Combat Thoughts Podcast

This week we speak to Dani Vlad, Romanian Wrestling champion, coach at Elements BJJ, and a fantastic ambassador for the sport. We discuss wrestling in Soviet times, how wrestling got him through childhood and gave him discipline, and how he came to be coaching in the UK. Dani really opens up about the profound impact that wrestling has had on his life in this episode, so we hope you enjoy!

This week we explore the globetrotting side of BJJ with Oli from Elements BJJ. Oli gives us some background and a look into the influences on his life, before jumping into the matsurfing trip he took from Hong Kong, up the eastern coast of China, and through Asia to reach the Middle East. Check out his journey training BJJ along the silk road, along with a couple of the wilder stories about this travels - hope you enjoy!

This week we speak to John Hathaway, British UFC fighter, Catch Wrestling world champion, and co-owner of Umbra Performance. We discuss the state of British grappling, the reason for his time away from MMA, a bit about his origin story and his plans for the future. Hope you enjoy!

Check out all of our links and material here: https://linktr.ee/combat_thoughts 

This week we get Ed 'Party Bear' Ingamells on. We initially met at the Catch Wrestling World Championships, and we got Ed on to discuss transitioning to Catch Wrestling as a BJJ player. We get into some interesting topics around learning modalities and the sorts of aptitudes that suit grappling, discuss the work of Pritt Mihkelson, Lachlan Giles, and Andy from School of Grappling, as well how Ed is going to filter out his students to create a super squad, and why kimuras don't work. Hope you enjoy! 

edit: so clearly missed the mark on this one for a lot of people. I'm not discussing people who live or work in a dangerous environment, or people's initial reason to train. and I'm not saying that being able to defend yourself is a useless thing. this is in reference to people's ongoing primary training motivation, who are not constantly in danger (which I think applied to most bjj practicioners, but I may be wrong) - otherwise they wouldn't be a warrior in a garden at all 

There's a famous proverb that has become something of a joke in BJJ circles: 'It's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war'. It's a joke not because of the message that it carries, but rather because it is overused and over-quoted by white belts the world over. Along with saying that the ground is their ocean, and that a back belt is a white belt that never quit, they make up a collection of sayings that nobody needs to hear but that so many will. But my real problem with the saying is not its overuse. It's that it conveys a terrible reason to learn BJJ. 

This week we interview JP from elements BJJ. JP got into BJJ at about 39 years old with very little in the way of an athletic upbringing. At 48 he had achieved his black belt, which is a tremendous achievement, especially for someone with a full life to manage outside of BJJ. We discuss JPs journey, how he got into the sport, what inspired him to start, and why he loves it so much. Hope you enjoy!

This week we dive into the weird world of NFTs and MMA. There's been a recent explosion in crypto that has been felt in the unregulated world of MMA, and we take a look at why that is, how fighters are jumping on it, and what we might expect to see in the future. Come and hear what fans of the UFC have in common with 1600's Dutch tulip merchants. 

This was originally published as a written piece. This looks at a history of leg locks in BJJ, starting from its origins in Judo and the teachings of Maeda, through to the culture war that followed and the eventual revolution and explosion of the techniques in high-level competition. Take a look at the history and politics of BJJ, and how the past hundred years have laid the foundation for the modern competition scene. 

We have affectionately named this the Gulag episode. This week, we discuss the link between politics and martial arts, looking at the ways in which world leaders have used martial arts to convey messages, to speak to their supporters, and to build upon their popular base. We also have a look at who doesn't associate with martial arts, and why some societies are more open to combat sports than others. Hope you enjoy!

We expand our grappling styles this week, looking at the 2000-year-old art of Sumo. Talking to British Sumo champion, Mandeep Singh Kundi a.k.a Deep, we talk about his reasons for practising the art, his journey through sumo, and some of the more philosophical points of grappling. Sumo is grossly misunderstood (especially in the UK) and I would recommend anyone interested in grappling to give it a listen. Hope you enjoy! 

For Deep's own content: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvKQFXH-nzVlM1v4nU-j7xQ
https://www.instagram.com/deep.sumo/

We speak with Alex Salisbury, British BJJ Black belt, owner and head coach of Novo BJJ, and wrestling advocate. We discuss his experiences of early days, small town grappling, and the drama and difficulties that come along with it. We talk about setting up his own gym, how he sees his relationships with students and coaches, and the contrast of gi and no-gi. More than anything, we look at the culture of BJJ. Hope you enjoy!

We speak with Barry Cooper, British professional wrestler from Brighton, with more than a few stories. Before I go on, Barry has upcoming shows on the 12th and 26th of March and 2nd of April, so get in touch with him on Instagram at @barry.cooper.566. We speak with Barry about the strange world of British pro wrestling, his experiences from the 60s to the present day, and recall some legends of the past. Hope you enjoy!

And for the first podcast of 2022, we bring you Muay Thai in the Olympics. We discuss the effects it might have on the sport, with comparisons to Judo, Wrestling and others, how it might affect public perception and participation, and who we might see on the podiums - hope you enjoy

With our biggest guest to date, we bring to you an interview with none other than Daniel Strauss, aka The Raspberry Ape. Dan is a Jiu-Jitero and was the first Brit to qualify for ADCC back in 2011, is a commentator on Polaris and Cage Warriors, is a podcaster, stone lifter, and a general ambassador for the sport. We discuss a wide range of topics, looking into why he thinks competition is such a core part of the sport, discussing his journey through strength training and dealing with injuries, and look into how grappling and stone lifting give us a real link to our cultural heritage. Don't miss out. 

MMA is a sport, but not a specific rules-set. As a relatively young sport there have been several iterations of the rules in recent years, and even now there are noticeable differences between organisations in the West such as the UFC and Bellator, and organisations in the East such as Rizin and ONE. We look at the differences between the rule-sets, how they affect the ways we train the sport and how they affect the ways in which we watch, consume, and understand it as spectators. 

Priit Michelson is best known as the founder of 'Defensive BJJ', along with his Estonian-blunt lessons at BJJ Globetrotters camps. One of the greatest minds in the sport at the moment, we speak to him about his system of BJJ, some of his personal history and philosophy, and dig into some issues of how Jiu Jitsu has been taught for many years.

Mike Currier is a lifelong athlete, gym owner, and regular instructor at the BJJ Globetrotters camps. He has featured on SUG, F2W and EBI so he's really reached the highest points in the sport and despite his age shows no sign of slowing down. We discuss with him how his unique history has shaped his views on BJJ, how he feels that teaching should happen and academies should be run, and the importance of failure in our development

Ian O'Neil is a content producer for Severe MMA and a real fountain of knowledge in the martial arts world, with a competitive amateur career in his own right. We discuss with him MMA media and the role it plays, his experiences in the early days  of Irish MMA, and how mixed martial arts have really helped him on a personal level.

This week we return to Exile gym, this time with Gareth Blair, one of the founding members. We discuss the early, experimental days of British Muay Thai, the influence of Bruce Lee on Gareth's development, and his personal approach to coaching. 

In this week's episode, we discuss the potential issues of being given the 'power' of a black belt. Reaching the highest rank for many people is an incredibly important milestone in many people's martial arts journies, but what if that privilege is not handled with care? Join us in this discussion!