In this episode of the Emerald Grappling Podcast, Aaron sits down with Barry Oglesby, a third-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, founder of Kyuzo Jiu Jitsu, and one of Ireland’s original BJJ black belts. Barry shares the story of his early beginnings in jiu-jitsu, transitioning from taekwondo and how training has changed since he began.Beyond the mats, Barry is also a driving force in the Irish BJJ scene as a co-founder of Ireland BJJ, the organisation behind major national tournaments such as the Emerald Cup, Shamrock Cup, and the prestigious Irish Open. He takes us behind the scenes of these landmark events, revealing the vision that inspired them, the challenges of running large-scale tournaments, and the continuous improvements made to elevate the competitor experience.Barry offers valuable insight into the importance of high-quality refereeing, sharing how Ireland BJJ works to maintain consistent standards and the training processes in place for officials. We also explore the exciting launch of Ireland BJJ’s new Gi Invitational, set to debut this September.Listeners will gain an inside look at what it takes to build and sustain a thriving jiu-jitsu community, as Barry shares lessons from his time as a coach, organiser, and competitor. He also offers thoughtful advice for anyone looking to step into the world of BJJ, whether as an athlete, referee, coach, or event organiser. Finally, Barry lets us know where you can find him and Ireland BJJ online, and how to get involved in upcoming events.Chapters ➡ 00:00 - 6:42 Intro & Barry's BJJ Origin Story6:43 - 14:36 How training has evolved14:37 - 17:00 Building a foundation and framework17:01 - 21:30 Marcelo in Action & SubMeta21:31 - 24:21 Football highlights analogy & side control24:22 - 26:54 Biggest Changes in Training26:55 - 32:01 Ireland BJJ Events Origin Story32:02 - 36:39 Emerald Cup36:40 - 41:20 Behind the Scenes of Running a BJJ Event41:21 - 45:44 Dealing with Event Feedback45:45 - 49:51 Referees & VRA49:52 - 52:59 Ranking System & Grand Slam for Ireland BJJ Events53:00 - 59:33 Ireland BJJ Gi invitational Event59:34 - 1:08:08 Barry's Goals & Ireland BJJ's Mission Statement1:08:09 - 1:10:46 Gi invitational Criteria1:10:47 - 1:14:37 Future of BJJ1:14:38 - 1:15:42 Where to find Barry Online1:15:43 - 1:15:56 Remember to Subscribe1:15:57 - 1:20:52 Advice for anyone looking to get involved in BJJ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Make sure to follow Barry on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/grapplerman/Make sure to check out Kyuzo Jiu Jitsu for some training!https://www.instagram.com/kyuzojiujitsu/Make sure to check out Ireland BJJ Events:https://www.irelandbjj.comhttps://www.instagram.com/ireland_bjj/Looking to get involved with any of Ireland BJJ's events, reach out to the below email!info@irelandbjj.comMake sure to check out Barry's Podcast, The Kyuzo Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@TheKyuzoPodcastIf you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, please Like, Share and Subscribe! ✅ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Follow Emerald Grappling on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emeraldgrappling/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emeraldgrapplingRemember to subscribe and follow the podcast to avoid missing any episodes! ✅----------------------------------------------------------------------------#BarryOglesbyBJJ #KyuzoJiuJitsu #IrelandBJJ #EmeraldGrapplingPodcast #IrishJiuJitsu #BJJInIreland #IrishOpenBJJ #ShamrockCupBJJ #EmeraldCupBJJ #BJJEventOrganiser #BJJCommunity #BJJCoach #BJJBlackBelt #ThirdDegreeBlackBelt #JiuJitsuMindset #BJJCompetition #BJJRefereeing #BJJRanks #BJJGrandSlam #BJJSuperFights #GiInvitational #SmoothcompRanking #BJJGrowth #BJJInEurope #BJJTournamentLife #BehindTheScenesBJJ #BJJForEveryone #BJJInspiration #IrishMartialArts #JiuJitsuLeadership