Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
Discussions on improving your BJJ, navigating mat-politics and all aspects of the jiu jitsu lifestyle. Multiple weekly episodes for grapplers of any level. Hosted by JT and Joey - Australian jiu jitsu black belts, strength coaches, and creators of Bulletproof For BJJ App. Based out of Sydney, Australia
Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
The Loyalty Dilemma: When To Leave Your BJJ Gym
Is Jiu Jitsu a fight? On a previous episode, JT took a hard stance. But now we have brought that into question once again. You want to train differently but the gym (which you love) does not have what you're looking for; what do you do? Is G Souders full of S#@!?, or does he just not care to reexplain if you don't get it? Get all of the 100% correct and true answers here.
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A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Essentially, at this point the fight is over.
Speaker 1:So you pretty much flow with the goal. Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? I'm ready.
Speaker 2:Welcome to another Bulletproof for BJJ Q&A episode where we answer your questions. If you want to leave us a question for a future Q&A, go to the website bulletproofforbjjcom, hit the podcast tab and record us a voicemail. Today we've got three good ones coming in for you guys. Let's kick off with the first. Let's go Anonymous.
Speaker 4:What's up, boys? For this question I would like to remain anonymous, but a couple of hints as to who I am would be chiseled, jawline and massive hog. But that would decide the point. My question is in reference to the DeAndre Corbet episode. Is the ecological approach? The future has nothing to do with the actual episode, but it does refer to you guys saying that DeAndre Corbet fought Max Hansen and he fought the best of the best and he fought this guy. He had a fight with this guy. If I remember, in a long time ago episode you said jiu-jitsu was not fighting.
Speaker 4:So I just wanted to give you guys the opportunity to clear the air. Set the record straight Is jiu-jitsu a fight or is it not a fight? Wow, because it seems like there's some conflicting evidence. Thanks, cheers. Wow, who knew it?
Speaker 2:to a fight or is it not a fight? Wow, because it's seems like there's some conflicting evidence. Thanks, cheers, wow, who knew big insight from the young man obviously listened to all the previous episodes. Someone and I think fair call out jt. Well, I think it's a laziness. It's a laziness thing on my, my behalf. I still solidly believe that grappling is is not fighting in terms of it being restricted in what can be involved. It's funny that he's like I'll just throw ecological in here. Yeah, let me get two questions in on this question Look relevant to DeAndre Corbet and ecological for grappling.
Speaker 2:Mate, after speaking with Greg and I did give it some thought, mate, after speaking with Greg and I did give it some thought I have a strong impression that you really have to change the way you look at perception and the way the brain works to understand what Greg is talking about. Like he's talking about changing the way you view learning and the way the brain processes information. I don't know if everybody can just get on board with that straight away. It doesn't mean it's not better or it doesn't work, it's just that's a lot I was thinking about. I was like whoa man, you're telling me I got to change the way I perceive reality, to be able to learn better, like whoa, if I'm talking to old mate Gary and just being like, ah, look, you're trying to get better at this armbar we have to go back to cognition perception and it's tough Like, yeah, it's really great if you can do that.
Speaker 2:I think that what Greg is doing is awesome and you know, deandre as an athlete is amazing, but man not sure. Also, jujitsu is not a fight. I'll be less lazy in future. Sorry, chiseled jaw big hog man. I'll be less lazy in future. Sorry, chiseled jaw big hog man. I mean, as you say, I was just going through all the different hogs I've encountered in my life, all of them, and I'm like fuck, who could it be?
Speaker 2:Chiseled jaw. I'm like Channing Tatum Biggest hog. You're just like hang on. Is it like microphone?
Speaker 3:I've got suspicions.
Speaker 2:I've got suspicions that we in Vegas last year this is my deep suspicion. All right, so the two parts to that. Yes, I appreciate that you called out JT on his misspeaking there, because I also have thought the same thing. Wait, you said it wasn't a fight, but now it's a fight. So where do we stand on that? I just sound like a wanker saying a grapple, like it doesn't sound right. I mean you could just say, just say, yeah, it's just a form of fighting, we're not going to get into that. No, I don't, I don't agree, uh.
Speaker 2:But regarding the ecological thing, here's what I reckon, I think. Short answer yes, I think greg souders will have a lasting influence on how we learn jujitsu. I think that him not like's innovating, but he's also bringing a body of evidence and work from elsewhere in academia and other sports, to jujitsu. There are other proponents of this. It will grow beyond him, right, but I do think that, yes, it will become a thing. I think that, like with a lot of kind of what's, what's the way to look at this, often what you get with such movements is that people come and they like, like.
