Surviving White Belt

Ep. 13: Frankie Lopez - B-Team

• Marco

Share episode

In this episode I sit down with Frankie Lopez, from B-Team Jiu Jitsu in Austin, Texas. Frankie shares how he started training with the Danaher Death Squad (DDS) in Puerto Rico as a white belt, what it was like transitioning into the B-Team after the DDS split, and how being the smallest guy on the mat shaped his style.

We talk wrestling, competition mindset, and how Frankie's Jiu Jitsu evolved from a leg lock-heavy guard game to wrestling-focused offense. Plus, he opens up about his European seminar tour across Slovenia, Austria, and Spain, sharing techniques and building community across the no-gi scene.

Whether you're a new white belt, a smaller grappler trying to survive big rolls, or just a fan of real stories from the mats — this one’s packed with insights, laughs, and just enough chaos.

This is the Surviving White Belt podcast. All right, we're live. Welcome back, everybody. It's been a while, um, with Surviving White Belt. Uh, we're starting in a new format. We got Frankie Lopez here from B Team in Austin, Texas. He's originally from Puerto Rico. Um, but without further ado, Frankie, just introduce yourself. Happy to have you. Um, just tell us who you are and how you came here. Sick. What's good, guys? It's been a wonderful week here at Innsbruck. Um, training out of Roots Collective. Um, it's been a lot of fun. Good training with the guys. I've been teaching a few classes, so it's been quite fun. Um, but yeah, my name is Frankie Lopez. I'm from Puerto Rico originally, and, um, I've had quite a lucky journey through jiu-jitsu. Uh, when I was still a white bel- white belt, about like eight months in, um, all the DDS guys moved to the home gym that I was training at. So, that was quite lucky, and I feel like, uh, getting to train with such high-level guys from such early on in my career just like kind of get good fast. Um, like if you do the math, I guess I've been training for just about six years now. And, um, yeah, just being around those high-level guys ha- has been super sick, and getting to do it from the beginning pretty much was amazing. Like, uh, I think one of the last times I wore a gi was the day I wore my blue belt, I got my blue belt. And then, um, [laughs] I haven't really put one on Yeah, that's pretty sick. Yeah, that's pretty sick. And yeah, you're definitely lucky being in Puerto Rico during COVID. Um, you've already had your blue belt, right, and then... Then, yeah, I got my, I got my- Purple belt... purple belt like, uh, like about two years in after I moved to Austin, uh, training at B Team. Or maybe like one and a half, 'cause I got my blue belt after like a year and a half of training, and my purple belt a year and a half after that. So, I guess about a year in, into moving to Austin, I got my purple belt from the guys. I can't really say, uh, like when, when you asked me who gave me my belt, I, like, I don't know, like... Damian and Ethan, like, handed it to me. All the guys were kind of there, you know, so I don't know. I feel like I'm just like a B Team purple belt, you know? There's not really one, one guy. That's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. So, tell us a little bit more about, um, how you actually became a B Team member. So, those guys showed up in Puerto Rico while you were still a white belt? Yeah, so it was pretty funny. I started taking jiu-jitsu pretty seriously, like from the very beginning. I just kind of, like, liked it a lot. I liked the idea that, like, when you learn how to do something properly and you execute it at the right time, it just works, So, like, um, I felt like it was good for my type of athleticism, good for my temperament and things this. So, I was considering taking it seriously even before the guys showed up. And I actually visited a friend of mine, my old college roommate in San Diego, for a few weeks, and kind of like toured the gyms around there and started thinking like, "Hey, like, if I wanna make this a thing, I'm gonna have to get out of Puerto some point and chase it at a higher level." But, like, obviously, like, the guys I always followed and kind of the style that I was adopting always a DDS style. I was just, like, not really about moving to New York. I don't know, it's just, like, not my favorite place in the I went to college in Boston, and I feel like that might make me feel a certain way. But, [laughs] if I h- in the Northeast, I'm more of a Boston guy, I guess. So, um, so I was just, like, really, really lucky,'cause when I came back from that San Diego trip, like, the rumors started that they might be moving, and I was like, "Oh, no way." I didn't really believe them. And then, I remember one time, I was, uh, I was training at another gym. I usually would do two sessions back-to-back, because my coach at the time would, would run both of those sessions. And I was really tired after, like, a gi day, and I was like, "Oh, I don't know if I'm gonna go to the next class, my guy, I'm just gonna go like, "No, no, I think, I think you should make it to the next class. Yeah, I think you should come." And I was like,"All right, whatever." And then I showed up and Nicky Ryan and Ethan were there. And I was like, "What? That's crazy." Yeah, it was nuts. And then, like, as the weeks went by, more and more guys kept in. And, um, and yeah, eventually they were all there, and i- it was like all the rumors were actually true, pretty crazy. So, Ethan and Nicky Ryan were your first training partners from B Team? Yeah, I guess. They were kind of the first guys I met- From DDS... first guys I rolled with and stuff like that. Yeah. I think, um, while I was there, the guys I spent most, most of, uh, time on the mat with were probably, like, Nicky, Damian, Ethan, um, Nick Ortiz at the time. Um, so yeah, tho- like, kind of the lighter weight guys. Um, I did a few rounds with Gary. I trained with him a bit and stuff like that. But, um, yeah, m- mainly those, like, lightweight B Team guys were who I was rolling with the most, right? All right, cool. And how was the training different from when the DDS started pouring in and John started teaching the class instead of, like, how it was beforehand? Yeah, man, it actually took me quite a while to be invited to, like, the

11:

