Send us a text In this episode, I’m joined by Andy from the School of Grappling, a coach and physicist whose analytical approach to no-gi grappling and wrestling has made him a respected figure in the sport. We discuss the science behind skill development, biomechanics, and training methods that align with the ecological approach. As the podcast nears its conclusion, I’m grateful to have one of my dream guests on the show. Tune in for a deep dive into the art and science of grappling! Catch more of Andy and his insights on the great Sonny Brown Breakdown Podcast.  ..read more

Send us a text  In this episode of the Primal MMA Coaching Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Laura Cuijpers, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen, to explore the emotional and psychological aspects of martial arts training. We dive into Dr. Laura's work on agency, resilience, and the application of the ecological approach in self-defense, with a particular focus on women's self-defense. We discuss the challenges of moving away from choreographed methods and the importance of improvisation under pressure. This conversation is packed with insights relevant to anyone interested i ..read more

Send us a text Today I welcome Sonny Sahota from Praxis Gym in Canada. Sonny, a judo black belt and manager of Kensington Judo Club in Vancouver, shares his insights on integrating Ecological Dynamics and the Active Inference Framework (AIF) into martial arts coaching. Sony introduces some of the tenets these approaches, discussing how they inform skill acquisition, practice design, and the balance between training under fatigue and maintaining motor learning. Sonny highlights the importance of understanding athletes' individual narratives and emotional engagement. This conversation offers val ..read more

Send us a text Coach Rob Cole joins me today to talk coaching within an ecological dynamics framework. Rob is a long time mixed martial artist, globetrotters BJJ coach and a regular coach at Ascension Athletics in Connecticut.  ..read more

Send us a text Today's chat was with Pittsburgh Pirate's coach John Baker John is a former MLB player and current performance and skills coach alongside Andy Bass in the Pirates Baseball organization.  Also a BJJ purple belt, Ecological dynamics advocate and MMA fan. We had a fun chat covering all things eco, baseball and combat sports.  ..read more

Send us a text The boys from emergence are back to discuss their recently accepted and published paper on  "Applying an ecological dynamics framework to mixed martial arts training".  This paper followed their previous publication from 2023 "(Re)conceptualizing movement behavior in sport as a problem-solving activity". Both of these papers were supported and co-authored by Professor Keith Davids himself a titan in the skill acquisition community and a pioneer of ecological dynamic. SBG's Adam Singer, The Academy's Andy Grahn and myself were also able to provide modest contribution ..read more

Send us a text In this episode I talk with Coach James de Lacey of Sweet Science of Fighting. While most discussions on the podcast have been biased toward the perceptual half of the perception-action loop. Coach James talks about how we can support the action side through science informed exercise programming. While James doesn't offer a specific program for combat athletes, he does give valuable insight and his opinions on where the best bang for the buck comes with regards to S&C for fighters. He also offers some practical and measurable ways to integrate S&C into busy training sc ..read more

Send us a text Today I talk with Dr Andy Bass. Andy is a researcher, educator, former pro baseball player and is currently a performance coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Andy talks about both the mental side and motor learning side of skill development. How the two can be separate but also generally integrate. I have linked several episodes that Andy features on in the podcast description, and would recommend you check them out if what Andy talks about today interests you. Slappin Glass Podcast Beyond Baseball  Coach Your Brains out Ride the Grey Andy, admirably, is not on any o ..read more

Send us a text Today I chat with Irish National Kickboxing Coach Jon Mackey about the role of training tools in striking sports. We'll explore whether these tools actually support skill acquisition and debunk some of the popular training gimmicks that are flooding social media. Coach Mackey brings not only an extensive coaching experience, but his academic perspective as a PhD is skill acq candidate.   Jon gives his thoughts on the effectiveness of tools like noodles, ladders, flashing lights, and frisbees for improving athletic performance. He'll explain why these tools may not be as be ..read more

Send us a text Today I welcome Kit Dale and Greg Souders on to the show. Kit is well know in the jiu-jitsu world for his rapid development in the sport and his achievements at high level no-gi grappling in a short few years. An advocate of 'learning through trial and error and one that has been preaching the anti-drilling message for years' it seemed fitting that I get him on to talk with Greg Souders. Greg himself has emerged as a leading advocate of the ecological approach and in doing so, brought a lot of the science and research from the academic side onto the mats and into a broader con ..read more