Forever White Belt

Today on the show I have the pleasure of having a conversation with Jay Pages first degree Canadian Black Belt, Matthew McPeake. I had the honor of attending Matt's "Backpack Attacks" class at the 2021 Arizona BJJ Globetrotters camp. The efficacy of Matt's teaching and in particular his execution of the "backpack" concept is immediately evident. As soon as we started I knew this is something I needed to learn ASAP and this is someone who I need to study and keep an eye on going forward. In the episode, we learn about why Matt left his original academy as a Brown Belt, his path to becoming a BJJ Globetrotters instructor, how he went from Ronin to Black Belt, his holiday BJJ gift related suggestions, and so much more. Some housekeeping notes, this is another one of those episodes where we go deep into positional conversation and as such, I would highly recommend going to the Forever White Belt Facebook page to watch the corresponding videos posted there. Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and leave us feedback and suggestions at anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, and check us out on Instagram @foreverwhitebeltshow. It's the holidays so go buy our Forever White Belt swag at teespring.com/forever-white-belt . Links mentioned: Matt's BJJ Belt Pick https://www.kataaro.com/ Academy Matt teaches at https://bkjj.ca/about/coaches/ Matt's Instructional https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/all/products/introduction-to-the-power-line-modified-kesa-gatame-by-matthew-mcpeake BJJ Globetrotters https://bjjglobetrotters.com/ Platinum Training Facility https://platinummartialarts.com/

In this episode, I'm super honored to have a personal bucket list guest of mine, Priit Mihkelson. Priit is an Estonian Black Belt under SBG founder, Matt Thorton, his second degree issued by Chris Haueter, and he’s a member of the BJJ Globetrotters. I can’t stress this enough, in my opinion, Priit is the most important mind, researcher, and possibly voice on defensive BJJ at present. His positional teachings have been quietly revolutionizing BJJ for years, if you are an older player, a smaller player, or just interested in improving your defense, Priit’s material is a mandatory study. As I state in the episode, his take on the turtle should be one of the first things a white belt gets proficient at. His updated turtle position is akin to going from a time when we did not use wheels on luggage, to the day someone decided to put them on and the rest of us were left wondering why we did not do that all along. A few years ago I thought it a shame that more were not adopting his findings largely in part due to tradition, his sometimes curt delivery and just being ahead of his time. However, it seems the ice is thawing and people are finally getting on board with his defensive positions and concepts. Videos for context: Quick Intro To The Defensive BJJ System: https://youtu.be/vHDqBGNTnfY The Video That Broke Reddit, Raoul Audhoe testing Defensive BJJ in competition https://youtu.be/0aCWF2U7g8c Random That Priit Sh!t https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=priit+mihkelson Other links of note: Priit's online "academy"  https://defensivebjj.com/ Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and leave us feedback and suggestions at anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, and check us out on instagram @foreverwhitebeltshow. Buy our Holiday merch at https://teespring.com/forever-white-belt

Today on the show I have Vlad Koulikov. Started training in 1984 in prestigious academy Sambo 70 in Moscow, Russia. Holds rank of master of sport. Gold and silver medalist of two all soviet cups. USA open silver and two bronze in sambo. Multiple NAGA and Grappler Quest champion including most technical fighter award. 2004 ASA super fight winner. Black Belt in Judo (Nidan). MMA contender. Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Team USA member for 2008 combat sambo world championship. 2017 World Combat Wrestling Champion. Vlad is a Jiu Jitsu black belt under Rafael “Formiga” Barbosa. In 2008 Vlad represented Team USA in the Combat Sambo World Championships. He has placed and won several NAGA and Grapplers Quest tournaments. Vlad was awarded the most technical fighter in the very first Grapplers Quest tournament having won all of his matches by submission. Vlad is a fascinating renaissance man, raised in Russia, his father was a boxer, wrestler, and strongman. Vlad merged his expertise of Sambo into his Jiu Jitsu game and the results are highly effective. He is opening a new KGA (Koulikov Grappling Academy) in Texas and he has a dearth of instructional content online, I highly suggest you seek it out his foot sweeps and fierce throws are really the stuff of legend. Vlad is also known for being in a few little movies, a couple of which are named, "John Wick" with Keanu Reeves, and, "Salt" with Angelina Jolie. Despite being the quintessential tough guy Vlad is actually quite a nice humble gentleman, it was quite the honor to spend time with him. Ok, some housekeeping notes Vlad can speak really fast at times so keep up and if you're listening with the kids you may want to put on earmuffs for this one as there is liberal but intentional swearing on the episode. Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and leave us feedback and suggestions at anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, and check us out on Instagram @foreverwhitebeltshow.

