Epi 202 Things BJJ Can Learn From MMA and Vice Versa

We can learn lessons from anywhere and find ways to bring these lessons to BJJ. An easy cross over is MMA. This episode we will be applying MMA ideas to BJJ and BJJ ideas to MMA.

BJJ learn from MMA

  • Athleticism maters
  • Top game is fun (and less tiring)
  • Position before submission or winning
  • Getting stuck can be game over
  • Have more than one coach (guard passing coach, takedown coach)

MMA learn from BJJ

  • Cleaner guard passes
  • Try a gi class to roll with the best grapplers in the area
  • Training not to win but to learn
  • Escapes with a gi
  • Long term focus

Quote of the week: “Never pick a fight with an ugly person, they’ve got nothing to lose.” Robin Williams

Article of the week: 3 Michael Langhi’s success rules

Mat Tales 24 Bitter Pill to Swallow

Your-First-Year-Of-BJJ-artwork-1199

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

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DVD Review of The Catch Wrestling Formula by Neil Melanson

Here is a review of a DVD that teaches many different ways to get in to submissions and pass the guard and much more. I learned a lot of new stuff on here and this review may help you to decide if the DVD is right for you.

Epi 102 Multi Black Belt Lee Mein

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, Stitcher radio, and RSS link for Andriod

Lee Mein BJJLee Mein is from Lethbridge, Alberta Ca. He teaches Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing to kids and adults.  He has a black belt in American Kenpo Karate, a black belt in Bas Rutten’s MMA system, and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Roy Harris.

We talk about:

  • His background in martial arts
  • His MMA promotion Rumble in the Cage
  • The importance of confidence for law enforcement
  • Dealing with bullies
  • Training as you get older
  • Why he enjoys competing
  • His son Jordan Mein that is fighting in the UFC
  • What they teach in the kids class
  • Keeping training fun
  • Conditioning
  • Doing BJJ and MMA
  • Hockey
  • How he warms up his body before competing
  • The mental aspect of fighting and training
  • Training on a limited schedule and setting goals

Links:

Quote of the week: 1) “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” 2) “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” Yogi Berra

Article of the week: The Four “D’s” of Success, My Experience At Polaris 2 By  The Bjj Mental Coach

Your First Year Of BJJ artwork

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

Epi 62 Good Times and Training with John Kavanagh

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunesand Stitcher radio

John KavanaghJohn Kavanagh received his BJJ black belt in March 2007 from Matt Thornton.  He now runs the Straight Blast Gym(SBG) in Ireland. SBG Ireland is home to fighters Gunnar Nelson, Conor McGregor, Aisling Daly, and many more.

Highlights from the interview:

“I think when people are enjoying themselves, they are going to stick with something longer rather than just embracing the grind.”

“I understand what people mean when they say someone is talented, but it is a lazy word.  It is kind of like describing a chemical reaction as being magic.”

“If I see someone who is not enjoying it (training) I don’t want them part of the team, because it can be detrimental to the mindset of everybody else. So I will advise them to take some time off and do a different sport or activity for awhile and try to come back with a fresh mindset.”

Do your MMA athletes train in a gi?  ” Yes, they do….. physically the main benefit is that it tightens up the escape game, you can’t escape an armbar by just by ripping your arm out… On the flip side training nogi tightens up your attacking side of the game.”

“Training with a gi also is a huge benefit to keeping your mind awake and alert.”

“You are all going to finish fighting (MMA) at some stage, why not have earned your black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu during that period.  Maybe you could open your own school. You want to be 50 or 60 (years old) and still on the mat, you are not going to be doing MMA at that stage but you and me could be two old farts in the corner of the room rolling around in a gi”

About taking some time off- “I would go as far as to say that I have never seen somebody come back that was not actually better than when they went away….. A guy takes 4-6 weeks off because of an injury or something and he always comes back better…..I have a theory. Time away from physically doing it (training) allows techniques to sink a little bit deeper in.  When you are training all the time whatever you have done latest is in your head, but when you take a couple of weeks off, what you have been doing over the last couple of months can sink in deeper into your consciousness… going between time on and time off the mat is very important… people come back sharper

About new students- “I found the most efficient way of weeding out the weak, I made strong people stronger…. That’s the exact opposite of what I am supposed to have been doing as a martial arts coach…. I was bullied as a kid, I went to martial arts to help protect myself.  The approach I was taking was not going to be of much use to somebody that was not already athletic. We changed around everything that we are doing

“I really think sport should be a positive experience. Even if you lose it should be positive because of when you went through in order to be able to compete.”

In this episode we talk about:

  • The SBG upcoming fights in the UFC
  • Why he does not like the idea of a training camp
  • The two things you need to get good at MMA (enjoy it, and patience)
  • How he changes a class to keep it fun
  • His views of calling fighters talented
  • The mindset of training
  • Training MMA and still using the gi
  • Taking time off from training
  • His program for dealing with new students
  • His four tier program for beginners
  • Teaching new people how to train safely
  • Advice for a new student
  • His goal he has for his new students
  • He wants BJJ to be a lifestyle for you
  • How amateur MMA in Ireland has several steps, and why it is a good system
  • Advice for MMA athletes
  • Why you shouldn’t focus on what your opponent does

Quote of the week: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Henry Ford

Article of the week: Background checks required by IBJJF

Want a better Guillotine Choke? Check out this seminar by our friend Roy Marsh!

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Thanks for listening, we will catch you next week!

