Simpson (Sim) Go is a BJJ blackbelt and owner of Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas. He is also a 14 time Grappler's Quest champion and competed at ADCC 2007, so he know his jiu-jitsu inside-out! In this podcast we chatted about many things, including 00:54 - How they decided to use the name 'Cobra Kai' for a jiu-jitsu school 06:16 - The influence and training of Marc Laimon 08:20 - How … [Read more...]
BJJ
Seph Smith on Sambo, BJJ, and Performing Under Pressure
In this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast I was thrilled to talk with the articulate and knowledgable Seph Smith. Seph is a prolific competitor, was awarded his BJJ black belt by UFC fighter Ryan Hall, and has a black belt in Combat Sambo. He has competed with and without the gi and in MMA as well. We covered many topics including How to train leglocks safely, Competing in … [Read more...]
Emily Kwok Interviews Me About BJJ School Culture and More – Podcast Episode 154
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 BJJ, looking at the roles played by the students, the teachers, and instructional technology. We also covered whether I would do anything different if I was starting my BJJ training all over … [Read more...]
Getting Back to Your Feet in BJJ
If you boil down the thousands of guard techniques in BJJ they really fall into one of five categories... Sweeps that allow you to reverse the position and get to the top Submissions where you choke or jointlock your opponent Strikes with your hands, elbows, knees and feet Survival where you maintain your guard and keep yourself against your opponent's attacks, and Standing back … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 82 – Chat with Rob Biernacki About Visiting Students Training 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 go off on some major tangents including the weirdos who have hit us up on the internet, how to identify fake martial arts, and why it's sometimes good to be the dumbest guy in the … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 79 – Zoltan Schubert Discusses Best Steel for Knives
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 down the different types of steel used in knives, optimal Rockwell hardnesses, as well as the characteristics that make knives better for different purposes. https://youtu.be/Sv8v-grLjyE To … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 74 – Analysis of Leglock Game with Rob Biernacki
An 80/20 analysis of the leglocking game based on high 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 Rob Biernacki, my co-author of The Modern Leglock Formula available now at Grapplearts.com/leglocks https://youtu.be/jMMDD2EVn0w To hear this podcast episode in full, you have a couple of … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode #72 – Interview with Chad Skands on Managing Chaos
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 someone's throat out Roadhouse-style is frowned upon in the security industry. Have a watch below: https://youtu.be/snV99k-kcLc To listen to this conversation you could press play on the … [Read more...]
I Get Knocked Out Badly!
I recently had my ass kicked and was left for dead. This happened because I had the opportunity to help with the fight coordination for a big scene in a recent indie film. I also got sucked into acting in this movie - please don't hold that against me - let's just say that I don't intend to quit my day job! The whole film is only 5:15 long, and the fight scene really starts halfway (2:40) … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode #81 – Post Deathmarch Chat 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 not our magic number this time... This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can subscribe to with a few easy clicks! Choose your audio … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 83 – World’s Fastest Firefighter Jamie McGarva
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 Challenge both in the team and individual category, including breaking the world record twice in two days. Even now he continues to push himself harder in a single workout than most normal human … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 85 – Ritchie Yip Discusses Transitioning from Gi to No Gi
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 over some tricks and tips to make this an easier transition and to give you a fighting chance when you can't grip cloth to control your opponent. To listen to this conversation you could press play … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 91 – The Connection Between Business & BJJ with Jack Wilkinson
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... 00:25 - Jiujitsu and entrepreneurship parallels 05:12 - Dealing with tough guys 09:20 - Toxic people 12:56 - Story time 18:30 - Addiction 23:05 - Adversity 28:29 - Grips 37:24 - Teaching vs … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 94 – Coach Rodney King on Survival in South Africa
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 in modern day South Africa, how training helps you prepare for confrontations, and how dangerous a 'romantic' notion of fighting is. Some of the topics we covered include: 00:17 - Who is … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 96 – Mike Zenga on Lessons Learned
In this episode BJJ and Judo black belt Mike Zenga 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 same way? Eat healthy food or junk? Drill, spar or do lots of conditioning? Listen and find out! In addition we also talk about CTE and brain damage in the combat sports, MMA, boxing … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 105 – Interview With Matt Thornton
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 methods. Don't listen if you're easily offended! 00:51 - Matt's martial arts background 10:26 - The concept of "Aliveness" 20:41 - The "I" method of teaching and training martial arts 26:14 - John … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 113 – A Close Call, and 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 bigger than my training partner that day and we were doing some no gi sparring. Because of the experience discrepancy I was hyper-focusing on a couple of very specific positions, namely Ashi … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 112 – Live Q&A 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 BJJ ever going to make it into the Olympics 08:04 - Advice for remote learners without access to a school 12:33 - Teaching seminars? 13:19 - Grappling and submissions when there's a weapon … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 109 – 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 training, to use setups, fakes, and elaborate combinations to beat your training partners. But when it comes to street self defense you should keep things really, really simple. KISS = Keep It … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 106 – Top 5 Nutrition Tips for Martial Arts
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 with crappy nutrition. This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can subscribe to with a few easy clicks! Choose your audio player below … [Read more...]