The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

I really, really enjoyed talking to Shane Adams, the godfather of modern full contact jousting, in this on-site interview.

Full contact jousting involves two knights in full armour attack each other on charging horses using solid wooden lances that deliver 2,000 lbs of force. Shattered lances, unhorsings, broken bones, concussions and impacts that feel like you're being hit in the chest with a sledge hammer.

Oh, did I mention that dodging, ducking, parrying, and blocking your opponent's lance is NOT allowed? You have to sit there and take it.

This is definitely NOT a choreographed Vegas dinner show.

Shane and I talk about the physical and mental aspects of jousting, and what distinguishes people who make it through the training to perform in this sport.

I really enjoyed the part where he talks about balancing on the knife's edge between the aggression required to do this insane sport, and the zen state of mind you need to properly plan and aim your shot.

If you enjoyed this then subscribe to the podcast because I hope to bring Shane back for a longer and more detailed conversation before the end of the year!

Check it out, and for more information about full contact jousting check out www.extremejousting.com

BJJ black belt Sim Go and I explore the early days of the Vegas jiu-jitsu and MMA scene, how a 'garage' club can evolve to be a professional school, structuring a class, Marc Laimon's legacy in BJJ, rule sets, transitioning from competitor to instructor, and much more.

Find out more about the Cobra Kai school at http://www.ckjj.com

Please rate and review my podcast on iTunes or any other platform of your choice - it really helps!

And check out all the techniques and training tips on my own site at http://www.grapplearts.com/articles!

Cheers,

Stephan

Loved chatting with articulate Seph Smith, Ryan Hall's first BJJ black belt and a Combat Sambo black belt as well! We cover training leglocks safely, competing in Judo and Sambo, his instructional products, potentially career-ending injuries, where the sport of Jiu-jitsu is headed, developing a well rounded game, and tips for performing well in competition.

Find out more about Seph's school in Richmond VA at http://www.upstreambjj.com

Find out more about Seph's BJJ mini-courses at https://upstream-bjj.teachable.com/courses

Follow Seph on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sephwillkillyou/?hl=en

Finally, if you enjoyed this episode the single best thing you can do to help me (and get more episodes out for you faster) is to go and subscribe to the podcast right now. I can't tell you how much that moves the needle.

And if you've already done that then a rating and review would be super-appreciated. It may seem silly but it REALLY helps!

Thank you so much

Stephan

OK, I kind of go off on a big rant here about traditional Kung Fu forms and Karate kata based on my years of training Hung Gar, Northern Shaolin, Southern Crane, Hsing I, Tai Chi and Wing Chun Kung Fu. Are they at all useful for learning how to fight?

In this episode I refer to an article I wrote called "How to Make Sure Your Martial Art Will Work in the Street" - you can find that here: http://selfdefensetutorials.com/how-to-make-sure-martial-art-work-street/

You can also find the video version of that article, called "5 Steps to Make Your Martial Arts Techniques Functional in Real Life" on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC1-vgMh2l0

OSSSS,

Stephan Kesting

In this rant I go off about my single biggest problem with Crossfit, especially when people try to use it as a conditioning method for another sport. I also go into the exact exercises and combinations of exercises which I find particularly dangerous, and how to mitigate these risks.

Sign up for my BJJ and martial arts training tips at https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter

How often and how hard to train are tricky questions. Too much hard training and you'll grind yourself into a pulp. Not enough hard training and you'll never reach your potential or expand the limits of what you think you're capable of. In this episode I dive into the topics of over-training, under-recovery, and the single most important legal supplement for recovery!

To support the podcast and allow us to bring you more episodes with more amazing guests consider contributing a buck or two a month at https://www.patreon.com/stephankesting

And if you can't do that then please remember that rating or reviewing the podcast on iTunes (or your podcasting platform of choice) is a huge help as well.

Train hard, but smart too!

Stephan

How to improve your BJJ almost instantly. No, this isn't hyperbole; microdrilling is a training method that will have immediate effects on your game by finding ways around the sticking points in your techniques. Give it a try and if it works for you then please share this episode with someone you train with who might also find it useful.