My guest today is Marvin Castelle, 1st degree Black Belt, renowned Jiu-Jitsu competitor, and owner of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Torrance.
Welcome to the Dayslayer Podcast, where you and I level up our lives by talking to BJJ practitioners from all walks of life. My name is Patrick Donabedian, a 10th Planet Jujitsu Black Belt,
and a white belt in almost everything else. To work on that today, I'm joined by Marvin Castell, a fellow 10th Planet Jujitsu Black Belt, renowned Jujitsu competitor, and owner of 10th Planet Jujitsu Torrance.
Before we get rolling, please hit the subscribe button. button wherever you listen to podcasts so marvin if someone's a season blue belt and they're a big fan of your game your flashing style the way just every your technical style uh you're like a walking human highlight real basically what would be the first piece of advice you'd tell them what's the one one thing they need to know at that stage of their career?
Season blue belt, what's the first thing you think that person should know if they want to emulate your game in any way? - Okay, so I would say definitely like,
you know, wherever you train, let's get a schedule together, right? Let's get a good schedule of what days you train, right? But let's also get a schedule together of what days you recover. right?
So yoga, cryo, acupuncture, you know, just chilling at home, stretching, extra sleep, you know what I'm saying? Just get your training scheduled together,
and your recovery scheduled together. And man, you're going to do wonders, you're going to do wonders. That's probably what I would give the guy, the kind of advice I'll give him. So it sounds like what you're saying is a lot of the guys you've coached and trained.
with did not spend enough time on recovery No, dude, you know, I definitely feel like to even be able to handle Eddie's classes back to back to back You know daily,
I would not be here if I didn't do yoga Those days where I was when I didn't train, you know, I would not be here, dude I would not be here if I didn't go to acupuncture when I was hurt,
you know, I'm saying and and it sucks sometimes you got to go feel yourself instead of eat, you know, I'm saying, you know, when you're in this you get to life and You know,
I'm down for that would rather be able to walk around and Be my normal self rather than limp around and I can't make money, you know, I'm saying I'm I'm depressed it's gonna be very hard to do you to you if you're you know,
you're depressed from injury and infections and just, you know, really light stuff. That's the basic stuff that you did. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And what's the like reading between the lines,
what you're saying is like active recovery, because a lot of people think of recovery as lying on the couch and smoking weed, which is, which is fine, but that's not really recovery. That's like,
that's not recovery. That's like, that's, chilling. There's a separate category Dude, that's just like this is vibing. That's dude.
That's like at home personal No one should even know about that, right? But like active recovery active recovery. I'm talking about when they get a massage. I go I'm a leg locker.
I bet you didn't even know that leg lockers should get foot massages. Yes, they should 100 % a hundred percent. My feet are banged up, you know, from every submission,
you know, so it's like, I got to get foot massages. My feet cramp up fast, you know. - Yeah. - A lot of people, dude, dude, we've been doing this a long time, you know.
And I just feel like I want, no, no, not to go through. I just feel like more students. Yeah, I feel like more people should just focus on their recovery just as much as they can.
they're due to you know That's the key That's the key to stay on the mat as long as we have to get to black belt all it takes is consistency You know, but if you don't have any recovery with that when you get to black belt You're gonna be banged up.
You're gonna be a white belt as a black belt. It's just so easy Yeah, you're gonna be easy to target, you know, hmm, okay So now what if there's someone as I'm sure sure you,
you have plenty of these at your, at your gym, which by the way, 10, 10 planet Torrance. We'll talk more about that soon. Let's say there's a student their first three months who's kind of discouraged or it's not quite getting the game of jiu -jitsu.
They're not feeling that flow that they're not feeling what like hero, you know, like Jocko or Joe Rogan talk about, about just. like being it being so fun like a chess game and problem -solving under pressure like they're just they just feel like to watch smashed yeah so like what what is what's the first thing you tell someone that's kind of in that position they're thinking like oh man maybe this isn't for me hmm
maybe this isn't for me you know I would just tell them like hey the first part of of jujitsu right now, like even probably before they start feeling like that is gonna be resilience,
you know what I'm saying? Things are not gonna go your way in life that you want and things are definitely not gonna go your way as jujitsu that you want. And you gotta have the patience and the resilience to kind of see it through.
You know, the first trial and tribulation you go through can't be the only one, you know what I'm saying? Again, you've gotten beat up five times. times We've gotten beat up five hundred times You know I'm saying so we just got to put more experience out there You know,
you can't judge yourself on what happens. You kind of have to be like alright You know, I got smashed today But I'll be back. I'll be back to fight another day. You know, you it's just Not one outlook on it like okay.
I got smashed, but hey, what did you do? Right. Are you looking at anything? anything you did, right? Anything you did correct was the coach yelling at you the whole time, you know, was he correcting you the whole time,
you know, like I think People think so much about winning or losing but like You should be looking at what you did Correct during that session,
you know, and that's what you should be really excited about I used to get murdered in class, but I used to be like man, I did pass pass that guy's guard though. Yeah, you know, I did pass that guy's guard. I did hold that guy down though,
you know, I was a white room, but I did hold him down. He couldn't get me off of him. I was more excited about what I did do, you know, rather than what I didn't. I'm a white belt amongst killers. What am I gonna do really? Like,
you know, when you first start playing chess, you're gonna be probably not good because you're around all these killer chess players. And they're gonna be like, oh my God. God, that was such a beginner move.