00 AM, like, private DDS session. Um, 'cause obviously, like, I was just a white belt. Nobody really knew me. Like, um, you know, what are you gonna do? The mat space was very small, so there was a lot of demand to be in that room at the time. So, most of my opportunities to train with them came, like, if they wanted to get more s- more A lot of times it would come during night class and I'd get to roll with them. And, um, many of them held seminars and had, like, group privates and stuff like that. Like, um, Nicky Ryan had a, had a pretty cool seminar. So did Ethan. And, um, Nick Ortiz would run group privates, like every weekend. Every Friday and Saturday there'd be groups that would get together and get a private with him. So yeah, at the beginning, most of my experiences with them were like that. And then, um, slowly I just became, like, a more consistent training partner for 'em, and eventually I just got invited into the room, And then, um...After that happened, like, I feel like that's when, like, I started really getting ahead in my progress and, like, really being forced to do better every Um, but to circle back to the thing you actually asked, um, the training was really different those days'cause I feel like everyone in the room was pro, right? So, the technique portion wasn't as much, like, we're learning new things per se, it was more like we were working on skills. Right? So, everybody in the room was on the same page as far as how to do everything. It was more like putting thing to... putting things together, experimenting with- with certain new things. Like, I remember, um, at the time, we were doing a lot of experimenting with, turtle stuff and, uh, breakdowns from four point and things like this. We spent, like, a whole month doing, like, closed guard stuff, which sounds silly honestly, but it- it would all feed into itself so well that, like, the- the dilemmas you could create were actually very strong. Um, so, like, yeah, it was more like we would focus on certain things for, like, large periods of time, and it was more of, like, how to put the skills together, how to put the moves together rather actually learning as much step-by-step technique, you know? It was pretty cool. How were you- How were you able to keep up with that? Because you said it was expected or, like, you did not, like, learn the technique anymore. Everybody was on the same page. How did you get on that page? I was just a huge nerd, dude. Like, I was watching, uh, all of John and Gordon's instructionals even before they had showed up, And, um, I actually even bought a few of them as... believe it or not. Um, uh, I did get a lot of them for free. So, I'm sorry guys, but-[laughs]... but I did buy a few of them. So, they're... All my favorite guys, I bought at least a few of Um [laughs] , but yeah, I would just study the instructionals. So, I would kind of get the step-by-step technique part while I was studying on my own and then, um, I would just kind of work on turning that knowledge into skills when I was in training. Um, so it was honestly really sick. Um, I feel like we weren't wasting too much time during training on, like, just trying to focus and memorize on exactly what people are saying. It was more like,"Okay, these moves that I'm kinda familiar with, I to put them together and I can always go back to the instructionals and- and kinda see what the precise things going on are," and stuff like this. All right. All right. I'm pretty sure that people have all sorts of questions when they get to ask you, like- Do you remember any specific kind of questions that you would like to answer now that you've been asked that keep popping up of, like, training with John, Gordon, Gary, Craig- all of those guys? Um, yeah, I guess, I mean, I think, like, there's a lot of stuff that goes on about, you know, what they're all like and what they've all done and stuff like this. But I have to say, like, my experience with all those guys personally, just, like, between them and me, has al- have always been positive. You know what I mean? Like, the New Wave guys were all super nice to me always, uh, John and Gordon and Gary, and they all super helpful and answered my questions and stuff. Nothing bad to say. And the B Team guys were always very inclusive and stuff, and they always treated me like a friend And amazing training partners the same. They would... they would, like, help me a lot and answer my questions in, like, very thoughtful ways and So, I feel like... I felt pretty, like, pretty accepted by all the guys, you know? I felt like I got along well with everyone. Um, I think my choice to go with B Team over New Wave wasn't as much, like, a personal thing with anyone at all. It was more like I had more training partners at B Team, really, like, mo- more guys closer to my weight. Like, now at New Wave you see, like, there's a lot of lightweights and stuff, but at the time when I leave, that room was a lot of heavyweights. And it was still fun, but I just felt like I wasn't getting the best training I could've. All right. All right. So yeah, tell us about you moving to Austin, um, how that came, and what did you do before deciding that you even wanted to pursue the Jiu Jitsu path? Yeah, I think moving to Austin felt like a very, very natural step. Like, um, the team split and the B Team guys left, and then I stayed back for a while just while I was figuring stuff out. I needed to, like, move my car, like, get stuff out of my apartment, all these things. And then, um, when the New Wave guys left Austin, it just felt, like, very natural. Like, I just kinda went as they went. Um, and just kinda, like, started again over there, you know? It was pretty fun. And, um, what else did you ask?