Humans of Grappling

In this conversation, Mike Lady and Matt Guffey explore the intersection of grappling and life, discussing the application of ecological dynamics in sports coaching, the transition from hockey to jiu-jitsu, and the importance of strength and conditioning for grapplers. They delve into load management, injury rehabilitation, class structure, and the creativity required in jiu-jitsu. Matt shares ins...

In this conversation, Mike Lady and Doug Ancey explore the intersection of grappling, mental health, and community support. They discuss the importance of recognizing mental health stigma, the role of medication, and the significance of community in jiu jitsu. The conversation also touches on navigating political views within the sport and the need for empathy and understanding in a competitive en...

In this engaging conversation, Mike Lady, Cesar Clavijo, and Ryan Scialoia explore the profound connections between Jiu-Jitsu and life. They discuss unique teaching philosophies, the importance of health and longevity in martial arts, and the ethical responsibilities of instructors. The dialogue also delves into the biomechanics of movement, the role of hypnosis in performance, and the healing asp...

In this conversation, Mike Lady and Brad Congram explore the intersection of grappling, life, and personal growth. Brad shares his journey in Jiu-Jitsu, the challenges of balancing life as a new parent and a black belt, and the insights gained from both competition and professional life. They discuss the importance of community, the role of failure in learning, and the resources available for new...

In this conversation, Mike Pabua shares his journey through Jiu-Jitsu and healthcare, exploring how grappling has influenced his life and career. He discusses the challenges he faced in both fields, the importance of resilience, and how Jiu-Jitsu provides perspective on life's difficulties. Mike also highlights his training philosophy, the significance of skill development, and his experiences...

In this conversation, Eric Robinson shares his extensive journey in Jiu-Jitsu, from his initial introduction to the sport to his evolution as a content creator. He discusses the challenges and joys of building a community through social media, the importance of crediting creators, and the philosophical aspects of training. Eric reflects on his experiences living in the Caribbean, the dynamics of e...

In this conversation, Mike Lady and James Wilson explore the intersections of mountain biking and Jiu-Jitsu, discussing James's journey from fitness training to becoming a Jiu-Jitsu black belt. They delve into the principles of mastery, the importance of biomechanics, and the evolution of training methods. James shares insights on pedal design and how it relates to performance, while also emph...

Welcome back to Humans of Grappling, where we explore the intersection of grappling and everything else in life. We talk about applying grappling to everyday life, and everyday life to grappling. Mike describes how he’s been feeling in 2024 and how it’s different than what he felt in 2022. He talks about how he and a small group of friends enabled him to make it to the round of 16 in ADCC West Coa...

Mike describes how anyone can start training ecologically by defining their own games with the elements of: 1. where to start 2. where to end 3. what each player is trying to do 4. how to "handicap" yourself to make things easier or harder depending on your skill level. Mike also talks about his course and community on Sandbox BJJ. If you want to level up your game with a curriculum and community...

Mike describes how we can frame ecological Jiu-Jitsu games similar to video game tutorial levels. Mike relates this to his course and community on Sandbox BJJ. If you want to level up your game with a curriculum and community that guarantees results, check out www.sandboxbjj.com ⏩ the fastest way to develop grappling skill 🏖️ creative, iterative, resettable play 🔲 boundary around what we focus o...

Let’s play around in a sandbox to work on something How do we fuck around and find out? Doesn’t mean that this is directionless, it’s actually very empowering. We don’t have to have a “master” coach to get better. We can just start where we’re having trouble and sit there until we figure some relative truths out. It might not be the most optimal or ideal, but it’s a start. Low level white belts do...

Summary In this episode, Mike reflects on his journey as a content creator and shares his insights on the challenges and expectations of work. He emphasizes the importance of taking action and iterating to figure out one's niche. Mike also discusses the difficulties of college and the transition to the industry, highlighting the compressed timeline and the need for good time management. He adv...

AI-Generated text: In this episode, Mike interviews Doug Ancey, a black belt in jiu-jitsu and a technical writer. Doug shares his journey in grappling, from starting with wrestling in middle school to discovering jiu-jitsu in college. He talks about the importance of fostering relationships in the jiu-jitsu community and the value of having a third place for kids. Doug also discusses his career in...

One of the first things that blew my mind in history class was when my middle school teacher taught us about how boats were developed in parallel around the same time across cultures geographically nowhere near each other.  Same thing happens today between companies, like fitness tech wearable wristbands and other weight lifting tracking devices,  or even within the same company like Google spinni...

Mike talks about how we can better use our natural pattern-matching subconscious mind to accomplish our goals, and how ecological dynamics may explain the practice of "manifesting". Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. What "slow parts" of the TV show of your life are you willing to sit through for the big payoff at the end of certain seasons of your life?

Mike talks about recent small changes he's made in his life that are compounding already, such as his back squat working weight for 3 sets of 5 reps moving up from 225lbs to 270lbs in one month, adding 5 lbs to the bar each time. He shows how we can apply this principle to life in general.

Mike talks about how we can have "knowledge about" something, and never really gain "knowledge of" that thing, such as watching someone put their hand on a stove. Pain (discomfort) is the ultimate teacher and we want to leverage safe amounts of it to iteratively develop skills over time.

Mike talks about getting your ego involved as much as possible in the learning process in order to save time and not have to study later.

Mike discusses his recent schedule optimizations and looks to figure out how to further improve and enjoy the things he does every day.

Mike talks your ear off yet again about Ecological Jiu-Jitsu, how it applies to everything, and how he's seen hints of this methodology throughout his life. He reflects on his 1.5 years of thinking about and applying the methodology to varying degrees in training.

Mike returns to talk about his personal struggles with mental health and how he has more or less overcome them.

After reading 37 whole pages of "The Black Swan" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, I try to apply it to my life and go down a 3 hour dividend ETF rabbit hole. I reexamine my life for instances of "Mediocristan" and "Extremistan" and how I can set myself up to take advantage of the positives of both, while covering the downsides.

Look at that, a whole year of doing this podcast, only active for 6 months though. Well, I'm back and the only way this is going to be consistent is that it's going to be me rambling about once a week on topics that I'm churning over in my head and relating them to Jiu-Jitsu. I go off here on Ecological Dynamics (How We Learn to Move by Rob Gray) and "Fooled by Randomness" by...

This was a fun one! Gabe turned the tables on me and interviewed me for his Youtube series, "A White Belt Experience". We run the gamut of talking about my journey to ADCC Trials round of 16, how I've conceptualized and learned Jiu-Jitsu, how I relate it to Software Development, and of course my favorite buzzword: Ecological Jiu-Jitsu. Gabe's Youtube channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com...

Chad Lyman is a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Defensive Tactics coach, 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt and head coach of Xtreme Couture. We talk about his journey with Jiu-Jitsu and how he's been trying to get LEOs to train since the early 2000's. He has gone on to teach thousands of LEOs through his seminars and affiliated academies. We also talk about some technical "rolls" he's had while patrolling t...