The Gi Spot Podcast

This week on The Gi Spot, Kaz and Rach tackle a reality every grappler eventually faces: age catches everyone.The body that once bounced back from six rounds and a weekend seminar now negotiates every movement like a hostile workplace dispute. Recovery takes longer, injuries linger, and suddenly warming up becomes more important than training itself.But getting older doesn't mean getting worse.The team discusses how experienced grapplers can continue to evolve, adapt, and thrive as the years roll on. From changing training styles and managing injuries to embracing efficiency over athleticism, this episode explores what it really means to stay in the game when Father Time starts applying pressure.Topics include:The physical realities of aging in combat sports.Training smarter instead of harder.Managing chronic injuries and recovery.Why old man strength might actually be a legitimate technique.The shift from athletic dominance to technical efficiency.Letting go of ego when the young killers arrive.How longevity becomes the ultimate measure of success.Staying passionate about jiu-jitsu through every stage of life.Whether you're 25 and invincible or 55 and held together by tape, caffeine, and stubbornness, this episode is about finding ways to keep showing up.Because the goal isn't to be the best in the room forever.The goal is to still be in the room.

This week on The Gi Spot, Kaz and Rach tackle one of the most overlooked aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: the little things.Not the flashy submissions. Not the viral techniques. The tiny details that separate good grapplers from great ones.The team explores the micro-adjustments, habits, and technical refinements that quietly transform your game over time. From grip placement and weight distribution to breathing, timing, posture, and mat awareness, they discuss how seemingly insignificant changes can produce massive results.Along the way they share the small lessons that took years to learn, the details they wish they'd focused on sooner, and the common mistakes that keep practitioners stuck despite hours of training.Whether you're a fresh white belt or a seasoned black belt, this episode is a reminder that progress in jiu-jitsu isn't always about learning something new—sometimes it's about doing the basics better.Because in BJJ, the difference between almost and finished is often measured in millimeters.

This week on The Gi Spot, we sit down with one of the most accomplished female grapplers in the history of Brazilian jiu-jitsu — Michelle Nicolini.An 8-time IBJJF World Champion, ADCC Champion, MMA athlete, and Hall of Famer, Michelle has helped shape the modern era of women’s jiu-jitsu through decades of elite competition and coaching.We talk about the mindset behind sustained success, the evolution of the sport, the pressure of competing at the highest level, and what today’s athletes often misunderstand about greatness.This episode isn’t just about championships.It’s about the mindset required to reach the top — and stay there.

When Lisa last joined The Gi Spot, she was about to become a mother for the second time only difference was now she would be walking away, albeit for a short period of time, from a new found passion, Jiu Jitsu. Now, over a year later, she’s back — and back on the mats.In this episode, we catch up on her journey through pregnancy, early motherhood, and what it really takes to return to jiu-jitsu after life completely changes your routine.From physical challenges to mindset shifts, we explore what it means to step away — and what it takes to come back.Because sometimes the biggest win in jiu-jitsu…is simply returning.

Cross training has gone from controversial to completely normal in modern jiu-jitsu — but is it all upside?In this episode of The Gi Spot, Rach and Kaz break down the rise of cross training in the BJJ scene, looking at the benefits, the backlash, and the unspoken rules that come with training outside your home gym.From faster skill development to gym politics and ego clashes, we explore how cross training can level up your game — or quietly cause problems if done wrong.Because in jiu-jitsu, it’s not just about where you train…it’s about how you show up when you get there.

Jiu-jitsu is built on trust — but what happens when that trust is abused?In this episode of The Gi Spot, we take a serious and necessary look at grooming in sports and gym environments, including both minors and adults.We explore how power, authority, and close-knit communities can sometimes be misused — and why it’s not always obvious when boundaries are being crossed.This conversation isn’t about panic — it’s about awareness, responsibility, and creating safer training environments for everyone.Because a strong gym culture isn’t just about technique or toughness.It’s about respect that never crosses the line.

You’re injured. Work is chaos. Kids arrived. Life is throwing heel hooks and you tapped early.So what happens to your jiu-jitsu when you’re not actually doing jiu-jitsu?In this episode of The Gi Spot, we dive into the uncomfortable but universal grappler experience: being forced off the mats. Whether it’s a blown knee, a newborn baby, burnout, or just life doing life things, most practitioners hit a stretch where training consistently just isn’t possible.We talk about:The mental side of being sidelinedWhy people disappear from the sport completelyWays to stay connected to the game even when you can’t trainStudying matches, coaching, drilling light, or just staying in the gym ecosystemAvoiding the “I’ll come back when I’m fit again” trapBecause in jiu-jitsu, the biggest danger isn’t the injury —it’s drifting away long enough that returning feels impossible.Even when you can’t roll, you can still keep a toe in the game.

