The Chewjitsu Podcast

Alexey Cruz is a 6th degree BJJ black belt and the head coach of Alexey Cruz BJJ. Alexey shares his start in Jiu-Jitsu, what it was like training at Ricardo De Le Riva's gym, the p ros and cons of training in the early days of Jiu-Jitsu, Alexey's worst BJJ injuries, which submissions Alexey dislikes in training, which techniques were ok back in the day but aren't allowed in training today, how the...

On this episode, Chewy and Eugene discuss who would win in a fight between a self-defense Jiu-Jitsu practitioner (who doesn't do any live sparring and just focuses on techniques), against a high-level sport Jiu-Jitsu competitor. We also discuss the importance of live rolling, whether Sport Jiu-Jitsu techniques can be effective for self-defense, which BJJ techniques and positions are best for self-...

On this episode of The Chewjitsu Podcast, we discuss the idea of why wisdom doesn't come cheap. We chat about the challenges of Jiu-Jitsu, including the willingness required to go through the struggles physically and emotionally. We also chat about the monetary toll that Jiu-Jitsu can take, why wisdom is tough to gain and can be expensive, how being good at a difficult task is meaningful, and usin...

On this episode, Chewy and Eugene discuss their thoughts on no time limit Jiu-Jitsu matches We discuss strategy for no time limit matches, how this style of ruleset impacts viewership, if this rule set is a true test of finding the best practitioner, how to make no time limit matches more exciting, and our thoughts on the trash talk around the Ryan vs. Pena "Who's Number One" match. Thanks to the...

Mason Fowler is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Caio Terra, ADCC Trials winner, and the champion of the Submission Underground promotion. On this episode, Mason discusses what changed from the 2019 ADCC Trials win to the 2021 ADCC trials win, when he started training and how he transitioned to training from MMA to training for BJJ exclusively, what makes someone ultra successful in competition, his t...

Chewy and Eugene go live for Episode 219 of The Chewjitsu Podcast. On this episode, Chewy and Eugene chat about video games, and how your Jiu-Jitsu style can be similar to how you play video games. Chewy and Eugene also discuss how to keep new BJJ students, learning styles, how to change conditions for victory, the secrets to getting better at Jiu-Jitsu, "tapping and talking," how your belt rank c...

Keith Krikorian is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the 2022 ADCC 66 kg West Coast Trials winner. On this episode, Keith discusses dealing with a concussion and his recovery, ADCC preparation, some of his struggles with injuries, strategy changes and adjustments between ADCC Trials and Worlds, the differences in preparation and training leading into the ADCC West Coast Trials, how competing less frequen...

On this episode, Chewy and Eugene chat with former MMA fighter, UFC veteran, and BJJ black belt Javier Vazquez. Javier discusses his start in wrestling, how he discovered the UFC, his objectives for training and fighting in MMA, what it was like training BJJ in the late 1990's, the most effective Jiu-Jitsu for MMA, how rule changes in MMA can change how Jiu-Jitsu is used, Javier's first MMA fight...

On this episode of the podcast, Chewy and Eugene discuss why the idea of "just showing up" is wrong. We chat about why showing up is important, but just showing up doesn't necessarily translate to improvement and certainly not being good at BJJ. We also discuss one of the things that will waste the most time and get you mediocre results, what to do to be the best possible grappler you can be, a ve...

Nick is a 12 year Special Operations Marine Corps veteran with Marine Reconnaissance and Marine Special Operations Command, CEO of Alexander Industries, an author, he runs a popular YouTube channel and podcast, and is a Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt. On this episode, we discuss how closely the Jiu-Jitsu community is connected, why Nick started Jiu-Jitsu, why growth happens on the fringe, why Nick finds it e...

On this best of episode of The Chewjitsu Podcast, we go through some of the best moments of the podcast so far. Here are the clips from this episode: How An Illness Changed The Course Of Ramsey's Life (Ep. 143) Chewy's Expectations For Each BJJ Belt (Ep. 95) The Mindset To Complete Any Task W/ Former Navy Seal Andy Stumpf (Ep. 141) How To Stay Consistent In BJJ (Ep. 85) The Most Effective Self-Def...

On this episode, we go through some Q&A questions Chewy received on Instagram. Here are the topics covered: 1. What to do to prep for a tournament that is three days away. 2. How to pass a long and lengthy knee shield position. 3. Chewy's greatest hero. 4. How to become more efficient with cardio and breathing for training. 5. Favorite video games. 6. How to mentally retain information on moves yo...

