Today my guest is Keith Krikorian, a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu black belt, 2X ADCC Veteran, ADCC trials champion, and fellow Armenian.
And something I've realized is like shortcuts don't do not exist in this sport. Like there's no free rides like You you we see it all the time. There's a white or blue belt who is so athletic They get so good so fast But and they get maybe get promoted very fast or they have very good competition results very fast Once they get the black purple belt,
let's even say it It drops fast like like they have they have to develop different like they have to actually work on their weaknesses right right? Whereas they didn't have to when they were white or blue -belt,
you know? It could be said about guys who are taking steroids and they see like a massive gains, maybe even competitively, your body starts to break down.
I don't know a whole lot about steroids, but I just see it like your body starts to really, really dip and like the more - - Your body dips once you go off or even when you're on?
- Yeah, I just think - I just think your body fades faster I don't I that's what I that's what I've noticed Welcome to the day slayer podcast where you and I discover the good life by listening to bjj practitioners from all walks of life My name is patrick donabedean A 10th planet jujitsu black belt and a white belt and so much else To work on that today.
I'm joined by keith krikorian a 10th planet jujitsu black belt Two -time ADCC veteran ADCC trials champion, and fellow Armenian. Before we get rolling,
please hit the subscribe button wherever you listen to podcasts. Keith Krakorian,
welcome. Thank you. Thank you for having me here. Yeah, thanks for coming on. So I think the thing that strikes me most about you, you and why I wanted to talk to you so much on this fourth episode of the Day Slayer podcast is because this is my opinion,
you have a kill switch and you, I've always, from every conversation I've had with you and all the time we spent together and your presence online,
everything is like, you are the nicest. nicest one of the nicest guys I've ever met almost to a fault like I've sometimes they're like sitting at dinner or we're we've been hanging out I always feel like I want to give you brotherly advice Like whether it's because you turned on compliments or because you're just like yeah You just you just always like you know you're just always making sure the other person feels
comfortable and and And yeah, you're just like you get you give it off the aura aura, but as far as like trying to big brother and be like, Hey, like,
you know, be, you know, be, be harder. You go out there and you absolutely like destroy people. Like you're one of the winningest competitors I've ever seen your prolific. And you've had some like major victories.
So what I want, you had like major victories at the top level of the sport. And, and I think you're a future ABCC champion. And so what I want to know is like, am I right?
Do you have like a distinctive kill switch or are you just this kind of like lovable killer? Like, I don't know, like Marcelo Garcia or something. - Yeah, maybe it'd be similar to that.
I would say like, you know, what I do tap into, you know, subconsciously while I'm competing is so different than who I am.
am outside of the match. I only get to be this alter ego for the length of the match, and then I feel like life goes back to normal.
Even there are glimpses of my kind of more easy -going type of my personality in matches, but for the most part,
like, I'm... so focused on the task at hand because I feel like that's just what the situation calls for you know And I you know, I would say like I'm I'm just generally very adaptable like if if I were to be in a situation That would it would be inappropriate to be you know like To be kind of happier go lucky,
then I probably Would you know adapt adapt to whatever the situation called for you know Was there a specific like experience in your life or or just like another sport you played or something that like Train that in you or gave you the re like the awareness that like you have to have those two modes No,
I don't know. I don't know what it was maybe you know like Partially probably just like your general social Like Acclimation being a child or being like a teenager even you know like you do kind of have to read the room a little bit like there's times where you Are with a certain person and you can be you can be yourself.
You can just be you know like Stupid and weird and funny or whatever and there's other times where like you're just meeting a person or like you're with you know So many needed need to be act a little bit more professional with like you need to be able to adapt to that too be inappropriate for you to be You know,
you're like weird yourself around that person So I would say like you know for the most part like I'm trying to stay true to who I am But like I will scale it back if I'm you know in a competition or if I'm you know out with my family You know or if I'm you know meeting someone for the first time Maybe or if I'm in like you know some sort of professional type Is setting you know,
I'm able to scale back as far as the competition goes like, you know This on my mind is like for sure Be be better like be be then this person like like fight this person,
you know Like do what I can to win this match and that usually requires a little bit more focus and a little bit more Like aggressive, you know aggression then then my normal day to day would require,
you know? So, yeah, I'd say, yeah, I'd say I do tap into that for four matches and stuff, you know, but generally where I learned that was probably just, you know,
maybe, maybe doing, you know, martial arts growing up or maybe it was just, you know, like I said, just general social affirmation, you know, coming in.
coming up. Okay. I want to do, I want to probe a little bit deeper into your childhood upbringing that because I think there, there's got, I bet there's some gold in there.
But first, but first, let's keep it with jujitsu. Um, one of the most remarkable like story arcs of your career, but also just like jujitsu in general in the past five years has been your,
your, uh, record at ADCC trials where you, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, but you came in second place at three trials in a row from like 2019,
2020 or 2021. Uh, and then, and then finally I was there live. You, you, uh, you got that number one spot heel hooking Josh Cisneros and,
uh, and punch your ticket there. to ADCC 2021, I believe it was, or yeah, or yeah, something like that. - I would have been in 2022,
yeah, yeah, yeah. - It's off 'cause of COVID. I was stuck on the odd numbers for a long time. - Yes, yeah, yeah. - So, for most people, getting that far and then coming up short three times in a row just is really demoralizing was...
Where was your head at going into that fourth attempt at it? And like, yeah, tell me about that, like the ups and downs of that story arc. - Yeah,
I mean, I could see people viewing it that way. It never really felt like that to me. Like, I was, even when I was losing consistently,
you know, yeah, it was definitely a bummer. but like It was a win for me because like I had I Battled through a lot to be there and like I just the fact that I was there in general was kind of a testament to How bad I wanted it,
you know, like a lot of people would have maybe sat it out A lot of people would have probably like just given up or whatever You know, I'm not I'm not positive that that seems like a weird idea to me But I'm sure people would have maybe you know done that but I just couldn't in good conscience Give up on myself like that like it's that's a that's a mental cop out in itself You know because I want to see how
good I can be and I want to see You know Yeah, I would like to see if I could win it, you know, and and you know generally I think like coming so close so many times gave me more confidence than than not,
you know Um And a lot of those matches. I was very close to winning. So like, you know Do you feel like Yeah, I'm sorry to cut you off But I'm just curious in those in those and by the way just for anyone listening It doesn't know like Keith was winning a ton of matches In between all that like he had to win like four or five matches a lot of time to get to that final that that final match Uh So,
so yeah, I can see why you were like, felt encouraged kind of the whole time and you can see you're getting closer. Do you feel like though, what was there any kind of mental breakthrough that helped you break through in that fourth match that like maybe in those first one,
two or three, you like, you said yourself, you came really close. Was there anything like you had it? And then there was like, maybe some kind of like, I don't know, self -sabotage or something?
