The Primal MMA Coaching Podcast

Send us a textIn this episode, I'm joined by Andy from the School of Grappling, a coach and physicist whose analytical approach to no-gi grappling and wrestling has made him a respected figure in the sport. We discuss the science behind skill development, biomechanics, and training methods that align with the ecological approach. As the podcast nears its conclusion, I'm grateful to have one of my dream guests on the show. Tune in for a deep dive into the art and science of grappling! Catch more of Andy and his insights on the great Sonny Brown Breakdown Podcast. 

Send us a text In this episode of the Primal MMA Coaching Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Laura Cuijpers, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen, to explore the emotional and psychological aspects of martial arts training. We dive into Dr. Laura's work on agency, resilience, and the application of the ecological approach in self-defense, with a particular focus on women's self-defense. We discuss the challenges of moving away from choreographed methods and the importance of improvisation under pressure. This conversation is packed with insights relevant to anyone interested in martial arts, self-defense, or ecological dynamics. 

Send us a Text Message.Today I welcome Sonny Sahota from Praxis Gym in Canada. Sonny, a judo black belt and manager of Kensington Judo Club in Vancouver, shares his insights on integrating Ecological Dynamics and the Active Inference Framework (AIF) into martial arts coaching. Sony introduces some of the tenets these approaches, discussing how they inform skill acquisition, practice design, and the balance between training under fatigue and maintaining motor learning. Sonny highlights the importance of understanding athletes' individual narratives and emotional engagement. This conversation offers valuable perspectives on how these cutting-edge theories can complement each other and enhance coaching practices. Whether you're a seasoned coach or new to these concepts, this episode is packed with practical insights and thought-provoking discussions. 

Coach Rob Cole joins me today to talk coaching within an ecological dynamics framework.Rob is a long time mixed martial artist, globetrotters BJJ coach and a regular coach at Ascension Athletics in Connecticut. 

Gray Thomas joins me today to talk about the Ecological Psychology side of ecological dynamics. Gray is a PhD student at the university of Connecticut where he studies and researches Ecological Psychology.  I enjoyed my chat with Gray and learn more about eco psych. The ecological approach really hangs on the theory of direct perception. Gray took some time today to talk about this and it's implication for sport and movement. As plugged in the intro. Some more resources worth checking out are:The Constraints Collective Podcast  Danny Hatchers Video Essays on 'Introduction to Ecological Psychology"(Blau and Wagman) and "How we learn to move" (Gray). Danny's Youtube channel is a treasure trove of Eco related content. And lastly the recently launched Ecological Dynamics for submission grappling podcast. 

Today's chat was with Pittsburgh Pirate's coach John BakerJohn is a former MLB player and current performance and skills coach alongside Andy Bass in the Pirates Baseball organization. Also a BJJ purple belt, Ecological dynamics advocate and MMA fan. We had a fun chat covering all things eco, baseball and combat sports. 

The boys from emergence are back to discuss their recently accepted and published paper on  "Applying an ecological dynamics framework to mixed martial arts training".  This paper followed their previous publication from 2023 "(Re)conceptualizing movement behavior in sport as a problem-solving activity".Both of these papers were supported and co-authored by Professor Keith Davids himself a titan in the skill acquisition community and a pioneer of ecological dynamic. SBG's Adam Singer, The Academy's Andy Grahn and myself were also able to provide modest contributions by way of case studies that were included in the paper as practical examples of the application of an ecological approach at our prospective gyms. Tyler Yearby and Shawn Myszka plan on further investigation and future studies in the space of MMA from an ecological perspective.  Until then, check out the papers linked above and to access an absolute treasure trove of all things ecological, check out their website at Emergence. 

In this episode I talk with Coach James de Lacey of Sweet Science of Fighting.While most discussions on the podcast have been biased toward the perceptual half of the perception-action loop. Coach James talks about how we can support the action side through science informed exercise programming. While James doesn't offer a specific program for combat athletes, he does give valuable insight and his opinions on where the best bang for the buck comes with regards to S&C for fighters. He also offers some practical and measurable ways to integrate S&C into busy training schedules and simple ways to track and measure.James can be found on IG here and has a YouTube channel definitely worth checking out if you want some combat sport S&C content that has been research informed.Thank you to all that listen. Stay tuned for a whole bunch of episodes in the pipeline featuring Skill-Acquisition specialists from all over the world. Here's to an educational and enlightening 2024! 

