Open Mat Radio

On this weeks episode of Open Mat Radio, we wrap up our two-part series with Rafael Lovato Jr! “At the end of the day win or lose, I wanna be able to look at my game, at my skill set, and say, ‘I’ll still take my jiu-jitsu over yours.’” “I’m not the end all be all, you know. I always tell my guys, look, study this guy, study that guy, everytime I teach a technique, similar to Marc Laimon.” “I know I’ve lost matches because I didn’t play the right tournament game, you know, but my mindset was simple. When I’m on the bottom, I’m gonna sweep or submit and when I’m on the top, I’m gonna pass and submit.” “When I faced Cobrinha in 2008 in the absolute, I actually swept him with a 50/50 sweep at the very end. I didn’t even know what I was doing!” Learn what mistakes are commonly made when gameplanning and how you can fix them. Rafael describes how he is able to teach more styles than he plays. Lovato talks about the technical and philosophical evolution of competitive jiu-jitsu. When might Lovato leave jiu-jitsu for MMA? What combat sport did Lovato first fall in love with? Why might the Masters level tournaments in the future be epic! What instructionals and other exciting projects does Lovato have coming out soon? For more information on Rafael, visit www.lovatojr.com or www.okbjj.com For Part One of this series, click here.

Episode 22 - Rafael Lovato Jr. Pt. 2

On this weeks episode of Open Mat Radio, we are happy to have Rafael Lovato Jr. on the show! We also discuss the World Jiu Jitsu Expo. “Being there and seeing the black belts win and watching the high level guys inspired me. I saw BJ win that same year. He won that year and that’s when I really told myself, ‘I’m gonna be the next one to do that for America.’” “There were times where I would spend $1,000 for one move.” “I was in Oklahoma with nothing, ya know , and so me and my father we would get our hands on all the tapes we could and I would study competitions and so we had that in common (with Laimon) you know? And just kinda jiu jitsu geeks.” “Looking back on it now, I’m really proud to say I really did it the hardest way possible…” “I lost a lot, you know. I was not a world champion at the lower belts. I medaled, but, you know, it was a tough road.” Lovato shares his thoughts on Nick Diaz not showing up to the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo What did the 2000 mundials do to convince Rafael that he was a champion in the making Rafael takes us through his early competitive life to today’s tournament scene How did Lovato go from fan, to opponent, to student of Saulo Ribeiro What it was like game-planning, living and training with Marc Laimon Lovato’s advice for people that love jiu-jitsu but do not have access to black or brown belt coaches Find out what Lovato thinks purple and brown belts gain from competing against black belts For more information on Rafael, visit www.lovatojr.com or www.okbjj.com

Episode 21 - Rafael Lovato Jr. Pt. 1

Caio talks about his upcoming superfight with Jeff Glover Hear Caio’s predictions for the rest of the superfight card Caio talks about his new DVD project Find out which superstar he is adding to his upcoming mundial training camp For more information on Caio, visit http://caioterra.com

Episode 20 - Caio Terra (Bonus Episode)

Episode 19 - Wilson Reis

On this weeks episode of Open Mat Radio, we are happy to have TUF 15 assistant coach Wilson Reis on the show! We also discuss the upcoming superfights being held at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo. “On my own, when I was like 9 years old, I started looking for gyms in my neighborhood.” Talking about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the keys are drilling, live drilling and live training!” “All my English I learned from teaching jiu-jitsu.” “I don’t think I ever have anybody that I’ve fought or that I might be fighting that I don’t like.” Wilson describes training under Roberto Godoi, the infamous Samurai Belt Tests and the rivalry between Godoi and Macaco Patino Wilson discusses what it was like to move from the role of a student in Brazil to a Coach in the United States Wilson breaks down the history and technique of the Wilson/Tozi/Sao Paulo pass Wilson describes how he prepares for fights on a technical, physical and mental level What advice did his good friend Terrere give Wilson that changed his competitive mindset? Wilson compares the coaching of Godoi, Lloyd Irvin and Robert Drysdale For more information on Wilson, follow him on Twitter @wilsonreis7 Here is the controversial Samurai promotion video we were referring to in the interview. Check it out and post your thoughts below!

On this weeks episode of Open Mat Radio, we are happy to have John Danaher on the show! For more details on this episode, click the “Read More” link below. Enjoy the show! “Ultimately no matter how you look at it, jiu-jitsu and any grappling sport is a self correcting sport. If you are making errors in your training methodology you will soon know about it, because you wont be performing when you go live against your peers.” “I was becoming an adept student at strangulation and I had noticed that almost every strangle in the sport of jiu-jitsu has, if there’s a given strangle, there’s an inverted variation of it, where you can invert your body and get the same strangle from a different angle.” “I do think there is a different psychological profile on average between pure jiu-jitsu guys versus MMA guys” Find out who John is talking about when he said… “Sometimes when you talk to a room full of people there might only be one person who understands what the hell you’re talking about, and he is invariably that guy.” John discusses his teaching influences on and off the mat and why he may not be as great a teacher as people think What does Danaher think that Jigoro Kano did that was one of the greatest innovations in martial arts history John discusses the difference in mental preparation for self defense (street fights) compared to an MMA fight Learn what role John and Shawn Williams played in the modern origin and popularization of the D’arce choke Why does John think today’s jiu jitsu athletes would beat those of his generation For more information on John, visit www.renzogracie.com

Episode 18 - John Danaher

On this weeks episode of Open Mat Radio, we wrap up our two-part series with Eddie Bravo and Denny Prokopos.  (more…)

Episode 17 - Eddie Bravo and Denny Prokopos Pt. 2

Episode 16 - Eddie Bravo and Denny Prokopos Pt. 1

We are happy to have Eddie Bravo and Denny Prokopos on this weeks episode of Open Mat Radio. Part two of this interview will be posted next week, so stay tuned. Enjoy the show! “10th planet is a product of the close-mindedness of the braziliain jiu jitsu community. They created it. I’m doing this for jiu jitsu.” – Eddie “Put a list of all mundial champions that were signed by the UFC and where are they now? They’re cut. And why? Why did they get cut, analyze that.” – Eddie “I was always thinking about winning world titles, I was always thinking about wanting to be the best in jiu jitsu and I was always thinking about teaching.” – Denny “From the day that I took that private with Eddie, I knew I wanted to be 10th planet.” – Denny Eddie and Denny describe their respective paths to making jiu jitsu their career and opening their first academies. Denny talks about overcoming adversity in jiu jitsu early on, from being injured to getting jumped by his Gracie Jiu-Jitsu teacher at 16. Why you won’t need to learn Rubber Guard to win ADCC, but better know it to be successful in MMA? How is 10th planet trying to save jiu jitsu on the “main stage”? Why Eddie believes the effectiveness of jiu jitsu in MMA would’ve been improved if Helio Gracie had worked with him For more information on 10th Planet jiu jitsu, visit www.10thplanetjj.com

We are happy to have Paul Schreiner on this weeks episode of Open Mat Radio. Enjoy the show! (more…)