Paul Kindzia describes himself as a "homeschooled, non-denominational, it takes a village black belt" and had a very unique route to getting his BJJ black belt.  He was a ronin, training at different schools and did a lot of his training in his home dojo. This paid off because he was a top IBJJF Masters competitor at blue, purple, and brown belt, before being awarded his black belt by a coalition of other black belts (myself included) in October of 2024.

In this episode we talk about so many things, including - How to get really good if you don't train at a top-tier school - Key aspects of training safely - How to say no to training with people who don't have your best interests at heart - What you need to do to calibrate your skills if you mainly train one-on-one - Cult-like dynamics at some BJJ schools - What professional BJJ competitors do that sets them apart - How to get promoted if you train independently - How jiu-jitsu training has changed in the last 10 years - And so much more.

For more about Paul's jiu-jitsu journey check out his site, The Balanced Grappler (https://www.thebalancedgrappler.com/) and his book, Master Jiu-Jitsu, Master Life (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Jiu-Jitsu-Life-Extraordinary-Through/dp/069216197X)

Please give this episode a thumbs up and share it with someone else you think might enjoy it.

Thanks so much, Stephan Kesting

P.S. Check out my own book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic at https://www.stephankesting.com/perseverance-book

Jost Kobusch is just back from Everest, where he is doing a multi-year project to climb the tallest mountain in the world... by himself... without oxygen... up the incredibly difficult West Ridge route in the middle of winter.  

In winter, the effective altitude of Everest is over 9,000 meters, and the winds can reach 250 km/hour (155 mph).  And - on top of that - the mountain was hit by a powerful earthquake while he was on it. 

Find out...

• How Jost Kobusch optimises his training
• The relative importance of physical vs mental attributes in extreme sport
• How he overcame a potentially career-ending injury
• The dichotomy of fitness vs experience for maximum performance
• What it's like to be a full-time athlete
• Jost's best advice for someone who is considering an Everest climb!
• And more

Check out Jost's Altitude Academy https://jostkobusch.de/en/akademie/ and/or follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jostkobusch

Finally, if you've read down this far, you must like adventure stories, so check out my new book, "Perseverance, Live and Death in the Subarctic" available everywhere you can get books, including https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612/

Please share this episode with somone who you think will like it!

Cheers,

Stephan Kesting

Tyson Larone is a BJJ belt, a Muay Thai teacher, TEDx speaker, and a strongman competitor. In this episode he and I dive  deep into exploring how BJJ can be used for self defense, including how context changes everything in self defense… adaptations that women and smaller people need to make…  the problems with the one time self defense seminar model… the need for force-multipliers and whether guns can act as that force multiplier…  the single biggest thing any man can do to keep the women in his life safe and more.  We also perceptions and expressions of masculinity, conservative-appearing privilege, and much more.  As always, Tyson brings receipts for everything he says.

IMPORTANT: This podcast was recorded in early December 2024 but only released in early January 2025.  Therefore some of the dates referenced are incorrect.  Tyson’s flashlight course IS currently available (at gethomesafe.online), Stephan STILL wants his Christmas presents, and his William Shirer Kindle offer is valid until the end of January 2025

LINKS

• Flashlight self defense: https://www.gethomesafe.online/courses
• School: Ironside Martial Arts: https://ironsidemartialarts.ca/
• Tyson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarriorphilosopherig
• Tyson on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarriorphilosopher

Cheers, Stephan Kesting

P.S. Check out my @EssentialWilderness Youtube Channel - I'm putting lots of footage from my adventures in the North on it.

The standard BJJ approach of throwing newcomers to the wolves may work for young and talented athletes, but it's definitely not optimal for most older, non-athletic, or female grapplers (otherwise known as the vast majority of people).  In today's episode I'm joined by Jesse Walker from Rough Hands BJJ in Louisville, Kentucky, to discuss the training methods and school culture that'll make jiu-jitsu accessible to (almost) everyone.  

Check out Rough Hands BJJ training center in Louisville, Kentucky at https://roughhandsbjj.com/ and/or get in touch with Jesse on most social media platforms at @roughhandsbjj.

