Breaking The Guard Podcast

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Episodes

A Mixed Martial Arts talk show featuring Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts David Avellan (creator of the Kimura Trap System and ADCC 2009 Bronze Medalist) and Robert Drysdale (2005 IBJJF World Champion, ADCC 2007 Absolute Champion, co-founder of Zenith BJJ). Both of them have extensive backgrounds in MMA and BJJ as students, competitors, coaches, and school owners - pulling on their combined experiences to discuss the mental aspect of training, proper preparation, championship mindset, and more.

Episodes

24 hours ago

BTG 132 - The Ultimate Submission Showdown

24 hours ago

I was finally able to watch a match that my brother and I have been trying to see for decades: David Avellan vs Rener Gracie! I was able to find it online (I will post the link below), but I decided to talk about the whole event and my experience with it:

https://tubitv.com/movies/577551/the-ultimate-submission-showdown

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DavidMMA.com - David Avellan's new website, where he is posting new articles daily, new courses being posted frequently, covering techniques, news, fitness, breakdowns, and much more. You can join as a guest for free to see what the site has to offer.

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Monday Mar 24, 2025

BTG 131 - Don't be a distraction

Monday Mar 24, 2025

I open this episode reviewing UFC Fight Night Edwards vs Brady, before diving into what it means to be a good fan and supporter of a competitor. I was drawn to this topic after watching a video of a spectator that was completely out of control, and becoming a distraction that I felt was a negative influence. I talk about this from the spectator, athlete, and coach's perspective.

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Monday Mar 17, 2025

BTG 130 - For the Love of the Game

Monday Mar 17, 2025

I open up this episode sharing one of my beloved competition memories with my brother. I then go off a tangent about how competitors back in the day were in it purely for the love of the game - something that has changed in the modern world.

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Monday Mar 10, 2025

BTG 129 - Gun Shy

Monday Mar 10, 2025

We all have seen it happen at some point, perhaps even to ourselves. A fighter enters the cage, and is just absorbing shots, not firing back any offense. Any attacks they make and half pumped, and don't have any heat on them. They are gun shy.

I'll discuss possible reasons why fighters get gun shy, and what we can do from a coaches perspective and as the athlete.

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Monday Mar 03, 2025

BTG 128: My Most Humiliating Losses

Monday Mar 03, 2025

Suffering a loss is tough. But suffering a humiliating loss can be especially tough on your ego. I look back at some of my most humiliating losses in my sporting career, and reflect on how I was able to bounce back from them.

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Monday Feb 24, 2025

BTG 127 - Eye Pokes Are Too Common To Be Accidental

Monday Feb 24, 2025

UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song was a great card, except for the main event, where Henry Cejudo suffered what appeared to be a serious eye poke. I talk about my stance on eye pokes and fouls in general, and why I think there is a lot more cheating than accidents.

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Monday Feb 17, 2025

BTG 126 - How I Teach a Seminar

Monday Feb 17, 2025

I returned from a week long trip in Miami to teach at my academy, and reflect on what I call seminar style teaching. It's a slightly different approach, which I outline in more detail, while also going over what I consider optimal ways of structuring content, note taking, and participation in classes.

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Monday Feb 10, 2025

BTG 125 - How to Drill like a Pro

Monday Feb 10, 2025

After doing an episode on criticizing the Ecological Approach, I had people ask how to structure drills that were productive and not just static. I'll talk about the difference between static and rehearsed drilling and how to incorporate them into your training.

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Monday Feb 03, 2025

BTG 124 - How I Teach a Class

Monday Feb 03, 2025

Last episode I criticized the Ecological Approach to teaching martial arts, so it's only fair I share how I teach a class in what I consider the traditional model of teaching. I outline a sample class structure from start to finish, and explain what components it consists of and why they are there.

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Monday Jan 27, 2025

BTG 123 - The Ecological Approach to BJJ

Monday Jan 27, 2025

It seems that my social feed has been getting more posts and articles about the Ecological Approach to training BJJ as opposed to the traditional model of instruction. The ecological approach focuses on setting up games or tasks, and setting constraints and conditions for the players to engage in, instead of teaching individual techniques. I do my best to describe it and give my take on this approach to coaching.

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