The BJJ Foxcast

Samir is a 3rd degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 3 x World Champion, 3x Pan American Champion, and 9x National Champion. Samir started BJJ when he was 9 years old and received his black belt from Professor Alan Moraes, Carlson Gracie Team at the age of 20. He moved to Northern California in 2009 to pursuit his dream of becoming a World Champion and having his own academy.

Samir and I talked about coming up in BJJ as a kid and growing up in the sport. He gave up a pursuit of a law career to move to America and become a full time Jiu Jitsu competitor. He and three of his teammates branched off and created the Ares Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association.

Samir and I talk about his journey through Jiu Jitsu and how far the sport has come in such a short time. If you are not willing to put everything into training the results will not be favorable.

Dr. Neil is a doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.  His focus is hormone and injection therapy.  Dr. Neil and I covered a lot of subjects regarding injection therapy (hormone, PRP and Stem Cell) and the benefits each.  His goal is to help people with pain relief and get them back to their optimal performance. His passion to help those in need (pain) really comes through in this podcast.

Dr. Neil is a former student athlete and he dealt with a lot of injuries which led him down a path of wanting to learn more about healing the body and physical longevity.  

We talked about how Traumatic Brain Injury can effect a person's ability to heal itself due to then imbalance that can cause to the individual's hormones.  

We also talked about his personal experience with stem cell therapy that healed a 85% tear of his ACL.  He was back on the mat training in half the time of a surgical repair.  He also has an example of stem cell therapy healing a tear in a patient's quadriceps muscle.  It's a fascinating look into alternative therapies to surgery.

This was a great conversation and if you are living in pain, you should go see Dr. Neil at Restore Health AZ.

Greg is a Physical Therapist and Owner of Control Physical Therapy in Scottsdale AZ.  Greg is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and coaches part time.  We had a great conversation and covered many different strategies on staying healthy and active, but most importantly staying on the BJJ mats.  Greg talks about his journey through Jiu Jitsu and how a mentor lead him to believing in himself which culminated in his going to school, getting his degree and starting his own business.  I think Greg's is a story that everyone should hear and learn from.

Alex and I break down the 2022 IBJJF Phoenix Open.  We talk about competing in general, what we pack of the tournament and the importance of knowing the rule set in any competition.    

Alex talks about the intensity of competition and the importance of knowing how to play the "game" of Jiu Jitsu.  Some people have very boring Jiu Jitsu because they are playing the game and playing within the rule set.  

I break down my matches (as best I can remember).  Going up a weight class, I learned a lesson on giving up weight and understanding the weight/strength of the larger opponents.

Watus is the owner and head trainer at Unfair Advantage in Tempe, Arizona.  Watus and I talk about growing up in Japan in a military family.  Going to college and bieng in Division 1 athletics in both football and track and field.    

Watus walks us through getting the body to "neutral" and then building from there.  Food, Movement, Breathing and Recovery are the four pillars of health.  We go into detail on how to achieve optimal health and mobility by focusing on those four pillars.  

Watus is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to building a better athlete no matter what their level.  I think everyone will get something they can use in their own life.  I am so excited to drop this episode!

Vin is a personal trainer, business owner, and a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Vin and I talk about several subjects including strength training for Jiu Jitsu, training, competing and traveling.  Vin is known for flying out the morning of a competition, competing against the best in the world and flying back that evening so he can open his business the next morning.  

Vin and I talk about starting a business and keeping it going for 20 plus years and what new aspiring trainers can do to break into the business.  

I had a lot of fun having this conversation with Vin and I think a lot of people will get a lot of takeaways from this episode.

Josh is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  He is a multiple time world champion, Pan American Champion and National Champion.  This includes a National Championship and Pan American Championship at the adult Black Belt level.  Josh Talks about coming up as a young Jiu Jitsu player in the kid, juvenile and adult levels.  He talks about preparation for major tournaments and his willingness to put in the hours of training to get to that level.  We go into coaching philosophies and the importance of risking everything in training to implement new techniques with resisting opponents.  

Josh also shares some ideas on getting noticed and offers from sponsors.

We had a great time recording this episode and I'm sure everyone will get a lot out of it.  

Tiffany is a body builder, a BJJ Blue Belt, a nutrition and diet coach.  She is one of the hardest working people you will ever meet.  Tiffany talks about the journey she's been on for the past 15 years that includes Body Building, Crossfit and Jiu Jitsu.  She talks about overcoming adversity and how being part of a community is so critical when bad things happen.  Tiffany also talks about how Jiu Jitsu has helped her in her everyday life.  Jiu Jitsu has made her a more confident person and competitor.  Please follow tiffany on instagram: @tiffanygaughan Follow us on instagram:  @bjjfoxcast   #bjj #npcbodybuilding #crossfit #jiujitsu #jiujitsuforlife #nutrition #lifesytle #mentalhealth #healthy #mentaltoughness

Alex is a BJJ Black Belt.  He is an avid hunter and outdoorsman.  We talked about coaching philosophy and how to get into hunting as a beginner.