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
551 episodes
Ep. 408: Intention-Led Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Rob Cole
This week, we're joined by Rob Cole! Rob has been training martial arts for over 35 years, 25 of them focused on grappling, and he coaches at Ascension Athletics in Connecticut, where he runs his practice through the ecological dynamics ...
Mini Ep. 123: Differential Learning
In this mini-episode, we explain differential learning: a training approach used in sports proposing that motor skills are learned by varying how the movement is executed rather than trying to get it identical every time.
Ep. 407: Day Zero Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Jesse Walker & Shelby York
This week, we're joined by Jesse Walker and Shelby York! Jesse and Shelby own Rough Hands BJJ in Louisville, Kentucky, a gym of about 200 students with an unusually high number of women and older grapplers (the average student is ...
Mini Ep. 122: Gamification
In this mini-episode, we explain gamification: the practice of adding game-like elements to something in order to motivate a certain type of behavior. It's a concept from software design with elements of applied psychology and is used fo...
Ep. 406: The Problem of Leadership, feat. Barbara Ruiken & Giles Garcia
This week, we're joined by Barbara Ruiken and Giles Garcia! Barbara is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and the new head coach at Bergen Grappling in Norway, and she wrote her political science master's thesis on power and politic...
Mini Ep. 121: Constraints-Led Approach
In this mini-episode, we explain constraints-led approach (CLA) in simple terms, and how it impacts your jiu-jitsu training.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
Ep. 405: Solving Procrastination, feat. Itamar Shatz
This week, we're joined by Itamar Shatz! Itamar is a jiu-jitsu black belt and a Cambridge University researcher whose new book, Solving Procrastination, is published by Penguin Random House. In this episode, Itamar explains w...
Mini Ep. 120: Ecological Dynamics
In this mini-episode, we explain ecological dynamics in simple terms, why it's misunderstood, and how it impacts your jiu-jitsu training.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
Ep. 404: Cross-Grip Passing, feat. Rosie Miller & Jeff Shaw
Jeff Shaw is guest hosting this week, and he's joined by Rosie Miller! Rosie is a jiu-jitsu educator known for explaining complicated positions in plain language. In this episode, Rosie walks through how the cross-grip pass works,...
Mini Ep. 119: Trading Up
In this mini-episode, we discuss trading up: the strategic importance of getting more than you give in any jiu-jitsu exchange.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
Ep. 403: Learning from Kids Class, feat. Brennan Strimple
This week, we're joined again by Brennan Strimple! Brennan and his wife founded Rochester Jiu Jitsu in 2014, and almost all of their kids classes are taught by black belts. In this episode, Brennan explains why kids don't grapple like adults, a...
Mini Ep. 118: Labeling
In this mini-episode, we discuss labeling: the practice of attaching a name, category, or descriptor to something in order to make it easier to identify and understand.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:<...
Ep. 402: Dichotomies of Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Charles Harriott
This week, we're joined by Charles Harriott! Charles has been doing martial arts since he was four years old, and after years of traveling the world teaching seminars for BJJ Globetrotters and BJJ Fanatics, he recently opened his own gym, Lofi ...
Mini Ep. 117: Mnemonics
In this mini-episode, we discuss mnemonics: memory shortcuts that help you remember what you learned in jiu-jitsu class.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
Ep. 401: Escaping Positions, feat. Rosie Miller
This week, we're joined by returning guest Rosie Miller! Rosie is a black belt out of San Diego who built a following teaching jiu-jitsu beginners the things she wishes she'd known at white belt. In this episode, Rosie explains why survival has...
Mini Ep. 116: Mental Gatekeeping
In this mini-episode, we discuss mental gatekeeping: the practice of guarding your mind against negative thinking and low-quality information.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
Ep. 400: Always Timeless, feat. Rafael Lovato Jr.
This week, for our 400th episode, we're joined by Rafael Lovato Jr.! Rafael is a multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion, a former Bellator middleweight MMA champion, and the creator of the Timeless Jiu-Jitsu philosophy. In this episode, Rafael ...
Mini Ep. 115: Incremental Learning
In this mini-episode, we discuss incremental learning: the practice of breaking down a new concept to learn it piece by piece.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
Ep. 399: Breaking Through Plateaus, feat. Giles Garcia
This week, we're joined by Giles Garcia! Giles is a black belt competitor and the head coach and owner of Ronin Grappling in Glasgow, Scotland. In this episode, Giles explains how to break through training plateaus: how to spot one, how to name...
Mini Ep. 114: Goodhart's Law
In this mini-episode, we discuss Goodhart's Law: when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to become a good measure.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:...
Ep. 398: Old Bastard Sweeps, feat. Mike Mahaffey
This week, we're joined by Mike Mahaffey! Mike is a second-degree black belt under Chris Haueter, best known for his Old Bastard Jiu-Jitsu style: a conservative approach built for older and less athletic grapplers. In this episode, Mike explain...
Mini Ep. 113: Availability Heuristic
In this mini-episode, we discuss the availability heuristic: a mental bias toward information that is easy to recall.Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:...
Ep. 397: Risk Management in BJJ, feat. Jake Luigi
This week, we're joined again by Jake Luigi! Jake is a jiu-jitsu analyst who made his name studying professional match footage, and he runs OutlierDB, an analytics database for grappling. In this episode, Jake lays out a three-part framework fo...
Mini Ep. 112: Coiling
In this mini-episode, we discuss coiling, or retracting your limbs and neck. It denies access to our body's vulnerable levers and positions us to explosively generate force.Staying coiled is a smart "default" position if you're n...
Ep. 396: Relative Strength, feat. Will Weisser
This week, we're joined by Will Weisser! Will is a jiu-jitsu black belt, co-founder of the competition-tracking site JiuJitsu.net, and author of the new book Scientific Jiu-Jitsu: A Unified Theory of Grappling. In this episode, Will lays out th...