The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset

Founder of Budokon Cameron Shayne joins Pete Deeley for a deep conversation on the warrior's mind: why a warrior is not an athlete, why the body only grows from stress, how the self-talk of aging quietly holds us back, and how to judge the source of any advice you're given. A masterclass in the mindset underneath the movement.
Watch the full video on YouTube: [YouTube link]
Submission Coffee: https://submissioncoffee.com · My Jiu Jitsu Journey app on the App Store
Follow: @jiujitsumindset
IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Warrior vs. athlete: what martial arts really shapes
10:08 The hero's journey and "make yourself a great person"
24:05 Untangling the body like a junk drawer
31:11 A late black belt, and training with the best in the world
38:30 Learning what you didn't know you didn't know
51:38 The body grows from stress
58:54 Don't talk yourself old
67:41 Be critical about the source of your advice
70:47 Rich vs. happy: knowledge vs. wisdom
#jiujitsu #bjj #mindset #budokon

Professor Eli Knight returns to The Jiu Jitsu Mindset, and this time we build the conversation around the hero's journey — the call, the crisis, the near-quit, the mentor, and the message he'd leave behind.
 
Eli is a Royce Gracie black belt and one of the clearest thinkers working in self-defense jiu-jitsu. He talks here about the loss that pushed him into a taekwondo class as a teenager, the cousin who went to jail while he went to martial arts, the year his daughter was born and he nearly walked away from all of it, and why he still isn't sure who he would be without jiu-jitsu.
 
He also gives one of the best answers we have had on what the art is actually for: "Jiu-jitsu to me is the serenity prayer. It teaches you how to accept things you can't change, how to change things you can, and how to know the difference." And then, at the very end, he takes the whole thing apart again with a bar of soap.
 
CONNECT WITH PROFESSOR ELI KNIGHT
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnightJiuJitsu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knight_jiu_jitsu_
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@knightjiujitsu
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KnightJiuJitsu
Instructionals: https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/eli-knight
 
THE JIU JITSU MINDSET
Website: https://thejiujitsumindset.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJiuJitsuMindset
X: https://x.com/jiujitsumindset
Find a school near you: https://thejiujitsumindset.com/pages/jiu-jitsu-schools-near-you
 
SUPPORTING THE SHOW
Submission Coffee — https://submissioncoffee.com  (still not a performance-enhancing drug)
My Jiu Jitsu Journey — free to try on the App Store and Google Play 
 
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome back — year five of the podcast
00:29 Submission Coffee and the My Jiu Jitsu Journey app
01:25 Professor Eli Knight returns: the hero's journey
03:35 Crisis, loss, and the class that caught him
05:28 The soft kid who learned to face chaos
08:45 Zen, Daoism, and what religion didn't give him
10:03 "He went to jail, I went to martial arts"
11:17 It doesn't make you a good person — it reveals you
12:21 Pete's story: six years old outside Macy's
14:48 The year he almost walked away
18:42 The leap of faith into a martial arts career
20:10 "I'm not 100% sure who I am without jiu-jitsu"
22:19 The mentor: "you're off in the woods looking for Yoda"
25:35 Coaching with real care — Fit to Fight and Ryan Hoover
27:05 Instructor vs. coach: knowing what you are
30:36 When the fighter is already redlining
33:21 Technique vs. principle is a false choice
34:57 What he'd want people to take away
36:56 Jiu-jitsu is the serenity prayer
38:57 The bar of soap
 
#jiujitsu #bjj #brazilianjiujitsu #selfdefense #eliknight #martialarts #thejiujitsumindset

Host Pete Deeley talks with Professor Chris about preserving Gracie Jiu-Jitsu—specifically Rickson Gracie's interpretation focused on practical self-defense, common-sense solutions to common attacks, and "invisible jiu-jitsu" principles like connection, base, timing, and control rather than strength or athleticism. Chris explains how self-defense knowledge has been diluted by sport-focused training, why losing this curriculum forces people to "reinvent the wheel," and how he was injured after seeking self-defense but ending up in a sport school. He describes building Rickson Gracie United as a structured, global curriculum with tiers and affiliate academies, adding stress and live sparring, and keeping sport and self-defense unified while making training accessible for beginners, kids, and non-competitors. The conversation also touches on Rickson's character, honesty, boundaries, and how jiu-jitsu teaches realistic self-assessment.
 
