It is important to look at yourself and reflect about what attributes you have that can help you get better at BJJ. We look at Physical, Mental, and Situational advantages (Gifts) you have and how to get the most out of them.

Some of the physical gifts we talk about:

• Speed
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Coordination
• Balance
• Your height

Some of the mental gifts we talk about:

• Patience as a student and instructor
• Having a memory for technique
• Being a people person
• having a competitive spirit

Some of the situational gifts we talk about:

• Having a great BJJ gym near you
• Having a stable family life
• Having a supportive spouse or partner
• Being healthy
• Being part of a great team
• Having a great coach
• Being financially stable

Pranks pulled on Gary this week: The golden girls song around 57min when he is talking about how great a training partner Byron is. Gary was unaware of the gift image with Gary's face.

Quote of the week: "Wouldn't it be great to be gifted? In fact.... It turns out that choices lead to habits. Habits become talents. Talents are labeled gifts. You're not born this way, you get this way." Seth Godin

Article of the week: Visiting another school…. Getting the most out of a drop in

We welcome new patreon supporters Mindy and Alexander

Mat Tales 18 Hitting the Road for BJJ

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

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The List of people that have tapped out Marcelo Garcia is short but it includes Dustin Denes AKA Clean. Enjoy this weeks interview because it is going to be like nothing you have heard before.

We talk about:

• Becoming a Brazilian National Champion in 2000
• Tapping out Marcelo Garcia with a RNC
• Being certain that you will be successful
• Tapping into your full potential
• Motivation vs discipline
• How he developed discipline as a boy
• How he got the name "Clean"
• Chasing efforts
• The definition of "Chop Certified" and "Jiu-Jitsu Chop"
• Teaching productivity while doing a BJJ seminar
• Why he learns everyone's name while teaching a seminar
• Why he teaches a smaller number of techniques that you will be able to remember
• Why you have a good side and a great side not a bad side
• Tips on goal setting
• How pain motivated him to win tournaments
• Why it is important to make some sacrifices when preparing for a tournament

Links:

• chopcertified.com

Quote of the week: "I only train on days ending in a Y." Neil Ohlenkamp

Article of the week: Hey, Jiu-Jitsu Competitors, Stop Apologizing For Your Losses

Gary's book this week is called "The Hair Lock"

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

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This week we have an interview with Greg Thompson. Greg is the creator of SOCP (Special Operations Combatives Program) www.socp.info. On March 23, 2010, SOCP became the first officially designated combatives program for all U.S. Army Special Operations Forces. ERB Codes: (SOCP I: BRT), (SOCP II: FBR) SOCP is now the standard program for fighting in kit. Greg is also training Federal and State Law Enforcement, FBI, ATF, Border Patrol and Special Contract Units.  Continue reading about Greg Thompson here.

We talk about:

• His start in martial arts and wrestling
• What is was like training in the early days
• Getting started in training people in special operations
• Some of the tactical decisions a law enforcement officer must make
• Why it is important to know the limits of what you are training
• His conversations with a closed minded martial artist
• Training safely for violent encounters
• Controlling the distance
• Knowing how to use the proper force multiplyer
• Knife training and common mistakes with training with knifes
• What someone doing BJJ can do to prepare for self defense
• Grappling and training with a knife
• Grappling with teams or more than one vs one
• Police officers dealing with stress and the use of force
• How to de escalate self defense situations
• How to avoid legal trouble for defending yourself
• The pros and cons of different self defense tools
• How to protect yourself from a home invasion
• How to avoid someone breaking into your house
• How to deal with a home invasion situation
• Creating safe habits
• Using your BJJ skills if you get a job in the military or law enforcement

Links:

• Team R.O.C
• TXcombatives
• H2H (Hand to Hand) Combat, Soldiers Edition
• Videos of Greg here

Quote of the week: "No intelligent man has ever lost a fight to someone who said 'I'm gonna kick your ass" Rory Miller

Article of the week: A Complete Victory by a 1% Margin

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, Stitcher radio, and Google Play Music for Andriod

This week we have an interview with Atos rising star Conner DeAngelis.

We talk about:

• Moving to Atos to train BJJ
• His style of game
• Getting double gold at worlds in blue belt nogi and winning Pan Ams
• How bad coaching can effect sports performance
• A lesson learned from a loss
• Dealing with nerves before competing
• Cooking advice for young athletes
• His training schedule

Links:

• Hyperfly
• Conner on Instagram
• Conner on Facebook

Quote of the week: "Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that’s cool too.” Pat Tyson

Article of the week: 7 Reasons Your Jiu-Jitsu Isn't Getting Better

Gary talks about his book he is going to release called "Cooking the cauliflower ear with Mike Tyson"

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, Stitcher radio, and Google Play Music for Andriod

This week we have an interview with BJJ brown belt Sarah Draht. She has been training since 2005. She shares her wealth of experience in Muay Thai, BJJ and MMA.

We talk about:

• Her start in martial arts
• Some of the things that make her passionate about BJJ
• Running a women's Muay Thai program
• How a bad car accident almost killed her and kept her off the mat for four years
• Recovering from her car accident
• Mind Gym : An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence
• How to avoid getting injured before a tournament
• Advice for women transitioning from BJJ to MMA

Links:

• BC Kimonos
• Joel Kryczka Physiotherapy
• Sarah on Instagram
• Sarah on Facebook

Quote of the week: "'Find a job you like, and you add five days to every week." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Article of the week: Live Sparring/Free Rolling: Get more out of it than just a good fight

Safe word of the week: Peanut butter

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, Stitcher radio, and Google Play Music for Andriod