Chris "Bones" Burns - The BJJ Project, Rickson Gracie, Invisible Jiu Jitsu and Why Everyone Needs to Calm the F*ck Down 🥋🔥

He's the algorithm's favorite BJJ instructor — equal parts savage wisdom and sarcasm.

Chris Burns is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Rickson Gracie's lineage who's been chasing the invisible art for over two decades.

His take?

The sport is cool, but self-defense is the point. And everyone needs to chill the f*ck out.

What You'll Learn:

1. Why his first 10 years of training were "terrible experiences all around"
2. The moment he finally learned jiu-jitsu — from a hip escape
3. What it's like to roll with Rickson Gracie (hint: "He surfs a human being")
4. Why blue belts should focus on survival, not submissions
5. How to train smart when you're older, injured, or both
6. The difference between being a lion and being a rat — and why both are valid
7. Why the martial arts community needs to "calm all of your tits"

Power Quote: "Calm down. It's just a hobby. Stop making this the focal point of your life. The martial arts is the important thing. The community is the important thing. Be happy that you're physically doing something with another human being and you're connecting with them. Calm the fck down."* — Chris Burns

Timestamps:

🥋 0:00 - Introduction

😤 3:30 - His terrible first experiences on the mat

📼 8:00 - VHS tapes, Gracie in Action, and finding the combatives

🔥 14:00 - Meeting Jason Robic and learning the hip escape that changed everything

🌊 22:00 - What it's like to roll with Rickson ("He surfs a human being")

🎯 30:00 - What a blue belt should actually know

🤼 38:00 - Flow rolling vs hard sparring — pick your partners wisely

🦁 44:00 - Training when you're older: "There's a time you're a lion, there's a time you're a rat"

🎨 50:00 - How being an artist shaped his teaching

🧘 56:00 - Breath work, whiskey, and coffee by the ocean

📚 60:00 - Books that changed his life: Fight Club, Man's Search for Meaning, The Art of War

💡 65:00 - One lesson: Calm down, it's just a hobby

Connect with Chris Burns:

1. The BJJ Project (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok)
2. Zero Point Jiu-Jitsu (Podia)
3. Instagram: @chrisbonesburns

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© Copyright - Joe Ciccarone 2026 - Built Not Born Podcast. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.