Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss self-defense aspects of BJJ, They share stories about personal experiences in regard to people they've known and seen in self-defense situations including how it works for kids and women. They discuss how to approach training and go over complementary focuses that can help you with your self-defense capabilities.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase talk about the pillars of what make you a competent BJJ martial artist. They go over physical, mental, and skill development oriented categories to develop to be a well rounded martial artist in jiu jitsu.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase break down what makes BJJ such an ideal way to practice self-development. Some of the topics discussed: • Practicing social skills • What makes jiu jitsu hard • Novelty and the difficulty line • The network effect in the BJJ community Sorry for the small buzzing audio sound - will try to fix it in future episodes with our new setup!

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss how to get the most out of training only 1-2 sessions per week.It can be challenging to learn on a minimal schedule. Andre and Chase talk about what we can do to make progress if you have trouble making it to enough classes.Discussed in the episode:How to get the most out of each classCross-training at another jiu jitsu schoolHigh value alternative activitiesThe role of BJJ private lessonsHow to do mental repetitionsDeveloping general fitnessUsing grappling dummiesDoing on air movements

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss how to navigate learning late escapes in submission grappling.They talk about:Why late escapes are neglected in BJJ trainingWhich late escapes are safest to start to train firstHow to select the right training partner to learn late escapesHow to train late escapes in a typical jiu jitsu gym environment

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss how to approach training hard to maximize your experience on the mats in BJJ.Throughout the discussion they talk about how wrestling handles intensity and what lessons we can carry over and adapt to jiu jitsu.Some topics discussed:The difference between hard drilling and hard rolling in jiu jitsuWhen it's bad to train hardWhen it's good to train hardHow to maximize skill development with hard trainingHow to ask your training partners for the intensity you need

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss several factors that can indicate that a jiu jitsu school is a good one.Some of the topics discussed include:Student success in tournamentsCleanliness of the schoolLive grappling occurring in most/all classesUpper belts being on the matsClass sizesWomen, kids, and teens being on the matsRestrictive contractsAllowing cross-trainingFriendly gym environmentSchool providing service and/or community instead of a "you're lucky to be here" attitude towards students

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Michael talk about teaching jiu jitsu. They talk about how to handle teaching your first classes when you start your journey as an instructor in BJJ. They also discuss how teaching BJJ helps you grow in skill as a jiu-jitsu athlete and how instructing a class builds your character, overall accountability, and life experience.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Chase and Andre discuss several of the main factors that lead to feeling insecure when you are training in BJJ. Feeling insecure in an uncomfortable but natural part of a complex sport with a social component, and people don't have context for how to process and categorize an experience in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Towards the end of the episode they go over some concrete mental shifts that can help with this insecurity and ultimately make your experiences on the mats doing jiu jitsu more fulfilling and less insecure.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss the factors that can make a BJJ private lesson worth spending your time and money on. They also talk about how we can narrow down our choices for what instructors we should choose to get the most out of engaging in private lessons. They discuss professionalism, similar body type, their jiu jitsu game, your current skill level, and more! They also talk about how to gracefully disengage from private lessons if you find that they are not giving you the value you need.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast, Andre and Chase discuss the importance of rotating your jiu-jitsu techniques and overall game plan to prevent constant wear and tear on specific joints and parts of your body as well as make better overall progress in your BJJ development. Spreading out that wear and tear can significantly impact keeping your body healthy for BJJ and life in general. They also talk about how rotating your jiu-jitsu game plan can impact your overall development of BJJ skills and competency and how all of the factors interconnect.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast Andre and Chase discuss whether or not it is worth it to attend jiu jitsu seminars.They talk about whether or not BJJ seminars are more or less useful based on your current skill level, some mindset ideas that allow you to get the most out of attending a jiu jitsu seminar, and a bit about the experience of attending a seminar.They also discuss factors that you need to consider about what type of instructor is teaching the seminar both in terms of their skills and their body type matching your goals and body type.They also discuss situations where there are more effective alternatives such as taking private lessons, picking and choosing video instructionals, and consuming YouTube content for jiu jitsu.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast, Andre and Chase break down 9 factors that lead to BJJ lower belts tapping out BJJ upper belts. They go into the idea of balancing these factors both as a lower belt and upper belt jiu-jitsu athlete and how to integrate a mental reframe to properly handle these situations and make progress.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast, Andre and Cary go over some important reasons why jiu-jitsu athletes can't ignore strength training as a part of their weekly training regimen. They talk about what positive roles having a strength reserve plays in getting quality learning repetitions, what role strength plays in technique effectiveness, and what benefits strength training provides for BJJ injury prevention and recovery. They also talk about how to build up strength training for busy grapplers with competing priorities for their time.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss how adults approach training BJJ much differently than kids do. Kids jiu jitsu tends to be a generally more positive environment and do not get bogged down by negative emotions. We explore ideas that adult BJJ athletes can use to shift their thinking to enjoy BJJ more consistently and ultimately end up with a smoother path to learning jiu-jitsu faster.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss how to prevent the boredom that happens as a natural part of the learning cycle in jiu jitsu. Throughout training in BJJ, your skill levels and challenge levels will change and go out of balance in cycles. In this episode, we go over several ways to adjust your training and mindset to prevent boredom. Adjusting your challenge levels alongside your skill levels takes time, but keeping these in alignment will optimize both your learning and enjoyment of jiu jitsu.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Henry discuss a variety of topics ranging from the evolution of jiu-jitsu over the last 15 years, how training BJJ as a teenager differs from training as an adult, and how and when to integrate leg lock entanglements as a jiu-jitsu athlete that is new to leg locks.

