The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

Renato Canuto joins the show to talk about pay for Jiu-Jitsu athletes, his upcoming MMA debut and his open-minded approach to rolling and competing. He also dives deep on improving your armbar success rate and how to fix holes in your game!

Roy Dean returns to discuss the different levels of mastery that exist in Jiu-Jitsu that become more obvious as you pursue the art over time. Things like strategy, creating and recognizing traps and the importance of using Kazushi are all topics we cover!

Kurt is back to talk about how much AI is freaking him out, his thoughts on a possible global robot takeover and surgical bio-hacking upgrades that he is interested in getting. He also takes questions from the listeners about Jiu-Jitsu and anything else!

Yuri Simoes makes his long-awaited return to the show! He talks about what drives him to compete and how he processes losses as a highly competitive personality type. He also talks about assessing your performances honestly and he shares his unique phobia!

Malachy Friedman returns to discuss some of the common misinterpretations regarding what effective training is. He also explains how some of his injuries actually made him better on the mats. He also talks in depth about the student/teacher relationship

Giancarlo returns to talk about the importance of having clear aspirations as a Jiu-Jitsu student in order to reach your goals. He also explains that recreational practitioners can reach similar skill levels to elite athletes if they are consistent

Eli Knight returns to talk about overcoming frustrations in training. We all get stuck sometimes, Eli sheds some light on how to push through! He also talks about the fine line academy owners walk when giving life advice or guidance outside of Jiu-Jitsu

Michael Chu is a black belt under Clark Gracie with a very interesting life story. In this episode, he details how he went from being a police officer, to a federal inmate, to a Jiu-Jitsu school owner in Hawaii. He also gives tips on the rear triangle!

Lucas Pinheiro joins the show to tell his story of coming up from hardship to becoming a world champion! He explains how building a positive mindset in any circumstances he faced was crucial to his success. He also shares his pressure passing mindset!

Brian Glick talks about how personality types will influence the way we learn Jiu-Jitsu. He also explains why sometimes the people who seem the best suited to excel don't last. He also explains why you should train on days you aren't feeling your best!

Marcelo Garcia joins the show to reflect on surviving cancer, tips to train consistently, building a game that works in both Gi and No-Gi, pacing yourself in competition, and the future of Jiu-Jitsu. He also gives deep insight on the Butterfly Guard!

Kurt is back to talk about rolling with new tattoos, practical self defense skills, tasers and attack dogs, looting and creative robberies in San Francisco and his love/hate relationship with public nudity. He also takes questions from the listeners!

Robert Drysdale talks about the history and future of Jiu-Jitsu. From the history of the rules, to the conundrum of needing a sport to grow the art. He also explains why he feels submission only events and rule sets are a mistake for the growth of the art

Alec Baulding returns to talk about his recent decision to return to a student role instead of teaching, how to balance digital learning, how to process tapping higher ranks and Apple Vision for BJJ! He also talks about guard retention for short people.

Diego "Pato" Oliveira joins the show to share his very moving life story from leaving home at 15 to pursue Jiu-Jitsu, to training without food for days on end and how hunger led to his first sponsorship. Hear about his incredible journey to becoming a world champion!

Alex Enriquez joins the show to talk about pursuing Wrestling to improve her Jiu-Jitsu, becoming the team captain of an all-male team and how her drive to prove herself pushed her to break barriers. She also covers anti-wrestling for BJJ players!

Kurt is back to talk about rolling after surgery, amputations and bandit life in the Wild West, strategically crying from Half Guard, serial killers and mafia hit men. He also covers dealing with larger opponents and his hatred for handsome celebrities.

Kent Peters is back! He discusses terrible pre-training food, organic mat sanitizers that probably don't work, steroids and testosterone, managing a training room and wrist locks. Kent also shares how he recently almost lost a nipple due to a horse bite.

Jozef Chen joins the show to explain the importance of training with intent, how to process an instructional and the value of keeping a training journal. He also talks about getting jumped at a gym, Crocs, fanny packs, karaoke and fake Chinese food!

Owen Jones joins the show to talk about processing losses as a highly competitive person, facing weaknesses honestly, being patient with your development, his passion for video games and the fact that Jiu-Jitsu's talent pool is younger than ever!

Piter Frank joins the show to talk about succeeding with limited resources, building an offensive game and flying submissions. He also shares a candid story about getting through homelessness and a suicide attempt just before becoming a world champion

ADCC legend and UFC fighter Rani Yahya joins the show to talk about how BJJ helped him overcome ADD, training with Rickson Gracie, the early days of ADCC, statistics in Jiu-Jitsu and why they are important to analyze and using BJJ in MMA

Javi Vazquez joins the show to talk about surviving his recent battle with cancer, the power of understanding configurations, transitional wormholes, defending punches on the ground and the two controls in BJJ that change EVERYTHING.

Miko Hytonen joins the show for a very candid conversation about how Jiu-Jitsu saved him from his troubled past to become one of the top BJJ influencers. He talks about leaving gang life, growing his IG page and how to land chokes from everywhere!

Garry Tonon discusses why he's not a fan of the transactional mindset many students have towards their training, the danger of limiting techniques, bridging the gaps between different concepts and how mentorship changed the trajectory of his life.