[laughs] I asked what you did before all the Jiu Jitsu stuff. Okay. Yeah, as far as, like, sports wise, I was always, like, uh, like, on the beach doing stuff. Like, I would always surf and kite surf, and- and sports like this. When I was a- a teen, I would, like, skate and ride BMX. So, like, all these kind of, like, spr- fringe sports, which I feel like in some way can relate to Jiu Jitsu in that way. Like, they're not as mainstream. Um, but yeah, I think the first combat sport I ever did was for sure Jiu Jitsu, aside from, like, few months, uh, Taekwondo when I was a little kid. And how did you get into Jiu Jitsu in the first place? Man, I have to credit, uh, the Joe Rogan podcast for that probably-[laughs]... uh, 'cause Jiu Jitsu was not on my map at all, and neither was wrestling or anything like this. Like, I just... I- I just wasn't aware. Like, I... As soon as I learned about it, I was like, "Wow, this seems really sick." And, uh, as soon as I like, "Oh, I was right. Feels pretty cool." All right. So, you just heard the Joe Rogan podcast for a while, heard him talking about it then you just looked up the gym? Yeah, it's funny. I heard him mention it a few times, and then I rememb- I remember, like, thinking back about a clip of the podcast and him saying something about oh, like, uh, like if you get into a fight with a Jiu Jitsu black belt, like, as soon as, uh, you go ground, it's like, uh, it's like you're fighting against a ba- a grown baby. You know what I mean? And, and it's funny 'cause at the time when I was remembering the clip, I thought he was talking judo.And, um, I actually, like, looked up some judo academies around near me, and then just to make sure I listened back to the podcast, and I was like, "Oh, it wasn't judo, was jiu-jitsu." And then I Google searched again, and I found jiu-jitsu academies around me, and I like, the closest one that was to me. [laughs] All right. And how was that experience there? Because we talked about it already offline, so- Yeah, yeah, it w- it was fun. I feel like the... It was a very old-school-style academy, um, and there was rarely any no gi, it was like one night a week. So, like, right away it wasn't the best fit for me'cause I think when I learned about jiu-jitsu I started watching, like, the contemporary high-level stuff pretty right away. Um, so no gi was immediately, like, more attractive to me than- than gi. So, just the fact that there was just one no-gi class a week was already kind of not the best. But yeah, I don't- I don't wanna, like, speak too poorly about anyone, but just, like, it was a very school, and I felt like, um, I wasn't gonna be able to progress. And as soon as I, like, started to get to know the jiu-jitsu community a little bet- bit better on Rico and, like, go to other schools and meet other people that trained, I was like, oh, like this place, I feel like I have, uh, better alignment with their culture. And I- and, like, the guy that was coaching there was, like, my size as well, so he was a great training partner and he a lot. Whereas, um, at the previous school, there was a lot of, like, bigger guys, like guys that, like, used to be cops and stuff like that, and I feel like the training was very know? Like, um, there wasn't as much of an emphasis on, like, technique or skill. It was more kind of like, "Can I control you and, like, pin you inside control and then, like, dig my forearm into your throat, um, for as long as I can?" Or whatever. Like, um, just very basic stuff. Um, and I feel like I wanted to be at a place where everyone was trying to get better every day. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. That makes sense. How did you... We- we previously, uh, summed up a few topics that we wanted to talk about, and I think, uh, you made a nice introduction about surviving as a small guy. Um, you were talking about all of these big people. Maybe- maybe you give our listeners a few of your, I don't know, experiences or learnings that make it easier for you to survive as a small guy in a room full of big people. Yeah, for sure. I mean, being, like, under 150 pounds or under, like, 160... Or, like, 68 kilos or whatever most of my life, like, it... I am usually the smaller guy in the room, and, like, I beat him still. Like, I'm one of the smallest guys in the room. And I think it just made me emphasize, like, precision and technique way more. Like, I think it's made me kind of do everything right. Like, I feel like I've never been able to get away with, uh, with doing things, like, half-assed and having them still work, 'cause I can't really make up for that gap with, like, strength or, like, athleticism or anything like that, because I'm usually, like, smaller than- than my opponents. So, like... Or not my opponents, obviously, but my training partners. So, um, so yeah, I feel like I have to learn to use more, like, speed and timing and technique and this. And I think that's kind of helped, like, just not building bad habits in that way. Okay. How did you start with, like, what were your first, mm, fundamental ways to- to be able to hold a big person in check? Yeah, I think a lot like any white belts coming up, when I was coming up around late 2019, um, I was just, like, obsessed with leg locks, right? Mm-hmm. So I was just, like, a leg locker, guard player. I would like to get to 50/50 and cross hashi, and that's a good place to kind of slow big people down. Especially, like nowadays, people know how to deal with the leg locks way better, they know how to, like, stay on pressure and pass like this. But back in the day, I feel like people feared them so much they would just go on their hips and try to And, um, I think I would either use this to, like, stay on their leg or get on top of them. So I think the lack of knowledge in the leg lock defense department made it so I wouldn't get as crushed when I was going for leg locks, so I feel like that was always a good strategy. Nowadays, I feel like that's different. I feel like people know how to beat leg entanglement so well that a lot of times it's hard to keep them off of you. You need to, like, develop different strategies than, like, just hoping they go on their hips. Yeah, and it seems- Yeah, and it seems like you have, because, um, when- when we're rolling with you and you're rolling at our gym, at Roots here in Innsbruck, um, you're taking on the big guys and a lot. So it seems like- like from becoming a guard player and leg locker, I don't see you much in these positions anymore. You're- you're mostly on top, you're shooting from the sides, like, you're- you're going low. Uh, you're having a lot of success bringing people down and, like, uh, winning these kind of wrestling exchanges. So maybe tell us more about how that emerged through- through the time. Like, how you became from a leg lock kind of guard playing guy, um, to be more wrestling focused. Yeah, I think I started taking wrestling way more seriously something like two years ago, or maybe a bit longer than that. Um, in the sense that, like, I stopped watching jiu-jitsu wrestling and started watching real wrestling, and, like, um, watching technique from people that wrestled in competitions. And especially folk style, I feel like getting into the sport and following the athletes and seeing what they do and, um, how they train, their mindset, and- um, and also how they wrestle, right, um, I