Johnny Tama joins the show to talk about his origins, finding BJJ after being bullied, the development of his style and becoming the first Ecuadorian World Champion. He also talks about mindset, discipline and leaving his partying days behind
Todd Shaffer joins the show to talk about training after 30, self defense, meme-making and how he found BJJ. He also talks about why Half Guard is such a useful position for everyone and the pitfalls to avoid of academy ownership.
Robert Degle joins the show to talk about why he traded a pursuit of Philosophy for Jiu-Jitsu, the value of a systems-based approach to BJJ, learning from John Danaher and analyzing data. He also covers leg lock principles and general sustained pressure.
Fabio Clemente joins the show to talk about athleticism in BJJ, creating panic in your opponent, training after 50 and teaching kids. He also gives great insight about being an academy owner and gives advice for future school owners.
Jamie Kilstein of Rear Naked Radio joins the show to talk about meditation, getting the most out of down time, visualization and money in Jiu-Jitsu. Him and Ryan also talk about goofing off in past retail jobs and social errors white belts can avoid.
Jean Jacques Machado joins the show to talk about customizing Jiu-Jitsu to your traits, commonly overlooked concepts in the art, the value of self control and weaponizing your weak areas. He also talks about being a pioneer of BJJ in the US and teaching
Renzo returns to the show to talk about the business of Jiu-Jitsu, staying motivated, advice for people who think they suck, and the importance of setting boundaries. He also talks about the Wallid Ismail beef and getting shot at 16 years old
Kurt makes his long awaited return! He talks about Covid in San Fransisco, toilet paper alternatives, prepping for doomsday, the Navy's de-classified UFO footage, lizard porn, murder hornets, bug fights and 80's hair metal.
Matheus Diniz joins the show to talk about growing up in a very small town in Brazil, the funny story behind how he started training, moving to NY to train under Marcelo Garcia and lessons he's learned from competition. He also gives tips on guard passing
Felipe Costa returns to talk about running his own academy, winning the Abu Dhabi Pro, putting kids into BJJ and advice about the mount position. He also goes in on PED usage in the sport and drops a major announcement about his career!
Marcelo returns to the podcast to talk about quarantine life, facing fear, building a game, imposing your game and killing ego. He also shares very personal experiences of suffering from bullying as a kid and the huge obstacle of overcoming shyness.
Keith Krikorian joins the show to talk about blending Wrestling with Jiu-Jitsu, the 10th Planet style, how leg locks have changed the game and overtime skills. We also talk about Adam West's Batman, Animorphs, his fear of bubbles and superheroes he hates
Lael Rodrigues is a highly active competitor and a dedicated teacher at the Novos Sonhos Social Project in Sao Paulo's most distressed area, Cracolandia. Lael and his project are the focus of Grappling Central's first short film "The Saint of Crackland".
Scott Shetler returns to talk about home training for the quarantine, training without equipment, targeting your weaknesses, Ryan's new taco addiction and fighting depression with diet and exercise. He also talks about his new path in Jiu-Jitsu!
Roy Dean joins the show to talk about tactics, being a good training partner, mysticism in martial arts and connecting techniques. He also explains why he decided to step away from being an academy owner and focus on online teaching and seminars instead
Robert Drysdale makes his 3rd appearance on the show! He talks about the importance of human contact, the struggles of running a gym, confidence waves during the BJJ journey and chronic blaming. He also updates us on his upcoming documentary Closed Guard!
Adam Wardzinski joins the show to talk about the BJJ scene in Poland, the path to becoming a professional grappler, rolling vs drilling and why it's important to roll with lower belts. He also gives a deep breakdown of the Butterfly Guard!
Kent Peters joins the show to talk about overcoming plateaus, being self-taught in BJJ, forcing yourself into miserable spots and the value of keeping a training journal. He also talks about attacking from non-dominant positions and Jiu-Jitsu for women
Jeffery Donovan joins the show to talk about fusing Judo and BJJ, starting training after 30 and learning to love competition. He also talks about mental strength and battling cancer while maintaining his journey in Jiu-Jitsu.
Emil Fischer joins the show and discusses ego culture in some academies, controlling aggression and intensity, "rude" techniques and why it doesn't matter if you tap in training, even to lower ranks. He also talks about why he always studies his opponents
Pete "The Greek" Letsos is an American trailblazer in Jiu-Jitsu. He talks about being one of the early Americans to move to Brazil to train, the importance of maintaining a student perspective, his time spent with Master Carlson Gracie and wristlocks!
JT Torres joins the show to talk about pursuing martial arts as a kid, BJJ for smaller people, goal setting and mindset. He also talks about tournament preparation, building confidence and he gives lots of advice for future school owners!
Michelle Nicolini joins us for the 400th episode of the podcast! She talks about the development of her game, building persistence, strategy for smaller people and the importance of the basics. She also discusses her decision to become a pro MMA fighter!
Nick Rahn is a BJJ blue belt and US military veteran who is using Jiu-JItsu to help veterans combat PTSD and find a sense of purpose in civilian life. He shares his powerful story and pulls no punches while doing so in this candid interview.
Nick Rodriguez returns to recap his ADCC performance and to talk about visualization, controlled aggression and the importance of removing dead weight from your life. He also talks about blending wrestling with BJJ and working through injuries