Learning to Fight! Conversations in Combat Skill

Send us Fan MailDanny Hatcher joined me to talk more about ecological dynamics for sport.Danny is a Podcaster, youtuber, educator, coach and sport scientist from the UK. We connected after I watched his terrific youtube video on Ecological Learning. Among his many endeavors, Danny has spent a lot of time researching in the areas of psychology and learning. This has given him a robust understanding of both the information processing approach of cognitive psychology and the Ecological approach of ecological psychology. Danny is active on twitter and is well worth and follow. I look forward to him returning in the future as guest to pick his brain again. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode I welcome on Coach Kabir Bath, founder and owner of Kaboom Jiu-Jitsu in Surrey, British Columbia. Kabir is a Raphael Lovato Jr Black belt/affiliate and was a Lovato associate coach of the year 2017.As Kabir explains in the episode, he recently and abruptly shifted to an ecological approach while abandoning the more typical traditional format for learning and teaching jiu-jitsu.I can't give enough credit to an already successful and established coach who is not only open to change, but who has done so, so rapidly and radically.I look forward to watching team Kaboom grow and thrive in the coming months and years.Ancora Imparo Indeed! 

Send us Fan MailToday I welcome back Standard Jiu-Jitsu's coach Greg Souders.Greg and I were chatting about a very recent reddit post aptly named, 'Training at a gym that doesn't teach technique'. The post was specifically posing the question about Standard's training approach and garnered many perspectives and opinions.Greg, and I decided to talk about the post, some of the comments and record our discussion for an episode. As usual the editing and sound quality of the episode is a little rough and unpolished, but I hope the quality of the content makes up for that.*If myself or Greg in anyway misrepresented anyone's comments on the thread, please feel free to reach out so we can address.Likewise, I am always open to debate, discussion and pushback. Should anyone want to be a guest on the podcast to have such a debate, please reach out to me on my IG with a DM or contact me by email at scott@primalmke.comMuch love to all that support! Onwards and Upwards!

Send us Fan MailOn this epsiode, I welcome Dr Mike Piekarski aka. @doctor_kickass about to talk about S&C for MMA. As I discuss with Mike, I've believe that in being so focused on skill development in practice, I've been  guilty of undervaluing the role of S&C, in particular when it comes to competition. My concern with not cutting into valuable 'learning' time, inevitably had me neglect and deemphasize  the importance of S&C.  As part of rebalancing  and moving forward with my team. I reached out to Mike for some insight, advice and direction. Being a BJJ blackbelt, a former MMA fighter and an active Dr of Physical Therapy, Mike seemed to be an obvious choice to invite on for discussion.I very much enjoyed talking with him, and encourage anyone in the MMA space to give him a follow on IG where he posts most of his content. I do plan to have more S&C coaches and scientists on going forward as a part of my rebalancing of training focus. Onwards and Upwards! Enjoy the convo with Dr Kickass!

Send us Fan MailOn this episode we delve a little more into the underpinning science of Ecological Dynamics.I recently read 'Introduction to Ecological Psychology' written by Dr Julia Blau and Dr Jeff Wagman which was a terrific read. The book was just recently published in the summer of 2022. Had this book been available years ago, it might have saved me countless hours of confusion and frustration. While there is little talk of MMA or Grappling in this episode, it does offer a teaser of the fascinating area of ecological psychology and how we interact  and move in our world. Our discussion lends support to what many of the guest coaches and academics that have been on the podcast are telling me. That we are complex systems and we must let the body acquire skillful movement solutions trusting it to do what it is designed to do. Solve movement problems.Dr Blau and Dr Wagman also recently appeared on the Perception Action Podcast to discuss the book.  As mentioned countless times, Dr Gray's podcast is a treasure trove of contemporary sports science and any coach that wants to better understand the human system and how it learns should absolutely subscribe and listen to it. Thank you to all who support and listen. And especially all those who took time to talk to me an participate in the discussions. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I talk with again with Coach Greg Souders of Standard Jiu-Jitsu , Rockville MD (Maryland).Greg is a black belt who founded Standard Jiu-Jitsu several years back following many years of training and competing with Team Llyod Irvin.  A product of the high repetition and traditional development approach, Greg largely abandoned the conventional ways in favor of a more ecological approach to skill development.This time, we recorded with Greg in Milwaukee where he came to visit for a day.  Greg was in the area with his team-mate and student, Alex Nguyen, who came to clean up at the Midwest Finishers tournament in Lombard IL, (Where she did so handedly and took home the 115lb female pro-bracket belt and cash).Today we discuss practice design from a learning vs teaching perspective and Greg's four pillars of good practice. I. Considering the historical Emergence of  the Grappling arts. II. Starting with the end in mind.III. Low to high variability.IV. Playing the whole game every day. Greg for me, is a coach's coach and really seems to be a trailblazer for the growing ecological minded schools out there.Should anyone want to get in touch (I recommend they do). He is reachable on his social media links here. IG and Facebook and of course via his website 

