BJJ Mental Models

This week we're joined by Giles Garcia!  Giles is the head coach at Ronin Grappling in Glasgow, Scotland.  In this episode, Giles explains why it's so important that coaches help their students simplify their thinking surrounding Jiu-Jitsu.

Follow Giles on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/el_guanche

Train with Giles at Ronin Grappling:
https://roningrappling.com/

Learn from Giles onl...

This week we're joined by Stuart Cooper!  Stuart is best known for his incredible Jiu-Jitsu documentaries, but he's also an outstanding black belt with a deadly guard passing game.  In this episode, Stuart joins us to discuss some of the best styles and strategies for passing the guard.

Follow Stuart on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/stuartcooperfilms

Subscribe to Stuart's YouTube channel:...

We're giving you a bonus episode because yesterday's release was an April Fools' Day joke. 🤣

This episode is the second in a new BJJ Mental Models Premium series: Grappling With Confidence.  In this episode, we're joined by breakout star and 2023 ADCC European champion Jozef Chen!  Jozef discusses the importance of confidence for building resilience, the challenges faced by high-profile grapplers, and ...

This week we're joined again by Priit Mihkelson, formerly of Defensive BJJ!  In this episode, Priit shares some shocking news: he is abandoning his study of defensive Jiu-Jitsu.  We discuss Priit's new focus on 100% offensive BJJ, including topics such as: flash submissions, attacking from inside the guard, winning by injury stoppage, and biting mechanics.

Follow Priit on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/...

This week we're joined by Mike Jaramillo!  Mike is John Danaher's first black belt and the advanced no gi instructor at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York.  In this episode, Mike discusses Jiu-Jitsu's power as a "happy pill" to enhance mental health, combat depression, and bring people together.

Follow Mike on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mikejaramillo_bjj

Follow The Happy Pi...

This episode was originally for BJJ Mental Models Premium subscribers, but you're getting it for free!  The Highest Levels is a BJJMM Premium podcast on peak performance hosted by Emily Kwok and Joe Hannan.  In this episode, Emily is joined by arguably the greatest pound-for-pound grappler in the history of the sport, Marcelo Garcia.  I really don't have any words to describe this one - give it a listen.

Follow M...

This week we're joined again by Emily Kwok!  Emily is a peak performance consultant and multi-time BJJ black belt world champion representing Marcelo Garcia.  In this episode, Emily introduces polarity mapping: a powerful tool for understanding nuance and breaking through either/or thinking.  We discuss polarities in Jiu-Jitsu, such as: tension/slack, fast/slow, retraction/extension, holding on/letting go, and concepts/techniq...

This week we're joined again by Rob Biernacki!  Fresh off winning his first world championship at 2023 IBJJF No Gi Worlds in the masters 4 black belt middleweight division, Rob joins us to unveil a new submission he's been developing for the past year: the roadhouse choke.  It's a modified throat post choke that Rob recently used successfully in competition, and it's surprisingly legal under most rulesets.
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We make a LOT of educational Jiu-Jitsu content here at BJJ Mental Models!  Whether you're into our free resources or a BJJMM Premium subscriber, here's a playbook on how to best use ALL our content to become a better grappler.

Watch this on YouTube to see the visuals:
https://youtu.be/4vbreoHjVR8

Here's a link to the course mentioned in this episode:
https://bit.ly/436VPrb


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This week we're joined by David Porter!  David is a black belt under Pedro Sauer and manages XCAL Martial Arts in Ashburn, Virginia.  In this episode, David discusses the importance of choosing your coaching language carefully.  David shares best practices such as: focusing on evergreen mechanics, clarity in language, aligning with student goals, avoiding complacency, and naming conventions.

Follow David on Instagram...

This week we're joined by black belt and Yoga for BJJ founder Sebastian Brosche!  Sebastian joins us to break down one of our favorite strategies: position as submission.  The meta is increasingly evolving to appreciate the importance of submission-level pressure.  In this episode, we explain why that is and how to do it.

Follow Sebastian on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/yogaforbjj

Subscribe to Yog...

This week, Brother Matt joins us again to break down common Jiu-Jitsu mistakes such as failing to regulate tension, failing to fight for the inside channel, failing to manage the distance, failing to set goals, believing your coach knows everything, and failing to clear your trademark with JT Torres.

Follow Matt on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/onguardbjj

Join the On Guard BJJ Online Academy:
https:...

This week we're joined again by Kristina Barlaan!  Kristina is a black belt under Caio Terra, and is a passionate advocate for mental health in the Jiu-Jitsu community.  In this episode, Kristina joins us to speak candidly about her personal experiences with high-functioning anxiety as a Jiu-Jitsu coach and athlete.

Follow Kristina on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kbjiujitsu

Email Kristina:
kri...

This week we're joined again by Jeff Shaw!  Jeff is the head instructor at Bellingham BJJ and the co-creator of the "Creating Gym Culture" series on BJJ Mental Models Premium.  In this episode, Jeff joins us to break down the 3 Joint Rule: a critical mental model for understanding how to control your opponent's limbs.

Follow Jeff and Bellingham BJJ on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jeffmshaw

This week we're joined again by Josh "Kintanon" Wentworth!  Josh joins us to break down a powerful and underloved position: the honey badger.  This is effectively when you "turtle" inside your opponent's guard and dig for a double under or stack pass.  It's an amazing tactic for opening and passing the guard, especially against larger opponents.

Follow Josh on Instagram:
https://www.i...

This week we're joined by Edwin "Junny" Ocasio!  Fresh off his first world championship win, Junny joins us to expand on a conversation he had with Emily Kwok on The Highest Levels (an ongoing BJJMM Premium podcast).

In this episode, Junny explains how he thinks about optimization, when to dig deeper into optimizing an area of his game, and how to avoid over-optimizing.

Follow Junny on Instagram:

This week we're joined again by Greg Souders!  In this episode, Greg joins us to bust some common Jiu-Jitsu myths, including: the "win or learn" debate, why teaching with "training wheels" doesn't work, the problem with instructionals, and whether belts matter.

Follow Greg and Standard Jiu-Jitsu on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/gdsouders
https://www.instagram.com/standardjiujits...

This week we're joined by Alec Baulding!  Alec is a black belt under Romero Cavalcanti, an accomplished competitor, and a reputed YouTube content creator.  In this episode, Alec shares his thoughts on the journey from Jiu-Jitsu student to teacher.

Subscribe to Alec's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/AlecBaulding

Follow Alec on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/alecbaulding

G...

This week we're joined again by Erin Herle!  Erin is a black belt under Rubens Charles "Cobrinha" and is the founder of #SubmitTheStigma.  She's also a mental performance consultant with a Master of Science in Sport and Performance Psychology, which is relevant to our topic of conversation today.

In this episode, Erin talks about mental toughness.  She explains how mental toughness is an attribute you c...