The Grappling Monthly Podcast

The Grappling Monthly Podcast celebrates the art, the community, and the culture of grappling. Join host Sébastien Maniatopoulos as he chats with guests from around the grappling world. Learn about each guest’s personal grappling journey, and their views on the current state and future of grappling, the business side of the grappling arts, cross-training, nutrition, and much more!

The Grappling Monthly Podcast is a sports podcast hosted by SebDM, with 62 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

SebDM hosts The Grappling Monthly Podcast, a sports show with 62 episodes published.

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  Episode #63

  Are You Chasing Your Dream? | A Conversation with Thomas Castro Chamorro

  Sep 30, 20261h 27m

  "I'm not teaching for a paycheck. I'm teaching because I love doing this." Professor Thomas Castro Chamorro is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who teaches the 11 a.m. all-levels class at Legacy Glendale in Glendale, California. He came to grappling in 2011 by way of a track and field injury and a Frankie Edgar double leg seen on television, and found his footing at an academy in San José, Costa Rica. The conversation follows the decisions that brought him here: choosing jiu-jitsu over a career as a pilot, a difficult conversation with his father, and a two-week trip to Los Angeles that became a permanent move. He talks about teaching as something he fell into as a blue belt, and why he has never had to fake interest in his students' progress. On the mat, he explains how a smaller grappler deals with bigger opponents, why a large, untrained white belt worries him for reasons other than submissions, and what changes when training partners treat the round as a game. Also in the conversation: why he no longer rolls to win, the spread of leg lock systems into kids' classes, and a lightning round. Recorded on location at Legacy Glendale, in Glendale California. GUEST Professor Thomas Castro Chamorro Legacy Glendale, Glendale, California 11 a.m. class, Monday through Friday, all levels, gi and nogi Website: www.legacybjj.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomy_the_cat_04/ 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 www.instagram.com/@grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com #jiujitsu #bjj #bjjpodcast #martialarts #brazilianjiujitsulifestyle

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  Episode #62

  Leaving the Office Job For the Jiu-Jitsu Mats | A Conversation with Beatrice Jin

  Sep 23, 20261h 4m

  "My job is to teach jujitsu, not to train jujitsu... But my dream is to train jujitsu." Beatrice Jin is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who teaches, competes, and helps run Kogaion Academy in Arlington, Virginia. She found BJJ eight years ago, by accident, after moving to Washington, DC for an internship with plans to become a journalist. She does not consider herself an intuitive grappler, and that has shaped how she learns: through systems, high volumes of positional sparring, and deliberate work on the parts of the game that do not come naturally. On competition, she talks about nerves that have not changed since purple belt, and about what the tournaments where she performs well have in common. She walks through the decision to leave her office job for jiu-jitsu, which she calls the hardest of her life, and how she balances her own training with teaching. The conversation turns to competitive women's jiu-jitsu in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, where a weekly women's open mat began with three purple belts, and to what happens when rivals decide to train together. For newcomers of any age, she sets out the minimum commitment she asks of new students, and what competition shows a coach that the training room cannot. Also in the conversation: her takeaways from ADCC, why she trains both gi and nogi, and a lightning round. GUEST Beatrice Jin Kogaion Academy, Arlington, Virginia https://www.kogaionacademy.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/@berimbozo 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: www.instagram.com/@grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com

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  Episode #58

  Not All Good Fighters Make Good Coaches | A Conversation with Prof. King Osimco

  Aug 26, 202653 min

  Professor King Osimco started jiu-jitsu in Iloilo, in the Panay region of the Philippines, at a point when there was no affiliated gym in his hometown and instruction came from downloaded videos. He trained in the United Arab Emirates on a four-day emergency response rotation, riding two hours each way to reach a mat. He is now a black belt, one of the head coaches at Centre Evolution HQ in Gatineau, and the director of its Muay Thai and MMA programs. This conversation covers the whole route, we discuss: Learning jiu-jitsu in the Philippines with no local affiliation Training in the UAE around a four-day work rotation Why gi competition once looked unwatchable to him Where competing and coaching stopped fitting together The distinction he draws between an instructor and a coach Terminology, teaching method, and the argument over both 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: www.instagram.com/@grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com

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  Episode #57

  Leave Your Ego At The Door | A Conversation with Prof. Rodrigo Alves - Brave Martail Arts Institute

  Aug 19, 202652 min

  "Your body type doesn't matter." Professor Rodrigo Alves is the head instructor and co-owner of Brave Martial Arts Institute in Ottawa, an Alliance affiliate. He started Brazilian jiu jitsu in Campinas, Brazil in 2002, at seventeen, after years of soccer. He spent eleven years as a student before his black belt, began teaching in 2012, and moved to Canada in 2019. He is direct about why the sport speaks to him. He describes what learning BJJ looked like in Brazil when he began, what was expected of a beginner on day one, and what that approach looks like nowadays. The conversation ranges from Prof. Alves' take on lineage and what happens when your professor changes affiliation, to owning a BJJ school in a new language, new country, and during COVID. Whether you're a beginner or experience jiu-jitsu practitioner, there's something here for you. Many thanks to Prof. Rodrigo Alves for taking the time to share his story on The Grappling Monthly Podcast. Recorded on site at Brave Martial Arts Institute in Ottawa. 2161 Thurston Dr Ottawa ON K1G 6C9 Phone: (613) 319-7951 E-mail: info@bravemai.com Website: www.bravemai.com 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: @grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com #bjj #jiujitsu #jiujitsulifestyle #martialarts #alliancejiujitsu #ottawa #canada

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  Episode #56

  What It Takes To Be The Best | A Conversation with Pierre-Olivier Leclerc

  Aug 12, 202653 min

  Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Pierre-Olivier Leclerc on 12 years at Tristar in Montreal, nogi competition, teaching, and training at 33 with 75 in mind. He walked into Tristar Gym as a white belt at 21 and never left. He now teaches at three Montreal academies and actively competes in no gi jiu-jitsu in major competitions. In this episode: - What an edge in nogi grappling used to cost, and what replaced it now the information is free - Making a living in BJJ: part time work, seminars, and a market with far more black belts in it - How he builds a class, mixing systematized position work with constraints and situational rounds - Training volume at 33, and why he treats rehab as sport science rather than softness - Scouting, IBJJF, and why he stopped pulling guard - The word sacrifice, and why he will not use it about himself Recorded on site at Mizu Studios in Montreal, Quebec. Guest Pierre-Olivier Leclerc Instagram: www.instagram.com/@leclercbjj # BJJ #NoGi #GrapplingMonthly #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsu 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

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