained at the infamous 'Snake Pit
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▶ 316 - Dissecting the Fight or Flight Reaction, with Police Trainer Je
Regardless of whether you want to fight in MMA, work as a cop, or just be effective in self defense you have to know how to function in a stressful environment. Today with Jeff Quail MSc we dive into
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▶ 315 - Gripfighting and Kuzushi, 2 Critical Skills That Almost Everyon
Two of the best ways to develop your guard are gripfighting and kuzushi. Today I talk with Rob Biernacki about these rarely taught critical skills and how to develop them. Go to grapplearts.com/gripfi
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▶ 314 - Why Some Competitors Excel at Competition and Others Don't, wit
Why some competitors excel at competition and others don't, hero worship in BJJ, and how to succeed at BJJ partnerships with Andrew 'Goatfury' Smith. Andrew is a 3rd degree black belt who runs Revolut
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▶ 313 - Covid Safe BJJ, Improving During Layoffs, and Tournament Strate
Today I chat with Dan TrumpetDan Lukeheart from Brea Jiu-Jitsu in Orange County about the steps he's taken to keep his school open in a responsible manner during the Covid-19 pandemic, how to improv
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▶ 312 - Three Steps to Improve Your Post-Training Recovery
Your health is like a credit card.. You can definitely put things onto your credit card once in a while. You can even use a credit card to help bridge the gap when you’re short on funds.But sooner or
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▶ 311 - The Covid Vaccines and BJJ with Dr Chris Moriarty
Dr Chris Moriarty is a medical doctor and a former high level black belt BJJ competitor. In this episode we talk about the rapidly evolving situation of covid vaccines, viral variants, and what it mea
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▶ 310 - Are you in a Jiu-Jitsu Cult with Matt 'Aesopian' Kirtley
Today I talk with Matt Kirtley, better known to many as 'Aesopian', about Changes to jiu-jitsu culture, Crazy martial arts cults, Channeling of ancient spirits, How we can get more out of drilling, Re
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▶ 309 - Seven Ways to Make Your Leglocks More Effective
How leglocks and leglocking strategy have changed in the last 20 years. As they say for TED Talk Podcasts, this presentation contains powerful visuals and can be viewed at youtu.be/9mF_YtLOVI4 I recor
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▶ 308 - Jiu-jitsu Is The Art of Facing Challenges, with Elliott Bayev
BJJ black belt and entrepreneur Elliott Bayev on the ability to test new ideas in jiu-jitsu, how the basics change over time, how to use jiu-jitsu in sales and running a business, and much more. Follo
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▶ 307 - Nazi Hippies and Authoritarian Yoga Instructors with Jules Evan
Jules Evans studies the history of ideas and was the perfect person to help me understand the abundance of insane conspiracy theories on BOTH sides of the political spectrum right now. We discuss why
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▶ 306 - How to Talk to a Covid Denialist
Daniel Goldberg is a medical historian, a public health ethicist, a lawyer and has practiced BJJ for 8 years. It was great to have him on the podcast to talk about the course of the Covid-19 pandemic
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▶ 305 - 7 Mental Hacks I'm Using to Maintain Motivation in 2021
2020 has been a hell of a year, but better times are coming soon, so it's time to get our collective asses into gear. In today's podcast I'll take you through the 7 mental hacks I've successfully used
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▶ 304 - The Role of Intuition in BJJ and How to Refine It with Rob Bier
How to get better at predicting what your opponent is going to do, develop faster reactions and train your intuition with Rob Biernacki. Check out Rob's Submission Formula instructional in which you'l
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▶ 303 - Everything You Wanted to Know About Professional Wresting But W
Today I talk with pro-wrestler Tad Lincoln Murphy about catch wrestling in early American circuses, the development of luta livre in Brazil, Shootwrestling in Japan, and how one trains to becomes a pr
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▶ 302- Debunking the Covid Myths, with Epidemiologists Dr Katrine Walla
01:32 - Qualifications of epidemiologists Dr Katrine Wallace and Madeline Lewis 04:42 - Is COVID-19 actually 99.5% survivable? 06:33 - What are the current best estimates of the COVID-19 infection fat
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▶ Back Pain in Sport and How to Fix It, with Dr Stuart McGill
Back pain is incredibly common in sport, including all combative sports like jiu-jitsu, MMA, boxing and judo. That is why I was thrilled to talk to Dr Stuart McGill, one of the world's leading experts
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▶ 300 - 5 Principles for Taking Risks
Here are 5 principles that I use on a daily basis for evaluating risk, along with concrete examples from martial arts training, fire fighting, white water kayaking, and behavior during a pandemic. I h
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▶ 299 - Division in the BJJ Community with Jamie Kilstein
Division in BJJ community, angry people on the internet and the rise of conspirituality with comic and BJJ practitioner Jamie Kilstein. Jamie is the cohost of both Rear Naked Radio and A Fuckup's Guid
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▶ 298 - Efficient Training for Competition with Brandon 'Wolverine' Mul
Today I chat with Black belt no gi world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins about how the most efficient training methods to master the highly complex world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Lots of great tak
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▶ 297 - Cults, Prophecies and Deprogramming Your Friends with Matthew R
I was thrilled to talk to Matthew Remski, a cult researcher and cohost of the Conspirituality Podcast who has written extensively about the pervasive cultism and abuse in Yoga, spirituality, and welln
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▶ 296 - A People's History of BJJ, with Robert Drysdale
Multiple time world champion Robert Drysdale comes onto the podcast to share his discoveries about the history of BJJ. Here's just some of what we talked about... 00:52 - Opening Closed Guard, the Boo
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▶ 295 - How to Do Long Wilderness Expeditions on the Cheap, with Frank
Today I talk with Mr Frank Wolf, a member of first two person team to paddle across Canada in a single season. He has undertaken amazing expeditions throughout North America both in the summer and the
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▶ 294 - The Biggest Clue That It's Time to Quit Competing in Full Conta
Full contact fighting is inherently risky, especially when you consider the traumatic brain damage that's so common in boxing, kickboxing and MMA. And competing in sports where head shots and brain tr
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▶ 293 - My Kung Fu Training Days...
On today's episode I'm interviewed by Randy Brown on his podcast about my journey through Kung Fu and how I found jiu-jitsu. Lots of nuggets about training safely and effectively in this one! Follow R
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▶ 292 - Is It Safe to Train BJJ During Covid Yet? A Nuanced Answer...
Is it safe to train BJJ in a pandemic? I wish it were a simple yes or no answer, but as I discuss in this episode (which is also available on Youtube at youtube.com/watch?v=fjyivFxPJMU&feature=youtu.b
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▶ 291 - Yoga, Meditation, and... Conspiracy Theory? With Derek Beres fr
Only aligning your chakras can save you from the satanist deep state... Derek Beres is an author and former reporter who cohosts the Conspirituality podcast which investigates the convergence of left-
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▶ 290 - Cult Behaviour in Jiu-Jitsu, with Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Mo
Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models comes onto the podcast to discuss cult behaviour in BJJ, good and bad club cultures, and the big picture behind effective jiu-jitsu training. I consider cults to be
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▶ 289 - The Psychology of Jiu-Jitsu, with David Ley, Clinical Psycholog
I talk with clinical psychologist and BJJ black belt David Ley about the psychology of jiu-jitsu, recent advances in psychology, the neurochemicals released when grappling, recovered memories, the pre
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▶ 288 - Find a Way to Win, with Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins
Today I talk with BJJ black belt world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins about finding a way to win in difficult situations, and why you need to have a long range guard. Check out our brand new bes
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▶ 287 - A Formula for the Butterfly Guard | Black Belt World Champion B
How to organise your strategies, techniques and tactics in the butterfly guard so you alway know what you should do next. A highly applicable podcast with black belt jiu-jitsu world champion Brandon '
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▶ 286 - The Fundamental Movements At The Core of Every Jiu-Jitsu Techni
Black belt world champion Brandon Mullins and I talk about the fundamental movements of jiu-jitsu and their advanced applications in almost every technique you'll ever use on the mat. Check out our be
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▶ 285 - Covid-19 Ground Zero in NYC with Medical Doctor and BJJ Black B
Dr Nicholas Tyau is an internal medicine specialist who was working at a hospital in the Bronx, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in North America, during the spring of 2020. He's also a BJJ blac
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▶ 284 - Why You Have to Get Super Granular and Specific to Improve
Deliberate practice: if you try to get good at every aspect of your sport all at once then you’ll get good at nothing. Instead break it down into specific skills, then break those skills down into com
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▶ 283 - UPDATE! How to Train BJJ Safely During Covid with Dr Chris Mori
Medical doctor and famed BJJ competitor Dr Chris Moriarty is back on the podcast with a major update to the protocols for safe training during Covid-19. The biggest changes include the addition of mon
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▶ 282 - Disarming Your Limits with Jessica Cox
Jessica Cox was born without arms but she didn't let that stop her from becoming the first woman to get her pilot's license using her feet to fly the plane. And she has a couple of black belts as well
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▶ 281 - Training BJJ Outside, with Jeff Shaw
Jeff Shaw and I geeked out about Jiu-Jitsu history at first, but then at about the 27:00 minute mark we pivoted to his school's innovative outdoor classes with dedicated training partners during coron
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▶ 280 - The Key Difference Between Training and Competition, with Rober
Robert Drysdale is one of the most highly decorated American grapplers in history. He remains the only person not born in Brazil to win both the IBJJF World Championships with the gi and the ADCC Open
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▶ 279 - Alone Against The North, With Adam Schoalts
Adam Shoalts is a professional adventurer and explorer. He has completed a 4,000 km solo trip across the Canadian Arctic, explored unknown rivers in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and is a fellow in the Roy
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▶ 278 - BJJ Training Pods and Reasons for Hope During Coronavirus
Here's how to organize a BJJ training pod to keep yourself and, more importantly, other people safe during the coronavirus pandemic. 1:11 - What is a Training Pod 1:38 - Why Are Training Pods a Good I
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▶ 277 - Longevity in the Sport, with Harrison Helterbrand on The Old Ro
I was recently featured on The Old Rollers Podcast hosted by Harrison Helterbrand and we dove deep into maintaining your longevity in the sport, skill development, learning styles and taking charge of
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▶ 276 - Loyalty, Mental Strength, and Pressure Passing With 4 x World C
Dominyka Obelenyte was born in Lithuania, emigrated to the United States at a very young age, and became a 4 time Pan-Am and World Championship gold medalist. In this interview we talk technique, inju
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▶ 275 - Mask Wearing, The Spanish Flu, and the Axis from Totalitarianis
Did you know that there were 'anti mask leagues' in the USA to protest masks during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic? Neither did I until I started listening to Mitch Lerner. Mitch is a professor of hist
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▶ 274 - Train Often, Test Rarely, with Stephan Kesting
The difference between improving every day and setting a personal best every day in sport, training, and martial arts... Notes and pictures from my 1000 mile solo arctic in 2019: grapplearts.com/solo
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▶ 273 - The State of the BJJ-Covid Union with Dr Chris Moriarty
Dr Moriarty is a medical doctor and had a long fierce career as a BJJ competitor who previously published guidelines for reopening BJJ academies during the Covid-19 pandemic (grapplearts.com/openingup
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▶ 272 - How to Deal with Technique Overwhelm in BJJ
There are so many techniques to master and so many different areas in BJJ to get good at that jiu-jitsu can seem totally overwhelming. Here's how to use an 80/20 approach to figuring out what to work
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▶ 271 - Division and Conspiracy Theory in the Jiu-Jitsu Community, with
Today I'm joined by Thomas Nadelhoffer an associate professor in the philosophy department at the College of Charleston, an affiliate faculty member in psychology and neuroscience, and a BJJ brown bel
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▶ 270 - Oleg Taktarov, the Sambo OG of the UFC
I'm absolutely thrilled to welcome Oleg Taktarov to the podcast. Oleg used his Sambo skills to win UFC 6, beat Dolph Lungren in a widely publicised boxing match, and fought at the infamous Pentagon Co
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▶ 269 - My BJJ Manifesto in 100 Words
Learn a technique and study all its aspects including set-ups, grips, body position, timing, balance, counters and recounters. Get help from your instructor, class-mates, the internet and instructiona
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▶ 268 - Opening Jiu-Jitsu Up Again During Covid-19, with Dr Chris Moria
Chris Moriarty is a doctor, a competitor, and a BJJ black belt. His 6 step procedure for reopening academies is available at grapplearts.com/openingupbjj 0:00:00 Introduction 0:00:56 Chris Moriarty's
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▶ 267 - Joel Gerson on the Biggest Upset in Japanese Shooto History
On March 1st, 1998 unknown Canadian fighter Joel Gerson defeated superstar Rumina Sato in Shooto, Japan's oldest MMA promotion. Even more astounding was that this was basically Joel's first fight. We
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▶ 266 - ADCC and IBJJF World Champion Yuri Simoes on Switching to MMA
Yuri Simoes is a two time ADCC World Championship, a two-time IBJJF black belt Absolute No-Gi World Champion, and a two-time Pan American Champion. In our chat we go deep into developing the motivatio
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▶ 265 - Five BJJ Training Strategies During Coronavirus Lockdown
Coronavirus has most of the BJJ world locked down and it sucks. I get it: you desperately want to get back on the mats and train. Here are 5 strategies to keep your head in the game and prevent you fr
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▶ 264 - Jiu-Jitsu Saved My Life, with Jamie Kilstein
In this episode I talk with BJJ brown belt and Joe Rogan approved professional comedian about how jiu-jitsu saved his life, ways to stay positive during the coronavirus lockdown, tribalism and much mo
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▶ 263 - Sports Psychology for Dummies, with Dr Leif H. Smith
Dr Leif H. Smith is the author of 'Sports Psychology for Dummies' and in this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast he shares his very best tips for developing mental toughness, managing fear, not cho
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▶ 262 - DON'T TRAIN. BJJ in the Era of Coronavirus
Moments ago I recorded a podcast with Raf from The Verbal Tap Podcast about what grapplers and martial artists should do during the coronavirus and COVID 19 outbreak and I'm sharing that with you now.
