The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

You want to train martial arts but there isn't a good school anywhere nearby, so what are your options?  Here is my best advice on how you can still learn, still train, and still get good!

An 80/20 analysis of the leglocking game based on high level no gi competition, leglock safety, how to learn BJJ efficiently, best practises when teaching jiu-jitsu, and a ton more with BJJ black belt Rob Biernacki, my co-author of The Modern Leglock Formula available now at Grapplearts.com/leglocks

If you could only do one which would be better for self defense: striking or grappling?  The answer is grappling of course, but the reasons why might surprise you...

Longtime bouncer Chad Skands talks about managing multiple attacker scenarios, continuing to think and use your brain in a critical situation, the right way to deescalate situations, and why ripping someone's throat out Roadhouse-style is frowned upon in the security industry.

What would I do different as a white belt if I could go back in time?  What are the best guards that go together with the butterfly guard?  Can you become an elite level grappler if you have both a job and a family?  And you've choked someone out in a streetfight... what now?  All this and more in today's Q&A episode. In this episode I make reference to articles on Grapplearts which can be found h...

This is an important episode because in it I talk about how to find a  BJJ instructor and school that'll work for you and how to avoid ending up at a school where you'll end up getting hurt or wasting your time. And yes, this same information applies directly to finding good schools in any sort of martial art and not just Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

In this episode I talk about the concrete steps you can take to control your fear and harness the power of the adrenaline dump that comes with the fight of flight reflex.  Properly used this power turns you into a superhero rather than a gibbering idiot!  Also check out my second site http://www.selfdefensetutorials.com  and make sure that you subscribe to my self-defense oriented youtube channel...

Recorded right after my hotel room workout, this episode talks about the 3 things you need to do to stay in jiu-jitsu shape when you're travelling so you don't suck as bad when you get back to your regular training schedule.

Regardless of whether you train BJJ, MMA or a self-defense oriented martial art you're faced with the same dilemma: how do you take a technique you're shown in class and actually make it work against someone who is resisting you 100%?  The key is progressive resistance, and in this episode I go into the 5 training modalities you should use to functionalise your techniques. 

I think you'll like this one: in this episode I speak with Ando Mierzwa (Sensei Ando) who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu San Soo with extensive experience in BJJ, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate.  We talk about levels of realism in training, tribalism in the martial arts, the fighting arts as a tool to feel some control in a chaotic universe and much more.  Ando's website is  http://www.se...

In this rant I take on the myth perpetuated in many martial arts and by many martial arts instructors, namely that they are the source of all the knowledge you'll ever need.  The truth is that everyone has holes in their knowledge and that the good instructors will admit that they don't know everything.

You'll really like this sit down I had with UFC star Alan Belcher, a man who has had some of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat fights in UFC history.  Alan shared lessons learned from his 26 MMA fights including details of cutting major amounts of weight pre-competition, his mindset while fighting Rousimar Palhares (one of the dirtiest and scariest fighter in MMA), lifting weights as physical t...

I'm on fire for this one because it really gets under my skin when people focus on the wrong thing in their martial arts training.  Boys and girls, it's about skill acquisition and NOT about the color of your belt.  Get this wrong and it will destroy your relationship to the martial arts!

Unfortunately injuries are just part of the game, and getting back to training after recuperating from an injury is always a tricky business.  In this episode I give some of my best advice about exactly how your return to the mats should be structured.  This is advice I've learned the hard way so take my advice - for the longest time I didn't use it myself and I wish I had!

This is for everyone - beginner and experienced martial artist - with a very tight schedule who can't train more than once a week.  Can you still make progress?  What are some tips for getting as good as you can when time is limited?  How do you not lose hope, momentum and confidence during these inevitable training slowdowns? Of course my main site is Grapplearts.com , but also check out my other...

Endurance is the most important physical attribute in combat sport, but it can be time consuming to develop.  In this short episode I talk about some of the most efficient cardio protocols that I've used during periods of my life when I had no time for long, leisurely cardio.

I'm thrilled to bring you guys Pshemek Drabczynski who was my first BJJ teacher.  Pshemek is a BJJ black belt, a WKA North American kickboxing champion, and a physical conditioning guru.  In this episode we talk about martial arts specific fitness, getting stronger, improving endurance, eating properly preventing injuries, fasting and much more. If you're in the Orange County area and are looking...

A few days ago I had a great training session, and then today I had a bad one.  Here's why I didn't get too excited or bothered by either one, and why you shouldn't either!

This is a really good episode in which I talk to my friend, BJJ black belt, and world traveller Budo Jake. We cover a ton of topics including the evolution of Japanese ju-jutsu into BJJ, getting choked unconscious, the effectiveness of wrist locks in grappling, brain damage from striking, yoga and other recover methods, training at different academies, and advice for newbies.  Enjoy!

I really enjoyed being on James '300' Foster's podcast where we talked about figuring out grappling from scratch, why fighters fight injured, PEDs in the MMA, how jiu-jitsu will always be there for you after a long layoff, and a lot more!  I hope you enjoy it too! Check out Jame's podcast on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spartan-underground/id1070092297?mt=2

Here's a quick rant about whether you should still train if you're beginning to come down with something.  The lessons in this particular podcast have repeated themselves many times until learned...

This is a fantastic episode.  I chat with historian Daniele Bolelli about everything from rough and tumble frontier wrestling, Theodore Roosevelt sparring in the White House,  what it's like to be a historian lecturing with bruises and black eyes, how martial arts helps people survive tough times, and much more. Check out Daniele's amazing History on Fire podcast at  http://historyonfirepodcast.co...

It's a HUGE mistake to focus on techniques like biting, finger breaks and eye-gouging and avoiding techniques you can try out under pressure and against resistance in sparring.  Here's why that's the case, and why most martial sports participants are actually far deadlier than most martial artists.  

You'll like this episode!  In it I talk with 62 yr old BJJ black belt Rabbi Mordecai Finley (the Wrassling Rabbi) about starting BJJ at a later age, picking the right jiu-jitsu club, training after a heart attack, the horrors of the Eastern Front in World War 2, interpreting the Torah, being Leonard Cohen's Rabbi, and awarding Blue Belts in marriage counselling.  

In this episode I go into depth about why you (and everyone else) should train in martial arts.  Hint: it's not about self defense, fitness or socialising; those things are definitely benefits, but they're not the core reason that martial arts training is so transformative.  For more on this topic you can also check out a blog post I wrote on Grapplearts called Blood, Sweat and... Sparta!