Today I talk with Dr Andy Bass. Andy is a researcher, educator, former pro baseball player and is currently a performance coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Andy talks about both the mental side and motor learning side of skill development. How the two can be separate but also generally integrate. I have linked several episodes that Andy features on in the podcast description, and would recommend you check them out if what Andy talks about today interests you. Slappin Glass PodcastBeyond Baseball  Coach Your Brains outRide the Grey Andy, admirably, is not on any of the social media platforms but he can be reached by email. Please get in touch with me if you would like an introduction. 

Today I chat with Irish National Kickboxing Coach Jon Mackey about the role of training tools in striking sports. We'll explore whether these tools actually support skill acquisition and debunk some of the popular training gimmicks that are flooding social media.Coach Mackey brings not only an extensive coaching experience, but his academic perspective as a PhD is skill acq candidate.  Jon gives his thoughts on the effectiveness of tools like noodles, ladders, flashing lights, and frisbees for improving athletic performance. He'll explain why these tools may not be as beneficial as they're often portrayed and offer alternative strategies for developing the skills and conditioning necessary to excel in striking sports.Whether you utilize these tools or have wondered how effective they might be, hopefully this convo will help challenge the conventional wisdom and leave you with a better understanding of what most likely works and what most likely doesn't when it comes to training tools and equipment.

Today I welcome Kit Dale and Greg Souders on to the show.Kit is well know in the jiu-jitsu world for his rapid development in the sport and his achievements at high level no-gi grappling in a short few years. An advocate of 'learning through trial and error and one that has been preaching the anti-drilling message for years' it seemed fitting that I get him on to talk with Greg Souders.Greg himself has emerged as a leading advocate of the ecological approach and in doing so, brought a lot of the science and research from the academic side onto the mats and into a broader conversation. Kit has recently launched his 'Task Based Games' series which is really the first of it's kind in bringing this gamification approach to the wider grappling community. A long but interesting convo between the two coaches. Thank to all that download, listen and take the time to reach out!

Today, I chat with Noah Schaffer from the Standard Jiu-Jitsu Grappling Team, mentored by Greg Souders. Unlike my usual guests who are coaches or academics, Noah stands out as a student who has embraced the ecological approach to skill development. Despite being only 17, his insights into the sport and its methodologies are profound. While many might assume he's echoing Coach Souders, Noah showcases a unique understanding. He's definitely one to watch in the sport's future.After recording with Greg and Kit Dale, known for championing live resistance training, I spoke with Noah. He even invites anyone interested to visit the Standard team in Rockville, Maryland.While I aim to delve more into MMA, the upcoming episodes remain grappling-focused. Your support and feedback inspire me to continue this journey.

Today I talk with Coach Rory Singer.  Rory is the younger brother of Coach Adam Singer and together they have run and coached MMA in Athens Georgia for several Decades. Rory is an UFC Vet and lifelong martial artist.In this convo we spoke about the expectations we have for new students entering the sport and particularly those who have the aspirations to fight at a high level. We talk about gym culture, duty of care for fighter and of course our philosophies of aliveness and ecological learning. You can find Rory here and here. You can find SBG Athens here.

Emergence founder, NFL skills coach and MMA superfan Shawn Myszka joined me to discuss Strickland's win over Adesanya last week.As stated during intro. Must of this analysis is somewhat speculative given we are not privy to the innerworkings of both fighter's camps, preparation and day to day training methodologies. 

Today I am chatting with Ed Ingamells. (Aka the Partybear). Ed is a black belt and coach at the Institute of Grappling in North London, UK.As a former Neuroscience PhD student, Ed has a deep understanding of cognitive psychology. Ed talks about his shift in recent years to a more ecological approach and how ecological psychology and direct perception make more sense to him from a skill development and motor-learning perspective. If you enjoyed the convo you can find other podcast appearances by Ed here and here. If you'd like to reach out to Ed, you can do so here and here. In the first part of the chat, we talk about the role of memory and cognition in skill development before moving on to discussing our ever evolving endeavors to optimize practice design. Thanks to all that download and listen. 

Adam Singer joins me today to talk coaching, culture and continuing the SBG philosophy of aliveness through an ecological lens. 