Or you just really feel like the better man won each of those times and you just had to get better for the fourth time? Yeah. I mean, it's possible that the better man won. And it is possible that like in a lot of matches that I won,
I wasn't necessarily even the better guy. I just I got lucky or, you know, things, things happen in my favor. or I took advantage of a moment or a scramble or whatever You know, but it wasn't necessarily a match.
I should have won. Um, I'm aware of that as well. You know, so like I Would say the big difference between between all those matches and there's something that I like was starting to realize You know later down the line It's like I was just like I was just starting to become a little bit more comfortable with who I am You know and like the happier that I I felt I was and the half year that I was like starting
to be day to day was like helping me, you know, realize a lot of my potential and a lot of my goals. And, you know, I feel like each time I was like, I was discovering a little bit more of who I was and like why I was doing what I was what I'm doing.
And, and I was like enjoying the process a lot more. And then the last time was just, I was just starting to like, I think I was just starting to really be day to day. things and like, I didn't really care if something was negative,
like I just kind of pushed it out and like, I didn't let it beat me down the same way I would when I was, you know, it would have been the past, you know, and I think that just really helped my results and more so than any technical,
you know, progression that I'd made or any, you know, you know, just like breakthrough I'd made in my, my game. I think it was more so just who I was becoming as a person and how how I was letting that help you know push me to be a better competitor and you know not that that was my intention I just wanted to be happy and and I think it just you know being having good competitive results was kind of a biker
work to that yeah that makes me think how like in this in this what's called fighting adjacent like world we live in, you know,
we're, we're a round a bunch of fighters all the time. And, and we, we kind of, yeah, and we'll just, we'll just call it due to fighting, even though there's no punch and kicks. There is this,
there is this kind of hardcoreness that you're not, it's not really necessary to be happy. It's kind of win,
win, do like work hard and win, work hard and win. And if you lose, fine, like pick yourself back up and win. And like, there's not much tension paid to, or yeah,
just still like, finding, pursuing growth outside of the mats. And that's like a big, that's a major, that's a major mission of mine. mine. Because I think the original hope of Jujitsu and what gets sold a lot is that,
you know, just signing up for Jujitsu and training hard and training a lot is going to fulfill you. And, and what was, and what was taught to us millennials was that,
you know, if you, if you follow your passion, you make your passion career, you'll automatically be happy. But that, that joy, that happiness like in heaven is not automatic. I followed my passion and I still wasn't happy.
I had to figure out joy and happiness and oneness and wholeness outside of it. Yeah. 100%. No, I mean, and yeah, there is like this expectation that like you sign it for jujitsu,
you start doing jujitsu, you get go to jujitsu, that'll make you happy. That'll save your life, right? But that's just not what it is. It's all the intangibles that we don't think about. It's like the sense of community.
community. It's like the self -discipline. It's like the like, you know, self -actualization. It's like all the little things in between that like that's what improves your life.
That's what, but you could find that from anything. So that doesn't have to be jujitsu. It just jujitsu seems to be a good catalyst for that. But it could be anything. It could be any hobby. It could be any hobby that doesn't even require,
that doesn't make any difference in your life. world. It could be like skating or surfing or walking or hiking. Like it could be something like that,
but it's just like something that you can use to, I think like, you know, I don't know, facilitate some growth within yourself and some,
you know, some mindfulness and some like, you know, presence and like, I think that's, just, like, part of what jujitsu does, but it's not necessarily, you know,
like, an arm bar that does that. It's, you know, it's the amalgamation of everything that makes up jujitsu. Yeah. Yeah, it certainly checks a lot of boxes in the physical realm and the community in terms of,
like, mental agility too, like, problem solving. But yeah, they're for it. So one thing I'll show, because I want to hear from you, but one thing I'll show personally, just just to just to make it less weird,
maybe is like a weird to share is like when I was at when I was in my like the lowest pit, I went to I did talk therapy.
And for quite a while, and I had to talk to a bunch of different people and like find the reference in the talk to but that was one thing. thing, not the only thing, but it was one thing that helped me, uh, helped me rebound and like,
and find, yeah, footing and, and feel like I was on in a set. Uh, and that was like after I'd had like, you know, Jujutsu had become a big thing for me. Um,
so I'm curious if there's anything you did off the mats, maybe it was therapy, but it could have been something else. I just wanted to put that out there to give you. just a little bit more freedom to share.
Is there anything that you did specifically that helped you kind of reach this new level that you're talking about? Yeah, man. I mean, I was in therapy my entire life. Like since I was a kid,
I had so many issues. Like I was just such a troubled child and I couldn't tell you why really. Like I had great parents, great siblings, great, you know.
community around me. I was I went to a nice enough school. I had what I considered to be good friends I I was hard for me to make friends of course, but like um I was just a yeah,
I was just generally very troubled kid. And so like I was in and out of therapy Well, I was just no in therapy my you know, but with different counselors my entire up until college, right?
And I was just a troubled kid where you sorry to cut you off though Did you mean by that like you were getting a lot of fights or were you just like not studying, not going to school? - I was doing a lot of bad things for sure.
Like I was picking fights. I was, you know, doing, you know, less hardcore drugs. Like I was smoking or just rebellious things. - Okay. - Like things like that. But it was like just mentally like I was very troubled.
Like I wasn't happy yet. I don't remember a single day of my childhood where I was truly, truly happy. It would be like consistent. happy. I just, I always had this like nagging depression was eating away at me.
And I didn't really know what the solution of that was. And I couldn't even verbalize it to any counselor that I was seeing. So it was just me, you know, balancing from counselor to counselor, hoping someone wouldn't understand me and maybe could pull this out of me,
but no one could. And at a certain point I had to kind of accept and I didn't realize this until after I stopped therapy and after I, I um you know I don't want to stop but like you know put it on hold right um and relied less on that uh as an average like you know completely fixed me as a person and then I kind of just I looked within myself a little bit and like kind of asked myself the questions like you
know is it because you know I feel like I can't be happy for some reason or is it because I am I am not I am not making myself happy happy like I'm actually like It's just couldn't doesn't matter where I am in life.
