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A series of Podcasts by Andrew McGahon largely linked to the sport of Brazilian JiuJitsu, with the scope of expanding off into something else in the future.
For those in the world who have slightly higher aspirations than normal, but seemingly lack the cutting-edge attributes of the high performers, Consistently Above Average is tongue in cheek for those currently happy in the 51-70% range. Wondering what life might be like in the higher bracket.
42 Episodes
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It's been 43 days since I wrote a podcast bio description after recording an episode and I do admit I missed it a little bit more than I thought I would. Quick catch up and chat about what's been going on the last little while and why there's not been an episode, hard to act like everythings going great for your training when you're not able to do it the way you would like to. That's probably a sign to have the back up plans ready in terms of the longer form guest interviews from the last little while but we will see how the next few months goes now after that. We couple of thoughts on CJI as well within the debate of making it a spectator sport vs the competitors trying to win no matter what because the prize money is very lucrative. As well as why it seems like there are two (maybe more) versions of Craig Jones we should be aware of and how this could lead to what CJI 3 could (or could not) look like.
Chris Leddy is a Brazilian JiuJitsu Black Belt, He runs https://martialartsbray.ie/ alongside his brother Adam, He's also an instructor with David Gray Interactive https://www.davidgreyrehab.com/courses/Interactive Chris has been training JiuJitsu since the late 2000s after befriending Darragh O'Conaill in a local weight lifting gym. Since then he has traveled, trained and competed all around the world. We discussed Chris having not just one but two microdiscectomy operations, the most recent being earlier on this year. I'm not sure if this was a good title for the video, we discussed a lot more than what's there I had a loose idea where I wanted to go through his back operations, a famous boards.ie discussion around him competing as a white belt at the world championships in 2011 and then his journey and opening his gym up until this point. But like most good conversations with Chris i've had it drew off into different paths and directions but we got there in the end. I will get around to the timestamps in the next day or two and they'll be posted in the comments.
It's a shorter episode this week but the whole world is now aware of some random CEO from an American company and the alleged HR worker who may or may not have been having an affair. At a wider look, it's insane to think something that's happening every day, with little to no consequences at all can just be amplified to life altering effects with just one thing being recorded and going viral. On the JiuJitsu discussion we have a small follow up from last weeks tournaments changing dates, a local tournament coming to a place with no effort of interacting with the local customers base, a very exciting weekend ahead of packing all your t-shirts and the deliberation of maybe, after giving off about them so much, that I should run a tournament next year myself. We also have a voice note from a listener requesting a correction from last weeks episode and announce the next guest on the podcast which should be the very next (if not the one after) episode of the podcast.
Episode 38 is here!boards.ie was once the old stomping ground of the Irish Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community—people posting under usernames, some knowing who was who, others just faceless trolls. The internet hasn't changed much in that regard, and neither has the tendency for people to complain about competitions.In this episode, we take a stroll down memory lane to revisit discussions around tournaments held in Ireland during 2010, 2011, and 2012, and the opinions that came with them.This all came about because a listener sent in a question: on one weekend in September, there are five different tournaments happening across two days in Ireland—plus one invitational in the evening.This is going to stretch coaches, parents, athletes, and staff very thin, raising questions about who will go where. We chat about the viability of running five events on the same weekend, and whether there's anything that could be done in the future to avoid such scheduling clashes.
Audio-only return of Consistently Above Average – Episode 37. In this episode, I talk about the recent absence, where real life basically jumped right in front of the car that is this podcast and forced a little break.This is one of two episodes dropping this week, so keep an ear out for Friday's release as well. Today, I ramble on about the concept of sonder, why I’ve always wanted to be a conduit for interviewing, the overwhelming urge I had to take a photo of a wall in an Airbnb in Poland a few years ago, and a couple of other things.T-shirt orders close this evening – or at the latest, tomorrow morning. You can order for collection or delivery using the link below: 👉 http://linktree.com/consistentlyaboveaverage
This is part two of a two-part conversation. The full, uncut version (around 3 hours) is up on YouTube.Dan Lukehart is a third-degree BJJ black belt under Beneil Dariush, owner of Brea Jiu-Jitsu in California, and co-owner of IBJJFRankings.com. He’s known for his deep understanding of IBJJF rules, his old-school training logs, and his detailed athlete breakdowns.Dan also coaches Nolan Stuart, who—in his first year as a black belt—won the IBJJF Pan Ams and placed second at both the Brazilian Nationals and the Worlds, losing only to Erich Munis, the current #1 pound-for-pound black belt.Part two dives more into athlete development and building competitive teams.There’s a slight echo on my voice in this episode due to a speaker issue—it won’t happen again. Thanks for listening!
