PODCAST · sports
The Sonny Brown Breakdown
by Sonny Brown
The Sonny Brown Breakdown explores how martial arts are trained, taught and understood through long-form conversations with leading coaches, athletes, researchers and thinkers.Hosted by Sonny Brown, a second-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, three-time Australian MMA champion, coach, commentator and educator, the show goes beyond technique to examine the ideas, systems and experiences that help martial artists learn and improve.Topics include MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, wrestling, striking, coaching, skill acquisition, performance, health, philosophy, history and martial arts culture. Guests have included Alexander Volkanovski, Craig Jones, Lachlan Giles, Erik Paulson, John Will, Greg Souders and Priit Mihkelson.For martial artists, coaches and curious listeners who want to understand not only what works, but how and why.Martial Arts. Explained.
Episodes
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UFC Performance Institute, MMA Periodisation & Integrating Mental Training With Richy Walsh
I talk to Richy Walsh, A veteran of The UFC & The Ultimate Fighter who now works as an MMA Coach at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China. We discuss the goals of the UFC P.I, how they run the MMA Combine & scout for new talent and the running of a fight camp. He also explains the...
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Dedication of Daisy Fresh & Fighting For the Future With Heath Pedigo
I talk to Heath Pedigo, Founder of Pedigo Submission fighting, aka Daisy Fresh. We discuss the culture and mindset used to build Daisy Fresh from Mt. Vernon to win the Pan Ams and the work ethic he looks to instil in his team and build camaraderie. Also, his thoughts on breaking down techniques...
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Initiating No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu for the Next Generation of Grapplers With Chris Brennan
I talk to Chris Brennan, the O.G of No-Gi. Chris is an MMA Hall of Famer and 3-time No-Gi world champion, but perhaps might not be as well known for starting the first No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu school in America back in 1998 after leaving the Gracie Academy. We discuss what the Gracie Academy and the…
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Importance of Offense vs. Dependable Defense With Priit Mihkelson & School Of Grappling
In this episode, I talk to Priit Mihkelson and Andy from School of Grappling. The episode takes on a unique debate format on the topic of Offense Vs. Defence, With Andy taking the side of offence and Priit being on the defence side. With the issue being reasonably broad, it takes some interesting...
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Leg Locking in the MMA Meta & Elegant Leg Entanglements for Vale Tudo With Robert Degle
I talk to Robert Degle who is a Danaher Death Squad member and trains under John Danaher. We discuss the use of leg locks in MMA, how leg attacks can be used either poorly or how they can be applied in a more high percentage manner. We do this by talking about some of the greatest leg lockers in...
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Free Thinking Fusion of Fist Fights, Submissions, Shooto, Scarfhold & Synergetic Spirit With Erik Paulson
I talk to one of the forefathers of American MMA & submission grappling, founder of Combat Submission Wrestling, Erik Paulson. We discuss the benefits of note-taking and the ability to be a free thinker and having freedom of movement, along with stories of the early days of training with the...
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Weighty Issues of Weight Loss and Weight Cutting for Combat Sports with Dr Reide Reale
Reid Reale is a BJJ Black Belt who also hols a master's degree in dietetics and a PhD in sports nutrition. His PhD thesis was entitled "Optimising Acute Body Mass Management in Australian Olympic Combat Sports", he completed while working as a dietitian at the A.I.S. and for the Australian…
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BJJ Mental Models of Blading, Tempo & Establishing Offensive Cycles With Matt Kwan
I talk to Matt Kwan who is a BJJ Black Belt under Rob Biernacki and also Co-Hosts the podcast BJJ Mental Models with his brother Steve Kwan. We discuss concepts of belt tests and grading with the differences between adults and children and then explore essential concepts used by Gordon Ryan and…
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Unconventional Growth in Grappling & A Universal Theory of Guard With Chris Paines
I talk to Chris Paines who describes himself as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt who has never done Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He started training submission grappling somewhat isolated from the larger BJJ scene in Staffordshire, England but began attending BJJ Globetrotters camps where he met Priit...