think really influenced me a lot. And I just found wrestling to be really, really sick, right? I just think it's- it's cool. Like, a lot of times when I'm watching my rolling footage these days, as soon as the match gets to I'm like, "All right, whatever, like, I'm doing some guard passing." Like, "Oh, like now I'm in Like, this is freaking boring. Like, when are we gonna get up to our feet so we can, uh, like, start- start, like, having an exciting match again?" You know what I mean? Like, I feel like that's just what- what's exciting to me these days. Um, so, like, I guess I still have, like, guard playing and leg locking in my back pocket, but I use it 'cause I like to just do what I'm excited about, you know? Nice. Yeah, and it's, it's a very funky and ex- exciting style that you're playing. Yeah. It's a little more of a- Um, yeah. Tell us more about wrestling because that's a topic that you really wanted to, to go a uh, deeper into. And, uh, to be honest, you, you also infected me with it a little bit the last time you were around. Okay. Sick. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think going back to you saying that, like, I shoot a lot, I think thing in jiu-jitsu that you don't see a lot. Like, there's a lot of people that are good at hand fighting and, and stuff like this, but they're not really, like, offensive. They don't offer, like, a, a pace of, like, trying to score points. You know? Like, one thing I kind of took from the wrestling mentality is, like, you know, you just focus on the next point. Like, whatever you're doing, you're trying to do it in order to get to the next score. And, like, you don't need to necessarily be rewarded with points for it to be a score, you know? You're just You're looking for the next action, right? So, like, I just feel like when I'm hand fighting, I have opportunities for where the legs are right there and, like, I just take the opportunities. Like, I'm not even necessarily thinking like, "Oh, I'm gonna, like, shoot as hard as I can, like, like, no setup just 'cause I wanna shoot." Like, it's like as I'm hand fighting, the way people defend, I just feel like they lea- leave their legs behind more than anything else 'cause maybe they fear the snap downs, maybe they fear, like, getting their taken, stuff like this. So what they least defend really is their legs. Like, um, I would love to just snap everyone's head into the mat, you know? That would be the best, safest way to do it, but I feel like people resist the snap so much. They stand up so straight up that it's just like the legs were right there. So, I think the style that I try to adopt isn't as much like, "Oh, I like to shoot. I'm a shooter." Whatever. I'm, I'm not, I'm not like Jordan Burroughs or anything like that. I just, like, like to look for the next attack. And, like, if I hand fight a little bit and the attack that I see right there is a leg attack, I'm take it. You know? I'm like... It's just more about, like, not hesitating to be offensive than, anything else. And I think that's one thing I've learned from watching the sport and, and watching how the guys that do it talk about it and how they competition, right? Like, it's not about staying safe, it's about taking risk and knowing that it's gonna be sloppy and it's gonna be, like, a struggle and a fight, but I know that I know my way out of all these positions, right? So, if I just get an exchange going where we both have to do jiu-jitsu, I'm gonna know my way through. Like, the toughest thing is to try to win just one exchange, right? But if I can do... Have as many exchanges as possible, I know that I know my way through these. So, like, through attrition, I can win as l- as long as I don't get ankle locked in, like, the first minute, which [laughs] -[laughs]... which happens every once in a while, man. But fuck, it's tough, dude. Ankles are weak. They break quick, like... [sighs] I've had so many fucking matches where I just lose in, like, the first two minutes 'cause, um, 'cause I just get, like, a, like, in a quick leg lock or something like this, but [laughs] ... But I feel like that's the price you pay when you wanna be offensive, right? If you're just gonna go for it, you're gonna get caught every once in a while. Perfect intro- perfect introduction to the next topic of competition, um, unless you wanna talk little bit more the Penn State guys, their mindset. But maybe that, that's something that we could talk about in the context of competition as well. So, you were just talking about competing and getting your legs broken. Um, yes. What is your mindset- Yes... when you're entering a competition? Yeah. Like, are there different, um, different formats of competitions that you use for different purpose, for different development reasons? Uh, how do you go about competing? Yeah. I think, I could probably do a better job of organizing myself a bit better. Like, I try to compete as much as I can if I'm healthy and, um... [laughs] I try to compete as much as I can if I'm healthy, and, uh, usually not with a lot of anticipation. Like, if there's a tournament near Austin, I'll probably do it, like, that weekend or whatever. But, um, I really think competing helps a lot. Like, it can be taxing on you and on your body, but every time it makes me better, whether I win or lose. And I feel like I've come a long way in my mindset and I still have a long way to go, but I'm starting to really, really have fun out there and, um, I'm able to be a little more offensive, right? And, uh, just like anything, there's ebbs and flows in, in my performances and, and whatnot, but I think I'm gen- generally trending toward where I wanna be trending, which is just being offensive, being fearless, and just when I put myself out there, just give it all I've got, you know. Like, I'm, I'm not trying to have safe matches if I can help it. All right. So, you're just showing up and always showing your best? Like, never just trying to work on certain situations, but you're just trying to be as offensive as possible and see how it Yeah. I think if, if I put enough effort in my training and I, like, dot my i's and cross my t's or whatever, then in competition I don't have to think about anything. I just have to think about, like, giving full effort and having a good attitude and going out and being aggressive and being offensive. Um, so yeah, that's really, like, the only things I feel like are within my control. My effort and my Everything