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▶ 261 - What I Learned Testing BJJ Against Multiple Attackers
What's your best strategy vs multiple opponents? Can Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu be part of that strategy. I gave my answer to this during an Instagram and Tiktok live session that I did recently. I'm sure it
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▶ 260 - Ultrarunning in the Himalayas with Scott Loughney
In today's episode I talk to Scott Loughney about an incredible 640 km ultrarunning challenge in the highest mountain range of the world. Scott together with Ryan Wagner and Upendra Sunuwar successful
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▶ 259 - Elite No Gi Training and Competition with Oliver Taza
Oliver Taza trains at Tristar in Montreal with Firas Zahabi and at Renzo Gracie's in New York City with John Danaher. With his impeccable technique and aggressive grappling style he has amassed an imp
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▶ 258 - What Can Be Measured Can Be Improved - Quantification for Bette
Peter Drucker, the godfather of modern business management, once said, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Now I don’t think that Peter Drucker did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (or any other form of mar
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▶ 257 - Finding Your Optimal Way to Train BJJ - With Jon Thomas
In this conversation BJJ black belt Jon Thomas and I go deep into training and drilling methodologies that give you results as fast as possible. Jon is originally from the US but teaches at a school i
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▶ 256 - Twelve Ideas To Make Your Guard Much Harder to Pass
Rory Van Vliet and I go deep into the 12 most important concepts to make your guard very hard to pass. Counterintuitively these concepts will also help your guard passing, because now you'll understan
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▶ 255 - How to Become a Green Beret, with Zack Hughes
Zach Hughes was a US Special Forces Green Beret who served in Afghanistan until he was injured by an RPG during an attack. In this episode we go deep into the selection and training process that speci
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▶ 254 - Competitions vs Training Strategies
There’s an old saying that goes… “Don’t do what’s best for you. Instead do what’s worst for your opponent.” There’s a lot of truth there. In a competition your odds of victory go way up if you can pre
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▶ 253 - Training Brock Lesnar for the UFC, with Coach Greg Nelson
A deep dive into designing and running MMA fight camps, how to mix striking with wrestling and jiu-jitsu, conditioning for fights, and much more with Greg Nelson. Greg has trained many MMA and UFC fig
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▶ 252 - The Five Most Important BJJ Skills for Self Defense and Survivi
Here are the 5 most important skills you can learn from BJJ that'll keep you safer in real confrontations against bigger, stronger, and adrenalized opponents! Download this rant as an illustrated PDF
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▶ 251 - Gameplan Development and Learning New Techniques
In this Q&A I cover gameplan development, what to do about training partners figuring out your game, how to find a good gym, whether loyalty to your instructor always a good thing, how sparring is the
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▶ 250 - BJJ for Law Enforcement and Corrections with Rory Van Vliet
Rory is a corrections officer with a ton of experience in other branches of law enforcement. He's also a very skilled BJJ black belt at Island Top Team under Rob Biernacki. In this chat we go into dep
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▶ 249 - 3 Strategies to Break Through Sticking Points in 2020
Sticking points and plateaus are inevitable if you train - here are 3 strategies you can use to smash on through to the other side in 2020. Have a great Christmas and New Year's! Stephan
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▶ 248 - On the value of BJJ Competition, with Thomas Lisboa
A fun conversation with BJJ black belt Thomas Lisboa about why testing yourself occasionally in competition gives you things that you just can't get from regular training, how Brazilian black belts us
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▶ 247 - The Range Battles Within Guard That Determine Success or Failur
The guard is the most important position in BJJ, and if you understand the multiple ranges and range battles that occur within this position then your ability to both pass the guard and defend against
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▶ 246 - The Four Coaches a Modern Martial Artist Needs
The days of learning from just one instructor if you're a serious martial artist are over. Nowadays you need at least four different coaches... Check out my latest BJJ instructional, The Guard Retenti
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▶ 245 - Can You Crosstrain in BJJ and Traditional Martial Arts At the S
I sit down with Japanese ju-jutsu black belt Alex Kask to discuss the benefits, pitfalls and procedures for training in traditional systems and in modern BJJ at the same time. Both Alex and I have ext
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▶ 244 - The 10 Most Nutritious Foods, with Nick Hiebert from The Nutriv
This was a fascinating conversation with Nick Hiebert who has done a ton of research into the nutrient density of different foods. In this talk we look at the all time greatest, most nutrient dense fo
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▶ 243 - If I Don't Know, I Won't Allow! A Strategy for When Things Get
I think you'll like this one, because I share a fighting strategy that comes from Roberto Leitão, the godfather of Luta Livre who has trained fighters like Jose Aldo, Pedro Rizzo and Marco Ruas. I als
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▶ 242 - A Roadmap for BJJ, the Complete Audiobook (Free)
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) can seem incredibly complicated when you're first exposed to it. In this episode I explain the positional hierarchy, the underlying logic, and the method behind the madness o
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▶ 241 - Boxing vs BJJ in a Fight (plus Stephan's Epic Rant on Self Defe
In this podcast I answer a question I received on an Instagram Live Q&A about a boxing beating jiu-jitsu in a real streetfight. Then I go on an epic rant about the three specific things most BJJ guys
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▶ 240 - Pain is a Universal Language, with Endurance Athlete Mike McCas
Mike McCastle has accomplished some of the most amazing tasks of endurance I've ever heard of. In this episode we go deep into developing mental strength, maintaining commitment in the face of adversi
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▶ 239 - On Being Willing to Die in the Ring with Tristan Connelly, UFC
Tristan Connelly, fresh off his absolutely amazing underdog win over Michel Pereira in the UFC, talks with Stephan Kesting on The Strenuous Life Podcast. We went into detail about mindset, strategy an
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▶ 238 - Best Tips for Starting to Spar Full Contact
Sparring is just as essential in the striking arts as it is in the grappling arts, but the addition of percussive trauma raises the stakes and makes safety the single most important consideration. In
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▶ 237 - Survive First and Win Later - Timeless Jiu-Jitsu Wisdom
Survive first, win later was one of the very first pieces of advice I ever received in jiu-jitsu. It helped me then and it still helps me now, both on and off the mat. I hope this mentality helps yo
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▶ 236 - The Mad Scientist of Strength, Chris Duffin
I talk with Chris Duffin, one of the most elite powerlifters in the world, about his absolutely inspiring journey from a childhood spent in poverty to becoming one of the strongest men on the planet.
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▶ 235 - Training Doesn't Make You Stronger; It's All In the Recovery St
You can train super hard and kick the crap out of your body but that doesn't make you stronger - it's only after you RECOVER from training that the benefits of training manifest themselves. Too many a
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▶ 234 - How to Get More Submissions with Rob Biernacki
How to get more chokes, armlocks and leglocks in BJJ with Rob Biernacki. We break down a 6 step submission formula that will allow you to hit more submissions on good people, even if they're bigger an
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▶ 233 - Breathing Your Way Through Cancer and Other Emergencies with Je
Jessica is the yoga coach to the New Orleans Saints. She helps NFL players put themselves back together after the relentless abuse of games and training. And she also does BJJ which means she's doubly
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▶ 232 - One Thing to Do Right Now So You'll Still Be Training in 10 Yea
BJJ is a fantastically fun sport that's also undeniably hard on the body. Here's my single biggest tip for people in their 30's and 40's who want to keep on training into their 50's and 60's If you're
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▶ 231 - No Days Off! (Or Should You Train Everyday?)
If you're serious about jiu-jitsu then should you train everyday? In answering this question I also give some real life examples of how to achieve any large, hairy, audacious goal, be that getting you
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▶ 230 - BJJ after 50 with the Black Belt Wrassling Rabbi Mordecai Finle
You'll like this episode! In it I talk with 62 yr oldBJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley(the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a hea
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▶ 229 - The Filipino Martial Arts, Self Defense and Jarlo Ilano
Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparringwith sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express it
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▶ 228 - Patience vs Speed of Implementation for Achieving Giant Dreams
This trip has been a looooong time in the making. Back in 1992 I had the crazy idea of doing a super long trip that would take me across Nueltin Lake and down the Thlewiaza river in Nunavut, north of
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▶ 227 - A Scary Bear Encounter
Today was a very interesting day. I had just arrived at Nuelton lake. It is a huge lake that expands over 100km. I had heard there were some abandoned cabins along this lake. Every thing was left ther
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▶ 226 - 7 Tips For Maintaining Motivation
Do you ever find yourself struggling to start a task that you have been excited to do for so long? That is completely normal! We all have moments where we just cannot seem to find any motivation. In m
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▶ 225 - The Key to Pushing Yourself Harder
I am on day 12 of my 1000 miles solo journey and my body is starting to feel it. My mind is feeling foggier and my urges to rest are stronger. It is at this point where I need to remind myself of how
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▶ 224 - Never Stop Thinking, Even When You're Only Slogging Through a L
If you ever find yourself slogging through a lake like I did, here are some helpful tips and tricks on safety and navigation.
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▶ 223 - Why Go Alone?
When I told people I would be going on a solo expedition for a few weeks, most thought it was a strange thing to be traveling in complete solitude for so long. However, I think it is an important part
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▶ 222 - The Realities of Wilderness Travel
If you are watching someone document their expedition, you are likely only seeing their highlight reel. They would document their trekking over beautiful landscapes, setting up camp for the evening an
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▶ 221 - Brazil, BJJ and MMA with Jeff Meszaros
In this blast from the past, I have a fun conversation about BJJ, Judo and MMA with Jeff MEszaros, one of the guy si started training with 25 years ago! Self defense applications of BJJ, Russian team
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▶ 220 - What People Misunderstand About Following Your Dreams
It is day one of my canoe trip, and so far so good. Although some things were different than what I thought, my preparedness for this trip has left me feeling ready for almost any situation. People te
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▶ 219 - The Most Dangerous Part of MMA
On the one hand, I am a huge fan. I have been watching the UFC since its inauguration in 1993, and have enjoyed fights in Pride FC, Shooto, WEC and many other organizations. I have nothing but respect
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▶ 218 - One Easy Way to GUARANTEE Failure!
If you fail to plan, plan to fail. I am just about ready to leave for my 1000 mile journey to Hudson Bay. This is just a small glimpse at some of the planning I have had to do in order to survive all
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▶ 217 - Why I'm Planning to do a 1,000 Mile Trip in the Arctic by Mysel
This summer I am attempting to travel 1,000 miles in a canoe by myself in Canada's northern boreal forest and the barren lands of the eastern arctic. In this episode I talk about why I would ever want
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▶ 216 - How to Find a Good School to Train At
One of the most common questions I get is how to find a good school. This is a REALLY important issue, given that in your martial arts journey you'll potentially be spending thousands of hours trainin
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▶ 215 - Making Jiu Jitsu Smooth with Brandon Wolverine Mullins
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 evolu
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▶ 216 - Aikido vs BJJ with Roy Dean
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 al
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▶ 214 - Why You MUST Regularly Calibrate Your Skills Against People Bet
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
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▶ 213 - How I Survived a Kidney Transplant and Came Back Stronger
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 th
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▶ 212 - Scotty Nelson, the Original Gangster of Online BJJ Resources
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
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▶ 211 - Discipline and Leveraging the 'Have To' State with Brett Pipern
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 goin
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▶ 210 - It's the Ego, Stupid! How My Last BJJ Injury Was Totally Preven
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 s
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▶ 209 - Fighting Through Injury to Win Pan Am Gold with Vanessa Wexler
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
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▶ 208 - Should Martial Artists Condition Their Knuckles?
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 brea
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▶ 207 - Monty Collier, Technical Judo Instructor for John Wick 3
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 w
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▶ 206 - One-Armed BJJ, with Para-Athlete and Competitor Jess Munster
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
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▶ 205 - Coaching Lethwei, The Baddest Martial Art on the Planet, with P
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 thi
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▶ 204 - Mental Jiu-jitsu Breakthroughs with Tarsis Humphreys
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 opt
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▶ 203 - How to Become More Comfortable in No Gi Grappling
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 t
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▶ 202 - What to Do When You're Just Not Getting Better at BJJ
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
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▶ 201 - Kathy Hubble, Judo Champion and Professional Stuntwoman
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 injuredon set in a Jacky Chan a
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▶ 200 - Three Ways to Turn On Aggression in BJJ Matches
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 st
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▶ 199 - Jamie Flynn, British Special Forces Operator, Base Jumper, Wing
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 bodyguar
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▶ 198 - What It Really Takes to Be an Overnight Success (a Rant)
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
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▶ 197 - Reaching The State of 'Flow' in Martial Arts
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
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▶ 196 - Fitness, BJJ and Depression with Liz Beaver
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
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▶ 195 - Guard Passing Strategies and Tactics with Fabio Gurgel
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 approa
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▶ 194 -Fighting in the Octagon and the Battle Within with Eliot Marshal
Eliot Marshallis BJJ black belt and a former professional mixed MMA fighter who also appeared in Season 8 ofThe Ultimate Fighter show. In today's podcast we talk about how to run a successful BJJ scho
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▶ 193 - Sport-Specific Conditioning with Red Sullivan
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 physica
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▶ 192 - Three Key Steps to Successfully Sweeping and Submitting from Gu
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 o
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▶ 191 - When Strongman Training and BJJ Collide, with The Raspberry Ape
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
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▶ 190 - Neck Health with UFC Fighter, Mathematician and Osteopath Rosi
Rosi Sexton is a truerenaissance 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 Theoretica
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▶ 189 - Grappling Dummies and Other Tips to Train When You Can't Make I
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 l
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▶ 188 - The Philosophy of Sport with Daniel 'Philosograppler' Bohigian
Daniel Bohigian is aGuerrilla 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-jit
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▶ 187 - In Volume We Trust - Lessons from Ironman for BJJ, with Paul Ki
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 Lif
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▶ 186 - Attacked in the Street: Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Adam Nadow on his
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 wen
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▶ 185 - Training Predictions for the New Year; In 2019 You'll Be BOTH t
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
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▶ 184 - Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
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 imp
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▶ 183 - Canoeing Wild Rivers with Cliff Jacobson
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 Col
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▶ 182 - Training and Rehab for Stretching the Envelope with Dr Mark Che
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 te
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▶ 181 - Why is Sparring so Hard, and How Can You Do It Safely?
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,
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▶ 180 - When Should MMA Fighters Retire?
