Gracie Jiu Jitsu Rocks! podcast

EP 130   Clark Gracie is the grandson of Grand Master Carlos Gracie and oldest son of GM Carley Gracie. He is a BJJ world champion and a world renowned instructor.  In this episode we discuss how  he’s coping with the current covid 19 situation and his thoughts on moving forward, his philosophy on training, sport vs competition focus, building “insurance,” academy culture, creativity in Jiu Jitsu, what makes him so successful in competition, balancing the pressure with becoming the best you can be, most common mistakes in competition prep, importance of mindset, putting yourself in bad positions intentionally, his new BJJ Fanatics video program- Automatic Omoplata System, growing up as a Gracie, his grandfather GM Carlos Gracie and his father GM Carley Gracie and the impact they had on him, where the term Gracie Jiu Jitsu came from, the evolution of BJJ, Gracies that don’t do Jiu Jitsu, his girlfriend and son, what he’s most proud of and most grateful for, and more…..

Mike The Cop is a police officer, Jiu Jitsu practitioner, and public figure/entertainer who makes videos to entertain people and build good relations between law enforcement and the community. He’s also the author of You Can’t Make This Stuff Up. In this interview we discuss the recent incident where an officer was kicked onto train tracks, what led him into law enforcement and what’s best thing about being LEO, the biggest challenges of being LEO, the importance of social media on perceptions about law enforcement officers, why he started Jiu Jitsu and the  biggest lesson learned through it, how much training officers get and why don’t they train more on their own, his thoughts on bad cops, his videos, mass shootings, what the movies and TV get wrong and right about police work, citizens’ arrests, his podcast Tales of Valor, and what the Sheepdog Nation is and more….

Scotty Nelson BJJ pioneer. He formed  OTM, one of the first successful JJ websites and technique platforms back in 1997, and has traveled the world contributing to BJJ in a multitude of ways. He’s a blackbelt under Jeff Glover and has had a huge impact on various aspects of BJJ and MMA. In this interview we discuss. In this interview we discuss his cancer hospital chipsa-what it is and how he got involved in it, complementary therapies and treatments,  Gerson diet, stem cells, The power of integrative medical care, Mind Body Medicine, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and the impact it’s had on his life, his relationship with Henry Akins, living in Brazil in the early days of BJJ/MMA, his GI company/brand-Lucky GI and the innovations he made in that industry, something that had a huge impact on his life, the need to change with the times, what he’s most proud of and what he wants to be remembered for, and there’s also a cameo from one and only Jeff Glover...

Matt Thornton is the founder, CEO and Head coach of Straight Blast GYM (SBG) International. He has trained countless martial artists and coaches, and has worked with some of the best MMA fighters, grapplers and combat athletes in the world.  In this interview we discuss several subjects including his start in martial arts, serving in the Army, his size (6’8” and if it ever affected/dictated  his martial arts style), his challenge match with Fabio Santos, meeting Rickson Gracie the first time, the biggest thing about martial arts (and Jiu Jitsu) that people just don’t get, Randy Couture’s impact on SBG, training under Chris Haugter, Aliveness, having solid fundamentals, the importance of connection, the value and weakness of traditional martial arts, Henry Akins’ recent move to SBG, and Henry’s impact on his training, his unique approach to teaching seminars, the most interesting book he’s read in the past year, being a father as a younger man and being a father as an older man, and more! After the interview stick around for the

Professor Ricardo Almeida is a Renzo Gracie black belt, a retired UFC and Pride FIghter, and founder of Ricardo Almeida BJJ Academy. In this episode he discusses the power of Jiu Jitsu in people's lives and who Jiu Jitsu  is for, overcoming fear through Jiu Jitsu , how to get through this current self isolation situation, growing up with his brothers Flavio and Andre, the early days in Brazil and competition between schools, matches that stand out, Carlis Gracie JR s impact on him, fighting MMA in Pride and UFC, best American Jiu Jitsu guys right now and best Jiu Jitsu guys in MMA, being a MMA judge and challenges for judges, being a father and how Jiu Jitsu helps  kids with autism and kids in general, his relationship with Renzo Gracie and the impact it’s had on his Jiu Jitsu and life, training as you get older, and more. 

 Ricky Lundell is FILA world champion, a 2 time Pankration world champion, and a Jiu Jitsu world champion. He’s a former D-1 Wrestler and the youngest person to receive a black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu in the US. He is a world renowned wrestling, BJJ, and MMA coach, and 4th degree BJJ Black Belt under Master Pedro Sauer. Ricky is a prominent coach, trainer, and motivational speaker, and is also founder of One Percent Better Every Day ™ . In this episode Ricky discusses starting BJJ as a child including time he “fought” Pedro Sauer’s daughter Taissa), early days with Pedro, how he became the youngest black belt in the US, early MMA (NHB), things that he did to become world champion  (importance of visualization and drilling), early Grapplers Quest days, FILA and Pankration world championships, how ended up on the Iowa State wrestling team and his relationships with Cael and Cody Sanderson, the University of Grappling, working with UFC fighters and champions, taking a personal diagnostic daily, The 1% Better Every Day movement ™ and philosophy and how it can change your life, how personal tragedy forced him to dig deep, how he set out to squat 500 lbs in 500 days (at 149 lbs body weight). Ricky is an incredible human being so don’t miss this episode! 

Michael Heinz is a Jiu Jitsu instructor, yoga & meditation expert, and owner of SBG Texas. In this episode he discusses his jiu jitsu and life journey, living and teaching overseas & how living abroad can help you grow and broaden your perspective, training in Korea under John Frankl, the UFC’s influence on him, his thoughts on competition, training with Henry Akins, his friendship with Rob Wolf, how he was led to move to Texas to open SBG Texas, his hobbies off the mat, and more…

In this episode Marty has a discussion with Professors Keith Owen, Greg Nelson, and Mark Cukro about starting the year off strong and staying strong throughout the year.  They discuss  How not to fizzle out half way through the year; Goals versus Resolutions; The importance of goals and the biggest mistakes in doing goals; Accountability; Leading by example and bringing out the best in others; Helping each other raise our levels; Getting out of our comfort zones; Celebrating our success; When to share your goals and when not to, and much more!

End of the year episode featuring clips from Roger Gracie (what made him so successful and mastering the cross collar choke), Sophia McDermott (being part of the Jiu Jitsu community and advice for people new to BJJ), Physical Culture and BJJ (with Roy Dean, Henry Akins, John Frankl, and Robb Wolf (how BJJ can cause physical  imbalances)), Robert Drysdale (accountability and ego), and Tom DeBlass.

Professor Scott Smith, 3rd degree Pedro Sauer Black Belt and owner of Gracie Jiu Jitsu of Kentucky, is an accomplished martial artist and sought after instructor. In this episode he discusses his thoughts on competition and self defense, the recent Pedro Sauer camp, the major influence people like Jim Kelly and Henry Akins, have had on his Jiu Jitsu, how he initially didn’t like Jiu Jitsu, testing (or not testing) for rank, how he started his school with $385 and grew it to a thriving academy with hundreds of students, his philosophy in working with kids, his family’s role in hs academy, his relationship with Master Sauer and the impact he’s had on his life, and more….