Johnny Yaps

In this episode I sit down with Andrew Flynn, a Jiu Jitsu black belt, Tai Chi Chuan advocate and accidental fightwear company owner. Andrew is one of the guys behind alchemical fightwear ( https://www.alchemical.com.au/) a healthy living company that also sells natural, plastic free option for martial arts / grappling apparel. It was a fun conversation as we also went deep on Andrew's journey, fro...

In this episode I sat down with Anouska Firth to talk about her experiences battling her insecurities around self worth, eating disorders, drug addiction and also coming to terms with the consequences of her actions from the choices she had made. It's a fairly contentious topic to discuss some of the things we do in this episode, however I hope people can enjoy this episode for it's openness to de...

In this episode I sat down with Ben Smith of Deepwater Performance to chat about life, jiu jitsu and his experience with Testicular Cancer. Turns out, April is actually Testicular cancer awareness month so it's kind of fitting for us to talk about this issue. That said, I hope you can enjoy this episode, and laugh along with us as Ben recounts his story and shares some valuable information everyon...

In this episode I caught up with someone who I trained with many years ago. Kai used to train with me as a teenager and it's always interesting for me to think about where some of the kids I have coached over the years have ended up. That said, there was actually a sadder reason why I caught up with Kai for this podcast. Last year, he actually lost his life partner after she had a medical episode...

In this episode I sat down with Craig Kelly, no doubt a somewhat controversial guest depending on your political leanings or maybe even your social media algorithm. That said, people often only see the person portrayed to them by the media they consume. In that regard I always try to take people in terms of my interactions with them and I generally think that's a better gauge of a person's charact...

In this episode I sat down with Chris Casaceli at Gracie Sutherland Shire. Chris has probably had the most Subversion matches and is back in action this Saturday at Subversion Paradigm. That said it was great to chat with Chris and share some of his stories from grieving the loss of his father through to his experience on the TV show - 'The Crew'. Enjoy! Links: Chris on Instagram: https://www.inst...

In this episode I caught up with Josh Allsopp from Kumite Jiu Jitsu prior to his match at Battlegrounds in Perth, Western Australia. Josh is a jiu jitsu coach and competitor who basically trains so he can eat. Jokes aside, Josh has always found a way to learn things efficiently, from getting good at Call of Duty to getting to experience the UFC through winning a competition from gaming.  Enjoy!  L...

In this video I sat down with Jennifer Gurry, the CEO and founder of Diamond Women Australia. Diamond women is a not for profit that aims to support women through unplanned pregnancies to find a village of support and assist them through their choices in a safe and welcoming environment. Jenny has a great story and it's a pleasure to be able to share this episode about the work that Diamond Women...

In this episode I sat down with Junda Khoo one of the minds behind the Ho Jiak restaurants in Sydney. Originally from Malaysia, it was nice to chat with Junda and have him share his stories from being bullied to getting involved with gangs and leaving Malaysia, to coming to Australia and learning by doing. Without classical 'chef' training, it goes to show that if you have the drive to do somethin...

In this episode I sat down with Dr Emma Wood, a PhD of Philosophy to chat about a wide range of topics from Women's rights to Moral error theory to abortion & more. Emma is a wealth of knowledge and it was great to listen to her articulate her thoughts and ponderings on a huge range of issues. It gave me quite a bit to process (and I'm still processing!) but I hope you all enjoy this conversation...

Hi Everyone! Here's an episode I recorded with Hope Tabak! Hope is a parent, a coach, a competitor and so much more. It was great to be able to sit down with her to share her journey through faith, jiu jitsu, health and so much more. Health is one of those things that when there's no glaring problem in our life we often take for granted however when we do experience a health issue there's no great...

In this episode I sat down with Raphael Rodrigues at the new Grappling Education 2.0 Pit! Raph teaches classes at Grappling Education and is a wealth of knowledge & experience having decided early on to make Jiu Jitsu a career. From Rio to Singapore to San Diego, Rafael has been fortunate to travel, learn, compete and now coach Jiu Jitsu. Raphael actually started Jiu Jitsu because he has a fratern...