Speaker 2:I think Greg's bringing a kind of radical approach, as in, he's sort of all in on it and it's like and and a lot of the proponents of it right now are like all or nothing, and I think that that I don't think that's going to be the thing, because I think that just requires if we look at how jujitsu is passed on, it's a communally taught thing. It's like oh, I learned some shit from someone. I'm a purple belt, I'm going to pass it on to these guys. So that organic nature of how it is taught means that there is no like if we had all jujitsu coaches going to university to get do a fucking PhD in it, maybe Right, but they're not. And so I think that it will always be a mix of the traditional way that we know now and then maybe some of this newer constraints based stuff. But I do think that it's going to have an impact. I don't. I don't think that is can. That doesn't sit with, uh, from what Greg said, with the conclusion of our conversation.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he said it can't right, it can't.
Speaker 2:It can't coexist. Either you look at the world this way and you learn this way, or you look at the world this way and you do that? Yeah, but I disagree with that on the basis that he is a purist. But it's not only that he's a purist, it's coming from a take on the way the brain learns and perceives is not how we currently understand it to work. Yes, but we know that. It also like we know that the way we teach jujitsu now works.
Speaker 2:The argument is what works better, right? So? And he also said that, and he said like, not verbatim. But I asked him, like, do you not see coaches using elements of constraints-based learning already with, like, positional sparring? And he said yes, but they don't know why they're doing it, which to me indicates well, sure, maybe if they knew why, they might be somewhat better at applying those tools. But, irrespective, they're going to take those tools, the ones that speak to them, and they're going to recycle them. And so, in that way, I'm like I think that you're going to end up with a mishmash you can, but I ultimately believe what Greg is trying to achieve is a complete change in the way we look at learning and then deliver learning, like deliver teaching as a result.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he is, but I don't think that's what's going to happen. I think he'll have an impact, maybe not exactly the impact he would hope to have, but I think that he'll be an influential person. I think he's already doing it, but we'll see where it goes. But good luck to you. Chiseled jaw, big hog man. Next one coming in anthony hey, what's up guys.
Speaker 3:Love the podcast, been honestly listening to it a lot. I'm an amazon driver out here in albuquerque, new mexico, the united states america, and uh, I have a question more about, um, maybe, if it's time to switch gyms. Uh, I haven't been doing this very long, only about two and a half months, but when I hit two months I got my second stripe and I entered a competition so I was able to do live rolls and then I won my division and I was hoping to get my third stripe, because you can't roll unless you get three stripes. I was training at Gracie Baja, okay, and I'm wondering now I'd rather switch to no gi.
Speaker 3:I don't like the gi, I really just want to stick to no gi and really get like really good training and there's a 10th planet. But I really love my professors, I really have a good bond with them. They have been helping me on the side without any extra payment, have just been helping me and being super cool and I really have a good bond there and I love the community there and I'm kind of. I'm not a big guy, I'm only like one 80 at six foot, one 85 or like one 85, one 84.
Speaker 3:But, I don't want to go to a gym where everyone's trying to kill each other and he's just getting hurt. So I'm wondering is should I stay and try to stick to the gi, or should I? Am I able to go? I feel like I'm betraying them and I don't know how to get past that. If you guys can let me know if it's too early, if I try to just stick to the gi, that'd be great. Thank you, guys, so much. Awesome podcast.
Speaker 2:Shout out Anthony Legend, there is. There's two. I feel there's two key components to this question and we've had similar questions in the past. But let's, let's speak to where you are now. Um, it's um. It is the question of one.
Speaker 2:What do I want to do with my jujitsu? And if your intent is to do no gi and you're not enjoying the gi, then you need to spend some time at a no-gi gym. You might change your mind. You might go there, do it and then be like you know what. I want to put that gi back on. I want to get back in the pajamas, but you've got to go there to come back. The first question is what do you want to do? You need to make a decision around that and that will inform what you do next. And you need to make a decision around that and that will inform what you do next.
Speaker 2:Now, yes, obviously it sounds like there's great coaching staff at the Gracie Baja you train at and they want to support you and clearly you've expressed early promise. You've won a tournament and you want to get that next stripe. Look, stripes and time. It doesn't sound like you've trained that long to be getting I said two and a half months, two and a half months, three stripes. I know people who've trained for two years and haven't got three stripes right, like it's all different for where you are. But the whole relationship with the coach thing, I think it's not a problem for you to go try a class at the 10th Planet Gym. Don't tell your coaches, just go do it, do it as an experiment, feel out, try before you buy, and you never know. You can make friends everywhere. Now there are coaches out there who will, kind of, you will burn a bridge by not training with them, but then over time that goes away and you can be friends again. And it shouldn't come down to loyalty, this, that, this. You want to do a certain thing. If your gym doesn't provide that service, you need to go where you can.