else, who's in the bracket, who's on the other side, how long the match is, what the that's all not within my control, but I can always control how good my attitude is, how high my and how aggressive I am. How do you go about attitude? How do you, how do you... How do you create a good attitude for yourself? Especially like if you're talking about the survival, surviving white belt idea. Like, how do you create a good mindset as a white belt, maybe even before your first competition? Man, it all just comes down to having fun. Like, we've talked about this a lot. I think just... If you can make it fun, it'll always be fun, you know?So, taking it seriously can be fun at certain times. And taking it seriously can be un-fun when, when you should be taking it more lightly, you know? Like, having fun doesn't just mean, like, frolicking and laughing and not working hard. Sometimes working hard can be really fun, but as long as you're always doing what's fun. Competing can be fun. Even losing can be fun if you have a good match. You know, as long as you scrapped and gave it your all, that can be fun. What sucks is, what sucks is not doing well, right? What sucks is holding back and still losing. Like, that's the shittiest feeling. Like, l- getting off the mat knowing you could've done more and, uh, not being able to, to do it 'cause the match is over already. That's the worst feeling. If you give it all and you lose, that's fine. It also sucks when you get ankle locked in, like, the first minute.[laughs] Like- How often did it happen to you? It seems to be, like, really traumatizing. Yeah, super traumatizing. Um, I mean, I wouldn't say it's happened to me, like, like, over, like, dozen times.[laughs] You know, that'd be crazy. But, but just, like, a good streak, you know?[laughs] You know? A series. Where it's, like, man, like, uh, I'll, like, I'll win two matches and I'll get my ankle broken. And then I'll win a match and I'll get my ankle broken. And I'll, like [laughs] you know what I Like [laughs] , like, it's just, like, it happened maybe, like, five or six times within one, like, competition season or whatever. And I'm just kinda, like, "Fuck, dude." [laughs] I just keep engaging in these guards and getting my broken. Um, but I think that's a really good segue to talking about the DEMA camp that just happened, a because we were focused solely on all these sick different ankle locks. But my back has been hurting from an injury I had over Christmas break, and playing guard does not feel fun for me these days. So I've been mainly wrestling and playing top. And if I'm ever forced to play bottom, I, I pretty quickly turtle and just play bottom turtle. So, uh, guard hasn't been fun, and we're learning all these sick ankle locks. So, although I can try them in drilling, I wasn't really able to try them in live. But on the flip side of that, I was playing top while the whole team was learning ankle locks. So I got to work on my ankle lock defense a lot[laughs] , which was pretty sick. I think I needed that as well. Yeah, and you actually made- yeah, and you actually made a workshop out of it right away that in, uh, Slovenia last week, right? Yeah, yeah. I mean, I... All the stuff that I taught in Slovenia, like, I've taught before in, different schools I teach at and stuff. And just kinda put it all together into a seminar, but Obviously since having my ankles broken so many times, and, like, let's just say, n- no catastrophic breaks, right? Just take few p- take a few pops and tap. You know, I'm not an idiot like this either. Like, I was never in a cast or nothing. No surgeries, just, just ank- ankle lock pops, you know? Nothing too crazy, but alright. Continuing, um, I was already really thinking about, like, having really, really robust ankle lock defense. But not only, like, in a fleeing sense or, like, you can't catch me 'cause I'm so slippery. More, like, really being able to beat the position, right? And, um, just since I was already thinking about that, the DEMA camp, everyone really focusing on their ankle being happy to go for them, kind of created an environment where I could really, really work on lock defense. And I feel like it's come a super long way. How does it work against- How does it work against Chris Wojchik? No comment.[laughs] But, like, whose leg lock defense does dude, like... Alright, Nicky Rod may... He still... Everyone. Yeah, no comment. N- he gets everyone. There's, there's nothing to be said. Maybe a good- maybe a good Boubatou shoutout to your friend, Chris Wojchik. Yeah, my guy, Chris. I had, have had the pleasure of training a lot with him and, um, he's one of the best training partners at B-team. He's so knowledgeable, so helpful, and, uh, such a freaking killer. Just submission artist. Uh, the definition of a sniper, you know what I mean? The dude is always in a match. He can, he can get you at any moment and finish you, you know? Like... And he's such a, like, strong competitor and active competitor. Like, I respect him a lot. He's, he's, uh, one of the best guys as, just as an athlete, as overall person at B-teamer, like, really that I know. He's solid dude. Yeah, we just yesterday- Yeah, we just yesterday showed, um... Uh, looked at his performance, uh, in the PGF. Yes. When he became second place. Just fell short, uh, on ride time against Ryan Aiken, like a guy who's, what, 40 pounds, like, 20 kilos heavier than him probably? Yeah, probably something like that. Him and Ryan Aiken, surprisingly considering the weight difference, have had a lot of matches throughout, like, different rule sets and stuff. And, um, I think Ryan Aiken has gotten the best of him most, most of it. Don't, don't quote me on that. But, uh, but either way, Chris Wojchik is a dog. You can't deny it. After ha- imagine having 14 matches just to have a final against Ryan freaking Aiken. Like, that's a rough gauntlet that they've got going on at the PGF. Yeah, and again, going, going back to what we said earlier, as a smaller person, how can you defend it? Chris was engaging a lot in leg locks. Ryan played the game a little bit. Uh, and in the end it, it just came down to EVI overtime where Chris, uh, did a great job defending and also- Yeah, was doing a good job sticking to the back. But then in the end... I think at some point, size does matter, right? And especially when you're on the back, um, this is where it becomes really tough. Yeah, especially a guy that's as big and as explosive as, uh, as