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Reformation of Rituals Based on Research, Sparring & Self Determination Theory With Priit Mihkelson
I talk to Priit Mihkelson who is a BJJ Black Belt with a unique take on how BJJ can be taught and learned. We discuss how Priit structures his class and sparring sessions to encourage new behaviour but in the bulk of the interview, we discuss the practice of "clapping" back to an instructor after...
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Fusing Sambo Into the Grappling Universe & Unity Over Division With Vlad Koulikov
I talk to Vlad Koulikov who is a Master of Sport in Sambo aswell as a BJJ & Judo Black Belt who grew up in Russia and before moving to America where he started an academy with a blend of grappling called Sambo Fusion. We discuss the history, elements, rankings & rules of Sambo as well as the...
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The Purpose of Pragmatism, Persuasion, Jiu Jitsu & John Danaher with Robert Degle
I talk to Robert Degle who is a BJJ Black Belt who trains under John Danaher and is also a philosophy major. We discuss how he started BJJ in the blue basement with Danaher, His start with philosophy and existentialism and how this lead to him pursuing an academic career with a focus on American...
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The Husky History of Folk Wrestling Styles & the Hero With a Thousand Holds With Ruadhán MacFadden
I talk to Ruadhán MacFadden. He runs a project titled The Hero with a Thousand Holds which looks at the culture and practice of folk wrestling styles around the world. In particular the people and places that the styles have emerged from and not just the techniques which they used. We discuss…
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The Good, Bad & Beautiful Truth in the Origins of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu With Robert Drysdale
I talk to Robert Drysdale. He is a storied competitor, ADCC Champion, Mundials Champion and has also coached many other legends of the sport. Also a History major, he has spent his recent time delving into the history of the sport for a documentary entitled Closed Guard: The Origins of Jiu-Jitsu…
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Efficiency in Learning Techniques, Making Decisions and Mental Models for BJJ With Steve Kwan
I talk to Steve Kwan. Steve is one half of the excellent podcast BJJ Mental Models, he is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and works professionally at a tech company improving efficiency in process and operations. We discuss how he has taken lessons learned there and with the use of mental...
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The Art of Aliveness, Fundamentals & Functional Delivery Systems With Matt Thornton
I talk to Matt Thornton. Matt is the founder of Straight Blast Gym International or SBG and is a 4th-degree BJJ Black Belt under Chris Hauter. We discuss how coming up in the 90s lead him to emphasise training against resisting opponents in a concept he outlines further called Aliveness. Also…
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Playful Pedagogy, Cognition, Concepts & Gamification of Micro Battles for Bjj With Rob Biernacki
I interview Rob Biernacki of Island Top Team. He also runs BJJconcepts.net, and we discuss his thoughts on BJJ pedagogy, different teaching and cognitive learning strategies, gamification of jiu-jitsu drills which he calls micro battles also developing training mentality for fun and longevity....
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Utility of Self-Directed Learning, Studying Tape and Optimising Lesson Structure With Lachlan Giles
I interview Lachlan Giles. We discuss how his persistence over years of competition culminated in things coming together for him on the day to take out Bronze in the ADCC 2019 Absolute division. We also examine how he optimally narrowed his focus and training for that specific competition, the...
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Risk-Taking in Mixed Martial Arts and the Distinction Between Fighting and Violence With Dr Alex Channon
I talk to Dr Alex Channon, a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Sport Studies at the University of Brighton and on the board of The Martial Arts Studies Research Network. He also manages a group called Love fighting, hate violence which promotes teaching non-violence through martial arts.…
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The Ultimate Fighter of Life, Addiction, Martial Arts & Yoga With Jonathan Brookins
I talk to Jonathan Brookins. Jonathan is a veteran of the WEC where he faced Jose Aldo and the UFC where he was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 where Georges St Pierre coached him along with assistant coaches Firas Zahabi and John Danaher. Jonathan stood out in the show as being a...
