The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Are you flailing around in your guard, trying to react to your opponent, without a clear plan of what to do? If so then this episode is for you! In it Rob Biernacki and I talk about the 3 step order of operations to make sure that you're dominating the guard battle every step of the way.

This is from a video shot to support the launch of the 'No Gi de la Riva Formula' in online streaming, DVD and app form. More info about this step-by-step gameplan for the open guard here: www.grapplearts.com/DLR

Daniel Strauss (aka The Raspberry Ape) is a BJJ black belt under 10x World Champion Roger Gracie. But he's also a very serious advocate of strongman training including the development of crazy levels of grip strength.

In today's podcast we start with Daniel's victory over Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at Polaris and BJJ competition strategy and then do a deep dive into strength training for grappling and for its own sake. I think you'll really like this one!

Also make sure to check out Daniel's 'Raspberry Ape' podcast on iTunes and wherever fine podcasts are distributed

Rosi Sexton is a true renaissance woman. She fought in BodogFight, EliteXC, Cage Warriors and was the first British Woman to fight in the UFC. But she's also Cambridge educated with a PhD in Theoretical Computer Science, a musician, a writer and a physical therapist.

So she knows a thing or two...

In this episode we talk about learning new skills, improving in combat sports, and overcoming injuries.

From about 38 minutes on we concentrate on neck injuries and the role of neck strengthening in minimising concussion in combat sports. This is an extremely important episode for all martial artists!

Check out the "Safe Neck Strengthening for BJJ, with UFC Fighter Rosi Sexton" video that Rosi shot for my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04ff_tgZGI0

And check out her site at https://www.combatsportsclinic.net/

Does training with grappling dummies actually work to improve your skills? And what else can you do to get better when training time is limited and it's difficult to make it to class as often as you like?

This podcast rant is also available in written and video form as an in-depth blog post at https://www.grapplearts.com/will-grappling-dummy-drills-help-bjj/

Regardless of how you decide to solve the problem I wish you good luck with both your time management and your training!

Stephan Kesting

Daniel Bohigian is a Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Dave Camarillo, competes actively, and also teaches 'Philosophy of Sport' at San Jose State.

In this episode we discussed philosophy vs jiu-jitsu, work vs play, mind vs body, teaching people how to think, why 'leaving your ego at the door' is a bad idea, and much more.

Follow Daniel on Instagram at @philosograppler

And download my FREE app for iOS and Android devices with more than 457 minutes of black belt BJJ technique at Grapplearts.com/masterapp

Paul Kindzia was immersed in the world of marathon and triathalon for many years before immersing himself in BJJ, even going so far as to write a book on the topic called 'Master Jiu-Jitsu, Master Life'. In this episode we focus on the lessons that can be brought into BJJ training from the endurance sports world, including efficient training, effective recovery, minimisation of injuries and maximising your time on the mat. I really think you'll like this episode and come away with some good 'Aha' moments!

Also, I'm releasing the 'Self Defense Guard' as a module in the Grapplearts BJJ Master App right now. This app allows you to take BJJ with you in your pocket wherever you go. Download the app for free at Grapplearts.com/masterapp and then look for the 'Self Defense Guard' module within it!!

Jiu-jitsu black belt Adam Nadow was recently attacked in the street and used his training to defend himself and control his attacker until the police arrived. The video of this confrontation later went viral in the BJJ and self defense community. Adam came on the podcast today to talk about this incident, his training, and the relevance of BJJ to self defense.

Video of that fight can be seen here: https://www.grapplearts.com/podcast-with-adam-nadow/

In addition to breaking down the street incident step by step we also talked about the BJJ point system and how it applies to self defense training, the amazing power of adrenaline, and why you should learn to fight even if you also pack heat.

If you're interested in this topic please check out my self defense oriented website https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com and sign up for the email newsletter on that site too because I share some really good tidbits from my 35 years of martial arts training!

Good luck with your training!

Stephan

In this coming year it's 100% certain that some days you'll be the hammer and other days you'll be the nail. This is normal and to be expected. In this podcast I share some advice from Japan and from Ancient Rome that might help you deal with the highs and lows that are inevitable when you're putting it on the line and chasing any sort of goal.

Welcome to the New Year and good luck with your training in 2019!!

Stephan

How to figure out what makes you train and how to use that to improve your skills. Being self aware about whether you're intrinsically or extrinsically motivated is sports psychology 101 and super important; it will increase your longevity in the sport, keep you enjoying training, and give you some powerful levers with which to manipulate your motivation levels!

Check out my latest instructional on the No Gi de la Riva Guard with Rob Biernacki at https://www.grapplearts.com/no-gi-de-la-riva

Cheers!

Stephan

Cliff Jacobson wrote 'Canoeing Wild Rivers' which was a HUGE influence on me as an outdoorsman (the other two cornerstone books were 'Path of the Paddle' by Bill Mason and 'The Complete Walker' by Colin Fletcher).

Cliff has spent decades paddling dangerous rivers in the remote corners of North America and Northern Europe and has some incredibly important lessons to share about mindset, teamwork and risk management. I'm thrilled that we had the opportunity to get him on the podcast. And if you are even thinking about paddling in the wild then buy his damn book - it's a goldmine of information!!

https://www.amazon.com/Canoeing-Wild-Rivers-Anniversary-Expedition/dp/1493008250/