thesonnybrownbreakdown

I talk to Eric Uresk, a Judo & Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt who coaches at Alliance MMA. We discuss his martial arts career and how he advocates for embracing vulnerability in his training to help conquer adversity. He explains his coaching philosophy and the hurdles he has faced while working with high-level athletes, including gaining trust from the athletes, mainly while working with Dominic Cruz. An athlete who has such an extensive knowledge of MMA that instructing him has its own set of challenges.

I talk to Tum "Energia" Voorn who is a Jiu Jitsu Practitioner with a Capoeria background and who also trained as a teacher. We discuss an inquiry-based instructional strategy that he describes as "Teaching Without Telling" and how he applies it in a grappling context, what obstacles it may have in its implementation, how to overcome them and the benefits of its use. We also relate this to forming a positive club culture by encouraging student feedback and, finally how leg locks can play into this pedagogy.

I talk to Chris Brennan, the O.G of No-Gi. Chris is an MMA Hall of Famer and 3-time No-Gi world champion, but perhaps might not be as well known for starting the first No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu school in America back in 1998 after leaving the Gracie Academy. We discuss what the Gracie Academy and the change to No-Gi were like and how he learned to train his students while competing in MMA. We also discuss how he has taken those lessons and passed them on to his sons with their MMA & grappling careers.

I talk to Robert Degle who is a Danaher Death Squad member and trains under John Danaher. We discuss the use of leg locks in MMA, how leg attacks can be used either poorly or how they can be applied in a more high percentage manner. We do this by talking about some of the greatest leg lockers in MMA like Imanari, Ryan Hall, Rousimar Palhares and Marcin Held. Along with some of the essential MMA bouts containing leg lock battles and go through Gary Tonons career in One F.C. to examine the D.D.S. use of MMA leg entanglements.