It’s been a while since the last episode, but trust me—this one’s worth the wait.This is part one of a two-part conversation. The full, uncut version (around 3 hours) is up on YouTube.Dan Lukehart is a third-degree BJJ black belt under Beneil Dariush, owner of Brea Jiu-Jitsu in California, and co-owner of IBJJFRankings.com. He’s known for his deep understanding of IBJJF rules, his old-school training logs, and his detailed athlete breakdowns.Dan also coaches Nolan Stuart, who—in his first year as a black belt—won the IBJJF Pan Ams and placed second at both the Brazilian Nationals and the Worlds, losing only to Erich Munis, the current #1 pound-for-pound black belt.Part two dives more into athlete development and building competitive teams.There’s a slight echo on my voice in this episode due to a speaker issue—it won’t happen again. Thanks for listening!
The Irish Open has come and gone, the biggest day in the calendar year in the Irish Brazilian JiuJitsu community. I assume this will be the first of two episodes on this topic because I would welcome people getting in touch to let me know what they thought of the whole thing.Since recording this episode I was also contacted by a couple of people regarding the registrations etc, I did talk about it on the air but maybe I need to go and look a little bit more in depth into some things. I'll have to think about it.Personally speaking, and you'll hear me say it. I thought it was the best one in a couple of years and I'm very happy with how it went but we do talk about "times gone by" about how nostalgia is a very potent thing, and it's purchasing powering is very strong too. That's included mainly at the start, when you realise what you might have been missing out on or what has happened in the past. Reminder, to keep an eye on the instagram for what may or may not be a t-shirt release happening very very soon.
We've kicked off episodes with some wild topics before, but I didn’t think the 100-year-old plans for a Metro in Dublin — complete with a hub at Dublin Airport — would come up this soon.After a three-week hiatus, I’m back following a run at the IBJJF Masters Europeans, the Rome Spring Open, and a short holiday in France.This is one of two episodes dropping this week. I wanted to get something out before the Irish Open — no doubt — but didn’t want to cram everything into one episode. That would’ve meant bouncing between two competitions, slightly annoying weight cuts, and everything coming up this weekend at the Irish Open.
Andrew McGahon recapping a Mixed Martial Arts event I attended last night was not on the trajectory of plans for this particular podcast but here we are. Perched in the back row of the cheap(est) seats in the venue armed with a red and black pen and a notebook I took my mate from Dundalk for a trip to see Cage Warriors. We missed the last 3 fights of the night unfortunately so didn't get to include them in this particular breakdown but there was some very good stories and results to come out from that particular event last night including some information about the night that changed the safety standards for the sport 9 years ago in 2016 and how important that has been since then. Got to also see, in action the benefit or the realisation of having that crucial family and parental support network as you go through the earlier years of training the sport begin to show fruit when the athletes reach the professional stage, something that is absolutely crucial for younger athletes to have. Regular BJJ content will resume next week, to any new listener who's dropping in. You're very welcome, consider checking through the back catalogue of episodes I have uploaded here.
It’s WrestleMania Weekend, and the WWE is now part of one of the most valuable sports entities on the planet—TKO Group. This powerhouse also includes the UFC under its umbrella, along with a soon-to-be-launched boxing league.Dana White has announced a major investment into the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and it’s not a stretch to suggest that Fight Pass Invitational and the UFC brand could become the premier platform for No-Gi submission grappling in the coming years.How much could this kind of exposure fundamentally change the way top athletes behave and market themselves, as the sport shifts from niche to something with a broader audience?We tackle a lot of interesting questions this week, including one listener wondering if the Irish Open isn't quite as big of a deal as it used to be.
It's a fairly simple question for episode 30 this week. It could be about any one thing, or many things. Just realise that depending on who asks you this particular question, including yourself there's a chance that the answering is going to be different. I think it's important that moving forward, if someone asks me that question the answer should be the same across the board no matter who is asking.
