Ego, Suffering, and Starting Over with BJJ | Prof. Aleksandr Ustimenko of All In Academy Los Angeles

Ego, Suffering, and Starting Over with BJJ | Prof. Aleksandr Ustimenko of All In Academy Los Angeles

In this episode of The Grappling Monthly Podcast, I sit down with Professor Aleksandr Ustimenko at All In Academy Los Angeles. Aleksandr's story starts in Russia, where he first found Brazilian jiu-jitsu after earning his black belt in karate. What began as a way to train hard and get in shape eventually became the center of his life. He went from training as a beginner, to working the front desk for free classes, to teaching kids, competing, building gyms, recovering from injuries, leaving Russia, arriving in the United States, and rebuilding his life through jiu-jitsu. This conversation covers a lot of ground: the early days of training in Russia, the impact of competition, the realities of coaching, what it feels like to referee major tournaments, why rules matter, and how the sport changes when you see it from the referee’s side. We also talk about the difference between jiu-jitsu as a sport, jiu-jitsu as a community, and jiu-jitsu as self-defense. Aleksandr shares how jiu-jitsu can help you stay calm, improve your physical ability, and give you a better chance in difficult situations, but that does not mean it is magic. The deeper theme of the episode is humility. Aleksandr talks about suffering, ego, gratitude, and why the people who beat you in training are often the people helping you improve the most. Jiu-jitsu, in his view, is not only about winning rounds or competitions. It is about learning how to process difficulty, take responsibility, and keep coming back. We also get into gi vs no-gi, favorite submissions, training culture, coaching kids, his dream of visiting Thailand, and why he believes jiu-jitsu is one of the best tools for keeping the mind clear in an anxious world. Train with Alex at All In Academy Los Angeles 5801 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019 https://www.allinacademyla.com [https://www.allinacademyla.com] Grappling Monthly is an independent editorial media brand covering the culture, people, and business of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the grappling arts. Based in Los Angeles, the brand produces in-depth conversations with the coaches, gym owners, competitors, and practitioners shaping the sport. The Grappling Monthly Podcast is the flagship property. A weekly long-form interview series hosted by Sébastien Maniatopoulos, a BJJ black belt establishing roots in the Southern California grappling community. The brand's editorial focus is on the human stories behind the art: how academies are built, how practitioners evolve, how the culture of jiu-jitsu intersects with identity, business, and community. Grappling Monthly publishes on its website: https://www.grapplingmonthly.com [https://www.grapplingmonthly.com] and across YouTube, Instagram, Substack, and major podcast platforms. Subscribe and turn on notifications. IG and TikTok: @grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com [grapplingmonthly@gmail.com] #bjj #bjjlifestyle #ibjjf #adcc #losangeles #jiujitsu #martialarts #nogi #gi #competition #combatsports #bjjpodcast #grapplingmonthly

