The Weekly Roll: ED3
Danny Mitchell Talks Gracie DVDs & Family Trees 🌳 And Denise Krahn declares her love for Kneebars🦵
ED3 is here already and brings you a true veteran of the UK MMA Scene in Danny Mitchell and the gold medal magnet that is Denise Krahn!
If you know someone who’s story is worth telling, whether it’s an athlete operating under the radar or a coach with a story to tell, email us at contact@grapplestuff.com or comment at the bottom of the newsletter! 🤙
TL;DR News
F2W 249 clips and footage can be found on their IG - footage
Kade Ruotolo is set to face Francisco Lo in ONE Championship - info
Shoya Ishiguro wins his ONE debut with some crazy submission attempts - footage
IBJJF Pan brackets have been released and can be found here
Interviews & Profiles
Athlete Interview
Denise Krahn
Denise is a IBJJF Worlds and Europeans gold medalist brown belt hailing from Germany with a recent invitational win on her Enyo debut, we caught up with her to talk origins, kneebars and injuries!
Path to Discovery
Q: “Can you share the story of how you first discovered Jiu-Jitsu and what resonated with you? Was there a specific moment or experience that solidified your passion to pursue the sport, and what keeps you consistent?”
A: “I more or less stumbled accidentally upon Jiu Jitsu. I did another sport course at my university and the in one class we did some stuff from other martial arts. One of the things we did was escaping and holding side control and it turned out that I was not too bad at it. The guy I paired up with did BJJ and asked me if I also trained Jiu Jitsu. I had never heard of it, but that mini part of the class was the most fun I have had the whole semester. So, I googled it, found my gym and never regretted it. From the moment I started it just felt that this is what I wanted to do. The first competitions came and somehow, I ended up from doing the Berlin Whitebelt Challenge to now being a full-time competitor.
As a Bluebelt I had a really bad shoulder injury. I had to get surgery and there was this one point where I was at the physical therapy and had to lift 250g and couldn’t do it. That moment really scared me, because it made me question how I was ever going to be able to train again and it made me realize that not doing BJJ was really not an option for me and I would do everything to get back on the mats again.”
Innovative Techniques
Q: “Every athlete brings their own unique flair to their sport. Is there a technique or strategy you've developed or particularly enjoyed over the years?”
A: “‘Oh, look, a kneebar’ seems to be my fighting style 😂! I started doing kneebars before I even really knew what a kneebar was. The first kneebar I ever did was at a submission only competition in the finale. I was still a Bluebelt and for woman they had only a white belt and other belt division. So suddenly all kind of leglocks where allowed and my opponent started to attack my legs and I just kneebared her back. They have always come pretty natural to me and fit well with my inverting game and I don´t feel like I really have to think to much about them and finding entries, because most of the time they are just there.”
Creative Cross-Training
Q: “Is there an unusual or unexpected form of cross-training you've found beneficial to your Jiu-Jitsu practice, something that might not seem immediately related, but you found synergies in?”
A: “I only do BJJ, so the only thing that comes to my mind is teaching the kids classes...it definitely teaches you some mental resilience. Does this count?”
The Soundtrack of Success
Q: “If your Jiu-Jitsu journey had a soundtrack, what three songs would be a must-have on it?”
A: “‘All In by Adelitas Way’: The title pretty much says it all. Deciding to do BJJ full time, was an all in decision and definitely not the safest one. Not everyone supported it, but the people that count did.
It’s what I wanted to do and what makes me happy. I don´t regret it and I would do it again.
‘Under pressure by Queen’: Every time I roll with my coach and main training partner Frank... His pressure is unbelievable and he knows it and makes you feel it.
‘Nothing Can Stop Me by Ignite': Probably very cliche, but the part of the song, where it says ‘Nothing’s changed ‘til you work for it, Can’t make it all alone’, really resonates with me. Getting good at Jiu Jitsu involves a lot of hours on the mat and if you want to achieve something you need to put in the work. And even thought you end up fighting alone on the mats, behind every fighter there is a coach and a team that help you get there and that’s something that should always be remembered. I am very grateful to have found my amazing coach and team.”
Passing the Mic
Q: “What question do you want to ask the next person? It can be about anything, Jiu-Jitsu, life, philosophy, or just something you’re curious about.”
A: “Is there anything that you would want to see change in BJJ?”
Coaches Corner
Danny “The Cheesecake Assassin” Mitchell
Danny serves as the esteemed head coach at AVT MMA in Leeds, UK. With a rich background as a martial artist, his career spans over 100 recorded fights across multiple disciplines, including professional boxing, kickboxing, bare-knuckle boxing, and mixed martial arts. Danny's extensive experience includes competing as a veteran in both the UFC and Bellator, where he achieved the first-ever "Twister" submission victory in Bellator's history. Currently, he dedicates his expertise to coaching a remarkable roster of professional fighters, guiding them towards achieving their fullest potential.