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 thi
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▶ 179 - Dietary Experiments Gone Bad, and Near Death on the Ketogenic D
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
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▶ 178 - The 5 Ranges Every Martial Artist Should Be Familiar With
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 artis
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▶ 177 - Mental and Physical Training for Championship Wrestling, with N
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 r
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▶ 176 - Guard Passing Strategies in BJJ with Stephan Kesting and Rob Bi
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
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▶ 175 - That Technique Used to Work Great, So Why Did You Stop Using It
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 th
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▶ 174 - Why Jiu-Jitsu is Best for Self Defense: Stephan on The Great Fl
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
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▶ 173 - Self Experimentation, Ketosis and Crazy Chicks
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 e
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▶ 172 - Martial Arts Frauds and Other Buffoons with McDojoLife
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 the
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▶ 171 - The Best Way to Train Those Super-Deadly Techniques for Self De
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
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▶ 170 - Why People Want to Believe Crazy Things, with the Genetically M
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, esse
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▶ 169 - Kata Is Useless for Combat, Prove Me Wrong, with Iain Abernathy
Iain Abernathy is an author, a7th 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,techni
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▶ 168 - Leadership When All Hell is Breaking Loose
Leadership is easy when things are going well,but is considerably more difficult whenall hell is breaking loose and the s**t is hitting the fan. In this episode we look at a common denominator of grea
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▶ 167 - Navy Seal Sniper JP Dinnell on Taking Action and Making It Happ
JP Dinnell spent nearly a decade in the SEAL teams, including serving withTask Unit Bruiser in Ramadi, Iraq, where he was a point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon. He worked with
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▶ 166 - Fabio Gurgel on What Makes a World Champion, Fighting NHB in Br
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 'T
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▶ 165 - How to Deal with Fear and Doubt with Ando Mierzwa
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,
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▶ 164 - Ice Climbing Niagara Falls in Winter with Will Gadd
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, clim
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▶ 163 - How to Cut Weight Safely with Ben Zhuang
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, effectivelyreplen
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▶ 162 - Broken Bones, Concussions and Full Contact Jousting with Shane
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 o
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▶ 161 - Sim Go and the Legacy of the Renegade 'Cobra Kai' Club in BJJ
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, r
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▶ 160 - Old School BJJ in the Early Days of the UFC with Andreh Anderso
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 (a
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▶ 159 - Seph Smith on BJJ, Combat Sambo, and Competition Mindset
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 prod
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▶ 158 - Are Kung Fu Forms and Karate Kata Useful for Fighting?
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
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▶ 157 - My Single Biggest Problem with Crossfit
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 combination
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▶ 156 - Survivorman Les Stroud
I'm STOKED that Survivorman Les Stroud came on the podcast today!!! We talked adventure, survival skills, navigating in the wilderness, the closest he's come to death while filming, work-life balance,
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▶ 155 - Walking the Tightrope Between Training and Recovery
How often and how hard to train are tricky questions. Too much hard training and you'll grind yourself into a pulp. Not enough hard training and you'll never reach your potential or expand the limits
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▶ 154 - What Makes Good Students, Teachers and BJJ Schools? Interview w
This was a neat interview I did with Emily Kwok from Princeton BJJ and star of the first How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent series. We focused on creating positive learning environments in B
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▶ 153 - Microdrilling to Improve Your BJJ Almost Instantly
How to improve your BJJ almost instantly. No, this isn't hyperbole; microdrilling is a training method that will have immediate effects on your game by finding ways around the sticking points in your
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▶ 152 - Controlling the Adrenaline Dump with Shane Fazen from Fight Tip
This is an important episode because it's all about managing the adrenaline dump and the fight or flight reflex. Shane Fazen from Fight Tips and I talk about what fight or flight feels like, what you
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▶ 151 - Concept of What's the Score to Know When and How to Attack!
How do you know when to attack? It's actually pretty simple math!! In this episode I share the what's the score concept that I learned from Rob Biernacki. At any given point in time both you and you
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▶ 150 - Sparring to Win; How to Train Effectively with Smaller People S
In this short rant I talk about 3 or 4 training methods you can use when sparring someone significantly smaller than you so that you BOTH come out winners! These methods also apply, to some degree, to
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▶ 149 - Martial Artist and Clinical Neuropsychologist David Brown
David Brown has spent many decades studying and teaching martial arts, including Muay Thai and Wing Chun. He's also a clinical neuropsychologist which gives him a unique insight into the mindset at wo
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▶ 148 - Environmental Awareness and Dirty Fighting with Alex Kask
In a self defense situation you have to have a high level of environmental awareness to keep track of multiple attackers, improvised weapons, escape routes, etc. Today I'm joined by classical Japanese
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▶ 147 - Why Your Game Needs to Change Every 10 Years
If you're doing any kind of martial art - be it BJJ, MMA, Kickboxing, Taekwondo or whatever - then your game needs to evolve every decade to accommodate the changes in your body. I got this from the l
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▶ 146 - Dodging Polar Bears and Offshore Tides on Hudson Bay
A little trip down memory lane today. In my twenties I did an 82 day, 1600 mile solo canoe trip across the Canadian north. This is an account of the last 3 days of that journey, traveling along the da
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▶ 145 - What Really Happens When Traditional Martial Artists Spar for t
Sparring for the first time is always a shock, but especially for traditional martial artists who may have spent years perfecting their techniques in the air or against a compliant partner just to wat
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▶ 144 - The Battle to Make Aikido Functional with Rokas Leonavicius
I really enjoyed this conversation with Rokas Leonavicius, the European Aikido instructor who became famous on Youtube trying to make his aikido functional against resisting opponents. Find out about
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▶ 143 - Can You Still Train If You're Dealing with Knee Injury?
Can you still train if you have an injured knee? Well, it depends... Here are some solutions, tips and tricks for dealing with a bum knee in a BJJ or grappling setting.
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▶ 142, Self Defense and MMA Controversies with John Hacklemann
In this episode John Hacklemann discusses the Conor McGregor bus attack, training Chuck Liddell, differences between MMA and self defense, the single most important thing you can do to stay safe on th
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▶ 141 - What Getting Smashed in Kiteboarding Taught Me About Learning B
I was recently dragged through the waves, under the water and then lifted up into the air while trying to figure out the sport of kiteboarding, and figured out that there is one hell of a learning cur
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▶ 140 - BJJ Specific Exercises, Supplements and Conditioning Routines w
I talk with personal trainer and BJJ black belt Ben Zhuang going DEEP into the supplements, exercises, and conditioning protocols, and recovery procedures to help with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and other gr
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▶ 139 - BJJ is a Martial Art First and a Martial Sport Second!
There are many reasons to train BJJ - fitness, camaraderie, having fun, taking on a challenge, spiritual development, learning to deal with challenges, wanting to compete - but at its core, Brazilian
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▶ 138 - National Football League Yoga Instructor Jessica Huneycutt
Jessica Huneycutt is the yoga instructor for the New Orleans Saints National Football League team. In this episode we go deep into how Yoga and other techniques are used at an elite level to help athl
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▶ 137 - Riccardo Ammedolia, BJJ Analyst Extraordinaire
In this episode I talk withRiccardo Ammedolia, BJJ black belt under the Mendes Brothers, ADCC commentator, and worldwide jiu-jitsu ambassador. We talked about training in Brazil, rolling with Rafa Men
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▶ 136 - The Differences between 'Sport' and 'Self Defense' BJJ
In this (likely controversial) episode I argue that thedifferences between 'self defense' and 'sport' jiu-jitsu have largely been exaggerated. The real magic of jiu-jitsu is in training against resist
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▶ 135 - How Muay Thai Fighters, Karateka and Boxers Make Themselves Mor
In this episode I discuss the different forms of exhalation and 'kiai' used in various martial arts, ranging from Thai Boxing to Kajukenbo Karate to traditional Japanese Ju-Jutsu. Then I break down th
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▶ 134 - Conditioning for Combat Sports with Jason Kapnick
In this episode I talk with elite powerlifter, kettlebell instructor and BJJ practitioner Jason Kapnick about conditioning program design, building a balanced body, functional movement screening, inju
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▶ 133 - Can You Learn from Seminars?
Today, should you go to seminars, can you learn from seminars, and the funniest thing I ever saw at a seminar...
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▶ 132 - Twelve BJJ Black Belts Give Their Best Advice for People Starti
This episode is just a little different! Today 12 BJJ black belts give their single best piece of advice for people just starting out in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. White belts looking for tips and help with
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▶ 131 - Kirik Jenness of The Underground Forum
I loved this talk with Kirik Jenness who is mayor for life of the underground forum atmixedmartialarts.com, the author of The Fighter's Notebook,the official records keeper for mixed martial arts, and
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▶ 130 - Pro-tip: How to Improve Your Chokes in Just 10 Seconds
In this short episode I share a tip I learned from Elliott Bayev that'll simultaneously allow you to finish way more people with your chokes but also stop you from completely burning out your arms, le
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▶ 129 - Training with Dan Severn, Saving Jiu-Jitsu, and Training Around
Dan was bitten by the MMA bug after watching UFC 4; soon he was training with Dan Severn and learning all he could about wrestling, jiu-jitsu, fighting and MMA. Many miles and multiple black belts lat
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▶ 128 - Can Kung Fu, BJJ and MMA Coexist? A conversation with mantis bo
A conversation with Kung Fu stylist (and BJJ brown belt) Randy Brown that included the history of Chinese martial arts and what made them less effective over time, what traditional martial arts look l
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▶ 127 - Why Techniques Never Work on the Day They're Shown (and How to
OK, so you've just learned a cool new technique that you're pretty sure is the Kryptonite you need to defeat your hardest sparring partner. But then you crash and burn when you try it out in sparring
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▶ 126 - Killer Waves and Night Time Rescues with Coast Guard Rescue Swi
Really enjoyed this chat with Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Donald Lipscomb. We went into detail about rescuing people from capsized ships, the selection process with a 90% attrition rate, and the traini
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▶ 125 - Reilly Bodycomb on Sambo, Leglocks and Competition
Loved this interview with Reilly Bodycomb. Reilly is a Russian sambo and leglock expert who has competed in a TON of different rulesets including BJJ, no gi submission grappling, MMA, Sambo, and wrest
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▶ 124 - My Interview on the Cody Jitsu Podcast
This is a fun episode: instead of me doing the interviewing the tables get turned and I get grilled by Cody from the Codyjitsu podcast. We covered tons of stuff including my martial arts background, h
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▶ 123 - What To Do When You're On the Bottom, Getting Crushed, and Unab
One of the very worst things is to be trapped on the bottom with all your opponent’s weight on top of you and be unable to breathe. This is usually followed by exhaustion, panic and surrender. But it
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▶ 122 - How to Blast Through Physical Setbacks When Your Training Gets
How to deal with the super-frustrating but ultimately inevitable physical setbacks, limitations and injuries when you're doing a contact sport. Hint: it will ALWAYS be two steps forward, one step back
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▶ 121 - Police Combatives with Lt Kevin Dillon (ret) - Survival
I really enjoyed talking to Lieutenant Kevin Dillon (ret) who served for 25 years as a police officer, SWAT team member, and detective commander before moving on to become a full time trainer for poli
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▶ 120 - Nick 'Chewy' Albin from Chewjitsu on BJJ, Wrestling, MMA and Mo
Chewy (aka Nick Albin) is well known for the BJJ advice he gives on his prolific Youtube Chewjitsu channel, so I was thrilled to have him on the podcast. It's a great chat and we cover a ton of materi
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▶ 119 - A Trick for Beating Exhaustion When You Roll or Compete
Getting tired when you're rolling sucks. And it's even worse when you're competing; you can't breathe, you go into survival mode, your plans goes out the window and life starts sucking. In this episod
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▶ 118 - Tips for Minimising Injuries and Maximising Recovery
To get better fast in any sport you have to be able to train hard, which means minimising injuries and maximising your recovery. In this episode I give you some of my best tips to accomplish both of t
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▶ 117 - The Huge Difference Between Knowing a Technique and Being Able
In this rant I go off about so-called 'technique collectors', which are martial artists who memorise 35 different variations of a technique but are unable to execute ANY of those variations against a
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▶ 116 - Should You Pull Guard in BJJ Competition or Not?
Should you pull guard in BJJ competition or fight doggedly for the takedown. You'll get some answers to this perennial question in my conversation about pulling guard with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki
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▶ 115 - Stephan Talks With 8th Degree Black Belt Carlos Machado
Loved talking to jiu-jitsu pioneer Carlos Machado about all things BJJ. His love for the art and experience in the sport comes through at every second. I hope you get as much out of this interview as
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▶ 114 - Should You Stretch Before or After a Workout, a Controversial T
You wouldn't think that something like stretching before a workout could be controversial, but it is. Some evidence and experts suggest that you should only do itafteryour workout, whereas most tradit
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▶ 113 - A Close Call on the Mat, and 3 Takeaways for Avoiding Injuries!
The other day I almost tore a partner’s ACL off the bone, which would have required him to have surgery and many months of rehabilitation. What happened exactly? I was more experienced and a bit bigge
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▶ 112 - A Live Q&A Session with Stephan Kesting
Today's episode comes from a Q&A session I did on Instagram live (@stephan_kesting) and gave the answers to a ton of BJJ and training topics including... 05:00 - When I started training BJJ 06:56 - Is
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▶ 111 - Kettlebell Conditioning with Jason C Brown
This is a great episode with a ton of relevant and useful tips for combat athletes! Jason C. Brown shares a ton of information about kettlebell conditioning for jiu-jitsu and other martial arts includ
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▶ 110 - Training with World Champions, with Rob Biernacki
It started so well! First Rob Biernacki and I discuss The Last Jedi and training with ADCC championYuri Simoes and World ChampionCaio Terra. Then things went off the rails and we pissed off leftists,
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▶ 109 - Keep It Simple Stupid! The KISS Principle in Self Defense...
What would the boxer Vasyl Lomachenko do if he caught you macking on his girlfriend? Well, I don't think it would involve any elaborate footwork or strategies... It's fun to make things complicated in
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▶ 108 - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs Traditional Japanese Jujutsu with Alex K
I think you'll really like this episode! In it I talk with Alex Kask who is a traditional Japanese Takeuchi-ryu Ju-Jutsu teacher but also no stranger to modern Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. We go deep into the
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▶ 107 - Extreme Kiteboarder Jack Rieder
I really enjoyed this chat with kiteboarder and extreme athlete Jack Rieder (in part because I'm dying to try kiteboarding myself). Here's just a bit of what we talked about... 1:10 - What is kiteboar
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▶ 106 - Top Five Martial Arts Nutrition Tips for the New Year
The Christmas binge is over and it's time to take control of your diet again! In this short episode I give you my top five pieces of advice for cleaning up your diet and not sabotaging your training w
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▶ 105 - Matt Thornton on Conor McGregor, Skepticism and Aliveness in th
Matt Thornton is the founder of Straight Blast Gym, the organisation that produced Conor McGregor. He's also a skeptic with many harsh words for traditional martial arts and traditional training metho
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▶ 104 - Why You Have To Grapple (And How To Get Good At It As Fast As P
Why training in the martial arts without including some form of grappling is stupid, and what are the key positions, techniques and transitions you need to learn first in order to get good as fast as
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▶ 103 - Forget New Year's Eve Resolutions; If It's The Right Thing to D
I really mean it: DON'T wait until New Year's Eve to start making the changes you know should happen! Waiting will only make things more difficult. To prove my point I drag Genghis Khan, Julius Caeser
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▶ 102 - Becoming a Firefighter with Battalion Chief Ken Johnson, 34 Yea
When you retire, all you want those guys you worked with to say about you is: God, he was a good firefighter! Loved sitting down with Battalion Chief of Training Ken Johnson (ret) to talk about rece
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▶ 101 - My Twitter Q&A: Talking Cryotherapy, Self Defense, Heel Hooks a
Loved doing this massive Q&A! What I did was take the time to more fully answer questions that I had first addressed in 140 characters on my first Twitter AMA (Ask Me Anything). Follow me on Twitter w
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▶ 100 - Optimal BJJ Training and Recovery with Sean McHugh
I've known and trained with black belt Sean McHugh for 16 years, so I was super-stoked to have him on the podcast. We covered a lot of important material including How to train your training partners
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▶ 099 - How to Motivate Yourself to Train
In this episode I share one of my best tips to get your butt on the mat or in the gym, indicators for when it's NOT time to push, as well as a cautionary tale of when an MMA training session went too
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▶ 098 - Why Do So Few BJJ Gyms Teach Takedowns?