Other episodes of The BjjBrick Podcast featuring members of Straight Blast Gym

Epi 46 Roy Marsh May Change The Way You Think Of Other Martial Arts

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunesand Stitcher radio

This week we have our first repeat guest Roy Marsh from Sandhills Jiu-JitsuRoy is a Black Belt under Royce Gracie. He has been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2001.  In this episode we talk about learning other martial arts and training Jiu-Jitsu.  He gives lots of great advice and he may just change the way you thing about the martial arts.  Many of the topics we talk about are brought up in the article “Wristlocks and Guillotines Part 1”

RoyMarshbjj

Some of the martial arts we talk about in this episode

  • Hapkido
  • Judo
  • Muay Thai
  • Taekwondo
  • Boxing
  • Wrestling
  • Karate
  • Kung Fu
  • Fencing
  • MMA
  • and more

Quote of the week: “Iron sharpens iron. So that one man sharpens another. I think that it is very true. If you are not in a training environment where you are getting smacked in the head, you are getting tapped out, you are getting challenged on a daily basis, then you are not getting any better. You’re not improving. Your workout partners are a very important piece of your progression as an athlete and the character that you are building as a person as well. Those are key components and finding that right place is a piece of it.”
Randy Couture “Wrestling For Fighting”

Article of the week: How to Accelerate Your Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) Game By  From appliedmma.com

Lots of great BJJ and MMA information at http://www.roymarshjiujitsu.com/  Email Roy at roymarshjiujitsu@gmail.com

Epi 17 Interview with BJJ Black Belt Roy Marsh

Epi 16 Brian Freeman- Training BJJ with a T4 Spinal Cord Injury

At the end of the podcast we give details of how you can get a free BjjBrick Podcast gi patch.

At the end of the podcast we give details of how you can get a free BjjBrick Podcast gi patch.

Epi 30 Ryan Hall Interview- BJJ, MMA, and Self-Defense

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunesand Stitcher radioRyan hall mma

In Episode 30 of the BjjBrick podcast we talk with Ryan Hall.  Ryan is widely considered one of the best lightweight submission grapplers in the world.  Ryan owns 50/50 Jiu-Jitsu in Falls Church, Virginia.  He is a Black Belt under Felipe Costa and a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter representing Tristar Gym.  Check out a more detailed bio of Ryan Hall here.

In this interview we talk about:

  • Ryan coined the term “50/50” for the widely used position
  • His new gym that he opened and why he moved
  • How his style of Jiu-jitsu will translate to MMA
  • His goals for his MMA career
  • Some of his negative experiences with competing in Jiu-Jitsu
  • Getting back into competitive Jiu-Jitsu
  • The different focuses and challenges of training MMA and BJJ at the same time
  • Making the transition from submission grappling to MMA
  • His next MMA fight on May 31st
  • Using actual MMA fights for live training and ring experience
  • Some common mistakes that BJJ athletes make when doing MMA
  • Performing to the best of your ability and nothing less, and being happy with that
  • Ryan shares some of his thoughts on Metamoris 3 Eddie Bravo vs Royler Gracie
  • His instructional DVDs- The Triangle, Passing the Guard, Arm Triangles, Back Attacks, Inverted Guard, The 50/50, and Deep Half.
  • What he is focusing on to get a competitive edge in MMA
  • Ryan shares the experience of his first grappling competition
  • Advice for the first time competitor
  • Why Ryan was attracted to the martial arts
  • Ryan’s self-defense story that took place Jersey Shore with Seph Smith, Dave Jacobs, and Jen Flannery
  • Using Jiu-jitsu in a street fight, and common misconceptions
  • “Regular people fight as well as they play hockey” a quote from Ryan Hall.  Fighting is a skill, if you don’t know how to do it you will not do it well.
  • Ryan gives advice for new blue belts that may be struggling
  • What could be next for his DVD’s

 

Quote of the week: This quote was presented and broken down by Stephen Whittier, “Just when you think you have all the answers, I will change all the questions”. I was unable to find who said this originally.  If you missed it be sure to check out our full interview with Stephen Whittier here.

 

ADCC 2009

Ryan Hall ADCC 2009

Sponsor- Fujisports.com Check out the light weight gi.  It is great for competition weigh-ins and staying cool in the summer heat.  Save 10% off your purchase at Fujisports.com with this coupon code “BJJBrick”.

Links:

Article of the week: “Losing is Good for You” NYTimes.com

Ryans DVDs www.groundfighter.com

Watch Ryan’s next fight here gofightlive

Watch Ryan’s restaurant fight here

Ryan’s website

Short Bonus Episode: What happened to Anderson Silva’s leg?

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunesand Stitcher radio

Short Bonus episode:

What happened to Anderson Silva’s leg?

Today I am wondering like many of you, what happened to Anderson Silva?  Why did his leg break from his kick?  Can this type of injury happen to me?  How can I prevent this from happening.

I call up my favorite medical professional, Paramedic Craig.  We don’t know for sure what caused his leg to break but he says that a stress fracture is a likely cause.  We talk about what a stress fracture and what are the causes of them.  Craig also talks about the signs and symptoms of a stress fracture (tenderness, swelling, pain even after rest).  Stress fractures will go away on their own with proper rest and nutrition.

Recovery for a broken tibia and fibula, is about 3 to 6 months.

We briefly talk about what to do for a injured classmate and how to splint this kind of injury.

We wish Anderson Silva the best of luck with a full and speedy recovery.

Link to Episode 9 an interview with a paramedic, what to do when someone gets hurt in class.

Link to the podcast in iTunes

Link to the podcast in Stitcher radio