Bjjbrick Podcast- Bjj, Jiu-jitsu, Mma, Martial Arts, No-gi And Good Times!

Shama Ko is the program director of an organization called Girls in Gis (GIG).  GIG supports a growing and supportive community of women in BJJ.  Chapters of GIG are springing up all over the Midwest. Shama has been training BJJ for 13 years.  GIG had about 30 events this year. The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio We talk about: The main goal of GIG The Community of women in BJJ The large growth of GIG How she got her start in BJJ Girls doing BJJ for the first time Tips to get your friends to try BJJ How BJJ helps to change lives What to expect at a GIG event Why a women introductory BJJ class is so important Advice for guys to be a good training partner Why it is important to be patient in your BJJ journey Contact Shama Ko: Girls in Gis Facebook Page, Website, Email girlsingis@gmail.com Quote of the week: "Risk more than others think is safe, care more than others is wise." Presented by AJ Agazarm Article of the week: "How to Survive a Training Layoff" grapplearts.com  

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Gold lightweight and absolute title for the 2014 NoGi European Championship AJ Agazarm is a former DI wrestler and a very active light weight black belt. He is known for his aggressive style and never quit attitude. He received his black belt a couple of years ago from Eduardo de Lima.  This is a fun interview and AJ shares tons of great advice for any grappler. We talk about: AJ's love for extreme sports AJ's passion for travel Why he likes to enter the absolute division As a black belt he has had over 75 matches in less than 2 years The fine line between being reckless and tenacious His training as he travels His competition goals that he has met and not met yet What he does before he compete How he views a competitive BJJ match How BJJ has changed him off the mat The cultural differences between BJJ and wrestling How he practices mental toughness How he keeps his emotions out of his match How he gets out of tight submissions Advice for a student compet

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Budo Jake and Rickson Gracie Budo Jake (Jake McKee) is a BJJ Black belt and co-founder of Budovideos.com He host 2 shows Rolled Up and This Week in BJJ.  Both are very informative and a lot of fun to watch. We talk about: The meaning of Budo Doing BJJ when you travel Why he trains such a variety of techniques The Budo videos business Watching Youtube vs an instructional Dvd Training BJJ at work and team building How BJJ has helped him learn about himself The start of the show Rolled Up What it is like to get beat up on the show Doing live events and how you can learn about BJJ by watching them Tips on getting a sponsor if you are a BJJ athlete Advice for a first time BJJ competitor Dealing with the pressure of competing His preferred methods of training and why he likes to work on things that he is not good at Jake as a Blue Belt How he gets ready for a tournament Goals for your first year of training How he defines fundamental moves Want more Budo Jake

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Last week at Fox Fitness Byron was given a Black belt from Andre “Tim” Monteiro and John Castillo. Gary interviews Byron about his journey from white belt to black. Gary ask Byron about: The journey at each belt color Him off the mat A description of his game and what he likes to do Advice for your first BJJ tournament How to make your first BJJ Brick A good goal for a 1st year student Did he ever think about quitting Using BJJ as a firefighter Byron and Gary as white belts, at Eric Williams seminars. Gary and Byron with their new blue belts. Byron new purple belt with Roberto Tozi, John Castillo, and Marcio Laselva Byron as a new brown belt, with John Castillo and Renato Tavares Jake Fox, Andre "Tim" Monteiro​, Byron Jabara, John Castillo, and Jake Smith at Fox Fitness Byron Jabara and Gary Hull 10-13-2014 Quote of the week: "High expectations are the key to everything" Sam Walton Article of the week: "3 Ways to Become Happier with Your Brazilian Jiu Ji

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Rafael Ellwanger is from Rio De Janeiro, he has been a BJJ black belt since April 10, 2006.  He opened his won gym called Gracie United, in Hammond Louisiana.  Gracie United has 15 schools in or near the Louisiana area. Rafael Ellwanger We talk about: Rafael's early BJJ, and an accident off the mat that broke both his legs Why it can be difficult to start BJJ How safe BJJ can be compared to training other sports The rules of IBJJF His thoughts on the double guard pull and the 50/50 Some of the current rules of BJJ His early training in Brazil His family not wanting him to do BJJ for a living Some of the rewards off the mat of BJJ The social benefits of BJJ Teaching BJJ full time Training with lower belts Some older BJJ matches Contact Rafael Ellwanger on his website or on his facebook page. Check out the new Bernardo Faria DVD The BjjBrick Podcast has been going for 1 Year with this episode!!  We have managed to pull off an episode every week.  We (try t