It's like What was I was I not doing the right things to make myself happy and that kind of seemed to be what it was I was just I was just wasn't taking care of myself wasn't like being present I wasn't being mindful or grateful or or you know,
wasn't wasn't caring about other people as much as I should have you know And like and that was that was making me unhappy and it was less like like you know this like predestined predetermined thing that was I could never shake you know um I just I figured out that it was more sort of like me and um and the habits that I was keeping and like the the um maybe just the mindset that I was carrying that was like
really holding me back and uh You know not to say I'm completely optimized now, you know, I still I'm still working on it, but I just like I don't feel bogged down by depression every second of the day.
And I didn't have to take any, you know, medication to get that way. I just I just made a lot of like small changes in my life. You know, I just take care of myself better.
I'm more, you know, forgiving of myself like that was a huge one. Obviously, we're all kind of like, I feel like we can weigh ourselves down by. by the mistakes we've made in the past and like really hate ourselves,
you know, and that was, that was something that was really weighing on me. And I let go of that, you know, I like, I understand that like, I'm not the same, the person that I was, the person that I might not have liked,
you know, um, uh, you know, my past. I, I, I'm, I'm a work in progress and I'm, and I'm, and I'm not, you know, I'm not uh,
I'm not perfect, like I said, but I'm, I'm like, uh, really trying to be, to be better. And I know who I am deep down. I'm not, I'm not a bad person and I don't even care about the people around me and I,
uh, but I had to look out for myself first. You know, like I had to make sure that I was okay. I couldn't be pouring out of, you know, an empty cup, like I needed to, to figure all these things out. And then once I did,
I mean, I really feel like my relationships with everyone else. else like improved tenfold you know I feel like now I'm much closer with my family I'm much closer with my friends much closer with you know my teammates or whoever right and I can I can be there more there for people than I was when I was you know just like just constantly struggling with you know things that I you know that shouldn't have been holding
me back as much as they were yeah that's such an apt metaphor especially for for someone who is a kind of a naturally generous, kind person is like,
you can't pour for an empty cup. That's something that a lot of, not everyone needs to hear that, because some people are just not, not that generous to start with, but, but yeah, to know that you can't pour for an empty cup,
that's, you know, it's similar to the whole like, you got to put on your own oxygen mask first type of analogy. Yeah. And so when you think about that,
was it more, would you say that because it sounds like you gain this what separated you from childhood to adulthood? And I don't mean that like when you turned 18, I mean like when you went from feeling stuck to then feeling like you had agency.
It seemed like you had hope you had a hope like, oh, I have some, I have some amount of control of over this, or at least I can manage this and feel like I'm, I'm, yeah,
on a trajectory upward. So would you say those, and you talked about habits, would you say those habits are more, were more started out more external or more internal,
meaning like the habit of your thoughts and like taking your thoughts captive versus like, you know, making sure to wake up at a certain time or making sure to like, you know, you know,
you know, say yes or no to to, you know, positive or negative influence is in your life. Yeah, no, I would say a lot of them were external for sure. I mean like it was it was simple things like making sure I get enough sleep making sure that I'm eating the right foods,
being conscious of what makes me feel good and what makes me feel bad if it's like, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know,
you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you
know, you up late, binging TV or video games or whatever. Or getting to sleep, you know, having a good not good, you know, balanced diet,
getting up early, having like a like a mindful, you know, morning routine and not just just, you know, hopping on the internet and, you know, reading whatever news was going to upset me that day,
you know, it was things like that. So it was external for sure. And then once I kind of like, I started to recognize what was like making me feel good or bad,
I could kind of optimize from there. And then I was like, I just felt like I could see a lot clearer and I could think a lot clearer and I could like really understand, okay,
like here are some things like that I need to change or that there are some reasons why. I need to change or you know what um what I think I do well but is like um maybe not being uh brought out of me as much as I as I wish it would you know and uh yeah so it was a combination of all those things you know um like I said those like external factors and then like the internal stuff too like I had to really
want to improve my life like for a while I just I was gonna just relying on, I don't know, maybe, you know, other people to do that for me or other things,
right? Like just some good news that would pop out of this clear blue skies that I didn't earn, you know? I was just hoping that would happen, right? But like, it came down to me,
like I need to hold myself accountable and like make sure that I'm, you know, actually trying to be, to be better, you know? know, and yeah, is it hard to do all that with a heavy,
you seem to have a heavy travel schedule with your competition career and seminars. I personally don't do a ton of traveling for that reason, because for me, setting and structure are like,
are vital for my personal, mental, mental fitness, mental health. And, and so I, I do travel, but like I'm I that's part of the reason why I stopped competing to be honest it's because I that interruption those interruptions were uh played havoc on my mind and so you've managed to sustain a you know long competition career because we kind of started together and we were doing even some of that traveling together uh
yeah yeah and then and then but yeah you've continued it whereas I've I've stopped and so I'm curious how you've how you've managed If that structure matters to you or or and if so,
how do you manage that? Yeah, yeah, I mean it definitely does and it's funny because I was totally ignorant to it when when we were traveling you and I and when we were going around competing and and you know Doing things like that like I was not conscious of it at all like I just I had no semblance of of anything revolved around structure or routine or healthy habits.
I would just train all the time. I would just do whatever I could to train. I would push my body so far beyond its limits and my mind as well.
And that's probably a big reason why I was going crazy a little bit. And now, yeah, the travel makes it hard for sure. sure. Like I also rooted in structure and routine and stability.
And like, those things are much easier when I'm home. But I have have strategies rather for like, you know, to kind of find that stability like anywhere I am,
right? And it could be little it could be little things like, I don't know, like making sure I can get some like deeper quality sleep or like, you know, like a face mask or Maybe some chamomile before bed or you know wake up You know splash some cold water in my face and take a cold shower or go outside and look at you know Look at the sun or expose myself in the sun,
right? It could be things like that or you know, it could just be general things like taking some deep breaths and like you know Reminding myself like nothing is perfect. I'm always gonna have to battle through something, you know Just focus on the positive and negative does not need to weigh me down for,
you know, days or hours or, you know, weeks on end. It can be something that exists in my life, but doesn't have to completely hold me down, you know. And I've let go of those things and I've accepted that they exist,
but I've also, you know, decided to hold on to the positive. And I have, and I happen to have a lot more positive in my life. I don't know if that's like... like a consequence of just cutting out the negative or just being lucky or I don't know what it is,
but maybe I'm manifesting a more positive than negative. I don't know what it is, but I generally find that like I can be a lot happier because I'm not just,
you know, just bemoaning all the things that are hard about life or, you know, just like a thinking about all the mistakes I've made or whatever,
you know, I'm just just choosing to accept what was and then, you know, move on. And I think that's that's helped a lot, you know. Yeah, the way you're speaking about negative thoughts and allowing them to arrive and then pass and not instead of ruminating you,
you know, the two schools that I found most effective for taking my thoughts captive for acknowledging those negative thoughts and then just being able to let them come and go is two things I've been journaling and meditating.