Are takedowns important even though so few BJJ gyms teach them, and can you get away with never training them if your focus is competition? And what about self defense? This are questions I answereddu
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▶ 097 - A Q&A About Training BJJ for Older Grapplers
In this episode I answer questions and share some tips and tricks for training in BJJ as an older grappler. How often should you train? How can you recover faster? Should you also do weight training a
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▶ 096 - Lessons Learned from 19 Different World Champions, with Mike Ze
In this episode BJJ and Judo black belt shares some of the lessons, commonalities, and differences he's seen from working one-on-one with 19 BJJ, Judo and ADCC world champions. Do they all train the s
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▶ 095 - Increasing Mobility for Jiu-Jitsu
Some quick thoughts about improving the different forms of 'mobility' for jiu-jitsu, both in terms of movement on the ground, and joint mobility, from a recent Instagram Live Q&A. You can find me on I
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▶ 094 - Carnage and Survival in South Africa with Coach Rodney King
WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and is definitely not suitable for children. In this episode I talk with boxing and BJJ coach Rodney King about the epidemic of violence
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▶ 093 - Testing Techniques and Avoiding Cults; The Critical Concept of
In this rant I go off about the importance of critical thinking, and include examples from the martial arts, business and life. Somehow I try to wrap things up by bringing the Heaven's Gate cult and t
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▶ 092 - How Violent Was Our History, Really? A Conversation with Daniel
I love this episode where I talked with historian Daniele Bolelli. In it we talked about a huge number of topics including... His process of researching and producing History on Fire, one of the leadi
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▶ 091 - The Strange Connection Between Business, Entrepreneurship & Jiu
It's amazing how many high level entrepreneurs also enjoy the challenge of jiu-jitsu! In this episode Jack Wilkinson and I explore this connection, as well as going down many other rabbit holes... 00:
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▶ 090 - Finding the Most Effective Techniques with the 80/20 Principle
In this episode I argue that you should start by teaching and learning the most effective, most proven, highest percentage techniques first. And I share a useful thought experiment that should quickly
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▶ 089 - Clinton Davies, the Blind Wrestler and Grappler Who Takes on th
In this episode I talk with the amazing Clinton Davies, the blind wrestler who is a 10 time New Zealand national champion who competes against sighted opponents. Clinton has also had a very successful
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▶ 088 - Three time Judo Olympian and BJJ Black Belt Travis Stevens
In this episode Travis Stevens, 3 x Judo Olympian, Olympic silver medalist, and BJJ black belt goes deep into his training regimen. You'll learn why and how he does 5 or 6 workouts a day, what the str
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▶ 087 - The Brazilian jiu-jitsu Question and Answer Episode
In this episode I try to answer as many questions as possible from my email newsletter readers, including whether BJJ gameplans really are for everyone (3:30), how to pace yourself against the young g
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▶ 086 - BJJ World Champion Bernardo Faria on Surviving Adversity & Kidn
I LOVED talking to Bernardo Faria, 5 time BJJ world champion, about his getting 'kidnapped' in the Philippines, reflections on ADCC 2017, the toughest guys he has ever rolled with, whether you can get
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▶ 085 - Tips and Tricks for Transitioning from Gi to No Gi with Ritchie
No gi grappling is very popular these days, and a lot of people find making the transition from training with the gi to training without it tricky and difficult. In this episode Ritchie Yip and I go o
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▶ 084 - Three Steps to Overcoming Training Plateaus
In this short episode we talk about why training plateaus are actually more frustrating than training slumps, plus I share 3 concrete steps to bust out of a plateau and get back to getting better!
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▶ 083 - The World's Fastest Firefighter Jamie McGarva and His Training
I really like this episode because we got the chance to go DEEP into the training routine of the world's fastest firefighter, Jamie McGarva. Jamie has held numerous titles for the Firefighter Combat C
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▶ 082 - A BJJ School Where Visiting Students Can Train For Free?
In this episode I talk with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki about gratitude and how that has shaped his visiting student program where people can train with him for free. And, because it's Rob and I, we
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▶ 081 - Post Deathmarch Breakdown and Analysis with Eva Schubert
In this episode Eva Schubert and I discuss our semi-annual 30 horizontal mile and 3 vertical mile 'Deathmarch' through the British Columbia mountains on the 'Kneeknacker Route' and why four was just n
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▶ 080 - When In Your Training Should You Start Learning Leglocks?
What belt level should you start training leg locks at? It depends a little bit on what your goals are and whether you're doing gi or no gi, but it's a lot sooner than you think EVEN if you're competi
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▶ 079 - What's the Best Steel for a Knife with Zoltan Schubert
There is so much information (and misinformation) about knives out there that it's easy to get confused. In this episode I talk with metal professional and knife collector Zoltan Schubert and we break
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▶ 078 - Ueli Steck, the Best Mountaineer in the World, and Launch of Th
In this episode I give The Grapplearts Radio Podcast a new dimension. In addition to talking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts and Submission Grappling we're also going to start featuring people
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▶ 077 - Should You Train When You're Really Tired?
I trainedBJJ today despite being fresh off the plane, jet lagged and exhausted, so it seemed like a good day to tackle today's topic, namelywhether you should train on those days when you're so tired
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▶ 076 - Mayweather vs McGregor, Don't Waste Your Money!
In this mini-episode I talk FloydMayweather vs Conor McGregor with Ritchie Yip, and we both come to the same conclusion about betting on this fight. Listen to this episode before you put money down on
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▶ 075 - How to Train When There's No School Close to You
You want to train martial arts but there isn't a good school anywhere nearby, so what are your options? Here is my best advice on how you can still learn, still train, and still get good!
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▶ 074 - Rob Biernacki and an 80/20 Analysis of the Leglock Game in Mode
An 80/20 analysis of the leglocking game based onhigh level no gi competition, leglock safety, how to learn BJJ efficiently, best practises when teaching jiu-jitsu, and a ton more with BJJ black belt
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▶ EP 073 - What's Better for Self Defense: Striking or Grappling?
If you could only do one which would be better for self defense: striking or grappling? The answer is grappling of course, but the reasons why might surprise you...
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▶ 072 Roadhouse never happens, Bouncer Chad Skands on Managing Chaos at
Longtime bouncer Chad Skands talks about managing multiple attacker scenarios, continuing to think and use your brain in a critical situation, the right way to deescalate situations, and why ripping s
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▶ 071 - Stephan Answers BJJ and Training Questions
What would I do differentas a white belt if I could go back in time? What are the best guards that go together with the butterfly guard? Can you become an elite level grappler if you have both a job a
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▶ 070 - How to Pick a Good BJJ School
This is an important episode because in it I talk about how to find a BJJ instructor and school that'll work for you and how to avoid ending up at a school where you'll end up getting hurt or wasting
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▶ 069 - Three Techniques for Dealing with Fear in Competition or a Stre
In this episode I talk about the concrete steps you can take to control your fear and harness the power of the adrenaline dump that comes with the fight of flight reflex. Properly used this power turn
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▶ 068 - Staying in Jiu-Jitsu Shape on the Road
Recorded right after my hotel room workout, this episode talks about the 3 things you need to do to stay in jiu-jitsu shape when you're travelling so you don't suck as bad when you get back to your re
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▶ 067 - Matt Kwan on the No Gi Competition Landscape
This is a great conversation I had with no gi competitor Matt Kwan in which we covered everything from dominationof leglocksin the modern no gi grappling environment, to the influence of rule sets in
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▶ 066 - How Do You Make a Technique Functional Against a Real Opponent
Regardless of whether you train BJJ, MMA or a self-defense oriented martial art you're faced with the same dilemma: how do you take a technique you're shown in class and actually make it work against
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▶ 065 - Is Martial Arts Training for Everyone with Sensei Ando Mierzwa
I think you'll like this one: in this episode I speak with Ando Mierzwa (Sensei Ando) who is a black belt inTae Kwon Do and Kung Fu San Soo with extensive experience inBJJ, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate
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▶ 064 - Rant: Your Instructor Does NOT Know Everything!
In this rant I take onthe 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
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▶ 063 - UFC Fighter on Alan Belcher on Cutting Weight, Facing the Scari
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 fi
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▶ 062 - It's NOT About the Bloody Belt!
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
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▶ 061 - The Steps for Getting Back to Training After an Injury
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 exactl
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▶ 060 - Can You Learn Martial Arts with Only One Class Per Week?
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 a
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▶ 059 - What's The Most Efficient Cardio For When You Have No Time?
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 us
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▶ 058 - Pshemek Drabczynski on BJJ Sports Specific Strength and Conditi
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, anda physical conditioning guru. In this episode
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▶ 057 - Rant: Great and Horrible Days on the Mat
A few days ago I had a great training session, and then today I had a bad one. Here's whyI didn't get too excited or bothered by either one, and why you shouldn't either!
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▶ 056 - Stephan Kesting vs Budo Jake; Training around the World, Advice
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 theevolution of Japanese ju-jutsu into BJJ, getting choked
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▶ 055 - Stephan on the 'Spartan Underground' with James 300 Foster
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 yo
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▶ 054 - Should You Still Train If You're Getting Sick?
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...
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▶ 053 - Daniele Bolelli on Eye Gouging, MMA, and a Jujutsu President
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 ahist
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▶ 052 - Rant: Why the 'Too Deadly to Spar' Myth is Total B.S.
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'swhy that's the ca
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▶ 051 - BJJ After 50 with the Black Belt Wrassling Rabbi Mordecai Finle
You'll like this episode! In it I talk with 62 yr oldBJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley(the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a hea
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▶ EP 050 - The Real Reason Why You Should Train in Martial Arts
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 the
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▶ EP 049: BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster
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 Ka
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▶ EP 048: The Filipino Martial Arts, Self Defense and Jarlo Ilano
Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparringwith sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express it
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▶ EP 047: Rant - 15 Years in Prison for a Single Punch KO?
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
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▶ EP 046: Rant About The 3 Essential Components of Every Martial Art
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
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▶ EP 045: Brazil, BJJ, and MMA with Black Belt Jeff Meszaros
This is a fun conversation about BJJ, Judo and MMA withJeff 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
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▶ EP 044: How to Stay Fit When You're Crazy Busy
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 distanc
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▶ EP 043: The Training and Conditioning Routines of 5 x BJJ World Champ
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
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▶ EP 042: Rant About Why Most New BJJ Techniques Won't Work For You
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 iftechniques don't mesh withyour current game then e
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▶ EP 041: Stephan Rants About Overtraining in the Martial Arts
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 experi
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▶ 040 - Stephan Kesting and Ritchie Yip
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 g
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▶ 039 - BJJ and Adversity, and What to Do When Your Mind Goes Blank
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 g
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▶ 038 - Training When You Have No Time to Train
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. Andif you're alsotrying to squeeze regu
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▶ 037 - Does MMA Make You Stupid?
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 hav
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▶ 036 - BJJ Q&A with Rob Biernacki
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.
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▶ 035 - Kurt Osiander, The Barbarian of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu...
Stephan interviews Kurt Osiander, a BJJ black belt under Ralph Gracie known for his no BS communication style and his informative Youtube instructional videos. Old school Ralph Gracietraining tactics
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▶ 034 - Rob Biernacki on The Underlying Principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jit
I talk with Rob Biernacki, a friend, BJJ black belt, and contributor to Grapplearts (see the videos and articles he's been involved with here). This is a fun, opinionated conversation in which I'm sur
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▶ 033 - Eddie 'Wolverine' Cummings on Leglocks, Leglocks, Leglocks
Eddie 'Wolverine' Cummings talks with Stephan Kesting about leglocks, including why the heel hook is one of the most powerful submissions in BJJ, how to train them safely, and how to apply them correc
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▶ 032 - BJJ Blackbelt Jeff Rockwell on Self Defense and Training for th
Direct from Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Ichat with BJJ black belt Jeff Rockwell about: How certain techniques are 'discovered' again and again What the basics are and why you need one tool for every range S
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▶ 031 - Gustavo Dantas on BJJ Sports Psychology
It's one thing to be beaten by a better opponent, but it's quite another to go out there and underperform... to do less than you know you're capable of. You can be in top shape and have your technique
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▶ 030 - The Second-Ever Grapplearts Q&A Podcast with Stephan Kesting
Thesecond-ever Grapplearts Radio Q&A format podcast. In this episode I answer questions frommy newsletterreadersandcover manytopics, including How to come back to BJJ training after an injury... and n
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▶ 029 - Jeff Westfall on Skepticism and the Martial Arts
Stephan Kesting interviews Jeff Westfall from The Martial Brain podcast. They discuss kata vs real training,chi power and other martial hoaxes, and the power of applying a skeptical mindset to learnin
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▶ 028 - Bernardo Faria, Double Gold Medallist at the 2015 BJJ Mundials
In this episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast Stephan Kesting talks with Bernardo Faria, the 2015 BJJ Mundials 99kg and Absolute division winner. Bernardo Faria talks about... How he won the World
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▶ 027 - UFC Fighter Roxanne Modaferri's MMA Comebacks and Continuing to
Stephan Kesting interviews Roxanne Modaferri about the differences between MMA training in Japan and the USA, continuing to improve after 12 years in the sport, snapping a 6 fight losing streak, and w
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▶ 026 - Steve Whittier on SBG's Drills for BJJ Excellence
Steve Whittier is a cool guy. He manages to combine both thoughtful analyses and controversial opinions into one eloquent package. In this interview we talked about lots of different BJJ and MMA rela
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▶ 025 - BJJ Beginner Tips with Ritchie Yip
BJJ Black Belts Ritchie Yip and Stephan Kesting have a wide-ranging discussion, centered around tips that BJJ beginners need to know. Material covered includes: Whether beginners should in their own c
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▶ 024 - Elliott Bayev on BJJ Gameplan Development; from Self Defense to
Here's a really cool video interview I did with my friend, BJJ blackbelt, renowned coach, and fierce competitor Elliott Bayev. This interview is special because we break down the steps of building a B
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▶ 023 - Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins on Making Your Jiu-Jitsu Smooth: Co
This is a really cool interview with my friend, black belt, and fierce competitor Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins. Brandon and I originally worked together to create the highly acclaimed instructional How
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▶ 022 - Adam Singer on The Nitty Gritty of Modern MMA Training & Compet
Stephan: I’m here today with my friend,Adam Singer, who runs The HardCore Gym in Athens, Georgia. He is probably best known for being Forrest Griffin’s MMA coach during the formative years of Forrest’
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▶ 021 - Scotty Nelson's BJJ Adventures Around the World
Stephan Kesting interviews Scott Nelson from On the Mat about the history and evolution of BJJ in North America. Along the way Scott shares some pretty crazy stories from his travels around the world.