If you want to delve deeper into training methods that maximize results and minimize injuries check out the ground-breaking BJJ Games instructional I did with Rob Biernacki at https://www.grapplearts.com/bjjgames

And for specific techniques and strategies applicable to the older grappler check out the two BJJ for Old F***s instructionals at https://www.grapplearts.com/2-for-1-sale-on-bjj-for-old-fs/

Good luck with your training! Stephan Kesting

Kalle Beck has competed, coached and commentated in Strongman events and has helped thousands of people become much, much stronger. Here's how some of the lessons learned from Strongman apply to other sports...

Check out Kalle's site at https://startingstrongman.com/ and the Facebook group he runs (the biggest strongman community in the world) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/startingstrongman/

Check out Stephan Kesting's latest jiu-jitsu instructional, No Gi Pin Escapes at https://www.grapplearts.com/PinEscapes and also his book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic, with links for more information here: https://essentialwilderness.com/book/

Cheers, Stephan Kesting

One of the biggest trends in BJJ right now is the so-called "ecological approach."  In episode 412 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I'm joined by renowned coach Rob Biernacki to discuss the do's and don'ts of game-based training.  Check out Rob's instructional BJJ Games here https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-games/ for more information.

Erin Herle is a BJJ black belt under Cobrinha and is a certified Mental Performance Consultant. In her work she uses an evidence-based approach and has a master's degree in sport and performance psychology. In this episode we cover overcoming the biggest barriers holding you back from performing to your potential, dealing with burnout and overtraining (and why they are different), hero worship in martial arts, and living the jiu-jitsu lifestyle.

Find out more about Erin and her coaching programs at https://www.erinherle.com/

Check out No Gi Pin Escapes, your masterclass at getting out from the bottom and getting your jiu-jitsu confidence back, at https://www.grapplearts.com/no-gi-pin-escapes/

Cheers, Stephan Kesting

Would you like a behind-the-scenes peek at what really goes on at one of the most successful grappling teams in the world as they get ready for ADCC and CJI, the Olympics of grappling?

Today I'm joined by Chris Wojcik, a standout grappler and the author of The Grappler's Diary, and we cover...

• The qualifying process for ADCC, the Olympics of Grappling
• Training with a herniated disk 
• How to go from enthusiastic amateur to dedicated professional
• What natural athletes need to do differently to compete in a sport rife with steroids
• How to train smarter, not harder
• Why B Team brought in an external trainer to prepare for ADCC and CJI
• ADCC vs CJI rule sets and strategies
• The future of CJI
• The role of wrestling and wrestling up in submission grappling
• Outside vs inside leglocks
• Top 3 leglock entries and top 3 leglock finishes
• The connection between leglocks and wrestling up
• Advice for practitioners feeling overwhelmed with the pace of change in the sport
• The mindset required for continual improvement in jiu-jitsu
• And more

Follow Chris Wojcik on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegrapplersdiary/ and/or on his substack https://thegrapplersdiary.substack.com/

Check out my podcast-only leglock instructional special at https://www.grappplearts.com/leglocksale 

And finally, check out the video version of this episode on my Strenuous Life Podcast Youtube channel here: https://youtu.be/aahJznxxEsE

Cheers!  Stephan Kesting

Denis was one of the top MMA fighters in the world with wins over Minoru Suzuki, Murilo 'Ninja' Rua, Akihiro Gono and Marvin Eastman. In this interview he opens up about the mindset shift that took him to a 22 fight undefeated streak... how he dealt with the death of his fiance while competing for the biggest MMA organisation in the world... how fighters should know when it's time to quit fighting... and how MMA training has changed since the early days.

This episode is also available on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/bYfPiNUIWa4

Denis teaches at https://pinnaclemma.gymdesk.com/ and can be followed at https://www.instagram.com/thisisdeniskang/

Check out Stephan's new book, 'Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic' at https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612/

Ramsey Dewey is an MMA coach now based in Shanghai, China.  I really enjoyed our conversation which included...

• How wearing headgear in sparring actually makes things WORSE for your brain
• His controversey with Master Wong
• Why China could take over MMA
• What self defense 'experts' get wrong
• What happens to martial arts that don't spar
• Ramsey's experience on The Ultimate Self Defense Championship

Check out Ramsey's very popular Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@RamseyDewey

Find out more about the FREE Grapplearts BJJ Master App at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp 

And please check out my brand new book, Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic, available on Amazon and all other online book retailers https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Death-Subarctic-Stephan-Kesting/dp/1639368612

Thank you, Stephan Kesting