Frank Valenti, Anthony Veltri

The Mat Return Podcast

Sports EN ↓ 5 episodes

Look, we all know how hard it is to keep showing up to train. Life gets crazy, you get beat up, motivation tanks - and suddenly you're making excuses instead of making it to class. That's exactly why we started this show. We're talking to competitors, coaches, and everyday grapplers from all over who've figured out how to keep coming back, even when everything's working against them. You'll get real stories, practical tips, and those "holy crap, I needed to hear that" moments that remind you why you fell in love with this stuff in the first place. The name says it all - "Mat Return" isn't just...

Author

Frank Valenti, Anthony Veltri

Episodes

The Heavy Blue Belt: Responsibility, Recovery, and Growth - The Mat Return Episode 4 27.10.2025 38:42

Jame started jiu jitsu to train with his son. He stayed because pressure training taught him to breathe through panic and take responsibility for his growth. This episode covers strength versus technique, the injury lesson, coaching kids, and why the blue belt feels heavy in a good way. Why the blue belt feels heavy The day you get promoted, expectations change. People look to you for answers. Rou...

Embracing the Jiu Jitsu Journey: From Wrestling to Jiu Jitsu with Dr. Tim Smith 24.10.2025 50:57

In this episode of the Mat Return podcast, Dr. Tim Smith, a pediatric dentist and former Division 1 wrestler, shares his journey from wrestling to Jiu Jitsu. Tim discusses how he got into wrestling at a young age and eventually transitioned to Jiu Jitsu. He talks about his experiences in high school and college wrestling and how he found his passion in Jiu Jitsu after college. Tim shares his insig...

The Monday Effect | A Jiu-Jitsu Story About Starting, Staying, and Coming Back -Episode 2 12.10.2025 23:39

Sometimes the hardest part of Jiu-Jitsu isn’t walking in for the first time, it’s coming back for the second. This episode of The Mat Return is a story about what happens when one parent takes that step. Normally, this is the kind of thing we’d schedule an interview for, but I owed our listeners an episode, and the nice thing about being the tech guy is that I can schedule myself anytime I need to...

Consistency is the Superpower of Jiu-Jitsu | The Mat Return Ep. 1 21.09.2025 30:08

Welcome to the first episode of The Mat Return podcast, hosted by Frank and Anthony from White Mountain BJJ in Ashland, New Hampshire. We started this podcast to strengthen our community, share stories from the mats, and help each other stay consistent in training. In this episode we talk about: Why we launched The Mat Return What “mat return” really means The 6 a.m. Silverbacks class and the impo...

Welcome to the Mat Return - The Unofficial Training Journal of White Mtn BJJ 27.05.2025 0:49

Our goal is to keep you on the mat and training. Look, we all know how hard it is to keep showing up to train. Life gets crazy, you get beat up, motivation tanks - and suddenly you're making excuses instead of making it to class. That's exactly why we started this show. We're talking to competitors, coaches, and everyday grapplers from all over who've figured out how to keep coming back, even whe...