BJJ Mental Models

In this engaging conversation, newly promoted black belt Amanda Bruse shares her journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and insights into overcoming competition anxiety. She discusses personal strategies for transforming fear into excitement and the benefits of mental preparation. Amanda highlights the role of structured routines and pre-competition playlists as performance triggers, emphasizing the power of 'acting as if' to foster confidence. Listeners will love her practical tips on breath control and mindfulness to enhance emotional regulation in competitive settings.

This week we're joined again by BJJMM team member and fan favorite Margot Ciccarelli!  They call her "The Nomadic Mars" for a reason: Margot has lived the nomadic lifestyle and has trained at gyms all around the world.  In this episode, Margot shares her tips for becoming a world-class athlete from anywhere in the world.Follow Margot on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/margotciccarelli/Get coaching from Margot:https://margotciccarelli.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Intentionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/intention/Idea Communismhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/idea-communism/Feedback Loophttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/Growth Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-mindset/Keep Your Identity Smallhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-your-identity-small/Scientific Methodhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/scientific-method/Investing in Losshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss/Plus, Minus, Equalshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/plus-minus-equals/Concepts Over Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques/Raise the Level in the Roomhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/raise-the-level-in-the-room/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we're joined by Taylor Biagi!  Taylor is the founder and head instructor at Taylor Biagi Jiu Jitsu in Chicago.  In this episode, Steve and Taylor talk about how instructors learn, and how their learning journey is different from that of a student.Follow Taylor on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/taylorbiagibjj/Taylor's website:https://taylorbiagijiujitsu.com/Taylor's email:info@taylorbiagijiujitsu.comResources referenced in this podcast:The Danaher Diaries, by Heroes of the Arthttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B087MD1M33Ep. 214: Mental Performance Coaching, feat. Justin Su'ahttps://bjj.plus/214Ep. 207: The Kaboom Kids BJJ Framework, feat. Kabir Bathhttps://bjj.plus/207Mental models discussed in this episode:Raise the Level in the Roomhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/raise-the-level-in-the-room/First Principleshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/first-principles/Concepts Over Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques/Naming Conceptshttps://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/naming-concepts/Incremental Learninghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/incremental-learning/Train With Purposehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/train-with-purpose/Training Handicapshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/training-handicaps/Growth Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-mindset/Mental Gatekeepinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mental-gatekeeping/Curse of Knowledgehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/curse-of-knowledge/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we're joined by Jorgen Matsi!  Jorgen is an Estonian BJJ black belt with a background in sports psychology.  In this episode, Jorgen explains how coaches and students can use incentive systems and triggers to direct skill development.Book referenced in this episode:Applying Educational Psychology in Coaching Athletes, by Jeffrey J. Huberhttps://amzn.to/3H6ZsUUWatch Jorgen teach on BJJ Globetrotters in Action:https://bit.ly/3ZIm1q4Follow Jorgen on social media:https://www.instagram.com/jorgenmatsi/https://www.facebook.com/jorgenmatsi/https://twitter.com/jorgenmatsiJorgen's gym in Estonia, Spordiklubi Võimla:https://voimla.ee/Mental models discussed in this episode:Ecological Psychologyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-psychology/Constraints-Led Approachhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach/Investing in Losshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss/Inversionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/inversion/Train With Purposehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/train-with-purpose/Goodhart's Lawhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/goodharts-law/Feedback Loophttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/Raise the Level in the Roomhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/raise-the-level-in-the-room/Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Survivorship Biashttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/survivorship-bias/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we're joined by Justin Su'a!  Justin is the Head of Mental Performance with the Tampa Bay Rays.  In this episode, Justin draws on his world-class experience to discuss how coaches can help their athletes achieve peak performance.Follow Justin on social media:https://www.instagram.com/justinsua/https://twitter.com/Justinsuahttps://www.facebook.com/justin.sua/Books discussed in this episode:Mindset, by Carol Dweckhttps://amzn.to/3IJEXyEFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyihttps://amzn.to/3W8v8xsThe Art of Learning, by Josh Waitzkinhttps://amzn.to/3XilAkqMental models discussed in this episode:Feedback Loophttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/Resulting Fallacyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/resulting/Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Growth Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-mindset/Abundance Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/abundance-mindset/Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Flowhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/flow/Habits Over Resultshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/habits-over-results/Mental Gatekeepinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mental-gatekeeping/Building Your Triggershttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/building-your-triggers/Self-Competitionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we're joined by Lyzz "Daemonette" Mitrovic!  