Everyone is itching to train again, and for many jiu-jitsu school owners opening up is a matter of financial survival. But just to make things even more complicated, as we learn more about this virus it means that the science, policy and best practice need to keep on evolving That's why I talked to Dr Chris Moriarty who has published a 6 phase process for reopening schools and getting back … [Read more...]
Interviews
Are You in a Jiu-Jitsu Cult?
I've wanted to talk with Matt Kirtley for a LONG time because of his BJJ background, but it just so happens that he's done a ton of research into cults and cult-like practices, so we went off in some pretty interesting directions in this one! Some of what we talked about in episode 310 of The Strenuous Life Podcast includes... Red flags that you might be in a jiu-jitsu cult Changes to … [Read more...]
Jiu-Jitsu: The Art of Facing Challenges
In episode 308 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with BJJ black belt and entrepreneur Elliott Bayev about using jiu-jitsu to face challenges, how to test new ideas, how the basics change over time, how to use jiu-jitsu in sales and running a business, and much more. Elliott has been featured in several Grapplearts instructionals including The Spider Guard Masterclass and The Self Defense … [Read more...]
Why Is Conspiracy Thinking Running Rampant in BJJ?
Jules Evans studies the history of ideas and was the perfect person to help me understand the abundance of insane conspiracy theories on BOTH sides of the political spectrum right now. We discuss why there are so many lizard people in tunnels, why many Nazi leaders held new age beliefs, how BLM resembles a religion, and why BJJ is such a fertile breeding ground for conspiracy thinking in 2020 … [Read more...]
Intuition in BJJ with Rob Biernacki
How to get better at predicting what your opponent is going to do, develop faster reactions and train your intuition with Rob Biernacki. In episode 304 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I meet with Rob Biernacki to discuss the situations on the mat when your intuition will serve you well and when it will serve you poorly, drills to develop the correct instinctive movements in a scramble, the … [Read more...]
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pro Wrestling But Were Afraid to Ask, with Tad Lincoln Murphy
Today I talk with pro-wrestler Tad Lincoln Murphy about catch wrestling in early American circuses, the development of luta livre in Brazil, Shootwrestling in Japan, and how one trains to becomes a pro wrestler in the first place! 00:53 - Training in wrestling 06:01 - Pro wrestling school 09:40 - Distinction between fake and real in pro- wrestling 13:00 - Catch and shoot wrestling 23:59 … [Read more...]
Covid Myths Debunked, with Epidemiologists Kathrine Wallace and Madeline Lewis
In episode 302 of The Strenuous Life Podcast (my podcast) I do a deep dive into the COVID-19 pandemic with two actual epidemiologists: Dr Katrine Wallace and Madeline Lewis. Here it is, along with timestamps to relevant sections... Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 01:32 - Qualifications of epidemiologists Dr Katrine Wallace and Madeline Lewis 04:30 - Is COVID-19 actually 99.5% … [Read more...]
Cults, Prophecies, and Deprogramming Your Friends, with Matthew Remski from the Conspirituality Podcast
On episode 297 of my podcast I was thrilled to talk to Matthew Remski. Matthew is a cult researcher, cult survivor, and cohost of the Conspirituality Podcast who has written extensively about the pervasive cultism and abuse in Yoga, spirituality, and wellness culture. The parallels to happens in some BJJ schools are … [Read more...]
Fixing Martial Arts Back Pain, with Dr Stuart McGill
Back pain is incredibly common in sport, including all martial arts and combative sports. That is why I was thrilled to talk to Dr Stuart McGill, one of the world's leading experts on back pain. Dr McGill spent 30 years researching and teaching spinal mechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He has published more than 300 scientific papers, written 3 textbooks, and has worked to … [Read more...]
The Road from Judo to BJJ, with Robert Drysdale
Multiple time world champion Robert Drysdale came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to share the discoveries he's made while studying the history of BJJ for his forthcoming documentary 'The Closed Guard' and accompanying book "Opening Closed Guard." There's a TON of good stuff here, including how Judo slowly evolved into BJJ, the role of George Gracie, why the Japanese (including Mitsuyo Maeda) … [Read more...]