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Matt Thornton is the founder of Straight Blast Gym.  He was introduced to BJJ in 1991.  In 2001 Chris Hauete awarded Matt his black belt.  He can be found running his own Academy in Portland, Oregon, when his is not traveling. This episode we talk about: His personal training history We go deep into what are the fundamentals of BJJ Why he recommends not teaching your style, just teaching fundamentals How to find your own game after you get the fundamentals The process of becoming a black belt in BJJ Why many people make the "all you can eat buffet" mistake when studding martial arts Conor McGregor's striking style and movement Fundamentals are not style specific The principal of Aliveness The iMethod (introduction, isolation, integration) Why it is important to make BJJ simple The SBG kids program Growing Gorillas Some advantages for kids to do BJJ vs other sports Advice for students competing for the first time Staying calm during competition His early B

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Matheus Diniz is a rising star in the world of BJJ. He is a Brown Belt training at Marcelo Garcia's academy.  On Saturday 9-27-2014 he won the Pans nogi, Brown belt in the heavyweight division. Matheus Diniz   In this interview we talk about What it is like to train at Marcelo Garcia's acdemy Winning the Pans on 9-27-2014 Why it is important for him to have exciting fights His training schedule What makes MGinaction such a great environment Advice for a first time competitor What he was like as a blue belt What happened in his first 2 BJJ matches What he does before a match Advice for developing a game plan What it means to "start the match" and "always move forward" Advice for people during their first year of BJJ Matheus Diniz is sponsored by MGinAction.com Matheus Diniz Facebook page Quote of the week: "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will be among the stars" Bernardo Faria Article of the week: "When Hugs Get Dangerous: Guys Rolling w/ Women"

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radioBernardo Faria is one of the top BJJ black belt competitors on the mat today.  He credits a lot of his success not to being talented but to training very hard everyday.  He is currently training and teaching at Marcelo Garcia's Academy. Look for him this October competing in Worlds No-Gi, IBJJF PRO and NY PRO. Bernardo talks about: His early training and school Teaching and training hard for competition Training with Marcelo Garcia Why he is able to put all his effort and determination in a match Why he likes his half guard so much His deep half guard dvd that will be released soon His short term and long term goals Focusing on doing your best and not focusing on winning How he gets ready before a match His omoplata and why he goes 100% for the submission and not the sweep His very first BJJ match Advice for someone doing their 1st tournament What he was like as a blue belt (his longest belt) Why it is important to develop you own game Why you should set y

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Yuri Simões is one of the top competitors at the heavyweight division in BJJ.  He is competing for the Caio Terra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association.  He has been doing BJJ for 13 years, compeating for most of it.In this interview Yuri Simões talks about: His main goal of becoming a black belt world champion Starting Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 7 Overcoming his rough start at competition as a kid His training habits Competing with an injury His last competition at worlds His two wins over Rafael Lovato Jr A Metamoris Match between Simões and Lovato Jr His dreams to compete in ADCC and Abu Dhabi Pro The possibilities of doing MMA in the future How he will change his focus when transitioning to MMA His first year in the black belt division facing many guys he looked up to He has learned more about Jiu-jitsu since he has got his black belt than before the black belt Why he is always learning and expanding his Jiu-jitsu Contact Yuri Simões Like Yuri Simões Faceboo

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radioBrian Marvin is a 1st Degree Black Belt under Master Carlos Gracie Jr.  This interview is packed full of great advice for the new grappler and the experienced competitor alike.  Professor Brian Marvin has recently opened a Gracie Barra School in Sugar Land Tx. This interview we talk about: His early days of training (BJJ and MMA) His smashing and attacking style ABC (Always Be Choking) How he developed his style of BJJ Teaching the BJJ kids program His new academy in Sugar Land Tx, a suburb of Huston His goal to be a BJJ World Champion Why he learned so much when he started teaching BJJ Why you should be keeping a note book Why he will mentally review his game plan before a competition How to get better when you are only training with lower ranked students How he has been doing the same basic techniques since he was a white and blue belt A common mistake made by new students How to improve your specific game Why new students should set small goals for BJJ

