ROLL OR DIE

This week’s guest Ricky Krstic is the head coach and owner of GCJ in Perth. He discusses the decision to move from being a tiler, to studying psychology as a mature aged student, to starting up his own academy in November 2023. Ricky shares his journey and insights of what it’s like to make the move to BJJ academy owner. Ricky’s enthusiasm for life is infectious and you will really enjoy this epis...

Jonathan is a young man with a wise head on his shoulders. Arriving in Melbourne, Australia in early 2023, the day after receiving his black belt in Brazil, Jonathan has made Australia his home and learnt English along the way. At 22 years of age, it’s hard to believe that Jonathan has achieved so much and has such a great sense of maturity. The future looks bright for this young man. Don’t miss t...

Can you believe that we have been doing this podcast for over five years and 250 episodes? This week we have a very special guest, who you think you know, but we get to know a whole lot more! Thank you to all our loyal listeners for helping us reach 250 episodes and we look forward to bringing you more Australian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guests in the future! P.S. Did you know we can also be found the...

John is a first degree black belt and the owner and head coach at Higher Jiu Jitsu in Sydney. He had dreamed of an MMA career and being a serious competitor, until a shoulder injury nearly derailed him and almost prevented him from continuing. Take a listen to learn how John used his misfortune to turn it into an opportunity and led to bigger and better things. In this episode, we learn about find...

Alys is a Cia Paulista brown belt under Carlos Viera who has recently opened Supreme Art Jiu Jitsu in South Melbourne. Here she discusses the trials and tribulations of opening a new academy, being a female on the mats, training through pregnancy and postpartum and much more. A fantastic episode! P.S. Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are! https://...

Chris is a second degree black belt based in Albany, WA and an OG with roots deep in the BJJ scene. Immigrating to Australia by way of Canada, Chris tells us how he started off with freestyle wrestling and then fell in love with Jiu Jitsu, along with a wonderful woman in Perth and that brought him to our fair shores. Take a listen to this wonderful human being who opens up and shares beautifully i...

Back for his second appearance on the podcast (previously on episode #55), we chat with Troy about how things have been for him for the past 3.5 years. Troy is hoping to complete 100 competition matches at black belt and is approximately one third of the way through this. He discusses his competition mindset, how he prepares for competitions now differs to how he did so in the past and much more....

The man now known as Black Belt Sammy joins us and tells us about growing up in Tasmania doing Judo, chasing dreams of being an Olympic and Commonwealth Games Sprinter and starting BJJ a little later in life. A great storyteller, join us to learn a little more about one of the nicest men you could meet. Sam shares much wisdom, especially around how to look after your body and stay on the mats as l...

Dave is the epitome of an opsimath, starting with BJJ in his late 30s as he wound down from his rugby playing days. A black belt at Southside, this Kiwi discusses how he found and fell in love with learning a new activity and being a “beginner” at something in his later years. As a corporate lawyer and an elder statesman, Dave loved being a novice and embraced learning the Gentle Art. An avid comp...

Phil is a third degree black belt with over 20 years of grappling experience. He shares some of the wealth of knowledge he has amassed on his journey from the mid-1990s, when BJJ was in its infancy in Australia compared to the massive growth today. Phil provides tips how we can look after ourselves as we get older so that we don’t always wake up with injuries, and encourages people to heed the wis...

Richard of Kemps MMA chatted about the bumps and bruises that you get in training which can be a lot like the bumps and bruises that you learn to deal with in life. This means that when a big problem happens, you can deal with it much easier than you would have if you hadn’t experienced those challenges, which helps build resilience. Men’s mental health is a very import issue to Richard - find the...

Sometimes, following in the families footsteps is the easy path but, Max didn't do that. Forging his own path into BJJ along side his now famous neighbour, Max has taken his passion for BJJ into areas a lot of us wouldn't have thought about - the AFL and the AFLW! We chat to Max about how he coaches elite people to become better, secrets to recovery, the special day he got his Black Belt and so mu...

Amy, a first degree Black Belt, is a breath of fresh air with a novel way to teach classes that we could certainly explore. Workshop Jiu Jitsu teaches students in a very unique way, whereby they learn the gentle art in an ecological way rather than traditional “techniques”. Effectively, they are learning through play. We also chat about what it’s like being a Mum on the mats, training smarter as a...