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▶ 020 - Ritchie Yip on The Art and Science of Teaching Martial Arts
Want to find out how to be a more effective martial arts teacher? Stephan Kesting interviews BJJ black belt Ritchie Yip about the art and science of teaching martial arts. Lots of tips and tricks for
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▶ 019 - Clark Gracie on Training, Competing and Growing Up Gracie
Stephan talks with 2013 Pan American middlweight champion Clark Gracie about training, competition, growing up Gracie, and yes, that famous picture with the hair and the omoplata.
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▶ 018 - John Perreti and The Secrets of MMA Matchmaking
Stephan interviews John Perretti, the matchmaker for the early UFC and the EFC (Extreme Fighting Championship). He put together some of the most iconic matches in the UFC before Zuffa took it over in
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▶ 017 - Rafael Lovato Jr on Training for High Level BJJ Competition
Stephan Kesting interviews Rafael Lovato Jr, one of the most successful North American BJJ competitors. They discuss technique, mindset, training, conditioning, and the keys to being successful in com
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▶ 016 - Philip Gelinas, Black Belt Hall of Fame Member
Stephan Kesting interviews one of his most influential teachers, 9th degree Kajukenbo black belt and Black Belt Hall of Famer Philip Gelinas. Topics include the evolution of Georges St Pierre, the rel
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▶ 015 - Burton Richardson on Training and Performing under Pressure
Wantto be an effective martial artist? Burton Richardson talks about training and performing under pressure in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and Full Contact Stickfighting. Plus he shares lessons learned
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▶ 014 - Keenan Cornelius on training, competition, and a life in BJJ
Keenan Cornelius is a BJJ phenomenon. Having won double gold medals at four of the biggest IBJJF tournaments - The World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Pan-American Championship, European Open Championship,
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▶ 013 - Roy Dean on BJJ, Judo, Aikido, and Path of the Martial Artist
Proof that a serious BJJ competitor can still be classy; Roy Dean talks with Stephan Kesting about BJJ, Judo, Aikido, and Path of the Martial Artist. Roy Dean hasblack belts in kodokan judo and aikika
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▶ 012 - BJJ World Champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins on Training & Co
How do you go from being the smallest person in the class to a BJJ world champion!This is a really interesting interview with my friend Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins. I first polled the Grapplearts.com
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▶ 011 - Vinicius 'Draculino' Magalhães on Surfing, Beach Fights and the
Vinicius 'Draculino' talks with Stephan Kesting about how surfing beach fights brought him into jiu-jitsu, what it was like training with the top Gracie and Machado fighters in Rio in the 1980's, and
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▶ 010 - The Very First Grapplearts Q&A Podcast with Stephan Kesting
Answers for your BJJ questions! Stephan takes questions from his newsletter readers in the first ever Q&A Podcast. Find out how how to taper for competition, what to do when you're getting crushed all
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▶ 009 - The Intersection Between BJJ, Submission Grappling and MMA with
Ryan Hall is one of North America's most prolific competitors in BJJ and Submission Grappling. In this in-depth interview with Stephan Kesting he shares tips on training, competing, the 50-50 guard, t
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▶ 008 - Adrenaline Dumps, Fear Management and Combat Psychology with To
Want to find out more about the psychology of combat? Tony Blauer is the head of Blauer Tactical Systems which specializes in close quarter tactics & scenario-based training for law enforcement, milit
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▶ 007 - Female MMA with Sarah Kaufmann
Sarah Kaufmann, the UFC fighter and former Strikeforce champion, talks about training, competing and the role of women in MMA
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▶ 006 - Judo for BJJ, 2009 Judo Olympian Daniel McCormick in conversati
Daniel McCormick, the 2008 US National Judo Champion and 2009 Judo Olympian, talks about his Olympic experience, training BJJ, and judo for bjj or how exactly how Judo can be adapted to be effective
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▶ 005 - A Woman's Perspective on the Journey to Black Belt - Emily Kwok
Emily Kwok is a BJJ black belt, a decorated BJJ competitor and runs her own school in Princeton, New Jersey. In this interview she talks about how and why she abandoned a conventional white collar lif
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▶ 004 - Old School BJJ - Marcus Soares on training with Carlson Gracie
7th degree black belt Marcus Soares takes us to Rio in the 70's and 80's on a narrated stroll through BJJ history. Find out about the legendary Carlson Gracie, the fighter, the teacher and founder of
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▶ 003 - MMA Training and Coaching - Erik Paulson
Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he also held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. In t
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▶ 002 - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About BJJ Competition - Davi
Learn the best BJJ competition strategies. Today I have a long chat with David Meyer, the author of Training for Competition; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling. We cover WHO should compet
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▶ 001 - George St Pierre's MMA Conditioning Coach - John Chaimberg
Want to find out how UFC champion George St. Pierre's gets in shape? Let's ask his conditioning coach, Jon Chaimberg. Find out about the training program that's helped GSP stay at the top of his game
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▶ 268 - Opening Jiu-Jitsu Up Again During Covid-19, with Dr Chris Moria
Chris Moriarty is a doctor, a competitor, and a BJJ black belt. His 6 step procedure for reopening academies is available at grapplearts.com/openingupbjj 0:00:00 Introduction 0:00:56 Chris Moriarty's
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▶ 267 - Joel Gerson on the Biggest Upset in Japanese Shooto History
On March 1st, 1998 unknown Canadian fighter Joel Gerson defeated superstar Rumina Sato in Shooto, Japan's oldest MMA promotion. Even more astounding was that this was basically Joel's first fight. We
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▶ 266 - ADCC and IBJJF World Champion Yuri Simoes on Switching to MMA
Yuri Simoes is a two time ADCC World Championship, a two-time IBJJF black belt Absolute No-Gi World Champion, and a two-time Pan American Champion. In our chat we go deep into developing the motivatio
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▶ 265 - Five BJJ Training Strategies During Coronavirus Lockdown
Coronavirus has most of the BJJ world locked down and it sucks. I get it: you desperately want to get back on the mats and train. Here are 5 strategies to keep your head in the game and prevent you fr
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▶ 264 - Jiu-Jitsu Saved My Life, with Jamie Kilstein
In this episode I talk with BJJ brown belt and Joe Rogan approved professional comedian about how jiu-jitsu saved his life, ways to stay positive during the coronavirus lockdown, tribalism and much mo
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▶ 263 - Sports Psychology for Dummies, with Dr Leif H. Smith
Dr Leif H. Smith is the author of 'Sports Psychology for Dummies' and in this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast he shares his very best tips for developing mental toughness, managing fear, not cho
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▶ 262 - DON'T TRAIN. BJJ in the Era of Coronavirus
Moments ago I recorded a podcast with Raf from The Verbal Tap Podcast about what grapplers and martial artists should do during the coronavirus and COVID 19 outbreak and I'm sharing that with you now.
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▶ 261 - What I Learned Testing BJJ Against Multiple Attackers
What's your best strategy vs multiple opponents? Can Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu be part of that strategy. I gave my answer to this during an Instagram and Tiktok live session that I did recently. I'm sure it
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▶ 260 - Ultrarunning in the Himalayas with Scott Loughney
In today's episode I talk to Scott Loughney about an incredible 640 km ultrarunning challenge in the highest mountain range of the world. Scott together with Ryan Wagner and Upendra Sunuwar successful
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▶ 259 - Elite No Gi Training and Competition with Oliver Taza
Oliver Taza trains at Tristar in Montreal with Firas Zahabi and at Renzo Gracie's in New York City with John Danaher. With his impeccable technique and aggressive grappling style he has amassed an imp
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▶ 258 - What Can Be Measured Can Be Improved - Quantification for Bette
Peter Drucker, the godfather of modern business management, once said, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Now I don’t think that Peter Drucker did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (or any other form of mar
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▶ 257 - Finding Your Optimal Way to Train BJJ - With Jon Thomas
In this conversation BJJ black belt Jon Thomas and I go deep into training and drilling methodologies that give you results as fast as possible. Jon is originally from the US but teaches at a school i
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▶ 256 - Twelve Ideas To Make Your Guard Much Harder to Pass
Rory Van Vliet and I go deep into the 12 most important concepts to make your guard very hard to pass. Counterintuitively these concepts will also help your guard passing, because now you'll understan
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▶ 255 - How to Become a Green Beret, with Zack Hughes
Zach Hughes was a US Special Forces Green Beret who served in Afghanistan until he was injured by an RPG during an attack. In this episode we go deep into the selection and training process that speci
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▶ 254 - Competitions vs Training Strategies
There’s an old saying that goes… “Don’t do what’s best for you. Instead do what’s worst for your opponent.” There’s a lot of truth there. In a competition your odds of victory go way up if you can pre
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▶ 253 - Training Brock Lesnar for the UFC, with Coach Greg Nelson
A deep dive into designing and running MMA fight camps, how to mix striking with wrestling and jiu-jitsu, conditioning for fights, and much more with Greg Nelson. Greg has trained many MMA and UFC fig
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▶ 252 - The Five Most Important BJJ Skills for Self Defense and Survivi
Here are the 5 most important skills you can learn from BJJ that'll keep you safer in real confrontations against bigger, stronger, and adrenalized opponents! Download this rant as an illustrated PDF
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▶ 251 - Gameplan Development and Learning New Techniques
In this Q&A I cover gameplan development, what to do about training partners figuring out your game, how to find a good gym, whether loyalty to your instructor always a good thing, how sparring is the
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▶ 250 - BJJ for Law Enforcement and Corrections with Rory Van Vliet
Rory is a corrections officer with a ton of experience in other branches of law enforcement. He's also a very skilled BJJ black belt at Island Top Team under Rob Biernacki. In this chat we go into dep
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▶ 249 - 3 Strategies to Break Through Sticking Points in 2020
Sticking points and plateaus are inevitable if you train - here are 3 strategies you can use to smash on through to the other side in 2020. Have a great Christmas and New Year's! Stephan
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▶ 248 - On the value of BJJ Competition, with Thomas Lisboa
A fun conversation with BJJ black belt Thomas Lisboa about why testing yourself occasionally in competition gives you things that you just can't get from regular training, how Brazilian black belts us
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▶ 247 - The Range Battles Within Guard That Determine Success or Failur
The guard is the most important position in BJJ, and if you understand the multiple ranges and range battles that occur within this position then your ability to both pass the guard and defend against
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▶ 246 - The Four Coaches a Modern Martial Artist Needs
The days of learning from just one instructor if you're a serious martial artist are over. Nowadays you need at least four different coaches... Check out my latest BJJ instructional, The Guard Retenti
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▶ 245 - Can You Crosstrain in BJJ and Traditional Martial Arts At the S
I sit down with Japanese ju-jutsu black belt Alex Kask to discuss the benefits, pitfalls and procedures for training in traditional systems and in modern BJJ at the same time. Both Alex and I have ext
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▶ 244 - The 10 Most Nutritious Foods, with Nick Hiebert from The Nutriv
This was a fascinating conversation with Nick Hiebert who has done a ton of research into the nutrient density of different foods. In this talk we look at the all time greatest, most nutrient dense fo
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▶ 243 - If I Don't Know, I Won't Allow! A Strategy for When Things Get
I think you'll like this one, because I share a fighting strategy that comes from Roberto Leitão, the godfather of Luta Livre who has trained fighters like Jose Aldo, Pedro Rizzo and Marco Ruas. I als
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▶ 242 - A Roadmap for BJJ, the Complete Audiobook (Free)
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) can seem incredibly complicated when you're first exposed to it. In this episode I explain the positional hierarchy, the underlying logic, and the method behind the madness o
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▶ 241 - Boxing vs BJJ in a Fight (plus Stephan's Epic Rant on Self Defe
In this podcast I answer a question I received on an Instagram Live Q&A about a boxing beating jiu-jitsu in a real streetfight. Then I go on an epic rant about the three specific things most BJJ guys
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▶ 240 - Pain is a Universal Language, with Endurance Athlete Mike McCas
Mike McCastle has accomplished some of the most amazing tasks of endurance I've ever heard of. In this episode we go deep into developing mental strength, maintaining commitment in the face of adversi
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▶ 239 - On Being Willing to Die in the Ring with Tristan Connelly, UFC
Tristan Connelly, fresh off his absolutely amazing underdog win over Michel Pereira in the UFC, talks with Stephan Kesting on The Strenuous Life Podcast. We went into detail about mindset, strategy an
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▶ 238 - Best Tips for Starting to Spar Full Contact
Sparring is just as essential in the striking arts as it is in the grappling arts, but the addition of percussive trauma raises the stakes and makes safety the single most important consideration. In
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▶ 237 - Survive First and Win Later - Timeless Jiu-Jitsu Wisdom
Survive first, win later was one of the very first pieces of advice I ever received in jiu-jitsu. It helped me then and it still helps me now, both on and off the mat. I hope this mentality helps yo
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▶ 236 - The Mad Scientist of Strength, Chris Duffin
I talk with Chris Duffin, one of the most elite powerlifters in the world, about his absolutely inspiring journey from a childhood spent in poverty to becoming one of the strongest men on the planet.
