Can Kung Fu, BJJ and MMA coexist? Maybe they can, and maybe they can even learn from each other. This is a conversation I had with with Kung Fu stylist (and BJJ brown belt) Randy Brown in which we touched on the history of Chinese martial arts and what made them less effective over time, what traditional martial arts look like when you start training them with resistance, and much more. I … [Read more...]
History
Podcast: 8th Degree BJJ Coral Belt Carlos Machado!
I loved talking to jiu-jitsu pioneer Carlos Machado about all things BJJ in episode 115 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. He shares stories about growing up training with Rickson and Rolls, the importance of universal principles in Jiu-jitsu, pushing the tables aside to train with his brothers Roger, Rigan, Jean Jacques and John, competing in ADCC with a broken foot and more. I hope you get as … [Read more...]
Japanese Jiujitsu vs BJJ
BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu) is undeniably the most popular grappling system on the planet right now. But BJJ came from Judo, and Judo came from the traditional Japanese Jiujitsu systems. So there's a direct lineage from Japanese Jiujitsu (aka Jujitsu or Jujutsu) to BJJ. Both arts contain chokes, pins, armlocks and leglocks, so what's the difference? There are differences in both the … [Read more...]
Cults, Comets and Critical Thinking!
I've just released a new podcast episode (episode 093) just out that starts with martial arts training and ends up talking about mass suicides and alien spaceships trailing comets... At it's core it's a rant about the importance of testability, falsifiability, and critical thinking. This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can … [Read more...]
New Podcast with Historian Daniele Bolelli: How Violent Was Our Past, Really?
Daniele Bolelli is a martial artist, historian and the creator of the History on Fire podcast. But this time I managed to get him for a return visit to my own Strenuous Life Podcast (Click here for information about our first podcast together). Here's just a bit of what we covered... The evidence for and against an ultra-violent human past vs a peaceful noble savage model of our … [Read more...]
Grappling Styles of the Pacific
by Jeff Meszaros Our around-the-world trip is nearly at an end. First, we took a spin through Asia. Then we hit the grappling styles of Europe. Then we did a tour of the various U.K. wrestling systems. After that, we headed south for a look at Africa and South America, and then back north up through North America, where we left off with trying hockey in Canada. (Sure, you could make the … [Read more...]
Eye Gouging, Hair Pulling, and Theodore Roosevelt with Historian Daniele Bolelli
This is definitely one of my very favourite Grapplearts Radio Podcast episodes to date. In it I talk with historian and martial artist Daniele Bolelli. When Daniele isn't training MMA or giving lectures to students he's busy creating episodes of his own podcast, History on Fire, which you should totally check out. Our chat went all over the place, including from the rules (or lack … [Read more...]
Blood, Sweat and… Sparta!!!
This may sound a bit weird coming from a guy who runs a grappling site, but I want you to ask yourself a question: why on earth are you spending hours and hours rolling around on the ground with men wearing spandex and/or pajamas? Really… I mean it’s not the easiest of activities. And it’s sweaty and sometimes it’s even painful… Obviously there are self defense benefits to training, but if … [Read more...]
Every Martial Art Consists of These 3 Things…
I'm primarily known as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but the reality is that I've trained in a lot of other martial arts too. These other martial arts include Combat Submission Wrestling, Kajukenbo Karate, Boxing, Wing Chun, Judo, Muay Thai, Hung Gar, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Hsing I, Northern Shaolin, Maphalindo Silat, Capoeira, Tai Chi, Western Fencing, Freestyle Wrestling, Jun Fan/JKD, … [Read more...]
Grappling Styles of Africa, South and North America
by Jeff Meszaros On our worldwide survey of different grappling systems started by doing the grappling tour of Asia, training and competing in every country along the way. We started with Japanese judo and ended with Turkish oil wrestling. Then, we covered indigenous grappling systems in Europe, going from Greek pankration to Icelandic glima. Then we moved on to the U.K, trying out the … [Read more...]