Earlier this week, I posted a photo that got a lot of interaction and feedback. It was taken moments after the NoGi European final in 2022 in Rome. I've been sitting on this photo for a couple of years, and when I was deciding what to feature in this week’s episode, I figured it was time to share it.Thanks to keeping notes of my training throughout that year, I was able to look back at my tournament results, how I felt leading up to that tournament, and how I felt afterward.Looking back now, I'm grateful not only for having the photos from the event but also for the written thoughts I captured—especially considering how my perspective shifted over time.In this episode, I'll walk you through my thoughts from that time and even read some of my unhinged, chicken-scratch notes—gotta love the perks of being left-handed!
This week has been a little bit mental, on many fronts.But I have to say I think the reaction to everything is even more mental. I've had the blinkers on for a couple of years now, and I really think you should consider it as well, for the sake of yourself.
27 is a very dangerous number, so please keep the thoughts and prayers coming for consistently above-average performance over the next week, as we hope to make it to 28.I might have taken a bit of a turn on the open mats. I still love them, but maybe I don’t need to see them as much, if you know what I mean. We’re not on a "Ross and Rachel" break or anything, but I do think there’s a time and place. Let’s discuss that.There’s nothing like an honest evaluation of where you’re going wrong in certain areas and what you need to work on to fix them.And stay tuned as I blow the lid off the potential benefits for mentorship coaches on Instagram who claim they’ll help you become the best version of yourself. The secret is exposed in this episode. Instead of paying them, you could donate to this podcast!
I really hope it doesn't become a trend to start episodes with facts about the date in question, but after hearing what we discussed in this week’s episode, you’ll probably agree with me.I've seen people start jiu-jitsu by jumping straight into mixed-level classes, and I've also seen people start beginner courses and not finish them. If you're listening with the intention of starting soon, this episode might offer some useful tips on how to navigate that starting point.As sauna week approaches here in the Northeast, we’re getting excited! We had to discuss some do's and don'ts of using the sauna, as well as dive into the bizarre world of the Cursed Sauna World Championships.
After a week off, I'm back in the hot seat with a wonderful episode discussing the now trademarked 'Post-Training Clarity' effect that many of us experience throughout the week — a feeling we should never take for granted.I was also commentating on a local MMA show last weekend, IUR FC. I've been part of every show since it started and love seeing how it has come together and grown. It also made me realize how many people are now pursuing careers in fighting. Reflecting back on some of the older events I attended 13, 14, or 15 years ago, it’s fascinating to see where things are now compared to where they were then.
Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and I’m happy to say that I decided to pull the plug on what would have been an overall boring and potentially troublesome episode. We have to keep in mind the huge, impending sponsorship deals that don’t yet exist in the podcasting world—but we’ll keep dreaming, all the same.In this episode, I’ll walk you through how we ended up with a Sunday release, share some thoughts on the term “superfight” in a jiu-jitsu context, and review last week’s excellent Sub Culture event. Plus, I’ll offer some insights into what the future might hold for a Belfast-based jiu-jitsu event.
There’s been some great feedback from the last episode or two, and I just wanted to double down on a couple of points—especially the ones about how terrible you all are at jiu-jitsu. Please enjoy and send messages accordingly.There’s also a thought process about the unifying element of jiu-jitsu that genuinely brings so many people together. It started to make me think I was organizing a cult of some form—maybe I am. Let’s see how it unfolds.I’ll also have a little chat about subculture this weekend in Belfast, and the 4th and 7th of February are two important dates for me, so I’ll round off the podcast with that.
After last week’s episode, I posed the question online: Is Irish Jiu-Jitsu regressing? This was based on the results at the IBJJF European Championships in Portugal.In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Darragh O'Conaill, head coach of East Coast Jiu-Jitsu Academy and co-owner of Nexus Alicante in Spain, which he runs with his wife.Darragh has not only won multiple major IBJJF titles, but he’s also been instrumental in developing champions at all belt levels. He created one of the highest-level training environments Ireland has seen, consistently pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.We dive into a variety of topics, including the current state of Jiu-Jitsu in Ireland, Darragh’s early training experiences in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and how he fell just short of his ultimate goal—conquering Mount Everest in the world of chicken nuggets.Note: This episode was loosely structured from a conversation we had over Instagram DMs, so we may jump around a bit. Darragh has expressed interest in coming back for another episode in the future!I encourage you to listen with an open mind, reflecting on your own training environment and considering how you can improve and progress more effectively.Enjoy!
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