Fighting's True Purpose | Yego & Jeff of Powertrip Worldwide

In this episode of The Grappling Monthly Podcast, I sit down with Jeff and Yego from Powertrip Worldwide at Legacy Glendale for a conversation about jiu-jitsu, punk, skateboarding, DIY culture, design, zines, wrestling, and the creative side of martial arts. Powertrip Worldwide is "a creative publisher that celebrates global grappling cultures, built on the idea that fighting's true purpose isn't to destroy others but to bring us closer together" - www.powertrip.com/about [http://www.powertrip.com/about] Through zines, art books, gear, events, music, and community projects, they are exploring the culture around grappling and asking a different kind of question: what happens when we take the “art” in martial arts seriously? We talk about the punk and skate scenes that shaped them, the influence of DIY publishing, why zines still matter, and how creative communities are built through participation rather than permission. The conversation moves into the visual history of jiu-jitsu, the difference between respect and obedience, the role of gyms as community spaces, and why grappling culture should leave room for experimentation, disagreement, and self-expression. We also discuss Powertrip’s upcoming recovery issue, their interest in wrestling, judo, jiu-jitsu, and the larger question of how people keep themselves connected to a practice over time. Topics include: * Power Trip Worldwide * Jiu-jitsu as art and culture * Punk, skateboarding, and DIY publishing * Zines and fan clubs * Respect vs obedience * Creative adaptation in grappling * The visual culture of martial arts * Recovery, injury, and longevity * Community, third spaces, and training partners * Why fighting can bring people together Follow Power Trip Worldwide: Website: powertripworldwide.com Instagram: @powertrip.ww About Grappling Monthly Grappling Monthly is an independent editorial media brand covering the culture, people, and business of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the grappling arts. Based in Los Angeles, the brand produces in-depth conversations with the coaches, gym owners, competitors, and practitioners shaping the sport. The Grappling Monthly Podcast is the flagship property. A weekly long-form interview series hosted by Sébastien Maniatopoulos, a BJJ black belt establishing roots in the Southern California grappling community. The brand's editorial focus is on the human stories behind the art: how academies are built, how practitioners evolve, how the culture of jiu-jitsu intersects with identity, business, and community. Grappling Monthly publishes across YouTube, Instagram, Substack, and major podcast platforms. Subscribe and turn on notifications. IG and TikTok: @grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com

Test Your Game | Prof. Harlan Berk on The Grappling Monthly Podcast

In this episode of The Grappling Monthly Podcast, we sit down in San Diego with Captain Harlan Berk to talk about 25 years in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the evolution of the San Diego grappling scene, open mat culture, competition, teaching, longevity, and what it means to keep learning after decades on the mat.   Harlan started training in 2001, when the jiu-jitsu community in San Diego was much smaller and black belts were far less common. Since then, he has trained through injuries, chronic pain, competition, teaching, business loss, and the changing culture of the sport.   This conversation covers the practical side of staying in jiu-jitsu for the long term: learning from anyone, visiting other academies, testing your technique outside your own room, simplifying instruction, managing recovery after hard training, and adjusting your goals as the body changes.   We also talk about the overlap between fishing and jiu-jitsu, the growth of San Diego as a grappling hub, Masters competition, leg locks, gi vs no gi, the importance of open mats, and why longevity requires both competitiveness and honesty.   Topics covered include:   • Starting jiu-jitsu in 2001 • Early San Diego jiu-jitsu culture • Training through arthritis and fibromyalgia • Learning from lower belts and different lineages • Why open mats matter • Teaching simply and avoiding information overload • Competition mindset for Masters athletes • Leg locks, rule sets, and injury risk • Recovery, cool downs, and nervous system regulation • Fishing, patience, and jiu-jitsu • Staying competitive as you age • Where to train in San Diego Grappling Monthly is an independent editorial media brand covering the culture, people, and business of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the grappling arts. Based in Los Angeles, the brand produces in-depth conversations with the coaches, gym owners, competitors, and practitioners shaping the sport. The Grappling Monthly Podcast is the flagship property. A weekly long-form interview series hosted by Sébastien Maniatopoulos, a BJJ black belt establishing roots in the Southern California grappling community. The brand's editorial focus is on the human stories behind the art: how academies are built, how practitioners evolve, how the culture of jiu-jitsu intersects with identity, business, and community. Grappling Monthly publishes across YouTube, Instagram, Substack, and major podcast platforms. Subscribe and turn on notifications. IG and TikTok: @grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com

Balance Is Key | Professor Monika Cingel-Toth on Jiu-Jitsu, Longevity, Women's BJJ, and Training Without Ego

