Open Mat Social Hour

Join us today on a special episode with a very special guest, Jeff Salvatore.

Jeff was an active kid all of his life, and has had his fair share of injuries. Upon starting Jiu Jitsu, he had his doubts of even being able to train. After a devastating knee injury & surgery, Jeff fell into a state of hopelessness. He felt completely lost, until he started to pick the pieces up to rebuild his knee, & his future. In this episode, Jeff speaks honestly about his experiences, mental struggles, & how he got to where he is now (recently promoted to purple belt!!). 

This is his story.

Join us today as Diana & Kris explore what it means to state that an exercise is the "best exercise for jiu jitsu". Does it create clarity or more confusion? Does it help simplify the world of strength training for the jiu jitsu community or does it just create more complexity? Have we taken it too far with creativity in exercises? We explore these questions & give us our take on a more realistic framework.

Enjoy!

This episode is probably one of the most important episodes we've ever recorded.

Milton is the CEO of @blackbeltdigitalmarketing, Host of @jiujitsudummies, & Founder/Executive Director of @academysafe, an organization on a mission to building safer jiu jitsu academies. 

With the growth of jiu jitsu, it is imperative that we do everything we can to protect our community, especially our kids from dangerous people & environments. As much as we don't want to admit it, there is abuse in all forms that is happening in our backyards. 

Academy safe is on a mission to mitigate harm & spread awareness so we can all look out for each other better. One academy at a time.

Join us today on a special episode with a very special guest, Shane Wilson.

Shane started Jiu Jitsu at the age of 44, as a well to bond with his son & be a beginner at a new hobby. He has gone through his fair share of growing pains in his early days, & shares his lessons with us about how he stays healthy as an older grappler with a goal of staying active & having fun. While we're young, we tend to take certain things for granted, so listening to Shane's words is invaluable to our future. 

This is his story.

Join us today as Diana chats a bit about the reality of rehab plateau's when trying to get back on the mats & some of the best ways to get back on track. We know the journey back to training is not as simple as we hope so we hope you can take some tangible tips to take with you!

Enjoy!

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

We talk about if using RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) as a way to manage intensity when lifting is a good idea, the craziness behind Roberto's Flying ArmBar & if we'll be at CJI this year. Enjoy!

Join us today on a solo episode where Diana chats about the power of subtraction. In a world saturated with information on the "best" ways to do XYZ, we often get lost in the sauce. Tune in to hear a bit on why subtraction is sometimes much more effective than addition, & how to apply it in your own life. 

We hope you enjoy!

Join us today on a special episode with a very special guest, Mike Spindler.

At a young age, Mike was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an chronic autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation, pain, & damage over time. He's been training Jiu Jitsu for 3 years now & shares his experiences of his struggles to stay on the mats. Mike is such an optimistic individual that it is contagious. We are so thankful to have him share his time with us.

This is his story.

Join us today on a solo episode where Diana chats some common misconceptions we hear surrounding injuries in the jiu jitsu community & the truth. There is still so much misinformation online & unfortunately, in doctor's offices. So much so, we want to set the record straight. We hope you enjoy!

Thanks for tuning in!

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

We talk about if it's possible to build athleticism as an aging/older grappler, our tips & advice on managing finger or hand pain, & our thoughts on New Year Resolutions & if we have any of our own. Enjoy!