And I've done both of those fairly obsessively for the past for the past past like three three three or so years of my life and on and off some of it sometimes I go into slumps or breaks with with one or both of them but what do either I've either of those been major like inter interceptors for your for like like those negative thoughts and your ability just to not let them just ruin your whole day or week or
month amazingly no I i don't do either of those things and that's that is something that i would like to optimize like later in my life or i could even do it now i just um there are you're doing something hold me back yeah yeah but it is just like i've always i've always been like i've always had like a uh to my detriment i've always had like a really good memory and um like uh it made like certain aspects of
life easier, let's say school or tests, like that made things a little bit easier, right? I don't know, simple things like, you know, remembering someone's name or like, you know, it's easier to make friends if you can do that,
right? - Yeah. - But it's also like, it's helped me back a lot. Like I remember a lot of things I don't want to remember. And, you know, like I said, like a lot of those negative thoughts like would sit with me for a long time.
because I just couldn't I couldn't get them out of my head, you know but Now it's gotten to the point where I'm like, I'm happy that I did hand because then I can like I can really Like like you said like kind of ruminate on those thoughts and then let them pass and like And then like light in these these better thoughts and I really remember those You know,
I really remember those feelings and I choose to kind of like let those sit with me a lot lot a lot better and I do think that I will start journaling and I will start meditating to kind of like help facilitate that but as of right now you know I'm still in such a work in progress like I said you know it's not that I it's not that I don't think those things will help it's just that I have so many so many
things that I I could be doing better and I totally acknowledge that, but I can't just magically perfect myself overnight. So yeah,
so I think really it's all just up here and that's part of, you can kind of maybe understand why I was going a little bit crazy and I had such a hard time for such a long period because this,
my thoughts, move really fast and my head is constantly working. Maybe I have some ADHD or something, I don't know, but yeah,
I've at least got to this point now where I do feel much more calm and much more present and mindful. And those things,
like, I know those are just like random buzzwords. buzzwords maybe, but like I really feel them, you know, and, and that's just, it's just really helped my life. But will I,
will I go back to therapy someday? Will I start journaling? Will I start meditating? All those things. Yeah, I believe I will. But that's just like I said, that's part of the long -term process of me optimizing myself.
And it's just, you know, I'm, I'm still getting there. And I feel like I'm made to. much, so much progress, but still working. Yeah. Well, I just want to say to that,
like a lot of these tools and practices get kind of fetishized into something you kind of brag about, even me bringing it up on this conversation right now. Like, but the reason I brought it up is because it seems like clearly you did something and you had an inflection point,
you're like, what, like there was a, there was a, trajectory that just kind of like, there's a hard angle that you cut. And so I wanted to know, but, you know,
the, I think the Latin root of meditation or meditation, some meditation, it basically means to become familiar with. And so both of these things, meditating,
journaling, whatever other list of practices you want to think of, like the meta in a meta sense, they're all kind of doing the same thing where you're becoming familiar with yourself,
your thoughts. And then you are like intentionally pursuing certain thoughts and letting other thoughts pass. And so, and so it's you seem like someone who's maybe more of a natural than me,
where you've just been able to like naturally take your thoughts. thoughts. Well, not captive, but like I said, be aware of your thoughts in just daily life without having to close your eyes and sit still or without having to,
you know, pound on a keyboard or, or scribble with a pencil. So that's a great, that's a great thing that you, that you're able to do that. So keep, you know, there's tools available,
but I definitely would encourage you just keep doing whatever you're doing. Yeah, thank you. No, I, yeah, thank you. you I have worked very hard on it, but I will I am I'm like I said still pursuing Whatever I think could you know be healthy that you know is is like healthy and like I don't want to I don't know how to say like like natural like it's not like an external where like a like a Fuck I don't know.
What do you say? Like like like it's the stem cell equivalent of you know like Um, you know, whatever an injection practice. Yeah Exactly. Right. Like I, I, I am looking for those things,
you know, and there's, there's so many things that I was like, I like, I don't want to, I don't like, I, it feels weird. It makes me sound like I feel like I'm sounding like a hippie when I'm like,
you know, oh, I just, I just want to do everything like the natural way and stuff, but it is like, I would like to at least because that seems like the most sustainable, like I could, you know,
I could have maybe like like uh like it's like I don't want the ozempic equivalent of um you know um uh mental weight loss or or mental yeah yeah yeah the mental side of things like I you know what I mean um although there is probably a quick fix like I probably could have gone on so many depressants or um like maybe could have I don't know shock therapy or something yeah well maybe I could have I don't know but
I mean this. I like this path there Yeah, I mean one thing I'll admit and this is a I think it's the first time I've I've all of Mentioned this online by talk. I plan talking about it more in the future I I was on anti -depressants at one point in my life Because I felt like I was in such a hole that I couldn't get out of that.
I that I decided like I Decided like I'm not getting out of this alive no matter what Like we're all, we all are going to meet our day.
And I'm not going to like pitch a perfect game. And so, because I always regarded as like a defeat, like, oh, I'm like admitting that I need a crutch or I'm admitting that like, I'm not,
you know, I don't have all the answers. And so I did. And I just decided like, I'm going to make a mess of this thing. And I'm going to, I'm going to try it. And, and so I'm not going to go into too much detail on like what,
what I took. and all that, because I can talk about that later more carefully. But it did get me out of a pit, and it did. And now I've been off for a few years now.
