The BJJ Fanatics Podcast

Travis Stevens returns to talk about the current state of American Judo, his thoughts on BJJ athletes crossing over to Judo competition and the pros and cons of tradition in martial arts. He also talks about mindset and assessing your skills honestly.

Shintaro Higashi, an expert in both judo and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu, shares his insights on integrating judo techniques into grappling. He discusses training safely while 'trading wins' for optimal performance. The conversation dives into the importance of anchor points for effective takedowns and emphasizes creativity in grappling through the use of feints. Shintaro also explores foot sweeps, the global relevance of judo in modern BJJ, and the playful side of grappling with humorous hypotheticals about animal combat.

If you've ever considered opening your own gym, this episode is a must-listen! Master Fabio Gurgel shares knowledge he's collected from decades of running one of the largest teams in BJJ. He covers best practices, costs and income potential for gym owners

Rigan Machado joins the show to talk about Old School Jiu-Jitsu, the importance of keeping up with modern trends in the art and Jiu-Jitsu in film choreography. He also talks about what he feels BJJ needs to do to reach more mainstream viewers. 

Shawn Williams returns to talk about ADCC vs CJI, the standards of a black belt, overcoming self-doubt and developing sliding skills. He also covers effective coaching methods and dives deep on the body lock! 

Adam Wardzinski, the first European Black Belt male world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, discusses his journey, work ethic, and advice for aspiring champions. He also shares insights on the Octopus Guard technique and reflects on topics like tattoos, concert memories, and self-defense against a black bear.

Kurt is back and in better shape than ever! He talks about lifting weights, setting up take downs, using swords in a street fight and CJI vs ADCC.  He also takes questions from listeners and gives tips on fighting both wild animals and leg lockers! 

Experienced Jiu-Jitsu instructor Paul Schreiner discusses teaching methods in Jiu-Jitsu, emphasizing individualized learning and problem-solving. Topics include optimizing class time, curriculum approach for safety, Mayan civilization, near-death surfing encounters, and teaching Jiu-Jitsu in Cuba.

Rolles Gracie joins the show to talk about creating an environment that helps students learn faster, upper belts mentoring lower belts and his thoughts on the practice of testing for belts. He also gives advice for white belts. 

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!