Andre and Chase discuss how to prepare for a BJJ competition by mirroring what works in a fight camp type scenario. The advice applies to all forms of combat sports, including BJJ white belts or other grappling beginners preparing for a jiu-jitsu competition. Even if you are more experienced in jiu-jitsu, but have not studied how to peak your performance for an event, this episode will be useful for you.Chase Gamble is the Team USA Head Coach for Youth MMA and has been preparing his athletes for competing in the IMAAF World Championships in Abu Dhabi all year. He has made a career out of preparing combat sports athletes as a coach.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss why BJJ tends to make people emotional. They also talk about mitigation strategies to help smooth out the emotional lows and turn them into productive life moments.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss the common reasons why people quit BJJ. They talk about topics ranging from the issues of expectation of progress to actual progress mismatches all the way to how to set goals and adapt your life to include jiu-jitsu even when you are in a season of life in which you cannot prioritize training.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss the topic of whether or not BJJ is becoming soft. They discuss what we can learn from what happened to other traditional martial arts that shifted over time and discuss why BJJ can't really become as soft as other martial arts became. They also discuss the phenomena of "softer schools" often feeding into more competitive schools and how selecting the right school ultimately matches the right students with the right type of school, making the softness debate irrelevant.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss how to handle aggressive BJJ beginners.They go over actions that you can take to help these beginners bring down their aggression levels (or excitement levels) without causing undue conflict.They also discuss some of the actions that you can take if you find yourself unexpectedly needing to handle somebody who is rolling with too much aggression or intensity.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast Andre and Chase discuss some of the ways that you can prepare yourself to get the most out of training BJJ multiple times a day. They discuss things ranging from how training multiples makes it easier to focus on appropriate goals to how to effectively recover and prepare your body for the stress of training jiu-jitsu multiple times a day. *The audio files for this podcast got corrupted - but thankfully it was mostly salvageable - should be fixed in future episodes.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss the topic of balancing aggression and flow in BJJ competitions. They draw the distinction between aggression and assertiveness and when you should be implementing these for maximum effects in competition. Finding the balance between aggression and flow is crucial to improve your results on the mats, especially in competition. They talk about where the best places to use aggression and assertiveness are in jiu jitsu and talk about at what point flow should take over.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase talk about how to handle BJJ training partners and opponents who are not tapping out when they should be tapping out. They discuss some of the problems associated with people not tapping out from both sides of the equation as well as some of the shifts that you can make to both your mindset and your jiu-jitsu when you are training or competing against these people.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss goal setting for BJJ White Belts. They break down the common problems that jiu jitsu white belts face when setting inappropriate goals or unachievable goals and offer advice on how to reframe learning at a BJJ white belt to sidestep negative emotions and make meaningful progress as a beginner in BJJ.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast Andre and Chase discuss whether or not BJJ white belts should grapple creatively or focus on fundamentals or known techniques and movements.They discuss the validity of rolling creatively and give advice on where to find creative output that still builds a strong foundation for BJJ. They also talk about how to balance creativity versus getting repetitions on fundamentals and how it changes over time.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast Andre and Chase discuss the pros and cons of specializing in specific techniques and positions as a white belt in BJJ. They talk about why white belts and all belt levels of jiu-jitsu athletes tend to want to specialize and the dangers associated with getting too deep into specialization.They talk about pitfalls that specialization can lead to when it comes to developing a strong foundation of fundamentals in jiu-jitsu, and how you can handle specialization in a way that doesn't lead to a weak foundational understanding of BJJ.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast Andre and Chase discuss how you should behave as a default when visiting a BJJ school. They talk about changing your approach to training when you are visiting a school and how it can lead to a better overall experience Discussed in the video are topics such as how to show proper amounts of respect as well as how to keep yourself and your training partners at the school you are visiting safe on the mats.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction Podcast Andre and Chase talk about how to develop composure in BJJ with a slant towards helping beginner and intermediate jiu jitsu athletes. They go over reasons why our composure might break in BJJ and offer advice on how to come back from a break in composure as well as actions to take to make it easier to keep your grappling composure in future training and grappling.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase go over how to deal with the anxiety involved with returning to BJJ after an injury takes you off the mats. They go over what anxiety is and why it is a natural reaction to have when you are returning to the mats for BJJ after time off, especially when coming back from an injury. They share their personal experiences with coming back from injuries and share ideas and tips to keep in mind to make your return back to jiu-jitsu as seamless as possible. Items discussed are how to pick training partners more conscientiously upon returning to BJJ, when to start rolling again (and adjustments you should make), and how training after an injury can change your game (often for the better).

