Interviews

Today's episode is PURE GOLD for BJJ practitioners and No Gi grapplers. Fabio Gurgel - 4 time BJJ Black Belt World Champion (and trainer of more than 50 other world champions) - talks about his approach to passing the guard, including how to connect your moves, the evolution of guard passing, advice for older grapplers, when you should stop halfway through a guard pass to tire the other guy out, and alternatives to the modern styles of guard passing that rely on mobility, athleticism and floating from side to side above your opponent. Check out Fabio's instructional, The Pressure Passing System, available on DVD, online streaming and in app form at https://www.grapplearts.com/pressure

Hooman Tavakolian is a former wrestler, wrestling coach, sports diplomat and philanthropist. In this episode, we discuss how wrestling is deeply built into Iranian culture, an athletes responsibility to give back, Hooman's journey in wrestling after moving to the USA, how sport can help young people and the work that both Hooman and Saeed are doing, through wrestling, to help their communities.

Eliot Marshall is BJJ black belt and a former professional mixed MMA fighter who also appeared in Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter show. In today's podcast we talk about how to run a successful BJJ school, the financial incentive structures in MMA fight teams, the physical and mental attributes you need to be a good fighter, making a living off of jiu-jitsu, Elliot's experience with anxiety and depression, his rules for raising kids, and his Gospel of Fire book coming out soon. Find out more about Eliot, his teaching, his podcast and his book at https://eliotmarshall.com/

George Bossi has been coaching high school wrestling in Lowell, MA for over 50 years. He is the focus of the film "Bossi". He reflects on his career and talks about molding the young men of Lowell through wrestling. Many of whom were on dark paths prior.

Red Sullivan is a strength and conditioning expert who has worked with athletes in many different sports to help them realise their athletic potential. In this podcast we go deep into skill vs physical attributes, how body types influence sport, insane underwater workouts with Laird Hamilton, and the difference between improving as a person and improving in training. Find out more about Red and his training services at https://www.theredgimen.com/, or follow him on Instagram at @strictlyred —————————————————— OFFICIAL STEPHAN KESTING LINKS —————————————————— YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/stephankesting INSTAGRAM @Stephan_Kesting https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/grapplearts TWITTER: @stephankesting or https://www.twitter.com/stephankesting ————————————————— STEPHAN'S FREE PDF CHECKLIST OF BJJ POSITIONS https://www.grapplearts.com/book ————————————————— STEPHAN'S MAIN WEBSITE - GRAPPLEARTS.COM Home page: https://www.grapplearts.com/ Stephan's Free BJJ Tips by Email: https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter Articles, Tips & Techniques: https://www.grapplearts.com/articles —————————————————— STEPHAN'S FREE iOS & ANDROID APPS FOR LEARNING BJJ ON YOUR PHONE The Roadmap for BJJ (Free): https://www.grapplearts.com/roadmap The Grapplearts BJJ Master App (Free): https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp —————————————————— STEPHAN'S SELF DEFENSE TUTORIALS WEBSITE https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com/

On this episode, the podcast starts out with a Chewy ramble on whether jiu-jitsu is mental or physical. We also discuss the benefits of breathing for recovery and as part of a cool-down after a hard training session, proper breathing technique, how breathing effects the nervous system, and some different types of breathing that Chewy finds beneficial. The podcast also includes a Q&A session.

Are you flailing around in your guard, trying to react to your opponent, without a clear plan of what to do? If so then this episode is for you! In it Rob Biernacki and I talk about the 3 step order of operations to make sure that you're dominating the guard battle every step of the way. This is from a video shot to support the launch of the 'No Gi de la Riva Formula' in online streaming, DVD and app form. More info about this step-by-step gameplan for the open guard here: www.grapplearts.com/DLR

Rory Singer is a BJJ Black Belt and retired MMA fighter and UFC veteran. He talks about the application of combat sports in real world self defense situations, his MMA career and his journey as a gym owner.

Daniel Strauss (aka The Raspberry Ape) is a BJJ black belt under 10x World Champion Roger Gracie. But he's also a very serious advocate of strongman training including the development of crazy levels of grip strength. In today's podcast we start with Daniel's victory over Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at Polaris and BJJ competition strategy and then do a deep dive into strength training for grappling and for its own sake. I think you'll really like this one! Also make sure to check out Daniel's 'Raspberry Ape' podcast on iTunes and wherever fine podcasts are distributed

On this episode of the podcast, Chewy joins me from Costa Rica as he is on vacation at the Puravida BJJ and Surf retreat. The podcast starts out jiu-jitsu related but transitions to a discussion on meditation, choosing an unconventional path and career in life, adjusting your life to fit your wants and needs, and what Chewy does to "re-set" if he feels he is getting worn out.

Tom is a BJJ black belt and multiple time nogi world champion. In this episode Tom and I discuss how he got into BJJ, his gymnastics background, training with some of the best in the world at some of the highest level gyms in the world, what's made him successful and how he almost got involved in a gang duel.

Brian Jones is a BJJ and Judo Black Belt and one of the leading experts on sandbag training. He talks about self defense, BJJ in the 90's and fighting how you train. He also talks about the unique "surprise attack" policy he has at his school!