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▶ 235 - Training Doesn't Make You Stronger; It's All In the Recovery St
You can train super hard and kick the crap out of your body but that doesn't make you stronger - it's only after you RECOVER from training that the benefits of training manifest themselves. Too many a
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▶ 234 - How to Get More Submissions with Rob Biernacki
How to get more chokes, armlocks and leglocks in BJJ with Rob Biernacki. We break down a 6 step submission formula that will allow you to hit more submissions on good people, even if they're bigger an
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▶ 233 - Breathing Your Way Through Cancer and Other Emergencies with Je
Jessica is the yoga coach to the New Orleans Saints. She helps NFL players put themselves back together after the relentless abuse of games and training. And she also does BJJ which means she's doubly
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▶ 232 - One Thing to Do Right Now So You'll Still Be Training in 10 Yea
BJJ is a fantastically fun sport that's also undeniably hard on the body. Here's my single biggest tip for people in their 30's and 40's who want to keep on training into their 50's and 60's If you're
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▶ No Days Off! (Or Should You Train Everyday?)
If you're serious about jiu-jitsu then should you train everyday? In answering this question I also give some real life examples of how to achieve any large, hairy, audacious goal, be that getting you
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▶ 230 - BJJ after 50 with the Black Belt Wrassling Rabbi Mordecai Finle
You'll like this episode! In it I talk with 62 yr oldBJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley(the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a hea
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▶ 229 - The Filipino Martial Arts, Self Defense and Jarlo Ilano
Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparringwith sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express it
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▶ 228 - Patience vs Speed of Implementation for Achieving Giant Dreams
This trip has been a looooong time in the making. In 1992, I had the idea that I wanted to do a 100 miles solo trip across Nuelton lake in 2014. There have been many challenges in my life, but this tr
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▶ 227 - A Scary Bear Encounter
Today was a very interesting day. I had just arrived at Nuelton lake. It is a huge lake that expands over 100km. I had heard there were some abandoned cabins along this lake. Every thing was left ther
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▶ 226 - 7 Tips For Maintaining Motivation
Do you ever find yourself struggling to start a task that you have been excited to do for so long? That is completely normal! We all have moments where we just cannot seem to find any motivation. In m
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▶ 225 - The Key to Pushing Yourself Harder
I am on day 12 of my 1000 miles solo journey and my body is starting to feel it. My mind is feeling foggier and my urges to rest are stronger. It is at this point where I need to remind myself of how
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▶ 224 - Never Stop Thinking, Even When You're Only Slogging Through a L
If you ever find yourself slogging through a lake like I did, here are some helpful tips and tricks on safety and navigation.
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▶ 223 - Why Go Alone?
When I told people I would be going on a solo expedition for a few weeks, most thought it was a strange thing to be traveling in complete solitude for so long. However, I think it is an important part
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▶ 222 - The Realities of Wilderness Travel
If you are watching someone document their expedition, you are likely only seeing their highlight reel. They would document their trekking over beautiful landscapes, setting up camp for the evening an
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▶ 221 - Brazil, BJJ and MMA with Jeff Meszaros
In this blast from the past, I have a fun conversation about BJJ, Judo and MMA with Jeff MEszaros, one of the guy si started training with 25 years ago! Self defense applications of BJJ, Russian team
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▶ 220 - What People Misunderstand About Following Your Dreams
It is day one of my canoe trip, and so far so good. Although some things were different than what I thought, my preparedness for this trip has left me feeling ready for almost any situation. People te
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▶ 219 - The Most Dangerous Part of MMA
On the one hand, I am a huge fan. I have been watching the UFC since its inauguration in 1993, and have enjoyed fights in Pride FC, Shooto, WEC and many other organizations. I have nothing but respect
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▶ 218 - One Easy Way to GUARANTEE Failure!
If you fail to plan, plan to fail. I am just about ready to leave for my 1000 mile journey to Hudson Bay. This is just a small glimpse at some of the planning I have had to do in order to survive all
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▶ 216 - Aikido vs BJJ with Roy Dean
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 al
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▶ 2017 - Why I'm Planning to do a 1,000 Mile Trip in the Arctic by Myse
This summer I am attempting to travel 1,000 miles in a canoe by myself in Canada's northern boreal forest and the barren lands of the eastern arctic. In this episode I talk about why I would ever want
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▶ 216 - How to Find a Good School to Train At
One of the most common questions I get is how to find a good school. This is a REALLY important issue, given that in your martial arts journey you'll potentially be spending thousands of hours trainin
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▶ 215 - Making Jiu Jitsu Smooth with Brandon Wolverine Mullins
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 evolu
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▶ 214 - Why You MUST Regularly Calibrate Your Skills Against People Bet
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
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▶ 213 - How I Survived a Kidney Transplant and Came Back Stronger
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 th
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▶ 212 - Scotty Nelson, the Original Gangster of Online BJJ Resources
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
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▶ 211 - Discipline and Leveraging the 'Have To' State with Brett Pipern
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 goin
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▶ 210 - It's the Ego, Stupid! How My Last BJJ Injury Was Totally Preven
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 s
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▶ 209 - Fighting Through Injury to Win Pan Am Gold with Vanessa Wexler
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
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▶ 208 - Should Martial Artists Condition Their Knuckles?
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 brea
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▶ 207 - Monty Collier, Technical Judo Instructor for John Wick 3
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 w
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▶ 206 - One-Armed BJJ, with Para-Athlete and Competitor Jess Munster
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
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▶ 205 - Coaching Lethwei, The Baddest Martial Art on the Planet, with P
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 thi
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▶ 204 - Mental Jiu-jitsu Breakthroughs with Tarsis Humphreys
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 opt
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▶ 203 - How to Become More Comfortable in No Gi Grappling
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 t
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▶ 202 - What to Do When You're Just Not Getting Better at BJJ
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
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▶ 201 - Kathy Hubble, Judo Champion and Professional Stuntwoman
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 injuredon set in a Jacky Chan a
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▶ 200 - Three Ways to Turn On Aggression in BJJ Matches
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 st
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▶ 199 - Jamie Flynn, British Special Forces Operator, Base Jumper, Wing
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 bodyguar
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▶ 198 - What It Really Takes to Be an Overnight Success (a Rant)
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
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▶ 197 - Reaching The State of 'Flow' in Martial Arts
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
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▶ 196 - Fitness, BJJ and Depression with Liz Beaver
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
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▶ 195 - Guard Passing Strategies and Tactics with Fabio Gurgel
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 approa
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▶ 194 -Fighting in the Octagon and the Battle Within with Eliot Marshal
Eliot Marshallis BJJ black belt and a former professional mixed MMA fighter who also appeared in Season 8 ofThe Ultimate Fighter show. In today's podcast we talk about how to run a successful BJJ scho
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▶ 193 - Sport-Specific Conditioning with Red Sullivan
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 physica
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▶ 192 - Three Key Steps to Successfully Sweeping and Submitting from Gu
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 o
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▶ 191 - When Strongman Training and BJJ Collide, with The Raspberry Ape
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
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▶ 190 - Neck Health with UFC Fighter, Mathematician and Osteopath Rosi
Rosi Sexton is a truerenaissance 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 Theoretica
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▶ 189 - Grappling Dummies and Other Tips to Train When You Can't Make I
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 l
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▶ 188 - The Philosophy of Sport with Daniel 'Philosograppler' Bohigian
Daniel Bohigian is aGuerrilla 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-jit
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▶ 187 - In Volume We Trust - Lessons from Ironman for BJJ, with Paul Ki
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 Lif
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▶ 186 - Attacked in the Street: Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Adam Nadow on his
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 wen
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▶ 185 - Training Predictions for the New Year; In 2019 You'll Be BOTH t
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
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▶ 184 - Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
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 imp
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▶ 183 - Canoeing Wild Rivers with Cliff Jacobson
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 Col
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▶ 182 - Training and Rehab for Stretching the Envelope with Dr Mark Che
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 te
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▶ 181 - Why is Sparring so Hard, and How Can You Do It Safely?
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,
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▶ 180 - When Should MMA Fighters Retire?
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 thi
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▶ 179 - Dietary Experiments Gone Bad, and Near Death on the Ketogenic D
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
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▶ 178 - The 5 Ranges Every Martial Artist Should Be Familiar With
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 artis
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▶ 177 - Mental and Physical Training for Championship Wrestling, with N
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 r
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▶ 176 - Guard Passing Strategies in BJJ with Stephan Kesting and Rob Bi
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
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▶ 175 - That Technique Used to Work Great, So Why Did You Stop Using It
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 th
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▶ 174 - Why Jiu-Jitsu is Best for Self Defense: Stephan on The Great Fl
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
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▶ 173 - Self Experimentation, Ketosis and Crazy Chicks
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 e
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▶ 172 - Martial Arts Frauds and Other Buffoons with McDojoLife
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 the
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▶ 171 - The Best Way to Train Those Super-Deadly Techniques for Self De
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
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▶ 170 - Why People Want to Believe Crazy Things, with the Genetically M
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, esse
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▶ 169 - Kata Is Useless for Combat, Prove Me Wrong, with Iain Abernathy
Iain Abernathy is an author, a7th 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,techni
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▶ 168 - Leadership When All Hell is Breaking Loose
Leadership is easy when things are going well,but is considerably more difficult whenall hell is breaking loose and the s**t is hitting the fan. In this episode we look at a common denominator of grea
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▶ 167 - Navy Seal Sniper JP Dinnell on Taking Action and Making It Happ
JP Dinnell spent nearly a decade in the SEAL teams, including serving withTask Unit Bruiser in Ramadi, Iraq, where he was a point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon. He worked with
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▶ 166 - Fabio Gurgel on What Makes a World Champion, Fighting NHB in Br
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 'T
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▶ 165 - How to Deal with Fear and Doubt with Ando Mierzwa
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,
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▶ 164 - Ice Climbing Niagara Falls in Winter with Will Gadd
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, clim
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▶ 163 - How to Cut Weight Safely with Ben Zhuang
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, effectivelyreplen
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▶ 162 - Broken Bones, Concussions and Full Contact Jousting with Shane
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 o
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▶ 161 - Sim Go and the Legacy of the Renegade 'Cobra Kai' Club in BJJ
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, r
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▶ 160 - Old School BJJ in the Early Days of the UFC with Andreh Anderso
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 (a
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▶ 159 - Seph Smith on BJJ, Combat Sambo, and Competition Mindset
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 prod
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▶ 158 - Are Kung Fu Forms and Karate Kata Useful for Fighting?
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
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▶ 157 - My Single Biggest Problem with Crossfit
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 combination
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▶ 156 - Survivorman Les Stroud
I'm STOKED that Survivorman Les Stroud came on the podcast today!!! We talked adventure, survival skills, navigating in the wilderness, the closest he's come to death while filming, work-life balance,
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▶ 155 - Walking the Tightrope Between Training and Recovery
How often and how hard to train are tricky questions. Too much hard training and you'll grind yourself into a pulp. Not enough hard training and you'll never reach your potential or expand the limits
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▶ 154 - What Makes Good Students, Teachers and BJJ Schools? Interview w
This was a neat interview I did with Emily Kwok from Princeton BJJ and star of the first How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent series. We focused on creating positive learning environments in B
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▶ 153 - Microdrilling to Improve Your BJJ Almost Instantly
How to improve your BJJ almost instantly. No, this isn't hyperbole; microdrilling is a training method that will have immediate effects on your game by finding ways around the sticking points in your
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▶ 152 - Controlling the Adrenaline Dump with Shane Fazen from Fight Tip
This is an important episode because it's all about managing the adrenaline dump and the fight or flight reflex. Shane Fazen from Fight Tips and I talk about what fight or flight feels like, what you
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▶ 151 - Concept of What's the Score to Know When and How to Attack!
How do you know when to attack? It's actually pretty simple math!! In this episode I share the what's the score concept that I learned from Rob Biernacki. At any given point in time both you and you
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▶ 150 - Sparring to Win; How to Train Effectively with Smaller People S
In this short rant I talk about 3 or 4 training methods you can use when sparring someone significantly smaller than you so that you BOTH come out winners! These methods also apply, to some degree, to
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▶ 149 - Martial Artist and Clinical Neuropsychologist David Brown
David Brown has spent many decades studying and teaching martial arts, including Muay Thai and Wing Chun. He's also a clinical neuropsychologist which gives him a unique insight into the mindset at wo
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▶ 148 - Environmental Awareness and Dirty Fighting with Alex Kask
In a self defense situation you have to have a high level of environmental awareness to keep track of multiple attackers, improvised weapons, escape routes, etc. Today I'm joined by classical Japanese
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▶ 147 - Why Your Game Needs to Change Every 10 Years
If you're doing any kind of martial art - be it BJJ, MMA, Kickboxing, Taekwondo or whatever - then your game needs to evolve every decade to accommodate the changes in your body. I got this from the l
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▶ 146 - Dodging Polar Bears and Offshore Tides on Hudson Bay
A little trip down memory lane today. In my twenties I did an 82 day, 1600 mile solo canoe trip across the Canadian north. This is an account of the last 3 days of that journey, traveling along the da
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▶ 145 - What Really Happens When Traditional Martial Artists Spar for t
Sparring for the first time is always a shock, but especially for traditional martial artists who may have spent years perfecting their techniques in the air or against a compliant partner just to wat
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▶ 144 - The Battle to Make Aikido Functional with Rokas Leonavicius
I really enjoyed this conversation with Rokas Leonavicius, the European Aikido instructor who became famous on Youtube trying to make his aikido functional against resisting opponents. Find out about
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▶ 143 - Can You Still Train If You're Dealing with Knee Injury?
Can you still train if you have an injured knee? Well, it depends... Here are some solutions, tips and tricks for dealing with a bum knee in a BJJ or grappling setting.
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▶ 142, Self Defense and MMA Controversies with John Hacklemann
In this episode John Hacklemann discusses the Conor McGregor bus attack, training Chuck Liddell, differences between MMA and self defense, the single most important thing you can do to stay safe on th
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▶ 141 - What Getting Smashed in Kiteboarding Taught Me About Learning B
I was recently dragged through the waves, under the water and then lifted up into the air while trying to figure out the sport of kiteboarding, and figured out that there is one hell of a learning cur
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▶ 140 - BJJ Specific Exercises, Supplements and Conditioning Routines w
I talk with personal trainer and BJJ black belt Ben Zhuang going DEEP into the supplements, exercises, and conditioning protocols, and recovery procedures to help with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and other gr
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▶ 139 - BJJ is a Martial Art First and a Martial Sport Second!
