BJJ Mental Models
Your guide to a conceptual and intelligent Jiu-Jitsu approach. BJJ black belt Steve Kwan and a slate of expert guests explain the concepts, strategies, and tactics behind the gentle art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Episodes
This week we're joined again by Rob Biernacki! Rob is the head instructor of Island Top Team and the mind behind BJJ Concepts. In this episode, Rob breaks down how he built a working no-gi version of the lasso, a position long considered gi-only. Topics include: minding the gap in no-gi grips, the inverted grip, the omoplata as a control system, wedging, and hybrid lasso guards.
Rob on Instagram:
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In this mini-episode, we discuss overwhelming force: the idea that we maximize our power by using the most of our body's weapons against the least of our opponent's.
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The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcas...
This week, we're joined again by Chris Wojcik! In this episode, Chris rebuilds his approach to the Woj Lock around a few guiding concepts instead of a catalog of techniques. Topics include: the three points of control, proximal vs. distal control, redefining what counts as fundamental, and training leg locks through games instead of memorization.
Get Woj Lock 2.0 from BJJ Fanatics:
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In this mini-episode, we discuss inertia: a concept from physics explaining that objects are resistant to changes in velocity.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
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The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your f...
This week, we're joined by Beatrice Jin! Beatrice is a black belt competing in the IBJJF top 10 at lightweight and middleweight, and she's known across jiu-jitsu social media for her whiteboard reels. In this episode, Beatrice breaks down the 90% of jiu-jitsu that has nothing to do with sparring, and why the work around the mat is what actually builds a career. Topics include: what podium finishes actually feel like, buil...
In this mini-episode, we discuss emotional contagion: a psychological and physiological concept that shows us how much our emotions and behavior impact others around us.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium!
The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast netw...
This week, we're joined by Josh McKinney! Josh is a black belt, head coach at HeadNod Jiu-Jitsu in Southern Illinois, and the host of the I Suck at Jiu-Jitsu podcast. In this episode, Josh shares a framework for self-coaching beyond getting belt promotions, and explains why submission count and belt color are the wrong yardsticks for measuring whether you're getting better. Topics include: false metrics, the over-reliance...
In this mini-episode, we discuss cognitive load: our brain's working memory (like computer RAM), and how to manage it so we can learn jiu-jitsu more effectively.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium!
The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast networ...
This week, we're joined by returning champion Ryan Rich and first-timer Max Corteggiano! Ryan is a third-degree black belt who owns Granite Bay Jiu-Jitsu in California and was one of the early adopters of the constraints-led approach, and Max is a first-degree black belt from France who runs BJJ Flowcharts. In this episode, Ryan and Max break down what they've learned from building BJJ Games together, a project focused on...
In this mini-episode, we discuss double trouble, a concept popularized by John Danaher. Double trouble teaches us that to fully control a near-side limb, we must also control a far-side limb.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
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The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our...
This week, we're joined by Drew Foster! Drew is a black belt and coach at Elevate MMA in Durham, North Carolina, chief of staff at PGF, and host of State of the Meta on BJJ Mental Models Premium. In this episode, Drew breaks down the "double tap:" attacking a submission, releasing it, then re-attacking right when their defenses drop. Topics include: the double tap, pattern interrupts, the porcupine strategy, and the ...
In this mini-episode, we discuss head position, or how to tell if your head and neck are at risk in jiu-jitsu. We use a 3-point framework to determine if our head is safe:
- Avoid constriction (be safe from squeezing),
- Avoid impact (be safe from blunt force trauma), and
- Avoid broken posture (be safe from neck misalignment).
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintr...
This week, we're joined by Alex Sterner! Alex is a black belt and the owner of Electrum Performance in San Diego, where he coaches strength and conditioning for jiu-jitsu and combat sports athletes. In this episode, Alex breaks down the psychology of injury rehab and the Stockdale Paradox: the marriage of optimism about recovery with brutal acceptance of where you actually are right now. Topics include: pain as a feature, the ...
In this mini-episode, we discuss "cracking the whip:" an external cue for better understanding the relationship between tension and slack in jiu-jitsu.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium!
The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, onl...
This week, we've got a panel! Chris Round is the head judo instructor at High Noon in Alexandria, Virginia, and a judo and BJJ black belt who coaches athletes on the IJF tour. Isa Friedlander is a former Team USA judoka, a brown belt at Unity, and coaches judo at The Dojo in Bushwick and at Unity in Manhattan. In this episode, Chris and Isa break down foot sweeps and trips for grapplers, tied to their new instructional with MA...
In this mini-episode, we explain constant and variable tension, and the pros and cons of each in jiu-jitsu.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
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The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free:<...
This week, we're joined by Heather Morgan! Heather is a jiu-jitsu black belt, competitor-turned-coach, and content creator based in San Diego who teaches in person at the Collective in Ocean Beach and online to students worldwide. In this episode, Heather shares how she coaches students to find their own game rather than copying hers, and why making people feel capable is the real job of a teacher. Topics include: developing i...
In this mini-episode, we explain the concept of open knowledge and when information should be kept secret, charged for, or shared freely.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium!
The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much ...
This week, we're joined by Justin Relph! Justin is a self-described die-hard hobbyist, event marketer, and the black belt coach behind Jiu Jitsu Invermere, a not-for-profit gym in the mountains of British Columbia. In this episode, Justin shares his experience building community through jiu-jitsu in a small resort town, and we revisit the concept of third places: the social spaces beyond home and work that so many of us are mi...
In our 100th mini-episode, we explain the golden rule, also known as the ethic of reciprocity or the "do unto others" principle. In our opinion, despite not being explicitly about grappling, the golden rule is the most important mental model for jiu-jitsu.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premi...
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