Today I am joined by Coach Josh Root from Gravitas Martial Arts in Arkansas. Josh has recently re-visited an Eco D approach to grappling after initially abandoning it due to uncertainty.With a deeper understanding and support from Standard's Greg Souder's, Coach Josh is not looking back and has been all in on the approach. Enjoying some early success he is starting to get his team on board and trusting the practice design.Josh talks about his switch from a highly prescriptive and high volume drilling approach to a more games based and live learning environment. His initial difficulties making the switch and his excitement and optimism for his team going forward.As mentioned in the intro, I have been made increasingly aware of strokes from chokes in BJJ. If you have not, then you most likely will in time.  Be prepared and recognize the signs and have a plan. Your own, or your teammates life might depend on it.  Check out this video by my friend Chris Martin who himself suffered a stroke from a lapel choke a few years back. 

Professor Alan Dunton is back. Alan is a lecturer and researcher at MTU Cork, Ireland. With a PhD in Skill Acquisitor and having been a long time martial artist himself and a National TKD team competitor, Alan is well informed on both the theory and practical sides of the sport and training. Alan and I discuss developing metastability.  Metastability occurs when an athlete is able to maintain a stable position or movement pattern while simultaneously having the flexibility and adaptability to respond and adjust to a highly dynamic environment and conditions (Think Fighting). It can characterized by a delicate balance between stability and instability, allowing for efficient and effective performance.We also discuss the limitations of pad and bag work as they pertain to skill development. 

In today's podcast, we're honored to have Jon Mackey as our guest, a celebrated coach in both Taekwon-Do and Kickboxing. With a career that began in 1987, Jon has trained numerous national, European, and world gold medalists in Taekwon-Do and Kickboxing, including Amy Wall, Lauren Bradshaw, and Robyn McDonnell. As the founder of Red Star Kickboxing and the National Director of Coaching for Kickboxing Ireland, Jon has significantly contributed to the Irish national team's success. When he's not coaching kickboxing, Jon works as High Performance Director for Canoeing Ireland and is an avid researcher in coaching, skill acquisition, and decision-making. Jon's philosophy emphasizes the power of sports in shaping young people's lives and developing essential attributes like resilience and self-discipline. With a Masters in Coaching & Performance Science and currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Elite Performance in Sport, Jon's expertise and passion for coaching make him a truly remarkable figure in the world of sports.TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:

In this episode I speak with Coach Ricky Pachon . A young  coach from Gracie Barra, Bondi Beach, Australia. Ricky leads a successful youth competition team and is himself an avid competitor on the Australian BJJ/Grappling scene. Recently a parent of a student of Ricky reached out to me to introduce him. Following several years of employing a high-repetition traditional approach to developing his youth team. Ricky has in recent months been another coach to fall down the ecological rabbit hole. Ricky's enthusiasm and energy spills out when he talks about coaching and  training and it's clear, despite his age he is well on his way to becoming a high level bjj coach and ambassador for the sport. Ricky talks about his recent transition to a ecological approach and we discuss the reception of his student and fellow coaches. You can get in touch with Ricky and follow him on his IG page.I look forward to watching this passionate coach and his team grow and thrive in the coming years.  

This episode is the second of two interviews by Brian Willis of the Excellence in Training Academy.Brian reached out to both myself and Standard Jiu-jitsu's Greg Souders to talk about our application of Ecological Dynamics to Striking and Grappling respectively.With Brian's blessing he allowed me to share these interviews here on my podcast, given his interviews (over 350 of them) are available for his subscribers to his online platform.Brian was a very engaging and great interviewer and both Greg and I were thankful for the opportunity and fun conversations. While neither Greg or I have much insight into law enforcement, Brian similarly is in a constant pursuit of how we can make training more optimal and effective for our domains.Brian can be found best on his training academy site and at his other online resource site https://winningmindtraining.com/ Should any one want to reach Brian directly through the show, please email me at scott@primalmke.com

This episode is the first of two interviews by Brian Willis of the Excellence in Training Academy.Brian reached out to both myself and Standard Jiu-jitsu's Greg Souders to talk about our application of Ecological Dynamics to Striking and Grappling respectively. With Brian's blessing he allowed me to share these interviews here on my podcast, given his interviews (over 350 of them) are available for his subscribers to his online platform. Brian was a very engaging and great interviewer and both Greg and I were thankful for the opportunity and fun conversations. While neither Greg or I have much insight into law enforcement, Brian similarly is in a constant pursuit of how we can make training more optimal and effective for our domains. Brian can be found best on his training academy site and at his other online resource site https://winningmindtraining.com/ Should any one want to reach Brian directly through the show, please email me at scott@primalmke.com