And you're gonna like, All right, man, let's get back at it. You know, like, you know, I just feel, I probably just would, you know, talk to him, you know, that's the time where I feel like you should be talking to your students,
hey, man, you know, let's let's get a private in, let's get a private in, you know, let's work on some of the movements you're, you know, you're having issues with. But, you know, I just think that's the time where,
you know, obviously, there's no pressure on there's gonna be more. just like, you know There's love. There's like, you know, there's just a communication. There's philosophy. There's psychology behind it, you know When it starts to get to that level Yeah,
like how you point what I basically think of like Tracking micro victories how you said about getting a guard like yeah, I might have gotten subbed, but I got a guard pass I'm gonna,
you know, I might have lost the role multiple times, but like I got one that one guard pass and Yeah And yeah, we tend, we're very forgetful with positive things that happen. And so I think the key to resilience that you started with is having this pause,
you know, everyone can say like be positive, have a positive outlook, but like really looking at the micro, the micro wins and remembering those. And like it's funny,
and I'll serve. me of when I'm rolling with some of my white belts and like after the class, I taught, you know, I taught a certain set of techniques and we get to the position where it's like, this is the position of the move of the day.
It's like I'm in my open guard or they're in my Z guard and it's like time to do that knee cut pass and they won't, and I'm like, they can tell I'm kind of like leaving things wide open and I I can tell they think they're falling into a trap and I'm just like,
give it, and I want them to do the move of the day. It's like, why would I, I mean, sometimes I'll shut down the move of the day 'cause like I want to do something else and they've like, I know that they learned it. But sometimes I'm just like, no, do the thing,
but they're scared to do it. They don't want to take the victory 'cause they think they're gonna play in a trap or they think it's maybe some kind of disrespect. I don't know, but like, I do notice there's a hesitancy to take those Ws.
Um, oh dude, no, well said, they really, they do, but I got a game plan for that. Right. So when you roll with the white belts, my game plan with them is crowding.
If I crowd them at 110%, like the moment the roll starts, I'm with everyone. I'm going to hit you. You already know my game. I'm going to go see, I'm going to get close to you fast where you want to back up.
So if I crowd them the whole time right and then once they do get on the awesome that the on the attack And I kind of back off They're so ready to do this move that they're gonna blast it through.
You know, they're not gonna hold back But if I kind of like baby them into go, here's the knee cut, you know, they're not gonna do it They're all he gonna buggy choke me. You know what I'm saying you know,
so like if you just just like, I feel like the intensity, I don't hold back on anybody, even if it's a white belt, I crowd them just as fast, just as serious,
just so they don't feel like I'm holding back because I hear I get that too. Oh, coach, you're holding back on me. I'm like, if you only knew, you know what I'm saying? Right?
Like, and I'm like, sometimes I'm not holding back. I'm just like we're saying we're looking for movement. We're looking for patterns for you to those patterns that you remember that we talk, you know You got to be able to notice those patterns.
That's why I feel like you just do is kind of hard because one not not many people are good at seeing patterns Right, but then on the other hand people are not good at following patterns either.
So it's like Damn, you know, it becomes a little bit more trickier but I definitely think the, there's just the intensity with the students in the role.
Like I still smile, I'm still having a good time. And like, they already think I'm like some guru or something like that. So that's, that's pretty funny. But like, I think the intensity makes them pull the trigger faster.
I'd like to-- - Yeah, that's really smart. I'm going to start, I'm going to start being more intentional with that. Cause yeah, you got, it's like, you got to kind of let them, them give them give them something to fight against like it's too yeah no one wants something for free no one wants something for free yeah no no exactly in the key detail just head position you know the same thing you do to me all the time
is get that drive get the head under my chin and you crush me one minute and I got an attitude now I'm like all this guy yeah he cut me and he's like yeah just for for anyone listening that just like a little piece of gold right there a huge part of guard passing pressure passing is Your ability to get bottom head position and drive it underneath their chin because you're not you're not gonna get under hooks all
the time You're not gonna get no crossfaces all the time But that that bottom head position driving that head low like tripoding your body or big flat But like that's such a nice colonel kernel right there that if you're you're having trouble guard passing like think about that a little bit think about that how many times that we got through just because I crushed this guy I took his soul away with his head position
and it wasn't even like a crazy guard pass it was just like some type of tripod knee slice and he just wasn't acting you know at the time right yeah but yeah man you know so so you,
you mentioned pattern recognition, and I think that's one of the most fun parts of jujitsu. Once you get through that initial, like beginner's hell, and you start to see patterns,
you can start to movement, and then you can start to like, make variable decision. That's when it's so fun. And that's when it like you really just everything unlocked. And so I guess what I'm wondering now is when what stage of your jiu -jitsu career did you feel like you kind of broke through to that level of like kind of feeling,
not like being a full Jedi, but like a little bit like a Jedi, and you could kind of like see what people were doing. Was that breakthrough as a white belt? Was it the blue belt? Was it later? And then like when,
yeah, and like how, how do you feel like... like, yeah, what would you tell someone to like, kind of make that, try to make that happen? So sooner, that's a tough one.
That's a really good question. Um, I would definitely probably say, let's say, okay, so I knew my pat, I knew my routes as a blue belt. I knew what I was good at,
right? And I knew how to submit people. Like I knew how to submit people. Let's say the route was to submit I know how to do that as a purple belt. I learned how to force people into my game to submit them.