I tapered off, because I just felt like, oh, I was able to get to a certain point where I just wanted to try on my own. Even though the one I took had zero negative side effects,
and I was pretty much like-- Yeah, it was like-- very effective, but yeah, it's It is true like Natural having a bias for natural is better And that's and that's why I ran the experiment of going off and it's been successful And I'm like and life is just so much better now Then it was way before it's better than it was when I was on and now it's yeah,
so Yeah, um good man and dude and dude respect first off like you know because like a lot of people wouldn't even come to that decision and like uh i'm not sure if my family's company will be talking about this but they're all like most of them are on any depressants and they're perfectly happy and you know and it works wonders for them and i'm so happy to see them happy and whatever means they came to that i
wouldn't i wouldn't really you know karen it's such a it's such a fun the thing, right? That I wouldn't, I don't want to seem like I'm like trying to like be judgy or anything, you know, because I'm certain,
certainly not. So yeah, I just, I hope to get that point across in a like a clear, but not like pushy way, you know. No, yeah, you definitely, no,
you definitely, I think, I think it's pretty clear. Um, wait, yeah, no, like there's a lot of of grace in everything you said. And I'm just part of the reason,
I want to gain wisdom from, you know, by talking to people like you. And I also, in order to ask you to open up and provide wisdom,
provide your life experience, I want to do the same a little bit, both for you and as well as for people. listening. Because I'm doing some digging and some probing,
and you don't have to share everything, and you're not going to share everything, but you get what I'm saying. Yeah, open book. And I just want to make sure anyone listening,
it doesn't feel judged or that I'm trying to sway them a certain way, because I'm really not. I just I like I want everyone to be happy like I just I really want everyone to be careful and not feel how I felt you know and and whatever means you can get to that as long as it's not hurting other people which like any dressing certainly or not I you know I'm totally I'm totally supportive of that so anyways was was
there was there an like an an age window that was like your your lowest darkest period of life So you remember?
Yeah, uh, I would say about 18 to Mmm, and maybe like 24 or 25 even And you're how old that 26 Okay Yeah 25 might be a stretch.
But yeah, but yeah, actually, yeah, majority of my jiu -jitsu career, that's a good way. I didn't even think about that. But yeah, wow, interesting. Was that, was that sort of what you say jiu -jitsu was sort of the buoy keeping you afloat to get through that?
Yeah, easy. Yeah. Easy. 100%. I can't imagine the people that I would have missed out on, like, you know, how many people I would have missed out on. out on Meeting and like helping me How did I had you to and outside of the you know,
like the structure and like the like where we're talking about earlier like all the The you know benefits of just you just strictly jujitsu, you know Yeah, but I mean, I guess it was like Alongside this time,
but it was just it was just kind of like a culmination of so many of a period of like such a drastic change And like both my grandpa's died when I was 18 I had several very like heartbreaking breakups you were you were there for a lot of that I talked about a lot of them with you and I'm sure you you know could sense that I was bothered by that and you know I went I went to college I you know was competing
traveling competing this is all else you were there for a lot of this actually I think think about it. So like, all that was just so much change in such a short period of time for young, I was super mature as is.
Like, that was a lot for some, for an 18 -year -old, 19 -year -old, 20 -year -old to go through, you know? So I think all that combined was just like a recipe for,
you know, like, instrumental instability, you know? And even up until last year, like, I was, I was, I was traveling across the world, like I lived in, I lived in Europe,
you know, then I moved back to the US, like it was like a lot, a lot of stuff, right? So like, I was very unstable, physically and mentally, but I don't know,
something just like something clicked, like I decided that I was worth saving, you know, like I couldn't just keep, couldn't myself, you know? Was there any particular like book you read or person you'd listen to,
YouTube, or like, whatever, like anyone who's just like a major, major, just, you know, psychological type thinker, professor, anyone like that that made a big influence?
Dude, you know, it's crazy, it's like, yes, and they had existed in my life for so long, but I just didn't hear them, you know? Like, it could be, like, you know popular sources like like Huberman or like Lex Friedman or Jordan Peterson or you know I'm not like crazy into those guys right but they exist and I heard them for a long time right but it was like it was guys in my just people my own life it was like
guys like you know who who were very like wise and would give me a lot of wisdom and and and a lot of like practical advice and things. Like Chris Wojcik is a great source for me.
John Colms was a phenomenal source for me. I don't think you know him, but Gino Chutera, he's a blackbub, he's an amazing person, and he was a great source for me. Even my ex -boyfriend's younger brother was a phenomenal resource for those things,
and I just didn't utilize them. You know, like, I heard them. them they were in my life, but I didn't like Actively listen to them. Not that they were shouting advice. I mean like they weren't like telling me you need to change You know,
but they were showing me like practically how I could you know improve and in you as well Man like you know like a lot of the things you talk about in your newsletter and and your Instagram and stuff like that's all Very practical things that I saw I heard I'd listened to but I didn't internalize you know and one I did that made just such a massive difference in my life and it could be things like it could be
like general health things like you know diet -based like usually like you know recovery base training whatever professional advice personal advice you know and I just you know didn't utilize it I just I wasn't ready to hear it,
you know, but now, but now that I am like, did all just keep flooding in, you know, and yeah, I mean, learning happens in such a nonlinear way. And so like you're kind of saying you didn't accept certain things that you heard until late,
like, like you're, you're kind of saying you're like a lot, you're a hard study. But I think, I think there's a lot of unconscious learning that's happening. and there's a lot that's being transferred kind of Biosmosis and it's like a slow cook and this kind of segues me a little bit to back to jiu -jitsu because one of the another really remarkable thing about you as I see is How quickly your game adapts and how
quickly you learn? Like my guess has my I've thought this about you for a long time is that you do a lot of films study Because anytime I see a new technique popping up on on the in the jiu -jitsu realm whether it's false reap or whether it's buggy Choke whether it's You know when leg locks first thing in a thing.
Yeah, yeah joy bars like you are hopping on that so quick I see that show up in your competitions really quick. And so you're not like You know, you're you're a tenth planet black belt like I am But you've,
you know clearly your curriculum and your source for jiu -jitsu knowledge isn't just from, you know, the gym you're training out or just from 10th planet techniques, like you really learn quickly.
And so that also connects me a little bit to like how you said you have a good, you had a good memory, which can be a good and a bad thing. And this case, it seems to be a good thing. Tell me a little bit about your, your learn, your jiu -jitsu learning method and how you've evolved your game.
over time? Yeah, it's always been, I would say it's always been math time. My practical application has always been maybe my main tool.
What is it like when having success with or not having success with in the gym, right? But I couldn't just-- if we limit ourselves to-- I reckon this is very early on. If I limit myself to just the thing that was-- being taught that day,
my learning was going to be a lot slower, right? So very early on I was film studying. Like I was, well, uh, Budo videos, right? Uh, uh, I was watching,
you know, videos on Budo videos. I was buying like EBI's and men Morris and, uh, random events. I can't even remember and random instructionals that I can't even remember.
