Off the Mats Podcast

Welcome back, friends and family. This week on the podcast, I sit down with Drew Elder, the host of the Mat Mindset Podcast. In this episode, Drew shares with us how the Mat Mindset Podcast came about, his martial arts origin, realistic expectations, and what it means to be a podcast host.   You can keep up with Drew over on Instagram at @the_mat_mindset and you can find the podcast at the link be...

What's up, folks? I welcome Briana Bowley back this week on the podcast for a chat. Briana caught us up on how training has been going as she has started Judo and wrestling to build upon her jiu-jitsu. We also talked about how learning BJJ is very much like learning a language, the various names and variations for specific movements, and I try to convince her to embrace the dreaded wristlock.   Fo...

What's up, nerds??? Welcome back for another week of conversation and shenanigans. On this episode, I welcome back my good friend and teammate, Joe Huggins to talk about his return to the MMA cage. Joe and I also talk about entertainment and how it connects to the fight game, trash talk, and how it factors in. And if you're a nerd, we fall into old habits and talk about comic books, X-Men '97, and...

What's happening, folks? This week on the podcast, I welcome back BJJ Purple Belt, Sav Wright. In this episode, we talk about Sav's last competition, her battles with mental health and invisible disabilities behind the scenes, getting back to the mats, and the importance of a good support system. You can follow Sav and her adventures on Instagram at @sav613. Also big shout out to Sav's sponsors ov...

Hey loyal listeners, I'm glad you made it back. This week on the podcast, I welcome wrestling coach, developer of the Stance & Motion mobile app, and the inventor of the Footwork Trainer, Isaac Knable. In this episode we talk about our love for grappling and combat sports, what inspired the idea for the Footwork Trainer, the idea of bringing back rec sports, and rough housing as kids. For more...

What's up, party people? This week on the podcast, I welcome back for the very first time, David Jov. I'd been wanting to sit and talk with this dude for a long time and he finally felt that now was that time. David shared how he got into jiu-jitsu, how his family factored into his training, what it means to be a good training partner, being accountable on the mat, and his thoughts on X-Men '97. T...

Hello, my fine folks, and welcome back. This week on the podcast, I welcome Rose Miller, an accomplished IBJJF American Nationals Gold Medalist, Nutritionist, Strength Coach, and Atos Brown Belt, for a conversation. Rose discusses her journey into jiu-jitsu, offers insights on changing perspectives in training, discusses the gamification of jiu-jitsu training, shares experiences of returning from...

We're back, my friends. This week on the podcast, I welcome BJJ Black Belt under Vincente Junior, Randy Sheets. In this episode, Randy shares his BJJ origin story, as he discusses why he started and where he was in his life at that point. We also talk about his teaching style, why BJJ is easy, accountability in grappling, and self-defense.    For more content from Randy, give a follow on Instagram...

Happy Monday, folks. This week on the podcast, I welcome back my long-time friend, Mannuel Corona. We had a fun conversation about Mannuel's experience doing the Tough Mudder Run. Mannuel shared some of the ups and downs of his run, the importance of teamwork, and how it kickstarted his return to podcasting and bringing back his show, Off the Saddle. So stay tuned for that and much more from Mannu...

Welcome back, friends. This week on the podcast, I sit with BJJ Purple Belt and one of Grappling Industries' #1 rank Master's Division females, Rochelle Potter from Sharkpit BJJ in Virginia. Rochelle and I talked about her jiu-jitsu journey, injury prevention, Sharkpit's new location, and what BJJ success means to her. You can follow Rochelle and her journey and the continued success of her gym at...

Greetings, friends! This week on the podcast, I sit with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt from @crazy88mma, Chris Tran, and we discuss his martial arts beginnings starting with Tae Kwon Do to Judo to BJJ. We also talk about the importance of mentorship in BJJ, the evolution of the art as a sport, his memorable moment as a grappler, and we work through a round of "Would You Rather...?".   You can fol...

What's up, happy people? This week on the podcast, I sit down and chat with fellow grappler, Phinehas Doraisingh. Phin is a BJJ practitioner training out of Annapolis, MD. We discussed his journey as he started training right after the Covid lockdowns. Our conversation included how his sobriety has positively effected his training and life, his time in therapy, signing up for a marathon later this...

What's up, Nerds??? This week on the podcast, I welcome Marco Pagliaro from BJJ Tech Nerd. I had a great time as we discussed his jiu-jitsu beginnings, being a parent as a grappler, the BJJ community, and entering into the meme and content creation space.   For more of Marco and his content, you can find him on Instagram at @bjjtechnerd Also check out his podcast at the link below of the same name...

