The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

Joe Solecki has been training BJJ since he was six years old.  His is now 21 years old and a very active light weight brown belt.  He spent the first 12 years of his BJJ learning from John Hassett in NJ.  He now lives in Myrtle Beach, SC and trains with Frankie Patches of Serra BJJ.

In our interview with Joe Solecki we talk about:

• Starting BJJ so young
• Building a strong defense
• How his game has changed over time
• What tv show got him interested in martial arts
• Balancing going to school full time and training BJJ
• Training at a cross-fit gym
• Staying motivated to train and study
• His goal of going to ADCC
• How he is able to have fun and take competition seriously
• His favorite method of training
• Watching instructional videos vs competition footage
• What he expects the ADCC trials to be like
• Moving across the country and finding a new place to train
• How he warms up before a match
• Advice for someone doing their first tournament
• Why he values safety, fun, and learning in a tournament
• What it was like being a 16 year old blue belt
• Advice for kids doing BJJ
• Tips for developing your own game plan
• Goals for a first year student
• His off the mat training
• How he likes to teach a kids class

Links to keep up with Joe Solecki, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram

Quote of the week: "Frustration is a useless emotion" presented by Amanda Loewen

Article of the week: How to Improve Your Guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Want a better Guillotine Choke? Check out this seminar by our friend Roy Marsh! This week we get a tip to help one of teh biggest mistakes with a guillotine

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

Amanda Loewen has been training BJJ and competing for about five years, and she has recently received her black belt from Matt Thornton.  You will find her training at SBGi in Portland.

We talk about:

• Her start to BJJ
• Getting her black belt in five years
• Some troubles finding competition
• Her hobbies off the mat
• Why she prefers a "basic style"
• Her six day a week training schedule
• Training off the mat
• Staying motivated
• Her goals of competing with the black belts
• She is going to the European Championships in Jan 2015
• Posture, pressure and possibilities
• Keeping things very simple when teaching BJJ
• The basic class format she likes
• How she handles the stresses of competition
• Her experience at her first tournament
• A mental trick she uses to avoid sweeps
• Tips for making your own game plan
• Why she rolls with a poker face
• Goals for a first year BJJ student
• Why it is important to focus on defense first then learn offense

*note Amanda Loewen was recently married and her new name is Amanda Diggins

Keep up with Amanda on her Facebook Page.

Amanda is sponsored by Fenom Kimonos

Quote of the week: "With great power comes great responsibility" Presented by Comprido

Article of the week: "Advice for Begginners Competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu" 10thplanetsm.com

Want a better Guillotine Choke? Check out this seminar by our friend Roy Marsh! This week Roy Marsh talks about attaining the guillotine position.

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

Rodrigo Comprido Medeiros is a legend in the sport of BJJ.  The first year he was a black belt he was able to win the absolute division. He not only won it, but he was the first person to win by submission in absolute black belt history.  He also won it with the fastest submission in black belt history.  Comprido currently has a gym called Comprido BJJ in Bloomingdale IL.

In this interview we talk about:

• How he got the name Comprido
• Yuri Simoes in Metamoris
• Sustainable Jiu-jitsu
• Competition advice
• Adjusting jiu-jitsu to your body and age
• Bjj Camp
• Training with Felipe Costa
• His goals for the future
• Competing very well as a new black belt
• Advice on training safe
• What it was like at his first tournament
• Dealing with and using your adrenaline
• What he was like as a blue belt
• Advice for a first year student
• The possibility of doing another Metamoris

Keep up with Comprido

• compridobjj.com/
• His Facebook Page
• His Twitter Page

Comprido's Sponsors

• Defense soap
• Storm Kimonos

Quote of the week: "Strength and solidarity" Shama Ko From Girls in Gis

Article of the week: "Injuries: The Jiu-Jitsu Plague" Blog.gameness.com

Shama Ko is the program director of an organization called Girls in Gis (GIG).  GIG supports a growing and supportive community of women in BJJ.  Chapters of GIG are springing up all over the Midwest. Shama has been training BJJ for 13 years.  GIG had about 30 events this year.

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

We talk about:

• The main goal of GIG
• The Community of women in BJJ
• The large growth of GIG
• How she got her start in BJJ
• Girls doing BJJ for the first time
• Tips to get your friends to try BJJ
• How BJJ helps to change lives
• What to expect at a GIG event
• Why a women introductory BJJ class is so important
• Advice for guys to be a good training partner
• Why it is important to be patient in your BJJ journey

Contact Shama Ko: Girls in Gis Facebook Page, Website, Email girlsingis@gmail.com

Quote of the week: "Risk more than others think is safe, care more than others is wise." Presented by AJ Agazarm

Article of the week: "How to Survive a Training Layoff" grapplearts.com

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

AJ Agazarm is a former DI wrestler and a very active light weight black belt. He is known for his aggressive style and never quit attitude. He received his black belt a couple of years ago from Eduardo de Lima.  This is a fun interview and AJ shares tons of great advice for any grappler.

We talk about:

• AJ's love for extreme sports
• AJ's passion for travel
• Why he likes to enter the absolute division
• As a black belt he has had over 75 matches in less than 2 years
• The fine line between being reckless and tenacious
• His training as he travels
• His competition goals that he has met and not met yet
• What he does before he compete
• How he views a competitive BJJ match
• How BJJ has changed him off the mat
• The cultural differences between BJJ and wrestling
• How he practices mental toughness
• How he keeps his emotions out of his match
• How he gets out of tight submissions
• Advice for a student competing for the first time
• Enjoying the entire process of the tournament not just the match
• Why he loved being a blue belt
• How to find your game plan
• Why it is important to take notes in class
• Advice for competing in the absolute division

Check out AJ's Sponsors

• Budovideos
• Shoyoroll
• OC Fight Docs
• RevLocal
• Sambazon

Connect with AJ

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Video of AJ skydiving and drinking açaí

Quote of the week: "Nothing takes the place of hard training on the mats" Budo Jake

Article of the week: 5 Important Things Your Instructors Want You to Stop Doing

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

Last week at Fox Fitness Byron was given a Black belt from Andre “Tim” Monteiro and John Castillo. Gary interviews Byron about his journey from white belt to black.

