Primal MMA Coaching Podcast

09/09/2022

Lot's of coaching and skill training nuggets from Dr Tom Parry.

New episode out now:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-primal-mma-coaching-podcast/id1522162314

01/02/2022

Dr. Alan Dunton, was this week's guest. Alan trained and competed with the Irish National TKD team and has a PhD in Skill Acquisition. So he know very much understands the Why and the How!

Alan lends some insight on how practice can be more representative and why Context is King and how we can supercharge our practices.

Both part one and two can be accessed from the links below!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/995014/9954599-s2-8a-context-is-king-professor-alan-dunton-on-moving-along-the-continuum-of-representativeness.mp3?download=true

https://www.buzzsprout.com/995014/9954599-s2-8a-context-is-king-professor-alan-dunton-on-moving-along-the-continuum-of-representativeness.mp3?download=true

14/01/2022

I was in full fanboy mode yesterday as I got to geek out with my favorite Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition expert, Dr Rob Gray.

Rob is one of the best known researchers and academics in the ecological dynamics and skill acquisition space, so it was quite the honor to have him lend his time and thoughts to discuss MMA training with me.

In this chat we discussed:

* Direct vs Indirect Perception
* Predictive vs Prospective Control
* Training action capacities offline

Rob's new book "Move" is a fantastic start if you are interested in learning more about how the body learns to move skillfully.

His Perception-Action podcast also has hundreds episodes that go deep into the weeds of motor-learning and skill development.

'Cheers for now, and keep in coupled!' (Rob Gray outro)

22/12/2021

Had to postpone my chat with Dr Rob Gray this morning. Hoping to reschedule in the next few weeks. My biggest guest yet!

If you're interested at all in the science of skill development. Rob's new book "Move" will likely turn what you think about learning upside down. https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Learn-Move-Revolution/dp/B09KDSQD9Q/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

His Podcast is a real red pill too. Check it out.

03/11/2021

Coach Leigh Remedios is the owner and head coach of VT Jiu-Jitsu in England UK.

He is a life long martial artist, former professional fighter and UFC vet, and a recipient of 4 different black belts.

My first contact and introduction to Leigh was an exchange over a post I'd made on a BJJ FB group about sh*****ng and bear crawling in jiu-jitsu practice being a waste of time.

What started off as a terse back and forth led to a more substantive exchange, where Leigh was receptive to some articles and resources I sent him.

A couple of months later we hopped on the zoom to chat about training. This chat is episode #6 and was a fun discussion, one in which we found many more similarities in our training approaches than differences.

Leigh, as apparent is a very accomplished coach and competitor and decades later is clearly still in love with martial arts and looking to learn and improve. So a great guest and a an enjoyable chat was had.

Leigh can be found on FB, and at his gym's webpage www.vtjj.co.uk

31/08/2021

Talked shop with coach and owner Bruce Hoyer

Coach Bruce spoke about his 'flipped classroom' approach and how it helps him optimize the training time of his students.

Bruce is a 20+ year martial artist and a BJJ black belt.

I imagine we'll be implementing some of his ideas in the near future.

Thanks for the time and spitting your knowledge!

06/08/2021

Training in reality!

Fascinating and insightful discussion with Dr James Stafford, about skill development and the human perceptual-motor system.

Prof James also talks about exciting VR technology in the pipeline by

I'm relishing a future where we can train even more efficiently, ever more safely.

Check out the 'Primal MMA Coaching' podcast and listen to a growing list of motor-learning scientists offer insight into the fascinating world of skill development.

"No matter what your martial arts goals, surely we all want to be better.

So, let's get better, at being better!"

20/07/2021

I am excited to have snagged two more great guests for the Primal MMA coaching Podcast.

Dr Nicola Hodges will be providing insight into the science of "demonstrations".... How effective they can be, how to optimize them and their place in effective practice environments.

Also,

Dr James Stafford will be discussing how our perceptual-motor systems are constantly recalibrating to the most subtle changes in ourselves and our training/competition environments and why this is so important for how we train.

Science is merely our best 'current' understanding of what works and what doesn't in the world. Why not embrace it for our training and sport...... Train smart!! 🤓🥊🥋

31/05/2021

I finally pestered enough into chatting with me on the Primal MMA coaching podcast.

He did not disappoint. A 1 hour convo turned into almost 3, so I cut it into a couple of episodes.

Dr Ed is a professor of skill acquisition and a coach of over 30 years.

I really loved the balance of science and practical insights he gave, and it was another reminder for me to up my game.

Which accent is more dreamy? Irish or Scottish? You be the judge.

You can subscribe to the 'Primal MMA coaching podcast' on all the main platforms.

Much love, and let's be better at getting better.

22/05/2021

Adam Haniver is a boxing coach and coach educator that works in the England Boxing talent pathway. He is also the co founder of 'The Box Gathering' - a community of learning for coaches in the boxing world to come together and explore ideas. Adam is a coach that is passionate about learning and impr...

