BJJ Mental Models

Here's a freebie for all of you loyal listeners: the first 30 minutes of the BJJ Mental Models Gamplanning Series!The Gameplanning Series is the first full course we made for BJJ Mental Models Premium.  This 7-part series walks you through the process of building a Jiu-Jitsu gameplan using the mental models we talk about on the show.  Enjoy the first 30 minutes of this course, on us.To get the full course, as well as the other awesome perks available to Premium subscribers, check out BJJ Mental Models Premium:https://premium.bjjmentalmodels.com/

This week we're joined by Rebecca "Beans" Hughes!  Rebecca is best known for her hit online BJJ coaching course, Camp Nebula.  In this episode, Rebecca shares her tips for building a thriving career in Jiu-Jitsu, even if you're not a black belt or world champion.Check out Rebecca's coaching at Camp Nebula:https://campnebula.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Idea Communismhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/idea-communism/Plus Minus Equalshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/plus-minus-equals/Do What Workshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/do-what-works/Feedback Loophttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/Inertiahttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/inertia/Teach to Learnhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/teach-to-learn/Race to the Bottomhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/race-to-the-bottom/Respect People, Not Positionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/respect-people-not-positions/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://premium.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/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/⚠️ NEW course from BJJ Mental Models!MINDSET FOR BETAS, our new Jiu-Jitsu audio course with Rob Biernacki, is now available on BJJ Mental Models Premium! For a limited time, get your first month FREE at:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beta

Note: this episode has been replaced.  Please listen to the audio for an important message.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://premium.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/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/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 Matt Skaff!  Matt is a 10th Planet black belt who specializes in the anaconda choke.  The anaconda is powerful because it's not just a choke: it's a powerful positional system with a lot of submission options.Matt's key advice for the anaconda:Don't squeeze too early!Don't go deep too early: you don't want them to control your elbow.Use your lat for power: pinch your elbows to your core.Grab your tricep, not your bicep.  Internally rotate your thumb down.Before you gator roll, pull them back and sprawl at 45°.Listen to Matt's Skaff on The Grappling Discourse:https://anchor.fm/matt-skaffVideos referenced in this episode:Rafael Mendes vs. André Galvãohttps://youtu.be/7-F9PksNNIoRafael Mendes anaconda chokehttps://youtu.be/Nw2xfELw4wcMental models discussed in this episode:Single vs. Double Lever Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/single-vs-double-lever-control/Committed Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/committed-techniques/Position Over Submissionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/position-over-submission/Predictable Responseshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/predictable-responses/Technique Chaininghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/technique-chaining/Kinetic Chainshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/kinetic-chains/3 Joint Rulehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/3-joint-rule/Myopiahttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/myopia/Overwhelming Forcehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/overwhelming-force/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://premium.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/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/Follow us on social:⚠️ NEW course from BJJ Mental Models!MINDSET FOR BETAS, our new Jiu-Jitsu audio course with Rob Biernacki, is now available on BJJ Mental Models Premium! For a limited time, get your first month FREE at:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beta

This week, we're joined by Drew Weatherhead from Because Jitsu!  Drew shares his best practices for transmission of knowledge and efficient learning.Book referenced in this episode:Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahnemanhttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374533557Find Drew online at:Drew Weatherhead Jiu-Jitsuhttps://drewjitsuonline.comBecause Jitsuhttps://www.instagram.com/because_jitsuMental models discussed in this episode:Concepts vs. Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-vs-techniques/Form to Leave Formhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/form-to-leave-form/Teach to Learnhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/teach-to-learn/Cognitive Loadhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-load/Theory of Alignmenthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/theory-of-alignment/Economy of Motionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion/Cognitive Dissonancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-dissonance/Beginner's Mindhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/beginners-mind/Path of Least Resistancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/path-of-least-resistance/3 Joint Rulehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/3-joint-rule/Alignment Over Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/alignment-over-position/Respect People, Not Positionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/respect-people-not-positions/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://premium.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/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/Follow us⚠️ NEW course from BJJ Mental Models!MINDSET FOR BETAS, our new Jiu-Jitsu audio course with Rob Biernacki, is now available on BJJ Mental Models Premium! For a limited time, get your first month FREE at:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beta

