Wrestling is a fantastic background for anyone who wants to train BJJ. The powerful takedowns, the determined scrambling, the level of conditioning and a tough mindset are a winning combination that work in any combat sport. But transitioning from wrestling to BJJ and combining the best of both arts isn't necessarily an easy process... In fact it can be downright difficult and … [Read more...]
The Mental Aspect
The Red Line in Jiu-Jitsu
I once flew in through the mountains in a helicopter with my friend Kevin at the controls. He was not only a commercial pilot but also fellow whitewater paddler. We had commandeered a helicopter for 'a maintenance flight', but the real reason we were airborne was to scout a remote river in northern British Columbia, almost at the Yukon border. The idea was to fly over the river and down its … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 141 – The Steep Learning Curve Blues in BJJ
I was recently dragged through the waves, under the water and then lifted up into the air while trying to figure out the sport of kiteboarding, and figured out that there is one hell of a learning curve in that sport! But many sports and activities worth doing have that same initial hump - a difficult learning curve that makes most people drop out. Ultimately if it were easy to do then … [Read more...]
Sport BJJ vs Self Defense BJJ
There are many reasons to train BJJ - fitness, camaraderie, having fun, taking on a challenge, spiritual development, learning to deal with challenges, wanting to compete - but at its core, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art. Martial arts means self defense. Self defense is a very big topic, but it has to include choking an attacker into a unconsciousness if need be. Here are two videos … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 134 – Conditioning for Combat Sport with Jason Kapnick
In this episode I talk with elite powerlifter, kettlebell instructor and BJJ practitioner Jason Kapnick about optimal exercises, program design, building a balanced body, functional movement screening, injury prevention, and training for optimal athletic performance. It was a great conversation, and I hope you come away from it having learned as much as I did! To hear this podcast episode in … [Read more...]
12 BJJ Black Belts Give Their Best Tips for Starting BJJ {Video and Podcast}
Today you're going to get 12 BJJ black belts give their best tips, strategies and advice for people just starting out in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. White belts looking for help getting started and organising their training will really benefit from watching this. Although there are a few themes the fascinating thing is how diverse the advice is. There is no one path, no one BJJ tip to rule them all, … [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 127: Why Techniques Never Work on the Day They’re Shown
OK, so you've just learned a cool new technique - a sweep, a pass, a submission - that you're pretty sure is the Kryptonite you need to defeat your hardest sparring partner. It's the missing piece you've been looking for. But then you crash and burn when you try it out in sparring. Your opponent ignores your move, passes your guard, smashes you flat and taps you out. What's going on? In … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 126: Staying Calm in Killer Waves and Night Time Saves with Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Donald Lipscomb
Really enjoyed this chat with Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Donald Lipscomb. We went into detail about rescuing people from capsized ships, the selection process with a 90% attrition rate, and the training required to jump from a helicopter into stormy seas with nothing more than a pair of fins to push yourself through the water. We also talk about how jiu-jitsu and wrestling helped give him the … [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...]
BJJ Breathing Tricks When You’re On the Bottom, Getting Crushed by Your Opponent
One of the very worst things is to be trapped on the bottom with all your opponent's weight on top of you and be unable to breathe. This is usually followed by exhaustion, panic and surrender. But it doesn't need to be like this - there are several approaches to breathing in BJJ that can make sure air gets into your lungs, oxygen into your blood, and keep you in the game, even when you're … [Read more...]
Stephan Talks to Chewy from Chewjitsu on The Strenuous Life Podcast, Episode 120
Chewy (aka Nick Albin) is well known for the BJJ advice he gives on his prolific Chewjitsu channel, so I was thrilled to have him on the podcast. It's a great chat and we cover a ton of material, including How he got his nickname, His journey from wrestling to MMA to jiu-jitsu, Gi vs no gi training, Preventing injuries in training, Why he decided to leave tech and go full time … [Read more...]
Grappling with Claustrophobia in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
This article grew out of an email conversation I had with a reader of the Grapplearts newsletter about his problems with claustrophobia while grappling (read about the initial conversation here). How could he possibly control this awful feeling? At first I suggested various structural or technical solutions to avoid getting crushed on the bottom, for example: breathing when you are on the … [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...]
How to Coach at BJJ Tournaments
by Jeff Meszaros I’ve played all the big roles at Brazilian jiu jitsu tournaments: The stressed-out competitor sweating in the bullpen, the furiously screaming coach who is in obvious need of anger management counselling and the referee who seems to be daydreaming rather than watching the match. I’ve done it all, and quite badly. I’m just kidding, of course. I actually was never stressed-out … [Read more...]
Podcast: 8th Degree BJJ Coral Belt Carlos Machado!
I loved talking to jiu-jitsu pioneer Carlos Machado about all things BJJ in episode 115 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. He shares stories about growing up training with Rickson and Rolls, the importance of universal principles in Jiu-jitsu, pushing the tables aside to train with his brothers Roger, Rigan, Jean Jacques and John, competing in ADCC with a broken foot and more. I hope you get as … [Read more...]
The Strenuous Life Podcast: New Episode with Extreme Kiteboarder Jack Rieder
I really enjoyed talking with kiteboarder and extreme athlete Jack Rieder (in part because I'm dying to try kiteboarding myself). Even though Jack doesn't do martial arts (yet!) he still exemplifies the strenuous life. I hope you'll enjoy it! Here's just a bit of what we talked about... 1:10 - What is kiteboarding? 6:47 - The disciplines of kiteboarding 13:57 - Other uses for kites 17:51 … [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...]
Older Grappler Training Q & A
In this episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast I answer lots of questions by older grapplers about continuing to train and make good progress when you're in your 40's, 50's and beyond. Can you still train hard as you get older? How often should you train? How can you recover faster? Should you also do weight training as an older athlete And more! The questions came from an … [Read more...]
Cults, Comets and Critical Thinking!
I've just released a new podcast episode (episode 093) just out that starts with martial arts training and ends up talking about mass suicides and alien spaceships trailing comets... At it's core it's a rant about the importance of testability, falsifiability, and critical thinking. This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can … [Read more...]