Are take-downs important even though so few BJJ gyms teach them, and can you get away with never training them if your focus is competition? And what about self defense? This are questions I answered during an recent Instagram Live Q&A session - follow me on Instagram @stephan_kesting and maybe next time I'll be answering YOUR question! To listen to this conversation you could press play … [Read more...]
Grapplearts
Podcast Episode 95 – Increasing Mobility for BJJ
Some quick thoughts about improving the different forms of 'mobility' for jiu-jitsu, both in terms of movement on the ground, and joint mobility, from a recent Instagram Live Q&A. You can find me on Instagram at @stephan_kesting and I'd be thrilled if you followed me because I'm releasing pics and videos there all the time! To listen to this conversation you could press play on the embedded … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 90 – Finding the Best Techniques Using the 80/20 Principle
In this episode I argue that you should start by teaching and learning the most effective, most proven, highest percentage techniques first. And I share a useful thought experiment that should quickly allow you to identify what those techniques might be (hint: it involves a hypothetical death match). To hear this podcast episode in full, you have a couple of options. The first one is to just … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 84 – 3 Steps To Overcoming Training Plateaus
In this short episode we talk about why training plateaus are actually more frustrating than training slumps, plus I share 3 concrete steps to bust out of a plateau and get back to getting better! This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can subscribe to with a few easy clicks! Choose your audio player below and click on it to open up … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 80 – When Should Leglock Training Start?
What belt level should you start training leg locks at? It depends a little bit on what your goals are and whether you're doing gi or no gi, but it's a lot sooner than you think EVEN if you're competing only in the IBJJF rule set. This podcast episode is excerpted from a 17 minute long Youtube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GQZPtpsg_U which takes you through how to do the actual … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 77 – Should You Still Train When Exhausted?
I trained BJJ today despite being fresh off the plane, jet lagged and exhausted, so it seemed like a good day to tackle today's topic, namely whether you should train on those days when you're so tired you can't see straight. Also I cover some examples of how to modify your workout on those lower-energy days so you don't get injured. Hope this helps all you busy people trying to juggle life and … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 76 – Mayweather v. McGregor
In this mini-episode I talk Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor with Ritchie Yip, and we both come to the same conclusion about betting on this fight. Listen to this episode before you put money down on Conor McGregor. To listen to this conversation you could press play on the embedded audio player below, but then you might miss out on future episodes, wouldn’t you? So the best thing to do is … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 75 – Training When There is No School Nearby
You want to train martial arts but there isn't a good school anywhere nearby, so what are your options? Here is my best advice on how you can still learn, still train, and still get good! To hear this podcast episode in full, you have a couple of options. The first one is to just press play on the embedded player below - easy as 1,2,3! The second (and better!) option is subscribing to The … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode #73 – Grappling VS Striking
If you could only do one which would be better for self defense: striking or grappling? The answer is grappling of course, but the reasons why might surprise you... This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, which you can subscribe to with a few easy clicks! Choose your audio player below and click on it to open up The Strenuous Life Podcast and … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode #71 – BJJ and Training Q&A With Stephan
What would I do different as a white belt if I could go back in time? What are the best guards that go together with the butterfly guard? Can you become an elite level grappler if you have both a job and a family? And you've choked someone out in a streetfight... what now? All this and more in today's Q&A episode. In this episode I make reference to articles on Grapplearts which can be … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 70 – Picking a Good BJJ School
This is an important episode because in it I talk about how to find a BJJ instructor and school that'll work for you and how to avoid ending up at a school where you'll end up getting hurt or wasting your time. And yes, this same information applies directly to finding good schools in any sort of martial art and not just Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! To hear this podcast episode in full, you have a … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode #66 – Functional Training
Regardless of whether you train BJJ, MMA or a self-defense oriented martial art you're faced with the same dilemma: how do you take a technique you're shown in class and actually make it work against someone who is resisting you 100%? The key is progressive resistance, and in this episode I go into the 5 training modalities you should use to functionalise your techniques. You can listen to … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 48 – Self Defense, The Filipino Martial Arts and an Interview with Jarlo Ilano
In this interview, I talk with with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparring with sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express itself when you're trying to use it under stress. Jarlo Ilano is an instructor under Burton Richardson https://jkdunlimited.com/ in his Battlefield Kali system and a purple belt in … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 55 – Interview with James Foster on the Spartan Underground
I really enjoyed being on James '300' Foster's podcast where we talked about figuring out grappling from scratch, why fighters fight injured, PEDs in the MMA, how jiu-jitsu will always be there for you after a long layoff, and a lot more! I hope you enjoy it too! Check out Jame's podcast on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spartan-underground/id1070092297?mt=2 To hear this … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 56 – Interview with Budo Jake Discussing Training Around the World, Advice to Newbies, and More…
This is a really good episode in which I talk to my friend, BJJ black belt, and world traveller Budo Jake. We cover a ton of topics including the evolution of Japanese ju-jutsu into BJJ, getting choked unconscious, the effectiveness of wrist locks in grappling, brain damage from striking, yoga and other recover methods, training at different academies, and advice for newbies. Enjoy! This … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 65 – Interview with Sensei Ando Mierzwa, Is Martial Arts Training for Everyone?
I think you'll like this one: in this episode I speak with Ando Mierzwa (Sensei Ando) who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu San Soo with extensive experience in BJJ, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate. We talk about levels of realism in training, tribalism in the martial arts, the fighting arts as a tool to feel some control in a chaotic universe and much more. To listen to this conversation … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 64 – Your Marital Arts Instructor Does Not Know it All!
In this rant I take on the myth perpetuated in many martial arts and by many martial arts instructors, namely that they are the source of all the knowledge you'll ever need. The truth is that everyone has holes in their knowledge and that the good instructors will admit that they don't know everything. This podcast episode, along with all my others, are available on my Strenuous Life Podcast, … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 62 – Rant: It is NOT About the Colour of the BELT!
I'm on fire for this one because it really gets under my skin when people focus on the wrong thing in their martial arts training. Boys and girls, it's about skill acquisition and NOT about the color of your belt. Get this wrong and it will destroy your relationship to the martial arts! You can watch a video I did about this on You Tube below: To listen to this conversation you could … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 61 – What Steps to Follow to get Back to Training after Being Injured
Unfortunately injuries are just part of the game, and getting back to training after recuperating from an injury is always a tricky business. In this episode I give some of my best advice about exactly how your return to the mats should be structured. This is advice I've learned the hard way so take my advice - for the longest time I didn't use it myself and I wish I had! To hear this podcast … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 60 – Is It Possible to Learn Martial Arts Doing Only 1 Class Per Week?
This is for everyone - beginner and experienced martial artist - with a very tight schedule who can't train more than once a week. Can you still make progress? What are some tips for getting as good as you can when time is limited? How do you not lose hope, momentum and confidence during these inevitable training slowdowns? Of course my main site is Grapplearts.com, but also check out my … [Read more...]