The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

Garry Tonon discusses why he's not a fan of the transactional mindset many students have towards their training, the danger of limiting techniques, bridging the gaps between different concepts and how mentorship changed the trajectory of his life. 

Tarik Hopstock joins the show to explain how training as a juvenile in adult classes helped shape his game. He also talks about how he leads his students into the areas they need to improve upon and setting goals for technical development!  

Owen Livesey joins the show to talk about how to fight on your feet more effectively. He explains that people often over-think things like hand fighting and he provides a simple way to think about winning the grip fight to score more take downs!

Dominique Bell joins the show to talk about going from the ARMY to fulltime Jiu-Jitsu athlete. He shares his thoughts on training, goal setting and injury prevention. He also talks with Ryan about knock-off cereal brands and his fear of roaches!

Neil Melanson returns to talk about setting traps in grappling, the value of creating dilemmas and why you should program sequences in your mind, especially for No-Gi. He also talks about controlling various body types and funny nicknames on the mats

2x NCAA Wrestling Champion Nick Gwiazdowski joins the show to talk about elite competition mindset, the utility of positive affirmations and why you MUST drill often to execute moves without thinking. He also describes the perfect cheeseburger!

Dallas Niles joins the show to talk about the fact that Jiu-Jitsu is hard, but he provides some tips for navigating the process easier to become an advanced student. He also talks about how his music background influenced the way he learns on the mats!

Malachy Friedman returns to talk about everything Blue Belts should know before receiving their purple belt. He also talks about the importance of promotion standards in the Jiu-Jitsu community and goes deep on superhero movie reviews with Ryan. 

Kurt is back for another Halloween Special! He talks about scaring hallucinating hippies, haunted San Fransisco hotels, his personal UFO sightings and tactics for fighting bigfoot. He also reviews YouTube clips of cheesy horror films with Ryan.

Jason Rau joins the show to talk about the early days of the Danaher Death Squad, the growth of the Sub-Only Jiu-Jitsu competition scene, the best tips for improving leg locks, knowing your physical limits and his fear of large bugs!

On top of being a BJJ Black Belt, Cameron Shayne is the father of Mixed Movement Arts and a lifetime Yoga teacher. He talks about mobility for Jiu-Jitsu, finding purpose in your training, morality in martial arts and offsetting a sedentary lifestyle

Brian Littlefield is a Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and co-founder of Jocko Fuel. He discusses recovery and nutrition for Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, what real hydration is, maintaining cognitive energy and much more!

Sean Applegate returns to give a deep dive on being an effective coach to BJJ athletes. He identifies the difference between helpful and useless information during matches and the importance of learning the wheel completely before trying to reinvent it. 

NAVY SEAL Masterchief Jason Henderson joins the show to talk about real-world self defense, the importance of emotional control during a fight, and BJJ for law enforcement. He also shares the powerful story that sparked his Jiu-Jitsu training

Rayron Gracie returns to discuss what he feels is the most efficient way to learn Jiu-Jitsu, how modern society can make it harder than ever for young athletes to stay focused and the importance of avoiding having to learn Jiu-Jitsu twice! 

Michael Liera Jr joins the show for a very honest and candid discussion about some of the pitfalls Jiu-Jitsu athletes can face in their pursuit of a world championship. He also explains why he doesn't use a set curriculum when teaching.

Legendary Wrestler Kyle Dake joins the show for a very insightful conversation about self-discipline, embracing failure and why humility is a virtue that he thinks all athletes should seek. He also talks about take down entries and Single Legs 

ADCC Champion Amy Campo joins the show to share her story. She also talks about understanding ranges in Jiu-Jitsu, the benefits of ice baths, her 2022 ADCC experience, knee slice passes and why she can never eat octopus again after a bad sushi experience 

Gregor Gracie joins the show to talk about how to beat your opponent mentally, the keys to using BJJ well in MMA, and the importance of recognizing defense and escapes as two separate things.

Matt Guffey joins the show to discuss Strength and Conditioning for Jiu-Jitsu, mobility and longevity, injury management and strength misconceptions he commonly sees in BJJ. 

Pete The Greek is back! We discuss wristlocks, BJJ for MMA, being a real-life superhero and Carlson Gracie's impact on the BJJ community. Pete also talks about recovery for older fellas and training smart!

In this special episode, Bernardo Faria sits down with Rayron Gracie for a discussion about his Jiu-Jitsu! Topics include not relying on your physical attributes, quality of training over quantity, recognizing margins of error in techniques and more! 

Kurt is back! This time we discuss the absurd side of Jiu-Jitsu. Quirky students, delusional martial artists, dirty techniques people use and random crazy people invading the gym. Kurt also explains his pet peeves as a teacher.

Igor Tanabe joins the show and shares his story of being a successful juvenile athlete to becoming one of the fastest rising stars in Jiu-Jitsu. He talks about the importance of mindset and leaving your comfort zone to be your very best in competition. 

Clark Gracie joins the show to talk about the importance of fundamentals and self defense curriculums and he gives a deep dive on Omoplatas! He also talks about how he had to learn to manage the pressure of being a Gracie as a young competitor.