Multiple time world champion Robert Drysdale came onto my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) to share the discoveries he’s made about the history of BJJ. Here’s just some of what we talked about…

00:52 – Opening Closed Guard, the Book
06:16 – The first japanese martial artists in Brazil
16:51 – Who was Mitsyuo Maeda?
19:27 – The role of the circus in the development of BJJ
23:20 – Early lineages of jiu-jitsu in Brazil
31:02 – The development and role of Vale Tudo fighting
33:08 – Why jiu-jitsu became so ground oriented
43:41 – George Gracie
45:47 – Helio’s early fights
47:58 – The period of decline in jiu-jitsu
52:36 – BJJ andmarks between the 1950’s and 1990’s
1:02:26 – The role of jiu-jitsu federations
1:09:07 – Effects of legalizing heel hooks
1:15:16 – BJJ in the Olympics

You can find this interview in audio-only format by looking for episode 296 of The Strenuous Life Podcast on any of the podcasting platforms, including the ones below…

The Strenuous Life on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/strenuous-life-podcast-stephan-kesting-grapplearts/id320705565?mt=2

The Strenuous Life on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2tlc3RpbmcubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M=

The Strenuous Life on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5NTGdrtMZv8JcxpUBcdREx

The Strenuous Life on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stephan-kesting/grapplearts-radio-podcast

Cheers,
Stephan Kesting