A True martial artist in every sense of the word, Traill would not have been out of place in feudal Japan. Holding dual PhDs in psychiatry and philosophy, get ready to dive deep into the depths of the mind in this episode. Studying a wide range of martial arts since the age of eight, Traill has been down a path very few have survived to tell the tale. You'll be inspired by this deep thinking, toug...

Building an empire starts with a thought and then takes passion, time and commitment, and Luke has all of this with his Mana Fight Apparel line. A Blue Belt in BJJ, a family man and a hard worker, we talk to Luke about what it takes to start a clothing brand, where ideas come from and the driving force behind Mana. Join us as we talk about the Blue Belt Blues, why people quit and how Luke took Man...

Bruno is a fourth degree black belt and the head coach of SJAA. Back for his second appearance on the show (previously on episode #121), we find out what he’s been up to for the past two years. We chat about his amazing performance to secure a silver medal at the 2024 World Masters, in his first time competing again after seven years. Take a listen to this amazing man’s knowledge and wisdom around...

Back for her fourth appearance on the podcast, this week we chat with Adele Fornarino and back for his second appearance on the show, Jake O’driscoll, discuss her amazing ADCC run to become the U55kg and Absolute champion. We discuss the magic of what makes a coach/athlete relationship work, trusting the process and the importance of having a team around you. Don’t miss out on the chance to learn...

Emily is a Black Belt from our friends at AET and in this chat, we find out about her journey through Martial Arts with her family, finding BJJ as a kid and sticking with it for 20 years, fighting our host Kim as a 14 year old and we also get some great advice on how to roll with females in the gym. At only 26, Emily is already a wealth of knowledge and a bubbly person, we know you'll enjoy this o...

This week’s Roll or Die episode is a first of its kind. Our first Brazilian-based guest and our first with the use of an English translator. For our Portuguese speaking listeners, you're in for a treat but if like our hosts you don't speak the language, you'll have no problems listening to this and picking up words as you go along. From humble beginnings in Brazil to the bright lights...

Jason is the Co-Owner and Head Grappling coach of Adept MMA in Geelong. He is the former Fusion Fighting championship 75kg champion and in today’s podcast he gives us some insight into the larger than life character that he is. Don’t miss this episode P.S. Did you know we can also be found the links below, and anywhere else great podcasts are! https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roll-or-die/id15...

Luke Steel is an Australian Elite Team black belt training out of Renegade in Melbourne. We discuss the mentality behind competing, progressing through the belts and how to persevere through adversity. When not practicing murder yoga, Luke gives back to the community through a project called 300 Blankets. This charity is dedicated to supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Vic...

Marcelo Fausto is the head coach of Checkmat Melbourne and at 23 years young is wise beyond his years. A committed husband and father, Marcelo shares his story of his humble beginnings in Brazil, through Europe, where he competed for prize money, so that he had enough funds to return home, to the US and eventually to Australia. A top-level competitor who has medalled at some of the most prestigiou...

On this week’s Roll or Die podcast, we chat with Absolute MMA morning coach, new mum and black belt, Apryl Eppinger. She shares her journey of how she transitioned from competitive track cycling to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, courtesy of friend Liv Giles. A representative of the Philippine national team, Apryl explains the selection process and competition circuit she has been a part of for many years. S...

We are joined this week by the shy but competitive Sefo from Rise MMA. A Brown Belt under Cam Rowe, we talk about competing at the ADCC Trials in what perhaps is the toughest weight division, post trials refuelling, conquering fears on becoming a coach, being ok with losing matches and night before comp routines. Sefo is certainly one of the up and comers in the BJJ Scene and also had one of the m...

This week on the Roll or Die podcast we chat with purple belt Ana Erceg, fresh off her win at the Asian Open in Japan. She discusses why she believes everyone should compete, what it’s like competing internationally vs locally, why she loves the early morning classes and how she uses a systematic approach to learn Jiu Jitsu. Don’t miss this episode to find out more about breaking arms in competiti...