Inside My Conversation with Eugene: The Jiu Jitsu Therapist

Jul 7

This month's podcast episode was a good one. I sat down with Eugene Tsutsik, physical therapist, jiu jitsu black belt, founder of The Jiu Jitsu Therapist, and co-host of the Chewjitsu podcast. Eugene has a very unique view of jiu jitsu where his clinical knowledge meets real time on the mats. We covered a lot, and I wanted to give you a few tidbits to chew on (like what I did there) before you listen to the whole thing.

Fingers take forever, and most of us don't respect that

We both nerded out on hand injuries. I shared my own volar plate injury that still hurts and swells two months later, and Eugene broke down mallet finger and why you have to keep it splinted straight for six weeks. Let the tip droop even once during healing and you start the clock over. His prevention advice for keeping your hands from getting mangled? Vary your grips, ditch the death grip, tape fingers, and get good at letting go and re-gripping before your fingers pay the price.

"They don't hurt until they do"

This line stuck with me. Eugene and I talked leg locks, and we agreed the danger isn't the technique, it's not knowing when you're in trouble. He told a story about hearing a training partner's knee tear from a straight ankle lock, not even a rotational one, because the guy panicked and spun out instead of tapping. Knowledge of the position is the safety mechanism. That's why we both teach leg locks early, even to white belts.

"Cleared" is not the same as ready

One of my favorite parts of the episode. Most doctors and PTs tell a grappler they're "cleared" the same way they'd clear anyone, but jiu jitsu has demands no standard rehab protocol prepares you for. Can you sit on your heels? Roll to your shoulders? Get stacked and stay calm under load? Eugene's whole niche is closing that gap between traditional PT and returning to the mats safely. If your rehab provider has never been stacked in someone's guard (or doesn’t know what that means), they may be missing the full picture.

Longevity is built off the mat

Eugene is 42 with two kids and still training with intention. His formula: two to three focused sessions a week, strength training three days a week, and rotational joint work most people completely neglect. His big message on longevity, especially for the bendy young athletes, was simple. Just because you can eat a submission doesn't mean you should. Let your joints get hyperextended and tugged on for years and you're trading away your time on the mats later.

Final Thoughts – Listen to the full episode

We got into so much more… cervical radiculopathy, return to sport testing, why he trains the way he does, and plenty of stories. If you train, coach, or are working your way back from an injury, this one is worth your time.

New episodes of the Dr. Jiu Jitsu podcast drop the first Friday of every month. Go give this one a listen, and let me know what resonated.

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Dr. Megan Lisset Jimenez