Speaker 2:I was training at a gym that I really liked but they just didn't have that many strong people there and even though it was a great gym and I liked the staff, I had to go where the strongest people were to get stronger and push, and that's what I did and I'm still friends with those people from that old gym and now I have new friends who, um, you know, at the new gym and um, decide what you want and then, you know, go and find out what that other thing is, because the fear of rejection, that is just going to limit your whole life. Don't worry about it. I reckon, anthony, that I think that's a very valid you know approach. What JT said as a flip on that, I think that at two and a half months you don't know jujitsu yet you don't. You don't know where you want to months it's early. You don't know jujitsu yet you don't. You don't know where you want to go, like potentially, you don't know where you want to go. That because you just don't know it, yeah. And so I'm thinking you said that you really love your professors at the gym, that you're at.
Speaker 2:A great coach once told me and this is not a jujitsu coach, this is like in the movement game but he said find a good teacher and learn whatever it is that they're teaching right, and then what I understood from that was that it's often what's more important is having a great teacher versus someone that teaches exactly the thing you want, but they're not a great teacher. Yeah, so in that way, I think, if you've got a good thing going at your current gym and you're two and a half months in, I'd fucking stick with it. I'd give it six to twelve and then if you're like, hey, I really want to pursue no gi, then fuck, go do that. But I would think that like sort of I think maybe you're looking a bit too deep right now and maybe maybe that's a bit odd that in the street, the three stripe thing before you can roll, I get that as a as a policy for safety. However, it gets a little bit kind of it sort of blows up in their face when a student who's only got two stripes can go do a competition, win, kick some ass and then come back and not be able to roll in the academy. Yeah, it's a bit weird. Yeah, it's like sending kids, like sending minors, to war and then they come back and they can't buy a beer, right, yeah. So I think that's silly and I think that maybe you could talk to your coach about that, about that and just like I really want to fucking. Just let me bang, coach, let me fucking bang bro. Yeah, that's, that's the vibe. I hope that helps man. Yeah, shout out, that's two coming in from the us.
Speaker 2:Strong representation for the us today, sir. You know what I when someone shares a secret with me and that secret is helpful. And the secret that I'm going to share with you today is the new flavor from Sodi. I'm talking about mandarin. I didn't think there was fresher flavors, but I'm telling you that mandarin it hit different. Not only does it give me sodium, potassium, magnesium to keep my muscles pumping, it gives me the chef's kiss of freshness. I cannot recommend it enough. Now, if you want to get yourself some new flavors they also have kiwi you need to go to sodicomau and use the code BULLETPROOF15 to get 15% off. Get fresh and get that flavor. Last question, robert.
Speaker 1:Hey guys, robert here from Kansas City Just finished part two of the Greg Souders series on constraints-based learning ecological training and you guys did a great job. My general takeaway from listening to both podcasts is a general sense of frustration. Basically, I'm listening to greg talk and he's dropping a lot of fancy big words and terms and obscure shit and all I can walk away thinking is dude, what the fuck are you talking about? I you're just confusing the absolute hell out of me, man. So a little ironic that the skill acquisition guy is fucking terrible at conveying that skill acquisition to other people. So yeah, I just got the feeling that he's one of those guys that's dropping you know, dropping big words and fancy terms just to sound impressive. It's like, I don't know, man, maybe he's right, he probably is right. I want him to be right. I think he probably is, but it comes across as dude, you either don't know what you're talking about or you're full of shit or both. So I say all that.
Speaker 1:It may sound like I didn't enjoy it. I did. I enjoy those two podcasts. I enjoy all your podcasts. Keep up the good work, guys. Thanks, take care.
Speaker 2:All right, legend, appreciate you sharing your feelings on that episode. I can appreciate that. Look two things on that. Greg is so deep in his own thought process and he actually said this after, it would have been great to have it in the interview he doesn't even realize, like, when he's talking with someone else who understands what he's talking about in terms of ecological learning and all this stuff, that people are like whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down egghead. He doesn't even realize how into his own vernacular and language and all his dogma and shit that he is, that he's not making it relatable to the common man. Yeah, and he doesn't actually kind of care to. He's kind of like no, this is the way and you know, if you get on board, then you'll benefit and otherwise whatever, like you don't have to do this. Fuck you. Like not in a negative way, but he he's unapologetic about his dedication to this thing. Does that sometimes make him kind of unapproachable, unavailable? Yeah, and he kind of doesn't give a shit, like he's kind of he's just doing him, you know, and he's not a bad person.
