Last month, my wife and podcast co-host conspired to put together an awesome birthday gift. As one of my birthday gifts, my wife surprised me by arranging a trip for Kevin to make his way out to LA for a few days and train.

Anybody who listens to the podcast knows that Kev and I usually get to see one another for short periods of time every 6 months or so. And despite my on-air hatred for the individual, doing the podcast and working with him in person is way more fun than it is on Skype. When we're both in the same room doing the podcast, the show has an entirely different feel.

However, since this gift was given to me as a form of vacation, I elected not to do any work with the guy, but to just have fun and train.

And train we did.

All together, I think we logged in about 8 hours of training (2 of that being pure rolling).

Also, anybody who listens in to the show also knows how competitive Kevin and I can be in real life. It's a friendly rivalry, one where we both wish one another well and often give tips to the other on technique. But when it comes to training, we definitely amp up our respective levels.

I like to think of Kevin as a pacesetter for my own jiu-jitsu. He's somebody who I can often monitor my own progress and get constructive feedback on the things I need to work on most. In many ways, I'd like to think I do the same for him.

In doing so, I can honestly say that rolling with the guy makes me sharper. Kevin is a tough roll, he's good at many of the opposite things that I'm good at, and he has a very creative way he likes to aggressively attack. All of those things make me have to work harder. If things were different and we were in the same place training regularly, I am quite certain our respective jiu-jitsu levels would be even higher.

Nonetheless, I liked the time that we got to train. We nerded out on a number of techniques and spent a large amount of time trying to perfect moves that will hopefully become the norm. In the latest episode of the podcast, we talk a little bit about those training experiences. But I'd like to thank him and my wife for conspiring together for a truly wonderful birthday gift.

Having also now trained for Kevin (believe it or not, I did train some things specifically for rolls against him), I'll also be looking to put a new challenge on my plate. I think I have an idea of what it is and will share in an upcoming post. Until then, I hope you enjoy the latest episode of our show.

EPISODE DOWNLOAD: Here.

VERBAL TAP (Episode 184) Kevin Visits LA