In this episode of the Tai Chi Notebook Podcast I’m joined by Chris Paines, a BJJ black belt from Staffordshire in the UK.
Chris gained a level of fame in the BJJ world for a seminar he taught at a BJJ Globetrotters camp called “How to Defend Everything”, which was wildly successful, especially when that seminar went on YouTube. It got over 100,000 views.
Chris has gone on to develop a system for teaching Jiu-Jitsu that he calls Elements and which can be found on the BJJ Fanatics website under the name ‘Strategic Guard Passing and Pinning’.
You can also subscribe to Chris’ Patreon which is called In Theory BJJ. I’ve known Chris for a few years now and rolled with him and attended his seminars a number of times and I've always found his ideas original, innovative and inspiring.
In Theory BJJ: https://www.patreon.com/intheorybjj
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intheorybjj/
The Tai Chi Notebook blog: https://thetaichinotebook.com/
31 Jan 2026
Ep 42: Quantum Aikido with Richard Moon
In this episode Richard Moon, a lifelong martial artist and performer, shares his journey from playing in a jug band and performing with bands like the Grateful Dead to becoming deeply involved in yoga and eventually Aikido, which he encountered by accident and learned as a "way of life more than a way of fighting."
Richard Moon describes developing a "very freestyle, jazz-oriented approach" to Aikido, which eventually led to corporate coaching with Chris Sorson and international peace building initiatives with Louise Diamond and a $30 million project in Bosnia funded by Dan Whalen. Richard Moon emphasized the importance of centering, intentional transformation, and harmonizing with the universal movement through practices like the "universal breath" and the "drop back, sink open" technique, concluding with O Sensei's teaching that "Aikido is the realization of love."
6 Oct 2025
Ep 41: Teaching Tai Chi as a Martial Art with Nick Walser and Ian Kendall
Episode 41: Teaching Tai Chi as a Martial Art with Nick Walser and Ian Kendall
In this episode I talk to two Wudang Tai Chi teachers from Brighton, UK: Nick Walser and Ian Kendall. Both students of the late Dan Docherty, they have continued to practice the tai chi that Dan taught them and developed a new training system called 5 Snake.
5 Snake is a unique and powerful method for finding flow, resilience, and calm through partnered close- quarter practice, and they're here to tell you all about it.
Find out more at: https://5snake.co.uk/ and 5 Snake on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
Read my latest blogs on tai chi and martial arts at: www.thetaichinotebook.com
Who has been a guest on The Tai Chi Notebook
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Graham Barlow
Seymour Yang
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44,521
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4.8 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 49 / 100
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YouTube
76
Engagement
32
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