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio This week we have our first repeat guest Roy Marsh from Sandhills Jiu-Jitsu. Roy is a Black Belt under Royce Gracie. He has been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2001.  In this episode we talk about learning other martial arts and training Jiu-Jitsu.  He gives lots of great advice and he may just change the way you thing about the martial arts. Some of the martial arts we talk about in this episode Hapkido Judo Muay Thai Taekwondo Boxing Wrestling Karate Kung Fu Fencing MMA and more Quote of the week: "Iron sharpens iron. So that one man sharpens another. I think that it is very true. If you are not in a training environment where you are getting smacked in the head, you are getting tapped out, you are getting challenged on a daily basis, then you are not getting any better. You’re not improving. Your workout partners are a very important piece of your progression as an athlete and the character that you are building as a person as well. Those are key

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio BjjBrick (metaphor) it’s important to have a few key techniques that you can perform at a high level. You need to have a well-rounded game, but having some great techniques will help you excel at BJJ.  To your opponents it will feel like they got hit with a brick.  It takes a lot of blood and sweat to make a BjjBrick, but if you are making the correct bricks the effort will be well worth it. Big strong tree- The Bjj Tree, Click to enlarge, feel free to share!                   Trunk- Fundamentals, Posture, and Game plan                 Big branches- Positions, some branches will be stronger than others                 Smaller branches- Techniques, from the positions                 Leaves- Owning the techniques                 Big roots- The pioneers of BJJ, and/or your instructor’s instructor                 Medium sized roots- Your instructors and training partners                 Small roots- Other methods of training and learning                 Pile

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Ways to help develop a culture of learning at your BJJ school Recognize improvement and accomplishments Keep trying new things (everyone, the teacher and student) Have a system of teaching and order to the class Don’t teach, help students learn Experience vs being taught- we learn more from experience (people learn more in the field than at school) Enjoyment- improves performance, and learning Promoting positive peer relationships Get on the mat with your students- you might feel things that you cannot see Have students figure out answers to their own questions (with your help) positional spar. Give them to tools to learn on their own. Trial and error Answer and encourage “Why” questions. “why do you grab his leg like that?” Mistakes and Failure are ok, this is how people learn Making leaders at your BJJ School Funny but, not a way to be a leader How can everyone have a leadership role? Answer your student’s questions- This will encourage other students

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio This week we have an interview with BJJ black belt Ken Primola.  With 15 years of BJJ experience find out why Ken Primola crosses the line.   We talk about: How BJJ builds friendships What Ken does off the mat His daily routine How BJJ and wrestling has effected Ken off the mat Ken describes his BJJ game and how he rolls Ken shares some great concepts about how to learn anything The ILoveBJJ facebook page Some of the biggest lessons he has realized as a black belt he learned them first as a white belt (rolling smooth, calm, safe, and smart) A huge key to getting better at competing Some mental tips to competition Pushing yourself to train harder Some must hear advice to anyone competing for the first time The importance of being an athlete. What Ken was like as a Blue belt Check out some of Ken's Ebooks here The process of learning both on and off the mat The process of developing a game plan What Ken looks for in an ideal student The benefits of planning

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio This week we bring you top black belt competitor Samir Chantre. Samir is a No-gi Worlds, Gracie Worlds and 6X American Nationals champion.  Listen to find out what technique he has been doing since he was a blue belt and now he does it as a high level black belt.  Samir is training and teaching full time with the Caio Terra Association. He has been training BJJ for 17 years (since he was 8 years old).  This interview is packed full of great tips and advice to help you in your BJJ journey.  Samir is also doing a BJJ Vacation Camp from August 29th to September 1st, full details in the interview. We talk about: Doing BJJ full time Old style of BJJ and the new style of BJJ Doing some of the same techniques since blue belt The first BJJ Vacation Camp, August 29th to September 1st 2014, in San Diego. What you can expect to do at the BJJ Vacation Camp His busy tournament schedule What he does before and after every match Why BJJ can be so frustrating your first