Uh, and I was watching those. And there was. guys like, you know, it was guys that are on the cutting edge at the time, like Gary Tonan, Eddie Cummings, even this is back when Bill Cooper,
Jeff Glover, who like I'm not comfortable shouting out as like a, I don't mind, don't mistake it, but like guys like that, the word like coming up to where, had like very innovative,
GEO was a big one, right? You know, boogie. Boogie obviously was competing at such a high level and like I could view their their competition, you know, stuff,
right? And so like, like, I was following them very early on, I was just replicating everything that they do. One, you know, if one thing worked better than another, I would gravitate towards the thing that did,
right? And I still kind of apply that same methodology, I'd say, to my... to my like to the learning curve that I'm on right like I will still do a lot of film study and it's mostly I won't say mostly it's like 50 /50 like instructionals or you know actual matches right but I will take like okay I saw this thing in a match that applies really well to my game or that's something I want to improve on then I'll
look up an instructional right that is like similar to that and I mean mean, you know, that just adds up to be a lot of, like I watched so much you just do throughout the week and doesn't really feel like it's like studying,
although I guess you could call it that, but it just is something I'm interested in. And that is kind of like how it's evolved. And then, you know, the like practical methods have kind of varied over the years.
I used to just, like I used to do what do you call it, what do you call it, what do you call it? approach, right? I would just, I would just try it live. But then I started to,
I think I felt a lot better when I was like just actually drilling it. Slow, slow, slow, medium, medium, medium fast process, right? Then I could do it live. And that's,
that seemed to work a lot better for me. But even then there's some techniques that work better than others, you know? And yeah, I remember you were on top of the meta as well. When you were competing. like you and Eric Ramey,
I think had a big influence on you, I think, right? - Yeah, that's right. - You guys were really on top of things. And I remember you just, yeah, you just really had like so much success,
like applying the things that worked super, super well, like the highest level, like out of like a meta level, right? But it also worked very well for you, you know? Yeah,
well, that's what struck me because air grainy is like unlike anyone. I've ever met on the jiu -jitsu mats He's like it to the you know to the point of like autism not literally he's he's got he's got plenty of social skills But like his the way he's able to just understand jiu -jitsu and like every single detail is so just systematic and And just like like a toe point like I can't I can't match that like at all
intellectually, uh, so he just figured out things so far ahead, but I noticed you doing all the things that he was telling me to do. Like I was kind of just doing what he told me.
I didn't figure much out on my own, but you like already had these things figured out. So either you guys are studying a lot of the same instruction holds, uh, but yeah, I don't know. Like, did you actually like coming up?
Cause, you know, you're young. coming up and probably didn't have a lot of money Did you actually invest a lot of money in instructionals or or were you mostly watching competitions? I mostly watch competitions. Yeah, instructionals didn't exist Like when I was coming up like and I'm sure I'm sure you kind of you said you did or did not watch a lot of instruction Didn't right I did not know not really I yeah,
yeah, correct Yeah, because because there wasn't really a whole lot like that isn't maybe that's something that a white person bow or blue bow or whoever someone's starting out now kind of like Is like it's someone were an expectation of their jiu -jitsu journey But that wasn't an expectation of ours like no one told us to watch it was all and the opposite was true.
It was like Gracie online was bullshit, right? He didn't online was was it was bullshit? Do you remember this a Gracie University? Like it was totally was like said like you can't learn or not like you have to to just get math time at the gym.
So that was the attitude. But like I kind of started to see past that when I started to watch like matches and then technique videos were more common.
So I didn't really have to invest a whole lot of money because the content... that was coming out was mostly free Like YouTube stuff. Yeah, and and even if I did have to it was like the stuff that was out was really cheap Like even the Buddha video stuff was cheap.
I think there was like an eddy Cummings instructional was super cheap like Or maybe that one was even free. I think I got it in my hands on somehow and like flow It was like post on flow or something so so it wasn't like it wasn't that expensive.
But it was like an investment that I had made, I guess like a time investment, right? That I had decided to make. And like, now,
yeah, it is a much bigger, like monetary, you know, investment stuff, which is fine. I'm comfortable doing that. I'm happy to support, I'm happy to support it. Any grappler puts on instructional because I'm happy to support it.
grateful for the people that have also done that for me So that's like not an issue of my part, but it is a bigger investment. But yeah, but basically I was like Trying to follow whatever the matter was in there.
I get I'm sure you can speak you can speak to this as well But like when we were coming up, it was like the outside. He'll look meta was becoming very very popular Back back control back escapes were very very important to know Um,
and then it started to shift. Like I'm trying to think of what came after that. Like wrestle ups were a thing. Um, like, uh, like, yeah,
you were, you were, you were on top of that really early. I remember, um, 50 50 was also another one. Um, and then, you know, like, uh, passing, like, uh,
like passing butterflies was becoming like a. thing you needed to know, I remember. So it was a butterfly, it must be a lot more popular. So it was like stuff like that. And I just, you had to be on top of it.
And now it's like crazy how much it changes and the direction it changes. Like you said, buggy chokes, Troy bars, like-- - Yeah,
back takes versus leg locks, like all the time. - Yes, yes, all that stuff. It's like, it's gone so fast. crazy, but it's like super important to be on top of, it's just, I wouldn't say it's like, it's actually probably easier to stay on top of things now because of how,
because of how popular the internet is, right, social media, et cetera. But yeah, it's a tough,
it's still kind of a job to stay on top of that, but like, it's something I genuinely enjoy doing. doing anyway so it's not like does it feel like a whole lot of work but uh but I can see why you can see how the how the average person would not think that's very enjoyable like would not want to do it that way they'd want to show up to school to school up to their show up to their school train go home that's
it right I totally get that too you know so yeah yeah I just happen to enjoy it yeah I want to pull I have a follow up question on that. Although I do want to say I just a slight,
uh, correction on myself. I, so I, I did watch a lot of instructionals, but not till I was like a brown belt and a black belt and it was almost like to make me a better,
uh, teacher. Uh, I did like, I was using it toward the end of my competition career, but, um, But yes, sometimes I wonder because the amount of information in a lot of these whether it's whether it's Master any bravo or it's John Daner or it's Gordon Ryan or it's Mikey Musimichi Like they're so dense with information and as a black belt I it feels like it feels perfect for me But it's like almost like PhD or
masters level and I wonder sometimes like how a white or a blue belt can really actually actually consume all this, all this information. But,
but yeah, all that to say, I do, I do have a bias toward watching live competition, because that's like the real lab, that's like, really where incentives are all lined up to see if something's going to work or not work.
So you mentioned if the equalize equalize. versus, we can just call it, there's probably some official language for this,
but I would say the reps approach, repetition approach to training. I personally see value in both. I see at the end game is the ecological because that is where really implementation,
integration, variability comes in. in. But in terms of the path, and that is like the most fun part generally. Some people really like to wax on, wax off. Like they find that like meditative.