New Podcast: Impact, Concussions and Brain Damage in Mixed Martial Arts
I've just released a brand new podcast on Grapplearts Radio called 'Does MMA Make You Stupid?' Now that might sound like a deliberately provocative title, but the topic of brain damage in combat sports is so important that I want to make sure this podcast reaches as many people as possible. This podcast grew from an article I wrote a few years ago about the current state of head impact … [Read more...]
UK Grappling Styles
by Jeff Meszaros So we've finished the first two legs of your around-the-world adventure to try out all the grappling arts (click here for Asian Grappling Styles and/or click here for European Grappling Styles). While you've been wrestling up a storm I've been beside you the whole way to cheer you on and run up your credit card bill at expensive restaurants. Also, I've done a bit of research … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: Rare German Jiu-Jitsu Footage Discovered, Changes Martial Arts Forever
In the extensive Grapplearts video vaults I recently discovered rare archival footage of an incredibly deadly martial art that I had somehow missed... This savage system of self defense is called 'German Jiu-Jitsu' and as the GermanJiujitsu.com website so clearly and succinctly states, it is clearly clearly much better than all other kinds of jiu-jitsu. Watch the video below and tell me if … [Read more...]
European Grappling Styles
by Jeff Meszaros So, we’ve finished the first leg of your around-the-world grappling tour and it’s been a blast (click here to read Asian Grappling Styles, the previous article). In the previous part of the journey we started in Japan, where you got thrown flat on your back by judo champions and slapped around by sumo wrestlers. Then, in Korea, you did ssireum, which was kind of like sumo but … [Read more...]
Asian Grappling Styles
by Jeff Meszaros Do you like traveling? Of course you do! There’s the food, the music, the culture, the art, and if you’re a martial artist, you can bring along your mouthguard and try the local style of fighting, whatever it may be. Depending on the place, you might also need your shorts, pants, jacket, belt or jug of oil. Because each country has its own distinct style. Wouldn’t it be fun … [Read more...]
Brothers Who Have Changed BJJ
by Jeff Meszaros Everyone who trains in martial arts has heard about the Gracies. They're probably the most famous family in the history of martial arts and it's no surprise. They have a huge family tree with many branches of brothers, half-brothers, sisters, uncles and cousins. And, with just a few exceptions, they've all played a role in the evolution of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But did you know … [Read more...]
47 Favourite Martial Arts Quotes for Inspiration
I love pithy quotes: in just a few short words they can encapsulate an entire strategy, philosophy, or approach to life. That's why more than 10 years ago I published a short article with some of my favourite martial arts quotes. Well, I've come across a lot more great quotes in the last decade! I typically share the new quotations I discover on my Twitter and/or Instagram accounts, but for … [Read more...]
BJJ – Born in Japan, Evolved in Brazil!
This new BJJ shirt was designed by Mark Mullen, one of my very first jiu-jitsu training partners and occasional contributor to the Grapplearts blog. Obviously being a BJJ black belt he's a skilled grappler and instructor, but what a lot of people don't know is that he also does a lot of graphic design. So when he came up with this image of a charging Japanese dragon I thought it would make a … [Read more...]
The de la Riva Guard
By Don Whitefield and Stephan Kesting We asked BJJ legend Ricardo de la Riva to show us the Five Most Imporant Techniques from the 'de la Riva Guard! Here's what he showed us, and we'll go through each one of them! The Basic de la Riva Sweep The Reverse de la Riva Sweep The Entangled Leg Sweep The Back Trip Sweep The Cross Knee Guard Pass Counter Ricardo de la Riva is a slight … [Read more...]
Podcast EP29: Skepticism and the Martial Arts
Skepticism is your best defense against the lies, hoaxes and magical thinking that are so rampant in the traditional martial arts. Join us on this Grapplearts Radio interview where I talk with Jeff Westfall about chi, the evolution of kata, insane martial arts teachers, Indonesian Silat counters to BJJ submissions, the chimpanzee brain, the fight or flight reflex, signs that you might have … [Read more...]