20/05/2021

Season 2 kicks off with a talk, with Coach John Kessel.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/995014/8549501-s2-1-catch-them-being-good-coach-john-kessel-on-creating-effective-training-environments.mp3?download=true

Coach John is a US Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee with over 50 years of coaching men's and women's volleyball at the collegiate, international and Olympic levels.

Coach Kessel is a strong advocate of specificity and authentic representative practice and empowering athletes through relationships and prioritizing a love for sport.

John credits much of the success of US Volleyball to an era that embraced the science of learning and more specifically motor learning for sports.

It was a privilege to have a coach I admire and one that influenced my thinking so much on the podcast to share his wisdom.

For more of Coach John's Interviews, this link provides a collection of many of his interactions over the years.

https://www.owltail.com/people/FcUKJ-john-kessel/appearances

Lastly, this episode had some sound quality issues due some lost connectivity during our conversation.

18/05/2021

SKILLS are best acquired when our learning environment is rich with uncertainty and we make many errors.

I am paraphrasing Andrew Hubberman here, but that is a key takeaway from the Hubberman lab podcast Ep20.

If your training is polished, predictable and makes you look good, you're doing yourself a disservice.

Stop relying on your coach to make you better and give you feedback. Rather, trust your unimaginably complex nervous system to figure it out for you!

Embrace the MFíng chaos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ0IBzCjEPk

This episode I discuss the science and practice of learning physical skills: what it involves at a biological level, and what to focus on during skill learni...

15/04/2021

Great write up by Coach John Emmett of Zenyo Jiu Jitsu Baltimore.

Clear, concise and supported by science.

https://zenyojiujitsu.com/jiu-jitsu-practice/

Jiu Jitsu practice is not rocket science. But that doesn't mean it's easy. The Zenyo Blog breaks down the best way to make your Jiu Jitsu practice ...

19/02/2021

Had the chance to talk with UK coach developer and 'Talent Equation' podcast creator Stu Armstrong.

Stu is loud voice in the 'nonlinear skill development' space, and his podcast is a fantastic resource for coaches of all sports. Very much worth subscribing to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTTnSy4RDyY&t=3175s

15/01/2021

Fighting is pretty stupid, lets try to be smarter about it!

New Brain Health and Awareness page up on our new site

https://www.primalmke.com/blogs/news/a-coachs-dilemma

MMA is stupid and damages your brain! So let’s at least try to be better at being stupid!

09/12/2020

Congratulations to Kavanya for being the first to complete our Submission Bingo card. 24 different submissions on a same or higher ranked opponent. (Most were bigger too!)

I know the Peruvian necktie was that last pesky one remaining these last few weeks.

No surprise it was you who got there first. Always creative and exploring new stuff on the mats. Never rolling without a purpose! Exactly what Primal Sub Bingo is designed to support.

Enjoy the swag and bragging rights girl!

23/10/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE 8 - LINK IN COMMENTS

In this 8th episode I talk with "Sport England's" , Stu Armstrong.

Stu is a educator, talent developer, forward thinking coaching activist and proponent of a non-traditional ecological dynamics approach to learning sport.

With over 150 episodes of his own coaching podcast (The Talent Equation), Stu has collaborated with and interviewed some of the most successful coaches and trainers across a wide range of sports.

With over 20 years of coaching experience, Stu's personal journey and coaching career has been refined by his persistent critical evaluation of coaching methods and continual self improvement.

In this episode, we discuss the Ecological Dynamics (Non-Linear) approach to coaching. Stu does what he does best. He unpacks and demystifies academic jargon and theoretical concepts and delivers them as easy to understand practical applications for coaches..

Coach Armstrong can be reached at https://twitter.com/stu_arm and his wonderfully informative podcast at https://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/. I very am thankful for his time and contribution to the Primal MMA coaching podcast.

11/10/2020

First effort for my new side hobby...

Thanks to all my podcast guests, experts and scientists that I've been learning from and that contribute to the craft.

Looking forward to putting some of this stuff into a MMA training context...



Stay tuned for more animations dropping soon.

https://youtu.be/Zu9kcVcO5QI

Can we be better at getting better? This video series introduces principles and concepts from sports science that can help us shape, improve and optimize our...

29/09/2020

PART 2..... Playing around with our new Practice Streaming toys. Augmented feedback and real time corrections.

29/09/2020

PART 1

Implementing some of the tips and strategies for video feedback (Augmented feedback) that we learned from Episode #5 with Dr Andy Driska from MSU.

Trying to be better at getting better!

16/09/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE 7 LINK IN COMMENTS

In this 7th episode I talk with Coach Israel Halperin. Dr Halperin has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Science, and currently resides in Tel Aviv, Israel where he lectures and researches.

With a rich history of participation in martial arts as a professional competitor and coach, Israel offers a rather unique academic and practical perspective towards training.

In this episode, we discuss specific and non-specific training and how we might best balance effective skill development, risk/injury mitigation, and the value of various common training methods.

