The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

I think you'll like this one!  In this episode I talk to 280 lb BJJ Masters World Champion James '300' Foster, fresh back from a pre Pan-Ams California training trip. We discuss getting kicked our of Karate after starting BJJ, the process of finding the correct mix of training that works best for you, cutting weight in BJJ, how to train successfully with smaller and/or less skilled students, 'mode...

Stephan talks with Filipino Martial Arts instructor Jarlo Ilano about sparring with sticks and knives, self defense and how the training methods you're using affect how your martial art will express itself when you're trying to use it under stress. Jarlo Ilano is an instructor under Burton Richardson https://jkdunlimited.com/ in his Battlefield Kali system and a purple belt in BJJ. And as well as...

Stephan rants about the ethics and legal consquences of smashing someone's head in with a piece of concrete, otherwise known as the pavement coup de grace.  Check out the video version of this rant at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RF-J1M5QJs

In this 13 minute rant Stephan goes into the 3 essential components that make up every martial art on the planet, a concept he learned from the famous Filipino martial artist (and protege of Bruce Lee) Mr Dan Inosanto!  Lots of examples from Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, BJJ, MMA, Kali, Capoeira, and Kung Fu...

  This is a fun conversation about BJJ, Judo and MMA with Jeff Meszaros, one of the guys I started training with 23 years ago! Self defense applications of BJJ Russian team MMA events Judo, BJJ and the early days of the Uncle Willy's Grappling Association The joys and hazards of learning BJJ in Brazil The evolution of BJJ (and how we got to double guard pulls) Why describing BJJ as 'Male Pyjama Wr...

It's way too easy to slack off and get totally out of shape when things get busy in your personal or professional life.  Here are some tips and training methods that'll keep you within striking distance of your optimum fitness level. Something is better than nothing, always!

Bernardo Faria, 5 x BJJ World Champion, discusses his training and conditioning routine with Stephan Kesting. We talked about what Exactly what his day to day training regimen looks like, Who he spars with How he's balancing his training as he gets older, How his training regimen changes as he gets closer to competition, Whether you should do extra conditioning or not, How he gets his signature gu...

The simple fact is that you'll learn techniques faster if they fit with your current game and what you're already good at. And the flipside is that if techniques don't mesh with your current game then expect the learning process to take a lot longer. The term I use for this is 'congruence'. For example, the berimbolo isn't really congruent with the closed guard and the half guard... This audio ran...

Stephan rants about martial arts overtraining, which is the surest route to getting sick, injured, and bringing your training to a screeching halt.  He's been there many times, so he speaks from experience here.  Stephan also covers how to recognise overtraining before it gets too bad, and what you need to do to prevent it.

Starting with a discussion of Darth Vader's lightsabre technique in Rogue One we then go deeply into the topic of paralysis by analysis in jiu-jitsu, teaching technique, the best way to train to get good fast, and many other fun topics.  We finish up by talking about areas that we've focussed on in our own training this last year and what's on the menu for next year!

In the first part of this episode Stephan discusses how BJJ training is fantastic preparation for dealing with adversity in all aspects of life.  In part 2 he shares 7 reasons that your mind might be going blank on the mat and what you can do about it.  Get notified of future podcasts, videos and articles by signing up at http://www.grapplearts.com/newsletter

Whether you're working a full time job, a parent with a couple of kids, or a student juggling a crazy class schedule, almost everyone is really busy these days.   And if you're also trying to squeeze regular training into that busy schedule, well, things can end up in the ludicrous zone pretty quickly... I'm no exception: of course I'm running Grapplearts, training in BJJ and trying not to fall to...

On the one hand, I'm a huge fan. I've been watching the UFC since its inauguration in 1993, and have enjoyed fights in Pride FC, Shooto, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator, and many other organisations. I have good friends who are professional fighters, and have helped them prepare for their fights. And I have nothing but respect for the skill, athleticism and mental toughness of the modern MMA fighter. B...

The ever-controversial Rob Biernacki is back on the podcast.  We answer BJJ questions ranging from the deification of instructors to passing the guard and he doesn't hold back.  

Stephan interviews Kurt Osiander, a BJJ black belt under Ralph Gracie known for his no BS communication style and his informative Youtube instructional videos.   Old school Ralph Gracie training tactics The attributes that make a champion Gi vs no gi training for MMA The role of talent in jiu-jitsu Can anyone become a black belt? Physical preparation and conditioning for competition Tattoos, art,...

I talk with Rob Biernacki, a friend, BJJ black belt, and contributor to Grapplearts ( see the videos and articles he's been involved with here ). This is a fun, opinionated conversation in which I'm sure we'll offend just about everyone!  Some of the topics we covered in the 1:19 discussion include...  How the underlying principles of BJJ that make it easy to learn techniques, adapt to new situati...

Eddie 'Wolverine' Cummings talks with Stephan Kesting about leglocks, including why the heel hook is one of the most powerful submissions in BJJ, how to train them safely, and how to apply them correctly.  Leglocks are incredibly dominant in modern no gi competition, so learn more about them in this podcast.

Direct from Isla Mujeres, Mexico, I chat with BJJ black belt Jeff Rockwell about: How certain techniques are 'discovered' again and again  What the basics are and why you need one tool for every range Self defense vs competition jiu-jitsu When butt flopping in a self defense situation is the RIGHT thing to do Hair grab defenses for women Law enforcement applications of BJJ And much more

It's one thing to be beaten by a better opponent, but it's quite another to go out there and underperform... to do less than you know you're capable of.  You can be in top shape and have your techniques honed to a razor's edge, but can  still perform poorly in BJJ competition if your mental preparation is lacking. In this Grapplearts podcast I talk with BJJ black belt Gustavo Dantas about how to u...

The second-ever Grapplearts Radio Q&A format podcast.  In this episode I answer questions from  my newsletter  readers and cover many topics, including How to come back to BJJ training after an injury... and not lose your mind while you're rehabbing... Options for transitioning out of Z guard (and half guard in general) to open guard How to improve your BJJ cardio so you don't gas out on the mats...

Stephan Kesting interviews Jeff Westfall from The Martial Brain podcast. They discuss kata vs real training, chi power and other martial hoaxes, and the power of applying a skeptical mindset to learning martial arts.    

In this episode of the Grapplearts Radio Podcast Stephan Kesting talks with Bernardo Faria, the 2015 BJJ Mundials 99kg and Absolute division winner.   Bernardo Faria talks about... How he won the Worlds despite 'not being at all talented in jiu-jitsu' Competition mindset going into big tournaments His highly individual BJJ gameplan What he's learned training with Marcelo Garcia in NYC The physical...

Stephan Kesting interviews Roxanne Modaferri about the differences between MMA training in Japan and the USA, continuing to improve after 12 years in the sport, snapping a 6 fight losing streak, and what tryouts forThe Ultimate Fighter were really like. Download Stephan Kesting's Roadmap for BJJ book for free at  http://www.grapplearts.com/book

Steve Whittier is a cool guy. He manages to combine both thoughtful analyses and controversial opinions into one eloquent package. In this interview we talked about lots of different BJJ and MMA related topics, but the main emphasis and recurring theme was functional drilling and the efficacy of different types of BJJ training methods. http://www.nexusma.com http://www.grapplearts.com

BJJ Black Belts Ritchie Yip and Stephan Kesting have a wide-ranging discussion, centered around tips that BJJ beginners need to know.   Material covered includes: Whether beginners should in their own class or mixed in with more advanced people Things to look for when checking out a new school How to avoid situations where you're just going to get maliciously rag dolled by senior students How inst...