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PODCAST: Sarah Kurchak on Writing, Pillow Fighting, Wrestling and More

Sarah Kurchak is one of the most interesting writers about fight culture. Her introduction to this world came when she competed in a professional pillow fighting league — and you’ll learn what black belt world champion ALSO competed in that league. We also talk about Sarah’s entry into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and muay thai, what she thinks is the most vital storytelling currently happening — professional wrestling — and her advice for autistic people who train jiu-jitsu, and for their training partners.

Thanks as always to our sponsors, US Grappling, Toro BJJ, and Cageside MMA — and welcome to our latest sponsor, Gold BJJ! To get a discount on anything at GoldBJJ.com, just enter DirtyWhiteBelt10 at checkout or follow this link and it will be directly applied:
goldbjj.com/discount/DirtyWhiteBelt10

Register online at usgrappling.com to compete on July 28 in Richmond, Virginia, or for Submission Only Philadelphia Aug. 11 — and if you need gi or nogi gear to compete, find the best products at cageside.com! If you want access to bonus content, you can support us at patreon.com/dirtywhitebelt, as Cody Maltais, Karl Krebs, Chris Holmes and Betty Broadhurst did this month — thanks, y’all!

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PODCAST: Jamil Hill-Taylor, the 1st African American IBJJF World Champion, talks technique

Jamil Hill-Taylor is a rising star in the jiu-jitsu world. He’s young, he’s talented, he’s now a black belt world champion — and he’s just getting started. When he was at Checkmat Charlotte for a seminar this past week, Lourdes took the chance to interview the soon-to-be graduate of Howard University about his proudest achievement so far, his toughest competition at worlds, and what he really thinks about yoga.
They also discuss the woman black belt teammate that he thinks is the *next* world champion and the importance of youth outreach programs in jiu-jitsu.

Thanks as always to our sponsors, US Grappling, Toro BJJ, and Cageside MMA — and welcome to our latest sponsor, Gold BJJ! To get a discount on anything at GoldBJJ.com, just enter DirtyWhiteBelt10 at checkout or follow this link and it will be directly applied:
goldbjj.com/discount/DirtyWhiteBelt10

Register online at usgrappling.com to compete on July 28 in Richmond, Virginia — and if you need gi or nogi gear to compete, find the best products at cageside.com! If you want access to bonus content, you can support us at patreon.com/dirtywhitebelt, as Cody Maltais, Karl Krebs, Chris Holmes and Betty Broadhurst did this month — thanks, y’all!

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PODCAST: Talking Art and Open Minds With James “300” Foster

James “300” Foster is a renaissance man, a lover of jiu-jitsu, art, charity work, and open-minded attitudes. I met him at his academy in Kent, Washington, where he hosted 10th Planet athletes Nathan Orchard and Phill Schwartz for a joint seminar. He walked in carrying a Chewbacca lunchbox and I knew this was going to be a great conversation.

He’s also an accomplished competitor, having won the black belt master world championship. We talked about that, about how marketing labels can undermine the growth of jiu-jitsu, about what each belt level means to him, about his favorite comic artists, and how he uses jiu-jitsu as a tool to make a difference in people’s lives.

Thanks as always to our sponsors, US Grappling, Toro BJJ, and Cageside MMA — and welcome to our latest sponsor, Gold BJJ! To get a discount on anything at GoldBJJ.com, just enter DirtyWhiteBelt10 at checkout or follow this link and it will be directly applied:
goldbjj.com/discount/DirtyWhiteBelt10

Register online at usgrappling.com to compete on July 14 in Charlotte or July 28 in Richmond, Virginia — and if you need gi or nogi gear to compete, find the best products at cageside.com! If you want access to bonus content, you can support us at patreon.com/dirtywhitebelt, as Cody Maltais, Karl Krebs, Chris Holmes and Betty Broadhurst did this month — thanks, y’all!

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PODCAST: Gustavo Dantas, the BJJ Mental Coach, plus Bryce Lighthall and Ryan Homer

At IBJJF worlds, we talk to Gustavo Dantas, the BJJ Mental Coach, about the high-level performance coaching he provides, his jiu-jitsu non-profit, and the top mental mistakes competitors make. Check out his work at www.thebjjmentalcoach.com/. We also catch up with purple belt competitors Bryce Lighthall of Alliance, who trains under Bruno Malfacine, and Ryan Homer of Diego Bispo Academy.

Thanks as always to our sponsors, US Grappling, Toro BJJ, and Cageside MMA — and welcome to our latest sponsor, Gold BJJ! To get a discount on anything at GoldBJJ.com, just enter DirtyWhiteBelt10 at checkout or follow this link and it will be directly applied:
goldbjj.com/discount/DirtyWhiteBelt10

Register online at usgrappling.com to compete in Columbia, SC, June 30 or July 14 in Charlotte — and if you need gi or nogi gear to compete, find the best products at cageside.com! If you want access to bonus content, you can support us at patreon.com/dirtywhitebelt, as Cody Maltais, Karl Krebs, Chris Holmes and Betty Broadhurst did this month — thanks, y’all!

