Sean aka The Lost Creonte BJJ has become my favorite writer on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He is BJJ brown belt, coach, and competitor who has spent more than twelve years on the mats.

His Substack draws from systems thinking, mental models, evolutionary biology, and other disciplines to integrate practical knowledge for becoming a better grappler. What I particularly enjoy about his writing is that it expands beyond BJJ. Anyone interested in adaptability, decision-making under pressure, and continuous learning can benefit from his work.

In this conversation, we discuss the evolution of MMA and BJJ, martial arts culture, growth vs. performance goals, the benefit of competition, specialization vs. generalization, iteration and innovation, roles and identity, and how lessons from training can extend into everyday life.

Sean’s writing makes me a better grappler, coach, and person.

Some of his best articles include:

The 6 books that completely changed how I think about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

The enduring wisdom of Chris Haueter’s 4 Golden Rules

The Most Important Skill in Jiu-Jitsu Isn’t a Technique

How the Lindy Effect changed the way I think about BJJ

Marcelo Garcia and the art of the in-between

Regardless of grappling experience or interest, I cannot recommend subscribing to The Lost Creonte BJJ enough.

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