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Legendary Longevity on a Journey Beyond a Hundred Battles With Jeremy Horn
I talk to Jeremy Horn, a storied MMA pioneer and legend with over 170 fights to his name, even fighting on the weekend where he was victorious in his professional boxing debut. He has fought a whos who of MMA greats including Chael Sonnen, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin, Randy...
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Crafting Comfort When Uncomfortable & Adapting for Victory With Alexander Volkanovski
In this episode, I talk to Alexander Volkanovski. Alex is the current UFC featherweight champion. We discuss what it was like as an amateur athlete rising through the ranks of Australia to become the UFC champion and how he was able to get valuable training with partners of all different…
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Blending Hip Hop, Chess & BJJ With Adisa Banjoko of the Hip Hop Chess Federation
I talk to Adisa Banjoko aka Adisa the Bishop. He is the creator of the Hip Hop Chess Federation, Author of a book titled Bobby, Bruce and the Bronx and host of the Podcast called The Bishop Chronicles. The Hip Hop Chess federation combines the arts of Hip Hop, Chess and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and...
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How It's All Your Fault, Failing Upwards & Fighter Pay With Jon Fitch
In this episode, I talk to Jon Fitch. Jon was the World Series of Fighting Welterweight Champion, Has fought for the UFC title against George St Pierre and also fought for the Bellator title against Rory Macdonald which went to a draw. He has also written an autobiography called Failing...
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Creating Championship Culture and Conquering Cancer With Greg Nelson
I talk to Greg Nelson, who was the coach for UFC champions Brock Lesnar, Sean Sherk and Rose Namajunas. He is a 4th Degree BJJ Blackbelt, Division 1 Folkstyle Wrestler, All American Gymnast and Muay Thai kickboxer along with multiple other martial arts. We discuss how he creates a positive…
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Forging a Competition Mindset & Abstract Thinking While Wrestling With Brian Ebersole
I talk to Brian Ebersole, a veteran of over 70 MMA fights, including a memorable run in the UFC. We discuss his early beginnings in the American scholastic wrestling system and the competitive mindset that helped to produce. The start of his fight career which includes training with American...
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Flipping the Dojo on Its Head & the Flipped Classroom Teaching Model With Bruce Hoyer
I talk to Bruce Hoyer. He coaches out of a small town in Dakota that has produced 7 UFC fighters and uses innovative teaching strategies including the flipped classroom model of instruction. The flipped classroom is an instructional strategy that has the students study the techniques at home on...
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How Combat Sports Athletes Can Sleep in and Win With Dr Ian Dunican
I talk to Dr Ian Dunican, a sleep researcher who has worked with elite combat sports athletes at the Australian Institute of Sport on strategies to help optimise sleep, recovery and performance and who is himself a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and Ultra-Marathon Runner. We discuss sleep…
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Wrestling between Risk-Taking & Risk-Aversion With Coach Matt Lindland
I talk to Matt Lindland, the head coach of the USA Greco Roman wrestling team, Olympic silver medalist & MMA Pioneer. We discuss his experience coaching wrestlers from a folkstyle background and how to alter their risk-taking intuitions to suit Greco roman. How coaches can simplify their coaching...
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Navigating Restrictions & Wilderness on the 10th Planet with Brandon Mccaghren
I talk to Brandon McCaghren or B-MAC from 10th Planet Decatur, Alabama. We discuss his start travelling from his home town to train with Eddie Bravo in LA and the value of constraints vs operating in the wild. How the innovative 10th Planet "Hot Box" system and the warm-up routines and patterns...