In this episode I have Mike Currier back to cover a couple of topics that were top of mind with me. Mike is a Jiu Jitsu black belt under fourth degree black belt Professor Michael Chapman. Mike began training gymnastics at age 10 and was a nationally ranked gymnast until 1999. After retiring from competitive gymnastics, Mike transitioned into coaching. He has coached for multiple gyms including the world famous Camp Woodward in Woodward, PA. While living in Pennsylvania, Mike also worked as an assistant gymnastics coach for Penn State University. He began training Jiu Jitsu in 2014 and started coaching movement classes shortly after. In December of 2015, Mike opened his first Jiu Jitsu academy in Sherwood, Oregon. In June 2018, Mike and his wife Samantha (a BJJ brown belt) and their son moved to Fountain Hills, AZ where they opened Impact Fountain Hills. Impact was the first Jiu Jitsu academy in Fountain Hills and remains the only tumbling/parkour gym in the area. This episode focuses on two topics I wanted to explore. One is the topic of belt testing which arose from my conversation on another podcast. The other topic revolves around a Reddit response from one of the Mendes brothers repudiating accusations that Cole Abate was a sandbagger due to his being a 16 year old blue belt who routinely beats black belts. I still feel no real resolution on either topic and am left with even more questions to explore in further episodes. In terms of the belt testing topic, I can respect both positions for and against them. One thing to note, belt tests vary widely (please note I am a novice to the topic) but some of you have told me these “tests” are largely ceremonial and that the decision to belt someone up has already been made in advance. Others have said they are indeed technique tests that result in a pass/fail scenario. But the vast majority have told me their academies do not test and that it is the discretion of the instructor to award a belt or not and that process varies widely in itself. As for the Cole Abate controversy, to me, this seems to be more a topic of the subjective nature of “belting” itself. The self imposed age limitations, various standards, and there is no ubiquitous agreed upon logic to the whole thing which results in even more questions. Additionally with the advances in Bjj information, teaching techniques, nutrition, starting younger and training protocols. it makes me wonder if we need different tracks for practitioners ie amateur, minor/farm league division, and a professional track? Or something to that effect. Ok, some housekeeping notes: This was a last minute interview so you may hear me and Mike refer to that without giving context. We start the conversation with a recent situation where Mike agreed to a match but had to pull out with short notice, Mike will clarify why in the conversation. Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, leave us a message at anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, and check us out on all the socials by searching for Forever White Belt.

Today on the show I have Sven Groten. I’m feeling more and more like one of those record store nerds who just has to find the diamond in the rough, the one who carefully curates his collection. From time to time you can find these in Jiu Jitsu as well and I feel I've found one in Sven Groten. He’s a fantastic Jiu Jitsu thinker and teacher, I feel he brings tremendous insight and value to the community with his free videos, I highly suggest you check them out. Sven is also a European no gi competitor and co-owner of the Game Theory Academy in Cologne, Germany. He is a Luta Livre Black Belt and a BJJ Brown Belt, I’ll leave the belt color explanation story to Sven in the conversation. He is also a regular instructor on the BJJ Globetrotters Circuit and is a professional special needs teacher. Some housekeeping notes, in the interview we refer to BJJ Globetrotters quite a bit and I’ve realized that some people have no idea what that is. They refer to themselves as, "A WORLD-WIDE COMMUNITY OF TRAVELERS AGAINST JIU JITSU POLITICS.”. I would say they are best know for putting on amazing Jiu Jitsu camps all over the world, in fact, I’m excited to attend my very first one in Arizona soon (more reports on that later). Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and check out our Forever White Belt merchandise at https://teespring.com/forever-white-belt, and leave us a message at anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, and check us out on all the socials by searching for Forever White Belt.

