The Shintaro Higashi Show

Running a kids' program is one of the most important yet often overlooked aspects of managing a successful martial arts school. Essential for growth and sustainability, these programs, however, are frequently seen by many martial arts instructors as secondary to adult programs. What does it take to run a fun, educational, and successful kids' program in a martial arts school? In this episode, Shintaro and Greg sit down with Joseph Coker, who currently leads the kids' Judo program at Shintaro's gym, KBI. Shintaro considers Joseph to be one of the finest kids' martial arts instructors he has ever encountered. Joseph shares some of his invaluable tips for running a successful kids' martial arts program.

Shintaro and Peter have extensively discussed the economics of Judo in the United States. Now that we understand the current status quo, what can we do about it? More specifically, how can we grow our gyms to in turn help Judo expand at the grassroots level?

Judo, and grappling in general, is usually thought to be a long journey. But is there a way to shorten it? Shintaro believes there is! In this episode, he shares his idea of a fast track to success in Judo and grappling.

Shintaro sits down with Austin Cook, a Stanford-trained medical doctor whose illustrious Judo career includes gold medals at the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Open, along with a bronze medal at the Panamerican Open. They delve into Austin's grappling journey, discussing his unorthodox and innovative training methods.

Uke appreciation episode! Being an Uke is a huge part of Judo, but it's often not the most popular role, and many Judoka never bother to work on their Uke skills. Is it time for us to change that? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter what we can do to become a good Uke.

Shintaro is now a dirty guard puller! We Judokas, and some BJJ'ers, love to make fun of guard pullers, but is the ridicule really warranted? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss pulling guard, especially Shintaro's recent experience in his BJJ journey. Is pulling guard useful? If so, when is it useful, and how can we do it most effectively?

With no-gi grappling's meteoric rise, no-gi Judo has recently been gaining attention. What exactly is no-gi Judo? Is it basically just Judo without the gi, or is it an entirely different sport that deserves its own spotlight? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss no-gi Judo: how they have been approaching it, and how we as Judokas should approach it.

A metagame, often described as a 'game within a game,' refers to the strategies used within a game to secure victory. Every competitive game, including Judo, has its own metagame. Yet, due to Judo's rapid pace and nuanced tactics, its metagame can be challenging to recognize and analyze. In this episode, Shintaro and Peter delve into the most prevalent metagames in Judo today and discuss strategies for developing your own effective metagame.

Making friends and finding your own community at the dojo is key to success for any Judoka. That's actually how Shintaro and Peter became friends! In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss how we can make friends at the dojo effectively, and foster a friendly environment where everyone is welcome.

Incorporating small games into your practice is a popular training method across many sports. Does this also work for Judo? In this episode, Shintaro and Greg discuss in depth various Judo games that can help you become a better Judoka. They talk about various aspects of the games such as how they can help you and how they have worked at Shintaro's dojo.

Recently, many intermediate BJJ'ers are dabbling in Judo to improve their takedown game, but are they approaching it the right way? Some Judo throws can be detrimental if used incorrectly in BJJ. Is it better off for the intermediate BJJ'ers to learn wrestling? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter go in depth on how intermediate BJJ'ers should incorporate Judo into their training and game.

It's quite common in America for intermediate Judokas to supplement their training with BJJ. Maybe the BJJ school offers more flexible class times, or they want to improve their newaza. What is the best way for them to approach BJJ to maximize its benefits? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss strategies for intermediate Judokas to effectively integrate BJJ into their training.

The Judo community lives in the comment section! If you're doing an Uchi Mata and you hit that far leg it's actually Hane Goshi....and you'll hear about it. The comments on our videos are overwhelmingly positive, but there's always some that stick out as negative. We talk today about the commenting judo community across the internet and give our thoughts. like COMMENT subscribe lol

Ouchi Gari is possibly the most ubiquitous and frequently used grappling technique. Why is it so popular, and how can we really take advantage of its versatility? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter go on a deep dive of Ouchi Gari to answer those questions.

When most people talk about their Judo game, they tend to focus on their favorite techniques and maybe favorite combinations around them. But Judo is more than that, and we need to be doing higher-order thinking. How is your natural athletic ability? What is your opponent's Judo game? What are the weaknesses of my Judo game? In this episode, Shintaro and Greg analyze Greg's Judo game in depth as an example of higher-order thinking for Judo.

Judo with its high amplitude throws is known to be one of the more dangerous grappling arts out there. Are there any "safe" Judo throws then? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss this question in depth.

