Coach Donavin Britt on Building Las Vegas Combat Academy, Mental Toughness, and Protecting Gym Culture

Host Pete Deeley interviews Coach Donavin Britt on The Jiu Jitsu Mindset, discussing Britt's path from apprenticing under instructor Roger Donofrio into becoming a Krav Maga and self-defense-first gym owner who later added jiu-jitsu and MMA. He describes earning high-level training under figures including Sgt. Major Nir Maman (as the first American certified instructor), Darren Levine, and John Whitman, and discusses the importance of standards, mental toughness, and having a purpose bigger than oneself. Britt addresses misconceptions and quality-control issues in Krav Maga, his motivation to compete in jiu-jitsu (including winning at NAGA while representing Krav Maga on his rashguard), and how sparring and competition serve as stress tests while differing from real self-defense. He recounts a memorable fight from the 1990s loss-prevention work in Oakland involving a drug-impaired suspect who required a rear-naked choke to stop, using it to emphasize the need for a varied skill set. Britt also strongly condemns misconduct in martial arts settings, details removing a student with a troubling history involving women to protect members, and argues men and coaches must "guard the mat" and enforce clear consequences to keep women safe. He shares a transformative student story about a teenager, Angel, who was assaulted and regained confidence through training and sparring, connecting it to mentorship, accountability, and coaching built on consistent care and firm parameters. The episode ends with Deeley inviting Britt to return for further discussion.

00:00 Welcome Back + Coffee & Kids Program Plug

00:33 Meet Coach Donavin Britt

01:36 Life Without Martial Arts? From Student to Instructor via Apprenticeship

02:29 How Krav Maga Instructors Are Really Made (Not a Weekend Cert)

03:53 2008 Crash, Failed Smoothie Franchise, and Betting the Last $500 on a Gym

06:26 Building Las Vegas Combat Academy: Growth, Identity, and the 'Krav Guy' Label

08:38 Crossing Into Jiu-Jitsu: Competing at NAGA and Repping Krav on the Gi

13:36 Iron Will & Legacy: Training for Something Bigger Than Yourself

14:21 Work Ethic Roots: Poverty, Family Pressure, and Grandfather's Alaska Story

19:22 How Martial Arts Learning Differs: Physicality, Emotion, and Self-Defense Intent

22:44 Calling Out Toxic Gym Culture: Protecting Women and 'Guarding the Mat'

27:49 Gym Dating Drama: Standards, Respect, and Zero Tolerance for Fights

29:06 Most Memorable Fight: Loss Prevention Brawls in 90s Oakland

33:53 Competition vs Real Violence: Why Sparring Matters (and Its Limits)

37:58 "It's Just Pain": Teaching Kids Hurt vs Injured & Fighting vs Self-Defense

40:21 Cross-Training and Combat Sports Programming That Improves Self-Defense

42:48 Student Transformation Story: Angel's Sparring Breakthrough

49:52 Coaching, Accountability, and the "Rules of the Tribe" (Maximum Effort)

53:48 Final Thoughts: Self-Help Through Martial Arts & Closing the Conversation

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

Jiu Jitsu Journeys: Jake Johnston From Skateboarding to Jiu Jitsu

In this episode of Jiu Jitsu Mindsets, host Pete Deeley welcomes Jiu Jitsu expert Jake Johnston for an engaging conversation. They discuss the importance of self-defense in Jiu Jitsu, reflecting on Jake's path from a technically minded skateboarder to a seasoned Jiu Jitsu practitioner under the mentorship of Pedro Sauer. The episode covers Jake's early experiences with competitive Jiu Jitsu, memorable challenge matches, and the transformative impact of Jiu Jitsu on his students. Jake also shares his insights on the differences between competition-focused and self-defense-focused Jiu Jitsu, advocating for a balanced approach that emphasizes self-defense skills. Throughout the episode, Jake's anecdotes and reflections provide a deep dive into the values and principles that have shaped his Jiu Jitsu journey.

00:00 Introduction and Announcements

00:43 Meet Professor Jake Johnston

02:08 Jake's Journey into Skateboarding

03:54 Transition to Martial Arts

05:22 Discovering Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

07:09 Training with Pedro Sauer

14:39 First Impressions and Early Challenges

20:28 Competitions and Memorable Fights

26:16 Introduction to Personal Fights and Early Jiu Jitsu

27:11 First Real Fight Experience

28:39 The Mullet Guy and Other Challenge Matches

35:39 Impact of Jiu Jitsu on Students' Lives

42:56 The Philosophy of Jiu Jitsu and Competition

52:49 The Future of Jiu Jitsu and Its Influences