This week we bring you an exciting interview with Daniel Strauss also know as “The Raspberry Ape”. Daniel is one of the top European grapplers, focusing mostly on no-gi. Daniel is a black belt training under Roger Gracie and Nick Brooks.

We talk about:

What got him started in Jiu-Jitsu

What he does off the mat to get stronger

Bending horse shoes

Developing grip strength

Why he likes the butterfly guard for no-gi

The culture of BJJ and strong man

The Raspberry Ape Podcast

His views on getting a new belt in BJJ

How he gets mentally focused to compete

Advice for doing a tournament for the first time

Dealing with nerves and pressure

Dealing with bad days

Why being a blue belt is fun

Showing vs teaching a technique

Training with your mind off of the mat

Links:

Quote of the week: “Small changes can make a big difference”

Article of the week: Samurai Business Man Destroys Competition By Training Employees In BJJ

If you are interested in supporting The BjjBrick Podcast find out how here

The BjjBrick Wall of Support is being constructed and you can help

Also we have episode 3 of mat tales called “bad camera work”

Catch us next week for another episode of The BjjBrick Podcast

The BjjBrick Podcast is in iTunes, Stitcher radio, and Google Play Music for Andriod