Today we have the great pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Jordan Preisinger from the incredible YouTube channel "JordanTeachesJiuJitsu."

This conversation goes into a philosophical journey of discussing motivation, teaching yourself, learning, and why you should continue to train. Jordan offers a somewhat unique perspective on each of these topics because of his upbringing through the gentle art. Before even starting BJJ, Jordan knew he would be one of the bests.

Even though Jordan was relatively new to jiu-jitsu, he didn't let it stop him from accomplishing his goals. He received some backlash for opening an academy at such a junior belt, but he was confident in his skill and determination to turn it into something spectacular. As a blue belt, Jordan opened his academy and started teaching.

Jordan accredits his skill and journey to being almost entirely self-taught. He learned through YouTube and other alternative recourse rather than a traditional Professor student relationship. He is a big believer in feeding that hunger to learn with whatever you need. He encourages his students to learn as much from other sources.

This was an exciting conversation from start to finish. Jordan is a confident person, and you can tell he puts his mind to whatever he does. His YouTube channel has grown exponentially in only eight months (at the time of this recording). His academy is very successful, and he has an upcoming BJJFanatics instructional in the works.

Jordan's Social Media

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JordanTeachesJiujitsu

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanteachesjiujitsu/

LET'S EXCHANGE PATCHES! SEND A PATCH TO THE PO BOX, AND WE WILL SEND YOU A CUSTOM ELBOWS TIGHT PATCH BACK! Travis Motl

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Today, we sit down and have an epic conversation with Matt Wahlstrom, Epic Roll BJJ CEO and brown belt. Matt did Taekwondo as a child and found himself wanting more. He started training jiu-jitsu in 2005 because he wanted to compete in MMA.

Matt talks about wanting to compete in MMA not because he wanted a career or to become professional but instead just to test himself. Like many of us, Matt fell in love with BJJ from the start. He mentions the feeling of being controlled when first starting to train spike curiosity in him. He wanted to know how a smaller person neutralizes larger opponents so quickly. Matt says it felt like a superpower and tried to gain it himself.

Matt founded Epic Roll BJJ originally as a kind of BJJ Fanatics style website but found his graphic design and marketing skills more useful in the appeal industry. The company first started as just dropshipping t-shirts and morphed into everything BJJ-related due to the demand.

Matt is an incredible person to talk to. After our conversation, it is hard to put into words the feeling. It was not a feeling of enlightenment, even though we did learn a lot. But, instead, the feeling of Matt is someone you should know. His charismatic personality, easy-going energy, and down-to-earth attitude flow from him in epic proportions. It is rare to meet people with such qualities and still be as humble as Matt is. It was a true pleasure having a conversation with him.

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Matt Wahlstrom Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/epicrollbjj/

http://www.epicrollbjj.com/

https://www.facebook.com/epicrollbjj/

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Travis Motl

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Today we have the distinct pleasuring of talking with James O'Connor. James is a Third Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a Black Belt in Taekwondo. He has been training in martial arts for almost 30 years and started when he was an out-of-shape kid picked on.

James dedicates an immense amount of his time, teaching, producing content, and helping kids. His range doesn't always revolve around martial arts. He writes motivational blogs and short copyright for everyday life too. His mantra of "#KeepMovingFoward" speaks to a broader audience outside of martial arts. He wants everyone to be motivated and to grow every day possible.

James recently wrote an article about "Celebrating the Almost." New and experienced practitioners can easily overlook this concept in every art. As students, we should set two types of goals. Micro and Macro. Having a macro goal like earning the next belt or winning a competition is crucial, but we need small victories. James explains that we should celebrate small successes like not getting tapped by your professor, not getting caught in an inferior position, or even almost catching your instructor. All too often, we will feel as if we are plateauing because we haven't reached our big goals when really we could be crushing micro-goals.

Remember to celebrate those small wins because one day they will stack up into larger victories and "Keep Moving Forward."

James O'Connor Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/teamjamesoconnorbjj/

https://www.tiktok.com/@teamjamesoconnorbjj?lang=en

https://teamjamesoconnor.graphy.com/courses/the-art-of-self-defense

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkBONr5CnWid-SXHe4flPtg

Free Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Skills and Drills:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1391216357623223

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Jordan Rabé trains at Autore Jiu-Jitsu and received his purple belt from André Galvão before moving to Los Angles. Jordan recently took third place at Masters Worlds in the Flyweight division.

