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March 25, 2026
BJJ Bonus: Justin Flores on Connecting Judo, Wrestling & Jiujitsu | EP 38
Justin Flores joins Dave Meyer for a deep dive into the connections between Judo, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. They discuss how cross-training in multiple grappling arts creates a more complete martial artist, the importance of systems over individual moves, and how understanding the principles behind techniques leads to better performance on the mat.
March 24, 2026
BJJ Bonus: Erik Paulson - The MMA Pioneer | EP 36
Erik Paulson, one of MMA's true pioneers, joins Dave Meyer to share his incredible martial arts journey. From hockey to Bruce Lee, discovering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the Gracies, Shooto and catch wrestling, fighting in Japan, coaching the Ruotolo Brothers, a near-death experience and spiritual awakening, and his philosophy on creativity and innovation in martial arts.
March 18, 2026
BJJ Bonus: Lachlan Giles on Leg Locks, ADCC & the Future of BJJ | Ep 37
In this episode, we sit down with Lachlan Giles — ADCC veteran, leg lock specialist, physiotherapist, and head coach at Absolute MMA St Kilda in Melbourne, Australia. With decades in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a PhD in physiotherapy, Lachlan brings a uniquely thoughtful approach to both competition and coaching. Lachlan opens up about his legendary 2019 ADCC open weight run, where he submitted multiple larger opponents using leg locks — earning him the nickname "Giant Killer." He breaks down why leg locks have fundamentally changed the landscape of modern BJJ, how heel hooks and straight foot locks work differently depending on body type, and when competitors should prioritize leg entries versus guard passing. Beyond technique, we discuss coaching, injury prevention strategies for grapplers of all ages, his thoughts on professional grappling events like CJI, and how the meta of jiu-jitsu continues to evolve. Instagram lachlan_giles Absolute MMA St. Kilda https://absolutemma.com.au/locations/absolute-st-kilda/ SUBMETA https://submeta.io/ Some clips used for commentary. Original sources linked below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aMcXLkX9L8 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LVgNAGGu__U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH7Q1OUNkrU John Will https://www.redcatacademy.com.au/john_will.html Hangar 4 https://www.industrialstrengthandfitness.com.au/ Rick Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyI57BwiQGY Egan Inoue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egan_Inoue Gordon Ryan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Ryan Eoghan Oflanagan https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/eoghan-oflanagan Gene LeBell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_LeBell ADCC https://adcc-official.com/ Marcelo Garcia https://marcelogarciajj.com/mgjj/marcelogarcia/ Eddie Bravo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Bravo Craig Jones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Jones_(grappler) IBJJF https://ibjjf.com/ UFC BJJ https://www.ufc.com/ufcbjj Bob Bass https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048928735141 Kade Ruotolo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kade_Ruotolo The Ruotolo Brothers https://ruotolobrothersjiujitsu.com/ Rico Rodriguez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricco_Rodriguez The Machado Brothers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machado_family Black Sheep BJJ https://www.blacksheepjiujitsu.com/ Livia Giles https://www.instagram.com/livia_giles/ Melissa Will https://www.instagram.com/melissawillbjj/?hl=en David Mitchell and Lauren Sacks https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaxnka9MSgQzO8tCIQmeLMgcauDp3qHxN Kit Dale https://kitdaletraining.com/ Music “Disambiguation” by Robel Borja https://open.spotify.com/artist/7j0DUZ79z4edeLkU2H1UoJ?si=eISl0YfaQ-yLThljs48j5A
March 5, 2026
Toughness: How to Get Mentally and Physically Tougher | Ep 35
In this episode, I break down what toughness really means—the ability to not give up or give in to something difficult while continuing to function effectively. I explore the different types of toughness: physical, mental, and psychological, and why developing toughness expands what's possible in your life. I discuss when being too tough becomes a problem—the difference between pain and injury, and why you need to "discipline your discipline." Use toughness when continuing moves you forward, but use restraint when it makes things worse. I then provide practical methods to develop both physical and mental toughness: hard training, challenging workouts, cold plunges, multi-day fasts, and putting yourself in psychologically difficult situations. I break these into three levels—daily discomfort, controlled adversity, and real stakes—because toughness isn't something you have, it's something you practice. Life will test you, and being tough means you'll be ready. "Mental Toughness and Individual Differences in Learning, ...A Systematic Review" (2017) in Frontiers for Psychology https://tinyurl.com/vmpwp2xv Adopt-a-Pet.com https://www.adoptapet.com/ Dave Kovar https://www.kovarsystems.com/articles-and-resources/who-is-dave-kovar Freakonomics "Upside of Quitting" https://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-upside-of-quitting-3/ David Mitchell Find Dave Mitchell on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmitch442/?hl=en Royce Gracie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royce_Gracie Rickson Gracie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickson_Gracie Douglas Wong https://www.whitelotuskungfu.com/about-masterwong.html Rigan Machado https://www.theacademybeverlyhills.com/instructors/rigan-machado/ Jack Seki https://budoshin.com/about-bjj/budoshin-lineage/jack-seki/ Swiss Cadet Study "Systematic review- Mental toughness across domains" https://tinyurl.com/y9trs93v Iron Man Triathlon https://www.ironman.com/ Tabata App https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tabata-pro-hiit-interval-timer/id346432063 Juice Fast https://a.co/d/0hdvWoPm Seishiro "Henry" Okazaki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seishiro_Okazaki Danzan Ryu Ju Jitsu https://www.danzan.com/ Sig Kufferath https://www.danzan.com/HTML/PEOPLE/kufferath.html Bernice Jay https://www.danzan.com/HTML/PEOPLE/bernicejay.html Toastmasters https://www.toastmasters.org/ 00:00 - Intro: What is Toughness? 01:50 - Why Toughness Matters 05:29 - Types of Toughness: Physical, Mental & Psychological 08:49 - Benefits of Being Tough 13:11 - When Being Too Tough Becomes a Problem 14:51 - Discipline Your Discipline: Pain vs Injury 17:00 - How to Develop Physical Toughness 21:30 - Martial Arts Training for Toughness 24:30 - Mental Toughness Training Methods 27:11 - Cold Showers & Daily Toughness Builders 30:50 - Backpacking & Multi-Day Fasts 33:05 - Deep Tissue Massage as Toughness Training 35:26 - Non-Physical Ways to Build Psychological Toughness 37:13 - Three Levels of Toughness Training 38:09 - Final Thoughts: Toughness as Practice Music “Disambiguation” by Robel Borja https://open.spotify.com/artist/7j0DUZ79z4edeLkU2H1UoJ?si=eISl0YfaQ-yLThljs48j5A