Today’s guest is my friend and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, Kevin Landry. Kevin has over 25 years’ experience in jiu-jitsu, is a 3^rd degree black belt, and is the highest ranked jiu-jitsu black belt in the state of New Hampshire. He first started training jiu-jitsu back in 1995 (when the art was still relatively unknown in the U.S.) and his love for the art led him to travel to New York in order to train under Master Renzo Gracie of the famous Gracie family. Fast forward to today, Kevin runs and teaches at two successful jiu-jitsu academies in New Hampshire, has compiled 15 International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Gold Medals, and has coached numerous successful MMA and jiu-jitsu competitors. Not to mention jiu-jitsu literally saved his life from a severe case of flesh eating bacteria 12 years ago. In this interview, I discuss with Kevin the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, how it’s different from other martial arts, how he got involved in it, his journey to becoming a teacher and school owner, and his thoughts on how to best develop good jiu-jitsu.

Timestamps

00:02:55 Overview and history of brazilian jiu-jitsu

00:08:20 When did he start jiu-jitsu

00:13:30 Why he decided to teach jiu-jitsu to make a living

00:16:23 Biggest challenges in opening first academy

00:22:18 Does the business side take away from his passion?

00:23:26 Jiu-jitsu teaching philosophy

00:27:45 How to maximize jiu-jitsu progress

00:36:33 How much do physical attributes matter in being good at jiu-jitsu

00:40:37 Jiu-jitsu in the gi vs no gi

00:43:22 How long does it take to get a black belt

00:48:40 Why is jiu-jitsu addictive

00:52:39 His daily routine

00:53:52 What's kept him driven to keep competing and teaching

00:55:30 Why should people give jiu-jitsu a try?

00:56:26 Jiu-jitsu saved his life