This week we're joined by Phrost, the founder of Bullshido.  You probably know Bullshido as one of the internet's best resources for debunking fake martial arts, fake news, and other bullshit.  In this episode, Phrost shares his toolkit for inoculating yourself against bullshit.Phrost's advice:Enforce the burden of proof.Avoid dichotomous (black and white) thinking.Keep your identity small.Trust data, not anecdotes.Beware of those promising certainty.Understand that imperfect solutions are still useful.You can have too much of a good thing.It's easier to guard your mind from bullshit than to get it out later.You have to give a shit about the truth.Beware confirmation bias: is it true, or do you want it to be true?Check your sources, and then check the checks on those sources.Biased does not equal false.Asking for money does not immediately make you a scammer.Don't assume an edge case applies to the whole.Mental models discussed in this episode:Keep Your Identity Smallhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-your-identity-small/Probabilistic Thinkinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/probabilistic-thinking/Marginal Gainshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/marginal-gains/Certainty Biashttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/certainty-bias/Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Confirmation Biashttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/confirmation-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/premium/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/join/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/⚠️ NEW course from BJJ Mental Models!MINDSET FOR BETAS, our new Jiu-Jitsu audio course with Rob Biernacki, is now available on BJJ Mental Models Premium! For a limited time, get your first month FREE at:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beta

This week, we're joined by Erin Herle!  Erin is a black belt under Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles, an elite competitor, and the founder of #submitthestigma, a mental health awareness organization for grapplers. Learn more about #submitthestigma here:https://www.submitthestigma.org/This episode references the book Mindset, by Carol Dweck:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345472322Mental models discussed in this episode:Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Growth Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-mindset/Incremental Learninghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/incremental-learning/Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Habits Over Resultshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/habits-over-results/Dictate the Pacehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/dictate-the-pace/Growth from Discomforthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-from-discomfort/Table Selectionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/table-selection/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/premium/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/join/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/⚠️ NEW course from BJJ Mental Models!MINDSET FOR BETAS, our new Jiu-Jitsu audio course with Rob Biernacki, is now available on BJJ Mental Models Premium! For a limited time, get your first month FREE at:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beta

This week, Steve and Matt do a super detailed breakdown of wedges: a core mechanic of Jiu-Jitsu that's critical to offense.  Frames and wedges have a lot in common, but frames are primarily used for defense, whereas wedges are primarily used for offense.  If you liked our prior conversation on frames, you'll love this one on wedges.Mental models discussed in this episode:Core Mechanicshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/core-mechanics/Inside Channel Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/inside-channel-control/Kinetic Chainshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/kinetic-chains/Double Troublehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/double-trouble/Choking Mechanicshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/choking-mechanics/Breaking Mechanicshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/breaking-mechanics/Direct vs. Proxy Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/direct-vs-proxy-control/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/premium/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/join/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/Follow us on social:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/⚠️ NEW course from BJJ Mental Models!MINDSET FOR BETAS, our new Jiu-Jitsu audio course with Rob Biernacki, is now available on BJJ Mental Models Premium! For a limited time, get your first month FREE at:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beta

Newly minted black belt Margot Ciccarelli discusses her philosophy of movement vocabulary in Jiu-Jitsu. She argues that movement is a form of communication and explores the vocabulary used in BJJ. Topics include controlling breathing, staying loose, and the fusion of house dance and Jiu Jitsu.

This week, we're joined by one of our most often requested guests: Sonny Brown!  Sonny, also known as "that other BJJ podcast guy," is working on a kesa gatame instructional.  He joins us to share core concepts on this underutilized position.We debunk common kesa gatame misconceptions:"They'll just take my back""They'll just bridge me over""They'll just push my head into an armbar or crucifix""Kesa gatame is only for big guys""Once you get into kesa gatame, you’re stuck there."Critical control points for kesa gatame:Keep your legs at a 90° angle to block the bridgeKeep their near-side elbow off the matBring your opponent's chin to your chest.Don’t lean your head over to their far side.Mental models discussed in this episode:Do What Workshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/do-what-works/Predictable Responseshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/predictable-responses/Theory of Alignmenthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/theory-of-alignment/Surface Areahttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/surface-area/Shifting Platformshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/shifting-platforms/Critical Control Pointshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/critical-control-points/Center of Gravityhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/center-of-gravity/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.Our premium offerings are powered by Patreon.  Sign up here:https://patreon.com/bjjmentalmodels/Need more BJJ Mental Models?Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our mailing list:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/join/Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/Let them know you're an educated grappler with our merch:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/store/Get the latest BJJ Mental Models updates from Facebook:https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/Music by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com/⚠️ NEW course from BJJ Mental Models!MINDSET FOR BETAS, our new Jiu-Jitsu audio course with Rob Biernacki, is now available on BJJ Mental Models Premium! For a limited time, get your first month FREE at:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beta