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Felipe Costa This week we bring you an interview with Black belt world champion Felipe Costa.  Not every world champion is relatable to the common grappler. Felipe shares his story, and I can guarantee that you will find many themes and feelings that you can relate to. With students being able to relate to him this has giving him a powerful teaching tool. We talk about: He has been training since he was 12 years old He never won a major tournament until he became a black belt It took him 10 years to get to his black belt Being a black belt means much more than rolling like a black belt His favorite techniques and positions His early competition career Overcoming being nervous and self doubt Beating a competitor that is better than you BJJ camp 2014 Sept 5- Sept 15. in Cancun His current neck injury that has kept him off the mat for over 2 months He describes the level of pain he has with his injury   Felipe Costa giving Ryan Hall his black belt Goals

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio This week we talk to Wil Horneff. This interview is packed full of great training advice and you can tell Wil has a passion for training and helping his students. Wil is a Black belt under Ralph Gracie, he owns a school in Westwood NJ called Training Grounds Jiu-Jitsu & MMA. At Training Grounds they teach BJJ, MMA, kickboxing, and have a kids program. We talk about: How some movies eventually got Wil into BJJ What it is like running his school Books he recommends: Gold Medal Mental Workout for Combat Sports, and The Inner Game of Tennis Why he focuses on adding pressure to his game Training with some high level BJJ athletes The current rules for IBJJF and why they are set up the way they are BJJ and self-defense Some of the ways BJJ needs to be changed to help in a street fight How training in the Gi can help for self defense He gives advice for 1st year students The importance of drilling until you can't do the move wrong S-Training and how it helps

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio Join Gary and Byron on the BjjBrick Podcast This week we talk about making changes to your BJJ and developing a game plan.  We break it down into 3 main steps: 1) Define the objectives 2) Get help 3) Do the work.  You are the only person how is ultimately in charge of your BJJ development take responsibility and make it happen.  To help you obtain your goal we strongly recommend that your write it down. 1) Define the objective- Make a realistic objective that is attainable but not too easy.  Your objective can be a new move or you can try to change your style.  You might decide to make one of your best moves (a brick) even better, or you could make a week area of your game stronger.  Your objective could also be to drop a few pounds or become more flexible. It is up to you what you want to work on, make sure it is something that will pay off in the long run. Try to avoid picking a fad. 2) Get help- Tell your coach what you are working on, that way you two

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio This week we talk to Nick Albin otherwise known as “Chewy”. He teaches and trains BJJ full time and is the head instructor at Derby City Mixed Martial Arts in Louisville, KY. Chewy is a Black Belt under Renato Tavares. He also has a website with lots of great information about BJJ here http://chewjitsu.net/  We talk about How your teammates help you shape your game Training with Renato Tavares The idea that you always need to be learning in BJJ Adding new techniques to your game Chewy's style of BJJ, he moves a lot and pushes the pace How his wrestling effects his BJJ Competing as a wrestler and advantages for BJJ His BJJ Blog chewjitsu.net How he got the name Chewy An article he wrote about chasing the next belt rank Managing expectations at each belt level How shorter time limits could effect grappling matches Using competition video for training Training with injuries Advice for people competing for the first time What he was like as a blue belt Develo

Carlos Machado is a Red Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  He has been teaching BJJ in the United States for over 20 years.  He moved to Texas in 1995, and he is now running 6 BJJ schools. He is the oldest of the five legendary Machado brothers. We talk about A little bit of history about early BJJ in the United States His style of rolling Why he rolls for 20 or 30 min at a time How his Jiu-Jitsu is getting better as he gets older Using proper breathing techniques Benefits of proper breathing Why he feels that he could beat the younger version of himself Examples of different breathing techniques (chew chew chew, 1,2,1,2) What his brothers are up to How he tries to make the techniques he already knows better Some tips on escaping the mount and how he has changed his escape over the years How he teaches complex moves by breaking them down Advice for blue belts Advice for competing in your first tournament Vegas July 4 weekend 2014 Martial Arts SuperShowCarlos is teaching an arm triangle July 1, 9:00 amCarlo