Fresh off winning gold in black belt masters at the 2022 IBJJF Worlds, Lyzz joins us to talk about something she (and all of us, really) battle with: perfectionism.Follow Lyzz on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ms_daemonette/Follow Lyzz on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ekfosterMental models discussed in this episode:Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Do What Workshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/do-what-works/Scientific Methodhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/scientific-method/Keep it Playfulhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful/Raise the Level in the Roomhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/raise-the-level-in-the-room/Investing in Losshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we’re joined by Jordan Preisinger!  Jordan is a BJJ black belt best known for his YouTube channel, Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu.  In this episode, Jordan shares his thoughts on scrambles, and how to do them safely.Subscribe to Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/c/JordanTeachesJiujitsuListen to Jordan's podcast, Talk-Jitsu:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1992689Follow Jordan on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jordanteachesjiujitsu/Mental models discussed in this episode:Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Grips Dictate Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-position/Microtransitionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/microtransitions/Limb Coilinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/limb-coiling/Core Mechanicshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/core-mechanics/Inside Channel Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/inside-channel-control/Concepts Over Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques/Making Smaller Circleshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/making-smaller-circles/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we’re joined by Adam Haidary!  Adam is the co-founder of Effective Fitness Combatives and the creator of the popular Instagram account PolicePosts.  In this episode, Adam shares how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be integrated with law enforcement officer (LEO) training.Effective Fitness Combatives website:https://www.efcombatives.com/Effective Fitness Combatives on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/efcombativesPolicePosts on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/policepostsEffective Fitness Combatives app:https://www.efcombatives.com/appMental models discussed in this episode:Theory of Alignment:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/theory-of-alignment/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we’re joined again by Dr. David Ley!  Dr. Ley is a Gracie Barra black belt and a leading psychotherapist in New Mexico.  In this episode, Dr. Ley gives us a primer on cognitive behavioral therapy.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an effective tool for treating anxiety, depression, and many mental health disorders. It’s also a great tool for general lifestyle and mindset improvement, and in this episode Dr. Ley shares some advice on how CBT can be beneficial to grapplers.Follow Dr. David Ley on Twitter:https://twitter.com/DrDavidLeyContact Dr. Ley through his website:https://www.davidleyphd.com/Books referenced in this episode:Atomic Habits, by James Clear:https://amzn.to/3Bnc8DBDescartes’ Error, by Antonio Damasio:https://amzn.to/3iUTr43Dummies books by Charles H. Elliott:https://amzn.to/3YdzqpkMental models discussed in this episode:Cognitive Behavioral Therapyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/Defensive Thinkinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/defensive-thinking/Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Law of Contrasthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/law-of-contrast/Technique Visualizationhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/technique-visualization/Train With Purposehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/train-with-purpose/Incremental Learninghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/incremental-learning/Growth From Discomforthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-from-discomfort/Probabilistic Thinkinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/probabilistic-thinking/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/

This week we're joined by Sheena Osborne!  Sheena is an advanced care paramedic and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.  In this episode, Sheena shares highlights from the stress management program she teaches to her fellow first responders.  It's a great dive into human factors, stress response, and performance in stressful situations.Follow Sheena on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/sheena_osborne/Follow Sheena on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/sheena.osborne.7Headspace video referenced in the podcast:https://youtu.be/iN6g2mr0p3QMental models discussed in this episode:Growth From Discomforthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-from-discomfort/Staying Loosehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/staying-loose/Myopiahttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/myopia/Stress & Recoveryhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/stress-and-recovery/Cognitive Loadhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-load/Incremental Learninghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/incremental-learning/Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Controlled Breathinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/controlled-breathing/Mental Gatekeepinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mental-gatekeeping/Cognitive Behavioral Therapyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/Emotional Contagionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/emotional-contagion/Reflecting "As If"https://bjjmentalmodels.com/reflecting-as-if/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 iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloading our strategy courseware, and working with us to optimize your game.  We do all this through memberships that come in at a fraction of the cost of a single private.Sign up here for a free trial:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/