Episode 328 - CJI Producers Eddie Marquez and Todd Ferrante

On this episode of the podcast, Chewy and Eugene are joined by BJJ black belt, former MMA fighter, and Doctor of Physical Therapy Mike Piekarski. We discuss Mike’s start in martial arts and becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy, his treatment philosophies for warming up and preparing the body for training Jiu-Jitsu, how Mike started working with Jiu-Jitsu athletes, the biggest mistakes people make in rehab and recovery, body and joint maintenance, how "Functional Range Conditioning" is utilized in improving joint function and joint health, what type of online content that is bad advice, ACL return to sport ideas, Mike and Eugene discuss their course “The Mat Return” which guides return to BJJ after injury, common mobility issues found in BJJ athletes, and ideas on return to BJJ after an injury. Check out more of Mike's content here: https://www.instagram.com/doctor_kickass/ Check out "The Mat Return" course here: https://bjjfanatics.com/products/mat-return-by-michael-piekarski-and-eugene-tsozik 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

Brandon Mccaghren is a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, owner of 10th Planet Decatur, and a Jiu-Jitsu commentator. Brandon returns to the podcast to discuss the evolution of the "Professional Grappling League" (PGF) and what has changed from season 1 to season, how he got involved with the "Craig Jones Invitational" (CJI) as a commentator, how the CJI “Alley” and ruleset encouraged action and excitement, his philosophies on making a Jiu-Jitsu match exciting, how to reward offense in Jiu-Jitsu, what makes the PGF format so fast paced and exciting to watch, unique ideas on stalling calls in grappling matches, his thoughts on Kade Ruotolo and Levi Jones-Leary match at CJI, the pros and cons of viewing a match at CJI, what to expect at PGF season 7, why attention is currency, and Brandon’s business advice when hiring someone. Learn more about the PGF here: https://www.pgf.world/ 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 talk to the producers of the Craig Jones Invitational, Eddie Marquez and Todd Ferrante. Eddie is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and event producer and Todd is the senior producer of Karate Combat and has produced other events such as The X-Games. On this episode, Eddie and Todd discuss how they got involved working with Craig Jones and producing the CJI, how they made adjustments to the CJI on the fly, the challenges of producing a Jiu-Jitsu event, the difficulty of setting up “The Alley,” changes they made from day 1 to day 2 of the CJI, their plans to improve the event, their proudest moments, their goals of working with the Fair Fight Foundation, the biggest challenges to making Jiu-Jitsu events viewer friendly, Ideas for CJI #2 and the future of grappling, and favorite memory from the CJI. 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 and Eugene discuss dealing with “Seminar Snipers” and also some ideas on how to slow down a roll. Chewy discusses dealing with seminar participants that go really hard during the rolling rounds, how to slow down a roll at a seminar, setting an intention at a seminar, the biggest breakthrough in Chewy's BJJ, declining a roll with a training partner, how to roll with less intensity, and how physical trauma can impact how you roll in BJJ. 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 developing the mindset to lose like a champion. Chewy shares his experience coaching at the ADCC, how elite level athletes develop a unique mindset when dealing with a loss, impressive ADCC and CJI performances, assessing Gordon Ryan’s perfomance, thoughts on competing with injuries, the importance of sponsors for the success of grappling events, thoughts on sustainability of fighter pay, thoughts on Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa's shoulder injury, thoughts on the Levi and Kade match decision, ideas on clearer scoring and improving scoring criteria for CJI, and CJI trolls. 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 recap their weekend in Las Vegas and discuss what it was like attending the 2024 ADCC Worlds and the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational. We discuss how using the “pit” at CJI effected the matches, our thoughts on the use of rounds, the 10-point must scoring system, open scoring, and judging criteria for the CJI. We also discuss the challenges of the ADCC ruleset, CJI trolls, rule changes that could make the matches more exciting in the ADCC, the biggest upsets and surprises of the tournaments, thoughts on whether Gordon Ryan’s skill is declining, the best performances of the weekend, future match ups, and building a sustainable grappling organization. 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

David Avellan is a BJJ black belt, ADCC 2009 Bronze Medalist, creator of “The Kimura Trap System,” and owner of the Freestyle Fighting Academy. On this episode, David shares his start in martial arts, transitioning to wrestling, lessons learned from wrestling, starting a gym with minimal training and no business experience, how he raised money for the gym by running tournaments, how working with Lloyd Irvin changed the trajectory of his business, the importance of culture for a successful gym, mistakes he made in training methodology as a younger grappler, when to develop your toughness, the process of developing the "Kimura Trap System," the benefits of drilling, winning bronze at the 2009 ADCC World Championships, tips on time management, the importance of recovery as you age, how to train optimally, and his thoughts on the ADCC and CJI. If you want to learn more from David, check out https://davidmma.com/join 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

TJ graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1999 with a degree in Behavioral Sciences. Over the next several years he attended NATO’s premier fighter pilot training course, EURO-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) and became an F-16 fighter pilot. He served overseas in Korea and deployed to Iraq as a combat flight lead, and was recognized as the Hill Air Force Base Flight Lead of the Year in 2005. Later he served as an instructor and evaluator pilot at ENJJPT, overseeing student training and managing several operational components of the program. During that time he also earned an MBA from Texas A&M - Commerce. He retired after more than 20 years of service in 2019. TJ is also a Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt and the Vice President of the “We Defy Foundation.” On this episode, TJ discusses his time in the military as a fighter pilot, what he enjoyed most about being a fighter pilot, why he started Jiu-Jitsu, the importance of Jiu-Jitsu and a community for military veterans, how he got involved with the “We Defy Foundation,” the importance of research to assist with funding, the mission of the “We Defy Foundation," how "We Defy" has impacted the lives of military veterans, learning how to deal with failure through Jiu-Jitsu, and how stopping competing can improve your Jiu-Jitsu. Learn more about the "We Defy Foundation" here: https://wedefyfoundation.org/ 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 are joined by Jason "Blind Fury" Keaton. Jason is a BJJ black belt, musician, and owner of Blind Fury Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Jason discusses his start in martial arts, first starting his training in Wing Chun and then transitioning to BJJ in 1996, what it was like learning martial arts with visual impairment, how learning Wing Chun helped with learning BJJ, training as much as possible as a younger grappler, meeting Renato Tavares, the evolution of BJJ training, improving your BJJ by working from your worst positions, how to tell if you train at a good gym, how he developed an effective side control, staying healthy as you get older, coming back from a severe neck injury, how learning music transfers to BJJ, and how he got the nickname “Blind Fury.” 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 how setting expectations in Jiu-Jitsu can make you fragile as well as lead to frustration in training. We also discuss how to build a healthy ego in Jiu-Jitsu. We talk about getting caught by less experienced training partners, how we are constantly changing, the importance of having a plan, the book “The Worry Cure,” for dealing with rumination, what we get wrong about the ego, how to help students get out of a rut, focusing on the “small wins” in training, and how competing can help your ego and build more grit. 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