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 'natural'. From the Artaman League to the Wolves of Vinland and Alex Jone's fantasies about moving back to the country, sometimes what he's found is hilarious, and sometimes it's terrifying. I … [Read more...]
Podcast
Amanda Bruse – How to Compete and Win in No Gi Jiu-Jitsu
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 Trials, No Gi Worlds, and is now competing in Combat Jiu-jitsu as well. It's remarkable that she's only been training for 6 years; clearly, she's doing something right, and in this conversation I … [Read more...]
Greg Souders
To say that Greg Souders is a huge believer in drilling and gamification is actually an understatement. Greg believes that BJJ training methods have not kept up with the science of learning, and runs Standard Jiu-Jitsu in Rockville, Maryland without teaching any techniques. And black belt medalist students at the Pan Ams and the World Championships suggest that he's onto something! I really … [Read more...]
The Battle Against Disinformation and Information Nihilism, with Brooke Binowski
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 about Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, how disinformation campaigns are structured, white supremacists, why the wellness space is so prone to believing conspiracy theories, and how we can know what's … [Read more...]
What Is Required for Your BJJ Blue Belt?
In episode 380 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk you through what's generally required to be a competent blue belt, including... The 8 basic positions in jiu-jitsu A 3 phase strategy for beating a bigger person The real purpose of the guard The 2 types of submissions The hierarchy of positions How to stay safe in bad positions...and what to do next. The importance of … [Read more...]
Daniele Bolelli on Fascism
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, because both of our families lived in fascist states during World War 2 (mine in Germany, his in Italy). Which is why I almost went with an alternate title, namely A German and an Italian Walk Into … [Read more...]
Judo and BJJ Injuries
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 progress - I was thrilled to pick his brain on the podcast to help everyone have a healthier grappling career! The 5 Most Common Judo and BJJ Injuries and What to Do About Them with Joshua Arellano (Video … [Read more...]
Sport vs Self Defense Jiu-Jitsu, with John Will
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. We talked about how the art has changed, how to be 'centrist' in the sport vs self defense debate, teaching elite military personnel, how to create a curriculum, and much more. I'm sure you'll … [Read more...]
Physical Endurance and Mental Toughness with James ‘The Biking Viking’ Benson King
Physical Endurance and Mental Toughness with James Benson King (Video Version) 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 with bears, and gone deep into the reservoirs of his endurance. In this episode we talk about his mental and … [Read more...]
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... Adam Shoalts 3,400 km Adventure (Video Version) Here is the video of my conversation with Adam (click here to watch it on Youtube)... 00:21 Adam’s 3 month, 3,400 km solo journey to the Arctic 31:51 On Staying Safe in the … [Read more...]
Skill vs Athleticism in BJJ, with Rob Biernacki & Stephan Kesting
Rob Biernacki is back on The Strenuous Life Podcast to discuss the relative importance of technical skill vs physical athleticism in BJJ... Skill vs Athleticism in BJJ (Video Version) Here is the video of my conversation with Rob (click here to watch it on Youtube)... 00:20 - Can you succeed with just technique in Jiu-jitsu? 04:41 - Is Jiu-jitsu for everybody? 08:59 - Skill vs … [Read more...]
Alex Jones, Alt Right Hippies with Guns, and More with Derek Beres
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 predictions for the future. Alex Jones, Alt Right Hippies with Guns, and More with Derek Beres (Video Version) Here is the video of my conversation with Derek... Alex Jones, Alt Right Hippies with … [Read more...]
How to Survive Training Layoffs from Grappling
Life is a balancing act, and most of us have multiple priorities. We have to juggle BJJ with work, family life, relaxation time, etc. A couple of days away from training never killed anybody. In fact, we're usually refreshed and eager to get back at 'er when we return! But sometimes the breaks are longer than a couple of days. Life intervenes, and before you know it weeks, or even months have … [Read more...]
Get Better Faster by Lowering the Cost of Failure
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 faster! Here's what that might look like... High Percentage BJJ Techniques (Video Format) Here's the video version of episode 358 of The Strenuous Life Podcast... (Click here to view this same … [Read more...]
How to Find the High Percentage Jiu-Jitsu Techniques, with Rob Biernacki
This podcast I did with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki covers quite a bit of ground, including, How to find the high percentage techniques in jiu-jitsu, False positives when you observe lower belts, The standards of jiu-jitsu evidence, MMA vs gi BJJ vs submission grappling, Attribute based techniques, How to know what the next big thing is in jiu-jitsu And much more! To … [Read more...]
Armbars Don’t Work and the Great Scambar Conspiracy
This is a special report by the inventor of the armbar and the founder of the Armbar Freedom Coalition who have liberated The Strenuous Life Podcast from science shill and former biologist Stephan Kesting for episode 356. Listen or watch to find out why armbars are a scam and how learning armbar defense is actually the VERY WORST thing you can do. Don't live in fear of a technique that … [Read more...]
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 talk to him about extreme bigwater canoeing, steep creeking, quantifiable repeated practice, the most common whitewater hazards, and how to get better at difficult sports as fast as … [Read more...]
How to Get Started in Outdoor Adventures (Podcast)
In episode 354 I chat with Mikaela Ferguson who has been introducing people to the outdoors for years with her guiding and with her writing. This is a subject near and dear to my heart, so we geeked out about how to get started in the outdoors, paddling safety, dealing with bears, gear choice, surviving thunderstorms and more! How to Get Started in Outdoor Adventures, with Mikaela Ferguson … [Read more...]
Chiropractic Back Care and Martial Arts (Podcast)
In episode 353 I chat 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 approach to health. Chiropractic Back Care and Martial Arts, with Troy Schott (Video Format) Here's the video version of episode 353 of The Strenuous Life Podcast Some of the … [Read more...]
A Deep Dive into the Technical Details of the Omoplata
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. Here's the conversation. We go pretty deep and get quite technical! And while I've got your attention, check out my latest instructional, Omoplata 2.0, at https://www.grapplearts.com/omoplata. This represents 20 years of research on my part … [Read more...]