The ROL Radio - Hosted by Thomas Rozdzynski

Send us Fan Mail It took years for Tarik Hopstock to develop his submission the Tarikoplata. After speaking with Tarik, Thomas and Gary discuss how to develop in Jiu Jitsu and some of the pitfalls that can pop up along the way. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Over 800 videos for your Jiu Jitsu journey. http://www.therolradio.com https://www.instagram.com/therolradio/...

Send us Fan Mail Very few Jiu Jitsu practitioners get a submission named after them and next to none have it happen while still a blue belt. Tarik Hopstock developed a shoulder lock after struggling to finish Kimuras on stronger opponents and he discusses what it took to develop the submission, learning steps vs concepts, and how he motivates his students to continue having fun when they may be fe...

Send us Fan Mail Rene Lopez took a huge risk to open his new academy. He sold his house to make his dream come true and is now running Jiu Jitsu Methods in Las Vegas. On this Takeaway, Thomas and Gary discuss taking risks to make dreams and goals come true and what it really takes to bring them to fruition. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Over 800 videos for your Jiu...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s guest Rene Lopez joins us from his new academy’s amazing pop culture themed bathroom. Rene sold his house to open his new academy and make his dreams come true. On this episode, he discusses the decision-making process that brought him to that point, how he became obsessed with a sport he originally thought wasn’t very cool, why he believes the bigger jiu jitsu athletes ar...

Send us Fan Mail When asked what makes him better, Rey Diogo said, "The hard times".  On this Takeaway Thomas and Gary discuss how for many, hard times can have the opposite effect. Do the hard times make you stronger? Do you have the tools to handle the hard times? Do you take action when hard times come into your life? www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Over...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we have another member of the original and legendary Carlson Gracie Team, Ricardo “Rey” Diogo. Rey shares incredible stories about Master Carlson Gracie, the Carlson Gracie Team, Rey’s mindset for competition, his love for teaching, and training after a hip replacement and a severe heart attack. Here is The RŌL Radio with one of the first people to establish a Car...

Send us Fan Mail After speaking with Matt Thornton, Thomas asked Gary if the legends of Jiu Jitsu were being forgotten due to the massive influence of younger practitioners on social media? On this Takeaway, they discuss who has the responsibility to carry the torch for the older instructors and the people who built Jiu Jitsu into what it is today. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode we have a guest whose contribution to Jiu Jitsu and MMA can not be overstated. Matt Thornton himself, and his gym along with their affiliates have coached some of the biggest names in BJJ and MMA. We are lucky enough to have Matt share his journey and great stories like training with Rickson Gracie, why the Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu are so important, what made him...

Send us Fan Mail How and when you begin researching different aspects of Jiu Jitsu can have a major impact on your Jiu Jitsu journey. After speaking with Robert Degle and his love for research, Thomas and Gary discuss the benefits of doing your own research and exploration and doing wisely, with discipline, and free of distraction. http://www.therolradio.com https://www.instagram.com/therolradio/...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode, we have a black belt under Brandon Bennet of the Renzo Gracie Academy, Robert Degle. Today Robert discusses why he made the decision to forgo a master's degree in philosophy to become a full-time grappler, instructor, and competitor. Robert also shares how he deals with the nerves of competing, the differences between training in the US vs Europe, whether...

Send us Fan Mail Are you part of a system? Is the academy where you train system or art based? After a great conversation with Alex Humen, Thomas and Gary discuss the differences between systems and art, and how culture affects them both. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Over 800 videos for your Jiu Jitsu journey. http://www.therolradio.com https://www.instagram.com/t...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we have the owner instructor of the brand new Brabo Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Virginia Beach Virginia, Alex Humen. Alex has a very unique martial arts journey, one that started in his homeland of Ukraine where he wrestled for over 10 years. Then Alex traveled to several other countries as a college student and trained whenever he could. But several obstacles...

Send us Fan Mail Luca Atalla was the editor of Gracie Mag, a photographer, a journalist, and more. He never set out to do these things but always did what was necessary to make sure he did it well. Do you do what is necessary to achieve your goals or meet your responsibilities even though you might not like everything that it takes? www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Ov...