Right. So I guess learning, learning how to drive early and then eventually as a purple actually getting my license and driving, you know,
that's kind of the way I look at it, right? And then as a brown, I would say. I started to feel like I could tell what you're going to do next as a brown belt. I used to be like,
okay, my foresight is now high enough where I know you look up to pass to the left. Okay. As soon as we start moving, if you start passing to your left,
okay, this guy is a left side passer. I have to stay aware of this or he's going to pass. You know what I'm saying? Or this guy's a right side passer, right? So, but then as a black belt. now I feel like yes my foresight is high but now I'm on to the game of I'm trying to move as little as possible to the most devastating positions like and this made me more enthused about this from Sambo because Sambo's then
it wasn't wazas like 15 seconds, 12 seconds, so it needs to be Nebar, boom. Kizushi, Nebar. Osoto Gari,
unlock immediately, you know what I'm saying? So like that kind of urgency has really been on my mind as I want students to be able to take down,
instead of take down, pass. finish, how about take down finish? You know, a lot of nowadays people are just take down finish, you know, because passing the guard is a system.
It is a struggle, you know, no gi or gi and it can wear you out with a match. And even in rolling, you know, I see more of my guys get tired from just passing from scratch.
You know what I'm saying? And Eddie talks about this all the time. You want to sweep. and pass with the sweep, right? Instead of just sit and pass from scratch. But yeah, I would say about homeboat level,
that's when I started to really notice movements and understand the patterns. - Okay. One thing that's most striking about you, that I've always noticed,
'cause we've been, you and I have been training together for over, I'd say close to 10 years now. - Yeah. and you you you had a big you had a big influence on my game for a couple reasons one is that I have a lot of weight on you I'm like I'm probably at least 30 or 40 pounds heavier than you and I noticed there were techniques you were doing that would still work on me and I even and then even I knew they
were coming they would still work and that's that like always just turns on my That just that always just triggers me like okay. I gotta learn that now because like if that worked on me And I have size and I know it's coming.
I know it's like that's durable for the long term against anybody and so And like and yeah, and I'm not I'm not Like, you know,
I I got my looks on you too. Like I I'm not humble bragging right now Like I was able to get some good good kills on you too but nonetheless you were like a mentor because you you were doing things that like in that and I see myself in jujitsu as more of a jujitsu philosopher than a jujitsu inventor like I noticed what the killers like you are doing and then I try and then I start I kind of start to copy and
try to improve them try to innovate them but I'm not inventing much like I think you and me Master Eddie Bravo are like inventors and there are certain guys like that. So getting to the question finally,
it takes a lot of confidence to be an inventor and to try and like come up with things like the X break and come up with, start doing like arm drags nonstop.
'Cause like arm drag is an example of technique that like I didn't start really going for until I saw you just. you know, I knew it existed, but you were really committing to it. And so where do you think your confidence came from?
Like in your background, you think back to growing up as a kid influences on your life, the struggles you might have gone through. You said you're from Michigan, right? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean,
yeah, the confidence is definitely a big thing. Well, let's say I I've always been confident. in protecting myself. That's something I've always felt like that's not even a confidence thing.
That's like a survival thing, you know, like I'm going to survive. My mom told me, you're not you're not about to just give up. You're going to survive, you know, and that's what I'm going to teach you. You know, so she was real realistic with me as a kid.
But like I felt like in school, I was the shyest person ever. I hated any type of. of talking in front of the class, any type of answering questions, even if I had the right answer,
even if I had the wrong answer. And I felt like I missed out on a lot of opportunities from just being a shy guy and people telling me that wasn't manly,
you know what I'm saying? Like being shy isn't a manly trait. And like, I'm like, okay, what the hell are manly traits? You know what I'm saying? saying? Do I need to start fixing cars right now or what? you know,
so You know, I kind of got on my stride to be more manly not so I guess because I was raised by my mom my mom Raising, you know, and she's not man.
She's not lady. Like she's actually really manly really tough and She was a you know, FYI my mom worked for GM. She was a She was a a driver,
uh, manager. So she, uh, she drove four, four clips all day. So dude, she was strong, super strong. She was like, she was like six foot. My mom was pretty tall too. Um,
but she was like super tough. Uh, but like, you know, getting back to the story, I would say like on that trip to being manly when I got to,
I think like eighth grade, I took a public. public speaking class and I think Every day she terrorized me and the class would just Speech after speech.
I'm talking about I've seen kids throw the podium. I Got into a fight. I got in a fight with a kid and threw the podium at him Dude, it was it was war in this public speaking class and I Think I get like a a -minus minus.
She hated me though. I didn't like her either too much. I ended up getting an A minus. She was a really rough teacher. But um, dude, it really broke, it really cracked my shell open rather than break it open nice and smooth.
It cracked my shell open to the point where I did get the skill of not being scared to talk in front of people anymore. And I think me going through all.
those public speaking moments that were just terrible, I wouldn't want them on any, I don't want them for anybody. But if you do want to grow,
I do want you to do them, you know what I'm saying? Because man, it made me, oh, and it showed me that the things you don't want to do are some of the most important things you could do in your life,
you know. So I definitely would say mine. public speaking class, public speaking class in eighth grade and seventh grade was definitely what made me confident. After that, I got an MMA,
oh dude, I got an MMA, I got in a basketball, I got in football, I never did these sports 'cause I was so nervous about me, is anybody gonna like me? Am I not cool enough? Am I not manly enough?
All that died after that public speaking class. I learned how to speak in front of people, or to women. to men, to everybody, to adults. And I thought that was like a power for me,
personally, for me as a power, you know? And, you know, yeah. And I think that definitely gave me my confidence. Now, in Jiu -Jitsu, like, man, I could, if I could talk to this guy in front of thousands of people,
I could smash him too, you know? I could smash him. - Yeah, that's so unexpected. 'Cause I think what everyone would guess when they see it. a an accomplished You know second your secondary black belt,
right? No, sir. I'm actually still a first Both of us both First -rate black belt like you know Renowned competitor you'd think oh that confidence that to you know Confidence both in life and in speaking just comes from like those accomplishments,
but no you actually orge from growing up like, you know, in the mean streets and just getting in the street fights. But no, you said you is in a public speaking class. And so that was,
yeah, it's like, it's so I think that's one of those little factoids about you that a lot of people out there.
may I be natural, dude? - So two things stood out there. One is you said the words survive, and then the other one was grow,
like always growing. Always be like seeking growth through discomfort. And those two words kind of seem a little bit antithetical,
because survival is the most important thing in life. to be like contract, conserve, and just kind of go into fight or flight and not, and not take risk a little bit.
