Have you seen the "Aikido vs MMA" video that went viral within the martial arts community? In 2017 Aikido black belt Rokas Leonavicius called up a local MMA gym and explained that he wanted to test out his Aikido against a trained mixed martial arts fighter. The results of the resulting sparring session were predictable; despite 13 years of serious Aikido training he was unable to get his … [Read more...]
Interviews
BJJ Exercises with Coach Ben Zhuang
I've long been an advocate for weight training and additional conditioning to improve BJJ performance and a skeptic of most sports supplements. So given all that I really enjoyed picking Ben Zhuang’s brain for his suggestions for exercises, supplements, recovery and other information that is going to benefit you. I’ll summarize and break down our discussion into different topics. Let's start … [Read more...]
Self Defense vs MMA with John Hackleman
The intersection of MMA and self defense has always been interesting to me, so I was thrilled to have a chat with John 'the Pitmaster' Hackleman recently. John is well known for coaching Chuck Liddell to the UFC light-heavyweight title, but he has mentored many other successful MMA fighters as well. But despite his success as an MMA coach the reason he started training martial arts was very … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 137 with Riccardo Ammendolia, BJJ Ambassador
In this episode I talk with Riccardo Ammedolia, BJJ black belt under the Mendes Brothers, ADCC commentator, and worldwide jiu-jitsu ambassador. We talked about training in Brazil, rolling with Rafa Mendes, judging and reffing in BJJ, staying well rounded, curriculum development and more. If you train BJJ then I think you'll really like this one! To listen, go to your favourite podcasting … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 131 – Kirik Jenness of The Underground Forum, the Fighter’s Notebook and More
In this episode I have a great talk with Kirik Jenness who is mayor for life of the underground forum at https://mixedmartialarts.com, the author of The Fighter's Notebook, the official records keeper for mixed martial arts, and has "done every job in MMA except for being a ring girl." This man is one of the founding fathers of MMA in North America and had a TON to share! Here's just some of … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 128: Can Kung Fu and BJJ Coexist, a Conversation with Randy Brown from Mantis Boxing.
Can Kung Fu, BJJ and MMA coexist? Maybe they can, and maybe they can even learn from each other. This is a conversation I had with with Kung Fu stylist (and BJJ brown belt) Randy Brown in which we touched on the history of Chinese martial arts and what made them less effective over time, what traditional martial arts look like when you start training them with resistance, and much more. I … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 124 – My Interview on the Cody Jitsu Show
This was a fun episode of my podcast (The Strenuous Life) because the tables got turned; instead of me doing the interview I got grilled by Cody from the Codyjitsu podcast. We covered tons of stuff including my martial arts background, how I got my black belt, my favourite moves and techniques, specific strategies to train around injuries, the role of competition in training, and much … [Read more...]
Police Combatives with Lt. Kevin Dillon on The Strenuous Life Podcast, Episode 121
I found this conversation with Lieutenant Kevin Dillon (ret) about police combatives training super interesting. Kevin served for 25 years as a police officer, SWAT team member, and detective commander before moving on to become a full time trainer for police departments so he speaks from authority on this topic! In this episode we talk about his closest calls on the street, how police … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 102: Ken Johnson on What He Learned in 34 Years of Firefighting
In this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast I sat down with Ken Johnson, retired Battalion Chief of Training, to talk shop. We covered, Managing emergency scenes, Staying calm under pressure, Training for boxing and making sure that you're always in shape, Recent breakthroughs in firefighting tactics, How to do your best in difficult situations, The critical importance of … [Read more...]
MMA Weight Cutting with UFC Fighter Alan Belcher (And More)
I just released a new interview with UFC star Alan Belcher who has had some of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat fights in the UFC. In our chat Alan shares lessons learned from 26 MMA fights including… The details of cutting major amounts of weight before an MMA fight His mindset while fighting Rousimar Palhares, one of the dirtiest and scariest fighter in MMA Lifting … [Read more...]