Judo is one of the most technical and physical sports out there, but you can't win all your Judo matches with your physical prowess and techniques. Then, what else do you need to win Judo matches? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter go in depth about the oft-overlooked side of winning Judo matches.

You are a dedicated Judoka that loves everything about Judo. You train hard at your local dojo even though the facility is not great and there are not that many people to practice with. One day, you get an opportunity to drop in at a local BJJ school, and it's a completely different experience. The facility is brand new with working showers, and there are always tons of people to roll with. You don't want to, but you can't help but ask the question, "Man, why does Judo suck?" In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss this provocative question. Why does Judo suck right now, and how can we make it not suck?

Tai Otoshi is one of those throws that many want to learn, but is deceptively difficult to master. What makes it so popular, yet so difficult to master? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss Tai Otoshi: its basic mechanics, how to practice it and many more.

Shintaro sits down with Jessa Khan, the gold medalist at the IBJJF World Championship 2023. They talk about her BJJ journey, and her upcoming fight with Danielle Kelly at ONE Fight Night 14 on Sep. 29, 2023. You can watch her fight on Amazon Prime, and follow her on Instagram @jessakhan.

Shintaro recently went to Big Bear City, CA to give a seminar at a BJJ school. In this episode, he shares his experience with Greg, especially around how it was to give a seminar at a BJJ school as a Judo instructor.

Judo places a bigger emphasis on Ashi Waza or foot techniques than other grappling arts. Yet, Ashi Waza can remain elusive to many. What is the key to integrating Ashi Waza to your game? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss the primary mechanics of Ashi Waza, and how to train and integrate them into your game.

Traditionally, Judo training relied almost exclusively on uchikomi, repetition training of throws, and randori, free sparring. Does this paradigm still work, or is there a more efficient way of training? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss "situational training," where Judokas repeatedly drill specific situations and positions. Is it more efficient, and if so, how could we add it to our regular training?

You can't always get that picture-perfect ippon throw, so it is important to know how to "finish" the throw. What does it mean to finish a throw, and how can we practice it? In this episode, Shintaro shares some of his tips in "finishing" throws.

Ever wonder who was behind all of the high-quality YouTube videos on Shintaro's channel? In this episode, you get to hear Greg discuss with Shintaro about his experience producing videos for Shintaro's channel. He talks about how the partnership started, how it's going and how he plans to take the channel to the next level in the future.

In this special episode, Shintaro's cousin Eugene sits down to share his expertise as a doctor of physical therapy. He shares tips on prehab, injury prevention, proper training methodologies and many other areas!

Judo places a huge emphasis on competition, but is competition for everyone? It wouldn't be an overstatement to say every Judoka has asked the question "should I compete?" at some point during their Judo journey. What'd be the best way to answer this question? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss some of the factors to consider in answering this question.

Judo is known for its physicality, but can it also be a "thinking" game? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss this "thinking" aspect of Judo and whether or not Judo can improve strategic thinking capabilities.

The American wrestling system is known to consistently produce quality grapplers. What's the reason behind its success, and what can Judo learn from it? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss their theories on why wrestling in America is so successful, drawing from their personal experiences.

Tammi Musumeci is one of the most decorated BJJ competitors with multiple World Championship wins under her belt. In this episode, Tammi talks about how she started BJJ, how she's managed to keep up with both BJJ and her career as a lawyer, and her upcoming fight with Amanda 'Tubby' Alequin at ONE Fight Night 12 on July 14, 2023.

When you train Judo, it's inevitable to encounter different body types. Some of your training partners may be tall and lanky, while others may be short and stocky. The corollary is that we all have different bodies. How do we account for this during training? Do we need to adjust our techniques we use? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter go in depth about how to train with different bodies.

The primary purpose of the belt system in Judo is to help beginners with their progress. Does the current belt system in Judo, especially in America, work well for the intended purpose? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter discuss the status of the current Judo belt system in America, and suggest possible enhancements to serve the community better.

Seoi Nage is probably the most iconic throw in Judo that even a person with no experience in Judo can recognize. How did it become so iconic? Is Seoi Nage for every Judoka? How can we utilize it more effectively? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter go in depth about this iconic throw.

Judo is said to have a very steep learning curve, which may be quite discouraging for beginners. One way to combat this is to create smaller milestones to keep track of your progression. What are some of these fundamentals you can use to keep your progression in Judo? In this episode, Shintaro and Peter go in depth about what they use to keep track of their and their students' progression.