(PART 2) Today my guest is my friend and fellow podcaster Josh Peacock.Josh is the host of the Combat Learning Podcast and a fellow advocate of an ecological approach to combat sports training.A real student of the science of skill development, teaching methodologies and the history of combat sports, Josh is also a 4th degree TKD coach/practitioner and more recently a student of BJJ and submission grappling.In this episode Josh and I discuss some of the common pushbacks and arguments we hear against the ecological approach and how they may not be entirely fair or honest.With increasing attention being turned towards this methodology we thought a discussion about some ingrained biases and assumptions might help those who themselves are somewhere in the transition phase towards this kind of training.Hopefully discussions like these can better help newer EcoD enthusiasts to be better prepared when presenting a case for change.While it's Josh's first appearace on the podcast, he and I speak regularly and are fairly well aligned. His podcast is really excellent and well worth a listen if you have not already done so!Josh has a Facebook group called the Combat Learning Community which is also worth checking out and getting involved with the discussion.

Today my guest is my friend and fellow podcaster Josh Peacock.Josh is the host of the Combat Learning Podcast and a fellow advocate of an ecological approach to combat sports training.A real student of the science of skill development, teaching methodologies and the history of combat sports, Josh is also a 4th degree TKD coach/practitioner and more recently a student of BJJ and submission grappling.In this episode Josh and I discuss some of the common pushbacks and arguments we hear against the ecological approach and how they may not be entirely fair or honest.With increasing attention being turned towards this methodology we thought a discussion about some ingrained biases and assumptions might help those who themselves are somewhere in the transition phase towards this kind of training. Hopefully discussions like these can better help newer EcoD enthusiasts to be better prepared when presenting a case for change.While it's Josh's first appearace on the podcast, he and I speak regularly and are fairly well aligned. His podcast is really excellent and well worth a listen if you have not already done so!Josh has a Facebook group called the Combat Learning Community which is also worth checking out and getting involved with the discussion.

Danny Hatcher joined me to talk more about ecological dynamics for sport.Danny is a Podcaster, youtuber, educator, coach and sport scientist from the UK. We connected after I watched his terrific youtube video on Ecological Learning. Among his many endeavors, Danny has spent a lot of time researching in the areas of psychology and learning. This has given him a robust understanding of both the information processing approach of cognitive psychology and the Ecological approach of ecological psychology. Danny is active on twitter and is well worth and follow. I look forward to him returning in the future as guest to pick his brain again. 

In this episode I welcome on Coach Kabir Bath, founder and owner of Kaboom Jiu-Jitsu in Surrey, British Columbia. Kabir is a Raphael Lovato Jr Black belt/affiliate and was a Lovato associate coach of the year 2017.As Kabir explains in the episode, he recently and abruptly shifted to an ecological approach while abandoning the more typical traditional format for learning and teaching jiu-jitsu.I can't give enough credit to an already successful and established coach who is not only open to change, but who has done so, so rapidly and radically.I look forward to watching team Kaboom grow and thrive in the coming months and years.Ancora Imparo Indeed! 

Today I welcome back Standard Jiu-Jitsu's coach Greg Souders.Greg and I were chatting about a very recent reddit post aptly named, 'Training at a gym that doesn't teach technique'. The post was specifically posing the question about Standard's training approach and garnered many perspectives and opinions.Greg, and I decided to talk about the post, some of the comments and record our discussion for an episode. As usual the editing and sound quality of the episode is a little rough and unpolished, but I hope the quality of the content makes up for that.*If myself or Greg in anyway misrepresented anyone's comments on the thread, please feel free to reach out so we can address.Likewise, I am always open to debate, discussion and pushback. Should anyone want to be a guest on the podcast to have such a debate, please reach out to me on my IG with a DM or contact me by email at scott@primalmke.comMuch love to all that support! Onwards and Upwards!

On this epsiode, I welcome Dr Mike Piekarski aka. @doctor_kickass about to talk about S&C for MMA. As I discuss with Mike, I've believe that in being so focused on skill development in practice, I've been  guilty of undervaluing the role of S&C, in particular when it comes to competition. My concern with not cutting into valuable 'learning' time, inevitably had me neglect and deemphasize  the importance of S&C.  As part of rebalancing  and moving forward with my team. I reached out to Mike for some insight, advice and direction. Being a BJJ blackbelt, a former MMA fighter and an active Dr of Physical Therapy, Mike seemed to be an obvious choice to invite on for discussion.I very much enjoyed talking with him, and encourage anyone in the MMA space to give him a follow on IG where he posts most of his content. I do plan to have more S&C coaches and scientists on going forward as a part of my rebalancing of training focus. Onwards and Upwards! Enjoy the convo with Dr Kickass!

