Travis Stevens, Olympic silver medalist, on judo, jiu-jitsu and discipline

Dirty White Belt Radio

Listening to American Olympic judo silver medalist and BJJ black belt Travis Stevens will make you want to get up at 5 a.m. and train five times a day. He talks to us about goal-setting, work ethic, and determination -- and recounts matches that are years in the past with an emotional resonance that suggests they happened yesterday. Listeners submitted dozens of questions for Travis, and he answered them all in the way you’d expect him to -- directly, thoughtfully, thoroughly. We go over his thoughts on how you should approach learning and practicing takedowns; what it takes to keep up his famous training volume, and his approach to avoiding injuries while clocking so many hours on the mat; what he really thinks about self defense; advice for judo teachers with jiujitsu students; and how the training at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York compares to international judo training. Be sure to stay tuned for the brutal story of his 2012 Olympic semifinal, where the judges went against him in a controversial decision against Germany’s Ole Bischof. Thanks as always to our sponsors, US Grappling, Toro BJJ, and Cageside MMA! Register online at usgrappling.com to compete in Columbia, SC, June 30 or July 14 in Charlotte -- and if you need gi or nogi gear to compete, find the best products at cageside.com! If you want access to bonus content, you can support us at patreon.com/dirtywhitebelt, as Cody Maltais, Karl Krebs, Chris Holmes and Betty Broadhurst did this month -- thanks, y'all!