The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models comes onto the podcast to discuss cult behaviour in BJJ, good and bad club cultures, and the big picture behind effective jiu-jitsu training. "I consider cults to be any organization that uses unscrupulous tactics to manipulate the members for the benefit of the founders or the people higher up in the chain." "People always tell you that jiu-jitsu builds character and makes you a better person. That is not true.  Jiu-jitsu gives you confidence and makes you a bolder, more assertive version of the person that you already are.  And whether that’s a good person or a bad person is up to you." "In a time when things are as uncertain as they have ever been in our lives, we crave certainty. If someone can promise you certainty in an uncertain time especially if they can confirm what deep down you've always believed to be true, you're going to gravitate towards them and it shuts off part of your brain."

I talk with clinical psychologist and BJJ black belt David Ley about the psychology of jiu-jitsu, recent advances in psychology, the neurochemicals released when grappling, recovered memories, the prevalence of conspiracy theories in the martial arts, and much more. If you want to focus on the jiu-jitsu specific portion of the podcast listen to the intro then jump to the 45 minute mark.  Dr David Ley is a clinical psychologist who runs a large mental health clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has been featured on the Anderson Cooper Show, the Dr. Phil Show, in the London Telegraph, The New York Post, Salon, and the Huffington Post. He wrote The Myth of Sex Addiction (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012), and Insatiable Wives: Women Who Stray and the Men Who Love Them (Rowman& Littlefield, 2009).

Today I talk with BJJ black belt world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins about finding a way to win in difficult situations, and why you need to have a long range guard.  Check out our brand new bestselling book Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu on Amazon, links at https://www.grapplearts.com/nonstop-jiu-jitsu-book/

How to organise your strategies, techniques and tactics in the butterfly guard so you alway know what you should do next.  A highly applicable podcast with black belt jiu-jitsu world champion Brandon 'Wolverine' Mullins.  Check out our bestselling book 'Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu' here: https://www.grapplearts.com/nonstop-jiu-jitsu-book/

Black belt world champion Brandon Mullins and I talk about the fundamental movements of jiu-jitsu and their advanced applications in almost every technique you'll ever use on the mat.  Check out our bestselling book, 'Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu' on Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3kwkHRH or go here to get the links if you live in Canada, the UK, Japan, Italy or Germany: https://www.grapplearts.com/nonstop-jiu-jitsu-book/  This is the BJJ book of the decade! Stephan Kesting

Dr Nicholas Tyau is an internal medicine specialist who was working at a hospital in the Bronx, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in North America, during the spring of 2020.     He's also a BJJ black belt, so he's no stranger to training and adversity!   In this podcast we talk about the chaos that the pandemic created in the NY hospitals, the controversy over death certificates, hydroxychloroquine, vaccines, dealing with the second wave, and what it was like when Nicholas himself got infected by a patient. We get pretty granular in this one, but I hope it's still accessible for most people.  Let me know what you think,   Stephan Kesting   P.S. The guidelines I published to help BJJ schools open (fairly) safely during the pandemic are available here: https://www.grapplearts.com/openingupbjj

Deliberate practice: if you try to get good at every aspect of your sport all at once then you’ll get good at nothing. Instead break it down into specific skills, then break those skills down into components, and then refine those components before putting it all back together again. Note: this was recorded outside in the wind, so the message is good but the audio is a bit fuzzy. Sorry about that - I'll pick a spot with less background noise in the future   

Medical doctor and famed BJJ competitor Dr Chris Moriarty is back on the podcast with a major update to the protocols for safe training during Covid-19.  The biggest changes include the addition of monogamous training pods and class cohorts, and are applicable to just about any form of martial arts training. Check out Dr Moriarty's updated guidelines in written form at https://www.grapplearts.com/openingupbjj And check out my video and article about BJJ training pods here: https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-training-pods/  

Jessica Cox was born without arms but she didn't let that stop her from becoming the first woman to get her pilot's license using her feet to fly the plane. And she has a couple of black belts as well.  Check out this episode; I'm sure you'll come away super-inspired and ready to smash your own limits!

Jeff Shaw and I geeked out about Jiu-Jitsu history at first, but then at about the 27:00 minute mark we pivoted to his school's innovative outdoor classes with dedicated training partners during coronavirus and how we can get back to normal in the sport. I hope you enjoy this episode.  Please share it with your friends and training partners who are looking for ideas about how to continue training as safely as possible during the pandemic. Here are the recently updated guidelines for opening up BJJ academies in a time of Covid: grapplearts.com/openingupbjj Here's Jeff's series on the history of BJJ, from ancient times to today: bellinghambjj.com/2020/07/01/the-history-of-jiu-jitsu-from-ancient-times-to-today/ You can find out more about Jeff on Instagram @jeffmshaw Find out more about Bellingham BJJ at bellinghambjj.com or on Instagram @bellinghambjj Take care! Stephan Kesting

