The Old Bastard's Guide to Surviving (and Thriving) on the Mats

Hey Friends! This week we are joined again by my good buddy, my ride or die purple belt partner in crime, Zach Robinson! Zach and I and our spouses and the team from Magic BJJ just got back from Las Vegas last week, where we attended the infamous IBJJF Master World Championships/Jiu Jitsu Con. This event is the biggest IBJJF tournament in the world, with over 8000 competitors total - over 6500 of...

Hey friends! Today we have another awesome guest on the pod - Stephen Koepher - or, as many know him, "Sambo Steve". Steve is a life long martial artist and grappler, and one of the founders of New York Combat Sambo/Breakfall studios, where he trains both martial artists and stunt people for the film and entertainment industry. In this conversation we talk about his early years of training more tr...

This week we have my good friend David Figueroa-Martinez joining us for a great conversation spanning a ton of fun topics! We discuss: how he started training jiu-jitsu at the age of 30 in an undergraduate university class; the culture shock going from that class to an actual academy; coming up in the age of no cross-training; how he found himself coaching at three gyms at once; what he looks for...

Hey friends! Today we have another very special guest - my friend from the podcast Lez Roll Radio, Kelly Schoenegge! Kelly is a brown belt in BJJ out of Kru Fit in Fishers, Indiana, and one of the hosts of the podcast Lez Roll Radio with her wife, Andrea. Kelly shares her jiu-jitsu story with us, including: how the WWE inspired her to start training; meeting her partner on the mats; starting Lez R...

Hey gang! I have a very special guest on today's show - Gwen Roote! Gwen is a brown belt in BJJ training out of the Pacific Northwest, an avid competitor, and an amazing advocate for the LGBTQ+ jiu-jitsu community. In this must-listen conversation, Gwen and I discuss: her introduction to jiu-jitsu; how jiu-jitsu helps us connect in meaningful ways to other people; why inclusive spaces in jiu-jitsu...

Hey Friends! Today we have another amazing guest - Jeff Shaw of Bellingham BJJ in Bellingham, Washington! Jeff is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, a professor of Journalism at Western Washington University, and one of my co-hosts on Fighting Matters. He is also a fascinating person with some great stories to tell, and lots of wisdom to share! In this conversation we discuss: his start in BJJ at the old...

Hey friends! Today I present to you a great conversation with my friend Craig Cordi, BJJ black belt under Ron Keslar at American Elite Grappling in San Jose, California. Craig is also the host of the Newaza Podcast, another fine offering in the jiu jitsu podcast space! Craig and I talk about a variety of topics, including: his start in the martial arts as a kid; his experiences in traditional Japa...

Today we have my friend Paul Kim, from Southern California, who runs the Instagram account @losangelesopenmats. Paul has been training jiu jitsu on and off for years, and recently has been working to build community with his IG account that gives free information about open mats in the Los Angeles, California area. We discuss: Paul's jiu jitsu story; what lead him back to the mats after multiple b...

(This should fix the audio issue I experienced on the first upload where this episode was blended with the last episode for a couple of minutes at about the 1:10 mark) On today's episode I am joined by my good friend, coach, and training partner, Robert Verdell. Robert holds black belts in BJJ, Judo, Karate, and TaeKwonDo, and has been training combat sports for decades. He is a huge proponent of...

Today we are joined by a very close friend of mine, one of my cohosts at Fighting Matters, owner of Rough Hands Jiu-Jitsu in Louisville, Kentucky, and an all around wonderful human being, Jesse Walker. Jesse tells us about what brought him to training first Krav Maga, and then Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We talk about how Rough Hands came to be, starting as pop up classes in local parks, to the successfu...

Being an Old Bastard is great - until you realize you are getting weaker with age. Luckily for you, this week's guest drops some knowledge about how to stay strong as we enter our old bastard years and stay on the mats and active in life for as long as we can. Steph Gaudreau is not only a dear friend of mine, but she is one badass strength and conditioning coach who specializes in helping women ov...

Hey friends! ☺️ Today on the Old Bastard's Guide to Surviving (and Thriving) on the Mats, we are joined by my close friend and training partner, Zach Robinson! Zach is a purple belt in BJJ out of Magic BJJ in Lansing, MI, and the highest ranking Lansing student of the surely fictional Mahaffey Fighting Systems (lol). Zach is a Lansing Fuji BJJ giant ring winner, a local farmer, and all around wond...

Hey friends! In this episode, I share my personal experience with chronic autoimmune disease and how it shaped my philosophy toward training for longevity on the mats. I also talk about how this can help grapplers of any age to reduce injury, keep training longer, and increase the enjoyment they get out of their practice. I talk about the nuts and bolts of how to do this day to day, and how this m...

Hey gang! In this inaugural episode I talk about what I hope to achieve with my Patreon, and why I think that concepts trump techniques for the older grappler. Enjoy!