"We Can Get Back What They Took From You" — Coach Donavin Britt on Martial Arts, Manhood, and Transformation

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