“Rocket science is not rocket science if you’re a rocket scientist.”
– Dave Camarillo
Dave Camarillo (@DaveCamarillo) was my long-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) coach (see him kicking my ass repeatedly here). Put simply, he is a machine.
On the Mat once said: “It’s funny that everybody in Judo is scared of David’s ne waza and everybody in Jiu-Jitsu is scared of his stand up. (We) guess people, in general, are just scared of him.”
Dave is a very technical coach and an elite-level Jiu-Jitsu competitor. He dominated the lightweight and open weight classes at the 1998 Rickson Gracie American Jiu-Jitsu Association tournament; the legendary Rickson Gracie himself bestowed the honor of Most Technical American Jiu-Jitsu Fighter upon him.
He has worked not only with people on the ground game, but many recognizable MMA (mixed martial arts) figures as a coach and as a corner man.
We’ll delve into:
Tactical training
Military training
Hockey fights
Defending yourself armed only with a flashlight
How Dave’s mom is the best sniping shot in the entire family
And much, much more.
Enjoy!
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode with an incredible athlete? — Listen to this interview with Amelia Boone, who has been called the Michael Jordan of obstacle course racing (OCR). In this episode, she explores her training, nutrition, rehab, “pre-hab,” and more (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Dave Camarillo:
Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Position Impossible Podcast
Submit Everyone: The Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Files: Classified Field Manual for Becoming a Submission-focused Fighter by Kevin Howell and Dave Camarillo
How To Simplify Your Love Life (video explaining how I outsourced dating thanks to Dave’s inspiration)
Combat sports mentioned: Mixed Martial Arts, Judo, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, Kung Fu, Krav Maga, and Muay Thai
Hip-Hop Chess Federation
Judo terms mentioned: Tachi waza (standing), Ne waza (ground), Esae komi, Mate, and Uchikomi (more here)
Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy
What is shocknife training?
Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP)
Dave’s mother doesn’t need her son’s help for self-defense — she’s a crack shot.
Steve MacIntyre Fights Whole Team (see the dreaded hockey player in action)
In boxing, what does “in the pocket” mean?
Bloodsport
SureFire flashlights
What does Dave mean when he asks if I want to do “Judo Randori?”
Tomoe Nage Demonstration by Kashiwazaki
Pancrase: Masakatsu Funaki vs. Wayne (Ken) Shamrock (King)
Rorion Gracie and the Day He Created the UFC by Guilherme Cruz, MMA Fighting
WEC 53 Anthony Pettis Matrix Kick
Jocko Willink on Real Martial Arts
The Camarillo Brothers Sparring
Jiu-Jitsu Studio Owner Recreates Heroic Act by Kelli Johnson, ABC News Bakersfield
Camarillo Jiu Jitsu
Momento trailer
Ozzy Man Reviews: MMA 9 Second Knockout
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation
Searching for Bobby Fischer
The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
The 80/20 Principle and 92 Other Powerful Laws of Nature: The Science of Success by Richard Koch
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger
Gratitude by Oliver Sacks
Less Is More: An Anthology of Ancient & Modern Voices Raised in Praise of Simplicity by Goldian VandenBroeck
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Japanese Chess: The Game of Shogi by Trevor Leggett
Dune by Frank Herbert
Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
On War by Carl von Clausewitz
Repentless by Slayer
Tool
1999 by Prince
Batman by Prince
Shaun of the Dead
Just Friends
Hot Fuzz
The Thing
Dave says Taipei is “like Japan, but the Chinese version of Shinjuku.”