Path to Coaching Mastery
Q: “As a grappling coach, what pivotal experiences or insights led you to transition from being a practitioner to coaching Jiu-Jitsu? Can you share a defining moment that shaped your coaching philosophy, and how has it influenced your approach to training athletes?”
A: “So I actually started coaching pretty early in my grappling career.
When I started grappling (early 2000's) it was very hard to find a decent blue belt never mind a black belt! I did a few classes here and there, but I already had a small matted gym at home where I would do some kickboxing training with my friends. So I just got these guys and showed them what I knew (which wasn’t a lot!). We then got some VHS tapes of Renzo Gracie and started drilling the techniques, we got books, anything really, and I would lead the session. I just became a coach like this, it was all essentially to teach myself and train partners for me to spar with. I have pretty much kept doing that all my life.
I would never say I was self taught, I have had lots of good coaches, but I would say I have done 80% of the work myself, just learning from books, dvds, trial and error, then teaching people and then sparring with them.
Being a coach has made me learn quicker than most people, I got really good at just retaining information. I try and teach from this perspective, I want my guys to ultimately coach themselves. I don’t have all the answers, nobody really does, but I can give you the framework I used to teach myself. Like the give a man a fish, teach a man to fish concept. Basically, I am teaching everyone how to fish...for submissions.”
Building Community and Culture
Q: “The community and culture within a gym can significantly impact a student's growth and experience. What steps do you take to cultivate a positive and supportive environment, and why do you believe it's important?”
A: “The gym culture at AVT grew from just me teaching my mates and it grew from there. It was never "I am the boss,” its was more like, “I am on this journey with you guys too.” So, we would compete together and my own students would corner me. I lead from the front but I don’t put myself in the position where I am the be all and end all.
I see myself more as a big brother figure than a father figure in terms of coaching if you get what I mean? And its this that radiates throughout the gym.
My team is pretty big now, over 300 members, so its bigger than me now. It used to be "Dannys gym" but not anymore, there are good guys on the mat who have never even took a class with me (which I think is awesome)! Ultimately people are here to have fun so we try to cultivate that kind of atmosphere, not super serious and if we get any dick heads we can easily weed them out and keep the mat an enjoyable place to be. If you enjoy training you will keep turning up, if you keep turning up you will get better, its that simple really.”
Off-the-Mat Wisdom
Q: "Coaching extends beyond the physical aspect of training. Have you integrated any non-traditional wisdom or life lessons into your coaching style that goes beyond the technical aspects of Jiu-Jitsu? How has this holistic approach contributed to the development of your athletes?"
A: “Aside from physical training I am really big on the note taking and game planning side of things.
I took notes from May 2007 up to May 2017 of every class I ever did, techniques I drilled and even who I rolled with. It improved me as a grappler and coach massively. I encourage people to do this but nobody really listens to me, I havent met many people who were as obsessed as me at that point. I see Owen Livesey doing this when I teach at his place, noting things down. Thats why he is improving so much. I dont do it anymore as I see my career as a competitor as over at this point, but I think everyone who is serious should be doing it. I would watch matches, visualise what I would do in certain situations. All that side is just as important as the physical.“
Learning From Failure
Q: “How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Or, do you have a favourite failure of yours?“
A: “I wouldn’t say I have a failure that stands out but as a fighter I am constantly failing. Every time I lose a fight, a match, or even get tapped in the gym that’s a failure and a lesson for me. The old win or learn cliche if you like! But it’s true, every loss sets you up for the next win.”
Some people lose and quit, but if you just never quit you can never lose!
Everyday Rituals
Q: “What does the first and last 60-minutes of your day look like?“
A: ”First 60 minutes of my day I usually get up 8am and have a cup of Yorkshire tea (gods blood) then most days I take my boy to school at 9am before I head to teach morning class in leeds. I live 45 minutes away from the gym so lots of travelling although I do abit less nowadays! I dont tend to eat a meal until 1pm but I wont call it fasting its just skipping breakfast. I am not a morning guy I never have been but by my 10am class im ready to go haha!
Last 60 minutes of the day I am usually working on my side business which is researching family trees for people. It is a very rewarding job and I have even found many missing relatives, even reunited a few people too! I try to go to bed at midnight but sometimes time flies and it’s 2am while I am down some mad rabbit hole looking at a relative who fought in the 3rd crusade or something!”
Community Catch Up
Reader Submission
This weeks submission comes from Brandon Bangaichi (Instagram) with a photo that perfectly captures the atmosphere of an open mat in my opinion!
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