 |
The Jiu-Jitsu MindsetAuthor: Peter M. Deeley Jr. and Lucas Rubbo
When you improve your Jiujitsu, you improve your life. Lessons on the mat are life lessons. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Welcome to The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset. Language: en Genres: Fitness, Health & Fitness, Sports Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Finding Power in Grappling: Awareness, Perception, and Judgment with Eddie Fyvie
Friday, 13 February, 2026
Host Pete Deeley welcomes listeners back to The Jujitsu Mindset, promotes Submission Coffee, the JiujitsuMindset.com store, and a Jiujitsu Mindset Online Academy kids class for ages 7–12, then interviews professor Eddie Fyvie. Fyvie describes growing up in a rough upstate New York neighborhood with a single father in AA, being bullied, and finding direction through sports. He recounts starting peewee wrestling after being drawn to a pro-wrestling ring, using a double-leg takedown and cradle on a neighborhood bully, then discovering UFC 1 and Royce Gracie, which cemented his commitment to grappling and led to enthusiastic early training in 1998 via a club learning from videotapes rather than formal instruction. Fyvie discusses how early exposure to adversity created numbness and forced maturity, and he outlines his view that being "reasonable" relates to one's relationship with force; he also explains how jiu-jitsu can provide controlled "gradient exposure" to stress for resilience without overwhelming students. He contrasts jiu-jitsu skill acquisition with other sports due to close contact and stress as a barrier to learning, and he comments on the shift from self-defense contexts to skill-versus-skill rolling. On competition, Fyvie says his perspective has changed: he supports competing only as a personal choice, noting potential negatives and that some students—especially kids—can be overwhelmed and quit after tournaments. His most memorable fight is his first MMA bout in Atlantic City at Boardwalk Hall against Jim Miller, describing the surreal reality of the moment, the perceived danger, and the crowd's hostility. He distinguishes different "tranches" of violence (kids, adults, law enforcement, military, MMA) and calls MMA psychologically strange because it involves willful violence without a direct cause. Fyvie explains that after leaving ownership of his academy, he is now teaching full-time in a new business, and he began a focused inquiry into why people quit, plateau, lose motivation, or feel confused—teaching 40–50 classes a week and turning insights into long-form writing. He introduces his book "Understanding Jiu-Jitsu," describes writing as clarifying and therapeutic, and notes topics such as belt imposter feelings and older beginners questioning their place. He discusses the importance of language and communication for teaching and understanding, shares that he disliked school but read extensively (including Russian literature), and recounts a pivotal moment teaching law enforcement: realizing techniques might be used immediately in real encounters and feeling heightened responsibility. Fyvie directs listeners to eddiefyvie.com and his Substack, where he plans to publish an article a day for a year, and he and Deeley close with an invitation to continue the conversation in a future episode. 00:00 Welcome Back + JiuJitsu Mindset Updates (Submission Coffee, Kids Academy) 01:03 Meet Professor Eddie Fyvie: A Mind-Body Commitment to Jiu-Jitsu 02:10 Growing Up Tough: Finding Direction Through Sports 04:05 1998 Training Scene: Learning from Tapes, Fighting Mentality, and Early Wrestling 05:33 The 'Superpower' Moment + Discovering UFC 1 & Royce Gracie 08:42 Maturity Under Pressure: Numbness, Force, and Becoming 'Reasonable' 11:25 Parenting & Stress Inoculation: Teaching Resilience the Safe Way 14:30 Why Jiu-Jitsu Is Different: Closeness, Stress Barriers, and Skill-vs-Skill Learning 18:27 Competition in Development: When It Helps—and When It Hurts 20:49 Most Memorable Moment Tease: The First MMA Fight as a Culmination 21:31 First MMA Fight Reality Check: Walking Out to Face Jim Miller 22:45 When the Crowd Turns: Fear, Pressure, and 'What Am I Doing Here?' 23:59 Different Kinds of Violence: Kids, Street Fights, Military, and MMA 25:50 Why MMA Is Psychologically Strange: Manufactured Animosity & Fighting Without Cause 28:16 From Fighter to Writer-Teacher: Leaving the Academy & Going All-In on Teaching 28:45 The Black Belt Question That Sparked a 3-Year Deep Dive (and a Book) 30:57 Why People Quit Jiu-Jitsu: Plateaus, Motivation, Belts, and Unspoken Emotions 33:22 Love of Language: Communication as the 'Universal Solvent' 38:04 Teaching That Matters: The Moment a Cop Used Last Week's Takedown 40:33 Where to Find the Book & Substack + Closing Thoughts