And then growth, just growth through discomfort is like putting yourself out there. And so what I tell, tell me if this is right, it sounds like what you're saying is your mom gave you this confidence that if things go wrong,
you will survive. But, you know, that that gave you the confidence to go out and like seek growth and seek discomfort and take risks. Is that what you say?
That's that's true. It's like a it's like a backstop you kind of have. Yeah, my mom, I think my mom definitely knew she had. Well, for those who don't know, my mom died from cancer in 2018 and and like gum.
um I definitely felt like she knew that she had cancer way before um I knew 100 so I guess she just kind of Built me up as like a soldier.
You know, it's funny. I'm watching halo right now and I feel like halo the whole time You know, like my mom kind of just built me up because she knew she wasn't going to be a part of my life The whole time,
you know what I'm saying? So, like, she needed me to be able to protect myself and take care of myself and take care of my brothers and sisters. They're older than me, but, you know, I call them just as much as they call me,
you know? And, you know, and I definitely feel like with the passing of my mom, my sincerity and my, and my,
my teamwork skills kind of pass with with her, you know what I'm saying, in a way, because I definitely felt like I lost something losing her, you know what I'm saying. I'm not as,
I feel like I'm friendly, I'm nice, but I'm not as forgiving as I once was, you know, I'm not as, you know, as considerate as I once was.
I felt like with my mom, she was all those things combined into one Optimus Prime. you know what I'm saying? But now I feel like I'm one solo, you know, you know, Autobot and I got my own attitude,
you know what I'm saying? And it's definitely in my older age much harder to change, you know, but that's the part of growth is like, you could read, you could study,
and you could trial and error and, you know, definitely fix those things about you that you feel you need to fix. you know, because if you see a pattern in your life with people,
you need to be able to fix those things, man, you can't be, you know, frustrating person after person after person, you know, you know, and that's something you get to taught me, I got to be able to see the patterns,
not just in jiu -jitsu, but in with in my own life, you know what I'm saying, if it's good or bad, you know. Yeah, I like that you said that. So the main Most of the point of this podcast I'm doing is to Make heat is to basically enhance our lives off the mats and not just not just make jiu -jitsu escaped from life,
but actually an enhancement tool for life and And a lot of the time we don't we ignore that part. We just treat you this way like kind of a vacation and a fun,
you know, a fun video game. And so, yeah, when you, so when you self reflect like that, which is like really, that's like a level of kind of self awareness and honesty that I don't hear from most people about.
Maybe I'm less, less forgiving or I'm less empathetic than I used to be. Is this something you feel like you're on a journey still? rediscovering from, you know, your mom's kind of legacy or is it,
or do you feel like this is actually, you're kind of like calibrated how you should be right now? - I definitely feel like, I don't feel like my growth is gonna ever stop until I'm dead.
I think when I'm perfect, I'll probably be dead in the ground with God, when I'm perfect, you know what I'm saying? And so I just feel like, like, you know, me and my life and my trauma,
you know what I'm saying? I got to be able to, you know, understand my trauma, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, as a kid, you know, I was born in LA and that was one of the,
you know, the funnest times of my life. I was going on vacations with my cousins to Hawaii to Magic Mountain. I mean, I was living, I call it the Sunny D life. I say it in every podcast. I was living the Sunny D life.
in California. And then my mom moved me to Michigan and now I'm living the gangsta life. It's totally different. And like, I think just being around, you know,
like just other kids doing all different types of things and like me having to be able to make my choices, you know, that definitely,
you know, has made me a certain type of person, you know? And I, definitely feel like those choices that I made you know they might not affect me or excuse me they might not have affected me then but they definitely affect me now and the way I see people and the way I perceive things you know because sometimes my eyes are in a gangster view I see people as a gangster sometimes people say words I'm like that's a
gangster term you know I'm saying like are you sure you're talking about jujitsu like you know like like, and it's, you know, and maybe people are coming from the same thing as me, you know,
maybe they're coming from a hood like me and they, when they hear certain words, you know, they throw a red flag or, you know, and it could throw the relationship off. So I definitely feel like,
you know, I'm always going to be on a path of growth. Like I love to read and listen to audio books as just as much as I like to do. you know,
because like psychology has always been one of my favorite topics. And learning how I can understand people better is something I definitely need to master,
you know what I'm saying? If I want to stay in this line of business or just, you know, trying to be the best individual I could be, you know, but sometimes, you know, it's hard for me, like as a,
I guess as a business owner, like I'm learning. I can't sell friendship. That's, that's impossible for me. It's impossible. I can't sell you my friendship.
Only thing I could sell is skill. You know, and that's, that's the only thing I'm usually good at giving out is skill. Like, I think I could sell you the skill, and you have to put the work in,
and that skill and that work will turn into a bond that will probably not be broken pretty easily. But you gotta be able to put that work in to even get to that level.
Eddie didn't know my name when I was a white belt. Eddie didn't know my name for the first two years. You know, why he knows my name now? 'Cause I made that shit fucking happen. I made sure he remembered my name off the mat.
