Open Mat Podcast

Tim Nelson & Adam
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A deep dive into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu where coaches Adam and Tim cut through cliches to uncover practical insights on training, coaching, competing and jiu jitsu culture.

  1. 5D AGO

    Episode 34: How to create Ecological “games” for Jiu Jitsu | Is Flow Rolling useful?

    Tim and Adam discuss how they create classes in which they don't demonstrate or drill techniques. They cover how to break technique apart into individual skills, how to create games that directly improve those skills, and how to do this for yourself.

    53 min

  2. FEB 6

    Episode 33: Winning positions you can't control | Becoming dangerous in Turtle and Front Headlock | The importance of a primary attack

    In this episode Tim and Adam address the difficult positions of Front Headlock and Turtle, and how to build a dominant game. They discuss why it's impossible to control right away, how to focus aggression into primary attacks, opening your opponents to further attacks and dilemmas. Finally, they address how to begin building those skills up immediately, whether or not you have a chance to drill them in class.

    36 min

  3. JAN 30

    Episode 32: Is "Old School" Jiu Jitsu coming back?| Jiu Jitsu's metagame | Why techniques always become less effective over time

    Tim and Adam discuss the cycle and evolution of Jiu Jitsu's competitive "metagame". They discuss how competitive BJJ has evolved since Tim started in 2009, what is currently happening, and also what they expect the next focus of competitors to be. They discuss whether or not "Old School" Jiu Jitsu to be coming back, and the danger of focusing on a set of techniques in competition too much.

    45 min

  4. JAN 23

    Episode 31: Does lineage actually mean something? | Finding significance in rank

    Tim and Adam discuss whether knowing and tracking Jiu Jitsu lineage still means anything in an art that continues to become more of a sport every year. They discuss how it may give meaning to belts that they don't have on their own, why we will probably always track lineage, and their own coaches.

    32 min

  5. JAN 16

    Episode 30: Is guard pulling the best strategy? | Why Tim teaches heel hooks to beginners | Answering questions

    Continuing from episode 29, Tim and Adam tackle questions they have been asked on the mats before. They discuss why they believe it's important to teach heel hooks to beginners, where we can find significance in belts, why Derek Moneyberg IS a legitimate black belt, and why Tim insists that pulling guard is a good thing.

    39 min

  6. JAN 9

    Episode 29: Why don't we show techniques? | Are offense and defense different? | Answering questions

    Tim and Adam answer questions they've been asked about coaching or learning styles, and also address some thoughts they've heard more generally. They discuss why specifically they typically do not demonstrate techniques for students start to finish, and why Tim has insisted that self defense isn't important to teach or learn in Jiu Jitsu classes. Finally, Tim explains and defends a comment from an earlier episode claiming that offense and defense are the same in Jiu Jitsu.

    39 min

  7. JAN 2

    Episode 28: How to start the year with explosive growth | How to approach goal setting in Jiu Jitsu | When do you not need a new goal?

    Tim and Adam ring the new year in discussing how to approach returning to the mats after the holidays, how to approach setting and attaining goals in Jiu Jitsu and why most people should not set a new goal when they return to the mats.

    52 min

  8. 2025-12-23

    Episode 27: The year in Jiu Jitsu | Reflecting on 2025 | How to prepare for the next year's Jiu Jitsu

    Tim and Adam take an episode to discuss their Jiu Jitsu journeys throughout the past year - the ups, the downs, the changes and the progress. They discuss what they've focused on and what they've discovered, and also offer practical advice to beginner, intermediate, and advanced Jiu Jitsu athletes on how to reflect on Jiu Jitsu in a way that will help you make quicker and greater progress as you return to the mats.

    1 hr
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About

A deep dive into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu where coaches Adam and Tim cut through cliches to uncover practical insights on training, coaching, competing and jiu jitsu culture.

Information

  • Creator
    Tim Nelson & Adam
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Open Mat Podcast
  • Show Website
    Open Mat Podcast