But for me, like that was the part of martial arts. I like, liked the least growing up, which is why like I quit by the age of like seven. How cute the ones I protect one though. The best part about jiu -jitsu is that we get to like go a hundred percent live and everyone gets to walk home.
without a concussion or a broken bone because you know, because that tapping threshold is there. So but yeah, you've, you've gone,
you said you went from like taking more of an ecological approach just like live applying in rules to emphasizing more reps now. Is that because you need to allow your body to recover better and not do so much live or it's because you've literally see the better results from sharpening more yeah I don't really know it's it's not really the body thing like I feel like I'm in better shape my body can take a lot more
now than it can then it could back when because I take care much better care of my body body now like outside of just training you know so I wouldn't say it's that as much I would say it's more so just like muscle memory that's the biggest one and do to like kind of annoying when I'm trying to drill a move and then a guy does something to stop me from doing it so like uh you know what I mean like if you're
trying you're trying to if let's say you're drilling you're just drilling right and then you have a partner who's like actively resisting you that's super annoying and you can't do the move right because we're going like this like the you know the strength level of a toddler where there is like a like a you know tensile man right um so like I think just taking that out of the equation,
like just thrilling it, like you said, just like wax on, wax off, right? And then being able to apply it at a, like an in a live setting is like,
just works for me, right? Something that like Penn State has been doing that I was kind of became keen to was like drill matches where, and I see a few high school rooms as we're doing this.
now that I've been in. They're basically, you know, you're hitting like your best takedown or your takedown you're working on, whatever, but your opponent is giving you like 20 % resistance,
30 % resistance, whatever. But it kind of keeps going, and you get like, you get like an active feel for what is happening and what could happen, right, when you're drilling that that certain move,
so that is something I could apply to jiu -jitsu You can call it flow rolling, but I'd like to call it more like drill matching drill matches You know and that might be close to the ecological system or whatever I don't really know I get a lot of questions about it at seminars and it's like it's starting Because like I am not like I just am not an expert on it,
and I think it's like basically made up And it's kind of everything we've already been doing anyways So like it is starting to become a little much but like I think that Is like maybe kind of similar to what they're doing and I but I think it's I think maybe at that point We're kind of over -complicating.
I think it's a little simpler than that Okay. Yeah, that's really interesting that you're hearing you're getting a lot of questions at seminars about that I'm getting rants, bro. It's not really like someone talking at me for 15 minutes,
you know uh, it's happening. Yeah, it's happening too much. Interesting. Okay. Yeah. That's, yeah, I guess there's this, I mean, it's just normal way to get clicks online and where people try to be speak boldly and controversially and like very black and white and say like rep ever rep,
you know, to ever rep anything is like a waste of time, which is, which yeah, it's definitely questionable Like that rep like really repetition has nothing to do with memory like that's that's a tough claim to back up fully So Yeah,
it's not as satisfying an answer to say both Yeah, no, it's not yeah, yeah, especially for a beginner who wants this secret because you know marks March Commenting in the martial arts culture is we want the secret.
We want the key Yeah, yeah, that's true But like as something I've realized is like shortcuts don't do not exist in this sport Like there's no free rides like you you we see it all the time There's a white or blue belt who is so athletic They get so good so fast But and they get maybe get promoted very fast or they have very good competition results very fast Once they get to block purple belt Let's even say it
it it drops fast like like they have they have to develop different like they have to actually Work on their weaknesses, right? Whereas they didn't have to when they were white or blue ball,
you know It could be said about guys who are taking steroids And they see like there's massive gains, maybe even competitive leave Um, your body starts to break the ice I don't know a whole lot about steroids,
but I just see it like your body starts to really, really dip and like the more your body dips once you go off or even when I just think I just think your body fades faster.
I don't, I don't, that's what I, that's what I've noticed. I mean, like, maybe you guys, maybe I'm doing, I will wait and see, right?
Actually, yeah. yeah, you're right. - You know what I mean? And like I said, this is something my dad has told me since I was zero years old,
if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Like, oh man, but this guy's competing into his 40s. Like, how long is he gonna lip? Like, at a certain point,
maybe your competitive career is longer, maybe it is, maybe there is no competitive career. you know, downswing, but like at a certain point, dude, I'm pretty sure you're going to die. Like how painful early death,
right? I just, I just think that, right? So that's, that's, sorry to take it to that. No, I mean, you're right. It sounds like a poor long -term plan. Sure,
sure. And I think that could be said about, like I said, anything about these shortcuts that we might take, right? like trying to find trying to find A type of training that could just accelerate us,
you know I think you're gonna miss something at some point like you're gonna miss a Technical detail that you could have seen otherwise or like, you know like Maybe just yeah,
I don't know That's just that's just what I think personally I'm not even trying to shit on the system or anything because I use I use aspects of it as well Like I said, but think it's about blending everything, you know, I'm like using what we think works I like a you know broad level But yeah,
maybe I maybe I'm Getting a tangent there. No, I mean, I think the level that you're competing at now where you're facing You're facing the highest level guys top five guys on a regular basis uh,
you know, like the, the, yeah, I'm not even going to bother your name dropping much one, but like you're basically facing everyone, everyone that, everyone that's, uh, at ADCC regularly.
And so the guy, the people you face in the gym are not always going to give you the looks that you need to prepare for those guys. And so you need them to turn into more of a like,
you know, just a body like a mannequin to form a shape to drill. on rather than them just because them going live is going to be like so just idiosyncratic and not give you the not give you the looks you need to prepare for that specific guy who's going to like mold their body a specific way.
So so yeah, I can see why especially if you're yeah, you're in a gym that's not full of high level guys than drilling I think is going back to like repetition drilling can be really valuable.
I agree. Yeah. We're going to wrap up here in just a couple minutes, probably. But a couple other things I want to know about you.
So you're-- if people couldn't tell already, we are both Armenian. Oh, yeah. yeah, our nose is popping through the screen. I'm sure they noticed.
Yeah. What they were also like, yeah, the literary. Yeah, our last names. But yeah, but you, you,
unlike me, you speak Armenian, right? No, no, I do not. No, don't don't start that. I thought you told I thought you told I like learned a little Armenian.
But they don't. don't don't don't tell the Armenians that I know Okay, I will get Yeah, I will get lost in a lot of conversations Okay,
you probably learn more than me I just learned that you You gotta do them which I just probably said wrong that that's like a term in dear myth that your Grand -grandmother says like I want to eat your liver which is like,
which is a weird one when it's literally translated but it's a very like loving thing to say to like a child. It's like, I want to eat you up, you know? So did you grow up like embedded in a very Armenian community or were you more around like just American?