Robert Drysdale is one of the most highly decorated American grapplers in history.  He remains the only person not born in Brazil to win both the IBJJF World Championships with the gi and the ADCC Open Division without the gi. Today we talked about the difference between Jiu-Jitsu in competition and in the gym, his research on the early history of jiu-jitsu in Brazil, and his upcoming documentary called, “Closed Guard: The Origins of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil.” Find out more about the complicated relationship between Jigoro Kano, Mitsuyo Maeda, Carlos and Helio Gracie, and Kimura. Check out The Open Guard System available in DVD and online streaming format https://www.grapplearts.com/the-open-guard-system/ and in app format https://www.grapplearts.com/open-guard-system-app-phone-tablet/ Cheers! Stephan Kesting

Adam Shoalts is a professional adventurer and explorer.  He has completed a 4,000 km solo trip across the Canadian Arctic, explored unknown rivers in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and is a fellow in the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.  I hope you enjoy his tales of adventure as much as I did! More about Adam at https://adamshoalts.com/ and follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/adam_shoalts/

Here's how to organize a BJJ training pod to keep yourself and, more importantly, other people safe during the coronavirus pandemic.   1:11 - What is a Training Pod 1:38 - Why Are Training Pods a Good Idea Right Now, and Reasons for Hope 7:51 - How Many People Should Be In Your Pod and Who Do You Choose? 12:20 - When is a Training Pod Appropriate? 14:20 - Where Can Your Train with Your Pod? Articles referenced include Guidelines for Opening Up BJJ Academies During the Covid-19 Pandemic with Dr Chris Moriarty: https://www.grapplearts.com/openingupbjj/ and The Cheapest Grappling Mat https://www.grapplearts.com/the-cheapest-grappling-mat/

I was recently featured on The Old Rollers Podcast hosted by Harrison Helterbrand and we dove deep into maintaining your longevity in the sport, skill development, learning styles and taking charge of your own learning process. Check out The Open Guard System with Jon Thomas at https://www.grapplearts.com/openguard Download The Grapplearts BJJ Master App for free at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp Follow The Old Rollers Podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoldrollers/    

Dominyka Obelenyte was born in Lithuania, emigrated to the United States at a very young age, and became a 4 time Pan-Am and World Championship gold medalist.   In this interview we talk technique, injury recovery, mindset, effective training, the use and misuse of 'loyalty' in the BJJ world, mental resilience and more.  I think you'll really like this one. Follow Dominyka on Instagram @domdabomburmom/ Also, check out the brand new Open Guard System that I just released in DVD and streaming format at https://www.grapplearts.com/openguard Cheers, Stephan

Did you know that there were 'anti mask leagues' in the USA to protest masks during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic?  Neither did I until I started listening to Mitch Lerner.  Mitch is a professor of history at Ohio State University who specialises in 20th century American History and in today's episode we look at the history and politics of pandemics in the United States. I learned a lot during this conversation and I hope you do too.   Stephan P.S.  Here's the article I reference in the podcast with guidelines for opening up BJJ academies during covid with Dr Chris Moriarty https://www.grapplearts.com/openingupbjj P.P.S. Here is one excellent summary (not written by me) about the status of the current science behind mask wearing and prevention of covid transmission: https://www.totalem.org/emergency-professionals/podcast-207-myths-on-masks-for-covid-19  

The difference between improving every day and setting a personal best every day in sport, training, and martial arts... Notes and pictures from my 1000 mile solo arctic in 2019: https://www.grapplearts.com/solo My in-depth discussion with endurance athlete Mike McCastle: https://www.grapplearts.com/pain-is-a-universal-language-with-endurance-athlete-mike-mccastle/  

Dr Moriarty is a medical doctor and had a long fierce career as a BJJ competitor who previously published guidelines for reopening BJJ academies during the Covid-19 pandemic (grapplearts.com/openingupbjj). In this followup episode we look at the current state of the epidemic, implications for training, and how to figure out whether cases truly are going up or down in your area. 00:32 - Intro to Doctor Chris Moriarty, BJJ black belt. 02:43 - Where is the USA and the rest of the world at with Covid? 11:50 - Are cases going up just because of an increase in testing? 14:39 - Memorial day, protests, and other reasons that states may be experiencing a rise in Covid infections. 22:90 - Masks and prevention of coronavirus transmission. 25:46 - Is now safe to train BJJ? 33:18 - What about training BJJ with just one partner? 36:27 - On lighting campfires in dry grasslands and taking risks for other people. 38:09 - Signs of hope. 44:34 - The politicisation of mask wearing. 49:37 - Modes of transmission. 51:25 - Final wo

There are so many techniques to master and so many different areas in BJJ to get good at that jiu-jitsu can seem totally overwhelming.  Here's how to use an 80/20 approach to figuring out what to work on next. Also grab my detailed breakdown of the basic positions of BJJ for free here: https://www.grapplearts.com/book Good luck with everything! Stephan  

Today I'm joined by Thomas Nadelhoffer an associate professor in the philosophy department at the College of Charleston, an affiliate faculty member in psychology and neuroscience, and a BJJ brown belt.  We focus our conversation on the tribalism and rampant conspiracy theory acceptance in the BJJ community during this time of crisis.