I made sure he remembered my name off the mat. I made sure he remembered my last name, you know, 'cause I'm gonna be here. I'm gonna be in your face. I'm gonna be here all day. You know, and that's just... you know, this is what we kind of dedicated our life to,
you know, and I never looked at you get to as a video game, as a getaway. You know, I looked at this right now, you know, we're in that video game right now. As soon as I get off work, I'm getting on that video games right now.
And it's, this is my life. This is what I love. I definitely think it's harder to teach people who love it already than teach people who you're trying to teach people.
convince to love it. You know I'm saying you said it's hard It's harder to teach people who love it already or the so it's no I said, you know, it's definitely it is definitely less harder to teach somebody who loves you jitsu already Then somebody who you're still trying to convince to love it,
you know. Oh, yeah Yeah, you know because they they don't believe the power. Yes. Yes, you know, it still takes time Yeah, I feel like there's something in between between Giving skill providing skill and providing friendship that we can do.
It's because yeah friendship is like This is it's a gym. It's a business transaction in a lot of ways at least up front and yeah, so we're not You know, we're not creating a cult Like that a lot a lot of times happens like we're not saying like join the family even though we sometimes use that language but also just just giving skill is a little bit,
just that feels a little bit sterile. And it also feels a little bit like you're only as good as your success, which is like you feel unworthy. And there's something in between.
And the thing I've been thinking about lately, and this is from hearing this, this, like, basically online philosopher philosopher professor named John Fevecki.
He talks about That there's a difference between friendship and fellowship And you know friendship is something you have with people you spend,
you know, maybe you grew up with or or you just It's kind of you know comes organically and then there's this thing That's fellowship that I'm still figuring out what the difference is since I heard him say it But that's something to do with shared,
you know, a shared activity, a shared framework, that's not necessarily all based on nostalgia. It's like this,
it's this understanding where maybe we don't even know each other's name, but we're involved in the same practice. It's kind of practice based. So, you know, because I yeah because not ever you know I try to remind myself not everyone not every student is gonna come okay how about now better oh kind of still breaking up let's see did you move because it was breaking up Hello Okay,
now I see you there you go. Yeah, do you hear me? Yeah, I hear you. Oh wait now now. I don't hear you.
I Can't hear you now. I don't know. Yes. All right. No, no, no, you know, you're right. You're right. Um, I just I think people come in When it comes to Jitso,
I think people definitely come in for community. I get that I get that 100 % but you know, sometimes I think like Well,
I mean, I think it's just like trial and everyone's different. It's like trial and era So like if a person's really trying to get close to me as a coach, you know, I would tell them like,
you know, let's just focus on your training, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, coach is going to always be here. You know, if you need something to talk about, of course, I'll talk with you, you know. But like, for me,
from my experience, I feel like sometimes the cooler I get with students, the more, the more they feel like they deserve, you know what I'm saying? You know, so like,
some students will be talking about... can you give me a half off on my membership you know I'm saying some students are talking about hey I can't pay my membership right now hey give me give me like a month you know and now that now that now they're playing with my my way of means but they want me to be cool about it you know what I'm saying so like that's cool like if you come at me you know chill I'm
willing to work with you you know I'm saying but if you come at me like like and this is why I feel like like we're not on the same level 'cause I am your coach, I'm not your bro, you know what I'm saying? I'm like, I gotta still make my money at the end of the day because I still have to pay bills of mine as well,
you know? And like there's, we got guys who are just riders, they just ride us, they just get it, you know what I'm saying? Like they come, they train, they shower, they help clean up,
you know, we have an event, they show up, they show love, you know? We're not, we're graphless. grappling they're technical They're doing you know, they don't they need to do and then you got students who have so much ego,
you know, like They think they deserve a belt. They think they deserve this like okay You tapped, you know one guy higher level than you but he tapped you five times you want to talk numbers There's a number right there.
You know I'm saying caught him once he taught you five times That doesn't mean you're on his level right and let's go back. You know, let's talk if you want to talk numbers I'm the guy who's really walking watching numbers i know how many times you talk this guy as long as you've been here you know what i'm saying so like i try not to make it a tap thing but like i try to make it a experience thing it's an
experience thing so if you got two years on your white belt oh man you're so damn close stay grinding you're on the tip of the iceberg keep working let's not worry about a destination.
Let's worry about growth right now. You want it so bad. You think you deserve it, but let's worry about your growth right now, right? Coach is gonna trick you right now. Oh, you're so close. Oh,
you're so close. And then once you don't get it, your butt hurt. Now you're mad at coach, you know what I'm saying? Like, like, and that's that's that could be an issue,
you know what I'm saying? I think you should worry about. Jiu -jitsu is for you. you. It's for you to get in a shape, right? It's for you to learn how to protect yourself and protect your family. It's for you to come here and gain friends.
It's for you to come here and gain confidence. You know, it's not about everybody else. It's about you. And I think some people nowadays in this generation come in there worried about everybody else.
Everybody else's game. Everybody else's positivity. Every else's negativity, it's about you. You got to show up, you got to try,
you know? - Yeah, it's almost like you got, 'cause it's interesting to think about because focusing on yourself is kind of the definition of having an ego,
but at the same time, focusing on others and constantly compare yourself to others. is sort of what is the fuel that feeds that. And so I think what I'm getting from what you're saying is like,
focus on your, like imagine you are on a heroic journey and you, you are on your own path and other people's paths don't matter, like, because you're,
there's only one of you, there's only one person who has your lived experience and your genetics. And when you start focusing on others, focus on your own path. other people's paths, that's when you start becoming negative and resentful and start feeling entitled and things feel unfair.