BJJ and Combat Sports Conditioning with Pshemek Drabcynski
I'm thrilled to bring you guys my interview with Pshemek Drabczynski. Pshemek was my very first 'official' BJJ teacher and I learned a ton from him. He's a BJJ black belt, a WKA North American kickboxing champion, and a physical conditioning guru. In this episode we talk about martial arts specific fitness, getting stronger, improving endurance, eating properly preventing injuries, fasting … [Read more...]
Training BJJ, Kicked out of Karate, Meeting Rick Flair, and the Movie ‘Logan’ with Masters World Champion James ‘300’ Foster
I think you'll like this Grapplearts Radio Podcast episode! In it I talk to 280 lb BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster who was fresh back from a pre Pan-Ams California training trip. Some of the things we talk about include... Getting kicked our of Karate after starting BJJ, The process of finding the correct mix of training that works best for you, Cutting … [Read more...]
Kurt Osiander Interview – the Barbarian of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
I've just released the latest podcast (episode 35), featuring an interview with Mr Kurt Osiander. Kurt is an old-school BJJ black belt under Ralph Gracie. He's known for his no BS communication style, his informative Youtube instructional videos, and his swearing (this interview is definitely not for the ears of little children or the overly sensitive). The topics we cover include... … [Read more...]
Podcast EP 34: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Principles with Rob Biernacki (plus Ninjas, Insane Martial Arts Instructors and Martial Arts Cults)
The latest episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast is out. In it I talk with Rob Biernacki, a friend, BJJ black belt, and contributor to Grapplearts (see the videos and articles he's been involved with here). Rob is known for his analytical style of teaching BJJ. He doesn't focus on being a 'technique collector, but rather specialises in sharing the underlying principles and concepts that … [Read more...]
Podcast EP33: Leglocks with Eddie ‘Wolverine’ Cummings
In this episode of Grapplearts Radio I quiz Eddie Cummings - one of the very best leglock artists active on the competition scene today - about every detail of his leglock game, including : Why the heel hook is one of the most efficient submissions for self defense How to train leglocks safely How a world class grappling competitor spends his days Dead ends and rabbit holes that … [Read more...]
Podcast EP32: BJJ and Self Defense, with Jeff Rockwell and Stephan Kesting
Direct from Isla Mujeres, Mexico, here's my latest podcast interview. In it BJJ black belt Jeff Rockwell and I discuss: How certain techniques are 'discovered' again and again What are 'the basics' and why you need one tool for every range Self defense vs competition jiu-jitsu When butt flopping in a self defense situation is the RIGHT thing to do Hair grab defenses for women … [Read more...]
Podcast EP31: BJJ Sports Psychology with Gustavo Dantas
It's one thing to lose in BJJ competition if your opponent really is better than you. But it's quite another to be beaten by an opponent that you KNOW you're better than... to underperform... not to live up to your potential. It sucks! The most common reason for losing to someone with lesser jiu-jitsu skills is that you psyched yourself out and lost the match mentally. You can be in top … [Read more...]
Podcast EP29: Skepticism and the Martial Arts
Skepticism is your best defense against the lies, hoaxes and magical thinking that are so rampant in the traditional martial arts. Join us on this Grapplearts Radio interview where I talk with Jeff Westfall about chi, the evolution of kata, insane martial arts teachers, Indonesian Silat counters to BJJ submissions, the chimpanzee brain, the fight or flight reflex, signs that you might have … [Read more...]
Podcast EP28: How Bernardo Faria Won Double Gold at the BJJ Mundials
In this in-depth interview I talk with Bernardo Faria, the 99kg BJJ fighter who recently took gold in not only his own weight class but also in the absolute division of the 2015 BJJ Mundials. Some of the highlights of my talk with Bernardo Faria included... His mindset going into big tournaments How he developed and refined his highly individual BJJ gameplan What he's learned … [Read more...]
Podcast EP27: Roxanne Modafferi about MMA Training, Continuing to Improve, Tryouts for The Ultimate Fighter, and More
In this podcast episode I talk with Roxanne Modafferi, MMA fighter and TUF standout, about The differences between MMA training in Japan and the USA, Continuing to improve after 12 years in the sport, Training tweaks that finally snapped a 6 fight losing streak, What tryouts forThe Ultimate Fighter were really like, And much more... To hear this podcast episode in full, you … [Read more...]