An Interview with Frank Wolf – Explorer, Adventurer, Author, Filmmaker
In episode 295 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with Frank Wolf who exemplifies endurance, determination and perseverance. His first major expedition 25 years ago was an epic 8,000 kilometer paddle across Canada in a single season and he hasn't slowed down since. Whether it's cycling 2,000 km on the frozen Yukon River in winter or paddling the entire coast of British Columbia he's … [Read more...]
Training for High Level Competition, with Brandon ‘Wolverine’ Mullins
Today I chat with Black belt no gi world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins about how the most efficient training methods to master the highly complex world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Lots of great takeaways in this one!! 02:18 - Learning technique only vs learning technique and theory 05:42 - Fundamental movements in BJJ 09:24 - Advanced applications of fundamental movements 14:48 - … [Read more...]
My Path from Kung Fu to Jiu-Jitsu (Podcast)
On today's episode I'm interviewed by Randy Brown on his podcast about my journey through Kung Fu and how I found jiu-jitsu. Lots of nuggets about training safely and effectively in this one! Follow Randy on Youtube, Instagram or check out his website. Tweet me @StephanKesting, check out my Instagram: @Stephan_Kesting, and get on my email newsletter - I use it to put out a TON of good … [Read more...]
Cults and Conspiracies in the Yoga, Wellness, and BJJ Communities, a Podcast with Derek Beres
I've been a fan of Yoga for a long time, starting in the late 90's as I started doing it to get an edge over my opponents on the mat in BJJ. In general I found Yoga useful and regenerative, although at times I really had to turn off my ears and ignore the quantum woo gobbledygook emanating from the mouth of some newly minted graduate of the latest teacher training program. But recently some … [Read more...]
BJJ Cults and Conspiracy Theories
Steve Kwan, a BJJ black belt known for cohosting the most excellent BJJ Mental Models podcast, joins me to discuss cult behaviour in BJJ, good and bad club cultures, and the big picture behind effective jiu-jitsu training. This is a really important topic given the long history of less than stellar behaviour of some of the big names in the jiu-jitsu community. To give you a taste, here are … [Read more...]
The Psychology of BJJ, with Dr David Ley
I talk with clinical psychologist and BJJ black belt David Ley about the psychology of jiu-jitsu, recent advances in psychology, the neurochemicals released when grappling, recovered memories, the prevalence of conspiracy theories in the martial arts, and much more. Jump to the 45 minute mark if you just want to listen to the portion of the podcast that deals with the psychology of BJJ. How to … [Read more...]
Why You Need the de la Riva Guard
In this latest episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with BJJ black belt world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins about why you need to have a long range guard, how to build a de la Riva guard game, and finding a way to win no matter what the situation is! Why You Need the de la Riva Guard, in Youtube Format Here's the video of this chat from my main Youtube channel... Why You Need … [Read more...]
The Fundamental Movements of BJJ and their Advanced Applications
If you've ever gone to a single BJJ class then you've probably done some kind of warmup that included shrimping, bridging, rolls and other fundamental movements. Some of these movements were probably connected to techniques. The shrimping motion might have been connected to one method of escaping side control, the bridge might have been connected to a mount escape, and so on... But what … [Read more...]
A Doctor (and BJJ Black Belt) at Covid Ground Zero
Dr Nicholas Tyau is an internal medicine specialist who was working at a hospital in the Bronx, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in North America, during the spring of 2020. He's also a longtime BJJ practitioner who recently got his black belt (congratulations!!!). In this podcast we talk about the chaos that the pandemic created in the NY hospitals, the controversy over death … [Read more...]
Jessica Cox, The Armless Pilot Who Flies Planes with Her Feet
Jessica Cox was born without arms but she didn't let that stop her from becoming the first woman to get her pilot's license using her feet to fly the plane. And she has a couple of black belts as well. Check out this episode; I'm sure you'll come away super-inspired and ready to smash your own limits! You can listen to the conversation below in the Youtube video player, or as episode 282 of … [Read more...]