Hi Everyone! In this episode I headed out to Partizan Grappling in Kingsford to chat with Lachlan Jarrah & Benjamin Marks! We talk about the transition from Compound Grappling to Partizan Grappling, building a social media presence, content strategy as well as delve into topics around jiu jitsu learning, teaching methods and more. The guys run a mastergroup for athletes looking to grow their socia...

In this episode I sat down with Samuel Beatty, an Actor, Hip Hop Dancer, Martial Artist, Rapper and more! Sam and I first met working on a fight show in commentary together and Sam is so full of personality that there was bound to be some stories behind him. From growing up in New York to losing his family when he was young through to finding Chinese Kung Fu Cinema, Hip Hop Dancing, Ballet and mor...

In this episode I sat down with Katie Rose Mitchell, the current #6 WBC Ranked in the World  (61kg)  & the #1 Ranked in Australia at 61kg! Katie recently won the Hardcore Promotions 8 Woman Eliminator, securing herself $20,000 and the 60kg Muay Ying Title! As such it was great to be able to sit down with Katie and chat about her story, her mindset and the moments that have gotten her to this point...

In this episode I sit down with a training buddy and friend of mine - Tony Tran. It's always amazing the people you meet on the mats and the stories they have behind them.  Tony shared a few snippets of some of his experiences in policing and I wanted to get him onto the podcast to share his stories. Policing is one of those occupations where you can have a very strained relationship with the publ...

In this episode I sat down with the freshly minted 2 x ADCC Gold medalling Adele Fornarino! Adele's accolades speak for themselves however it was really good to sit down with her and chat about her journey including navigating coach / student relationships, people pleasing, mindset and more. Just as how we as people grow, our relationships grow with the people around us and I felt like this was an...

In this episode I sat down with Aaron De Castro, of Boxclass Smithfield / Smeaton Grange! I first met Aaron from being referred to MC their in house boxing challenge event. It was an amazing vibe and a true credit to the vision that Aaron and his team want to achieve. In this episode Aaron and I discuss Personal training and discuss the most important things about running a coaching business which...

In this episode I caught up with rising One Championship contender - Isi Fitikefu. From growing up in South Auckland to moving to Australia to pursue Rugby League, Isi is a soft spoken athlete who definitely prefers to let his fists do the talking. That said, it was great to be able to chat with him and have him open up about his experiences, from getting bullied on his first day of school (and th...

In this episode I sat down with Trekko before the Australian Grappling Federation's Event #1 This was an event designed to put more money in the Athlete's pockets with 4 x $1,000 Jiu Jitsu 8 man brackets. As such, the event was inspired by Trekko's own experiences doing it tough trying to make ends meet whilst competing, to try and create something that would put more money back into the competito...

In this episode I catch with Coach Ray Morcomb! If he sounds familiar, he should! He was on the podcast back in Episode 99 where we spoke about his life and growing up as a legally blind karateka. If you missed that episode you can check it out at the links below. In this one, we chat about his recent experiences cornering fighters in One Championship and the UFC and talk about a lot of the storie...

In this episode I sit down with Jakub Kacenak, an amazing wrestling coach who coaches at Grappling Education and Origem BJJ in Sydney, Australia. Jakub grew up in Slovakia and after getting introduced to wrestling by getting 'schooled' in his first session, fell in love with the sport. We go through what life was like chasing the wrestling dream in Slovakia, from his experiences going to the Osses...

In this episode I sit down with Ari Tabak from Kumite Jiu Jitsu. It was great to visit his new facility and roll 'in the woods' (much better than the 'cemetary') and chat with Ari about life, learning difficulties, Jiu Jitsu and much more in this episode. One of the things that stuck with me from this podcast is how the time we spend with other people is a real exchange of 'spirit'. Put the right...

In this episode I sit down with Tye Collier. From growing up in the small community of Tinonee to coming to Sydney and becoming a Shipwright, Tye was exposed to competition at a young age through field hockey. It was great to chat with Tye and listen to his story, including some of the more difficult moments of life of dealing with drugs and alcohol. Sometimes we take for granted how our environme...

In this episode I sit down with an old training partner in Jason Augustine! When I first met Jason he was a BIG dude. He's still big now, but mainly tall (and much skinnier). That said, Jason definitely stands out due to his style, complexion and I guess most people nowadays would say he is a fairly confident guy. Let's just say it wasn't always that way, from being around 130kg's and lacking conf...