The Chewjitsu Podcast

Andy Varela is a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and high level competitor. Andy joins the podcast to discuss his start in training MMA and then eventually focusing on Jiu-Jitsu at 21 years old, what it was like having a father who was an MMA coach, moving to Las Vegas to pursue a career MMA, competing in a grappling match against former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland, how he developed Jiu-Jitsu style focused around attacking the back, the inspiration to elevate his Jiu-Jitsu game, the decision to stop training MMA, Jiu-Jitsu inspirations, favorite tournament format, how he trains for longer matches, the value and benefit of teaching, tournament prep for ADCC, and the main lessons learned form losses. Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

On this episode, Chewy and Eugene are joined by BJJ black belt and former MMA fighter Jeff Alexander. Jeff also helps run "The Chewjitsu Open" and shares some details about the upcoming tournaments. Jeff joins the podcast to discuss his start in MMA and taking his first fight without any formal training, the challenges of balancing family life and training, the start of 6 am BJJ classes and their importance in training, the most disciplined people in BJJ, making the most of your time, the advantages of starting in MMA and transitioning to BJJ, how and why Jeff started to change his BJJ game at Brown Belt, the process of adding new elements to your BJJ, how to make the most progress with limited time on the mats, the value and benefit of competition, dealing with competition nerves, the idea behind starting "The Chewjitsu Open" and the unique ruleset, what to expect at a Chewjitsu Seminar, and dealing with injuries as an older grappler. If you want to learn more about "The Chewjitsu Open," you can register or learn more at https://chewjitsu.nuwaycombat.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chewjitsuopen/ Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

On this episode, we are joined by 10th Planet Black Belt, former MMA fighter, and "Rogue Combat Club" owner Johnny Buck. Johnny discusses what sets his gym and business apart from other gyms in Asheville area, the importance of gym culture on and off the mats 15, how to build a balance at the gym for hobbyists and high level competitors, the importance of having stressors in your life, the importance of making an impact on others, the importance of building community, learning how to teach from 10th Planted Black Belt Brandon McCaghren, Johnny's start in martial arts and transition from MMA to Jiu-Jitsu, how his training has evolved as he has gotten older, the benefits of walking for health, Johnny's proudest achievement in martial arts, book recommendations, and his thoughts on drilling. Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

On this episode, Chewy and Eugene discuss the idea of whether BJJ is watered down. We chat about how Jiu-Jitsu has evolved over the years from a traditional self-defense martial art and more toward a sport, how BJJ becoming more of a business changed the martial art, the evolution of training, how social media has impacted BJJ techniques and learning, the evolution and proliferation of techniques, if it is easier to get promoted in BJJ today, the importance of having older grapplers on the mats, and whether the skillset of Jiu-Jitsu practitioners is better today. Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

Guest Austin Cook, Judo National Champion, talks about his start in Judo, learning Jiu-Jitsu, cross-over between wrestling, Judo, and Jiu-Jitsu, why he stopped grappling for 6 years, idea behind his Instagram page, biggest difference between Judo and BJJ, and ideas on longevity for grappling.

On this episode of the podcast, Chewy and Eugene discuss 5 basic principles that are useful in BJJ and in Life. Everything requires repetition and practice. Be open to learning new techniques and doing things that make you uncomfortable. It's better to be effective with less than be ineffective with more. Your perception shapes everything. Find activities that require less discipline. Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

Chewy discusses what makes an effective BJJ Coach, whether you have to be an extrovert to be a good coach, and how to increase confidence. Know the content you are teaching (be prepared) Prepare more content then you think you will need Get your "reps." Learn your student's names. The mission is to make your students better. Book recommendations to assist with coaching: "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by "Peak" "Range" "Practice Perfect" Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

On this live recording of the Chewjitsu Podcast, Chewy and Eugene discuss 5 life lessons that they have learned from martial arts followed by a live Q&A. We discuss the following ideas: Learning to grind. Being in control of your emotions. Understanding what failure is. Discovering the "After Feeling Focus." Learning to find intrinsic motivation. Q&A Includes the following: How to avoid getting injured after a long layoff. How important is it to have playful rolls? Recommendations on techniques after coming back from a major knee surgery. How to help your child with pre-tournament jitters? How to bond with others at the gym when constantly getting smashed during rolls? Do I have to compete in order to become a coach and to teach BJJ? How to evolve skills when unable to make it to class weekly? How to help with motivation for BJJ? What to focus on when switching from Gi to No-Gi? How to get better when I'm the smallest person rolling? How to go from playing a defensive bottom position to attacking more? Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

On this episode, Chewy answers a question from Rolo, who says that he is an out of shape 50 year old BJJ hobbyist that doesn't feel deserving of his belt promotion. Chewy provides some advice and perspective on how to deal with not feeling worthy of the belt promotion and some ideas to work on. Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast

On this episode of the podcast, Chewy and Eugene discuss how to get the most out of an instructional and successfully implement these techniques into training and competition. We discuss how to decide which instructional to purchase, why Chewy gives less instruction when initially teaching a new position or technique in class, how to break down an instructional, why you should limit watching short-form content, a trick Chewy and Eugene use when watching an instructional, Chewy's secret weapon to getting better at Jiu-Jitsu faster, how to get the most benefit when rolling with lower belts, how to get the most out of our time when learning, and using an information diet. Thanks to the podcast sponsors: Charlotte's Web CBD. Head over to https://bit.ly/chewjitsu30 and use the promo code Chewjitsu30 to get 30% off of your total purchase. Epic Roll BJJ. Check out https://www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu20 to get 20% off of your total purchase. Check out podcast exclusives including conversations with guests, Q&A sessions, and tons more at https://patreon.com/thechewjitsupodcast