Send us Fan Mail Luca Atalla might not be a household name in the Jiu Jitsu world but he has been on the forefront of spreading Jiu Jitsu across the globe since the mid-1990s. Luca was Editor of Journal Gracie which later became Gracie Mag, and is one of the men behind Galler, the popular and influential Renzo Gracie online platform Here is The RŌL Radio with, writer, journalist, and Carlos Gracie...

Send us Fan Mail Do you take responsibility for your education? In today's society of information overload can you weed out the nonsense and get to the truth? After speaking with Daniel Maira, Thomas and Gary discuss why it is important to invest into your own education. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Over 600 videos for your Jiu Jitsu journey. http://www.thero...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we have an IBJJF Gi and NOGI Pan American champion, and F2W featherweight champion, Daniel Maira. Today Daniel discusses his teaching philosophy and how it differs from many others, promoting students based on that philosophy, how to truly compare Jiu Jitsu to a human game of chess, rolling with Mikey Musumeci, and a ton more. Here is the RŌL Radio with Movement A...

Send us Fan Mail Will you ever master Jiu Jitsu? Is mastering Jiu Jitsu even possible? Rafael Lovato Senior who even now, as a fourth-degree black belt says he approaches Jiu Jitsu with the mind of a student. On this Takeaway Thomas and Gary discuss what it means to be a student of Jiu Jitsu and if it is possible to master the art. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Ove...

Send us Fan Mail On this, our 100th episode we are fortunate enough to have a true martial artist in every sense of the word, Rafael Lovato Senior. Rafael discusses growing up on the rough west side of Chicago, how boxing and traditional martial art changed his life, training smart for the older grappler, the combination of nature and nurture, and so much more. Here is the 100th episode of The RŌL...

Send us Fan Mail Do you love the process of Jiu Jitsu? Do you embrace the struggle and the grind? Felipe Costa struggled in competition for many years but his love of the process of Jiu Jitsu was what made him continue when most would give up. On this Takeaway, Thomas and Gary discuss the importance of the process and not focusing on the end result. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO cod...

Send us Fan Mail Felipe Costa joins us today to discuss life as a traveling instructor vs having his own academy, being an instructor while focusing on his own competition career, Jiu Jitsu’s development beyond Brazil and the United States, the struggles he faced as a colored belt never winning a major tournament, and how he became one of the most respected rooster weights in Jiu Jitsu. Here is th...

Send us Fan Mail SBG Athens coach Adam Singer believes in letting his students fail and fail repeatedly, letting them find their failure points in order to correct them. On this takeaway, Thomas and Gary discuss the importance of not being given answers but failing and learning from those failures. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. Over 600 videos for your Jiu Jitsu jo...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, we have a world-class coach and one of the owners of SBG Athens, Adam Singer. Toady Adam discusses the anxiety he has instructing classes, his unique coaching philosophy, the importance of failure and what he calls failing smarter, his beliefs on what makes a champion, nature vs nurture, and more. This is a really deep conversation with a coach who has developed m...

Send us Fan Mail Has life ever forced you to pivot, fundamentally changing the path you were on? 2020 was a hard year for many and Drew Weatherhead was forced to make some life-altering decisions. After listening to Drew tell his story, Thomas and Gary discuss what it takes to make huge decisions when things seem out of your control. www.rolacademy.tv 30% discount with ROLRADIO code at checkout. O...

Send us Fan Mail At the height of the covid pandemic and under strict Canadian lockdowns, Drew Weatherhead closed his academy, sold his house, put his family of six in a travel trailer, and hit the road. Now over a year later Drew joins The RŌL Radio from his makeshift studio in his SUV to discuss why he made such a drastic decision, the bonds and experiences he has had traveling across the U.S.,...

Send us Fan Mail Are you willing to do whatever it takes to make your plan a success? Nick Salles opened an academy during the height of the pandemic. He knew it could be tough and asked himself if he would do whatever it took to keep the doors open. Would he work odd jobs? Would he deliver food? The answer was yes and now along with his co-owner Danny Maia he runs Movement Art Jiu Jitsu and is ex...