- No, my dad kind of tried to escape that a little bit because his parents were very Armenian and... uh and the community lived in was very Armenian which wasn't like a bad thing necessarily but like just it's a lot and it's a lot to put a kid through and he recognized that pretty early and he didn't want his kids to go through that um he went to you know he went to Armenian school he uh they spoke Armenian at
the house um uh my my uncle is his so his brother is like much more involved in in Armenian Armenian Like politics and stuff. He actually was on like the front lines Defending Armenia in the 90s when they had the the The I forget what the war was called or what the battle is called But they it was like disputed territory They're fighting over and he fought there So anyway,
so it's just a lot. It's a lot for a young family. And my dad recognized that and he tried to remove us from that. So we were kind of, I don't want to say sheltered from it,
but like, we weren't just thrown in that because it's because it's a lot for kids. It's a very painful history as you know. And it can be it can be a pretty over it can be a - So are you saying it was from his perspective or he thought it would be overwhelming in terms of just like having to juggle that while being American or specifically something about the flight of the culture and the history of the genocide
and persecution over the years? like is it like was it more just you wanted it you'd become like immersed in American culture or like I said like more just that it's intense yeah no it's just that it was intense I hope I'm like not like I hope I'm explaining it well but like just just that it was a lot like we were well educated on everything but like he didn't want us to be like just in in this and something
so, so like to be overwhelming for a kid, you know, and, you know, maybe this was like based on his personal experiences a little bit more than the average Armenian,
but, you know, it was just hard because it's Armenian school is different. It's strict, it's, you know, it's a lot of those things and Armenian, and Armenian parents are very I'm sure you know like they're very strict.
Yeah, and they're you know, and they can be a little bit Oh, you know emotional and intense and stuff and I Open my legs. I don't want to sound it. No, I'm just trying to give I'm sure no I mean my no,
I mean my family personally took a similar approach like I was yeah, I was not I didn't go to Armenian schools growing up and and I We weren't really even past like the age of 12 The Armenian church wasn't didn't play a big role and yeah in my life but Yeah,
and I also want to tread carefully here Yeah, sure. I don't know Part it's not because I don't it's not because like I'm scared of her appeals feelings or anything like that It's just like I I didn't didn't,
if I didn't grow up in a culture, it's hard to talk about it. I don't know what's good or bad, what it's plus and minuses are. I feel like I grew up American.
And I, and I have to have Armenian friends. I have to go to Armenian camp, you know, some, some years out of the counselor. But, but yeah, I always felt like a little bit like an outsider. I don't know.
Luckily, you have like, you just like like totally look the part so no one really is gonna question you. - Yeah, I can blend in. - They were already kind of, yeah, like, you know,
hesitant about me, but no, like, I'm so proud to be Armenian. You know, I'll just like say that, like, and I feel like I get a lot of my better qualities and like my fighting spirit from my Armenian,
you know, like blood. But, and I truly, truly believe that, right? So like, I'm so grateful and so proud to be Armenian. But it wasn't,
it wasn't as big a part of my life as it was my dad's because he he did, he felt how how overwhelming it could be for for a kid,
you know, and it's not like he said, like he sheltered us or anything, but it was just that that was the we I grew up in San Diego, I didn't grow up, you know, on the East Coast and he was from Worcester,
Massachusetts or you know anywhere like a larger Armenian population just most some some partially by chance, but like partially because you know you want us to You know not feel like we were different or like,
you know We needed to to to be to act a certain way or anything, you know Yeah Yeah Yeah, well, there's there's a lot more that I want to dig into but I think I I We're gonna end there so you can get some sleep because you're seven hours ahead and Yeah,
there's a lot yeah, there's a lot we didn't talk about but I think you you answer I think we came to the final answer for my first question, which is what what's your what is your kill switch come from? It's the Armenian fighting spirit spirit,
you know, I think so. Yeah. I think it does. Yeah. Yeah. So before we get off, I just want to find out is there any is there anything you're focused on right now?
What's coming up next? Is there anything you'd like to tell people about that you have going on in terms of online? You mentioned you have a Patreon is please please share anything you're working on you appeal to know about? Oh,
dude, thank you. um yeah I So yeah I'm an active competitor uh but I'm like I teach a lot I do a lot of seminars um I you know try to teach as much as I can wherever I am um and I decided like a good part a good way to like you know I help share that is uh through the patreon so I have a patreon you can um get to the to it through my instagram where you just I look up Keith recording patreon and uh And
yeah, I post a lot of technique videos, rolling footage, competition footage, match breakdowns, podcasts, actually, like this little audio stuff that I do on there.
So a lot of stuff, I have a lot of fun with it. I'm looking to, you know, like keep it going. It's a pretty, you know, it's a pretty fun thing for me to do. And yeah,
it really, really does help support me. So that's like a huge huge thing if someone's listening and they want to want to think think of a way to support me That is that's really big. It's it's really affordable.
It starts at five dollars a month But there's also there's there's more tiers as well that go up to twenty five dollars So you can support how whatever you can afford, you know, I like to have like a tier for it and Yeah,
and then beyond that I just now or just had announced today. I haven't a new opponent of a title fight on Polaris next weekend in Wales My original opponent got injured So I have a new opponent.
He is a trial silver medalist like a European trial silver medalist from Scotland Cam Donnelly. So we're competing for the 66 kilogram belts and then the following weekend is trials trials,
ADCC trials. And I will be doing those, hopefully making it to ADCC. But if not, I just have plenty more goals this year,
tons more competitions I'm going to be doing. And I'm just really just grateful to be getting opportunities and be doing what I'm doing and, you know, getting better.
I'm just really, really happy to see my gaming. game improving and feel like I'm actually getting better It's just I'm such a rewarding feeling and whether I win or lose in competition As long as I'm pursuing that So so anyways,
that's you caught up Okay, nice. Yeah, man. It's rewarding for me to watch. I learned something every time watch you compete I was watching some of your footage before this this For this conversation and I encourage my student all my students to watch film study you as much as possible.
Get on your Patreon, because you're one of the most technical grapplers, I think, that we have in some plan system and pretty much in the world in terms of distance management,
in terms of angles, in terms of mixing leg attacks with upper body attacks, top game, bottom game wrestling, like you're men. I'm thinking of things I wanted to talk about.
but I, I purposely want to cut off. So we have a reason to talk, talk about much more things next time. Cause I want to, I'll do it anytime I'd love to. All right, man. I'm looking forward to it.
You have a good barrister day. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for tuning into the day Slayer podcast. If you enjoyed it, please leave a five star review on whichever app you're listening. Have an enchanted rest of your day.