This week we have an interview with Roger Gracie black belt Nic Gregoriades. Nic shares some of his amazing BJJ journey with us this week.

We talk about:

• Getting his black belt from Roger Gracie in 4 years
• His plans to move to the United States
• How teaching has affected his own growth
• His training before he became a black belt
• How your BJJ changes as you age
• Starting a Jiu-Jitsu Sisterhood
• Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood
• What Brotherhood means to Nic
• Why it is important to eat good quality foods
• The Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood logo
• BJJ for Yoga

Links:

• Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood
• Vibrant Health Maximum Vibrance

Quote of the week: "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant" Robert Louis Stevenson

Article of the week:We are joined this week for by the Author Miles Brown from Forge Fitness Studio in Wichita. Do ice baths work for recovery?

Mat Tales 19: Legend Down Under

Yoga for grapplers review https://youtu.be/84Kj-r1m8pg

The Bring Your Dad to BJJ seminar is June 17 at fox fitness.

[caption id="attachment_3444" align="alignright" width="219"] Please check out this video if you are interested in supporting The BjjBrick Podcast.[/caption]

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Elizabeth Clay is in the record books as the youngest person to qualify for ADCC. She trains in Anchorage Alaska at Legacy Jiu-Jitsu. She has been training since the age of twelve. We are excited to watch her compete in the 2017 ADCC.

We talk about:

• Starting BJJ at twelve
• The game she like to use for competitions
• How her game changes based on the rules
• Training for worlds and ADCC
• Training 7 days a week and 2-4 times a day
• Swimming and hills for cardio
• Graduating school early
• Her team is basically all male
• Listening to music before competing
• Competing in the adults division to get good matches

Links:

• Legacy Jiu Jitsu in Anchorage Alaska
• Alaska fight shop
• Zebra Athletics featuring Elisabeth Clay
• Elisabeth Clay on Facebook

Quote of the week: "Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip Toe if you must, but take a step." Naeem Callaway

Article of the week: Why I Do Jiu-Jitsu by Joe Thomas

The Referee Corner Part 5 Hand Signals Check out the Grappling Referee here

June 17th is "Bring Your Dad to Jiu-Jitsu Day"

Gary's audio book is called "tippy toe to a double leg"

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It is important to look at yourself and reflect about what attributes you have that can help you get better at BJJ. We look at Physical, Mental, and Situational advantages (Gifts) you have and how to get the most out of them.

Gary as a big good looking gift. This image is a prank that Gary was unaware of.

Some of the physical gifts we talk about:

• Speed
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Coordination
• Balance
• Your height

Some of the mental gifts we talk about:

• Patience as a student and instructor
• Having a memory for technique
• Being a people person
• having a competitive spirit

Some of the situational gifts we talk about:

• Having a great BJJ gym near you
• Having a stable family life
• Having a supportive spouse or partner
• Being healthy
• Being part of a great team
• Having a great coach
• Being financially stable

Pranks pulled on Gary this week: The golden girls song around 57min when he is talking about how great a training partner Byron is. Gary was unaware of the gift image with Gary's face.

Quote of the week: "Wouldn't it be great to be gifted? In fact.... It turns out that choices lead to habits. Habits become talents. Talents are labeled gifts. You're not born this way, you get this way." Seth Godin

Article of the week: Visiting another school…. Getting the most out of a drop in

We welcome new patreon supporters Mindy and Alexander

Mat Tales 18 Hitting the Road for BJJ

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The List of people that have tapped out Marcelo Garcia is short but it includes Dustin Denes AKA Clean. Enjoy this weeks interview because it is going to be like nothing you have heard before.

Dustin Denes "Clean" teaching a seminar at fox fitness.

We talk about:

• Becoming a Brazilian National Champion in 2000
• Tapping out Marcelo Garcia with a RNC
• Being certain that you will be successful
• Tapping into your full potential
• Motivation vs discipline
• How he developed discipline as a boy
• How he got the name "Clean"
• Chasing efforts
• The definition of "Chop Certified" and "Jiu-Jitsu Chop"
• Teaching productivity while doing a BJJ seminar
• Why he learns everyone's name while teaching a seminar
• Why he teaches a smaller number of techniques that you will be able to remember
• Why you have a good side and a great side not a bad side
• Tips on goal setting
• How pain motivated him to win tournaments
• Why it is important to make some sacrifices when preparing for a tournament

Links:

• chopcertified.com

Quote of the week: "I only train on days ending in a Y." Neil Ohlenkamp

Article of the week: Hey, Jiu-Jitsu Competitors, Stop Apologizing For Your Losses

Gary's book this week is called "The Hair Lock"

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This week we have an interview with Greg Thompson. Greg is the creator of SOCP (Special Operations Combatives Program) www.socp.info. On March 23, 2010, SOCP became the first officially designated combatives program for all U.S. Army Special Operations Forces. ERB Codes: (SOCP I: BRT), (SOCP II: FBR) SOCP is now the standard program for fighting in kit. Greg is also training Federal and State Law Enforcement, FBI, ATF, Border Patrol and Special Contract Units. Continue reading about Greg Thompson here.

