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...]
Training
10 Pieces of Advice for BJJ White Belts
A Guest Article, by Rhett Burch There are many articles for BJJ beginners, but not many of them are written by a purple belt. I figured I'd share my thoughts since it wasn't long ago when I was white belt. The following things have helped me tremendously as a beginner. 1) Relax And Breathe First, is relax. Almost every BJJ beginner moves like a terrified animal initially. Practicing … [Read more...]
Full Contact Jousting with Shane Adams
Shane Adams is the star of Full Metal Jousting and has been featured in the New York Times because is the godfather of modern full contact jousting. In full contact jousting two knights wearing 150 lbs of armour ride on charging horses and try to unhorse each other using 11 foot long solid wooden lances that deliver 2,000 lbs of force. Yes, this is an actual sport: there are rules, … [Read more...]
Robot Legs Drill (video)
Today I want to show you a fun and effective way to improve your guard passes that I call the 'robot legs' drill. Using this drill you make a super-powerful guard passing movement totally instinctive. And once you get comfortable with this drill you can also get a good cardio workout by going faster - start with 3 sets of one minute at full speed and tell me how you feel afterwards! But … [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...]
Emily Kwok Interviews Me About BJJ School Culture and More – Podcast Episode 154
This was a neat interview I did with Emily Kwok from Princeton BJJ and star of the first How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent series. We focused on creating positive learning environments in BJJ, looking at the roles played by the students, the teachers, and instructional technology. We also covered whether I would do anything different if I was starting my BJJ training all over … [Read more...]
How to Manage Fear and Adrenaline in Competition
My friend Shane Fazen has fought Muay Thai in Thailand, competed in boxing, and has even challenged himself in some MMA smokers. In this conversation he and I talk about how to manage fear and adrenaline when you're competing or in a fight. Specific topics include What happens to your body when you experience the fight or flight reflex, How to use an adrenaline dump to your … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 82 – Chat with Rob Biernacki About Visiting Students Training for Free
In this episode I talk with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki about gratitude and how that has shaped his visiting student program where people can train with him for free. And, because it's Rob and I, we go off on some major tangents including the weirdos who have hit us up on the internet, how to identify fake martial arts, and why it's sometimes good to be the dumbest guy in the … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode #81 – Post Deathmarch Chat with Eva Schubert
In this episode Eva Schubert and I discuss our semi-annual 30 horizontal mile and 3 vertical mile 'Deathmarch' through the British Columbia mountains on the 'Kneeknacker Route' and why four was just not our magic number this time... This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can subscribe to with a few easy clicks! Choose your audio … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 83 – World’s Fastest Firefighter Jamie McGarva
I really like this episode because we got the chance to go DEEP into the training routine of the world's fastest firefighter, Jamie McGarva. Jamie has held numerous titles for the Firefighter Combat Challenge both in the team and individual category, including breaking the world record twice in two days. Even now he continues to push himself harder in a single workout than most normal human … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 85 – Ritchie Yip Discusses Transitioning from Gi to No Gi
No gi grappling is very popular these days, and a lot of people find making the transition from training with the gi to training without it tricky and difficult. In this episode Ritchie Yip and I go over some tricks and tips to make this an easier transition and to give you a fighting chance when you can't grip cloth to control your opponent. To listen to this conversation you could press play … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 96 – Mike Zenga on Lessons Learned
In this episode BJJ and Judo black belt Mike Zenga shares some of the lessons, commonalities, and differences he's seen from working one-on-one with 19 BJJ, Judo and ADCC world champions. Do they all train the same way? Eat healthy food or junk? Drill, spar or do lots of conditioning? Listen and find out! In addition we also talk about CTE and brain damage in the combat sports, MMA, boxing … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 105 – Interview With Matt Thornton
Matt Thornton is the founder of Straight Blast Gym, the organisation that produced Conor McGregor. He's also a skeptic with many harsh words for traditional martial arts and traditional training methods. Don't listen if you're easily offended! 00:51 - Matt's martial arts background 10:26 - The concept of "Aliveness" 20:41 - The "I" method of teaching and training martial arts 26:14 - John … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 112 – Live Q&A with Stephan Kesting
Today's episode comes from a Q&A session I did on Instagram live (@stephan_kesting) and gave the answers to a ton of BJJ and training topics including... 05:00 - When I started training BJJ 06:56 - Is BJJ ever going to make it into the Olympics 08:04 - Advice for remote learners without access to a school 12:33 - Teaching seminars? 13:19 - Grappling and submissions when there's a weapon … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 109 – the KISS Principle in Self Defense
What would the boxer Vasyl Lomachenko do if he caught you macking on his girlfriend? Well, I don't think it would involve any elaborate footwork or strategies... It's fun to make things complicated in training, to use setups, fakes, and elaborate combinations to beat your training partners. But when it comes to street self defense you should keep things really, really simple. KISS = Keep It … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 106 – Top 5 Nutrition Tips for Martial Arts
The Christmas binge is over and it's time to take control of your diet again! In this short episode I give you my top five pieces of advice for cleaning up your diet and not sabotaging your training with crappy nutrition. This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can subscribe to with a few easy clicks! Choose your audio player below … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 99 – How to Get Motivated!
In this episode I share one of my best tips to get your butt on the mat or in the gym, indicators for when it's NOT time to push, as well as a cautionary tale of when an MMA training session went too far and I ended up bleeding from the kidneys! Also, I've got some really interesting podcasts coming up in the near future, and if you subscribe then you won't miss them! This podcast episode, … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 98 – Why Don’t More Gyms Teach Take-Downs?
Are take-downs important even though so few BJJ gyms teach them, and can you get away with never training them if your focus is competition? And what about self defense? This are questions I answered during an recent Instagram Live Q&A session - follow me on Instagram @stephan_kesting and maybe next time I'll be answering YOUR question! To listen to this conversation you could press play … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 84 – 3 Steps To Overcoming Training Plateaus
In this short episode we talk about why training plateaus are actually more frustrating than training slumps, plus I share 3 concrete steps to bust out of a plateau and get back to getting better! This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can subscribe to with a few easy clicks! Choose your audio player below and click on it to open up … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 80 – When Should Leglock Training Start?
What belt level should you start training leg locks at? It depends a little bit on what your goals are and whether you're doing gi or no gi, but it's a lot sooner than you think EVEN if you're competing only in the IBJJF rule set. This podcast episode is excerpted from a 17 minute long Youtube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GQZPtpsg_U which takes you through how to do the actual … [Read more...]