On this episode we delve a little more into the underpinning science of Ecological Dynamics.I recently read 'Introduction to Ecological Psychology' written by Dr Julia Blau and Dr Jeff Wagman which was a terrific read. The book was just recently published in the summer of 2022. Had this book been available years ago, it might have saved me countless hours of confusion and frustration. While there is little talk of MMA or Grappling in this episode, it does offer a teaser of the fascinating area of ecological psychology and how we interact  and move in our world. Our discussion lends support to what many of the guest coaches and academics that have been on the podcast are telling me. That we are complex systems and we must let the body acquire skillful movement solutions trusting it to do what it is designed to do. Solve movement problems.Dr Blau and Dr Wagman also recently appeared on the Perception Action Podcast to discuss the book.  As mentioned countless times, Dr Gray's podcast is a treasure trove of contemporary sports science and any coach that wants to better understand the human system and how it learns should absolutely subscribe and listen to it. Thank you to all who support and listen. And especially all those who took time to talk to me an participate in the discussions. 

In this episode, I talk with again with Coach Greg Souders of Standard Jiu-Jitsu , Rockville MD (Maryland).Greg is a black belt who founded Standard Jiu-Jitsu several years back following many years of training and competing with Team Llyod Irvin.  A product of the high repetition and traditional development approach, Greg largely abandoned the conventional ways in favor of a more ecological approach to skill development.This time, we recorded with Greg in Milwaukee where he came to visit for a day.  Greg was in the area with his team-mate and student, Alex Nguyen, who came to clean up at the Midwest Finishers tournament in Lombard IL, (Where she did so handedly and took home the 115lb female pro-bracket belt and cash).Today we discuss practice design from a learning vs teaching perspective and Greg's four pillars of good practice. I. Considering the historical Emergence of  the Grappling arts. II. Starting with the end in mind.III. Low to high variability.IV. Playing the whole game every day. Greg for me, is a coach's coach and really seems to be a trailblazer for the growing ecological minded schools out there.Should anyone want to get in touch (I recommend they do). He is reachable on his social media links here. IG and Facebook and of course via his website 

Andy Lane is a professor and researcher in sports psychology at the University of Wolverhampton UK.  Andy joined me to discuss strategies and methods for developing and building psychological skills in training and competition. A former boxer with 50 fights, Andy is an advocate for responsible and ethical training/sparring and suggests alternative and effective ways to battle ready and pressure test fighters.Andy is most active on twitter @andylane27 and also shares content on his youtube channel.I was introduced to Andy after hearing him talk on the 'Sport Psych Show' podcast with Dan Abrahams. (An excellent podcast worth checking out!)

Dr. Tom Parry is the founder and owner of Kestrel Performance Psychology. He has a Ph.D. in Human Performance from Indiana University with specializations in Skill Acquisition and Psychology.​He wears many hats including Professor, Father, Coach and Consultant. These roles have blessed him with a detailed understanding of human behavior from various perspectives and the nuanced nature of performance. He has worked with numerous individual athletes, sports teams and businesses to improve their performance and meet their desired outcomes.Tom joined me to discuss and elaborate on a recent twitter thread he posted recently. It was a thread that really resonated with me and I wanted to find out more.Tom actively shares and posts content on his twitter page and is well worth a follow!

In this episode, I talk with Coach Greg Souders of Standard Jiu-Jitsu , Rockville MD (Maryland).Greg is a black belt who founded Standard Jui-Jitsu several years back following many years of training and competing with Team Llyod Irvin.  A product of the high repetition and traditional development approach, Greg largely abandoned the conventional ways in favor of a more ecological approach to skill development. This episode was recorded with Greg in person when I visited his gym (nicknamed the Black Temple). After a couple of days training there, it was apparent how incredibly well developed his team are and how engaging and high quality the training is.  Greg's team have a unique way of communicating their understanding of the sport and interacting with each other. Greg for me, is a coach's coach and really seems to be a trailblazer for the growing ecological minded schools out there. Should anyone want to get in touch (I recommend they do). He is reachable on his social media links here. IG and Facebook and of course via his website I look forward to seeing Greg's name being tossed around in the discussion of up and coming progressive and high-level coaches. If his team keeps developing at the same rate, I imagine this won't take long!