Dr Halperin can be reached at https://twitter.com/Israel_Halperin and his research at https://www.israelhalperin.com . I very much hope he will be a returning guest on the Primal MMA coaching Podcast.

14/09/2020

Looking forward to my chat tomorrow with Dr Israel Halperin.

Dr Israel is a professor of Sports Science and Exercise at Tel Aviv University, a former competitive kick-boxer and a coach of several elite level kickboxers.

Israel will offer his perspectives on specific vs non-specific training and how to balance authentic training with injury-risk.

https://sci-fit.net/science-spotlight-israel-halperin/

14/09/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE 6 - LINK IN COMMENTS

In this 6th episode I talk with founder and creator of "Train Ugly'' and ''The Learner Lab'', Trevor Ragan.

Trevor, is an educator, coach and practice design consultant across several sports, working including, basketball, baseball and rugby.

For the last decade, Trevor has been at the forefront of a mission to optimize coaching, learning and training philosophies.

In this discussion we explore the principles of randomizing and adding variability to practice and how it can be used to design more effective and authentic training environments.

Trevor's body of work is accessible at https://thelearnerlab.com/trevor-ragan/ and his podcast The Learner Lab'' https://thelearnerlab.com/podcast/ is a wonderful and valuable resource for anyone who is interested in optimizing their own learning processes.

14/09/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE 5 - LINK IN COMMENTS

In this 5th episode I talk with Michigan State University's Coordinator of Sports Coaching and Leadership, Andy Driska PhD.

Andy talks about different kinds of feedback, what is effective and what's not, and bridging some of the gaps between the Sports Science academics and the day to day sports coaches and practitioners.

Andy is able to do so as both an academic/researcher/educator and long time coach of swimmers and water polo teams.

As in previous episodes we discuss the challenge of balancing effective practice and risk/injury mitigation.

Andy can be reached at https://twitter.com/andydriska and I very much hope he will be a returning guest on the Primal MMA coaching Podcast.

14/09/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4 - LINK IN COMMENTS

In this fourth episode, I talk with Jeff 'Jackie' Chan. Jeff is the creator of the hugely popular MMA Shredded YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt1ZR07apYANZ3MmlbipIXg and a professional fighter currently signed to ONE FC.

Jeff's training videos and tutorials differ from most typical coaching videos in that he demonstrates the skills in live and authentic situations.

In the podcast we discuss the evolution of MMA Shredded and Jeff's training history. We also discuss the importance of sparring, authentic training methods and balancing the sparring volume with intensity to mitigate risk.

Jeff has traveled the world training at some of the best MMA gyms. He talks about his experiences and how his own training has evolved over time.

We also talk about the differences between training for skill and training for technique and finding the balance between both to optimize the practice experience.

I have written about Jeff and his training methods before and how I think they epitomize many of the effective principles of learning and development which science supports. https://www.primalmke.com/post/youtube-coaching-why-i-m-jeff-chan-s-fan-boy
Jeff was fantastic guest to have on the Podcast so early. Enjoy.

14/09/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE 3 - LINK IN COMMENTS

In this third episode, we talk with Will Massey. Will is a Sports Psychologist, educator, coach, and practicing martial artist.

Will and I discuss the motivations of Martial Artists, how to foster sustained motivation and participation. We also talk about the types of athletes and students that step onto the mats.

Will is able to pair an academic and theoretical perspective with a practical understanding as both a student and coach of the sport.

This valuable discussion given retention, motivation and participation involve creating a positive and engaging psychological training environment.

14/09/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE # 2 - LINK IN COMMENTS

In this second episode, we talk with Irish TKD coach Richie Forde. Richie is a former World Level competitive TKD competitor, coach, and the creator of a tremendous amount of content for the 'The TKD coach academy'.

Richie and I discuss our perspectives on effective training and coaching and our embracing of the live, chaotic, and authentic training environment.

Richie is a very progressive and forward-thinking TKD coach from Ireland and with his collaborators, is working hard to change training attitudes and approaches on the national TKD scene.

A valuable discussion for any combat sports coaches who find themselves questioning some of the conventional wisdom and traditional training methods in martial arts.

14/09/2020

SEASON 1 - EPISODE # 1 - LINK IN COMMENTS

In this first episode, we talk with Boxing coach Adam Haniver. Adam is a former competitive boxer, coach, educator, and host of his own coaching podcast, 'The boxing coach podcast'.

Adam and I discuss our similar journeys into coaching and our embracing of the a non-linear and constraints-led approach to coaching boxing and mixed martial arts.

Adam is a very progressive and forward-thinking boxing coach from the UK and is constantly questioning and pushing back against the conventional wisdom and traditions of British Boxing coaching and training.

A valuable discussion for any combat sports coaches who find themselves asking the same question. Can we do it better?

14/09/2020

'Can we be better at getting better?'

The Primal MMA Coaching Podcast is a series of discussions with Coaches, Fighters and Sports Scientists that critically rethink practice and training for Mixed Martial Arts.