Learning to Fight! Conversations in Combat Skill

Send us Fan MailWhat was intended as a quick test conversation for a future Primal MMA podcast, turned into a fun and broad discussion of training for MMA and Sam's recent foray into the ecological non-linear space. (So we decided to upload it)Sam is a coach at Ronin Fitness in Eau Claire Wisconsin and has been rapidly gravitating towards the ecological and constraint led approach to martial arts training, in this three part episode we discuss the non-linear vs more traditional linear training approach. BE ADVISED LOTS OF BAD LANGUAGE!

Send us Fan MailWhat was intended as a quick test conversation for a future Primal MMA podcast, turned into a fun and broad discussion of training for MMA and Sam's recent foray into the ecological non-linear space. (So we decided to upload it)Sam is a coach at Ronin Fitness in Eau Claire Wisconsin and has been rapidly gravitating towards the ecological and constraint led approach to martial arts training, in this three part episode we discuss the non-linear vs more traditional linear training approach. BE ADVISED LOTS OF BAD LANGUAGE!!

Send us Fan MailWhat was intended as a quick test conversation for a future Primal MMA podcast, turned into a fun and broad discussion of training for MMA and Sam's recent foray into the ecological non-linear space. (So we decided to upload it)Sam is a coach at Ronin Fitness in Eau Claire Wisconsin and has been rapidly gravitating towards the ecological and constraint led approach to martial arts training, in this three part episode we discuss the non-linear vs more traditional linear training approach. BE ADVISED LOTS OF BAD LANGUAGE!

Send us Fan MailIn this 8th episode I talk with "Sport England's" , Stu Armstrong.Stu is a educator, talent developer, forward thinking coaching activist and proponent of a non-traditional ecological dynamics approach to learning sport.With over 150 episodes of his own coaching podcast (The Talent Equation), Stu has collaborated with and interviewed some of the most successful coaches and trainers across a wide range of sports.With over 20 years of coaching experience, Stu's personal journey and coaching career has been refined by his persistent critical evaluation of coaching methods and continual self improvement.  In this episode, we discuss the Ecological Dynamics (Non-Linear) approach to coaching. Stu does what he does best. He unpacks and demystifies academic jargon and theoretical concepts and delivers them as easy to understand practical applications for coaches..Coach Armstrong can be reached at https://twitter.com/stu_arm and his wonderfully informative podcast at https://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/. I very am thankful for his time and contribution to the Primal MMA coaching podcast.

Send us Fan MailIn this 7th episode I talk with Coach Israel Halperin. Dr Halperin has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Science, and currently resides in Tel Aviv, Israel where he lectures and researches. With a rich history of participation in martial arts as a professional competitor and coach, Israel offers a rather unique academic and practical perspective towards training. In this episode, we discuss specific and non-specific training and how we might best balance effective skill development, risk/injury mitigation, and the value of various common training methods. Dr Halperin can be reached at https://twitter.com/Israel_Halperin and his research at https://www.israelhalperin.com . I very much hope he will be a returning guest on the Primal MMA coaching Podcast.

Send us Fan MailIn this 6th episode I talk with founder and creator of "Train Ugly'' and ''The Learner Lab'', Trevor Ragan.Trevor, is an educator, coach and practice design consultant across several sports, working including, basketball, baseball and rugby.For the last decade, Trevor has been at the forefront of a mission to optimize coaching, learning and training philosophies. In this discussion we explore the principles of randomizing and adding variability to practice and how it can be used to design more effective and authentic training environments. Trevor's body of work is accessible at https://thelearnerlab.com/trevor-ragan/ and his podcast The Learner Lab'' https://thelearnerlab.com/podcast/ is a wonderful and valuable resource for anyone who is interested in optimizing their own learning processes.

Send us Fan MailIn this 5th episode I talk with Michigan State University's Coordinator of Sports Coaching and Leadership, Andy Driska PhD. Andy talks about different kinds of feedback, what is effective and what's not, and bridging some of the gaps between the Sports Science academics and the day to day sports coaches and practitioners. Andy is able to do so as both an academic/researcher/educator and long time coach of swimmers and water polo teams. As in previous episodes we discuss the challenge of balancing effective practice and risk/injury mitigation. Andy can be reached at https://twitter.com/andydriska and I very much hope he will be a returning guest on the Primal MMA coaching Podcast.

Send us Fan MailIn this fourth episode, I talk with Jeff 'Jackie' Chan. Jeff is the creator of the hugely popular MMA Shredded YouTube channel.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt1ZR07apYANZ3MmlbipIXg and a professional fighter currently signed to ONE FC.Jeff's training videos and tutorials differ from most typical coaching videos in that he demonstrates the skills in live and authentic situations.  In the podcast we discuss the evolution of MMA Shredded and Jeff's training history. We also discuss the importance of sparring, authentic training methods and balancing the sparring volume with intensity to mitigate risk.Jeff has traveled the world training at some of the best MMA gyms. He talks about his experiences and how his own training has evolved over time.We also talk about the differences between training for skill and training for technique and finding the balance between both to optimize the practice experience. I have written about Jeff and his training methods before and how I think they epitomize many of the effective principles of learning and development which science supports. https://www.primalmke.com/post/youtube-coaching-why-i-m-jeff-chan-s-fan-boy Jeff was fantastic guest to have on the Podcast so early. Enjoy.

Send us Fan MailIn this second episode, we talk with Irish TKD coach Richie Forde. Richie is a former World Level competitive TKD competitor, coach, and the creator of a tremendous amount of content for the 'The TKD coach academy'. Richie and I discuss our perspectives on effective training and coaching and our embracing of the live, chaotic, and authentic training environment.Richie is a very progressive and forward-thinking boxing coach from Ireland and with his collaborators, is working hard to change training attitudes and approaches on the national TKD scene. A valuable discussion for any combat sports coaches who find themselves questioning some of the conventional wisdom and traditional training methods in martial arts. 

Send us Fan MailIn this third episode, we talk with Will Massey. Will is a Sports Psychologist, educator, coach, and practicing martial artist.Will and I discuss the motivations of Martial Artists, how to foster sustained motivation and participation. We also talk about the types of athletes and students that step onto the mats.Will is able to pair an academic and theoretical perspective with a practical understanding as both a student and coach of the sport. This valuable discussion given retention, motivation and participation involve creating a positive and engaging psychological training environment.