Back in 2014, an old friend called. He was a very high-level striking coach and an occasional jiu-jitsu student of mine. As we chatted, I mentioned that I was dying of kidney failure due to Polycystic Kidney Disease and was waiting for a life-saving transplant. Holy crap, was I ever not ready for what came next. He went on an alternative health tirade with evangelical fervor... He told … [Read more...]
Teachers
A ‘Stupid’ Armlock I Was Pretty Sure Would NEVER Work…
Sometimes you just gotta have faith... In the video below I'll share an armlock with you that I'd been shown multiple times early in my BJJ career. And I always thought it was hogwash; that any good opponent would simply twist out of it and I'd end up in a terrible position. Click here to view the same "Stupid" Armlock video on YouTube! The technique in question was the reverse or … [Read more...]
Please Call Me Stephan, not ‘Professor’ or ‘Sifu’ or ‘Sensei’ or ‘Guru’ or ‘Master’ or ‘Shihan’ or ‘Kru’ or ‘Sabom’ Or ‘Kwisatz Haderach’
People mean well when they address me with an honorific but please call me Stephan, and not 'Professor' or 'Sifu' or 'Sensei' or 'Guru' or 'Master' or 'Shihan' or 'Kru' or 'Sabom' Or 'Kwisatz Haderach'... I don't like these honorifics because there's an inherent danger when lofty titles are used to amplify an already reflexive obedience towards a person. And this is especially true in a … [Read more...]
Guidelines for Opening Up Jiu-Jitsu Academies During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Last Updated Sept 10, 2020)
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...]
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...]
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...]
COVID 19 and BJJ
I've been getting a lot of questions about COVID 19 (coronavirus) and BJJ, so let's have some straight talk... My approach to this comes from three perspectives... I've trained in the martial arts for 40 years and got my BJJ black belt 14 years ago... I have both a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in biology and have been following the science around this virus fairly carefully... I'm also a first … [Read more...]
My First Martial Arts Teacher
When I was 8 years old I presented my mother with an ultimatum. I handed her a crayon-written note, "I want to go Judo. It is not fighting. I want to go NOW or I will go on strike." I was pretty serious about this, but Mama Kesting wasn't going to be that easily bullied. Needless to say I didn't get to go to Judo that year. In fact it took another 3 years of campaigning before I was … [Read more...]
BJJ Gameplan Development (Podcast)
In this live Q&A I cover a bunch of topics including Gameplan development, What to do about training partners figuring out your game, How to find a good gym, Whether loyalty to your instructor always a good thing, How sparring is the secret sauce of any effective martial art, Taking time off from jiu-jitsu, And more You can stream the audio for today’s episode in the … [Read more...]
BJJ for Law Enforcement
I recently sat down with my friend Rory Van Vliet to talk about the applicability of BJJ in law enforcement, including policing, corrections, security work and even bouncing. If you work in any of these fields then you should probably have a listen because there are some good war stories here! Episode 250 of The Strenuous Life Podcast in Video Form You can watch and listen to the entire … [Read more...]
On the Value of BJJ Competition with Thomas Lisboa
A fun conversation with BJJ black belt Thomas Lisboa about Why testing yourself occasionally in competition gives you things that you just can't get from regular training, How to develop your weakest positions, Why even advanced students should attend the beginner's class, How Brazilian black belts use their skills on the mat to emigrate to North America, And much more. Episode … [Read more...]
BJJ Self Defense for Girls
I believe that every girl should have some basic self defense training. Yes, defeating a larger, stronger, male aggressor is a high bar to clear for a smaller girl, but it's not impossible - I've seen lots of trained women choke out bigger guys on the mat. The key word here is 'trained'. As in having spent many hours on the mat training, drilling and sparring. Now there are lots of self … [Read more...]
Seph Smith on Sambo, BJJ, and Performing Under Pressure
In this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast I was thrilled to talk with the articulate and knowledgable Seph Smith. Seph is a prolific competitor, was awarded his BJJ black belt by UFC fighter Ryan Hall, and has a black belt in Combat Sambo. He has competed with and without the gi and in MMA as well. We covered many topics including How to train leglocks safely, Competing in … [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...]
Adding New Techniques to Your BJJ Game
I once posted a cool new technique by a famous jiu-jitsu fighter on the Grapplearts Facebook Page. Within the hour I got a text from a purple belt friend of mine who wanted me to show him how to do this technique and start using it. I said sure, but I also advocated caution... I told him that it was going to take a LOT more time to incorporate this particular BJJ technique in to his game. … [Read more...]
New Strenuous Life Podcast Episode with 5 x BJJ World Champion Bernardo Faria
I've just released a KILLER new podcast episode with 5 x BJJ World Champion on my Strenuous Life Podcast. (This is episode 086 of the podcast for anyone keeping track.) In this episode we talk about Bernardo's 'kidnapping' in the Philippines two years ago His thoughts on the results of ADCC 2017 The toughest guys he has ever rolled with Whether you can get your BJJ black belt … [Read more...]
Are You Willing to Go Back to White Belt?
Most people training in the martial arts have a goal to achieve the mythical black belt. "When I finally wrap that black belt around my waist", the narrative goes, "THEN life will be good, my wife, kids and dog will all love me, and I'll never look stupid on the mats again." Ummmm, back up just a second... A good black belt frequently has to go back to being a white belt, and deliberately … [Read more...]
How to Choose a BJJ School to Train At
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em0akAwkjGI I often get emails from people trying to decide where to learn BJJ. They're usually trying to choose between 2 or 3 different schools... Should they train with the purple belt down the street, or the black belt across town? Should they study at the Gracie Barra school, the Atos affiliate, or the 10th planet representative? Should they … [Read more...]
Keep It Simple Stupid When Learning New Techniques
Have you heard of the acronym K.I.S.S? It stands for “Keep It Simple Stupid.” (It was later made politically correct by changing it to “Keep It Short and Simple” but that never really caught on, especially me.) Anyway, K.I.S.S. is a good rule to live by when fighting, sparring and training. You want to simplify as much as possible and not try to keep track of too many things at … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Afraid of Admitting that You Don’t Know Everything
This is rant was brewing inside me for a long time, and I'm sure it'll upset some people and ruffle some feathers. Oh well, can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs, so I'll get over it... I did the rant in video form, and the full name of that video is "Don't Bullshit Your Students About Knowing Everything!" which pretty much sums it up! The humility to admit that you don’t know … [Read more...]