Send us Fan MailAndy Lane is a professor and researcher in sports psychology at the University of Wolverhampton UK.  Andy joined me to discuss strategies and methods for developing and building psychological skills in training and competition. A former boxer with 50 fights, Andy is an advocate for responsible and ethical training/sparring and suggests alternative and effective ways to battle ready and pressure test fighters.Andy is most active on twitter @andylane27 and also shares content on his youtube channel.I was introduced to Andy after hearing him talk on the 'Sport Psych Show' podcast with Dan Abrahams. (An excellent podcast worth checking out!)

Send us Fan MailDr. Tom Parry is the founder and owner of Kestrel Performance Psychology. He has a Ph.D. in Human Performance from Indiana University with specializations in Skill Acquisition and Psychology.​He wears many hats including Professor, Father, Coach and Consultant. These roles have blessed him with a detailed understanding of human behavior from various perspectives and the nuanced nature of performance. He has worked with numerous individual athletes, sports teams and businesses to improve their performance and meet their desired outcomes.Tom joined me to discuss and elaborate on a recent twitter thread he posted recently. It was a thread that really resonated with me and I wanted to find out more.Tom actively shares and posts content on his twitter page and is well worth a follow!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I talk with Coach Greg Souders of Standard Jiu-Jitsu , Rockville MD (Maryland).Greg is a black belt who founded Standard Jui-Jitsu several years back following many years of training and competing with Team Llyod Irvin.  A product of the high repetition and traditional development approach, Greg largely abandoned the conventional ways in favor of a more ecological approach to skill development. This episode was recorded with Greg in person when I visited his gym (nicknamed the Black Temple). After a couple of days training there, it was apparent how incredibly well developed his team are and how engaging and high quality the training is.  Greg's team have a unique way of communicating their understanding of the sport and interacting with each other. Greg for me, is a coach's coach and really seems to be a trailblazer for the growing ecological minded schools out there. Should anyone want to get in touch (I recommend they do). He is reachable on his social media links here. IG and Facebook and of course via his website I look forward to seeing Greg's name being tossed around in the discussion of up and coming progressive and high-level coaches. If his team keeps developing at the same rate, I imagine this won't take long!

Send us Fan MailFor 30 years, Coach Greg Nelson has overseen the training and development of thousands of combat sports athletes at his gym The Academy in Minnesota. Among these fighters and champ that he has helped produce, Brock Lesnar, Kaitlin Young, Brock Larson, Sean Sherk, Dave Menne and Nick Thompson. He is also a regular part of UFC Straw-weight former reigning champ Rose Namajunas team. Coach Nelson talks about his approach, philosophies and methods that he employs from entry level novice hobbyists all the way up to UFC World Champions.  He talks both about how training and the sport has evolved and changed,  and what attributes and features are remain ever present in High-Level elite performers.I was happy and reassured to hear that many of principles and approaches that Coach Nelson has employed so successfully, are very much aligned with the broader underpinnings of ecological dynamics. I particularly appreciated the apparent autonomy and creativity he fosters in his training environment and his approach to ethical and sensible training to promote longevity and skill development. For more info on Coach Nelson and or the Academy. Visit www.theacademymn.com You can also hear Coach Greg drop nuggets of fighting wisdom on his own podcast "In the Clinch"Follow Coach Nelson and his team on IG or Twitter.