There are many reasons to train BJJ - fitness, camaraderie, having fun, taking on a challenge, spiritual development, learning to deal with challenges, wanting to compete - but at its core, Brazilian
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▶ 138 - National Football League Yoga Instructor Jessica Huneycutt
Jessica Huneycutt is the yoga instructor for the New Orleans Saints National Football League team. In this episode we go deep into how Yoga and other techniques are used at an elite level to help athl
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▶ 137 - Riccardo Ammedolia, BJJ Analyst Extraordinaire
In this episode I talk withRiccardo Ammedolia, BJJ black belt under the Mendes Brothers, ADCC commentator, and worldwide jiu-jitsu ambassador. We talked about training in Brazil, rolling with Rafa Men
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▶ 136 - The Differences between 'Sport' and 'Self Defense' BJJ
In this (likely controversial) episode I argue that thedifferences between 'self defense' and 'sport' jiu-jitsu have largely been exaggerated. The real magic of jiu-jitsu is in training against resist
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▶ 135 - How Muay Thai Fighters, Karateka and Boxers Make Themselves Mor
In this episode I discuss the different forms of exhalation and 'kiai' used in various martial arts, ranging from Thai Boxing to Kajukenbo Karate to traditional Japanese Ju-Jutsu. Then I break down th
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▶ 134 - Conditioning for Combat Sports with Jason Kapnick
In this episode I talk with elite powerlifter, kettlebell instructor and BJJ practitioner Jason Kapnick about conditioning program design, building a balanced body, functional movement screening, inju
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▶ 133 - Can You Learn from Seminars?
Today, should you go to seminars, can you learn from seminars, and the funniest thing I ever saw at a seminar...
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▶ 132 - Twelve BJJ Black Belts Give Their Best Advice for People Starti
This episode is just a little different! Today 12 BJJ black belts give their single best piece of advice for people just starting out in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. White belts looking for tips and help with
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▶ 131 - Kirik Jenness of The Underground Forum
I loved this talk with Kirik Jenness who is mayor for life of the underground forum atmixedmartialarts.com, the author of The Fighter's Notebook,the official records keeper for mixed martial arts, and
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▶ 130 - Pro-tip: How to Improve Your Chokes in Just 10 Seconds
In this short episode I share a tip I learned from Elliott Bayev that'll simultaneously allow you to finish way more people with your chokes but also stop you from completely burning out your arms, le
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▶ 129 - Training with Dan Severn, Saving Jiu-Jitsu, and Training Around
Dan was bitten by the MMA bug after watching UFC 4; soon he was training with Dan Severn and learning all he could about wrestling, jiu-jitsu, fighting and MMA. Many miles and multiple black belts lat
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▶ 128 - Can Kung Fu, BJJ and MMA Coexist? A conversation with mantis bo
A conversation with Kung Fu stylist (and BJJ brown belt) Randy Brown that included the history of Chinese martial arts and what made them less effective over time, what traditional martial arts look l
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▶ 127 - Why Techniques Never Work on the Day They're Shown (and How to
OK, so you've just learned a cool new technique that you're pretty sure is the Kryptonite you need to defeat your hardest sparring partner. But then you crash and burn when you try it out in sparring
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▶ 126 - Killer Waves and Night Time Rescues with Coast Guard Rescue Swi
Really enjoyed this chat with Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Donald Lipscomb. We went into detail about rescuing people from capsized ships, the selection process with a 90% attrition rate, and the traini
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▶ 125 - Reilly Bodycomb on Sambo, Leglocks and Competition
Loved this interview with Reilly Bodycomb. Reilly is a Russian sambo and leglock expert who has competed in a TON of different rulesets including BJJ, no gi submission grappling, MMA, Sambo, and wrest
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▶ 124 - My Interview on the Cody Jitsu Podcast
This is a fun episode: instead of me doing the interviewing the tables get turned and I get grilled by Cody from the Codyjitsu podcast. We covered tons of stuff including my martial arts background, h
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▶ 123 - What To Do When You're On the Bottom, Getting Crushed, and Unab
One of the very worst things is to be trapped on the bottom with all your opponent’s weight on top of you and be unable to breathe. This is usually followed by exhaustion, panic and surrender. But it
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▶ 122 - How to Blast Through Physical Setbacks When Your Training Gets
How to deal with the super-frustrating but ultimately inevitable physical setbacks, limitations and injuries when you're doing a contact sport. Hint: it will ALWAYS be two steps forward, one step back
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▶ 121 - Police Combatives with Lt Kevin Dillon (ret) - Survival
I really enjoyed talking to Lieutenant Kevin Dillon (ret) who served for 25 years as a police officer, SWAT team member, and detective commander before moving on to become a full time trainer for poli
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▶ 120 - Nick 'Chewy' Albin from Chewjitsu on BJJ, Wrestling, MMA and Mo
Chewy (aka Nick Albin) is well known for the BJJ advice he gives on his prolific Youtube Chewjitsu channel, so I was thrilled to have him on the podcast. It's a great chat and we cover a ton of materi
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▶ 119 - A Trick for Beating Exhaustion When You Roll or Compete
Getting tired when you're rolling sucks. And it's even worse when you're competing; you can't breathe, you go into survival mode, your plans goes out the window and life starts sucking. In this episod
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▶ 118 - Tips for Minimising Injuries and Maximising Recovery
To get better fast in any sport you have to be able to train hard, which means minimising injuries and maximising your recovery. In this episode I give you some of my best tips to accomplish both of t
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▶ 117 - The Huge Difference Between Knowing a Technique and Being Able
In this rant I go off about so-called 'technique collectors', which are martial artists who memorise 35 different variations of a technique but are unable to execute ANY of those variations against a
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▶ 116 - Should You Pull Guard in BJJ Competition or Not?
Should you pull guard in BJJ competition or fight doggedly for the takedown. You'll get some answers to this perennial question in my conversation about pulling guard with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki
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▶ 115 - Stephan Talks With 8th Degree Black Belt Carlos Machado
Loved talking to jiu-jitsu pioneer Carlos Machado about all things BJJ. His love for the art and experience in the sport comes through at every second. I hope you get as much out of this interview as
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▶ 114 - Should You Stretch Before or After a Workout, a Controversial T
You wouldn't think that something like stretching before a workout could be controversial, but it is. Some evidence and experts suggest that you should only do itafteryour workout, whereas most tradit
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▶ 113 - A Close Call on the Mat, and 3 Takeaways for Avoiding Injuries!
The other day I almost tore a partner’s ACL off the bone, which would have required him to have surgery and many months of rehabilitation. What happened exactly? I was more experienced and a bit bigge
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▶ 112 - A Live Q&A Session with Stephan Kesting
Today's episode comes from a Q&A session I did on Instagram live (@stephan_kesting) and gave the answers to a ton of BJJ and training topics including... 05:00 - When I started training BJJ 06:56 - Is
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▶ 111 - Kettlebell Conditioning with Jason C Brown
This is a great episode with a ton of relevant and useful tips for combat athletes! Jason C. Brown shares a ton of information about kettlebell conditioning for jiu-jitsu and other martial arts includ
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▶ 110 - Training with World Champions, with Rob Biernacki
It started so well! First Rob Biernacki and I discuss The Last Jedi and training with ADCC championYuri Simoes and World ChampionCaio Terra. Then things went off the rails and we pissed off leftists,
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▶ 109 - Keep It Simple Stupid! The KISS Principle in Self Defense...
What would the boxer Vasyl Lomachenko do if he caught you macking on his girlfriend? Well, I don't think it would involve any elaborate footwork or strategies... It's fun to make things complicated in
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▶ 108 - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs Traditional Japanese Jujutsu with Alex K
I think you'll really like this episode! In it I talk with Alex Kask who is a traditional Japanese Takeuchi-ryu Ju-Jutsu teacher but also no stranger to modern Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. We go deep into the
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▶ 107 - Extreme Kiteboarder Jack Rieder
I really enjoyed this chat with kiteboarder and extreme athlete Jack Rieder (in part because I'm dying to try kiteboarding myself). Here's just a bit of what we talked about... 1:10 - What is kiteboar
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▶ 106 - Top Five Martial Arts Nutrition Tips for the New Year
The Christmas binge is over and it's time to take control of your diet again! In this short episode I give you my top five pieces of advice for cleaning up your diet and not sabotaging your training w
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▶ 105 - Matt Thornton on Conor McGregor, Skepticism and Aliveness in th
Matt Thornton is the founder of Straight Blast Gym, the organisation that produced Conor McGregor. He's also a skeptic with many harsh words for traditional martial arts and traditional training metho
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▶ 104 - Why You Have To Grapple (And How To Get Good At It As Fast As P
Why training in the martial arts without including some form of grappling is stupid, and what are the key positions, techniques and transitions you need to learn first in order to get good as fast as
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▶ 103 - Forget New Year's Eve Resolutions; If It's The Right Thing to D
I really mean it: DON'T wait until New Year's Eve to start making the changes you know should happen! Waiting will only make things more difficult. To prove my point I drag Genghis Khan, Julius Caeser
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▶ 102 - Becoming a Firefighter with Battalion Chief Ken Johnson, 34 Yea
When you retire, all you want those guys you worked with to say about you is: God, he was a good firefighter! Loved sitting down with Battalion Chief of Training Ken Johnson (ret) to talk about rece
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▶ 101 - My Twitter Q&A: Talking Cryotherapy, Self Defense, Heel Hooks a
Loved doing this massive Q&A! What I did was take the time to more fully answer questions that I had first addressed in 140 characters on my first Twitter AMA (Ask Me Anything). Follow me on Twitter w
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▶ 100 - Optimal BJJ Training and Recovery with Sean McHugh
I've known and trained with black belt Sean McHugh for 16 years, so I was super-stoked to have him on the podcast. We covered a lot of important material including How to train your training partners
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▶ 099 - How to Motivate Yourself to Train
In this episode I share one of my best tips to get your butt on the mat or in the gym, indicators for when it's NOT time to push, as well as a cautionary tale of when an MMA training session went too
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▶ 098 - Why Do So Few BJJ Gyms Teach Takedowns?
Are takedowns important even though so few BJJ gyms teach them, and can you get away with never training them if your focus is competition? And what about self defense? This are questions I answereddu
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▶ 097 - A Q&A About Training BJJ for Older Grapplers
In this episode I answer questions and share some tips and tricks for training in BJJ as an older grappler. How often should you train? How can you recover faster? Should you also do weight training a
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▶ 096 - Lessons Learned from 19 Different World Champions, with Mike Ze
In this episode BJJ and Judo black belt shares some of the lessons, commonalities, and differences he's seen from working one-on-one with 19 BJJ, Judo and ADCC world champions. Do they all train the s
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▶ 095 - Increasing Mobility for Jiu-Jitsu
Some quick thoughts about improving the different forms of 'mobility' for jiu-jitsu, both in terms of movement on the ground, and joint mobility, from a recent Instagram Live Q&A. You can find me on I
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▶ 094 - Carnage and Survival in South Africa with Coach Rodney King
WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and is definitely not suitable for children. In this episode I talk with boxing and BJJ coach Rodney King about the epidemic of violence
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▶ 093 - Testing Techniques and Avoiding Cults; The Critical Concept of
In this rant I go off about the importance of critical thinking, and include examples from the martial arts, business and life. Somehow I try to wrap things up by bringing the Heaven's Gate cult and t
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▶ 092 - How Violent Was Our History, Really? A Conversation with Daniel
I love this episode where I talked with historian Daniele Bolelli. In it we talked about a huge number of topics including... His process of researching and producing History on Fire, one of the leadi
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▶ 091 - The Strange Connection Between Business, Entrepreneurship & Jiu
It's amazing how many high level entrepreneurs also enjoy the challenge of jiu-jitsu! In this episode Jack Wilkinson and I explore this connection, as well as going down many other rabbit holes... 00:
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▶ 090 - Finding the Most Effective Techniques with the 80/20 Principle
In this episode I argue that you should start by teaching and learning the most effective, most proven, highest percentage techniques first. And I share a useful thought experiment that should quickly
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▶ 089 - Clinton Davies, the Blind Wrestler and Grappler Who Takes on th
In this episode I talk with the amazing Clinton Davies, the blind wrestler who is a 10 time New Zealand national champion who competes against sighted opponents. Clinton has also had a very successful
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▶ 088 - Three time Judo Olympian and BJJ Black Belt Travis Stevens
In this episode Travis Stevens, 3 x Judo Olympian, Olympic silver medalist, and BJJ black belt goes deep into his training regimen. You'll learn why and how he does 5 or 6 workouts a day, what the str
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▶ 087 - The Brazilian jiu-jitsu Question and Answer Episode
In this episode I try to answer as many questions as possible from my email newsletter readers, including whether BJJ gameplans really are for everyone (3:30), how to pace yourself against the young g
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▶ 086 - BJJ World Champion Bernardo Faria on Surviving Adversity & Kidn
I LOVED talking to Bernardo Faria, 5 time BJJ world champion, about his getting 'kidnapped' in the Philippines, reflections on ADCC 2017, the toughest guys he has ever rolled with, whether you can get
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▶ 085 - Tips and Tricks for Transitioning from Gi to No Gi with Ritchie
No gi grappling is very popular these days, and a lot of people find making the transition from training with the gi to training without it tricky and difficult. In this episode Ritchie Yip and I go o
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▶ 084 - Three Steps to Overcoming Training Plateaus
In this short episode we talk about why training plateaus are actually more frustrating than training slumps, plus I share 3 concrete steps to bust out of a plateau and get back to getting better!
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▶ 083 - The World's Fastest Firefighter Jamie McGarva and His Training
I really like this episode because we got the chance to go DEEP into the training routine of the world's fastest firefighter, Jamie McGarva. Jamie has held numerous titles for the Firefighter Combat C
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▶ 082 - A BJJ School Where Visiting Students Can Train For Free?
In this episode I talk with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki about gratitude and how that has shaped his visiting student program where people can train with him for free. And, because it's Rob and I, we
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▶ 081 - Post Deathmarch Breakdown and Analysis with Eva Schubert
In this episode Eva Schubert and I discuss our semi-annual 30 horizontal mile and 3 vertical mile 'Deathmarch' through the British Columbia mountains on the 'Kneeknacker Route' and why four was just n
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▶ 080 - When In Your Training Should You Start Learning Leglocks?
What belt level should you start training leg locks at? It depends a little bit on what your goals are and whether you're doing gi or no gi, but it's a lot sooner than you think EVEN if you're competi
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▶ 079 - What's the Best Steel for a Knife with Zoltan Schubert
There is so much information (and misinformation) about knives out there that it's easy to get confused. In this episode I talk with metal professional and knife collector Zoltan Schubert and we break
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▶ 078 - Ueli Steck, the Best Mountaineer in the World, and Launch of Th
In this episode I give The Grapplearts Radio Podcast a new dimension. In addition to talking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts and Submission Grappling we're also going to start featuring people
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▶ 077 - Should You Train When You're Really Tired?