Rosi Sexton is a true renaissance woman. She fought in BodogFight, EliteXC, Cage Warriors and was the first British Woman to fight in the UFC. But she's also Cambridge educated with a PhD in Theoretical Computer Science, a musician, a writer and a physical therapist. So she knows a thing or two... In this episode we talk about learning new skills, improving in combat sports, and overcoming injuries. From about 38 minutes on we concentrate on neck injuries and the role of neck strengthening in minimising concussion in combat sports. This is an extremely important episode for all martial artists! Check out the "Safe Neck Strengthening for BJJ, with UFC Fighter Rosi Sexton" video that Rosi shot for my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04ff_tgZGI0 And check out her site at https://www.combatsportsclinic.net/

Mahamed Aly is a 2018 BJJ World Champion. He joins the podcast to share his progression in jiu-jitsu, his mindset for competitions, and what it was like to win the world championship. Mahamed also discusses how he overcame injuries, learning techniques and growing in jiu-jitsu, and also hangs out for a Q&A session.

Cat Clarke is a BJJ Brown Belt and the promoter behind Sub Series Pro, a rapidly growing organization out of Canada. He talks about running events, weight loss, dealing with athletes, growing BJJ's mainstream popularity and surviving lightning strikes!

Daniel Bohigian is a Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Dave Camarillo, competes actively, and also teaches 'Philosophy of Sport' at San Jose State. In this episode we discussed philosophy vs jiu-jitsu, work vs play, mind vs body, teaching people how to think, why 'leaving your ego at the door' is a bad idea, and much more. Follow Daniel on Instagram at @philosograppler And download my FREE app for iOS and Android devices with more than 457 minutes of black belt BJJ technique at Grapplearts.com/masterapp

Paul Kindzia was immersed in the world of marathon and triathalon for many years before immersing himself in BJJ, even going so far as to write a book on the topic called 'Master Jiu-Jitsu, Master Life'. In this episode we focus on the lessons that can be brought into BJJ training from the endurance sports world, including efficient training, effective recovery, minimisation of injuries and maximising your time on the mat. I really think you'll like this episode and come away with some good 'Aha' moments! Also, I'm releasing the 'Self Defense Guard' as a module in the Grapplearts BJJ Master App right now. This app allows you to take BJJ with you in your pocket wherever you go. Download the app for free at [Grapplearts.com/masterapp](https://www.Grapplearts.com/masterapp) and then look for the 'Self Defense Guard' module within it!!

Jiu-jitsu black belt Adam Nadow was recently attacked in the street and used his training to defend himself and control his attacker until the police arrived. The video of this confrontation later went viral in the BJJ and self defense community. Adam came on the podcast today to talk about this incident, his training, and the relevance of BJJ to self defense. Video of that fight can be seen here: https://www.grapplearts.com/podcast-with-adam-nadow/ In addition to breaking down the street incident step by step we also talked about the BJJ point system and how it applies to self defense training, the amazing power of adrenaline, and why you should learn to fight even if you also pack heat. If you're interested in this topic please check out my self defense oriented website https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com and sign up for the email newsletter on that site too because I share some really good tidbits from my 35 years of martial arts training! Good luck with your training! Stephan

Dr. Peter Goldman is a BJJ Black Belt and the chiropractor of stars like Rickson and Kron Gracie, BJ Penn, Clark Gracie and several others. He talks about his journey, longevity, preserving your neck and he takes questions from the GCP facebook group!

On this episode we are joined by MMA analyst Robin Black. Robin discusses his start in martial arts, how a serious health setback changed his life and reignited his passion in martial arts which ultimately led to fighting in MMA, becoming an analyst for martial arts all over the world, how and why he started his "One Minute Breakdown" videos on Instagram, and his plans for the upcoming year. Follow Robin on social media @robinblackmma.

Professor Neiman Gracie joins the show to talk about the value of positional training, BJJ for MMA, fight strategy for Jiu-Jitsu athletes and learning from John Danaher. He also explains why training with a big team doesn't guarantee success.

On this episode we are joined by 2018 No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and ADCC East Coast Trials winner Tim Spriggs. Tim discusses his ups and downs as a jiu-jitsu athlete, quitting jiu-jitsu and working a regular job and then eventually returning to training and becoming a world champion, his training regimen, his toughest training partners, how he drills to improve his techniques, how he feels about trash talking, the origin and meaning of "Mushmaster," and much more. Follow Tim on Instagram @timspriggsbjj and check out his podcast "The BJJ Goons Podcast" on iTunes.

Judo star Marti Malloy joins the show to talk about her Olympic experience, training smart, lessons learned from the mats and managing pressure in competition. She also reflects on the most significant moments of her career!

Guro Bob Breen is a martial arts pioneer. Renowned in multiple disciplines including Karate, Kali/Escrima, Philipino martial arts and Jeet Kun Do. Bob has been teaching martial arts for over 50 years, he has trained under many of the biggest names in martial arts worldwide and is credited with bringing Filipino martial arts and JKD to the UK. In the episode, we discuss his journey in the martial arts, his secret of longevity, a bizare amount about kicking people in the groin and much much more. For more info on Bob visit: bobbreen.com For his online training visit: 4dcombat.com Facebook: facebook.com/JKDKALIEVOLUTION/ Twitter: @bob_breen Instagram: @gurobob