For 30 years, Coach Greg Nelson has overseen the training and development of thousands of combat sports athletes at his gym The Academy in Minnesota. Among these fighters and champ that he has helped produce, Brock Lesnar, Kaitlin Young, Brock Larson, Sean Sherk, Dave Menne and Nick Thompson. He is also a regular part of UFC Straw-weight former reigning champ Rose Namajunas team. Coach Nelson talks about his approach, philosophies and methods that he employs from entry level novice hobbyists all the way up to UFC World Champions.  He talks both about how training and the sport has evolved and changed,  and what attributes and features are remain ever present in High-Level elite performers.I was happy and reassured to hear that many of principles and approaches that Coach Nelson has employed so successfully, are very much aligned with the broader underpinnings of ecological dynamics. I particularly appreciated the apparent autonomy and creativity he fosters in his training environment and his approach to ethical and sensible training to promote longevity and skill development. For more info on Coach Nelson and or the Academy. Visit www.theacademymn.com You can also hear Coach Greg drop nuggets of fighting wisdom on his own podcast "In the Clinch"Follow Coach Nelson and his team on IG or Twitter.

I finally snagged the boys from Emergence to come and talk to me about MMA. I have been following Shawn Myszka AKA @movementmiyagi since coming across his youtube channel several years ago. Shawn is an NFL skill coach and movement consultant, co-founder of Emergentmvmt.com, regular podcast and skill conference presenter and co-author of the recently published paper "Applying an ecological approach to practice design in American Football". His biz partner Tyler Yearby also a co-author of the same article and is an educator and speaker on sport science and skill-development for American Football. Both Tyler and Shawn are regular guests on Rob Gray's Perception Action Podcast and are considered to be well informed and passionate advocates of the ecological approach to sport. They also somewhat uniquely straddle both the academic and on-field coaching spaces which arm them both with a deep theoretical and practical knowledge and understanding.Be sure to follow them both and stay tuned for their soon to be launched Patreon community which will be a fantastic resource and information sharing space for progressive coaches and sports academics alike. Should you wish to get in touch with either Shawn or Tyler, they are very receptive and helpful and best reached on twitter or at their website. (See names above for links).I was very grateful for their time and consider them coming on as another scalp, as this duo were on my original shortlist of wanted guests when I started the Podcast a few years back. 

UFC vet and UK MMA pioneer Leigh Remedios returns to chat on the Primal MMA podcast.Ireland's 'Team Torres' Coach Martin McLaughlin also joined the chat. Martin is diving deep into the Ecological Approach and speaks about how he is implementing the theory and principles of the Eco D practically on the mats.This was largely an informal chat between the coaches and we shared lots of ideas and challenges we've experienced as we try to get the most out of our training time.It's apparent that both Martin and Leigh are very progressive coaches and passionate about facilitating their team's development ethically and responsibly. To reach out to Leigh you can find him on his gym's FB page To link up with Matthew, you can get him here

Todd Fossey is the founder of and Chief Instructor at Integrative Defense Strategies in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Today he accepted my invite to chat with me about managing anxiety and arousal in training and competiton, and how getting the right levels can help promote learning, skill development and performance.Todd has been in the sport coaching and motor-learning space for several decades, add to that movie producer, trained psychotherapist and high performance consultant and it's clear he has lived a very interesting a full life thus far.Todd is also both a coach and a student of highly regarded MMA coach Greg Nelson of the "Academy' in MN where trains grappling and bjj. Todd has also built a firearms training and education business that combines gun handling with modern practical MMA techniques and skills.Should you want to follow up or reach out to Todd you can contact him via his FB page, or email todd@gunclasses.netYou can also check out his website and his youtube page where he shares a ton of content about firearm training and personal saftey and protection skills.

Todd Fossey is the founder of and Chief Instructor at Integrative Defense Strategies in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Today he accepted my invite to chat with me about managing anxiety and arousal in training and competiton, and how getting the right levels can help promote learning, skill development and performance.Todd has been in the sport coaching and motor-learning space for several decades, add to that movie producer, trained psychotherapist and high performance consultant and it's clear he has lived a very interesting a full life thus far. Todd is also both a coach and a student of highly regarded MMA coach Greg Nelson of the "Academy' in MN where trains grappling and bjj. Todd has also built a firearms training and education business that combines gun handling with modern practical MMA techniques and skills.Should you want to follow up or reach out to Todd you can contact him via his FB page, or email todd@gunclasses.net You can also check out his website and his youtube page where he shares a ton of content about firearm training and personal saftey and protection skills.

