Sean Vella

Bad Jiu-Jitsu Podcast

Sports EN ↓ 46 episodes

The Bad Jiu-Jitsu Podcast is a lighthearted and self-deprecating show hosted by BJJ blue belts Sean and Martyn, who train at Henshall BJJ in Manchester under black belt Steve Henshall. Embracing their status as incompetents, they offer candid conversations about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), sharing personal experiences, gym anecdotes, and reflections on training culture. With a blend of humor and genuine insight, the hosts aim to create an inclusive space for listeners at all levels of the sport.

Author

Sean Vella

Category

Sports

Podcast website

podcasters.spotify.com

Latest episode

Jan 4, 2026

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android 5M+ downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

46 - New Year, New Belt 04.01.2026

Well he's only gone and done it! Martyn has unlocked the Blue Belt achievement! But do not worry we remain with our Bad Jiu-Jitsu and our bad takes. To celebrate, Martyn chooses the Move of the Week and we chat our usual rubbish. Blue is the new bad!

45 - The "I" in idiots... 28.12.2025

The duo makes a return which no one eagerly waited for. Will Martyn ever fix the clapper board? The move of the week is a not a submission (shock horror). And when will some one make BJJ Top Trumps. Delve into the inner workings of two idiots and enjoy the show.

44 - A Delight... 26.11.2025

Martyn is working on a personal rebrand.. its not working Move of the week is a simple but high percentage move as shown brilliantly by our teammate Ellis in competition last week. We then touch on lineage and how it affect culture more than anything and the importance (or not) of it. Enjoy the show This weeks episode is sponsored by Ikigai Submission Grappling, keep an eye out for the advert.

43 - The Dumbass-Kruger Effect 22.11.2025

This episode we discuss the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Move of the Week for sore knees. And with grading season upon the BJJ community we have a natter about that too. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the show.

42- Cult with an "N" 01.11.2025

This episode we review Grapple House Invitationals 10 (Spoiler, it was ace!) Move of the week is a classic fundamental move Then we chat about the issues of cult like behavior and abuses of trust in BJJ. Enjoy the Show

Grapple House Invitationals Special 12.10.2025

In this special episode we host Craig from Grapple House Invitationals to chat about their 10th event! We chat about what's happening at GHI 10 and go through Craig's Top 5 from past events. Is your favourite competitor on the list? You will have to tune in and enjoy the show! Grapple House Invitationals 10 takes place 18th October at Champness Hall, Rochdale. OL16 1PB

40 - Warning! Whitebelts 09.10.2025

Welcome back to a new episode. We touch base on Darth Rigatoni doing his best Karate Kid impression and issues in the franchise system of MMA and grappling. We celebrate the anniversary of Gracie v Kimura with our move of the week! Then we discuss the danger that are whitebelts. Enjoy the show!

39 - Power'd up 04.10.2025

Catch up with us in our new episode. Move of the Week is something that is not likely to be done again, but who knows? That's what white belts are for after all. We then go off on a geeky tangent of superpowers in jiu-jitsu (not autism). Enjoy the show!

38 - The Ocho! 25.09.2025

LIVE AT IKIGAI 8, THE OCHO! This week we are invading Ikigai 8 and ruining the vibe as we record an episode as the event is being set up. We feature a Move of the Week which is close to our hearts (and our moobs). We then touch upon the importance of fundamentals, mainly because we didn't really prepare for the episode. Anyway, enjoy the show!

37 - Take that down! 14.09.2025

We figure out what belt Moneyberg is! Our Move of the Week adds a level of acrobatics we can only achieve when slipping on ice. We then discuss takedowns from the viewpoint of a lazy guard puller. Enjoy the show!

36 - Damen the Man! 07.09.2025

We catch up this week firstly with Martyn's linguistical failings. Then a brutal Move of the Week suggested by Ben Allsopp (Allsopp BJJ). Finish off with our review of CJI2. It's obviously a load of rubbish, but enjoy the show.