In this episode, I have Michael Currier. Mike is a Jiu Jitsu black belt under fourth degree black belt, Professor Michael Chapman. Mike began training gymnastics at age 10 and was a nationally ranked gymnast until 1999. After retiring from competitive gymnastics, Mike transitioned into coaching. He has coached for multiple gyms including the world famous Camp Woodward in Woodward, PA. While living in Pennsylvania, Mike also worked as an assistant gymnastics coach for Penn State University. He began training Jiu Jitsu in 2014 and started coaching movement classes shortly after. In December of 2015, Mike opened his first Jiu Jitsu academy in Sherwood, Oregon. In June 2018, Mike and his wife Samantha (a BJJ brown belt) and their son moved to Fountain Hills, AZ where they opened Impact Fountain Hills. Impact was the first Jiu Jitsu academy in Fountain Hills and remains the only tumbling/parkour gym in the area. I really resonate with Mike's story, we share several experiences and philosophies. Mike really opens up and speaks candidly about being a fellow quitter, not being a planner, being a coach, being a competitor, the importance of entertaining Jiu Jitsu, being a belt snob and so much more. It's one of my favorite discussions thus far and Mike is just a fantastic individual. I look forward to many more discussions with him in the future. Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and check out our Forever White Belt merchandise at https://teespring.com/forever-white-belt, and leave us a message at anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, and check us out on all the socials by searching for Forever White Belt. @michaelcurrierbjj -ig K Guard Globetrotters video Mike's YouTube Channel

This episode is a bit of a departure from our typical format which warrants an introduction to the introduction, let me explain. Jon and Travis from "The Elbows Tight Podcast" were kind enough to have me on their show for a really fun and engaging conversation. I hope this is the first of many collaborations in the future with these kindred spirits. "Adolfo hosts Forever White Belt's trailblazing podcast and is (as of this recording) a two-stripe blue belt under Tryfon Stathopoulos at North Bay Jiu-Jitsu. Adolfo's story is incredibly relatable to many practitioners. His journey began in his early 40s, but he had to take a 4-year hiatus due to some serious medical problems. Finally, after recovering, working his way back, and moving out of San Francisco, Adolfo started looking for another academy to train at. Like many of our stories, Adolfo found himself "doing drive-bys past academies" with his toes hanging over the edge of jumping back into the cosmos of jiu-jitsu. He would finally take the leap of faith and stopped procrastinating when a school was located within a few minutes from his work. Adolfo is very open and vulnerable about his struggles with self-doubt, difficulties learning and retaining information, and not being "that guy" in class asking too many questions. He puts it all out there for people to relate and find common ground in their journies to his. Be sure to check out his show Forever White Belt and follow all of his social media to stay up to date with him. Forever White Belt: Anchor.FM https://anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt/episodes/Welcome-To-Forever-White-Belt-egj33u Facebook https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/foreverwhitebeltshow/?hl=en Twitter https://twitter.com/foreverwbshow Let us know what you think the episode is out today. Support the podcast by clicking the subscribe button on your favorite Podcast platform and if you genuinely enjoy it, give us a 5-star review. If there are any specific topic requests, drop, or person you want us to interview, leave us a comment on social media! Check out Our New Website! https://elbowstight.com/ Best Gi When Starting BJJ: https://www.elbowstight.com/best-gi-when-starting-brazilian-jiu-jitsu/ The Equipment Behind Elbows Tight Podcast: https://kit.co/ElbowsTightPodcast Subscribe on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuvHSgAUCczV4R_M6TsHcYw?view_as=subscriber Follow Our Social Media Pages! Instagram Podcast Page https://www.instagram.com/elbowstightpod/?hl=en Travis and Jon's https://www.instagram.com/travisetp/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/jtcrash78_/?hl=en Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ElbowsTightPodcast "