I trainedBJJ today despite being fresh off the plane, jet lagged and exhausted, so it seemed like a good day to tackle today's topic, namelywhether you should train on those days when you're so tired
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▶ 076 - Mayweather vs McGregor, Don't Waste Your Money!
In this mini-episode I talk FloydMayweather vs Conor McGregor with Ritchie Yip, and we both come to the same conclusion about betting on this fight. Listen to this episode before you put money down on
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▶ 075 - How to Train When There's No School Close to You
You want to train martial arts but there isn't a good school anywhere nearby, so what are your options? Here is my best advice on how you can still learn, still train, and still get good!
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▶ 074 - Rob Biernacki and an 80/20 Analysis of the Leglock Game in Mode
An 80/20 analysis of the leglocking game based onhigh level no gi competition, leglock safety, how to learn BJJ efficiently, best practises when teaching jiu-jitsu, and a ton more with BJJ black belt
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▶ EP 073 - What's Better for Self Defense: Striking or Grappling?
If you could only do one which would be better for self defense: striking or grappling? The answer is grappling of course, but the reasons why might surprise you...
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▶ 072 Roadhouse never happens, Bouncer Chad Skands on Managing Chaos at
Longtime bouncer Chad Skands talks about managing multiple attacker scenarios, continuing to think and use your brain in a critical situation, the right way to deescalate situations, and why ripping s
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▶ 071 - Stephan Answers BJJ and Training Questions
What would I do differentas a white belt if I could go back in time? What are the best guards that go together with the butterfly guard? Can you become an elite level grappler if you have both a job a
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▶ 070 - How to Pick a Good BJJ School
This is an important episode because in it I talk about how to find a BJJ instructor and school that'll work for you and how to avoid ending up at a school where you'll end up getting hurt or wasting
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▶ 069 - Three Techniques for Dealing with Fear in Competition or a Stre
In this episode I talk about the concrete steps you can take to control your fear and harness the power of the adrenaline dump that comes with the fight of flight reflex. Properly used this power turn
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▶ 068 - Staying in Jiu-Jitsu Shape on the Road
Recorded right after my hotel room workout, this episode talks about the 3 things you need to do to stay in jiu-jitsu shape when you're travelling so you don't suck as bad when you get back to your re
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▶ 067 - Matt Kwan on the No Gi Competition Landscape
This is a great conversation I had with no gi competitor Matt Kwan in which we covered everything from dominationof leglocksin the modern no gi grappling environment, to the influence of rule sets in
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▶ 066 - How Do You Make a Technique Functional Against a Real Opponent
Regardless of whether you train BJJ, MMA or a self-defense oriented martial art you're faced with the same dilemma: how do you take a technique you're shown in class and actually make it work against
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▶ 065 - Is Martial Arts Training for Everyone with Sensei Ando Mierzwa
I think you'll like this one: in this episode I speak with Ando Mierzwa (Sensei Ando) who is a black belt inTae Kwon Do and Kung Fu San Soo with extensive experience inBJJ, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate
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▶ 064 - Rant: Your Instructor Does NOT Know Everything!
In this rant I take onthe 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
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▶ 063 - UFC Fighter on Alan Belcher on Cutting Weight, Facing the Scari
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 fi
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▶ 062 - It's NOT About the Bloody Belt!
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
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▶ 061 - The Steps for Getting Back to Training After an Injury
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 exactl
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▶ 060 - Can You Learn Martial Arts with Only One Class Per Week?
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 a
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▶ 059 - What's The Most Efficient Cardio For When You Have No Time?
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 us
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▶ 058 - Pshemek Drabczynski on BJJ Sports Specific Strength and Conditi
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, anda physical conditioning guru. In this episode
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▶ 057 - Rant: Great and Horrible Days on the Mat
A few days ago I had a great training session, and then today I had a bad one. Here's whyI didn't get too excited or bothered by either one, and why you shouldn't either!
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▶ 056 - Stephan Kesting vs Budo Jake; Training around the World, Advice
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 theevolution of Japanese ju-jutsu into BJJ, getting choked
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▶ 055 - Stephan on the 'Spartan Underground' with James 300 Foster
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 yo
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▶ 054 - Should You Still Train If You're Getting Sick?
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...
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▶ 053 - Daniele Bolelli on Eye Gouging, MMA, and a Jujutsu President
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 ahist
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▶ 052 - Rant: Why the 'Too Deadly to Spar' Myth is Total B.S.
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'swhy that's the ca
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▶ 051 - BJJ After 50 with the Black Belt Wrassling Rabbi Mordecai Finle
You'll like this episode! In it I talk with 62 yr oldBJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley(the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a hea
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▶ EP 050 - The Real Reason Why You Should Train in Martial Arts
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 the
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▶ EP 049: BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster
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 Ka
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▶ EP 048: The Filipino Martial Arts, Self Defense and Jarlo Ilano
Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparringwith sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express it
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▶ EP 047: Rant - 15 Years in Prison for a Single Punch KO?
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
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▶ EP 046: Rant About The 3 Essential Components of Every Martial Art
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
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▶ EP 045: Brazil, BJJ, and MMA with Black Belt Jeff Meszaros
This is a fun conversation about BJJ, Judo and MMA withJeff 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
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▶ EP 044: How to Stay Fit When You're Crazy Busy
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 distanc
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▶ EP 043: The Training and Conditioning Routines of 5 x BJJ World Champ
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
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▶ EP 042: Rant About Why Most New BJJ Techniques Won't Work For You
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 iftechniques don't mesh withyour current game then e
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▶ EP 041: Stephan Rants About Overtraining in the Martial Arts
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 experi
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▶ 040 - Stephan Kesting and Ritchie Yip
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 g
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▶ 039 - BJJ and Adversity, and What to Do When Your Mind Goes Blank
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 g
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▶ 038 - Training When You Have No Time to Train
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. Andif you're alsotrying to squeeze regu
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▶ 037 - Does MMA Make You Stupid?
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 hav
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▶ 036 - BJJ Q&A with Rob Biernacki
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.
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▶ 035 - Kurt Osiander, The Barbarian of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu...
Stephan interviews Kurt Osiander, a BJJ black belt under Ralph Gracie known for his no BS communication style and his informative Youtube instructional videos. Old school Ralph Gracietraining tactics
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▶ 034 - Rob Biernacki on The Underlying Principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jit
I talk with Rob Biernacki, a friend, BJJ black belt, and contributor to Grapplearts (see the videos and articles he's been involved with here). This is a fun, opinionated conversation in which I'm sur
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▶ 033 - Eddie 'Wolverine' Cummings on Leglocks, Leglocks, Leglocks
Eddie 'Wolverine' Cummings talks with Stephan Kesting about leglocks, including why the heel hook is one of the most powerful submissions in BJJ, how to train them safely, and how to apply them correc
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▶ 032 - BJJ Blackbelt Jeff Rockwell on Self Defense and Training for th
Direct from Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Ichat with BJJ black belt Jeff Rockwell about: How certain techniques are 'discovered' again and again What the basics are and why you need one tool for every range S
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▶ 031 - Gustavo Dantas on BJJ Sports Psychology
It's one thing to be beaten by a better opponent, but it's quite another to go out there and underperform... to do less than you know you're capable of. You can be in top shape and have your technique
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▶ 030 - The Second-Ever Grapplearts Q&A Podcast with Stephan Kesting
Thesecond-ever Grapplearts Radio Q&A format podcast. In this episode I answer questions frommy newsletterreadersandcover manytopics, including How to come back to BJJ training after an injury... and n
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▶ 029 - Jeff Westfall on Skepticism and the Martial Arts
Stephan Kesting interviews Jeff Westfall from The Martial Brain podcast. They discuss kata vs real training,chi power and other martial hoaxes, and the power of applying a skeptical mindset to learnin
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▶ 028 - Bernardo Faria, Double Gold Medallist at the 2015 BJJ Mundials
In this episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast Stephan Kesting talks with Bernardo Faria, the 2015 BJJ Mundials 99kg and Absolute division winner. Bernardo Faria talks about... How he won the World
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▶ 027 - UFC Fighter Roxanne Modaferri's MMA Comebacks and Continuing to
Stephan Kesting interviews Roxanne Modaferri about the differences between MMA training in Japan and the USA, continuing to improve after 12 years in the sport, snapping a 6 fight losing streak, and w
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▶ 026 - Steve Whittier on SBG's Drills for BJJ Excellence
Steve Whittier is a cool guy. He manages to combine both thoughtful analyses and controversial opinions into one eloquent package. In this interview we talked about lots of different BJJ and MMA rela
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▶ 025 - BJJ Beginner Tips with Ritchie Yip
BJJ Black Belts Ritchie Yip and Stephan Kesting have a wide-ranging discussion, centered around tips that BJJ beginners need to know. Material covered includes: Whether beginners should in their own c
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▶ 024 - Elliott Bayev on BJJ Gameplan Development; from Self Defense to
Here's a really cool video interview I did with my friend, BJJ blackbelt, renowned coach, and fierce competitor Elliott Bayev. This interview is special because we break down the steps of building a B
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▶ 023 - Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins on Making Your Jiu-Jitsu Smooth: Co
This is a really cool interview with my friend, black belt, and fierce competitor Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins. Brandon and I originally worked together to create the highly acclaimed instructional How
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▶ 022 - Adam Singer on The Nitty Gritty of Modern MMA Training & Compet
Stephan: I’m here today with my friend,Adam Singer, who runs The HardCore Gym in Athens, Georgia. He is probably best known for being Forrest Griffin’s MMA coach during the formative years of Forrest’
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▶ 021 - Scotty Nelson's BJJ Adventures Around the World
Stephan Kesting interviews Scott Nelson from On the Mat about the history and evolution of BJJ in North America. Along the way Scott shares some pretty crazy stories from his travels around the world.
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▶ 020 - Ritchie Yip on The Art and Science of Teaching Martial Arts
Want to find out how to be a more effective martial arts teacher? Stephan Kesting interviews BJJ black belt Ritchie Yip about the art and science of teaching martial arts. Lots of tips and tricks for
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▶ 019 - Clark Gracie on Training, Competing and Growing Up Gracie
Stephan talks with 2013 Pan American middlweight champion Clark Gracie about training, competition, growing up Gracie, and yes, that famous picture with the hair and the omoplata.
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▶ 018 - John Perreti and The Secrets of MMA Matchmaking
Stephan interviews John Perretti, the matchmaker for the early UFC and the EFC (Extreme Fighting Championship). He put together some of the most iconic matches in the UFC before Zuffa took it over in
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▶ 017 - Rafael Lovato Jr on Training for High Level BJJ Competition
Stephan Kesting interviews Rafael Lovato Jr, one of the most successful North American BJJ competitors. They discuss technique, mindset, training, conditioning, and the keys to being successful in com
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▶ 016 - Philip Gelinas, Black Belt Hall of Fame Member
Stephan Kesting interviews one of his most influential teachers, 9th degree Kajukenbo black belt and Black Belt Hall of Famer Philip Gelinas. Topics include the evolution of Georges St Pierre, the rel
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▶ 015 - Burton Richardson on Training and Performing under Pressure
Wantto be an effective martial artist? Burton Richardson talks about training and performing under pressure in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and Full Contact Stickfighting. Plus he shares lessons learned
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▶ 014 - Keenan Cornelius on training, competition, and a life in BJJ
Keenan Cornelius is a BJJ phenomenon. Having won double gold medals at four of the biggest IBJJF tournaments - The World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Pan-American Championship, European Open Championship,
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▶ 013 - Roy Dean on BJJ, Judo, Aikido, and Path of the Martial Artist
Proof that a serious BJJ competitor can still be classy; Roy Dean talks with Stephan Kesting about BJJ, Judo, Aikido, and Path of the Martial Artist. Roy Dean hasblack belts in kodokan judo and aikika
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▶ 012 - BJJ World Champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins on Training & Co
How do you go from being the smallest person in the class to a BJJ world champion!This is a really interesting interview with my friend Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins. I first polled the Grapplearts.com
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▶ 011 - Vinicius 'Draculino' Magalhães on Surfing, Beach Fights and the
Vinicius 'Draculino' talks with Stephan Kesting about how surfing beach fights brought him into jiu-jitsu, what it was like training with the top Gracie and Machado fighters in Rio in the 1980's, and
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▶ 010 - The Very First Grapplearts Q&A Podcast with Stephan Kesting
Answers for your BJJ questions! Stephan takes questions from his newsletter readers in the first ever Q&A Podcast. Find out how how to taper for competition, what to do when you're getting crushed all
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▶ 009 - The Intersection Between BJJ, Submission Grappling and MMA with
Ryan Hall is one of North America's most prolific competitors in BJJ and Submission Grappling. In this in-depth interview with Stephan Kesting he shares tips on training, competing, the 50-50 guard, t
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▶ 008 - Adrenaline Dumps, Fear Management and Combat Psychology with To
Want to find out more about the psychology of combat? Tony Blauer is the head of Blauer Tactical Systems which specializes in close quarter tactics & scenario-based training for law enforcement, milit
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▶ 007 - Female MMA with Sarah Kaufmann
Sarah Kaufmann, the UFC fighter and former Strikeforce champion, talks about training, competing and the role of women in MMA
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▶ 006 - Judo for BJJ, 2009 Judo Olympian Daniel McCormick in conversati
Daniel McCormick, the 2008 US National Judo Champion and 2009 Judo Olympian, talks about his Olympic experience, training BJJ, and judo for bjj or how exactly how Judo can be adapted to be effective
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▶ 005 - A Woman's Perspective on the Journey to Black Belt - Emily Kwok
Emily Kwok is a BJJ black belt, a decorated BJJ competitor and runs her own school in Princeton, New Jersey. In this interview she talks about how and why she abandoned a conventional white collar lif
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▶ 004 - Old School BJJ - Marcus Soares on training with Carlson Gracie
7th degree black belt Marcus Soares takes us to Rio in the 70's and 80's on a narrated stroll through BJJ history. Find out about the legendary Carlson Gracie, the fighter, the teacher and founder of
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▶ 003 - MMA Training and Coaching - Erik Paulson
Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he also held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. In t
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▶ 002 - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About BJJ Competition - Davi
Learn the best BJJ competition strategies. Today I have a long chat with David Meyer, the author of Training for Competition; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling. We cover WHO should compet
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▶ 001 - George St Pierre's MMA Conditioning Coach - John Chaimberg
Want to find out how UFC champion George St. Pierre's gets in shape? Let's ask his conditioning coach, Jon Chaimberg. Find out about the training program that's helped GSP stay at the top of his game
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