Tarik Hopstock joins the show to explain how training as a juvenile in adult classes helped shape his game. He also talks about how he leads his students into the areas they need to improve upon and setting goals for technical development!

Owen Livesey joins the show to talk about how to fight on your feet more effectively. He explains that people often over-think things like hand fighting and he provides a simple way to think about winning the grip fight to score more take downs!

Dominique Bell joins the show to talk about going from the ARMY to fulltime Jiu-Jitsu athlete. He shares his thoughts on training, goal setting and injury prevention. He also talks with Ryan about knock-off cereal brands and his fear of roaches!

Neil Melanson returns to talk about setting traps in grappling, the value of creating dilemmas and why you should program sequences in your mind, especially for No-Gi. He also talks about controlling various body types and funny nicknames on the mats

2x NCAA Wrestling Champion Nick Gwiazdowski joins the show to talk about elite competition mindset, the utility of positive affirmations and why you MUST drill often to execute moves without thinking. He also describes the perfect cheeseburger!

Dallas Niles joins the show to talk about the fact that Jiu-Jitsu is hard, but he provides some tips for navigating the process easier to become an advanced student. He also talks about how his music background influenced the way he learns on the mats!

Malachy Friedman returns to talk about everything Blue Belts should know before receiving their purple belt. He also talks about the importance of promotion standards in the Jiu-Jitsu community and goes deep on superhero movie reviews with Ryan.

Kurt is back for another Halloween Special! He talks about scaring hallucinating hippies, haunted San Fransisco hotels, his personal UFO sightings and tactics for fighting bigfoot. He also reviews YouTube clips of cheesy horror films with Ryan.

Jason Rau joins the show to talk about the early days of the Danaher Death Squad, the growth of the Sub-Only Jiu-Jitsu competition scene, the best tips for improving leg locks, knowing your physical limits and his fear of large bugs!

On top of being a BJJ Black Belt, Cameron Shayne is the father of Mixed Movement Arts and a lifetime Yoga teacher. He talks about mobility for Jiu-Jitsu, finding purpose in your training, morality in martial arts and offsetting a sedentary lifestyle

Brian Littlefield is a Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and co-founder of Jocko Fuel. He discusses recovery and nutrition for Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, what real hydration is, maintaining cognitive energy and much more!

Sean Applegate returns to give a deep dive on being an effective coach to BJJ athletes. He identifies the difference between helpful and useless information during matches and the importance of learning the wheel completely before trying to reinvent it.

NAVY SEAL Masterchief Jason Henderson joins the show to talk about real-world self defense, the importance of emotional control during a fight, and BJJ for law enforcement. He also shares the powerful story that sparked his Jiu-Jitsu training

Rayron Gracie returns to discuss what he feels is the most efficient way to learn Jiu-Jitsu, how modern society can make it harder than ever for young athletes to stay focused and the importance of avoiding having to learn Jiu-Jitsu twice!

Michael Liera Jr joins the show for a very honest and candid discussion about some of the pitfalls Jiu-Jitsu athletes can face in their pursuit of a world championship. He also explains why he doesn't use a set curriculum when teaching.

Legendary Wrestler Kyle Dake joins the show for a very insightful conversation about self-discipline, embracing failure and why humility is a virtue that he thinks all athletes should seek. He also talks about take down entries and Single Legs

ADCC Champion Amy Campo joins the show to share her story. She also talks about understanding ranges in Jiu-Jitsu, the benefits of ice baths, her 2022 ADCC experience, knee slice passes and why she can never eat octopus again after a bad sushi experience

Gregor Gracie joins the show to talk about how to beat your opponent mentally, the keys to using BJJ well in MMA, and the importance of recognizing defense and escapes as two separate things.

Matt Guffey joins the show to discuss Strength and Conditioning for Jiu-Jitsu, mobility and longevity, injury management and strength misconceptions he commonly sees in BJJ.

Pete The Greek is back! We discuss wristlocks, BJJ for MMA, being a real-life superhero and Carlson Gracie's impact on the BJJ community. Pete also talks about recovery for older fellas and training smart!

In this special episode, Bernardo Faria sits down with Rayron Gracie for a discussion about his Jiu-Jitsu! Topics include not relying on your physical attributes, quality of training over quantity, recognizing margins of error in techniques and more!

Kurt is back! This time we discuss the absurd side of Jiu-Jitsu. Quirky students, delusional martial artists, dirty techniques people use and random crazy people invading the gym. Kurt also explains his pet peeves as a teacher.

Igor Tanabe joins the show and shares his story of being a successful juvenile athlete to becoming one of the fastest rising stars in Jiu-Jitsu. He talks about the importance of mindset and leaving your comfort zone to be your very best in competition.

Clark Gracie joins the show to talk about the importance of fundamentals and self defense curriculums and he gives a deep dive on Omoplatas! He also talks about how he had to learn to manage the pressure of being a Gracie as a young competitor.

Shintaro Higashi joins the show to share his deep knowledge about grip-fighting acquired through Judo. He explains how it correlates to Jiu-Jitsu and how you can drill for immediate results! He also covers foot sweeps and pattern recognition on the feet.