On today's episode, I welcome Sensei Thompson to the podcast. Sensei Thompson is a traditional martial artist that is involved heavily in spreading the wisdom and spirit of martial arts. We sit down and have a great conversation about philsophy, our journeys, and ways we can spread martial arts. #grapplinglife #martialarts #judoblackbelt #bjj #judocoach #judo #student1stmartialarts #sensei #senseiexplains #jiujitsu #podcast #martialartspodcast #judopodcast #nidan #karate #kenpo #kenpokarate #grappling #fightpodcast #fighter #philosophy #talk #talking #conversation #meaningful #traditionalmartialarts #spreadtheword #enjoyment #fun #cool #technique #philospher #sitaroundthefire #likemindedpeople #martialartsjourney #martialartsbusiness #grow #growyourchannel #growyourbusiness

On today’s episode, I’m excited to welcome back my friend, Rob Tate.Rob is a standout athlete with a deep North Carolina wrestling pedigree. He was a state champion for East Gaston High School, a three-time state placer, and later went on to wrestle Division I at Gardner-Webb University.During his collegiate career, Rob qualified for the NCAA Division I Tournament, became an East Regional Champion and two-time finalist, earned East Region Wrestler of the Week multiple times, and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the 2007 Pembroke Classic.Rob later served as the head wrestling coach at Queens University in Charlotte before the program was dissolved. Today, he works with USA Wrestling in Utah, continuing his commitment to growing the sport at a national level.On top of all that, Rob is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under John Piper— and most importantly, he’s a good friend of mine.Check out this episode and more on Well Rounded Grappler, found on both Spotify and Youtube. #WrestlingPodcast #BJJPodcast #CombatSportsTalk #WrestlingLife #CollegeWrestling #NCAAWrestling #DivisionIWrestling #HighSchoolWrestling #WrestlingCommunity #WrestlingFamily #WrestlingNation #BJJLife #BrownBeltBJJ #GrapplingTalk #GrapplingNation #CombatSportsPodcast #WrestlingCoach #WrestlingLegacy #USAWwrestling #USAWrestling #GardnerWebb #QueensUniversity #WrestlingHistory #EastGaston #NorthCarolinaWrestling #NCWrestling #BJJCommunity #GrapplersUnite #GrapplingArts #FightTalk #AthleteSpotlight #PodcastInterview #SportsPodcast #CombatAthlete #GrapplingCulture #ChampionMindset #WrestlingJourney #BJJJourney #GrapplingLife #MartialArtsPodcast

Episode 53 of The Well Rounded Grappler features a deep-dive with one of the most technical minds in modern Judo – Shintaro Higashi. 🥋🔥

Shintaro is a 6th-dan Judo black belt, 2x USA Judo Senior National Champion, former World Team member for Team USA, and climbed as high as 43rd in the IJF world rankings at 100 kg. He’s a Sambo Pan-American champion, BJJ black belt, and All-State wrestler, and he runs the legendary Kokushi Budo Institute in NYC as well as a massively popular Judo YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

In this conversation we get into what really makes Judo work for Jiu-Jitsu and modern grappling – not just theory, but details you can take straight to the mats. We talk about grip fighting, low-risk throws for BJJ, leg grabs, transition to newaza, and how to blend Judo, wrestling, BJJ, and Sambo into a complete takedown game.

In this episode:

Training under his father Nobuyoshi Higashi and inheriting Kokushi Budo Institute in New York City

How he designs Judo for BJJ systems: safe entries, posture, and breaking stubborn stiff-arms

The truth about leg grabs, rule changes, and what still works for Jiu-Jitsu & MMA

Building one of the internet’s biggest Judo education platforms and what he’s learned as a coach, professor, and entrepreneur

If you’re a BJJ player who hates pulling guard, a Judo player trying to adapt to new rules, or just a grappling nerd who loves high-level strategy, this episode is loaded with concepts, stories, and drills you can plug into your training right away.

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https://www.youtube.com/@UC70qwffU7qQvTVm26wziD8A

#wellroundedgrappler #ShintaroHigashi #judo #bjjfamily #judoforbjj #grappling #jiujitsu #nogi #mma #combatsports #takedowns #throws #newaza #SubmissionGrappling #WrestlingForBJJ #sambo #martialarts #olympicjudo #teamusa #blackbelt #KokushiBudo #GrapplerLifestyle #judothrows #GripFighting #LegGrabs #TakedownTips #bjjtechniques #bjjwhitebelt #bjjbluebelt #BJJBrownBelt #bjjblackbelt #dojolife #TrainHard #coachlife #martialartspodcast #grapplingpodcast #JudoInstruction #BJJInstructionals #selfdefense #fightiq