We talk about:

• His start in martial arts and wrestling
• What is was like training in the early days
• Getting started in training people in special operations
• Some of the tactical decisions a law enforcement officer must make
• Why it is important to know the limits of what you are training
• His conversations with a closed minded martial artist
• Training safely for violent encounters
• Controlling the distance
• Knowing how to use the proper force multiplyer
• Knife training and common mistakes with training with knifes
• What someone doing BJJ can do to prepare for self defense
• Grappling and training with a knife
• Grappling with teams or more than one vs one
• Police officers dealing with stress and the use of force
• How to de escalate self defense situations
• How to avoid legal trouble for defending yourself
• The pros and cons of different self defense tools
• How to protect yourself from a home invasion
• How to avoid someone breaking into your house
• How to deal with a home invasion situation
• Creating safe habits
• Using your BJJ skills if you get a job in the military or law enforcement

Links:

• Team R.O.C
• TXcombatives
• H2H (Hand to Hand) Combat, Soldiers Edition
• Videos of Greg here

Quote of the week: "No intelligent man has ever lost a fight to someone who said 'I'm gonna kick your ass" Rory Miller

Article of the week: A Complete Victory by a 1% Margin

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This week we have an interview with Atos rising star Conner DeAngelis.

We talk about:

• Moving to Atos to train BJJ
• His style of game
• Getting double gold at worlds in blue belt nogi and winning Pan Ams
• How bad coaching can effect sports performance
• A lesson learned from a loss
• Dealing with nerves before competing
• Cooking advice for young athletes
• His training schedule

Links:

• Hyperfly
• Conner on Instagram
• Conner on Facebook

Quote of the week: "Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that's cool too." Pat Tyson

Article of the week: 7 Reasons Your Jiu-Jitsu Isn't Getting Better

Gary talks about his book he is going to release called "Cooking the cauliflower ear with Mike Tyson"

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This week we have an interview with BJJ brown belt Sarah Draht. She has been training since 2005. She shares her wealth of experience in Muay Thai, BJJ and MMA.

We talk about:

• Her start in martial arts
• Some of the things that make her passionate about BJJ
• Running a women's Muay Thai program
• How a bad car accident almost killed her and kept her off the mat for four years
• Recovering from her car accident
• Mind Gym : An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence
• How to avoid getting injured before a tournament
• Advice for women transitioning from BJJ to MMA

Links:

• BC Kimonos
• Joel Kryczka Physiotherapy
• Sarah on Instagram
• Sarah on Facebook

Quote of the week: "'Find a job you like, and you add five days to every week." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Article of the week: Live Sparring/Free Rolling: Get more out of it than just a good fight

Safe word of the week: Peanut butter

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This week we talk about an important and sometimes overlooked attribute to BJJ. The speed of the game may be something you use to your advantage or something that you are find yourself working to mitigate.

Gary has no idea that I put him in the movie poster from the movie speed. -Byron

We talk about:

• Tips for the slower grappler
• Some techniques that are better done slowly
• Why your speed may leave you some day
• When you should slow down or speed up
• How to speed things up
• How to slow things down
• The speed of particular positions

Quote of the week: "Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." not by Anita Goodman but the quote was said by Og Mandino

Article of the week: Positional Sparring: Getting the most out of it

Korbett's Kids Epi 3- Korbett Miller answers a question about kids and drilling. Check out Korbett's website here for more info on developing a strong kids program at your academy.

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This week we have an interview with Gina Franssen. Gina is Minnesota's first female Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. You can find her at her female focused gym X2 Fitness. We cover a wide range of topics in this interview.

Gina Franssen (far right)

We talk about:

• What BJJ was like for women fourteen years ago
• How she was involved in a women's only BJJ school
• Adding men to what was once a women's only BJJ school
• What she looks for in quality male training partners
• How she got started in martial arts
• A tip to find a gym while traveling
• Advice for women starting BJJ
• Why it is important to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable

Links:

• X2 Fitness
• Mission22
• We Defy Foundation
• Gina on Facebook
• Gina on Instagram

Quote of the week: People seldom refuse help, if one offers it in the right way. A. C. Benson

Article of the week: Drilling: How To Get the Most Out Of It

The Referee Corner Epi 4: Why does the referee alter the gi?

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Dominique Bell is a brown belt training and teaching at Atos Jiujitsu HQ - San Diego. Dominique has been on fire on the mats and is definitely a person you should be watching. In his spare time he is the person behind BjjComics.

We talk about:

• Training BJJ full time
• Training in the army combative program
• Moving across the country to train at Atos
• BjjComics.com
• Similarities of BJJ and rock climbing
• The differences in his gi and nogi game
• His bottom game strategy for nogi
• His first experiences doing jiu-jitsu
• How he prepares mentally and physically 30 min before a mach
• Why it is so important to have a game plan

Links:

• Kingz Kimonos
• Damage Control Mouthguards
• Supplement sponsor Athorganics
• Monkey Tape
• Soap Full Guard Gear
• Dominique Bell on Facebook
• Dominique Bell on Instagram

Article of the week: Competing in mid-adulthood: How to train to win after age 35

Quote of the week: "It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it." Voltaire

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