And that's when, yeah, you start maybe crossing boundaries with your coach or with your teammates. So I think I hear what you're saying. - Yeah,
one thing to pivot to, a little bit now. One thing that also another thing that stands out about you is your you're you have a you have a talent for naming things.
Things that just kind of roll off the tongue like you came up with a dark arts brand. And and you've named, you know, a lot of techniques over the years and the 10 that are in the 10 planet cannon.
And And, and you mentioned reading a lot growing up. And I think, I think you even told me once you were like a Harry Potter fan, like that's what dark rock based on like, yeah.
Yeah. So did you tell me about your, tell me about like what books had a big impression on you growing up and, and like kind of what, what, what do you still,
what do you geek out on now? If you do, well, yeah, right. now, I would say like, let's see, I think it's the, ooh,
let's see what books that are right now that really, I think I like. Oh man. - That's a tough question. - Well, I'm kind of on my activist, I'm on my, I'm kind of on my activist mode.
I'm on my foundational black American activist mode. So I've been reading ISIS papers. by a doctor France France cross well -seeing. So that's Definitely deep It's not a good read for everyone fyi guys It is it is like a little bit more directed at foundation of black Americans,
but it definitely is a good read for history Um interesting. I I definitely think I think it's uh That's a tough one,
um There isn't a book, I think it's called "The Art of Money." The Art of Money, I just factored half of it. It's not, it's not an easy read.
It's a pretty philosophy -based read. I really have to sit and think about the concepts that it kind of spews out for days. It's not the easiest read.
But it's definitely, it is a book that makes me think. That all books make. make me think. Some books I could just blaze through, you know, but this book actually makes me have to write down half the quotes and kind of really work out the,
the examples he gives in the book in real life. And I like that he kind of prepares you, prepare yourself for bad results. So it kind of makes me a little bit happier.
I think if in the book, he didn't say propel yourself for, you know, people not to respond the way you want, you know, that kind of makes me a little bit less hard on myself, I guess.
But if you're talking about books as a kid, obviously, the Harry Potter books, they were okay, I kind of like the movie way better than the books. There was a book I used to read by Darren Sean called "Cirque du Freak".
It was a book, but I read like every book in the whole damn repertoire. Like it was like, well...
Say that one more time because it broke up a little bit, at least on my end. Which, what's the book, sirs? Cirque du Freak. Cirque du Freak.
Freak. - Cirque du Freak, yeah. So it's a pretty intense book. It was fantasy, but the guy broke it down on a neck, I'll just talk on another level like,
and it was basically about, I'll give you just a gist. It was about a kid that basically was hanging with his friend, you know, he was kind of getting beat up at school a little bit and his friend used to always kind of protect him.
And long story short, they ended up seeing the flyer of a of a event of a like a freak show coming to town uh adult one not a kid so they end up getting some tickets and they end up sneaking in there and they seen the show and basically there was a very very pale man that had a pet spider that was like the biggest spider there ever seen and he controlled it with like a flute and you know they watched the
whole show they had a great time and then they made up this ridiculous plan to steal the spider right and be able to control it with the flute right some idea you know long story short they steal the spider they try to control it the spider bites his friend He's about to die.
He has to go back to the guy. They stole it from and Say look, I need you to save my friend. My friend's about to die. He was like, oh interesting He was like interesting the guy's like interesting.
So he's still messed up and then now you need my help He's like, I got you. He's like, so this is what's gonna happen. I am a vampire I'm gonna make you into a half vampire and you're gonna become my assistant and We're gonna fake your death.
I'm gonna save your friend and I'm gonna wipe his memory and you're never gonna see your family room, that's the deal So this six -year -old kid has the fakest death Save his friend and become a half vampire And go on the go on trips on it with a freak show for the rest of his life Yeah,
dude it is pretty crazy. Oh, you coming up. Okay, there you go. We're back. Yeah, we're back. But yeah, I thought that's,
that's a fascinating story. Okay, so what, so how, so does it end? Does the series end with just them being? Oh, dude. Oh, no, man, it goes,
it goes dark. It goes deep and dark. Did you got it? If you read it, it's not. dark. Like he has to go through a lot of trials and tribulations, man, to be like a half vampire.
You know, he's half in, half out, you know what I'm saying? He's a kid, he wants to be around his family. You don't got, you don't got no business being around adults, let alone adult vampires. You know, he's still,
you gotta remember, there's so many issues he had to go through, like you're a human, you're half human, half vampire, right? It's like you know he's gonna walk. blood soon You already know how humans are gonna get when it comes to eating or drinking other humans.
That's gonna be another mind Explosion, you know in his head so that it was just so much things he was going through and remember he was in like freak show So he had to be a freak,
you know So he had to you know do he had to help people with their shows and you know It was just crazy man. It's like a 12 -part series but it was definitely one of the best books I've ever read.
I don't think I've ever read a book that seriously before, you know, because, well, I guess it's ISIS papers that I'm reading that I'm actually reading that pretty seriously, but it's history,
man. When you read history, it's dark. You got to take a break sometimes, you know, but, you know, with the fantasy, it's a little bit more, I guess, appealing, definitely a little bit more appealing. you know,
to the average eye. Yeah. Yeah, you have this, you have this willingness and this fascination to go into, I can't say anything about the dark arts,
and you like these. Yeah, and, and I'm like, that's it. That's an admirable, that's a compliment. Um, and it allows you to be.
to do because life is life gets dark. And I feel like it kind of it kind of thickens your skin that gives you this comfort and discomfort. And I personally don't naturally like those types of books.
