In episode 13, I talk to Travis Stevens, an American judoka, 2-time Olympian, and also one of the best BJJ brown belts in the world. He talked about training and competing through injury, fear as the thing that makes you tired, the role of coaching, adjusting to the new gripping rules, coming back from a … Continue reading 13: Travis Stevens on Fighting Through Injury and Training to Exhaustion →

In episode 12, Tim and I talk to Ricardo Migliarese, 3rd degree BJJ black belt, head instructor of Balance Studios in Philadelphia. Ricardo talks about growing up in Philly, bullying, parenting, ADHD medication, the education system, the influence of his father and his recent passing, his close relationship with his brother Phil, how he and … Continue reading 12: Ricardo Migliarese on the Lion and the Fox →

In episode 11, I talk to judo olympian Nick Delpopolo. He is ranked #1 in the United States and top 10 in the world. We talk about the four dramatic matches that qualified him for the 2012 Olympics and the four matches at the Olympics, the loss by referee decision, overcoming the aftermath of the … Continue reading 11: Nick Delpopolo on His Olympics Experience, Close Matches, Coaching, and Starcraft →

In episode 10, Josh and I talk to Angela Vogel about women in jiu jitsu, Game of Thrones, being married to a black belt, warrior queens, Zenobia, working as a pastry chef, spider-man, knee cut pass, dieting, starting jiu jitsu, dance parties, country songs,  teaching with a focus on transitions, etc. Subscribe on iTunes or … Continue reading 10: Angela Vogel on Women in Jiu Jitsu, Pastry Grips, and Game of Thrones →

In episode 9, I talk to Kit Dale, Australian black belt and one of the rising stars on the jiu jitsu competition scene. He talks about facing Keenan Cornelius at the 2013 Worlds, his competition mindset, Copa Podio, confidence, visualization, Australian rules football, injuries, starting jiu jitsu in early twenties, wrestling and judo in bjj, importance of timing, … Continue reading 9: Kit Dale on Competition Mindset and a Life of Crime →

In episode 8, I talk to the Vogel brothers (Josh and Drew) about going from white belt to black belt together, training at Balance, competing, training with Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, teaching, the loss of their mom, support from Brian Cimins of Grapplers Quest, Rafael  and Guilherme Mendes, Tom and Terry Brands, the evolution of “basic” … Continue reading 8: Brothers in Jiu Jitsu with Drew and Josh Vogel →

In episode 7, I talk to Tim Carpenter about Iceberg Slim’s book “Pimp: The Story of My Life”, relationships, furry parties and other sexual perversions, women in jiu jitsu, the decline of  marriage, monogamy, lying, cheating, murder, Facebook, Scarface, gorillas, bonobos, and much more. Subscribe on iTunes or RSS, and check out the facebook page. … Continue reading 7: Tim Carpenter on Women, Relationships, Iceberg Slim and Pimp Philosophy →

In episode 6, I talk to Niko Dax, a judo black belt, instructor, and the most knowledgeable dude on the elite-level judo competition circuit than anyone I’ve met in the judo community. Here are some topics we  talk about: The role of sport judo in growing the art. The top American judoka. The difference between … Continue reading 6: Niko Dax on Elite-Level Judo and BJJ →

In episode 5, Josh and Lex talk about competing  as a black belt, Antifragile by  N. N. Taleb, Wellington “Megaton” Dias,  uncertainty of competition, No Gi Pans, New York Open, taking the bus, winning and losing, competing as a recreational player, masters vs adult divisions, posting results to Facebook, cross training as a pastry chef, etc. And … Continue reading 5: Competing as a Black Belt, Antifragile Cats, and Megaton →

In episode 4, Tim, Josh, and Lex talk about the IOC recommendation to remove wrestling as one of the core Olympic sports, the history of wrestling in the Olympics, IOC, FILA, Dan Gable, Aleksandr Karelin, Rulon Gardner, pankration, professional wrestling, squash, facing an aggressive opponent in competition, etc. Subscribe on iTunes or RSS, and check out the facebook … Continue reading 4: Olympic Wrestling: Past, Present, and Future →