The Gi Spot Podcast

This week on  The Gi Spot , Kaz and Rach tackle a reality every grappler eventually faces:  age catches everyone. The body that once bounced back from six rounds and a weekend seminar now negotiates every movement like a hostile workplace dispute. Recovery takes longer, injuries linger, and suddenly warming up becomes more important than training itself. But getting older doesn't mean getting...

This week on  The Gi Spot , Kaz and Rach sit down with  Jerry Wetzel , Founder and CEO of  RedZone Threat Management  and owner of  Centre Point Gym , alongside  Mitch Langham , head of  Australian Operations for RedZone Threat Management  and owner of  Dark Carnival Muay Thai & Jiu-Jitsu . Together, Jerry and Mitch bring decades of experience spanning martial arts, coaching, executive protect...

This week on  The Gi Spot , Kaz and Rach tackle one of the most overlooked aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: the little things. Not the flashy submissions. Not the viral techniques. The tiny details that separate good grapplers from great ones. The team explores the micro-adjustments, habits, and technical refinements that quietly transform your game over time. From grip placement and weight distrib...

How do you know when healthy expectations become entitlement? In this episode of  The Gi Spot , we dive into one of the most uncomfortable but important conversations in jiu-jitsu. From belt promotions and competition results to coaching attention and gym culture, we explore why expectations can motivate us—and why entitlement can quietly hold us back. The mats don't care what we think we dese...

This week on  The Gi Spot , we sit down with one of the most accomplished female grapplers in the history of Brazilian jiu-jitsu — Michelle Nicolini. An 8-time IBJJF World Champion, ADCC Champion, MMA athlete, and Hall of Famer, Michelle has helped shape the modern era of women’s jiu-jitsu through decades of elite competition and coaching. We talk about the mindset behind sustained success, the ev...

When is the right time to start teaching jiu-jitsu? Is it based on belt rank, experience, knowledge… or just whether you can actually explain things without confusing everyone? In this episode of  The Gi Spot , we break down the realities of instructing in BJJ — from helping beginners during drills to running full classes. We explore the difference between being skilled and being able to teach, th...

When Lisa last joined  The Gi Spot , she was about to become a mother for the second time only difference was now she would be walking away, albeit for a short period of time, from a new found passion, Jiu Jitsu. Now, over a year later, she’s back — and back on the mats. In this episode, we catch up on her journey through pregnancy, early motherhood, and what it really takes to return to jiu-jitsu...

Your coach shows you what to do. Your training partners show you if you can actually make it work. In jiu-jitsu, progress doesn’t come from one source — it’s built in the space between  instruction and resistance. In this episode of  The Gi Spot , we break down the roles of the coach and the training partner, and how each one shapes your development in very different ways. We get into: What a coac...

Cross training has gone from controversial to completely normal in modern jiu-jitsu — but is it all upside? In this episode of  The Gi Spot , Rach and Kaz break down the rise of cross training in the BJJ scene, looking at the benefits, the backlash, and the unspoken rules that come with training outside your home gym. From faster skill development to gym politics and ego clashes, we explore how cr...

What keeps people in jiu-jitsu isn’t just the training — it’s the stories. In this episode of  The Gi Spot , Rach and Kaz take over for a full story time session, sharing some of the funniest, strangest, and most memorable moments from their years on the mats. From first-day chaos to gym culture classics and near-disasters that somehow turned into inside jokes, this episode is a reminder that jiu-...

Jiu-jitsu is built on trust — but what happens when that trust is abused? In this episode of  The Gi Spot , we take a serious and necessary look at  grooming in sports and gym environments , including both minors and adults. We explore how power, authority, and close-knit communities can sometimes be misused — and why it’s not always obvious when boundaries are being crossed. This conversation isn...

You joined a gym to learn how to choke people safely. Next thing you know you’re bowing to photos, saying  oss  unironically, spending all your money on gis, and referring to your coach as “Professor.” So…  is your gym a community… or a cult? In this episode of  The Gi Spot , we take a darkly funny look at the culture of jiu-jitsu gyms and ask the uncomfortable question every grappler eventually w...