Today on the show I have the 14 year old green/black belt Jiu Jitsu phenom, Helena Crevar. Helena trains at Cobrinha BJJ Academy Las Vegas. I noticed this young lady racking up multiple wins mostly by submission at Fight 2 Win, Pan Kids, IBJJF, and more against both kids and adults! She even has an instructional on BJJ Fanatics called, "The Best Submissions From Open & Closed Guard". I knew she was a special type of individual, at 14 what was your mindset? I had zero goals and zero focus, Helena is the absolute opposite, she has clear goals, insane work ethic, determination, and most importantly super supportive parents. I have this feeling we are going to see a lot more from Helena and I look forward to watching her progression in the sport. Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and check out our Forever White Belt merchandise at https://teespring.com/forever-white-belt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, and check us out on all the socials by searching for Forever White Belt.

I have the tremendous honor of having two very special black belts on the show, Dave Kama and Ryan Young. Dave Kama is part of the legendary "Dirty Dozen" aka the first non Brazilian black belts (Dave was actually number two), he also trained in the legendary Gracie Garage (yes it was literally in a garage) and he has been a Black Belt under Rickson Gracie and training BJJ for over 35 years. In 1993, Rickson asked Dave to take over as head instructor at the Rickson Gracie Laguna Niguel location. Dave has been running this location ever since. In 2012, upon Rickson’s retirement, Dave officially changed the name of the school from Rickson Gracie Laguna Niguel to Kama Jiu-Jitsu, part of the Rickson Gracie Team of Academies. As for Ryan he trained under Relson Gracie in the '80s before training under Rickson and is now a third degree black belt under Dave Kama. Ryan was one of the first BJJ prolific YouTubers, he has hundreds of free videos to learn from. This interview was actually supposed to be with just Ryan but he told me if we could do it at 4 am my time he would have a surprise guest. And I was thrilled to have both Ryan and Dave on the show, quite the coup for the show. The depth of their knowledge of BJJ and being part of its history is just invaluable. They seem to be the lone voices left advocating for the Self Defense aspect of the art. I get the sense that having to infer that self defense is the most important part to learn of BJJ is just crazy to them. It makes me feel like they think that the BJJ community has lost its way, at one point Dave even says without the self defense learnings BJJ is a different art altogether, interesting food for thought. Some housekeeping notes, they did the interview on the built in microphone of an iPad pro so the audio is rough at times, I boosted levels as much as I could and spent weeks working on the audio but you may want to turn it up. Additionally, it was recorded at the Austin, TX academy so there is some training background noise at times. Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and check out our Forever White Belt merchandise at https://teespring.com/forever-white-belt, and leave us a message at anchor.com/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt and check us out on all the socials by searching for Forever White Belt.

Today on the show I have a great conversation with AOJ/Art of Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Danny Stolfi. Originally from Long Island,  Danny moved to Southern California in 2012 to learn from and work with the renowned Mendes Brothers, Professor Gui, and Professor Rafa Mendes. He has over 12 years of experience practicing the art and now lives the dream of spreading the jiu jitsu lifestyle through his academy, Breathe Jiu Jitsu in Bayport, New York. I especially appreciate what an open book Danny is about sharing his ups and downs on the journey. It can give the rest of us a sense of comfort and direction to know that we are not the only ones that can struggle with intense adversity and pressure at times and more importantly that there is light at the end of each turn. Check out his instructional's De La Riva Fundamentals at BJJ Fanatics and Competition Passing at Digitsu. 🌊 Some housekeeping notes, early on you may hear Danny refer to someone named Jamie and I neglected to set up the context, Jaimie is Danny's Fiance and business partner. Just a reminder to please give us a 5 star review on iTunes or just share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out, and check out our Forever White Belt merchandise at https://teespring.com/forever-white-belt, and leave us a message at anchor.com/foreverwhitebelt, also Like our Facebook page to get all the latest at https://www.facebook.com/foreverwhitebelt, @foreverwhitebeltshow on Instagram and @foreverwbshow on Twitter.