Jordan started wrestling in high school because he saw it was the best thing to translate into MMA. After high school, Jordan would go to college and wrestle for a short time before finding BJJ. 

As a white belt, Jordan admits that he had the typical wrestling midset of 110% in practice. After a couple of months of training, Jordan competed in his first competition has been steadily competing ever since. 

When Jordan first started competing, he admits he would try to find any reason not to compete. He would get into his head and cast a shadow over his potential. After years of working on his mental health through yoga, marijuana, and being more spiritual, he became more confident in his abilities.

Jordan is a very relaxed and down-to-earth person, but you couldn't tell if all you saw was his highlight reels on social media. The explosiveness he gained from wrestling is visible in how he moves, attacks, and counters his opponents.

Jordan gives excellent advice on competing, cutting weight, if you should or should not cut weight, mindset, perspective on his role as a purple belt, and much more. Jordan's whole persona drives home his advice to white belts of "have fun." If you aren't having fun, then why do the gentle art?

Jordan Rabe's Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/certifiedlatteboi/

https://www.instagram.com/oddglory/

LET'S EXCHANGE PATCHES! SEND A PATCH TO THE PO BOX, AND WE WILL SEND YOU A CUSTOM ELBOWS TIGHT PATCH BACK!

Travis Motl

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Thomas Rozdzynski is a third-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a black belt in Judo, he owns the ROL Academy, and is the host of The ROL Radio podcast.

Thomas started his BJJ journey in the early 2000s when his boss, a blue belt, kept bugging him every day to join the academy. Thomas's first school was under the legendary Grandmaster Carlson Gracie Sr. 

When first starting in jiu-jitsu, Thomas was told multiple times that he would never be a black belt. Multiple people told him it was because he was not tough enough, flexible enough, or skilled enough to obtain such a prestigious award. Thomas would eventually earn his blue belt under Grandmaster Carlson Sr. right before his passing.

Thomas speaks highly of the life-changing events that came from starting jiu-jitsu. He lost 70 pounds, became more confident, and now is a third-degree blackbelt despite those early in his journey telling him it wouldn't happen.

Thomas is a wealth of knowledge and makes you stop and think about viewing your journey. His insight into belt promotions, how to promote, what your belt means, and mindset still has us contemplating ways to improve our own midset.

Anyone at any skill/belt level will find value in what Thomas shares in this episode, especially if you are starting your journey.

Thomas Rozdzynski Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/rozdzynskibjj/

https://rolacademy.tv/

https://www.instagram.com/therolradio/

https://www.therolradio.com/

LET'S EXCHANGE PATCHES! SEND A PATCH TO THE PO BOX, AND WE WILL SEND YOU A CUSTOM ELBOWS TIGHT PATCH BACK!

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Adolfo hosts Forever White Belt's trailblazing podcast and a two-stripe blue belt under Tryfon Stathopoulos at North Bay Jiu-Jitsu. 

Adolfo's story is incredibly relatable to many practitioners. His journey began in his early 40s, but he had to take a 4-year hiatus due to some serious medical problems. Finally, after recovering and feel up to the tasks again, Adolfo started looking for another academy to train at.

Like many of our stories, Adolfo found himself "doing drive-bys past academies" with his toes hanging over the edge of jumping back into the cosmos of jiu-jitsu. He would finally leap of faith and stopped procrastinating when a school was located within a few minutes from his work.

Adolfo is very open and vulnerable about his struggles with self-doubt, difficulties learning and retaining information, and not being "that guy" in class asking too many questions. He puts it all out there for people to relate and find common ground in their journies to his.

Be sure to check out his show Forever White Belt and follow all of his social media to stay up to date with him.

Forever White Belt:

Anchor.FM

https://anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt/episodes/Welcome-To-Forever-White-Belt-egj33u

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/foreverwhitebeltshow/?hl=en

Let us know what you think the episode is out today. Support the podcast by clicking the subscribe button on your favorite Podcast platform and if you genuinely enjoy it, give us a 5-star review.

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Rick Ellis is the 7th black belt under Roy Dean. His jiu-jitsu journey started when he was 41 years old in an old Taekwondo dojo where the mats were never cleaned.

