Joe Rogan’s podcast has been a mainstay in my life for a number of years. I listen to it during my drive to work, during working, and while I am out running errands. His podcast has exposed me to many differenct perspectives on culture, science, religion, art, and living life. I will gladly admit to switching to coconut oil, trying the float tank, and drinking kale shakes. The biggest influence he has had on me is his promotion of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I wondered if I was the only one who was influenced to start training after listening to his podcast. In order to find out, 6 months ago I asked the reddit.com/r/bjj community “So, how many of you started Jiu Jitsu after listening to the Joe Rogan Experience?” I received 130 responses to my question and here are 5 of the responses.”
“Always wanted to do bjj. Got off my ass and pulled the trigger after listening to him not only rave about it but rant about people who are content to just sit around after work and not have things they’re passionate about.”
“Guilty. Although I’m just a pleb white belt, the Sam Harris episode convinced me to do BJJ over aikido.”
“Joe definitely turned me on to bjj, I was always a UFC fan but when I started to listen to his podcast in college last year he really peaked my interest in bjj.”
“Joe Rogan ‘s Podcast exposed me to it and definitely made me aware of the benefits. So, when my friend suggested I go with him, I needed no convincing.”
“i started because of him. you can say what you want about Joe Rogan, but he has influenced a lot of people and help spread the word about BJJ and other Martial Arts in a positive way.”
Joe Rogan’s JRE podcast started in 2009 and has over 600 episodes. The guests on the show have included academics, entertainers, writers, and martial artists including UFC fighters and Jiu Jitsu experts. His BJJ Black Belt guest list has included Eddie Bravo, Rickson Gracie, Kron Gracie, Jimmy Smith, Enson Inoue, Tait Fletcher, Josh Barnett, Matt Serra, and Georges St. Pierre. By bringing on guests from the BJJ community, Rogan is able to discuss and market the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of training BJJ. Rogan promotes the theme that BJJ is for everybody and is a great vehicle for improving anybody’s overall quality of life. He stated in his Black Belt speech:
“Something that my tae kwon do teacher told me when I was a little kid that I never forgot was that martial arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential. And nothing in my life has ever put me in face with reality better than jiu jitsu. In life, we can all distort our perception of things in order to make ourselves more comfortable, in order to make ourselves accept where we are. And there’s a lot of people out there that are running around in life full of shit. You can’t be full of shit when you do jiu jitsu. When you do jiu jitsu, its impossible to be full of shit because reality comes at you in the purest form possible: A life or death struggle, using your determination, your focus, your techniques, your mind, and your training, over and over and over again.”
His podcast has helped inspired people to not only train in BJJ, but to be “The Hero of Your Own Movie” and to pursue new careers, lose weight, and become better human beings. I don’t agree with all of his political and social positions. However, it can’t be denied that his podcast has been a major factor in the growth of BJJ and an ingrained part of the BJJ culture. It is hard to find a BJJ gym where students haven’t taken his advice on Onnit products, strength and conditioning philosophies, and diet and nutrition advice.
Here are 5 of Joe Rogan’s Most Influential BJJ Videos
Benefits of BJJ
Joe’s Black Belt Speech
Be The Hero of Your Own Movie
Rickson Gracie on JRE: “The Opposite of Courage is Conformity”
Eddie Bravo and Joe Rogan Discussing Kron Gracie vs. Garry Tonon
Bonus: Joe Rogan vs MySpace Challenger
