Mike Cheney teaches jiu-jitsu, wrestling and weapons-based self-defense at Endeavor Defense and Fitness in Hilliard, Ohio, and joins Pete, hosting solo, the morning after Thanksgiving. He explains the misconceptions people bring to self-defense, why a one-off seminar rarely sticks without drills to practice, and why some traditional self-defense techniques are now more history than practical tool. He describes how sport habits surface under stress, like a jiu-jitsu player pulling guard against a wall with two attackers on top, and how scenario training, foam blades and vision-limiting helmets teach students that one hit does not mean "you're dead" and the fight is not over.

Mike walked into an MMA gym at 15 or 16 as a shy kid with a little wrestling experience, got beaten up and loved it, and set out to toughen up through the hardest things he could find. That path opened up a broad curiosity that now includes training in a classical samurai-era weapon art. He tells the story of a recent scenario course where he could not talk his way out, his middle school wrestling took over first and his jiu-jitsu got him back on top before a second attacker arrived. He also talks about keeping a healthy ego in check and how he got the nickname Boom Boom.

In this episode

• 0:00 Welcome
• 2:07 Common self-defense misconceptions
• 5:18 Inside a weekend course
• 7:28 Techniques that are now history
• 10:44 When sport habits show up under stress
• 12:54 Meeting students where they are
• 16:02 Adrenaline and "you're not dead"
• 20:20 A shy kid in an MMA gym
• 23:30 Curiosity and the warrior ideal
• 27:51 Training a samurai-era weapon art
• 29:56 Humility and a healthy ego
• 34:13 The scenario that went physical
• 39:27 Where Boom Boom came from
• 41:38 Clearing a path for his students

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