Hello and welcome back, friends. This week on the podcast, I welcome, all the way from Australia, Performance Coach, Briana Bowley to sit down and share her work. We have a good conversation about mindset as an athlete, "burnout" culture, a general breakdown of her work, and her journey into martial arts. For more info on Briana's work or to work with her, you can follow her on Instagram at @brian...

What's up, everybody? This week on the podcast, I sit down with another trio from @crazy88mma. I welcome back to the podcast, @griffinbjj, and @kairiverabjj, and for the first time to Off the Mats, we welcome @thegreatbigbear. We have a conversation about mindset before competing, passport etiquette, thoughts on what the hardest sport is, and an interesting round of "Would You Rather...?"   We wan...

Welcome back, freaks. This week on the podcast, we celebrate 200 episodes. Thank you, everyone who helped us get this far. Join me as I sit with 3 teammates who have been instrumental in my martial arts journey. @mahoneybadger, @avrgjo3, and @mdavid.bjj88 and I talk about jiu jitsu, their proudest moments in combat sports, celebrity super fights, and nerd stuff.    We want to give a shout out to @...

Welcome back, folks. This week I sit down and talk with Eric from @bjj_wholesale and @simpleleafcbd. Eric shared his BJJ story. We discussed how he got started, his preference for no gi vs. gi, the start of BJJ Wholesale, Simple Leaf CBD, and the science behind CBD and how it can benefit us. To keep up on all the deals and happenings, follow @bjj_wholesale and @simpleleafcbd on Instagram. Listener...

Hey nerds! Here's a little pause between episodes, as we march to 200. This week on the podcast, Maryland Phil and I sit down and discuss the Disney Plus series, What If...? Season 2. We give our thoughts and feelings on each episode, how it compares to the original Marvel comic book series, we ponder what season 3 could look like, and Christian Bale is opening a foster home. Maryland Phil can be...

What's up, everyone and welcome back to the podcast. This week on the podcast, I welcome Sergio Vilas, Brazilian Jiu JItsu Black Belt from Crazy 88 MMA. Sergio shares how he got into martial arts, his thoughts on gi vs. no-gi, his competition journey, and he discusses his Black Belt competition debut. Join us in this riveting exploration of a Jiu-Jitsu journey. To follow Sergio's journey, follow h...

What's up, happy people? Welcome back to another episode of the podcast. This week we bring you an intriguing conversation with seasoned Jiu-Jitsu professional, Neil Duke. We outline the integral roles of respect, ego, and technique in Jiu-Jitsu. We delve into the unexpected correlation between the high-stress world of law and the mental and physical rigors of Jiu-Jitsu. Listen as Coach Neil share...

Happy Monday, folks. This week on the podcast, I welcome back Tracy Frances. We last spoke on the podcast back in August of 2022 and we did a lot of catching up. Tracy shared details on her continued journey in jiu-jitsu, recovery from injury and her health, and finding a new jiu jitsu home.    Be sure to follow Tracy's journey at @pole.jitsu on Instagram and also check out her link tree below. ht...

What's up, party people? This week on the podcast, I welcome Trevor from @bjj_laughs on Instagram. Trevor, myself, and several other BJJ social media influencers recently collaborated on a hilarious project. In this episode, we talked about his BJJ beginnings, being a real-life hero, movies and our love for them, and laughter. We had lots of laughs.  To follow Trevor and the hilarity, head over to...

Welcome back, friends and family. This week on the podcast, I sit down and talk with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, inventor of the One Bottle, and owner of @epicrollbjj, Matt Wahlstrom. In this episode, Matt shares how Epic Roll BJJ was born, and how the partnership with Zoltan Bathory and Heather Gracie began, he explains in his words what an entrepreneur is, and we nerd out about Nickleback. ...

Welcome back, friends. This week on the podcast, I welcome back for the first time since episode 3, Joe KW of Nerd Rage Radio. The plan was to talk about Joe's fitness and nutrition routine. But as old friends do, we ended up all over the place talking about placebo effects, sharing passwords for streaming, work/life balance, and eventually health & fitness.   You can find Joe on Nerd Rage Rad...

Happy New Year, folks, and welcome back. This week, we kick off 2024 by chatting with the hosts of the newly formed Combat and Coaching Podcast, Eli Adams and Cody Toler. They shared their athletic journey that led them to combat sports, their coaching and training philosophy as well as approach, and their plans for 2024.   You can follow Eli's journey on Instagram at @eli.adams   You can follow C...