In this world-first roundtable episode of The Gi Spot, Rach and Kaz bring together three academy leaders — not to debate territory, but to redefine it.In studio:Grant & Rachel Bradshaw from Iconic Jiu Jitsu Academy,Brian Lewis & John MacAleer from House of Water Jiu Jitsu and Other Musings,and Peter Jackson from Nura Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy.This isn’t an episode about who has the biggest competition team or the loudest Instagram presence. It’s a deep dive into what leadership in jiu-jitsu looks like in 2026.The team explores a growing shift in academy ownership — one built on confidence without ego, curiosity without insecurity, and collaboration without territorial nonsense.Cross-training is encouraged. Doors are open. The mindset is simple: we can’t help everyone — but we’ll help you find someone who can.No peacocking. No mat politics. No bar-storming bravado.Just grappling — and building awesome people into even more awesome people.This isn’t just a conversation about running academies.It’s a marker of a new era in jiu-jitsu.

In this special episode of The Gi Spot, Rach and Kaz hand the mics back to their long-suffering and much-loved partners: Grant (Rach’s husband) and Producer Matt (Kaz’s husband and behind-the-scenes wrangler of audio chaos).Together, the crew reflects on the year that was — from highs and chokes to those “why am I still doing this?” moments — and set their sights on what 2026 might hold.Whether it’s dealing with comp prep nerves, evolving gym culture, or training while juggling life/kids/work/bodies that don’t always cooperate, this is a conversation full of insight, a few spicy takes, and many laughs.Think of it as the end-of-year roundtable you didn’t know you needed: four people, one shared obsession with the mat, and wildly different coping strategies.

In this two part episode the team sit down and chat with Female Black Belt, Shantelle Thompson, a proud Barkindji and Ngyampaa woman, celebrated as a world‑class athlete, community advocate, mother of five and recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to Victoria’s Indigenous community.She began training in Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu in 2011 initially as a way to manage post‑natal depression and quickly rose through the ranks to become a three‑time Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu world champion — known as the “Barkindji Warrior.”Shantelle has also achieved success in wrestling competition and was recognised as the 2019 National NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year, highlighting her impact beyond BJJ.Apart from athletic achievements, Shantelle has been a powerful voice for self‑determination, mental health and cultural empowerment, founding programs such as the Kiilalaana (Growth) initiative to support young Indigenous women through leadership, life skills and empowerment programs.Her work spans storytelling, mentorship, cultural teaching and community activism — all deeply rooted in breaking cycles of trauma and creating pathways for First Nations people and women in sport.

In this special year-end episode of The Gi Spot, co-hosts Rach and Kaz look back on the year that was 2025 — revisiting their favourite guests, best conversations, most unhinged moments, and all the unexpected gold that came out of interviews, mat chat, and shared chaos.From deep dives with legends and competitors to raw conversations with everyday grapplers and behind-the-scenes mat brains, 2025 was full of voices that challenged, inspired, and occasionally roasted us into being better.Rach and Kaz reflect on the lessons, the laughs, and the episodes that hit hardest — plus they each pick the guest that made them see the sport, the culture, or themselves a little differently.If you’ve been along for the ride, this one’s a chance to celebrate it all. If you’re new to the pod, consider this your highlight reel (and maybe your gateway drug to the full back catalogue).Cheers to the rolls, the rants, the real talk — and to whatever madness 2026 has planned.

In this episode of The Gi Spot, Rach and Kaz rip the tape off one of the biggest misconceptions in BJJ: that just showing up is enough to get better.It’s not.Whether you're hitting four classes a week or barely squeezing in one, how you train matters more than how often. Rach — a full-time instructor — and Kaz — full-time student of chaos — break down 10 sharp, practical, and occasionally uncomfortable truths about how to make your training actually stick.From mindset shifts and partner dynamics to feedback culture and post-class reflection, this is the ultimate guide to making your hours on the mat actually mean something.Whether you're a fresh white belt or a purple belt in a plateau, this episode is your roadmap to training with intent and progressing on purpose.

In this episode of The Gi Spot, Kaz puts a microscope (and maybe a rear naked choke) on something most grapplers take for granted: their training partner.Whether you’re stuck with a spazzing white belt or blessed with a seasoned black belt, who you train with — and howyou engage them — shapes your progress. But are you actually making the most of those precious rolls and drills?This episode lays out 10 strategic, and sometimes uncomfortable, ways to turn every partner into an opportunity — without being manipulative, annoying, or dead weight. We cover everything from setting micro-goals during rolls to communicating boundaries, asking the right questions, and yes, how to stop just going through the motions.Whether you’re a seasoned shark or a fresh-out-the-packet blue belt, this one’s packed with real advice, gym wisdom, and the occasional jab at That Guy who only shows up for open mat and breaks your rib.