Open Mat Social Hour

Join us today on a special episode with a very special guest, Isaac Doederlein, my coach at Varsity Jiu Jitsu, an IBJJF World Champion + 2x Brazilian Nationals Champion.

Not too long ago, Isaac had the opportunity to compete on the first ever BJJ reality TV show hosted by UFC, which is where he suffered the elbow dislocation heard around the Youtube space. 

Today we hear what happened leading up to it, how it happened in the moment, the aftermath, how he's dealing with recovery, as well as, his future plans on & off the mats.

This is his story.

Join us today as Diana explores some things that she's learned about chronic pain in jiu jitsu athletes. It is no surprise that a lot of us struggle with the aftermaths of stacking injuries. With that being said, it is important to understand a couple of principles to go into a rehab process with the right expectations & mindset.

Enjoy!

Join us today on an episode where Diana & Kris answer some questions from our followers! 

We talk about some predictions about CJI2 (forgive us, we were not 100% updated on some of the teams, but we did our best with what we knew :')), how social media has played a big role in making rehab too complicated, & some fun things we're looking forward to this next month!

Join us today on a special episode with a very special guest, Carl Manabat, a BJJ Black Belt out of Orange County.

Carl received his black belt in 2024 after 10.5 years of training. Initially, he came to us with so many different physical ailments that he was unsure could heal. He felt like he had to accept his fate with his injuries until he experienced hope that his body could actually change for the better. Now he's training BJJ 4-5x a week and surfing 2x a week. His hard work and consistently did him well!

This is his story.

Join us today as Diana explores what it means to "listen to your body". This advice isn't often backed up by tangible action steps so today let's talk about why it matters, things to pay attention to, & ways to actually build some body awareness.

Enjoy!

Research studies cited:

Gabbett, T.J. (2016). The training–injury prevention paradox: Should athletes be training smarter and harder? BJSM.

Raya-González et al. (2020). Neuromuscular fatigue and injury risk in elite athletes: implications for practice. Frontiers in Physiology.

Mehling et al. (2011). Body awareness: a phenomenological inquiry into its meaning in mind–body practices. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine."

Join us today as Diana breaks down the history of her debilitating low back pain story from when it started, to how it affected her life to how she resolved most of her pain to how she maintains her low back now. What a journey it's been.

This is her story.

Join us today as Diana & Kris explore different modalities we do off the mats to support our jiu jitsu journey. What's the best for you? Let's find out.

Enjoy!

Join us today on an episode where Diana & Kris answer some questions from our followers! 

We talk if being a PT has helped us improve our jiu jitsu, excitement over CJI2, as well as a lovely little rant on best fast food restaurants. Enjoy!

Join us today on a special episode with a very special guest, Dr. Lorrain Ko, PT, DPT.

Lorrain is by trade a physio who works primarily with muay thai fighters. Her & Diana met at a con-ed course through mutual friends, & eventually Lorrain became a client. In this episode, Lorrain speaks on the reasons why she hired a coach/physio for her injury, as well as her biggest takeaways from this experience. We get into some talks about humanity & the importance of that through any rehab process.

This is her story.

Join us today as Diana explores rehab purgatory, why it's so common with jiu jitsu athletes, and ways to break out of it. It's not an easy journey, but with some tweaks, it can change your whole future on the mats.

Enjoy!