Speaker 2:I will say that Greg Souders is misunderstood in that way. Is that actually? He's not high for looting? He's none of that he is incredibly smart but as a result, he doesn't think about how he's perceived. He doesn't think it matters and if you are a communicator and you're trying to convince people of your case, that does actually matter. But because, like Joe said, he's a Puritan, he kind of doesn't care. He's doing it for the love of the thing he's doing.
Speaker 2:The second thing on that was we didn't bring up the gi, which I would have loved to have done. But I've seen interviews where he's like the gi makes you too specific, the grips are too specific, it doesn't actually make you a real grappler. The gi is its own tool, blah, blah, blah. And he talks down all the reasons why. Because people said well, how about ecological? For the guy he doesn't have good answers for that because it is so technical. Well, according to our boy, he doesn't have good answers for the other either. Yeah, but no, it's more just the communication piece and I what I wanted chat with Greg was to try to put it out there for the everyday guy. How can we make this complex?
Speaker 3:fucking shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like, like, just make it. So I understand what you're talking about and I felt like we maybe we hit a halfway point on that. We got a bit closer. Yeah, like, I think I think we did a reasonable job of of giving him that opportunity. Yes, right, but just speaking to the Greg does know, is he making it relatable? Probably not. Doesn't mean he's wrong, not necessarily right. It's not that he's wrong. He's got his take and if you're on board with it, that's really fucking good. And I apologize that we didn't do a better job of kind of breaking it down and making it accessible, because that was our goal.
Speaker 2:But the thing I had thought later was part of the reason why so many people in jujitsu are like what the fuck are you talking about? Man, he's not speaking about the gi and he has openly said that the gi is not making you a great grappler. It makes you too specific. It's this because the ecological approach isn't nuanced enough around specificity for the gi and that's why doing specific drills and having specific grips is important in the gi and I would have loved to have brought that up because it was maybe a missing thing. So if you're someone who does train gi and you're listening to this guy, you're like, seems too general, maybe for the gi it is. And look, I think that you can't write him off entirely. Greg is not wrong in what he says, but the way he delivers it could be better. Yeah, and I think, robert, you know, in his piece there sort of made that point. He's like you know. All of that said, I think he's probably right, you know. And so, yeah, I think he's. Yeah, he doesn't do a great job with the communications piece.
Speaker 2:I was thinking about that. We're very spoiled these days for great communicators, right, you think about people like, uh, neil degrasse tyson, oh, the best prior to him, I, I never listened to any astrophysicist because I don't know what the fuck they're talking about. Yeah, but you got a guy like him. That's like, right, I got this skill set. I'm going to water it down and I'm going to deliver it in this way so that I can access, so people care about all these regular people and they can start to appreciate some of the tip of what I know, right, about the universe. And so in that way, you could look at all of the previous astrophysicists who weren't able to communicate like that.
Speaker 2:And this is where I think, like Greg's coming in with this puritanical piece, there are going to be people that come in that are more moderate, that can take the good bits, that can go, fuck, yeah, I can market this, I can see the gold in what he's got. I'm going to fucking take this bit, this bit, this bit, and I'm going to sell this. Sell as in marketing communication, yeah. And then that's where you start to get stuff that enters more like the, you know whatever the zeitgeist of the everyday grappler. Make it more accessible, yeah, accessible, yeah. So, um, so, yeah, yeah, a fair point, good observation. And and I enjoyed the chat too did come away from it thinking, fuck, would have been great if we just didn't feel like we wanted, like it didn't go hard enough. Give me the bullet points on that. Like, yeah, make it super simple for me yeah, and and enjoyed it nonetheless yeah, we might get another opportunity.
Speaker 2:I think you know I'd love to go out there and train uh at standard, get a chance to have a role with him and a role with his boys as well, and it would be good to hear more from the students as well, their take on the journey and all of that. But, yeah, no, you're right in terms of what you're saying, that if you understand something really well, you should be able to say it simply. And I think it's not because Greg doesn't know what he's talking about. I think he just doesn't care if you don't get it. And that's yeah, that's maybe. That's maybe that's holding the movement back a little. But good, good, good question. And that's three from three for the U? S today Strong representation from our folks over there.
Speaker 2:Um, guys, we love the questions coming from you. Please, if you've got something on your mind anything related strength, mobility, politics, gym, culture throw it into a voicemail for us. All you got to do is go to our webpage, bulletproof4bjjcom, hit the podcast tab, leave us a voicemail. We'll put it on a future episode. Appreciate you, guys. We'll see you on the next one Shoot.
