The Ultimate Self-Defense Championship was a competition in which six martial arts YouTubers competed against each other in seven self-defense challenges to find out what works, what doesn't and who would become the ultimate self-defense champion.  The organizer of this event was Rokas Leo who trained Aikido for 14 years and eventually realised that that art didn't live up to what to the promises. He made the switch to MMA training and has had several amateur MMA fights since.   My previous interview with Rokas about his evolution from Aikido to MMA: https://www.grapplearts.com/aikido-vs-mma-rokas/ Watch the first season of the Ultimate Self Defense Championship on Youtube for free:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU3nOrEfN70&list;=PL4FJXg8RNp-mqVhFpncyMk4rANel-TRa9 Contribute to The Ultimate Self Defense Championship Season 2 here and get early access and extra footage:  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ultimate-self-defense-championship-season-2#/ Find out more about Rokas on his site: https://www.martialartsjourney.com/      

388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo

What is it that allows some people to push themselves beyond their limitations?  Why can some people survive situations others do not? On this podcast we try to find out the answers.  Stephan Kesting, is a lifelong martial artist, BJJ black belt, career firefighter, and outdoorsman. Join us as he talks to fighters, adventurers, competitors, coaches, firefighters, trainers and other people living the strenuous life.

Stephan also runs Grapplearts.com, where he has published many hundreds of martial arts videos, articles and tutorials.

His free guide to learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, A Roadmap for BJJ, has been downloaded more than 10,000 times and has become a foundational text for the art.

Sports

Wrestling

There are times when it feels like life has you trapped on the bottom of mount against a vastly heavier, more experienced opponent intent on mauling you.  The steps to deal with these two situations are the same.    Pass this on to someone you think it might help, Stephan Kesting P.S.  I made one little mistake in this podcast: Epictetus was a Greek (not Roman) stoic philosopher who lived in Rome for much of his youth serving the Emperor Nero, so he doubtless knew all about suffering.

402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough Times in Life

I really enjoyed talking with Rachel Honeyman about modifying BJJ for self defense, which techniques to focus on and which positions to avoid.  Rachel has trained in BJJ, the Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, and many other martial arts and runs https://www.fearlessfemmes.com/

401 - Modifying BJJ for Self Defense, with Rachel Honeyman

Rob Biernacki is my guest today to talk about how injury and physical limitations have led to some of the fastest technical development of his career and the refinement of entirely new techniques like the Roadhouse Choke.  Since some form of injury is inevitable there are a LOT of takeaways in this episode. We also discuss the concepts of risk vs reward in your choice of techniques, how new techniques and technical refinements get adopted, the risks of the buggy choke, the barbell strategy for allocating your training time, how rule sets drive evolution of the art, and more. Check out the Roadhouse Choke Instructional at http://roadhouse.bjjconcepts.net And sign up for my free email newsletter at https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter  Good luck with your training Stephan Kesting

400 - How to Use Injuries to Actually Refine and Improve Your Jiu-Jitsu Game

Many people completely run out of gas when they're sparring, and often this is because they are inadvertently holding their breath.  In this short podcast I share four very specific ways that I've coached people past this problem and hugely improved their endurance. Please share this episode with someone you think it will help. Cheers, Stephan Kesting P.S. This episode is also available in video form here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umD_zc5Bd3M P.P.S. If you follow me on social media only then we are all subject to the whims of the algorithms, therefore subscribe to my (entirely free) newsletter so we can stay in touch and I can give you tons of good stuff: https://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter  

399 - Breathing for Endurance during Sparring in BJJ and Other Martial Arts

From war-torn Africa to climbing remote peaks in Greenland with Alex Honnold, Matt Pycroft has built a very impressive career working as a journalist and filmmaker.  In our conversation he goes into detail how he gradually acquired the skills to achieve his goals and the lessons he's learned working with extreme athletes in inhospitable settings all over the globe. Follow Matt on Instagram @mattpycroft and check out his latest film, Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold, on Disney, Amazon, and National Geographic.

388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo

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