On this episode of the podcast I sat down and had a chat with my good friend, mentor and MY very first jiu jitsu coach, John Smallios. John is a Professor Pedro Sauer/Phillip Grapsas (episode 10) black belt and the head coach of Higher Jiu Jitsu in Sydney, Australia.
John shares his martial arts story and how jiu jitsu quickly became a passion that seemed to take priority over other aspects of his life (like many of us). We chat about how he came up through the ranks and was motivated heavily by competition in his early years of jiu jitsu and how a devastating shoulder injury forced him to change his entire outlook and approach to jiu jitsu.
We chat about the Jiu Jitsu Commune and how it slowly became what is known as Higher Jiu Jitsu today.
We also talk about the Feldenkrais method and how awareness of movement impacts every aspect of our being and how this has influenced his approach to jiu jitsu and every day life.
John and the crew at HJJ had such a positive impact on my 4 years of living in Sydney and I can say with confidence that I would not have enjoyed my time there anywhere near as much as I did if it wasn't for them. I am grateful to you all and look forward to sharing the mats again sometime soon.
I hope you enjoy.
https://higherjiujitsu.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/higherjiujitsu/
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/higher-jiu-jitsu-podcast/id1454419035