Ryan Aiken. Like, his turnouts and, and stuff like that from defending the back are just so impressive. That if you don't have legs long enough to lock a proper body triangle off the get-go, like, it's gonna be really tough to hold that guy with just hooks, you know? So, how do you go about- Explosive guys, or-... explosive guys, or-... spazy people?... spazy people? [laughs][laughs] We've had that topic yesterday. We did. Because Chris, my coach- A-... who just gave me-... a coach who just gave me my-... my purple belt-... my purple belt, thank you, calls me a spaz.... called me a spaz. And being really hurt. And I'm being really hurt by it. I even asked you. [laughs] So I asked you about it yesterday. [laughs][laughs] And we had a pretty interesting conversation. Yeah, I think some of the best guys ever are spazzes. I think being a spaz is a important skill, especially as a smaller person, you know? If they've got strength on their side, you've got speed. If you get in the way of those knees and elbows, that's on you, bro. You know? Like-[laughs]... I'm re-guarding. I don't care where your head is. Chris, listen to this. My spaziness. My spaziness is being justified. Um. Um. [laughs][laughs] Yeah, some of the best guys at B Team are universally called spazzes and we love them for it, you know? People call Ethan a spaz all the time, and he's one of the best guys in the room, and one of the sickest jiu-jitsu to watch. Like, one of the most knowledgeable athletes I know. Just such a good grappler. People call him a spaz'cause he's quick. Like, so what? And, you know, he's quick and he's strong. He's got that going for him, which is sick. And like Chris, we call him the Beyblade 'cause when he's in supine guard, like, he's just pummeling like a mad man. And it doesn't matter where y- where your, where you, your body is, his- he's getting his guard back, you know? And, and we love those guys. So being, being spazey is something that you can also embrace, right? Like, everyone has their attributes. And what spaziness is the one that you love, and which kind of spaziness is the one that you wanna, um, yeah, stay away from? Yeah, so I think, I think it depends on like appropriateness, if that makes sense. Like, if, if you're doing something that's... I guess it's very subjective 'cause it's like, was that necessary or unnecessary, right? Like, if I'm this close to passing your guard and you post on my throat and then, and then find a frame with your foot on my chest and kick me away, like, like that's pretty right? But like, if we're like, if I'm like passing your north south and I'm still at a distance and you like invert and like kick me in the nuts, then like-[laughs]... that seems like unnecessary, right? So I'd say it's highly subjective, but it has to do with just like how appropriate it is given the situation. Okay. Talking about nut contact, how appropriate do you think is, uh, touch- uh, touching your partner's nuts when he's trying to shoot on you? I feel completely different about that.[laughs][laughs] It's just a good handle, you know? Like you wanna keep their weight forward, you want to get their their hands. And like a hamstring works great, but it just doesn't work as great as the ass crack. It's just not as good of a handle, you know? Like we use handles all over in jiu-jitsu. That's just one of them. Yeah, but the ass crack- Yeah, but the ass crack is a different thing than going for the man's ball sack. And you just did that, and you posted it on social media. But I was aiming for the ass crack, and it was just a fast scramble. And again, you can't really be too precise if you're being quick, so I just reached for whatever I could, you know? Okay, so I assume this is technique being taught to the B team, and next time I'm going there, I'm gonna be very wary of that. Yeah. Yeah, you gotta watch out for, for the nut drags and the ass drags. Uh- Uh, yeah, sorry, I think this went a little bit off topic. Um, sorry for putting us through that. Maybe we're gonna cut it out later. Okay. Maybe not. Um- Probably not... anything you still wanna add on spazzing? I just wanna say it's okay. I wanna tell all you guys out there-[laughs]... that it's okay. Um, especially after like the blue purple belt level.[laughs] Maybe you gotta tell white belts to chill out'cause they don't know what they're doing yet. But if you know what you're doing, do it fast, do it hard, and do it strong. What I liked, uh- What I liked, uh, you saying about this yesterday was like, uh, three speed, precision, and strength. Yeah. And you're not able to- It's hard to do 'em all three at once, right? So like one of them has to be given up. And if you're a smaller guy, you have to use all your strength and all your speed. So what does that leave you with, you know? No precision- No precision... elbows to the face. Yeah, the imbalance is there, you know? If, if you're huge, it's also hard to be precise, right? 'Cause you're so strong, you're not as fast, like hard to be precise. So it's all just a balance, you know? You pick, you, you pick two of the three at a c- at a given[laughs] I hear you. [sighs] Yeah, that's- Yeah, that's-... covering already-... covering already a big portion of what we were writing down. Um- What do you wanna-... what do you wanna pick up next? How did you come- ... how did you come here in the first place? Tell us about your journey, uh, here. It's not your first time that you're in Innsbruck. Not your first time in Europe. What brings you here? What are you doing here? All right. Um, if you work for the IRS, please tune out of this podcast for this portion. Um, but yeah, I've been lucky enough to make some friends out here, and I have the opportunity to teach a few workshops and seminars guest instructor spots. So really it all started last year during European trials. I came along just to hang out 'cause I'm not a European citizen. Uh, again, if you work for the IRS, this is not for you.