Rick joined Roy Dean's academy after the doors first opened. He fell in love with Mr. Dean's coaching style, personality, and the art of jiu-jitsu. Rick always knew he was going to be a black belt. His original goal was to receive his black belt by the time he turned 50, but unfortunately, injuries and moving around cause the process to take a little longer.

When talking to Rick, you can tell he is a very analytical thinker. Each time he answers a question, there is a pause as if he is trying to solve an algebraic equation with no scratch paper. It is honestly refreshing talking with a person who sits and thinks about each word before answering. You truly get a sense of authenticity and genuine desire to ensure the answer is exactly what he wants to say, no fluff.

Rick is an inspiration to all those practitioners who maybe started late in life, battled a few injuries, and even thought about quitting. His interview offers good laughs, inspirational ideas and philosophies, and all-around good vibes. 

Rick's Social Media:

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQOnOf3C3Qgw8QBSK1kXwOw

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thirdwayjiujitsu/?hl=en

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thirdwaybjj

Let us know what you think the episode is out today. Support the podcast by clicking the subscribe button on your favorite Podcast platform and if you truly enjoy it, give us a 5-star review.

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Katie Egan is a Brown belt under James "300" Foster in Kent, WA. She started her BJJ journey in 2014 after trying what she thought would be a kickboxing class but really was just shadowboxing and cardio. Before leaving the gym, she noticed the Jiu-Jitsu class and saw people trying to choke each other. Katie came back the next day and was instantly hooked after her first class.

Three months after starting, Katie joined her first competition. Almost everyone in her school told her that competing will be great but expect to lose her first competition. After she won her first match, she was dead set on winning the whole comp and did.

Katie is a huge advocate for bringing women into BJJ. She runs the "Women Who Roll" blog and constantly speaks of representing all women in the sport. When asked how do we bring more women into BJJ, she says, "by creating a safe environment where women feel welcomed and have the opportunity to grow." 

I recently read a Facebook post by another organization using BJJ to help women, and it said something similar to, "If you want to see what your gym culture is like, look how many women are in your class."

Katie is doing amazing things for women in Jiu-Jitsu, and it is always inspiring talking to someone so dedicated and driven with their goals and helping others. Be sure to follow Katie on all her social media.

Katie's Social Media and Blog:

https://www.instagram.com/womenwhorollbjj/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoRoll/

https://twitter.com/womenwhorollbjj?lang=en

https://womenwhoroll.com/

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Let us know what you think the episode is out today. Support the podcast by clicking the subscribe button on your favorite Podcast platform and if you truly enjoy it, give us a 5-star review.

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Jon and Travis discuss some intense topics on this episode, like do you find cauliflower ear attractive?

The guys also set a challenge for June; Roll with the person you avoid at least once a week.

Also, if the show hits 20 5-star reviews on iTunes, the guys will release a video of Jon and Travis rolling against each other. 

Travis and Jon go over how their journey has been lately and the ups and downs of their training.

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Let us know what you think the episode is out today. Support the podcast by clicking the subscribe button on your favorite Podcast platform and if you truly enjoy it, give us a 5-star review.

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The guys sit down with Craig Hanaumi, a police officer and purple belt in BJJ. Craig has been a police officer for 15 years and a BJJ practitioner for 12. He got a taste of jiu-jitsu in his home state of Hawaii when he was in his early 20's.

Craig's first experience with jiu-jitsu was similar to most of ours; he got stuck in a person's guard for five minutes and had no real idea of what he was supposed to do. After the five minutes, Craig said he felt like it was a victory at first but then quickly realized he didn't really do anything. Also, it didn't help that the person who held him in their guard was a teenage kid.

After working at Bellevue Police Department, Craig gained notice from the local community for his outreach. He uses his skateboarding and jiu-jitsu background to connect with the community he polices. He takes great pride in showing people that what they see on the news is not the only side of policing.

Craig has an infectious personality and really brings a lot of joy to this interview. Hearing how he praises his parents and their "Aloha Spirit" for his actions today is refreshing and something we all could use a little more of in our day. 

Follow Craig Hanaumi:

https://www.instagram.com/craighanaumi/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/skatelikecop

Let us know what you think the episode is out today. Support the podcast by clicking the subscribe button on your favorite Podcast platform and if you truly enjoy it, give us a 5-star review.

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