35 - The Whitebelt wears Prada 03.09.2025

This episode we review a god awful (good) Move of the Week and discuss a bit about the clothing scene in grappling. Has Sean discovered a hack for rashguards? Is Sean against child labour? Does Sean have a soul? Enjoy the show. *Credit to The B-Team for their footage for MoTW

34 - New Format, Still Bad 24.08.2025

Trying out a new format to keep things short and sweet. Check out this episodes Move of the Week and we discuss a question posed by a listener about whether grappling is leaning towards individual athletes or teams in the eyes of the fans? Thanks for joining us and enjoy the show.

33 - Sticky Bandits 27.07.2025

This episode Martyn and Sean catch up after Martyn's comp and life continuing to get in the way. The serious topic of this episode; Are pro-wrestling moves a yes or a no in training? Enjoy the show!

32 - Staying On Brand 12.07.2025

This episode we join Martyn at his competition at Grappling Industries in Manchester, UK. How does he fare? Also we have some synching issues towards the end, apologies. Enjoy the Show.

31 - Tish & Ben Allsopp - Behind the Allsopp of it 23.06.2025

This week we host Tish & Ben Allsopp. Tish is a white belt with a great insight coming from her work in Sports Psychology and social projects. Ben is a purple belt and head coach of the self-named Allsopp BJJ. A menace on the mats that inducted Sean into the dark arts of wristlocks and oil checks. They are two great people contributing to BJJ with a passion and intelligence which is only match...

30 - Do it your way 17.06.2025

This episode we talk about CJI and UFC BJJ. Do elite athletes have a responsibility for the entire community? Come join us as we lower the tone and lower expectations. Enjoy the show.

29 - Anthony Ratcliffe (aka Kenny) - We're all rotters here 01.06.2025

Oh my God! They have Kenny! Having a chat with our team mate and Martyn's favourite toy. Training in martial arts for 4 decades and stone deaf in one ear, but.... is he Salford-Batman? Join us for our latest episode and enjoy the show.

28 - Still Here 26.05.2025

Back after a short break, turns out that Martyn has better things to do. We reflect on Ikigai 6 and deal with a couple of interruptions. Have we solved the issue of having a pit in local competition? Patent pending. Come join us again as we ruin the world of jiu-jitsu. Enjoy the show.

27 - All filler, no killer 02.05.2025

Another episode with the terrible twosome. Do we need an BJJ anime? Are we getting better at jiu jitsu? Probably not, but like any good anime we offer filler episodes like this. Come join us and enjoy the show.

26 - Mlu - Elbows tight 25.04.2025

We welcome our friend and teammate Mlu to the show this week. Mentioned often in the podcast due to having the T-Rexiest of arms and being a solid survivalist. We explore his own journey in Jiu-Jitsu and his thoughts on the training ethos of our gym, Henshall BJJ. Thanks to Mlu for joining us and enjoy the show.

25 - On our own again 19.04.2025

Back to the pair of us after the episodes with Ste. Going over some of the bits he brought up and our usual random chatting. Enjoy the show.

24 - Steven Henshall - Jiu-Jitsu (3 of 3) 10.04.2025

The final episode of our series with Ste. We go over his journey in BJJ. Where he has been, where he is and where he is going. Discussed the sport v the art. More importantly we have our "End of year report" (Hint; it isn't looking good). Thanks to Ste for his time in chatting with us, it's very much appreciated. Enjoy the show.

23 - Steven Henshall - Club Life (2 of 3) 08.04.2025

Our next installment with Ste Henshall. This episode we dive into building a club and its culture. Looking at his background with Henshall BJJ and how it grew to where it is now and the future it's likely to take. Enjoy the show.

22 - Steven Henshall - IKIGAI (1 of 3) 06.04.2025

Happy to have our first guest and it's only fitting that it's the guy that puts up with our Bad Jiu-Jitsu week in week out. We have a series of three episodes with Ste of which this is the first. Focusing on Ikigai Submission Grappling and some of the background details going into how he created and runs the fastest growing grappling promotion in the UK (at least) that offers big prizes wh...

Listen to the Bad Jiu-Jitsu Podcast podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.