The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

Henry Akins joins the show to talk about the importance of defense in your game. He covers several defensive categories and explains how ultimately, a solid defense allows you to be free in the way you express your Jiu-Jitsu.

Travis Stevens returns to talk about the current state of American Judo, his thoughts on BJJ athletes crossing over to Judo competition and the pros and cons of tradition in martial arts. He also talks about mindset and assessing your skills honestly.

Shintaro Higashi joins the show to talk about applying Judo techniques in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. He also explains how to train safely and "trade wins" for optimal results. He also discusses how to break the linear learning cycle commonly seen in BJJ

If you've ever considered opening your own gym, this episode is a must-listen! Master Fabio Gurgel shares knowledge he's collected from decades of running one of the largest teams in BJJ. He covers best practices, costs and income potential for gym owners

Rigan Machado joins the show to talk about Old School Jiu-Jitsu, the importance of keeping up with modern trends in the art and Jiu-Jitsu in film choreography. He also talks about what he feels BJJ needs to do to reach more mainstream viewers.

Shawn Williams returns to talk about ADCC vs CJI, the standards of a black belt, overcoming self-doubt and developing sliding skills. He also covers effective coaching methods and dives deep on the body lock!

Adam Wardzinski joins the show fresh off his history-making World Championship. He talks about the lifestyle and work ethic it took to achieve this accomplishment and he gives advice to aspiring future champions. He also talks about the Octopus Guard!

Kurt is back and in better shape than ever! He talks about lifting weights, setting up take downs, using swords in a street fight and CJI vs ADCC. He also takes questions from listeners and gives tips on fighting both wild animals and leg lockers!

Paul Schreiner joins the show to discuss the various methods that are being used to teach Jiu-Jitsu. He shares his thoughts on what has worked best for him and his students. We discuss the ecological approach and linear method and their differences

Rolles Gracie joins the show to talk about creating an environment that helps students learn faster, upper belts mentoring lower belts and his thoughts on the practice of testing for belts. He also gives advice for white belts.

Renato Canuto joins the show to talk about pay for Jiu-Jitsu athletes, his upcoming MMA debut and his open-minded approach to rolling and competing. He also dives deep on improving your armbar success rate and how to fix holes in your game!

Roy Dean returns to discuss the different levels of mastery that exist in Jiu-Jitsu that become more obvious as you pursue the art over time. Things like strategy, creating and recognizing traps and the importance of using Kazushi are all topics we cover!

Kurt is back to talk about how much AI is freaking him out, his thoughts on a possible global robot takeover and surgical bio-hacking upgrades that he is interested in getting. He also takes questions from the listeners about Jiu-Jitsu and anything else!

Yuri Simoes makes his long-awaited return to the show! He talks about what drives him to compete and how he processes losses as a highly competitive personality type. He also talks about assessing your performances honestly and he shares his unique phobia!

Malachy Friedman returns to discuss some of the common misinterpretations regarding what effective training is. He also explains how some of his injuries actually made him better on the mats. He also talks in depth about the student/teacher relationship

Giancarlo returns to talk about the importance of having clear aspirations as a Jiu-Jitsu student in order to reach your goals. He also explains that recreational practitioners can reach similar skill levels to elite athletes if they are consistent

Eli Knight returns to talk about overcoming frustrations in training. We all get stuck sometimes, Eli sheds some light on how to push through! He also talks about the fine line academy owners walk when giving life advice or guidance outside of Jiu-Jitsu

Michael Chu is a black belt under Clark Gracie with a very interesting life story. In this episode, he details how he went from being a police officer, to a federal inmate, to a Jiu-Jitsu school owner in Hawaii. He also gives tips on the rear triangle!

Lucas Pinheiro joins the show to tell his story of coming up from hardship to becoming a world champion! He explains how building a positive mindset in any circumstances he faced was crucial to his success. He also shares his pressure passing mindset!

Brian Glick talks about how personality types will influence the way we learn Jiu-Jitsu. He also explains why sometimes the people who seem the best suited to excel don't last. He also explains why you should train on days you aren't feeling your best!