[laughs] Maybe we're gonna cut this out. You're sleeping on people's couches and shit, so- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's very low level. Low level. [laughs] But, um, anyway, yeah, so last year I came for trials, came to hang out, and I just met a lot of really good people. And, um, and I reconnected with Gregor, who I actually met in, um, in Puerto Rico days. This is Gregor Strakl we're talking, we're talking about. He runs a few 10th Planets in Slovenia. Um, and he's just a really good guy. We, we got along s- off the bat from Puerto Rico, and we met again at B Team one time when he visited. And yeah, we reconnected at this trials, and I was able to go to a few of his gyms and teach a few classes. And that's kind of what opened up the door for me, right? I kind of started in, uh, 10th Planet Slovenia, um, the Celje location back then. And, um, I met you in the Maribor location, and that kind of opened the door to, to Roots here in Innsbruck. Um, I met Manu from 10th Planet Barcelona in that trials as well, and he was super accommodating and super helpful. He invited me to Barcelona a few times now, and I'm actually going there after this as well. So big shout out to Manu. He's been, uh, super sick. And, uh, yeah, that's kind of like my network here so far, and I have a lot of friends that have visited B years, um, that live around here. So I feel like every time I come to Europe, I keep opening doors and I keep staying for a little longer and longer, just been really sick. Yeah, the 10th Planet- Yeah, the 10th Planet community's been- ... really cool for me. Really cool for me too. They've opened so many- They've opened so many doors. They've opened so many doors, and it's- And it's very interesting because they were like- It's very interesting be- because they were like- Even though Greg Souders- Even though Greg Souders is now gonna be, uh- The camp- The cam- uh, the, the captain of the Misfits. The misfits. Um, for the longest time it was the 10P guys that were the misfits, right? For the longest time, it was 10P guys, right? And nowadays it feels like- Nowadays it feels like the position kind of- That position kind of gave... that kind of like social glue- That kind of like social glue- That so many other jiu-jitsu schools needed to come together- That so many other jiu-jitsu schools needed to together- ... because there was so much rivalry coming up from the diff- different Gracie schools, all of the world's competitions et cetera, and everybody being in their own clan a little bit and extend that. From the different Gracie schools and trying to extend that- And there was not much unification going on. There was not much unification going on. And I feel like, uh, in the no-gi scene, that kind of changed a little bit. And, um, yeah, Eddy Bravo was- Eddy Bravo was one of the pioneers of- ... one of the pioneers with EBI- With EBI of bringing people together, and like really bringing the scene to another level. ... bringing the no-gi scene to another level. Um, and opening up the market for new competition formats, right? Opening up the market for new competition formats, right? And we see something like the PJF now- We see something like the PJF now- That is bringing so many people together. Um, that is bringing so many people together. Putting out an exciting format ad- Um, putting out an exciting format ad- And, and not really caring about- And not really caring about- Where you're from, who you are. Where you are from, who you are. As long as you're there for the cause, you enjoy jiu-jitsu. As long as you're there for the cause, you enjoy jiu-jitsu. And, yeah, shout out to BMAC- And, yeah, shout out to BMAC- Who I've met through the 10th Planet Serbia. Um, who I've met through the 10th Planet network in Serbia. Shout out to, uh, Dejan Zabunovic- Shout out to, uh, Dejan Zabunovic- At 10th Planet Belgrade. At 10th Planet Belgrade. These have been such great- These have been such great- Connections, with Gregor- Connections, and also with Gregor- In Maribor, where I was born. Where I was born. Like so many coincidences- So many coincidences that like linked together- That like linked Through this jiu-jitsu network- Through this jiu-jitsu network- It's just something incredible. It's just something incredible. And yeah, something that I also wanted to talk to you about. Like the jiu-jitsu community and how you perceive it. Yeah, the jiu-jitsu community and how I Um, how it was in Puerto Rico- How it was in Puerto Rico- And how it is now in the US- And how And also compared to- And also compared to- To Europe- To Europe, like how much has jiu-jitsu influenced your life? Yeah, I think, especially talking about 10th Planet, I think there's always sort of a coalition between 10th Planet and B Team. Especially in Austin, I feel like the teams do a lot of stuff together and we, like, cross compete in our, in our different promotions and stuff like this. Um, and in Europe, it kind of feels the same way. Like, 10th Planet is kind of pretty united and I think they're all kind of friends, and, and they're all so very welcoming to, to hosting people from other teams, right? Like, I feel like a lot of associations, you feel like they only wanna have their lineage guys teaching seminars and teaching classes and stuff. But 10th Planet has always been really good about not caring who you are, as long as, like, they respect your skills or whatever, that they're, they're welcome to having you in, which been really cool. Like, whenever I travel somewhere new, like, one of the first things I look is like, is there a 10th here? And like I've done that at quite a few places. Like, 10th Planet Denver was pretty fun. And like, um, yeah, it's just always a good community. Um, 10th Planet Freaks in, uh, San Diego, when I was down there, they were, they were super cool So yeah, I just think they, they do a good job of being inclusive and just, um, just being good people, good guys. Yeah, and I feel like- Yeah, and I feel like- The Roots Collective- ... um, the guys from Roots Collective- Even though not being 10th Planet- ... even though not being 10th Planet- They are kind of on the same mission- They are kind of on the That's why- ... so that's why- We're able to have you- ... we're able to have you over here now for the second time. They're just opening doors- They're just opening doors- And creating this like open- And creating like open- Open door kind of community- Open door kind of community- Where everybody's invited- ... where everybody's invited- Where you're having open mats- Where you're having open mats- Inviting different gyms- Um, inviting different gyms- Over and just Sharing a little bit of the culture- Sharing a little bit of the culture- So- So- Yeah, and I think- Yeah, and I think- 10th Planet just is- 10th Planet just is- ... a universal brand of like connecting- A universal brand of like connecting- And you can come from you are- And you can come from, from wherever you are- Like