Cal Jones is both a Judo coach and practitioner from North Wales (UK). He also recently completed his Master Degree in sports science with a thesis on "Representative Learning Design".Cal is well connected in the skill acquisition community and is a frequent guest on the coaching podcast circuits.Should you want to reach out or follow Cal, he can be reached on his twitter account @CalJonesJudoThis is the part one of a two part episode where we discuss RLD and its implications for effective practice design for skill development. Cal and I also discuss much of the dated and stubbornly held perspectives that are so prevelant in martial arts today.Cal is an understudy of Keith Davis who is one of the giants and leading researchers in ecological dynamics and skill acquisition.I look forward to Cal being a returning guest on the show as we had a fun discussion and clicked well. My appreciation to him and all my guest who work hard to bring the research and data from the labs to the mats. Let's be better at getting better!   Ancora Imparo!

Cal Jones is both a Judo coach and practitioner from North Wales (UK). He also recently completed his Master Degree in sports science with a thesis on "Representative Learning Design". Cal is well connected in the skill acquisition community and is a frequent guest on the coaching podcast circuits. Should you want to reach out or follow Cal, he can be reached on his twitter account @CalJonesJudoThis is the part one of a two part episode where we discuss RLD and its implications for effective practice design for skill development. Cal and I also discuss much of the dated and stubbornly held perspectives that are so prevelant in martial arts today.Cal is an understudy of Keith Davis who is one of the giants and leading researchers in ecological dynamics and skill acquisition.I look forward to Cal being a returning guest on the show as we had a fun discussion and clicked well. My appreciation to him and all my guest who work hard to bring the research and data from the labs to the mats. Let's be better at getting better!   Ancora Imparo!

My old pal and returning guest Will Massey PhD,  Sport Psychologist, educator, coach, and practicing martial artist.In this episode, Will offers his insight into how we can foster and cultivate independent and self-directed learning within a group setting. We cover, learned helplessness, implicit learning, practicing for performance vs practice for learning.  Motivation theory and considerations. And finally Will gives some practical takeaways for coaches looking to support athletes becoming more independent and in control of their own development. Will is able to pair an academic and theoretical perspective with a practical understanding as both a student and coach of the sport. This valuable discussion given retention, motivation and participation involve creating a positive and engaging psychological training environment.

Today's guest brings both a practical and theoretical perspective to skill development in marital arts.Dr. Alan Dunton is a former Irish National TKD team competitor and now a researcher and lecturer at Cork institute of technology.  Alan received his PhD in Skill Acquisition under the guidance of  former guest, professor  Ed Coughlan. (aka. Dr SkillAcq) .I really clicked with Alan and we went down several rabbit holes and discussed a whole lot of different aspects of training and skill development. Alan is advocate and proponent of a more ecological approach to skill development, but also sees utility and in more traditional approach and frameworks.This is part 2 of 2 - and we carry on from where we left in part 1. Exploring disguised and deceptive actions.Alan was extremely receptive and enthusiastic to collaborate when I reached out and i encourage all that enjoyed his insight to follow him or reach out to him on his twitter profile. 

Today's guest brings both a practical and theoretical perspective to skill development in marital arts.Dr. Alan Dunton is a former Irish National TKD team competitor and now a researcher and lecturer at Cork institute of technology.  Alan received his PhD in Skill Acquisition under the guidance of  former guest, professor  Ed Coughlan. (aka. Dr SkillAcq) .I really clicked with Alan and we went down several rabbit holes and discussed a whole lot of different aspects of training and skill development. Alan is advocate and proponent of a more ecological approach to skill development, but also sees utility and in more traditional approach and frameworks.This is part 1 of 2 - and we flesh out a lot of the topics discussed on the previous episode with Dr Rob Gray.Alan was extremely receptive and enthusiastic to collaborate when I reached out and i encourage all that enjoyed his insight to follow him or reach out to him on his twitter profile. Part 2 should drop in next week or so!

I finally snagged him! After months of pestering, Professor Rob Gray joined me to chat and answer some of my questions on skill development in martial arts. Rob is a giant in the skill acquisition space, and his voice has become all too familiar to me after spending much of my last few years working through his huge catalogue of podcasts of his show 'The Perception Action Podcast" . Rob is an Associate Professor of Human Systems Engineering at Arizona State University and recently published and released his book MOVE .While Rob's podcast is very technical and academic, he has delivered in his book a wonderfully concise and digestible summary of how we learn and acquire movement skills. Rob's outreach and coach educational resources have profoundly shaped and influenced my perspectives and understanding of skill acquisition which spills over into all aspects of my life.Life is movement.... Why not be better at it! In a rush to make the most out of the opportunity I tried to squeeze a lot in this 60 min slot. So this episode moves quick and covers a lot. But he's been busy on the podcast tour these last months. So if you are hungry for more. Follow him on twitter @shakeywaits or search for him on your podcast directory.  

