Fighters Drinking Coffee

Hosts Scott Dance and Michael Sutherland share their 40 years of combined grappling experience with you, the listener. They have done things the hard way in the past and have learned better ways to train, prepare, compete and coach because of it. They plan to convey these experiences and discoveries through this podcast to help you streamline your Jiu-jitsu experience!

Join hosts Scott Dance and Michael Sutherland of Fighters Drinking Coffee, two mat veterans with 40 years of combined grappling experience, as they break down how to flip the mental and physical switch from casual training to competition mode. This episode covers planning, programming, and the small but critical changes that get you competition-ready. They discuss training structure and intensity (how to shift from exploratory mat time to purpose-driven sessions), balancing coaching duties with

Hosts Scott Dance and Michael Sutherland explore why people fall out of love with jiu-jitsu. Covering stress, anxiety, boredom, injuries, finances, relationship pressures, and toxic gym cultures. They discuss practical fixes like reframing your "why," changing scenery, downshifting frequency, setting timelines for breaks, cross-training, and teaching to regain motivation. The episode also shifts to the coach’s perspective on retention, novelty in class design, and balancing long-term commitment

Hosts Scott Dance and Michael Sutherland discuss how hierarchy and ego affect learning in jiu-jitsu, and why training with everyone (even lower belts) can expand your game. They introduce practical ideas like the 50/50 split between execution and exploration, intentional rolling, and competing as an outlet for ego expression. The episode also launches a new segment, "Combat Confessions," featuring a wild Reddit open-mat story about a man who lets people choke him, plus instructions on how listen

In this episode Scott and Mike dive into the psychology of training; why we started jiu‑jitsu, why we keep going, and how to find motivation when it fades. They share origin stories, talk about competition as a tool for learning, and explain how purpose can direct your day‑to‑day training. Topics include the difference between your long‑term “why” and short‑term motivation, using competition to test and measure progress, coaching and business perspectives, and practical habits to stay consistent

Welcome back to the Fighters Drinking Coffee podcast. In this episode we focus on how to restructure your training to get past sticking points in your jiu-jitsu progression. Hosts discuss practical steps like increasing frequency, changing training partners or class formats, setting measurable goals, and committing to focused, repeated practice. They cover troubleshooting techniques such as using workshops, privates, partner feedback, and situational drilling. Plus, the value of patience: accept