To get really good at grappling - black belt level, say - takes something like 10 years of concerted training. That's a long time! And the fact that it takes this long is both a good thing and a bad thing… … [Read more...]
Conditioning
A Weird Dilemma…
I recently sat down and figured out which of my articles I got the most feedback from. Here's another article that I've received a LOT of feedback on. Back in 2004 I was asked a very interesting question about grappling endurance by someone I'll call 'Fred.' Here was the problem in a nutshell... … [Read more...]
How bad do you want it?
I found this short Youtube video and voice-over really inspiring and wanted to pass it on. It has nothing to do with martial arts. But in a way it has EVERYTHING to do with martial arts! Plus the sports-specific training footage is pretty cool too, and might give you some good ideas for your own conditioning!! … [Read more...]
Podcast EP8: Tony Blauer on Fitness, Fear Management, and Combat Psychology
I just interviewed Tony Blauer. He's the head of Blauer Tactical Systems which specializes in close quarter tactics & scenario-based training for law enforcement, military and professional self-defense instructors. We had a great conversation about Crossfit, fear management, adrenaline dumps, and his recent 'immersion' in BJJ... This is pretty relevant stuff! Everybody (who's not … [Read more...]
Podcast EP7: Sarah Kaufman, Top Female MMA Fighter, Reveals All!
Sarah Kaufman is one of the top fighters in women's MMA. And she is officially amazing! Here's an in-depth interview and podcast with Sarah. I grilled her pretty hard (I hate interviews where you don't actually learn anything about the fighter or about the way they train). But the information she gave out went way, way beyond what I was expecting. She revealed: • how a top level … [Read more...]
Podcast EP6: Judo for BJJ, An Olympian’s Perspective
One of the most neglected areas of BJJ training is takedowns. Which is a shame, for a couple of reasons… … [Read more...]
Three Great Bodyweight Conditioning Routines for BJJ
It's January and all the gyms are packed with newly-inspired fitness junkies. But you can't always get to a gym, and sometimes the weather makes it tough to go for a run. The beauty of bodyweight, however, means that you can work out almost anywhere. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP3: Erik Paulson; an MMA Master Coach Shares His Secrets
Erik Paulson is an MMA Master Coach. He's trained tons of fighters competing at the highest levels of Mixed Martial Arts. And he held the Shooto light-heavyweight title in Japan for 5 years. He's also my friend and a mentor. Click Play Below to Listen to My Conversation with Erik Paulson... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx7gT-EXohM Recently I asked my newsletter readers if there was … [Read more...]
Confessions of a Reformed ‘Unco’
I got some good feedback on the last post (Advice for a Frustrated, Clumsy and Uncoordinated Grappler) and want to share a couple of tidbits with you today. Here's what one anonymous Australian BJJ student in his thirties had to say … [Read more...]
Advice for A Frustrated, Clumsy & Uncoordinated Grappler
------------------- A Question ------------------- Hi Stephan I've recently started learning BJJ with some friends at their garage. I am by far the slowest student. We're following a DVD series with very clear & thorough breakdowns of techniques. … [Read more...]
Training MMA Skills Under Pressure
It's easy to train an activity when you're calm, relaxed and not tired. But being able to execute those same movements correctly when you're fatigued and gasping for breath is something entirely different. … [Read more...]
Lose Fat or Gain Muscle First?
Although I take my own nutrition very seriously, I don't normally get involved in the weight loss field - it's just not my area of specialization ('dammit Jim, I'm a grappler, not a nutritionist...') … [Read more...]
The Exercise I Was Doing “All Wrong”
Let's talk about lifting weights... LOTS of weights. But to tell you the whole story, first let me take you back to when I released a little DVD called Dynamic Kneebars... … [Read more...]
Killer Grip, and How To Get It!
Stephan's note: this post is one of over 50 lessons in the Beginning BJJ eCourse. Sign up here to get your hands on the rest of the lessons for free. My BJJ coach Marcus Soares believes that a really strong grip is one of the most important physical attributes for a BJJ fighter. … [Read more...]
Why I’m Training Like A (Strikeforce) Girl
I had a great conditioning workout today, motivated by two entirely different things. The first thing firing me up was watching a Christiane Cyborg conditioning session on Youtube. She was preparing for her recent fight in Strikeforce against Gina Carano. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP1: GSPs Original MMA Conditioning Coach: Jon Chaimberg
Jon Chaimberg is a guy I've always wanted to talk to. Actually, that's an understatement, because I what I really wanted was pick his brain mercilessly until he gave me all the secrets of his incredible approach to MMA conditioning. Jon has worked with many top Mixed Martial Arts fighters, including Georges St-Pierre, Denis Kang, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, David Loiseau, Keith Jardine and … [Read more...]
Two Interviews
Michael Jen Whether it's because of following his posts on mma.tv, or being influenced by his trend-setting instructional videos early in my BJJ career, I feel like I've known Michael Jen for a long time even though I've never actually met him! … [Read more...]
Tradeoffs in Conditioning for Grappling
I first got serious about physical conditioning when I got involved in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Sure, I'd lifted weights and done some running before that point, but there was just something about grappling that drove home how very important conditioning was. … [Read more...]
How to Stay Fit on Holiday
How many people do you know who gained 10 lbs or more over a relatively short trip to an all-inclusive resort, or a week of Christmas celebration? The holiday bulge phenomenon is really, really common. And maybe you've even experienced it yourself... … [Read more...]
Functional Training Gone Bad
Today I'm going to tell you about one of the sillier ideas I've ever had... About 10 years ago I got interested in functional training and sports specific exercises. I wanted to get away from the Pec Deck and do exercises that more closely mimicked the movements I was using on a daily basis in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo and wrestling. … [Read more...]