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PODCAST: Toro Cup 10 Is a Milestone

After 10 events, Toro Cup has put on hundreds of matches and raised more than $17,500 for charity. We offer a recap, including interviews with competitors Deandre Corbe, Evan Arredondo, Christina Linn, Terah Heiber and Aren Besson — and a fascinating group conversation with Lourdes, Amber Agee, Caitlin Huggins, Chrissy Linzy and Samantha Seff!

Thanks as always to our sponsors, US Grappling, Toro BJJ, and Cageside MMA — and welcome to our latest sponsor, Gold BJJ! To get a discount on anything at GoldBJJ.com, just enter DirtyWhiteBelt10 at checkout or follow this link and it will be directly applied:
goldbjj.com/discount/DirtyWhiteBelt10

Register online at usgrappling.com to compete in Columbia, SC, June 30 or July 14 in Charlotte — and if you need gi or nogi gear to compete, find the best products at cageside.com! If you want access to bonus content, you can support us at patreon.com/dirtywhitebelt, as Cody Maltais, Karl Krebs, Chris Holmes and Betty Broadhurst did this month — thanks, y’all!

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PODCAST: Robert Drysdale Makes Jiu-Jitsu History — Again

You probably know Robert Drysdale because he’s one of the most accomplished grapplers of his generation, having won both the IBJJF world championship and the ADCC absolute championship. What you might not know is that he’s a trained historian. And his project Closed Guard: The Origins of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, is going to be the first comprehensive film that tackles Brazilian jiu-jitsu history from a scholarly perspective. At the world championships this year, we sat down outside the Walter Pyramid with him to talk about progress on the film (slated for release toward the end of 2018), what surprised him most when researching the documentary and about the feedback he’s received so far.
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Interested in adaptive grappling? Here’s what you need to know.

By Pete McGregor (@deadweightjj)

All right, you’ve decided to start jiujitsu but you’re mobility restricted in some way (or disabled for those not scarred by the PC social construct we live in today).

Congratulations, you’re a certified psycho. WELCOME TO THE CLUB, FRIEND.

Dirty White Belt has been kind enough to ask me to write a piece on what to expect on your first day in the world of no-gi adaptive grappling. I know what you’re thinking. “Hey, I thought you said we’d be talking about jiujitsu?” Well, jiujitsu just happens to be a martial art that focuses much of the technique on grappling as opposed to striking.

Continue reading “Interested in adaptive grappling? Here’s what you need to know.”

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PODCAST: Travis Stevens, Olympic silver medalist, on judo, jiu-jitsu and discipline

Listening to American Olympic judo silver medalist and BJJ black belt Travis Stevens will make you want to get up at 5 a.m. and train five times a day. He talks to us about goal-setting, work ethic, and determination — and recounts matches that are years in the past with an emotional resonance that suggests they happened yesterday. Listeners submitted dozens of questions for Travis, and he answered them all in the way you’d expect him to — directly, thoughtfully, thoroughly. We go over his thoughts on how you should approach learning and practicing takedowns; what it takes to keep up his famous training volume, and his approach to avoiding injuries while clocking so many hours on the mat; what he really thinks about self defense; advice for judo teachers with jiujitsu students; and how the training at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York compares to international judo training. Be sure to stay tuned for the brutal story of his 2012 Olympic semifinal, where the judges went against him in a controversial decision against Germany’s Ole Bischof.

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PODCAST: Worlds 2018 medalists Sabrina Wright and Kim Rice

Everyone dreams of making the podium at the World Championships. In this episode, we talk to two competitors from North Carolina who did just that — Sabrina Wright, a purple belt who trains with Lucas Lepri in Charlotte, and Kim Rice, a brown belt who has steadily worked toward this moment for years. PLUS, Victor Estima crashes the podcast! This is the first in a series of perhaps 5 shows about the Worlds, and you don’t want to miss any of them — so please subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or Google Play.

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PODCAST: Travis Stevens, Olympic silver medalist, on judo, jiu-jitsu and discipline

Listening to American Olympic judo silver medalist and BJJ black belt Travis Stevens will make you want to get up at 5 a.m. and train five times a day. He talks to us about goal-setting, work ethic, and determination — and recounts matches that are years in the past with an emotional resonance that suggests they happened yesterday. Listeners submitted dozens of questions for Travis, and he answered them all in the way you’d expect him to — directly, thoughtfully, thoroughly. We go over his thoughts on how you should approach learning and practicing takedowns; what it takes to keep up his famous training volume, and his approach to avoiding injuries while clocking so many hours on the mat; what he really thinks about self defense; advice for judo teachers with jiujitsu students; and how the training at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York compares to international judo training. Be sure to stay tuned for the brutal story of his 2012 Olympic semifinal, where the judges went against him in a controversial decision against Germany’s Ole Bischof.