The Strenuous Life Podcast With Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

I'm thrilled to have Ando Mierzwa back on the podcast to discuss dealing with fear, overcoming claustrophobia, whether martial arts lessons can be life lessons, training differently based on your age, fitness, and goals, and much more! Find out more about Ando at http://www.senseiando.com And if you do BJJ (or are interested in finding out more about it) make sure you download the Grapplearts BJJ Master App for iOS and Android with more than 457 minutes of FREE black belt instruction at https://www.grapplearts.com/masterapp    

I LOVED talking to Will Gadd, champion ice climber, X games gold medalist, and extreme adventurer.  In this episode we covered his epic climb up Niagara Falls in the winter, organising big climbs, climbing up icebergs and down ice caves in Greenland, dealing with risk and unknowns, close calls, the 25 people he's known who have died in the mountains, fear of loss vs hope of gain, and how to execute on audacious goals.   Check out my "Grapplearts Minimum Profile Ear Guard for BJJ and Wrestling" on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Grapplearts-Wrestling-Cauliflower-Construction-Protection/dp/B01DAYR9ZG

Weight cutting is a fact of life in modern MMA and also in many jiu-jitsu and submission grappling competitions.  In this episode Ben Zhuang and I talk about how to cut weight safely, effectively replenishing your body after a weight cut, the differences between cutting weight for day-of vs next-day events, and more. We also talked about strength training, and if you're interested in the exercises, article, or PDF guide that Ben and I talk about then go to https://www.grapplearts.com/bjj-strength-training-the-top-6-exercises/ where it's all free! Also Follow Ben Zhuang on Instagram as @coachbz or by clicking https://www.instagram.com/coachbz/

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

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

  I really enjoyed talking with Andreh Anderson who started training in the very early days of North American MMA with famous fighters like Oleg Taktarov and more.  We cover the specific ways how MMA (and BJJ) were very different in the early days, tribalism in the martial arts, training in Brazil, making the switch from JKD to jiu-jitsu, the evolution of leglocks, old school jiu-jitsu, and more!    

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  

I'm STOKED that Survivorman Les Stroud came on the podcast today!!! We talked adventure, survival skills, navigating in the wilderness, the closest he's come to death while filming, work-life balance, music and more. I hope you enjoy listening to his episode as much as I did recording it for you!     Go to http://www.lesstroud.ca to find out more about Les, his appearances, shows, and concerts.

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

  This was a neat interview I did with Emily Kwok from Princeton BJJ and star of the first How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent series.  We focused on creating positive learning environments in BJJ, looking at the roles played by the students, the teachers, and instructional technology.  We also covered whether I would do anything different if I was starting my BJJ training all over again, competition vs training, and breaking through plateaus.  I hope you find this interesting!    

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.

This is an important episode because it's all about managing the adrenaline dump and the fight or flight reflex.  Shane Fazen from Fight Tips and I talk about what fight or flight feels like, what you can expect in your first few competitions, how to use adrenaline to your advantage, exactly how to use visualisation and meditation to lower your heart rate, stay calm, and actually fight the way you train.   If you compete or are interested in self defense don't miss this episode. Find out more about Shane Fazen at http://fighttips.com Download my free video guide for learning BJJ for iOS and Android devices at https://www.grapplearts.com/roadmap And if you found this episode useful please give the podcast a rating and/or a review - that type of support is really helping!    

How do you know when to attack?  It's actually pretty simple math!! In this episode I share the "what's the score" concept that I learned  from Rob Biernacki. At any given point in time both you and your opponent have a score, determined from your base, posture and structure.  The relative score tells you whether an attack will succeed or fail. This is a very useful idea and it will allow you to create and recognise opportunities for your sweeps, submissions and guard passes! Videos referred to in this podcast include The Three Most Critical Concepts in Jiu-Jitsu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5RaxEV9fx8 and My New Favourite Triangle Choke Setup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB2A-hAv04A    

In this short rant I talk about 3 or 4 training methods you can use when sparring someone significantly smaller than you so that you BOTH come out winners! These methods also apply, to some degree, to sparring people who are less experienced and not as good as you are.  Training time is a limited commodity wo you really want to maximise what you get out of your sparring sessions!

David Brown has spent many decades studying and teaching martial arts, including Muay Thai and Wing Chun.  He's also a clinical neuropsychologist which gives him a unique insight into the mindset at work within martial arts cults.  Then we also went down some major rabbit holes, including the science of sticking people's brains into scanners and the elimination of disease through new genetic technologies.  I hope you like this one as much as I did!  01:02 - A journey through the martial arts 04:15 - The business of running a school 07:51 - Martial arts cults and the psychology of delusion 20:29 - Passive vs authoritative teachings 26:26 - Research in the autism field 44:35 - Treatment of autism 49:37 - Gene modification and CRISPR 57:52 - Muay Thai vs Wing Chun You can find out more about David's school in San Antonio, Texas, at totalconfidencemartialarts.com

In a self defense situation you have to have a high level of environmental awareness to keep track of multiple attackers, improvised weapons, escape routes, etc.  Today I'm joined by classical Japanese Jujutsu practitioner Alex Kask to talk about how this important aspect can be incorporated into your training.  We also talk about gun grappling, multiple-opponent MMA, 'dirty' fighting techniques like eye gouging and biting, and more! In other relevant news, check out the brand new Grapplearts instructional called The Self Defense Guard at https://www.grapplearts.com/selfdefenseguard.  In this organised and detailed course BJJ black belt Ellliott Bayev and I will show you how to correctly use the BJJ closed guard to stay safe in a situation where someone is trying to punch your teeth down your throat!

If you're doing any kind of martial art - be it BJJ, MMA, Kickboxing, Taekwondo or whatever - then your game needs to evolve every decade to accommodate the changes in your body.  I got this from the legendary Dan Inosanto who started training at age 11 and is still practising martial arts in his 80's.

A little trip down memory lane today.  In my twenties I did an 82 day, 1600 mile solo canoe trip across the Canadian north.  This is an account of the last 3 days of that journey, traveling along the dangerous shore of Hudson Bay.   The written form of this account is available here: https://www.grapplearts.com/belugas-bears-and-an-offshore-tide-on-hudson-bay/# and the Blood, Sweat and Sparta piece I refer to early in this episode is available here: https://www.grapplearts.com/blood-sweat-and-sparta/ And finally, download my new BJJ app guys because it has seven and a half hours of free black belt instruction in it!!! iOS and Android links here: https://www.grapplearts.com/grapplearts-bjj-master-app/