But I kind of but as a practice as like a character practice, I do kind of force myself to like watch those movies, those dark movies. movies or read those books.
Like, I like more the happy stories and, - Like love stories and shit? - Yeah, kinda, yeah. I mean, the ones that aren't super cheesy.
Like I like a good, like Jane Austen novel or, you know. - Dang, amen. My mom will love you then. My mom loves love stories, but I think I didn't like love stories.
I was like, "Dude, this is..." so not true, mom. I was like, this is not true. - That's the problem with a lot. Yeah, the love stories and romantic comedies just make, they sell the false story that the universe is conspiring to bring two people together.
It's not true. But, you know, it's all part of this human experience where and also or else they wouldn't have gotten written and read by,
you know, millions of people. millions exactly billions of people actually yeah so um yes okay because you also in real life you're a snake owner you have dogs once again you you have this ability to to be close to and play with dangerous things and so and I'm and never were you saying talking about how you some of your this having the snake especially like in your room it like reminds you and your jiu -jitsu game
to like fire and snap and like have that orientation tell me a little bit about that how that started and like how do you really what when was the moment you clicked like oh that's how much you jiu -jitsu gaming to be I mean mean So my first love is animals from day one jiu -jitsu definitely wasn't the first passion I've ever had Animals still definitely is my first passion.
So I've always studied animals Since I was a kid. I had pre -mantresses rhino bees nip beetles and Denipedes,
you know, and uh, I I definitely feel like, you know, just watching those animals be in their natural environments, do their natural things,
you know, and, you know, when they attack, they attack with a naturality just that I've never seen before. And I thought it was always amazing just to watch them do their things and their habitats.
And well, owning a snake, I've always thought snakes were, you know, thought they were cool, you know, but, you know, in the Bible. Bible and the way I was taught snakes are bad snakes are evil But also from where I was taught hell black people are bad my people are evil from the shit I was taught to you know,
so I just couldn't take books and I guess the winners who wrote these books I couldn't take everything they said for granted So I got out there and just kind of like witness these animals for myself and I learned that not all animals want want me dead now Not all animals are going to be here to kill me,
you know, just like all people don't, don't hate me. All people are not races, you know, all people don't want the end of the world right now. You know, so it's just kind of getting out there and experiencing it for myself.
And I learned to love snakes, you know, I've had corn snakes, Mexican black king snakes, all pythons, just one boa constrictor, not for very long. I was just like, like helping my friend out.
But, um... it's just uh you know it is it isn't the best site if you're if you're you know a little bit softer person you know not really into I guess um I guess into reality the the seer the realness of reality you know what I'm saying like watching a snake eat a mouse to me is baby food.
But to someone that's not used to that, that is traumatizing. This could be traumatizing. Oh my God, this rat was screaming for its life as this snake killed it and ate it for dinner.
But I look at it as this rat was bred to be fed to the snakes. And if it was a rat, and it was out in the, you know, in the field, this rat would have to be clever,
smarter, faster, cleaner, and understand that today ain't my day to die. And I got to get out of here, you know what I'm saying? And like, you know, it's different, you know, nowadays, they breed rats for snakes.
So, you know, but if you could easily put the rat in there, and let's see if he can survive, you know, that's, that's for me, like, I'm more realist I've had rats beat the crap out of my snake before and hurt him really bad oh yeah I've you run into master splinters all the time all the time I've had I've had a guy he had a there's some type of uh falcon he had a falcon and he wanted to you know his falcon I
guess he couldn't I guess he couldn't keep it anymore So he's going to feed it to his snake. And he had this big old, like, python that he had in his garage and I was like, dude, that falcon is going to kill that snake.
Are you tripping? You see the talons on that thing? And the falcon literally grabbed the snake by the head quickly and crushed his head. And yeah, it's not,
it's not going down like that. Animals are super tough, you know, like you should be given this snake a bunny, like a little snake. bunny, right? Or like, even a cat,
cat could do not much damage, cat could do to a snake. That's one don't miss. They don't fall. They don't slip. They could squirm on anything, you know what I'm saying? Very hard to kill, you know,
so like a cat could do damage. A dog would be easier to kill than a cat or, or like a Falcon or something. But I just, you know, I think, like, it's,
it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, just animals. It's just that you know animal lifestyle They they kill things and they eat and have to survive, you know, that's what we're all trying to do We're just not necessarily doing it for that extent, you know,
but you know So yeah, because you're you're really deep into yes, you're you're deep into this that just being around animals and the and Intimately acquainted with the realities of the,
of the food chain and the brutal, the violence, uh, of them, you know, acquiring their food, like you have a natural tolerance for that.
Whereas a lot of people don't, when you, right, do you think it, it is a, it's been a big, it's been, uh, it's in the way that jujitsu is uncomfortable,
but it's, it's good for, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, for the soul Do you feel like it's good for your soul and good for? It would even if it makes people uncomfortable. It's like it is good to have that You know some smaller version of it have some kind of pet.
That's like that or have have Just that awareness that improved your life a lot. I definitely think I Mean right now I don't have any snakes actually sold actually sold of my snakes 'cause I got at a pet store really wanted them.
So I was like, oh, very cool. You know, how much are you trying to spend, you know? And they gave me a good price. And I was like, oh dang, that's way more than I spent for them. So I ended up giving my snakes away. So right now I only have bulldogs.
But I mean, hey, bulldogs are another beast animal. That's just, I think one of the best dogs in the world, you know? And I definitely think my dogs. make me ten times happier Oh my god,
they make me ten times happier to people. I'm sorry to say guys I love you all You know when you've got a dog that loves you 100 % no matter what hey, that's that's that's what I love to you know You know,
and they just they're just they do them they do that they do their own thing You know like my dogs are I would say they're tough as dogs or nothing like that But they do predict the house They protect the house.
