Peter Liciaga grew up a street kid in the South Bronx, where martial arts first became a way to survive. Over the next fifty-six years it became something else entirely — a way to live. In this conversation he and Pete trace a remarkable road: Tang Soo Do, a white belt at 17, ballet and Broadway, Taekwondo in Germany, and finally jiu-jitsu.

Peter also shares the hardest chapter — losing the use of both hips, six dark years off the mats, and the double hip-replacement that brought him back. At 65 he's rolling almost every day and devoting himself to helping people (especially 40 and over) stay strong on the mats. Along the way: "fight a good fight," "you're always in great shape for the shape you're in," and his one lesson — present focus.

Peter is the author of Living Strong Through Martial Arts. Find him at https://peterliciaga.com

— Links —

The Jiu Jitsu Mindset — https://thejiujitsumindset.com

Peter Liciaga (book: Living Strong Through Martial Arts) — https://peterliciaga.com

My Jiu Jitsu Journey app — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-jiu-jitsu-journey/id6751400933

Submission Coffee — https://submissioncoffee.com

Chapters

00:00 Welcome + the Reno camp and the app

01:00 Meet Peter Liciaga

02:04 One road or many? A lifelong martial artist

03:42 A street kid in the South Bronx

05:07 "Martial arts gave me the tools to be a warrior"

05:31 Fight a good fight — survive it, learn from it

05:52 Losing both hips — and getting back on the mats

07:27 The Bronx of the 1970s

10:31 Weapons then and now

12:12 Born of both love and need

13:15 The book, and a white belt at 17

14:04 Ballet, Broadway, and Germany

14:42 "You're not in the Bronx anymore"

15:38 Where the discipline really came from

18:34 Dancer's legs, flow, and Randori

19:56 Old hips vs. new hips

20:37 Six dark years

21:09 Adapting: jiu-jitsu from the bottom

22:57 The teachers who helped him honor his body

25:09 You can roll at 80

28:04 "Don't tell me — show me"

30:56 Giving it your best, at any age

32:37 "Great shape for the shape you're in"

35:31 The hero's journey and the sticky-note map

36:42 "My darkest moments were my greatest lessons"

37:12 The one lesson: present focus

38:45 Where to find Peter + his book

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