00:00 Welcome and Updates
01:07 Movie References Warmup
03:07 Why Preserve Gracie Jiu Jitsu
08:23 Invisible Jiu Jitsu Basics
09:49 Hickson Gracie Unite Launch
11:05 Making Self Defense Accessible
14:06 What Gets Lost Without It
15:17 Personal Story and Injuries
17:39 Jiu Jitsu Telephone Effect
21:04 Sport Growth and Realism
23:32 Sport and Self Defense Unity
30:52 Who Self Defense Is For
32:18 Training Is Not Fighting
33:08 Trauma Empathy On Mats
34:00 Why Rickson Matters
36:27 Good Person Boundaries
38:13 Honesty Ocean Metaphor
42:55 Teaching Kids Through Play
44:51 Belts Competition Context
46:49 Confidence For Daughters
49:28 Internet Backlash Tribalism
52:52 Open Hand Learning
55:24 Lose To Learn Timing
58:16 Preserving Hickson Legacy
01:00:38 Mats Are Contextual
01:01:57 RGU Links And Farewell

Host Pete Deeley welcomes Professor Juanta "Tater" Wolf to discuss building a jiu jitsu life and academy while balancing family and community. Pete shares updates on the My Jiu Jitsu Journey app (including a new weight-loss component) and invites gym owners to carry Submission Coffee. Juanta explains that before jiu jitsu he focused on painting and murals, describing his style as therapeutic, abstract "Afro Cubism," and connects that improvisational approach to how he rolls and avoids rigid game plans. He credits becoming a father as the turning point that moved him from hobbyist to daily coach and eventual owner, bringing his son to the academy since four months old. Juanta recounts how he found his first gym through a graffiti painting encounter with coach Aaron, emphasizing serious training paired with fun, welcoming culture, and he shares his love of competition, a memorable injury match win, and a student moment when his cousin's daughter showcased jiu jitsu at a school talent show. He closes with where to follow Prairie Wolf Jujitsu online.
 
00:00 Welcome and Updates
01:32 Meet Professor Juanta
02:38 Art Before Jiu Jitsu
03:54 Flow State Training
05:25 Fatherhood and Ownership
09:26 Finding the First Gym
11:40 Building a Fun Culture
13:34 Why Compete
17:09 Injury and Breakthrough Win
20:07 Student Impact Story
22:05 Tater Man Nickname
22:42 Where to Follow and Farewell

Change, Initiation, and Jiu Jitsu as a Modern Mystery with Professor Jason Hawkins
The host of The Jiu Jitsu Mindset welcomes Professor Jason Hawkins, promotes the My Jiu Jitsu Journey app's new weight-loss component, and mentions Submission Coffee's wholesale program for gym owners. They discuss change as deep transformation rather than habit tweaks, framing growth as transmuting suffering into consciousness and using a marathon "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional" story plus the Yoga Sutras' "now" as a call to seriousness when ordinary coping fails. They explore initiation as guided "death, burial, resurrection," historically tied to near-death clarity, with compassion distinguishing it from abuse, and note women are "initiated by nature" while men often need imposed rites. They relate initiation to martial arts as modern mystery schools: sacred space, gi/belt symbolism, told-shown-done learning, humility, trust, and moving from technique to principle and "no habit." They cover Nietzsche's camel-lion-child, three paths (hardship, self-study, surrender), boredom as a gatekeeper, devotion vs outcome-seeking, and responsibility as the warrior ethic.
 
00:00 Welcome and Updates
01:08 Meet Jason Hawkins
01:50 Why People Change
03:04 Pain vs Suffering Story
03:59 Yoga Sutras and Now
06:02 Transformation Not Habits
10:02 Gross to Subtle Path
13:32 What Is Initiation Today
16:35 Near Death and Rites
21:59 Pete's Grandfather Lesson
25:57 Mysteries and Three Steps
31:27 Nietzsche Camel Lion Child
36:21 Iron John Colors and Jiu Jitsu
38:22 Pick Your Moment
38:33 No Habit Mastery
38:46 Rolling With My Son
40:33 Skill Stages Explained
42:01 Mystery School Question
45:05 Sacred Space Rituals
48:13 False Danger Real Growth
52:00 Practice Reverence Discipline
54:16 Warrior Responsibility
01:01:03 Mystery Cannot Be Told
01:04:03 Miracles And Attention
01:05:57 Boredom Gatekeeper
01:08:16 Devotion Over Discipline
01:11:50 Closing Reflections