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Effectiveness, Efficacy and the Science Behind Your Jiu-Jitsu With Rory van Vliet
I talk to Rory from RVV BJJ, who takes a methodical approach to explain the science behind your jiu-jitsu. He explains the critical principle of alignment which breaks down into posture, structure and base. An innovative drilling method known as "*F*YJJ". He also discussed various ways to…
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Struggling with Systems Theory, Chaos & Complexity With School of Grappling
I talk to Andy from School of Grappling. We discuss how systems theory, complexity and chaos can be underlying forces in your grappling training but how misunderstanding systems can be a frequent occurrence in Jiu-Jitsu. Then why attempting to build the perfect, all-encompassing grappling system…
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The Mirroring Principle and Controlled Chaos for Learning With Wim Deputter
I talk to Wim Deputter who is Belgium based Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We discuss how Jiu-Jitsu is a principle that means a Boxer could be doing Jiu-Jitsu, but you could be a BJJ player and not be doing Jiu-Jitsu. How Wims "Mirroring Principle" is an algorithm and fundamental movement…
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The Underground History of Catch Wrestling, MMA & Sakuraba With Jake Shannon
I talk to Jake Shannon who is the founder of Scientific Wrestling and The King of Catch Wrestling Tournaments. We discuss how the history of submission grappling can trace its roots back to bored English miners who loved to gamble, how Japanese MMA emerged out of the theatrical and...
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The Mythology & Meaning of Teaching Martial Arts With Daniele Bolelli
I talk to Daniele Bolelli who is a writer, martial artist and a university professor. He is the host of multiple podcasts including the Drunken Daoist podcast and the History on Fire podcast. He has also authored many books such as "On the Warrior's Path: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts...
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Distance Learning the John Danaher Grappling System With Luke Martin
I talk to Luke Martin from Sydney West Martial Arts. Luke is an instructor I have personally trained with, and for the last few years, he has been pursuing ways of bringing the world-class Danaher grappling system into his gym. Despite being based on the other side of the world, for years he has...
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Developing Intuition & Instincts With the School of Grappling
In this episode, I talk to Andy from the School of Grappling. The School of grappling Instagram and website has many great articles that look at statistics of MMA and ADCC grappling exchanges and how to use systems and heuristics to improve your grappling training. Here we discuss his fascinating...
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Why BJJ Must Be Taught as a Sport and Not an Art With Priit Mihkelson
I talk to Priit Mihkelson of 3D Treening in Estonia. He is a BJJ Black Belt under SBG founder Matt Thornton and has done many seminars for the BJJ Globetrotter organisation. We discuss his unique approach to teaching jiu-jitsu in a style he describes as "Functionalistic Minimalism" which looks at...
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Teaching High School Students & Jiu-Jitsu Students With Jahred Dell
In this episode I talk to Jahred Dell of ArticulateBJJ.com where he writes excellent articles about the art, sport and lifestyle of Brazilian jiu-jitsu wi and who also happens to be a high school teacher and we discuss his thoughts on the crossovers between teaching a class of high school…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Sonny Brown Breakdown explores how martial arts are trained, taught and understood through long-form conversations with leading coaches, athletes, researchers and thinkers.Hosted by Sonny Brown, a second-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, three-time Australian MMA champion, coach, commentator and educator, the show goes beyond technique to examine the ideas, systems and experiences that help martial artists learn and improve.Topics include MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, wrestling, striking, coaching, skill acquisition, performance, health, philosophy, history and martial arts culture. Guests have included Alexander Volkanovski, Craig Jones, Lachlan Giles, Erik Paulson, John Will, Greg Souders and Priit Mihkelson.For martial artists, coaches and curious listeners who want to understand not only what works, but how and why.Martial Arts. Explained.
HOSTED BY
Sonny Brown
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Sonny Brown Breakdown have?
The Sonny Brown Breakdown currently has 68 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Sonny Brown Breakdown about?
The Sonny Brown Breakdown explores how martial arts are trained, taught and understood through long-form conversations with leading coaches, athletes, researchers and thinkers.Hosted by Sonny Brown, a second-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, three-time Australian MMA champion, coach,...
How often does The Sonny Brown Breakdown release new episodes?
The Sonny Brown Breakdown has 68 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Sonny Brown Breakdown?
You can listen to The Sonny Brown Breakdown on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Sonny Brown Breakdown?
The Sonny Brown Breakdown is created and hosted by Sonny Brown.
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