It's true that some high-level athletes recommend training every day or even multiple times a day. And it's true that all things being equal, more training equals faster progress. The problem is that all things are NOT always equal in this formulation. And to some extent, this advice is the product of survivor bias; you only hear from the people who did this and were successful, and not the … [Read more...]
Training Schedule
What Is Required for Your BJJ Blue Belt?
In episode 380 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk you through what's generally required to be a competent blue belt, including... The 8 basic positions in jiu-jitsu A 3 phase strategy for beating a bigger person The real purpose of the guard The 2 types of submissions The hierarchy of positions How to stay safe in bad positions...and what to do next. The importance of … [Read more...]
Mix Up Your Training!
Don’t be afraid taking little detours in your training to explore a corner of the art to the exclusion of training everything, all at once, all of the time. By specializing in one little area you can make some serious breakthroughs and also you can avoid stagnation and boredom which is important for the long run. View this post on … [Read more...]
Skill vs Athleticism in BJJ, with Rob Biernacki & Stephan Kesting
Rob Biernacki is back on The Strenuous Life Podcast to discuss the relative importance of technical skill vs physical athleticism in BJJ... Skill vs Athleticism in BJJ (Video Version) Here is the video of my conversation with Rob (click here to watch it on Youtube)... 00:20 - Can you succeed with just technique in Jiu-jitsu? 04:41 - Is Jiu-jitsu for everybody? 08:59 - Skill vs … [Read more...]
Key Tips and Strategies for Older Grapplers
Rob Biernacki and I have just released BJJ for Old F***s, and from that instructional here are some of the most important tips for the older grappler. Specifically in this episode Rob Biernacki (age 46) and I (age 52) discuss... The two things that change most about your training as you get older How to improve as fast as possible by limiting your training Why base, posture and … [Read more...]
Combining BJJ and Muay Thai, with Tyson Larone
I really enjoyed talking with Tyson Larone today on episode 360 of The Strenuous Life Podcast. He's a badass Jiu-jitsu black belt who also teaches Muay Thai and is a certified strength and conditioning coach. We went deep into developing effective training methods for the two arts, how to avoid injury, which experts we should listen to, training against resistance, and how to build a good mix … [Read more...]
Margot Ciccarelli, Travelling the World While Training Jiu-Jitsu
Multiple time World and European champion Margot Ciccarelli joins us take us through some of the following topics... Competing at the highest level while spending much of the year on the road, How to feel invincible on the mats, The importance of tempo changes in jiu-jitsu, Transitioning through different guards, Learning faster vs staying in your comfort zone, Switching from a … [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...]
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...]
Train Hard AND Train Smart!
There's a saying in the British army that goes, 'Proper Preparation and Planning Prevent Piss Poor Performance.' This is called The Seven P's, and it applies just as much to BJJ as it does to military matters. The truth is that any great accomplishment, from winning a tournament to getting your black belt, requires a TON of preparation and planning. Think of the training, the drilling, … [Read more...]
Interview with Yuri Simoes, 2 x ADCC World Champion
Yuri Simoes is a two time ADCC World Championship, a two-time IBJJF black belt Absolute No-Gi World Champion, and a two-time Pan American Champion. In our chat we go deep into developing the motivation required to train at such a high level, recovering from 2 horrific knee injuries and winning ADCC, the importance of self defense training, how he took down a Olympic Judo champion in … [Read more...]
An In Depth Interview with Oliver Taza from the Danaher Death Squad
Oliver Taza trains at Tristar in Montreal with Firas Zahabi and at Renzo Gracie's in New York City with John Danaher. With his impeccable technique and aggressive grappling style he has amassed an impressive array of wins at Polaris, Metamoris, the ADCC Trials, the No Gi Worlds, and many more competitions. In this episode we go deep into the training and technical development required to … [Read more...]
Creating Your Optimal Training Environment, with Jon Thomas
In this conversation BJJ black belt Jon Thomas and I go deep into training and drilling methodologies that give you results as fast as possible. Jon is originally from the US but teaches at a school in Sweden. He still competes at a high level, so he has had to take extreme ownership over his results using reverse-engineering and a very analytical approach to his training. In this episode we … [Read more...]
Training While Sick and Tired
NO DAYS OFF!!! It's a meme, it's a hashtag, and it's a point of honour among many advocates of fitness and martial arts training. But this approach can really get you into a heap of trouble if you take it too seriously. I know this because I've been there many times, most recently on my 1000 mile solo canoe trip in the Arctic. On that trip I absolutely crushed myself. Driven by the … [Read more...]
Recovery from BJJ Training
You can train super hard and kick the crap out of your body but that doesn't make you stronger - it's only after you RECOVER from training that the benefits of training manifest themselves. Too many athletes focus entirely on the training component and neglect recovery, but ultimately you need to be as focussed and diligent on your recovery, recuperation and rehabilitation as you are on what … [Read more...]
How Often Should You Train BJJ to Get Really Good?
Historically I've always said that doing something is better than doing nothing, and that training BJJ one day a week is a million times better than not training at all. But we're NOT talking about bare minimums today... Let's say that you're super serious about jiu-jitsu, a competitor or super dedicated student. Then how often should you train to get really good? 4 days a week? 5 days a … [Read more...]
The Mental Side of Jiu-Jitsu with Tarsis Humphreys
Tarsis Humphreys is a multiple time BJJ Black Belt world champion and Brazilian National Champion. From 1998 to 2010 he won a medal in whichever Black Belt adult division he entered. In this episode we go DEEP into the mental game of BJJ, including How to keep a match on your preferred terms, The optimal state of mental arousal for a match, Tailoring a strategy to overcome certain … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 60 – Is It Possible to Learn Martial Arts Doing Only 1 Class Per Week?
This is for everyone - beginner and experienced martial artist - with a very tight schedule who can't train more than once a week. Can you still make progress? What are some tips for getting as good as you can when time is limited? How do you not lose hope, momentum and confidence during these inevitable training slowdowns? Of course my main site is Grapplearts.com, but also check out my … [Read more...]