Work Play Obsession, Life and Jiu Jitsu

We discuss the upcoming Jiu Jitsu Rollathon to raise funds for The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We sit down with one of the event coordinators, Alex Dugas, to discuss the event format, instructors presenting mini seminars, silent auction, and the overall objective of the event.

Interview with Former Marine Kelsey Desantis. Kelsey is a professional MMA fighter who now trains at American Top Team in Florida. We discuss a wide range of topics including her time in the Corps, her amateur and professional MMA career and her love for BJJ.

Continuing out BJJ Black Belt Series we sit down with BJJ Black Belt Victor Genovesi. We discuss training and competing at the highest level and why everyones Jiu Jitsu journey is a personal one and should not be measured against anyone else.

Always start with "Why". We discuss the "why"behind Work Play Obsession, our mission and our goals. Building a community of like minded individuals to provide a support network / a resource to reach out to whenever someone feels the need. Military, Law Enforcement, First Responder, survivors of domestic terrorism we support the entire community. No one should suffer in silence.

Interview with 2018 IBJJF Black Belt World Champion Mahamed Aly. We discuss fear management, visualization and the fact that training is not the only requirement to becoming world champion at the highest level.

We sit down with Air Force veteran and owner of The Compound BJJ Muay Thai Combatives, Pow Srikachorn. Starting with "Why" we discuss the mission of The Compound and the vision for its growth. Currently the academy offers Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Yoga, and Combatives and also regularly hosts community outreach events for military and law enforcement.

Collaboration with Trapp BJJ! We interview Trapp's newest instructor GFT Black Belt Gutemberg Pereira. We discuss his transition from Brazil to his current residence in Ohio, training for the highest level of Jiu Jitsu competition, and some of his recent accomplishments. The video interview can be found on the the Youtube page.

Collaboration with Abmar Barbosa Black Belt and newest Trapp BJJ instructor Marysia Malyjasiak. Marysia is a very accomplished grappler and Judoka who recently stood atop the podium at Pan Ams. We discuss her background, her opinion on current trends in training, and her plans for the future. Pay close attention to her explanation of the "triangle for success" with regards to Jiu Jitsu competition.

Episode one in the Why We Compete Series recored at Standard BJJ in Rockville, MD. In this episode I sit down with several people who are competing in the upcoming IBJJF DC Open. We discussed there motivation behind competition and their overall Jiu Jitsu goals. Stay tuned for Episode II from a new location with new competitors.

Episode 24 is a special live interview collaboration with TRAPP BJJ. We interview Stellar Fights owner John Rallo and discuss his role as the "Baltimore Godfather of MMA", a former bodyguard to the stars, and owner of Ground Control BJJ. The video for this episode can also be found on Facebook TRAPP BJJ page.

This week new co-host Alex Coleman heads out to New York City to participate in the inaugural  Rag Dolls Camps. While she was there Alex grabbed the opportunity to conduct a round "mat" discussion with Rag Doll Camps coaches / instructors / mentors: Dominyka Obelenyte, Vedha Toscano, and Callie Brennan as well as Mackenzie Fingerhut, camp photographer and training partner extraordinaire. Alex proposes a series of questions to these well established coaches / competitors specifically, the difference in coaching men and women, issues facing women's Jiu Jitsu, why men should cry, and also the recent accomplishments in women's BJJ. The episode closes with a short discussion about the mission of Rag Doll Camps as well as the future goals for this wonderful endeavor.

In Episode 22 we introduce our show's new co-host Alex Coleman.  Alex has been on the podcast multiple times, and I highly recommend that you check our episodes 7 and 15 and hear her background and numerous accomplishments.  In this episode Alex turns the tables, grabs the mics, and interviews me! We discuss the idea behind the website / podcast, where the concept originated, and the meaning behind the Work Play Obsession logo design. It is our first step towards expanding the scope of the show and producing more content for our listeners.

Episode 21 is directed towards the members of the military, LEO, and first responders. We discuss how to bridge the training gap between modern Jiu Jitsu / for profit martial arts training and Defensive Tactics / Combatives in order to enable you to evaluate your current training and reassess how you can maximize your limited training time.

In this episode I visit 2nd Gear Jiu Jitsu and sit down with head instructor, black belt Ken Brown. We discuss his vision for the academy and his approach to training / learning the art. We close with a few keys for those preparing for the upcoming the IBJJF DC Open. You don't want to miss this information.

In this episode we recap some the events from the 2017 IBJJF Worlds and what our impression of the event was as spectators / participants. We discuss our opinion on the impact the 2017 Worlds will have on the future of Jiu Jitsu competition overall and the IBJJF competition scene in particular.

In this episode we discuss the upcoming Roll-a-Thon to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I sit down with the organizers of the event Mark Pare and Becca Niburg to discuss the specifics of the event -date, time, location- as well as other resources and events that can support this effort for suicide prevention / aware.

In this episode I travel to Abmar Barbosa's academy in Vienna, Virginia for a Women's Only Competition Sparring Session. I was fortunate to sit down with multiple participants to discuss the art of Jiu Jitsu from the woman's perspective. We talk competition, reasons to start training, and the ways and reasons why female can still excel in a male dominated sport.

In this episode I discuss my visit to 2nd Gear Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Laurel MD. (I loved it) I talk about my impressions of the gym while comparing typical "globo" American academies to academies outside of the U.S. Finally, I discuss my "eye" as a photographer and some of the things you should focus on when filming or photographing training.

In this episode I bring back Lanky Fight gear sponsored athlete Alex Coleman fresh off of her 2017 Pan Am gold medal run. We talk about the 2017 IBJJF Pan Ams, competition prep / training, and the mental aspect of "strategic" Jiu Jitsu at the international level. Lets jump right in!

Its IBJJF Pans Week! We talk the role of each individual member of the team and how important they are to the success of the academy whether they are a top level competitor or "hobbyist" We also discuss etiquette when visiting other academies for drop in training or open mat.