Gary ask Byron about:

• The journey at each belt color
• Him off the mat
• A description of his game and what he likes to do
• Advice for your first BJJ tournament
• How to make your first BJJ Brick
• A good goal for a 1st year student
• Did he ever think about quitting
• Using BJJ as a firefighter

Quote of the week: "High expectations are the key to everything" Sam Walton

Article of the week: "3 Ways to Become Happier with Your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training"

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

Rafael Ellwanger is from Rio De Janeiro, he has been a BJJ black belt since April 10, 2006.  He opened his won gym called Gracie United, in Hammond Louisiana.  Gracie United has 15 schools in or near the Louisiana area.

We talk about:

• Rafael's early BJJ, and an accident off the mat that broke both his legs
• Why it can be difficult to start BJJ
• How safe BJJ can be compared to training other sports
• The rules of IBJJF
• His thoughts on the double guard pull and the 50/50
• Some of the current rules of BJJ
• His early training in Brazil
• His family not wanting him to do BJJ for a living
• Some of the rewards off the mat of BJJ
• The social benefits of BJJ
• Teaching BJJ full time
• Training with lower belts
• Some older BJJ matches

Contact Rafael Ellwanger on his website or on his facebook page.

Check out the new Bernardo Faria DVD

The BjjBrick Podcast has been going for 1 Year with this episode!!  We have managed to pull off an episode every week.  We (try to quickly) go down the episode list for anyone who has missed something that you might want to go back and check.

Quote of the week:"Everything Should Be Made as Simple as Possible, But Not Simpler" Albert Einstein- Presented by Matt Thorton

Article of the week: Breaking Down the Notebook by White Belt Survival Strategy 

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

Matt Thornton is the founder of Straight Blast Gym.  He was introduced to BJJ in 1991.  In 2001 Chris Hauete awarded Matt his black belt.  He can be found running his own Academy in Portland, Oregon, when his is not traveling.

This episode we talk about:

• His personal training history
• We go deep into what are the fundamentals of BJJ
• Why he recommends not teaching your style, just teaching fundamentals
• How to find your own game after you get the fundamentals
• The process of becoming a black belt in BJJ
• Why many people make the "all you can eat buffet" mistake when studding martial arts
• Conor McGregor's striking style and movement
• Fundamentals are not style specific
• The principal of Aliveness
• The iMethod (introduction, isolation, integration)
• Why it is important to make BJJ simple
• The SBG kids program Growing Gorillas
• Some advantages for kids to do BJJ vs other sports
• Advice for students competing for the first time
• Staying calm during competition
• His early BJJ techniques
• Why learning to relax is a key to beginner BJJ
• Conor McGregor getting his brown belt
• Having passion for the martial arts

Contact Matt Thornton by Email here sbginfo@yahoo.com or visit the website http://www.straightblastgym.com/

Quote of the week: “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” Abraham Lincoln

Article of the week: "How To Be A Douche In Jiu-Jitsu" by http://jiujitsutimes.com/

We end the podcast with Ultimate dancing with Byron's Mom talking about Randy Couture on dancing with the stars.

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radio

Matheus Diniz is a rising star in the world of BJJ. He is a Brown Belt training at Marcelo Garcia's academy.  On Saturday 9-27-2014 he won the Pans nogi, Brown belt in the heavyweight division.

In this interview we talk about

• What it is like to train at Marcelo Garcia's acdemy
• Winning the Pans on 9-27-2014
• Why it is important for him to have exciting fights
• His training schedule
• What makes MGinaction such a great environment
• Advice for a first time competitor
• What he was like as a blue belt
• What happened in his first 2 BJJ matches
• What he does before a match
• Advice for developing a game plan
• What it means to "start the match" and "always move forward"
• Advice for people during their first year of BJJ

Matheus Diniz is sponsored by MGinAction.com

Matheus Diniz Facebook page

Quote of the week: "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will be among the stars" Bernardo Faria

Article of the week: "When Hugs Get Dangerous: Guys Rolling w/ Women" by Jesse J. Saxon

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, and Stitcher radioBernardo Faria is one of the top BJJ black belt competitors on the mat today.  He credits a lot of his success not to being talented but to training very hard everyday.  He is currently training and teaching at Marcelo Garcia's Academy. Look for him this October competing in Worlds No-Gi, IBJJF PRO and NY PRO.

Bernardo talks about:

• His early training and school
• Teaching and training hard for competition
• Training with Marcelo Garcia
• Why he is able to put all his effort and determination in a match
• Why he likes his half guard so much
• His deep half guard dvd that will be released soon
• His short term and long term goals
• Focusing on doing your best and not focusing on winning
• How he gets ready before a match
• His omoplata and why he goes 100% for the submission and not the sweep
• His very first BJJ match
• Advice for someone doing their 1st tournament
• What he was like as a blue belt (his longest belt)
• Why it is important to develop you own game
• Why you should set your own goals
• Traits he likes to see in his students
• His matches with Rodolfo Vieira

Contact info Bernardo Faria on facebook page here

More info on Bernardo's Deep Half Guard DVD!!

Quote of the week: "train hard fight easy" this quote was presented by Yuri Simoes

Article of the week: Teamquestmma.net "8 Tips For Teaching Kids Martial Arts"