They're hilarious. Bulldogs are the top 10, one of the funniest dogs in the game. And they're beautiful. They're beautiful. You know, I got some pretty, you know, I love some high class dogs.
So, you know, I definitely, that makes me happy too. They're not like the some, you know, just some, I guess low budget dog, you know, don't get me wrong. I don't mind anybody going to a doctor.
a dog I got the dogs and I was younger. I just feel like it depends on your attitude You know, I'm more of a breeder I want to make sure it's a puppy and I get it from a breeder and I know it works clean and there's no,
you know Backhanded things behind it. I'm kind of scared to get a dog from a pound nowadays You know, that's like going to get a kid from a jail, you know, I'm saying like I'm a little scared about that His dogs are dangerous man dogs get one bite You know how many you know how many people are traumatized by dog bites.
Oh my god You know, it's crazy. So like yeah It's a lot of people traumatized dog bites so many and I just think a puppy even if it bites you okay You're like,
I love puppies cute, but like I got a big dog and it bit somebody somebody, that's not a good look, you know.
And even in my dog breeding, I'm super, I'm super technical and I look up to dad, the grandpa, the uncle, the colors, the temperament, okay? Where did he come from? Where is he at now?
Is the guy hanging paperwork? Is the guy mixing breeds? Is this a pug? Is this a pity? What is this? Where did this come from? You know, I'm very technical. Just like my jiu -jitsu,
you know. I'm a minority and everybody who says something that doesn't make sense, you know? So it's definitely, it's a similar game. It's definitely a similar game for me, jujitsu and like dogs and animals,
but the dog community is vicious guys. The dog breeding community is vicious. They are not to be played with. They are super serious about the craft. Some people take this very serious.
serious, 30, 40 dogs. Now you gotta be the top of your game to be able to even handle that many animals. Some of these dogs are ranging from 140 pounds,
200 pound dog, that dog could kill us. We're too chill, not being dominant enough. I definitely think people should look up the breeds.
breeds before they, you know, purchase a dog. I don't think I've hit bulls for everyone. I don't think a bulldogs for everyone, you know? Yeah, well, I'm definitely, I'm going to be a dog owner at some point.
Not yet, but at some point when I grew up with dogs. Yeah, no, I grew up with dogs, so I love them. But I want to make, I want to have a yard.
Yeah, you're like me too yeah i don't just want to have a little yard at my house yeah that's yeah i think that's super important yeah it's nice it's nice here but it's like it's just sharing you know i'm in a i'm in like a uh building and so it's just like shared space uh in terms of like the where the dogs can can go to the bathroom and stuff but uh exactly but yeah i definitely when i when i cross that
bridge i'll definitely be talking to you and get some advice from you Oh, yeah, let me know big dog, you know, I got probably got a lot of connections in the dog game for sure nice and well you you are a Multi -faceted person and there's so many other things I want to I want to like learn about from your background and from your philosophy So we'll definitely have to do this again.
But yeah, we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna wrap up just a second. But before we do, want to know, so your 10 planet Torrance,
awesome gym, I've, I've trained there multiple times, I've had multiple students go there and, and like nothing, but the most pristine,
high level jiu -jitsu being taught there, a lot about safety. a lot about a lot about body movement and fundamental clean fundamentals no g fundamentals um that's my that's my that's i could yeah you probably do a better job talking about it but is there anything that or besides that that you would like to share with anyone listening right now to check you out yes guys so we have our rebrand opening as 10 planet
torrents uh may 31st we'll be having a like acai free acai bowls for the first 30 people. We also be having a free donation based seminar by 10 planet black belt Danny Gutierrez.
My brother one of the top guys in this 10 planet association guys you guys better watch out that dude is a beast. And then we have a white boat eight man tournament. Yeah, I was gonna ask you Patrick if you got any tough white boats 155 170.
Okay, let's jump up. in this tournament. You know, everybody's welcome. It's gonna be a fun event We're just gonna be hanging some planet Torrance is really a gem for people who just want to train We do train hard guys.
We do train smart We do train safe and we train seven days a week guys Everyone's welcome especially all my 10 planet family. There's no point in you guys being really weird or with any 10 planet You could come by any 10 planet and train,
you know, especially Torrance We are feel like a lot of people come by and they feel like there's politics, there's no politics, you have good hygiene, you got a good vibe, boom, that's the politics right there,
you know, and you're you're killing it. So, you know, just come by and have a good time. Open mat is free Saturday, one p .m. to two p .m. guys. So definitely if you want to hang out with us,
you definitely can come by. All right, we heard it there. March 31 is the re grand opening. come showered come with your deodorant put on come Come with a good attitude sandals and they do have private showers there as well.
So There's no excuse. So yeah, I'm not March 31st. I'm gonna right after this. I'm gonna check my calendar make sure that's open I'm gonna I'm gonna make sure be there. I'll try to bring I'll try to see if there's any white clothes I want to I want to mix it up.
Yeah, man Yeah, bring it bring a man just to have have fun You know, they don't have to compete, but if you got somebody ready to rock, you know, let's throw them in Torrance template towards one of the cleanest gym in one of the template systems guys.
We bleach we clean we vacuum every day We're not getting infections over here. Yeah Uh, and you have a shower. It's free to use hot. We got all the nice soaps that keep you clean as well guys But again,
you know, I appreciate you Patrick for having me on it was on time. Yeah, man, we'll do it again. Looking forward to it. Heck yeah, anytime. All right, Marvin, have a great rest of your day.
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