Professora Monika joins The Grappling Monthly Podcast to discuss building a jiu-jitsu practice around learning, movement, and longevity. Monika began training after first trying Muay Thai in Hollywood, where watching the jiu-jitsu class from the sidelines eventually turned into stepping onto the mat herself. More than ten years later, she is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor, TACFIT coach, and fascia stretch practitioner based in Burbank. In this episode, Monika discusses why she never felt the need to compete in jiu-jitsu, why she never chased belts, and how her approach to training has changed over time. She explains the importance of choosing training partners carefully, managing ego, staying consistent, and supporting jiu-jitsu with mobility, strength and conditioning, breathing, and recovery work. We also discuss teaching women’s jiu-jitsu at Legacy Burbank, why drilling still matters, the limitations and usefulness of ecological training approaches, and how teaching exposed gaps in her own knowledge while making her a better practitioner. For anyone interested in starting jiu-jitsu later in life, returning after time away, or finding a way to train without sacrificing their body, this conversation offers a practical perspective on making the sport sustainable. In this episode: * Starting Brazilian jiu-jitsu with no martial arts background * Training at Club Beta and later joining Legacy Burbank * Why Monika never pursued jiu-jitsu competition * Training for longevity instead of chasing belts * How TACFIT supports mobility, grip strength and recovery * Choosing training partners and avoiding unnecessary injury * Teaching women’s jiu-jitsu classes * Drilling, fundamentals and ecological training * Why teaching improves your own jiu-jitsu * Starting jiu-jitsu later in life * Managing ego and avoiding burnout * Breathing, composure and staying calm under pressure Train with Professora Monika: Women’s Jiu-Jitsu at Legacy Burbank Thursday at 6:30 PM Saturday at 9:00 AM TACFIT Classes Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:00 AM Fascia stretching sessions available through Revive Stretch Performance in Burbank. Follow Grappling Monthly for conversations about the people, business and culture of grappling. YouTube: @grapplingmonthly Instagram: @grapplingmonthly TikTok: @grapplingmonthly #BrazilianJiuJitsu #BJJ #WomensBJJ #JiuJitsuTraining #GrapplingMonthly

From Shizuoka to the World: How Shoya Ishiguro built a career in BJJ before the market existed in Japan

Professor Shoya Ishiguro is Japan's top black belt competitors and a fixture at the highest levels of IBJJF competition. He joins the podcast in Los Angeles, where he has been training for three weeks ahead of the IBJJF World Championship, preparing for rematches with rivals Diego "Pato" Oliveira and Rerisson alongside coach Isaac Doederlein. The conversation covers ground that goes well beyond competition. Shoya started jiu-jitsu at 12 in Shizuoka, at a time when most people in Japan had never heard of the sport. His father brought him to the gym hoping he would become an MMA fighter, a generation raised on Pride and Sakuraba. Shoya chose jiu-jitsu instead, and stayed with it for seventeen years through a period when there was no real market for full-time athletes in Japan. He trained, taught, and waited for the sport to grow into something that could sustain a career. It did. The episode gets into what high-level preparation looks like without a dedicated personal coach, how Shoya studies his own mistakes during and after sparring, why he added strength and conditioning only recently and what changed when he did, and what his mindset is in the seconds before a match begins. He talks about the cultural thread that runs between Japanese martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a connection he says Brazilian practitioners often feel more clearly than Japanese ones do today. There is also a conversation about fatherhood, about the difference between how classes run in Tokyo versus Shizuoka versus Los Angeles, about why he tells every student to compete, and about what he actually wants to show Pato the next time they meet on the mat. Shoya teaches at Arta BJJ in Minato-ku, Tokyo, near Tokyo Tower. If you are visiting Japan and want to train, visit: https://arta-hiroo.com/ [https://arta-hiroo.com/] or reach out on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/shoya_artabjj [http://www.instagram.com/@shoya_artabjj]   About Grappling Monthly Grappling Monthly is an independent editorial media brand covering the culture, people, and business of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the grappling arts. Based in Los Angeles, the brand produces in-depth conversations with the coaches, gym owners, competitors, and practitioners shaping the sport. The Grappling Monthly Podcast is the flagship property. A weekly long-form interview series hosted by Sébastien Maniatopoulos, a BJJ black belt establishing roots in the Southern California grappling community. The brand's editorial focus is on the human stories behind the art: how academies are built, how practitioners evolve, how the culture of jiu-jitsu intersects with identity, business, and community. Grappling Monthly publishes across YouTube, Instagram, Substack, and major podcast platforms. Subscribe and turn on notifications. IG and TikTok: @grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com