About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior by Colonel David H. Hackworth and Julie Sherman
Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton
The Tail End by Tim Urban, Wait But Why
To Gi or Not To Gi: Differences Between Gi & No-Gi Grappling by Valerie Worthington, Breaking Muscle
Flying Kimura
Black Arrow Martial Arts
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Show Notes
Dave takes in my house. [05:35]
We met at an MMA event punctuated by mass hysteria, a stabbing, and SWAT police. [05:57]
Dave was the (usually unnamed) inspiration behind outsourcing my love life. [08:26]
Dave on using martial arts as a problem-solving framework and what’s been keeping him busy lately. [10:37]
MMA fighters Dave has cornered. [11:50]
How should a beginner approach Jiu-Jitsu? [16:32]
Three basic guard principles for staying ahead of the curve and controlling an opponent in a fight. [18:21]
Key differences between Judo and Jiu-Jitsu. [19:42]
Are there elements of Judo that Dave still applies to Jiu-Jitsu lessons? [21:31]
The difference between tachi waza and ne waza. [21:58]
On the benefits of cross training, how it helped Travis Stevens in the 2016 Olympics, and how it keeps a fighter’s repertoire flexible for when he or she needs it most. [22:39]
Dave talks about his first exposure to Jiu-Jitsu at 19 and how it instantly became something he had to do “for the rest of [his] life.” [24:10]
What is shocknife training? [25:39]
How Dave confidently transfers his martial arts problem solving skills to unfamiliar situations and environments. [29:47]
What Dave learned about hockey fights from Steve MacIntyre. [34:07]
How do you defend yourself if you’re only armed with a flashlight? [39:53]
The importance of situational awareness and knowing how to avoid danger in self-defense. [44:22]
Dave’s advice to people who can’t easily avoid danger. [47:06]
Learning to get comfortable under stress (in self-defense and stand-up comedy). [48:36]
What fighting discipline would Dave recommend for (as an example) a 35-year-old, non-military, semi-athletic woman in a bad San Francisco neighborhood looking to defend herself? [51:11]
Dave bounces his own parties — don’t make him go hands on. [53:24]
Is Jiu-Jitsu the greatest martial art? [58:10]
Unlike many other sparring arts, Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just a young person’s game. [1:00:13]
What is Dave’s go-to Judo technique for throws? [1:01:43]
The properly executed foot sweep looks like a magic trick. [1:05:01]
Dave describes what it’s like to corner a professional fighter in a competition. [1:10:32]
Thanks to the way his parents raised him, martial arts became as natural as brushing teeth at an early age. [1:12:40]
Dave talks about the time his brother Dan brought a fugitive to justice. [1:13:30]
The risks of being a real-life vigilante. [1:14:50]
“Simple” help a corner can provide to a fighter during a competition. [1:17:22]
How have Dave’s experiences had an impact on his parenting style? [1:23:28]
Who has impressed Dave the most as a Jiu-Jitsu sparring partner? [1:27:02]
Why does Dave call Marcelo Garcia “The GOAT?” [1:31:45]
Books Dave has gifted the most. [1:34:05]
When you’re working out, you can always count on Slayer and Tool. [1:36:22]
Movies we love. [1:38:05]
Sometimes the teacher learns a shocking lesson from the student. [1:41:24]
On becoming, as Jim Rohn once said, the average of the five people you associate with most. [1:47:26]
What would Dave’s billboard say? [1:49:15]
Dave’s three favorite holidays. [1:49:36]
Dave tells us about how he elevates his mood. [1:50:10]
We talk about happier spending and the pricelessness of family time. [1:51:24]
What advice would Dave give his 30-year-old self? [1:54:21]
People Mentioned
Dan Gable
Molly the Dog
Cain Velasquez
Jon Fitch
Josh Koscheck
Mike Swick
Daniel Cormier
Travis Stevens
Ralph Gracie
Linda Camarillo
Jim Camarillo
Steve MacIntyre
Andre the Giant
Angus MacGyver
Whitney Cummings
James T. Kirk
Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki
Ken Shamrock
Flavio Canto
Rorion Gracie
Anthony Pettis
Jose Aldo Junior
Jocko Willink
Bob Cook
Dan Camarillo
Marcelo Garcia
Rafael Mendes
Josh Waitzkin
B.J. Penn
Michael Jordan
Wayne Gretzky
Mike Tyson
Sebastian Junger
Carl von Clausewitz
Prince
Ryan Reynolds
John Carpenter
Kurt Russell
Jim Rohn
Tim Urban
Matt Mullenweg
Jared Feierabend