In some ways this podcast about the usefulness of kata was destined to happen... In the last couple of years several people suggested that I should talk to Iain Abernathy, an expert in the application of karate kata, because I am generally quite dubious about the utility of karate kata and kung fu forms. Then I published a controversial video on Youtube called "Why Kung Fu Forms and Karate … [Read more...]
Martial Arts
Podcast Episode 65 – Interview with Sensei Ando Mierzwa, Is Martial Arts Training for Everyone?
I think you'll like this one: in this episode I speak with Ando Mierzwa (Sensei Ando) who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu San Soo with extensive experience in BJJ, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate. We talk about levels of realism in training, tribalism in the martial arts, the fighting arts as a tool to feel some control in a chaotic universe and much more. To listen to this conversation … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 62 – Rant: It is NOT About the Colour of the BELT!
I'm on fire for this one because it really gets under my skin when people focus on the wrong thing in their martial arts training. Boys and girls, it's about skill acquisition and NOT about the color of your belt. Get this wrong and it will destroy your relationship to the martial arts! You can watch a video I did about this on You Tube below: To listen to this conversation you could … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 52 – Rant on the “Too Deadly to Spar” Myth
It's a HUGE mistake to focus on techniques like biting, finger breaks and eye-gouging and avoiding techniques you can try out under pressure and against resistance in sparring. Here's why that's the case, and why most martial sports participants are actually far deadlier than most martial artists. To listen to this conversation you could press play on the embedded audio player below, but then … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 50 – The #1 Reason You Should Train in Martial Arts
In this episode I go into depth about why you (and everyone else) should train in martial arts. Hint: it's not about self defense, fitness or socialising; those things are definitely benefits, but they're not the core reason that martial arts training is so transformative. For more on this topic you can also check out a blog post I wrote on Grapplearts called Blood, Sweat and... Sparta! To … [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...]
The 5 Steps to Training A New Technique
Most of the videos I post online are from my main Youtube channel which focusses quite heavily on BJJ, no gi jiu-jitsu, MMA and other forms of grappling. But what a lot of people don't know is that I also have a second youtube channel called 'Self Defense Tutorials' which - as the title might imply - focuses more on self defense and martial arts training. Here is one of the videos from that … [Read more...]
Eye Gouging, Hair Pulling, and Theodore Roosevelt with Historian Daniele Bolelli
This is definitely one of my very favourite Grapplearts Radio Podcast episodes to date. In it I talk with historian and martial artist Daniele Bolelli. When Daniele isn't training MMA or giving lectures to students he's busy creating episodes of his own podcast, History on Fire, which you should totally check out. Our chat went all over the place, including from the rules (or lack … [Read more...]
What to do when you’ve just had a really crappy BJJ class…
Have you ever have an absolutely terrible BJJ class? One of those days where your regular training partners - the guys and girls you're normally neck and neck with - basically had their way with you? Maybe even junior belts passed your guard, took your back, swept you repeatedly, dominated you positionally, and tapped you out again and again? This can be difficult to deal with; … [Read more...]
Every Martial Art Consists of These 3 Things…
I'm primarily known as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but the reality is that I've trained in a lot of other martial arts too. These other martial arts include Combat Submission Wrestling, Kajukenbo Karate, Boxing, Wing Chun, Judo, Muay Thai, Hung Gar, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Hsing I, Northern Shaolin, Maphalindo Silat, Capoeira, Tai Chi, Western Fencing, Freestyle Wrestling, Jun Fan/JKD, … [Read more...]
7 Reasons Martial Artists Should Do Cardio
Today I want to share 7 reasons that all martial artists should do some form of cardio. This article actually started on a great run up my favourite local mountain. During that run, while dodging roots, rocks and puddles, I also spent a lot of time thinking about the direct martial arts benefits people get after they start working on their cardio. After the run, while cooling down and … [Read more...]
47 Favourite Martial Arts Quotes for Inspiration
I love pithy quotes: in just a few short words they can encapsulate an entire strategy, philosophy, or approach to life. That's why more than 10 years ago I published a short article with some of my favourite martial arts quotes. Well, I've come across a lot more great quotes in the last decade! I typically share the new quotations I discover on my Twitter and/or Instagram accounts, but for … [Read more...]
How to Defend Strikes on the Ground
You're walking down the street, someone bumps you, words are exchanged, you get pushed to the ground, and now some big gorilla is trying to knock your teeth down your throat. No matter how focused you are on the sportive aspects of grappling you've still GOTTA know how to defend strikes on the ground!!! It doesn't matter if your goal is casual recreation or if you wanna be the next UFC … [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...]
10 Tips on Running for BJJ
I blame Bruce Lee, for it was he who first brought the fact that martial artists should run to my attention. It was in the eighties and I came across a photo of Bruce Lee running down the road in the book Bruce Lee's Fighting Method Vol 2. The text talked about how important he thought running was, and mentioned that, "Even when he was sent to India to find suitable locations for filming, he … [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...]
The Two WORST Martial Arts Techniques of All Time!
Disclaimer: I've trained with some great teachers, getting tons of top-notch information from them. But my teachers are NOT AT ALL RESPONSIBLE for today's video! You see, I've just posted a video about the two absolute WORST techniques that I've ever seen in almost 30 years of martial arts training! … [Read more...]
Favorite Grappling Quotes
Here are some of my favorite grappling quotes with some relevance to the sport and science of grappling “No plan of action survives contact with the enemy” – Military Proverb "I am a shark, the ground is my ocean, and most people can't even swim." - Rickson Gracie "A good plan executed violently today is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite point in the future." - George … [Read more...]