You’re injured. Work is chaos. Kids arrived. Life is throwing heel hooks and you tapped early. So what happens to your jiu-jitsu when you’re  not actually doing jiu-jitsu? In this episode of  The Gi Spot , we dive into the uncomfortable but universal grappler experience: being forced off the mats. Whether it’s a blown knee, a newborn baby, burnout, or just life doing life things, most practitioner...

In this episode of  The Gi Spot , Rach and Kaz tackle a truth every grappler eventually meets — whether you’re white belt enthusiastic or black belt battle-worn. Injury isn’t a possibility in jiu-jitsu. It’s a certainty. This isn’t fear-mongering — it’s reality. If you train long enough, hard enough, or even just consistently enough, something will tweak, tear, strain or snap. The question isn’t ...

In this world-first roundtable episode of  The Gi Spot , Rach and Kaz bring together three academy leaders — not to debate territory, but to redefine it. In studio: Grant & Rachel Bradshaw  from  Iconic Jiu Jitsu Academy , Brian Lewis & John MacAleer  from  House of Water Jiu Jitsu and Other Musings , and  Peter Jackson  from  Nura Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy . This isn’t an episode about...

In this episode of  The Gi Spot , Rach and Kaz sit down with  Cerys Finch , creator of the Artemis Grappling Challenge, for a conversation that goes beyond brackets and medals. While unpacking the origin and vision behind Artemis, the team also address some of the  harder conversations shaping the sport right now  — including the recent increase in members of the grappling community coming forward...

In this special episode of  The Gi Spot , Rach and Kaz hand the mics back to their  long-suffering and much-loved partners :  Grant  (Rach’s husband) and  Producer Matt  (Kaz’s husband and behind-the-scenes wrangler of audio chaos). Together, the crew reflects on the year that was — from highs and chokes to those “why am I still doing this?” moments — and set their sights on what 2026 might hold....

Listen in for the second instalment of Chantelle's powerful story.

In this two part episode the team sit down and chat with Female Black Belt, Shantelle Thompson, a proud  Barkindji and Ngyampaa woman , celebrated as a world‑class athlete, community advocate, mother of five and recipient of the  Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)  for her service to Victoria’s Indigenous community. She began training in Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu in 2011 initially as a way to manage...

It’s a new year, the mats are packed, and your gym just got a fresh crop of hopeful, stiff, terrified new grapplers. In this episode of  The Gi Spot , co-hosts  Rach and Kaz  take aim at the all-too-familiar churn of New Year’s resolutioners — and what  we , as teammates, coaches, and community members, can actually do to help them stick around. Instead of mocking January joiners or letting them s...

In this special year-end episode of  The Gi Spot , co-hosts  Rach and Kaz  look back on the  year that was 2025  — revisiting their favourite guests, best conversations, most unhinged moments, and all the unexpected gold that came out of interviews, mat chat, and shared chaos. From deep dives with legends and competitors to raw conversations with everyday grapplers and behind-the-scenes mat brains...

In this episode of  The Gi Spot , co-hosts  Rach and Kaz  dive headfirst into the  unspoken rules of gym etiquette  — and say the things your coach  wishes  they could without starting a mutiny. Whether it’s hogging rolls, ignoring hygiene, rolling like it’s ADCC finals with a white belt, or doing  that  thing where you explain a move mid-round — this episode breaks down the  10 fastest ways to be...

In this episode of  The Gi Spot ,  Rach and Kaz  rip the tape off one of the biggest misconceptions in BJJ: that just showing up is enough to get better. It’s not. Whether you're hitting four classes a week or barely squeezing in one,  how you train matters more than how often . Rach — a full-time instructor — and Kaz — full-time student of chaos — break down  10 sharp, practical, and occasionally...

In this episode of  The Gi Spot , co-hosts  Rach   and  Kaz dig into a topic most people  think  they’re nailing — but probably aren’t:  how to actually get the most out of your coach . From Rach’s side of the mat, this is about more than drilling hard and asking questions — it’s about  being coachable , building real trust, and showing your coach that you’re serious about improving. From Kaz’s co...

In this episode of  The Gi Spot , Kaz puts a microscope (and maybe a rear naked choke) on something most grapplers take for granted: their  training partner . Whether you’re stuck with a spazzing white belt or blessed with a seasoned black belt, who you train with — and  how you engage them — shapes your progress. But are you actually making the most of those precious rolls and drills? This episod...