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss what BJJ ruleset you should be using when you are training in a mixed belt level setting. They discuss it from both the lens of the upper belt as well as from the lens of the lower belt. They talk about how to approach the situation from the perspective of maximizing safety while still allowing for learning and development when training with people of different belt levels.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase break down different elements of a pre-class BJJ routine that will help jiu jitsu students optimize their learning as well as performance on the mats. They discuss aspects such as drinking enough water and getting salts in as well as types of routines that you can do in 15 minutes or less that will prime your body for jiu jitsu. This can be very important for older grapplers or people that are transitioning directly from work to class.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss whether or not you should choose to do school wrestling over Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. They talk about the cost to train and compete in each sport and share some real stories about Chase's experience with kids he has personally coached in regard to choosing BJJ over wrestling as well as how his WAOTA kids program kids blend grappling styles.

On this 10th episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast Andre and Chase discuss the pros and cons of training BJJ techniques on both sides.They also go into actionable advice for white belts and beginner grapplers on where their time might be best spent.They break down the problem into different movement buckets and provide specific advice that can help somebody effectively spend their time to get the most return on their time based on what type of jiu-jitsu technique is being done.

In this episode, Andre and Chase discuss when BJJ white belts should be integrating wrestling principles into their jiu-jitsu.Specific sources of getting wrestling training are outlined and general advice for BJJ beginners is given in order to maximally impact their BJJ by applying specific fundamental wrestling concepts.

In this episode of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss how BJJ has changed over time and how white belts and beginners need to navigate it. BJJ has become more complex over time and blends more wrestling-style grappling as well as the inclusion of modern leg entanglements.All of these changes have made navigating and learning BJJ different and require more broad understanding, especially if you are planning to compete. In the video, we also go over some actions a beginner might take to find success in modern jiu-jitsu.

In episode 7 of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre brings on Cary Miller who wrestled at Appalachian State. Cary is a D1 wrestler and is a 2-time conference champion and 2-time national qualifier.They discuss how wrestlers can best transition from wrestling to BJJ and become a better total grappler. They go over the advantages and disadvantages common to most wrestlers and how to adopt a mindset and strategy that shortcuts their progress to becoming better at jiu-jitsu.At the end of the episode they also discuss the potential for using BJJ to improve your ability to be a better wrestler.

In episode 6 of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss how to roll with smaller training partners in BJJ and offer advice on how to be a safe larger training partner in jiu jitsu.They also outline specific advice to make sure that you behave politely and tips on how to make sure everybody can progress and be safe when there are significant size differences.

In episode 5 of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss ways that you can take control of your BJJ learning as a beginner when you are having trouble remembering all of your BJJ techniques.This is common in many schools and this episode outlines some strategies to ensure that you remember techniques and are eventually able to execute them.

In episode 4 of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss the different stages of being a white belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and offer some advice on how to progress more quickly through each of those stages.

In episode 3 of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss the excuses that people give that stop people from starting in BJJ.The excuses discussed in this episode are listed below:I am too out of shape or overweight to start BJJI am too big for BJJI am too small for BJJI am too old for BJJI am too old to become good at BJJI don't want to compete in BJJBJJ is too dangerous 8. BJJ is too grossBJJ is too claustrophobicBJJ has too much mat disease and sickness riskCo-ed BJJ training is awkward or makes me uncomfortableI am too busy to train BJJIt is too expensive to train BJJLink to BJJ Safety Video: https://youtu.be/bEExwjGGEXsLink to Content About Jiu Jitsu Grandma: @MATMADE did an episode on the jiu-jitsu grandma that is an interesting watch at https://youtu.be/iW-umPqGA6k

In episode 2 of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, Andre and Chase discuss various topics on how to approach safety and tapping in BJJ, including some ideas that you should consider in your training as a beginning BJJ student.They discuss how to handle tapping and whether or not you have a duty to let your partner finish submissions as well as if you or your training partner is ultimately responsible for your safety.

In episode 1 of the Jiu Jitsu Junction podcast, we discuss how we can be a good training partner in BJJ.Some topics we cover are hygiene for BJJ, handling long hair when training BJJ, wearing the appropriate gear for jiu-jitsu, and how to optimally learn by staying mentally and physically engaged throughout drilling.