Coach Leigh Remedios is the owner and head coach of VT Jiu-Jitsu in England UK. He is a life long martial artist, former professional fighter  and UFC vet, and a recipient of 4 different black belts. My first contact and introduction to Leigh was an exchange over a post I'd made on a BJJ FB group about shrimping and bear crawling in jiu-jitsu practice being a waste of time.What started off as a terse back and forth led to a more substantive exchange, where Leigh was receptive to some articles and resources I sent him. A couple of months later we hopped on the zoom to chat about training. This chat is episode #6 and was a fun discussion, one in which we found much more similarities in our training approaches than differences. Leigh, as apparent is a very accomplished coach and competitor and decades later is clearly still in love with martial arts and looking to learn and improve. So a great guest and a an enjoyable chat was had.Leigh can be found on FB, and at his gym's webpage www.vtjj.co.uk 

Making the most of our valuable training time with the help of Ecological Dynamics. www.primalmke.com

A bite sized and unsophisticated synopsis of Ecological Dynamics, and how it underpins our training approach at Primal MKE. www.primalmke.com

Coach Bruce Hoyer is the owner and Head coach at Next Edge MMA, Sioux Falls, ND.  After listening to Bruce talk on the Combat Learning Podcast, I reached out to ask him to further explore his flipped classroom model for BJJ.   Optimizing Jiu-Jitsu practice and balancing the technical and theoretical with the live and dynamic practice can be a great challenge.   Bruce seems to have addressed this largely with a 'flipped classroom mode' where he avoids much of the typical "one size fits all' lesson plan by giving his students the autonomy and responsibility of creating their own individualized lesson plans and strategies in their own time.   This frees up precious mat time for testing and exploring.    After years of tinkering, Bruce has found a system that is streamlined and embraced by his students.   Bruce talks about the evolution of this approach and how he implements it at his gym. He also talks about how his strategy to increase retention and create more robust learning outcomes.    A fascinating talk and a lot of nuggets to take away for coaches and students alike.     You can follow and connect with Coach Bruce on FB or his IG @nextedgeacademy and at his website www.nextedgeacademy.com 

My discussion with Professor Nicola Hodges was all about demonstrations!  Dr Hodges researches and teaches out of the motor skill lab at the University of British Columbia.  I reached out to Dr Nicola to ask for her to lend her expertise and insight into the science of demonstrations and learning in sport.    Being such a big part of our sport and coaching, I was interested in how we might make the most of the demonstration time while increasing the effectiveness of them.    Professor Nicola did not disappoint, other than reminding me I get a little overzealous about the ecological dynamics space that place less emphasis on direct instruction and demonstrations.   Nevertheless it was a great reminder that there are still so many unknowns and that there are many roads to the destination. I fun chat with immediately implementable nuggets of advice.   You can follow and connect with Dr Nicola via twitter @nicolajhodges and learn more at her website http://msl.kin.educ.ubc.ca/home

An information loaded discussion with Professor James Stafford. Dr Stafford has a PhD in experimental psycology with a keen interest in Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition and Virtual Reality. James and I discuss the incredibly sensitive and sophisticated calibration of the perceptual motor system as it pertains to movement in martial arts and sport more generally. James delivers a ton of fascinating insights into what we think is going on and why this is so crucial to the way we train and develop skills. Additionally James talks about the exciting world of Virtual Reality and what is coming down the pipeline in terms of training aids, skill development devices and even concussion managment tools. You can follow and connect with DrJames via twitter @JamesStafford94James is also involved and works with VR developers Incisiv sport who can also be followed on twitter @incisivsport

PART 2 of my discussion with Coach, Educator and Professor of Skill Acquisition Dr. Ed Coughlan. Ed and I discuss the growing non-linear approach to skill acquisition in sport and how it can help us design more effective training and development environments for MMA. A two part episode here discusses the slow moving paradigm shift in sports coaching and skill development. Dr. Ed helps clear up some of my nagging confusion and ambivalence in my own coaching methods. Coach Ed has a ton of content as podcasts, publications and YouTube videos and I was honored  for him to add a couple of more hours of it on this podcast.You can follow and connect with Dr Ed via twitter @DrSkillAcq