On this episode of the podcast Chewy gives some tips, techniques, and ideas that he has used for competitions and just to lose some weight. We discuss when to start your weight cut, when to weigh yourself, locking in your diet and then how to adjust the diet, how to prepare for travel and what accommodations to look for on the road, how to weigh yourself at the check scale of the tournament, the a...

On the episode of the podcast, Chewy and Eugene go over 5 important tips for recovery. We discuss tangible and effective tips that can be implemented immediately into your routine including the importance of sleep and some key ideas on how to get the best sleep possible consistently, eating the right types of foods for your goals, taking days off when needed and what those days consist of, the imp...

Paul Ardila is a multiple-time ADCC trials winner, Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, and a full-time Attorney. On this episode, Paul discusses how he adjusts his schedule with being a full-time Attorney and also Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, what its like being a personal injury lawyer, moving from Columbia to America at 9 years old, Paul's first experience with wrestling and his first wrestling practice, starting...

On this episode we discuss whether Jiu-Jitsu black belts who are older and struggle with and even lose to lower belts, are still considered a legit black belt.   We discuss the aging grappler, and how age impacts mindset and performance on the mats.   We also chat about adjusting your mindset, changing your training, and also why and how to humble yourself. We answer the question of what are the q...

On this episode, we chat with Amy Campo. Amy is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the 2022 West Coast Trials Women's 66 kg+ winner. Amy discusses her start in BJJ, how she developed her wrestling, why its important to make training as real as possible, the differences with rolling and training with men and women, attributes that Amy felt were helpful for improving her BJJ and how Jiu-Jitsu helped to deve...

On this episode, Chewy and Eugene discuss the worst advice you can give to a strong athlete. We discuss training with people who are very strong and how it can lead to frustration, what your response should be to someone who uses excessive strength in training, advice you should give to strong athletes, how too much focus on strength can hinder your progress, how Chewy advises a white belt to use...

On this episode we discuss qualities 9-20 of a smart Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. This episode comes from an e-mail that Chewy had on his e-mail list. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list and are the next 10 qualities that Chewy came up with. Here is #11-20: 11. Can roll at various speeds depending on the situation. 12. Is able to undulate between their "A game" and new techniques that will push...

We are joined on the podcast by Former UFC light-heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer "Suga" Rashad Evans. We are also joined by Del Jolly, who worked as part of Decriminalize Denver and Charlotte's Web CBD before co-founding Unlimited Sciences, a psychedelic research nonprofit. Rashad and Del have partnered together to create a functional mushroom company called "Umbo." On this episode, Ras...

On this episode we discuss 10 qualities of a smart Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. This episode comes from an e-mail that Chewy had on his e-mail list. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but the first 10 qualities that Chewy came up with. Here is 1-10: Is motivated by their long-term goals, not short-term gratification or feelings. Can focus on a particular technique for a longtime. Is willing to...

Echo Charles is a BJJ black and the co-host of The Jocko Podcast. Echo discusses getting his black belt, how focusing on the belt took the joy out of training, what Echo focused on when he wasn't able to train due to Covid, Echo's Jiu-Jitsu inspiration, flashy BJJ techniques, longevity in BJJ, shifting from a competitor to a hobbyist, the process of learning a new skill, the inspiration behind his...

On this episode of the podcast we are joined by BJJ black belt Haisam "The Giraffe" Rida. Haisam shares his story of moving from Ghana, to Japan, and eventually coming to the United States. We chat about his start in Jiu-Jitsu while in Japan, why Haisam almost quit, how living with his BJJ coach changed his course in life and martial arts, making the tough decision to go to a larger gym to get mor...

On this episode, Chewy and Eugene discuss their thoughts on trash talking in BJJ and how top level grapplers approach trash talking. We discuss how trash talking is used for entertainment, we compare the trash talking of different athletes such as Muhammed Ali, Deon Sanders, Chael Sonnen, and Gordon Ryan. We also chat about creating a persona as an athlete, whether certain topics are off limits fo...

On this episode of the podcast, we chat about the "Myth of Sisyphus" written by Albert Camus, where we dive into the idea of the consistent pursuit of new heights. We also celebrate the 200th episode f the podcast by doing a live Q&A session and giveaway. Some of the topics discussed were: Suggestions on neck health and dealing with neck cranks in Jiu-Jitsu, how to deal with anxiety from rolling,...