a little bit like, um- Like the no-gi, uh- The no-gi, uh- What do you call them? How do you call them? Ah. Ah. GlobeTrotters. The GlobeTrotters. Yeah. You know? Yeah. I feel like... I feel like- I feel like I met, uh, Charles Harrison- I met Charles Harrison. And he had that kind of the, the same vibe. He also said about how, how he would visit 10th Planet gyms because they were the first ones to do He said about how he would visit 10th Planet gyms because they were the first ones to do open mats- they were the first ones to do open mats, and how this culture is like now- And how this culture is Perforating- Perforating through- Like different gyms, like- Like different gyms, like now Roots Collective is taking that spot- Now Roots Collective is taking that spot- Because it's- ... there's been a vacuum- There's been a vacuum of offering that, you know? Offering that, you know, like there's a bunch of jiu-jitsu gyms- In the town- At the town, in the there's not a lot of- But there's not a lot of exchange between the open mats and- Roots that spot- Roots Collective came in that spot- And took it, and now open mats- And took it, and the are always super fun and like the meeting spot on Sunday mornings. Always super fun and like the meeting spot on Sunday mornings. How is that in Austin- How is that in Austin- With so many high level- ... with so many high level people being around- People being around- Where do they How much exchange is, is there? How much exchange is, is there? And how much are the people actually staying separated in the teams?Uh, first of all, before I into that, s- uh, shout out to Roots. Such a sick academy, honestly. Um, and, like, the culture is so good. All... everyone is super tough, like... Chris, shout out to him, and shout out to Ivar and all those guys. Like, they do a really good job of, like, um, kinda creating a good culture and, and having just good guys in the academy. And, like, we're all hanging out after training and stuff, and, and it's all super fun. We just got a gy- a gym full of, like, buff, beautiful German guys. Fucking, we were scru-[laughs] Austrian, bro. Austrian. All right. Yeah [laughs] . Sorry. Uh- Thanks. That was to Chris and me. Yes, yes. And you're all scrapping in there every day, just giving full effort. It's so sick to see. Thank you [laughs] .[laughs] Nice job [laughs] . But yeah. So the scene in Austin is pretty sick, honestly. There's a lot of cross-training in the Like, Sunday open mat at either WAO or 10th Planet Austin are always sick, and they're always full of all teams, right? So I think in- those Sundays are a good melting pot. You know, it's a, it's a day where you can go to, to an open mat and get training with all sorts of guys from all over town. And, um, we all constantly compete against each other in, like, small local shows and stuff like So, I think there is a lot of, like, community in the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, regardless of, like, how they spin it and the, the drama and all this. It's like, the community is strong there for sure. J- Austin Jiu-Jitsu looks out for Austin Nice. Nice. That's sick. We have one more talking point, and maybe that's like a, a good outro to what you wanna be doing next. Maybe also with the material that you recorded here- Awesome... uh, you wanna talk, talk about, uh, content a little bit? Yeah, for sure. Um, so I think, like, what I really enjoy is just sharing Jiu-Jitsu with people. Like, I really like, like, gathering knowledge, and, and h- and just, like, s- giving it to people, right? And spreading it. I think that brings me a lot of joy. And, and I just enjoy teaching. So, that's my main goal. And, uh... And yeah, I just recently bought a little camera. I'm kind of figuring how to- figuring out how to use it and figuring out how to edit and stuff. So, hopefully I can get that going and kind of reach a wider audience when it comes to, like, sharing Um, and yeah, I think that's my main goal. And like, however it takes to get there, I'll figure it out on the way. But, but the idea is like, I'm already doing this cool stuff and sharing j- good Jiu-Jitsu, so might as capture it and, uh, share it online where like everyone can see it, not just the people that were in that room that night. You know what I mean? I'm looking forward to your content. Hell yeah [laughs] . Um, when, when can people be expecting that, and, uh, where can they, where can they follow you? Yeah, so my Instagram is @frankyjjlopez. If you wanna give me a follow, that'd be sick. I've got a YouTube channel, Frankie Lopez Jiu-Jitsu. I haven't put that much stuff on there. I think I have a few videos in Spanish if you're interested in that. And, uh, I think in the future I'll be posting a lot more long-form stuff on the YouTube and on my Instagram. And, um, hopefully some more stuff in Spanish too. I feel like that's a good audience for me to I feel like the super high-level Jiu-Jitsu is less accessible for them in Spanish, and I feel like I could do a of kind of giving, giving that stuff to the Spanish-speaking community. So, that's something to look out for too, if you speak Spanish. Um, but yeah, that's my Instagram, that's my YouTube, and, and that's pretty much how you could find me. Hopefully I'll, I'll get to working on all the stuff I filmed during this trip and start trickling it out, uh, as I get done with it. If people in Spain are around, where will you be? Oh, sick. Yeah. So I'm gonna be in Spain for about nine days. I'm gonna split my time between 10th Planet, uh, Barcelona and AA Jiu-Jitsu, which is closer to Badalona, more, more on the west-Eastern side of Barcelona. And, uh, I might spend even a few days in Madrid, try to get into contact with some of the academies if I can get some training or some teaching opportunities. So yeah, if you're in Spain, uh, next week, which is probably when this podcast will probably not be out yet, but, um, yeah, it'll be sick. Uh, if I see you down there, that'll be cool [laughs] . All right. All right. Yeah. Thank you, Frankie. Thank you, Frankie, for being here. Um, shout out to everybody who's listening to the podcast. Thank you. Sorry for keeping you waiting for such a long time.[laughs] I hope you enjoyed this format. Um, we'll see about posting more of that. I'm gonna try to find us some interesting people to have some nice conversations with. Yeah, thank you very much. This has been the Surviving White Belt Podcast with Frankie Lopez Königer.