Average Joe Jiu-Jitsu Podcast; Episode 19: Alan “Gumby” Marques

Alan “Gumby” Marques is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Ralph Gracie, and co-founder of On The Mat (OTM), a company that revolutionized jiu jitsu’s industry during the late 1990s and 2000s, through both their journalism and retail trade. Gumby was one of the first grappling journalists in the US, covering the initial growth of the sport in North America. Alan is the founder of Heroes Martial Arts in San Jose, California. Gumby and I discussed his early years in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coming up under Ralph’s tutelage; founding and growing “On The Mat” with Scott (Scotty) Nelson; strength and conditioning considerations for older Jiu-Jitsu athletes; the differences between and the proper application of free rolling, drilling, flow rolling and situational sparing; the arm drag for sport and self-defense; the progression of the belts in Jiu-Jitsu and which one seems to be the most difficult; the concept of “ground, body, body, ground”; and the differences and similarities of gi versus no-gi Jiu-Jitsu. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.