AOJ black belt Tom Wortman is a fierce competitor; he won IBJJ Pans, Euros, North Americans and Master Worlds in a single year as a brown belt. He's also a jiu-jitsu gypsy, typically training at a club for 3 to 6 months, then moving thousands of miles to see a new part of the country and training at a new club. Find out how he manages this nomadic lifestyle, what the red and green flags are for … [Read more...]
Competition
High-Percentage BJJ Competition Strategies with Beatrice ‘Berimbozo’ Jin
Beatrice Jin shares the competition strategies that have allowed her to become the American National adult black belt middleweight champion and one of the top ranked black belts in the world. From guard pulls to sweeps to takedowns to pin escapes to conditioning to KO grips to structuring open mats so that they become a competitive advantage for you, Beatrice doesn't hold anything back. If … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Doubt and Stress in Competition
In episode 427 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I pick the brain of sports psychologist Dr. Haley Perlis, who delves into the competition mindset, developing mental toughness, managing stress, avoiding burnout, the psychology of extreme sports, and how your core values shape your life and sport. Episode 427 is available right now in audio and video formats here: Apple Podcasts … [Read more...]
BJJ After Age 35
On today's episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I'm joined by wrestler, jiu-jitsuka, and author Chris Jessulat (https://www.thewrongsideof35.com/) to discuss the best practices for staying relevant on the mats as you enter your fourth decade and beyond... 00:00 Training as an Older Grappler 02:48 The Transition from Competitive to Recreational Training 05:46 Physical Changes and … [Read more...]
Optimal Competition Mindset for BJJ Competition
Rob Biernacki has some very impressive competition victories, including black belt masters gold at both No Gi Worlds and ADCC. In this podcast episode he reveals... Why people sometimes just don't perform up to their potential and how to fix it, How to reframe tournament nerves, The optimal state of arousal for competition, Building and executing on gameplans, Why some people … [Read more...]
BJJ Training and Conditioning Myths
On episode 421 of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I'm joined by three-time IBJJ World medallist James Deirmendjian and elite personal trainer to discuss optimal training methodologies and the science behind strength and conditioning for sport. We cover hacks to improve recovery, debunk common myths in the Jiu-Jitsu community, and go deep into the need for a more scientific approach to training and … [Read more...]
Spartans, Samurai and Ninja with BJJ Black Belt Jeff Nelson
On episode 418 of The Strenuous Life Podcast, I was thrilled to chat with Jeff Nelson about Spartans, Samurai, Ninja, developing confidence through jiu-jitsu, fight scenes in movies that drive us crazy, and pro-training at some of the best BJJ schools in the world. You can check it out as Episode 418 of The Strenuous Life Podcast anywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts … [Read more...]
How to Get Your Black Belt Without Being Affiliated With Any One Specific School
Paul Kindzia describes himself as a "homeschooled, non-denominational, it takes a village black belt" and had a very unique route to getting his BJJ black belt. He was a ronin, training at different schools and did a lot of his training in his home dojo. This paid off because he was a top IBJJF Masters competitor at blue, purple, and brown belt, before being awarded his black belt by a … [Read more...]
Ecological Training in Jiu-Jitsu and How to Do It Properly
One of the biggest trends in BJJ right now is the so-called "ecological approach", typically involving the use of constrained two-person games where each participant has one or several outcomes they are trying to achieve. Some of the more severe interpretations of this approach essentially dispense with active instruction, In episode 412 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm joined by renowned … [Read more...]
Smashing Mental BJJ Barriers, with Erin Herle
This is an in-depth podcast on smashing the mental barriers holding you back from achieving your potential in BJJ with BJJ black belt and certified mental performance coach Erin Herle. Erin is great - check it out! Erin Herle is a BJJ black belt under Cobrinha and is a certified Mental Performance Consultant. She uses an evidence-based approach and has a master's degree in sport and … [Read more...]
How to Become a Professional Grappler, with Chris Wojcik
As a first-time ADCC competitor, Chris beat the odds and came in fourth, beating a couple of legends along the way. In episode 410 of The Strenuous Life Podcast with Chris Wojcik, we cover... The qualifying process for ADCC, the Olympics of Grappling Training with a herniated disk How to go from enthusiastic amateur to dedicated professional What natural athletes need to do … [Read more...]
Three takeaways from the Craig Jones Invitational
I was glued to my computer for hours this weekend, watching every match (and some more than once) in the Alley at the 2024 Craig Jones Invitational in Vegas. (I caught little bits and pieces of ADCC, too, but there was more talent and fewer stoppages at CJI.) The entire competition is available on Youtube... CJI Day 1 CJI Day 2 Anyway, I came away with a renewed appreciation … [Read more...]
DON’T Use This Top Judo Throw in BJJ!
I came across something really neat recently. Someone called DrSeioNage did a TON of data analysis and looked at 5850 elite judo matches to identify the top-scoring techniques. The highest-scoring technique of them all during the time period studied was a throw called Seio Otoshi. This throw involves turning your back to your opponent and is often performed dropping one or both knees … [Read more...]
Training Isn’t Competition, Competition Isn’t Training
There's a HUGE difference between training and competing, not only in how hard you go, but also in the strategies you employ. The priority in competition is winning, but the priority in training should be learning. That's why if I run into something new in training - a weird grip, a submission, a leg entanglement - my reaction is probably going to be, “Oh, how interesting, let’s see where … [Read more...]
Breathing, Oxygen and Exhaustion
I've previously discussed breathing but have concentrated on unusual situations, like conscious hyperventilation and the Valsalva Maneuver. I should probably have started out by talking about something that is a bit more universally applicable. Let’s talk about this: no breathing equals no oxygen equals total exhaustion. Storytime: I once talked with a very frustrated and discouraged … [Read more...]
Competition Kneebar Breakdown
Rob Biernacki recently won gold at black belt in master's ADCC Canada and in black M4 division at IBJJF NoGi Worlds. In a critical match, he swept the reigning champion, came up on top, got entangled in an X guard situation, and then pulled a kneebar out of nowhere to get the submission. The video below breaks down the unorthodox kneebar and finishing mechanics he used at IBJJF No Gi … [Read more...]
BJJ Competition Preparation and Training Camp Design with Rob Biernacki
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 No Gi Worlds. In episode 394 of The Strenuous Life Podcast we talk about Designing an effective training camp Dividing your conditioning and skills training Detaching emotionally from … [Read more...]
Rob Biernacki Dominates in Competition
I just wanted to send a shout-out to a friend; Mr Rob Biernacki. Rob recently wrapped up an amazing 2023 competition season. In August he took gold in the 83 kg Advanced Masters division of the ADCC Open, competing with a fractured right hand and facing people 15 years younger than him. Then, just last weekend, he followed that up with another gold medal by winning 4 matches and beating … [Read more...]
When to Keep Pushing the Pace in Jiu-Jitsu
Imagine that you're in a match, and you've just swept the other guy onto his ass. That's a great feeling, but should you take a brief time out to congratulate yourself? Of course not. Languidly taking your time after a sweep might work great against white and blue belts in friendly, relaxed rolling, but it'll never work against a serious opponent, especially in competition where people just … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Self Defense Championship
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 would become the ultimate self-defense champion. The results were shocking, and the entertainment value was off the charts! On episode 388 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with the organizer … [Read more...]