Breaking The Guard Podcast

The 8th season of the PGF (Professional Grappling League) starts this Wednesday here in Las Vegas. I give my thoughts on the big changes in this season's format, and a couple of critiques. I then talk about my progress in changing my strength and conditioning routine, and how I'm struggling to implement a new mat strategy. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is...

It's not the first time I talk about the power of putting your thoughts and ideas in physical form, and after you finish listening to this, you will understand why it won't be the last time either. I will focus on the importance of documenting problems in your life, from training to relationships, and how writing it down, taking pictures, or filming it makes it "real" versus just floating around i...

I turned 44 today, and I reflect on what adjustments I want to make and what I have learned and continue to learn, and the secret to not getting bored. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what...

In the aftermath of UFC 317, we have a stable of champions that have impressive win streaks, with no major contenders in sight. Now that it seems the UFC has ended the ability to be a double champion, perhaps we have some long reigning champions like we did in the good old days. Will that be a good thing or a bad thing? I also recap the results of the AIGA world championships on Sunday, and why I...

I return from my trip to Florida with a new black belt, review more episodes of the UFC BJJ show, discuss the main event of that last UFC fight night between Hill vs Rountree, and finally, talk about the announcement of the official retirement of Jon Jones. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, c...

I was asked about my stance on PEDs after a previous podcast, and while I have talked about me thoughts about them on several podcasts, I have never focused on it entirely. So I dedicate the first half of this podcast to that. I then answer a different question, which was how would I feel of having a "clean" fight league and an "enhanced" fight league. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avel...

Spoiler alert, I talk about UFC 316 on this podcast, and I realize I might be a bit crazy. I also talk about the difference between being sore vs being hurt, and some secrets that Merab revealed about his conditioning program. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitne...

I don't think anyone was excited about this card, and it seemed to get worse as the event closed in. We had 3 fighters miss weight, one fighter was ill and couldn't fight, and two of the fighters that missed weight ended up dropping out of their fights last minute. This sparks a conversation about weight cutting again, where I really go against the practice and blame the athletic commissions. I cl...

I talk about the pros and cons of big teams versus small teams, making the case that small teams are usually better. However, it is a bit more nuanced than an objective yes or no answer, so I take a deep dive to explore the differences. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, n...

Many people think that once they "learned" something, they never have to revisit the topic ever again. From my experience with life and the martial arts, this is nearly never true. I'm constantly learning new things from something I "knew" decades ago, and some of my best breakthroughs were learning new tidbits about something I'm an expert in. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's ne...

After UFC 315, the topic of double champions becomes an even bigger distraction, as 3 champions are moving towards achieving a double champion status, instead of defending their division. I make the case for why it's better for a champion to stay in their division, instead of trying to grab as my titles as possible. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is postin...

I become a big critic of fighters and coaches after watching UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo, so I fully aware of my Monday morning quarterbacking. Nonetheless, there is plenty to criticize here, as the main event had one of the worst game plans I have seen in recent history. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new course...

Hot off the heels of BJJ Stars 15 and UFC Fight Night: Machado vs Prates, I give a review of the matches that took place and my thoughts on them. I explore the ideas of retiring on your own terms, and the athlete vs warrior mindset. I also discuss a new development with New Wave, which might be a thing of the past. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting...

I review the aftermath of the matches from WNO 27: Duarte vs Rodriguez, and their implications on the heavyweight grappling scene. I can't recall a time where I was more excited about the match ups in heavyweight BJJ, as the top 5 active heavyweights have nearly all traded wins and losses. With Gordon out of the picture, we have chaos, and that makes for some exciting match ups where it's harder t...

I just got back from my trip to the Turks and Caicos, just in time to watch UFC 314. It was a great night of fights. I break it down, and vent some frustration at fighters that are fighting dumb that if they fought smart, could be winning their fights more. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, c...

My fight in BodogFIGHT Season 4 was my best MMA fight, and also the most consequential to my whole life. I took the fight on 2 weeks notice, with no training camp prior, with a popped rib and a torn knee. I had every reason not to do it, yet I persisted. I'll share my story, how I trained alongside future big names like Chael Sonnen, Roy Nelson, Cain Velasquez, Jake Shields, how this helped me get...

I was finally able to watch a match that my brother and I have been trying to see for decades: David Avellan vs Rener Gracie! I was able to find it online (I will post the link below), but I decided to talk about the whole event and my experience with it: https://tubitv.com/movies/577551/the-ultimate-submission-showdown Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is po...

I open this episode reviewing UFC Fight Night Edwards vs Brady, before diving into what it means to be a good fan and supporter of a competitor. I was drawn to this topic after watching a video of a spectator that was completely out of control, and becoming a distraction that I felt was a negative influence. I talk about this from the spectator, athlete, and coach's perspective. Visit our sponsors...

I open up this episode sharing one of my beloved competition memories with my brother. I then go off a tangent about how competitors back in the day were in it purely for the love of the game - something that has changed in the modern world. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniqu...

We all have seen it happen at some point, perhaps even to ourselves. A fighter enters the cage, and is just absorbing shots, not firing back any offense. Any attacks they make and half pumped, and don't have any heat on them. They are gun shy. I'll discuss possible reasons why fighters get gun shy, and what we can do from a coaches perspective and as the athlete. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com -...

Suffering a loss is tough. But suffering a humiliating loss can be especially tough on your ego. I look back at some of my most humiliating losses in my sporting career, and reflect on how I was able to bounce back from them. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitnes...

UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song was a great card, except for the main event, where Henry Cejudo suffered what appeared to be a serious eye poke. I talk about my stance on eye pokes and fouls in general, and why I think there is a lot more cheating than accidents. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequen...

I returned from a week long trip in Miami to teach at my academy, and reflect on what I call seminar style teaching. It's a slightly different approach, which I outline in more detail, while also going over what I consider optimal ways of structuring content, note taking, and participation in classes. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles...

After doing an episode on criticizing the Ecological Approach, I had people ask how to structure drills that were productive and not just static. I'll talk about the difference between static and rehearsed drilling and how to incorporate them into your training. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequent...

Last episode I criticized the Ecological Approach to teaching martial arts, so it's only fair I share how I teach a class in what I consider the traditional model of teaching. I outline a sample class structure from start to finish, and explain what components it consists of and why they are there. Visit our sponsors: DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles dai...