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 by the founders of Inverted Gear: Hillary Witt and Nelson Puentes! Three years ago, Hillary and Nelson took the Inverted Gear brand beyond Jiu-Jitsu equipment and opened a physical academy in Pennsylvania! In this episode, Hillary and Nelson share key lessons learned from their journey into academy ownership.
Follow Inverted Gear on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/invertedgear
In this week's mini-episode we discuss shifting platforms, wherein you as the bottom player use continuous movement to prevent your opponent from fully establishing their base on top of you. Moving away from big, explosive escape attempts and toward smaller, continuous movement makes a huge difference in your success from bottom positions.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://...
This week we're joined again by Erin Herle! In this episode, Erin introduces the PLAY framework and explains why humor is a fundamental element of good culture and learning.
Follow Erin on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/erinherle/
Get Erin's new book, If You’re Not Laughing, You’re Losing:
https://amzn.to/4jP5x8K
Work with Erin:
https://www.erinherle.com/
http://highmentalp...
In this week's mini-episode we explain the importance of technique chaining, and why "Jiu-Jitsu is the space between the techniques."
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
Don't forget to check out BJJ Mental Models Premium!
If you love the podcast, you'll definitely love our premium membership offerings. T...
This week we're joined by two BJJMM alumni: Josh Vogel and Dr. Mike Israetel! In this episode, Josh and Mike discuss the unique way they build gameplans at The Jiu-Jitsu Company.
Follow Josh and Mike on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/joshrvogel
https://www.instagram.com/drmikeisraetel
Subscribe to Josh and Mike on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@thejiujitsucompany
https://www.youtube.c...
In this week's mini-episode we explain the phases of passing: disentangle, control, pass.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Mini Ep. 49: Phases of Guard
https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/episodes/16950582-mini-ep-49-phases-of-guard
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
Don't forget to check out BJ...
This week we're joined by Nick Volpe! Nick is the black belt head coach at Dark Bear Jiu-Jitsu in Staten Island, New York. In this episode, Nick explains how he makes Jiu-Jitsu coaching accessible to students and coaches of all experience levels. Topics include: self-organized learning, teaching the "why" behind techniques, the importance of timing, creating objectives that guide student progress, and layered difficu...
In this week's mini-episode we explain the phases of guard, as taught by Rob Biernacki: engagement, maintenance, and retention.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
BJJMM Ep. 16: Guard Series: Engagement Phase
https://bjj.plus/16
BJJMM Ep. 17: Guard Series: Engagement Phase
https://bjj.plus/17
BJJMM Ep. 18: Guard Series: Engagement Phase
https://bjj.plus/18
Get our ...
This week we're joined by Mo Black! As of this writing, Mo is a reigning champion at Main Character Jiu-Jitsu and an instructor at Tabula Rasa BJJ in Colorado Springs. In this episode, Mo shares key concepts behind one of her favorite Jiu-Jitsu skills: half guard passing.
Follow Mo on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mo.jiujitsu
Train with Mo at Tabula Rasa BJJ in Colorado:
https://tabsbjj.com/
In this week's mini-episode we explain kaizen, a Japanese concept translating roughly to "continuous improvement."
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
Don't forget to check out BJJ Mental Models Premium!
If you love the podcast, you'll definitely love our premium membership offerings. The podcast is truly just...
In this bonus emergency episode, we're joined by legendary Jiu-Jitsu instructor Stephan Kesting to discuss the immediate dangers of the lapel guard position, why it is so harmful, and why the IBJJF must ban it immediately.
Don't forget to check out BJJ Mental Models Premium!
If you love the podcast, you'll definitely love our premium membership offerings. The podcast is truly just the tip of the ice...
This week we're joined by Noah Shaffner and Greg Souders from Standard Jiu-Jitsu in Maryland! Noah shares his unique perspective as a competitor trained exclusively under the constraints-led approach (CLA) since he began grappling in 2021, while Greg describes Noah's journey from his coach's perspective.
Follow Noah on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/noahshaffner/
Follow Greg on Instagram:<...
In this week's mini-episode we explain investing in loss, a learning mindset often attributed to Tai Chi and other internal martial arts. In his excellent book The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin discusses the concept and its relevance to the martial arts. Investing in loss means reframing our thinking to view failure as an investment in our skill development, rather than as a loss.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio cou...
This week we're joined by Paul Kindzia, a BJJ black belt under Emily Kwok training out of Atlanta, Georgia. Most notably, he's a "homeschooled" black belt who carved out his own path in the art. Paul now trains out of a private gym, "The Bunker," that he built in his home. In this episode, Paul discusses how "rolling from home" has allowed him to take total ownership of who he trains with and...
In this week's mini-episode, we explain beginner's mind! Known in Zen Buddhism as shoshin (初心), beginner's mind is a concept present in belief systems, philosophies, psychology, and martial arts. It teaches us to approach every learning opportunity with the curiosity and humility of a beginner. It's a mindset that helps us shelf the ego, focus on skill development, and better enjoy our training.
Get our...
This week we're joined by Dr. Michael Israetel! Mike is a PhD in sport physiology and newly minted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Josh Vogel. In this episode, Mike teaches the intricacies of training intensity in Jiu-Jitsu. Topics include: the different intensity zones (light, moderate, and hard), their respective roles in skill acquisition, training intensity during competition preparation, training strategies among par...
In this week's mini-episode, we explain spaced repetition! This concept helps us set a dynamic schedule for how frequently we should review old material to maximize our ability to recall information.
Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro
Don't forget to check out BJJ Mental Models Premium!
If you love the podcast, you'll ...
In this episode, legendary Jiu-Jitsu instructor Stephan Kesting joins us to discuss the concept of perseverance. It's both a critical mental model for success in martial arts, and also the title of his new Amazon best-selling book, Perseverance: Life and Death in the Subarctic. Stephan shares his remarkable journey following a health crisis that led to kidney failure and transplant in 2015, his 1000-mile solo canoe trip throug...
In this week's mini-episode, we explain effortful retrieval! It's a concept from cognitive psychology proposing we can improve our ability to recall information — a critical skill during live rolling — by creating a recall practice that forces our brains to work.
For more information on effortful retrieval, check out:
BJJMM Ep. 287: Automatic Grappling, feat. Cal McDonald
https://bjj.plus/287
This week we're joined again by Rob Biernacki! Rob shares advice for getting the most out of BJJ gym drop-ins, seminars, and camps. Topics include the importance of prior communication before attending, safety and etiquette during training, addressing issues with aggressive partners, the mindset needed to ensure a positive experience, and Island Top Team's visiting student program.
Contact Rob regarding his vis...
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