The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

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/

Dr Mark Cheng has rehabbed TONS of combat athletes, has trained with some of the best instructors in the world, and has a wealth of experience in the martial arts. In this podcast we cover pressure testing of traditional martial arts.  The 8 exercises of the Functional Movement Screen.  How training should be for stretching the envelope, not breaking the envelope. Dog Brother's full contact stick fighting. Punch drunk boxers and CTE. Break falling on dirt and concrete, and much more.  Check it out - I think you'll like it! Also I've just updated the Grapplearts BJJ Master App so now there's even MORE free material on it.  Grab it for iOS or Android for free at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp - the 'weak side back attacks' module is absolutely amazing!

In this episode Ritchie Yip and I go deep into the sparring process.  We explore why it's so hard to transition from from hitting pads to full on sparring, how to avoid head injuries while kickboxing, the importance of continual learning, how to avoid getting tired, and the best ways to have low risk training with high benefit.   And if you didn't know it already, I've just released a really cool instructional called The Precision Kickboxing Masterclass in which Ritchie Yip takes you through his best drills, progressions and strategies to get really good at kickboxing really fast.  There's a TON of material in it for beginner, intermediate and advanced students.  Check it out at https://www.grapplearts.com/kickboxing

Tito Ortiz vs Chuck Liddell got us all talking about it again: when should an MMA fighter retire? In the last 10 years we've learned that brain damage in combat sports is a HUGE problem. CTE makes this retirement question even more critical because if you go beyond a certain threshold of damage then there's no coming back. For more of my thoughts about brain damage and MMA check out https://www.grapplearts.com/does-mma-make-you-stupid-impact-concussions-and-brain-damage-in-mixed-martial-arts/

The ketogenic diet is really hot right now for weight loss, health, disease prevention and longevity. But when your doctor calls you in a panic then you find out that, like with all diets, individual results may vary.  This episode is a quick summary of what I ate, how my energy changed, and how my bloodwork went absolutely crazy on the ketogenic diet.

There are 5 ranges of combat, but many martial artists only train in one or two of those ranges.  Ideally though you should be at least familiar with each of those ranges to be a complete martial artist and not have any gaping blind spots!   I know that many of my listeners will already be familiar with https://www.grapplearts.com but also check out my self defense oriented website https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com 

How to train mentally and physically to become a world calibre champion wrestler, with Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 5 times national team member Nick Ungoalah.  We go DEEP in this episode and really dig into physical conditioning, honing technique, developing a winning mindset, recovering from injury, fixing imbalances in your body, optimal mental state for competition, and much more.  I think you'll like this one, and if you do I would love a rating or review of this podcast on whatever platform you listen to it on! Find out more about Nick at http://ugohp.com.

Rob Biernacki and I sit down to discuss BJJ guard passing from a strategic point of view.  When should you pass standing and when should you pass on your knees?  When should you go for submission based guard passes and when should you try to force your opponent into a different type of guard? Check out Rob's groundbreaking BJJ Formula at http://grapplearts.com/bjjformula and his amazing leglock instructional at https://www.grapplearts.com/leglocks/  

A quick rant about the absolute easiest way to add effective and proven techniques to your game, namely going through the memory banks and trying to figure out what you used to do that worked great that you then stopped doing for no good reason! Check out my Grapplearts BJJ Master App for iOS and Android for free at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp. It comes with a TON of free material on it, including a complete standalone module on weak side back attacks! Good luck with your training! Stephan

I was thrilled to appear on The Great Flip Podcast to talk about jiu-jitsu, specifically why it's probably the best self defense martial art for women and girls.  I hope you enjoy it! Catch up with the work Coach Jody is doing at https://thegreatflip.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thegreatflip/, or on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJleGbTwtlTL4GXLMl6sL6A And, as always, a rating or a review of this podcast is super-appreciated.  It helps the show grow and acts as an incentive for me to use my very limited time to produce more shows more often! Thanks Stephan

In this episode I talk about the importance of self experimentation and how your results may be different from most other people's.  I share some dietary experiments I've been fooling around with and exactly what I've been doing to limit the potential downsides.  And yes, I do talk about limiting the downside when dating crazy chicks. Stephan

Rob from McDojoLife has been relentless in his attempts to expose martial arts frauds, exposing everyone from from chi-based knockout masters to ninjas who practise bending joints in the direction they are designed to bend. Honestly some of the videos he's shared with people over the years have been hilarious for all the wrong reasons! In this episode we talk about his favourite frauds, where he gets the biggest hate and pushback from, his own martial arts training history, and his big plans for the future. Follow McDojoLife on Instagram (@mcdojolife), Twitter (@mcdojolife) and his Youtube channel (youtube.com/mcdojolife)

If you're interested in self defense then how do you train techniques that are too deadly to spar realistically, like eye gouges and groin punches, and combine that with the safer sportive techniques that you can learn to apply to against resistance and get really good at?  This rant should give you some answers to this perpetual dilemma. Check out my two sites: https://www.grapplearts.com and https://www.selfdefensetutorials.com And if you're a grappler (or interested in grappling) then make sure to download my free app with more than 457 minutes of free video instruction for iOS and android at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp Thanks! Stephan    

My guest is the science advocate generally known as The Genetically Modified Skeptic.  In this hard-hitting (and likely controversial) discussion he discusses magical thinking in the martial arts, essential oils, alternative medicine, cult leaders, Jordan Peterson, religion, the anti-vaccine movement, fake cancer cures and much more.  I hope you find it interesting and though provoking. Check out Drew's popular youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/geneticallymodifiedskeptic  

Iain Abernathy is an author, a 7th degree black belt, and an expert in the application of traditional karate techniques.  He joined me on the podcast today to talk about kata as a training method, techniques advancing over time, ancient martial arts training methods, "freezing" between moves in kata, pushback from the traditional karate community, drills to make the application of moves instinctive, and more. Find out more about about Iain, his books, articles, and apps at https://iainabernethy.co.uk

Leadership is easy when things are going well,but is considerably more difficult when all hell is breaking loose and the s**t is hitting the fan.  In this episode we look at a common denominator of great leadership in difficult situations, the optimal state of arousal, and a few examples of good and bad leadership in the fire department. If you enjoyed this episode then please subscribe, rate, and review the show.  I can't tell you how much that helps and encourages me to pump out episodes more frequently!

JP Dinnell spent nearly a decade in the SEAL teams, including serving with Task Unit Bruiser in Ramadi, Iraq, where he was a point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon.  He worked with his officers Jocko Willink and Leif Babin on many combat operations, and then used the knowledge he had gained in the field to train the next generation of SEALS. In this conversation we talk about what made JP want to become a Navy SEAL, surviving BUDS and Hell Week, becoming a sniper, managing the risk of killing civilians accidentally, and how principles learned in combat can be applied to civilian life, business, and achieving team goals. More about JP at https://www.echelonfront.com/jeremiah-dinnell