From the Dojo

Another episode with Andrew and we got into a few major topics. We went further into game building particularly ankle locks and warning Andrew of the typical pitfalls of exploring something intoxicating as the ankle lock. The gateway d*r*u*g to leglocks. I also touch upon the cheat code to rapid growth which is competition and something less popular which is my stance on winning/losing and why I have come to this conclusion, and we rounded the corner by talking about my take on the meta behind what DDS is doing along with how to properly choose a gym.   Hope you all enjoy this episode and any questions reach out to our socials. New topic ideas are more than welcome!  These podcasts can be found on all the major platforms. 

If anyone has any questions or feedback make sure to reach out to me via IG/Web/Youtube @baemjiujitsu

So you're at the early stages of BJJ and wanted to deep dive into how to approach building your game right? In this episode I have my friend Andrew who is a blue belt to help me get into it. He always has awesome... I'd say more cerebral questions on how to approach building the game. What game work for me? How do I tell it's working for me? What are some things I should keep an eye on? What is the "core" game and what is the "everything else" part of my game? What mistakes do you see when people start building their game? How did my game building change by rank?

This is just a small sampling of questions we went over and there's plenty more. In this episode, I try to navigate this topic the best I can from my personal experience and what I've witnessed how others have approached it as well. Be careful of the shiny object syndrome but also understand there's value in everything. But how do we find that balance to prevent the eventual moment where we realize we're at a dead-end and make sure we're approaching our progress in BJJ as best we can?

If anyone has any questions or feedback make sure to reach out to me via IG/Web/Youtube @baemjiujitsu

Switching schools isn’t an easy decision when you’ve built relationships that’ll last forever. With things like friendships, “loyalty,” toxic environments, or simply new job or having to move switching isn’t something that there is a guide book on. In this episode Edsel and Denney shares their own stories on switching gyms and shed some light into what the underlying things that are at play.  They wanted give advice to anyone else in this same position. 

The various phases of the switch, top mistakes and how to avoid them, long term effects, and happiness. Let’s get into it, hope everyone enjoys!

In this episode, Denney and Edsel go deep on how to correctly get back into the routine of practicing Jiu Jitsu after taking an extended period of time off. Whether it's injury or shelter in place, they cover all the aspects of this process. 

The biggest thing is EGO. Believe it or not, it's this one thing that can determine how well you come back or if you're able to come back at all. 

It's not just coming, it's how does this event push you to really walk that talk we in BJJ push which is, "check your ego at the door."

The detail how to keep a level head when re-entering the gym, and more. Most importantly, take it easy on the folks who haven't been spending lockdown improving their fitness. Hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Denney and Daniel have Carlos (Anesthesiologist at Stanford) discuss the current state in his ER relating to Covid-19. Then Edesel and Denney take a write-in question from a member at Baem Jiu Jitsu regarding how to defend against nut shots, and why they're often ineffective in combat situations with untrained or even "ineffectively trained" people. Purple belt, Eric Do, also joins us. 

In this episode, Daniel and Denney have VERY SPECIAL guest, Edsel Elizalde, on the pod to reminisce on the early days of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in America. Dojo storms, Gracie challenges, and the state of the sport today. 

Today we have Daniel, who brings a deep knowledge of cooking to the table, discussing his journey through the culinary world. We share notes on the lessons we each learned, mine from the mat and his from the kitchen. We talk about how similar both worlds are, and how we can use these lessons to help approach new challenges to have a leg up.

What is martial arts? What are we exceptional at? And how do we use these skills to parlay into new phases of our lives?

A martial artist’s perspective is a secret weapon to approaching life, and employ new lessons.

So, we're all in lockdown. We can't train at the gym. What now? In this episode, Denney and Daniel discuss what you can be doing to make good use of your time in solitude. They cover online content, solo training with or without equipment, and more.