BJJ Mental Models
by Steve Kwan
Latest episode
Mini Ep. 132: Conceptual Thinking
Mini Ep. 132: Conceptual Thinking
About this podcast
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
The newest 50 of 568 episodes
- Mini Ep. 132: Conceptual Thinking · 9 minIn this mini-episode, we explain conceptual thinking: its origins in jiu-jitsu, why it matters, and how it balances with learning jiu-jitsu as a series of step-by-step…
- Ep. 416: Going Pro Without Going Broke, feat. Corey Guitard · 53 min · Episode 416This week, we're joined by Corey Guitard! Corey is a black belt under Louis Ho and now runs Main Quest BJJ in Calgary, where six of his students have medaled in the adult…
- Mini Ep. 131: The Protégé Effect · 7 minIn this mini-episode, we explain the protégé effect, and why teaching is one of the best ways to learn. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE…
- Ep. 415: What’s the Point of a Coach?, feat. Priit Mihkelson · 1 h 4 min · Episode 415This week, we're joined by Priit Mihkelson! Priit is an Estonian black belt and co-owner of Estum Jiu-Jitsu in Tallinn, with 26 years of jiu-jitsu behind him. In this episode…
- Mini Ep. 130: First Principles · 8 minIn this mini-episode, we explain first principles: how we can repeatedly ask "why" to uncover simple and foundation truths so we can better understand jiu-jitsu. Get our Intro to…
- Ep. 414: The One-Hour Problem, feat. Kyvann Gonzalez · 56 min · Episode 414This week, we're joined by Kyvann Gonzalez! Kyvann is the head coach and co-owner of Bodega Jiu Jitsu in Maplewood, NJ, where he builds his classes around games and live training…
- Mini Ep. 129: Handicapping · 6 minIn this mini-episode, we explain handicapping: how we can physically and strategically reduce our performance to get the most out of each training round. Get our Intro to…
- Ep. 413: Technique Sequencing, feat. Marc Ste-Marie · 59 min · Episode 413This week, we're joined by Marc Ste-Marie! Marc is a second-degree black belt with Brazilian Top Team who has been grappling since the late 80s, coaches kids and adult classes…
- Mini Ep. 128: Survivorship Bias · 6 minIn this mini-episode, we explain survivorship bias: a logical error where we overstudy those who were successful, but understudy those who failed. Get our Intro to Mechanics…
- Ep. 412: Hand Fighting, feat. Brandon Reed · 56 min · Episode 412This week, we're joined by Brandon Reed! Brandon is a three-time NAIA national champion wrestler from Louisville, Kentucky, who now trains jiu-jitsu full-time in Guelph, Ontario…
- Mini Ep. 127: Confirmation Bias · 8 minIn this mini-episode, we explain confirmation bias: the human tendency to favor information that supports our existing beliefs, and discard information that doesn't. Get our…
- Ep. 411: The Fragmentation of Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Jeff Serafin · 1 h 2 min · Episode 411This week, we're joined by Jeff Serafin! Jeff runs Serafin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu out of Gym 1801 in Evanston, Illinois, and has been training jiu-jitsu for almost 30 years. In this…
- Mini Ep. 126: Visualization · 6 minIn this mini-episode, we explain visualization: the science behind it, its limitations, the difference between general and technique visualization, and how it applies to…
- Ep. 410: Instructing Versus Coaching, feat. Hillary VanOrnum · 1 h 0 min · Episode 410This week, we're joined by Hillary VanOrnum! Hillary is a third-degree black belt who runs Unicorn Jiu Jitsu in Portland, Oregon with her husband, and she just won her first…
- Mini Ep. 125: Perception-Action Coupling · 8 minIn this mini-episode, we explain perception-action coupling: a sports science concept explaining how practice should give athletes the same cues they'd face in a real match. Get…
- Ep. 409: Super Mario Theory, feat. Nelson Puentes · 1 h 1 min · Episode 409This week, we're joined by Nelson Puentes! Nelson co-founded Inverted Gear and runs Inverted Gear Academy in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In this episode, Nelson explains his Super…
- Mini Ep. 124: Deliberate Practice · 6 minIn this mini-episode, we explain deliberate practice: a training method intended to improve performance by addressing your weaknesses and breaking through plateaus. Get our Intro…
- Ep. 408: Intention-Led Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Rob Cole · 1 h 7 min · Episode 408This 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…
- Mini Ep. 123: Differential Learning · 6 minIn 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…
- Ep. 407: Day Zero Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Jesse Walker & Shelby York · 1 h 9 min · Episode 407This 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…
- Mini Ep. 122: Gamification · 8 minIn 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…
- Ep. 406: The Problem of Leadership, feat. Barbara Ruiken & Giles Garcia · 1 h 9 min · Episode 406This 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…
- Mini Ep. 121: Constraints-Led Approach · 6 minIn 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…
- Ep. 405: Solving Procrastination, feat. Itamar Shatz · 52 min · Episode 405This 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…
- Mini Ep. 120: Ecological Dynamics · 12 minIn 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…
- Ep. 404: Cross-Grip Passing, feat. Rosie Miller & Jeff Shaw · 52 min · Episode 404Jeff 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…
- Mini Ep. 119: Trading Up · 6 minIn 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…
- Ep. 403: Learning from Kids Class, feat. Brennan Strimple · 47 min · Episode 403This 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…
- Mini Ep. 118: Labeling · 9 minIn 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…
- Ep. 402: Dichotomies of Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Charles Harriott · 1 h 14 min · Episode 402This 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…
- Mini Ep. 117: Mnemonics · 5 minIn 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…
- Ep. 401: Escaping Positions, feat. Rosie Miller · 1 h 1 min · Episode 401This 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…
- Mini Ep. 116: Mental Gatekeeping · 4 minIn 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…
- Ep. 400: Always Timeless, feat. Rafael Lovato Jr. · 1 h 11 min · Episode 400This 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…
- Mini Ep. 115: Incremental Learning · 5 minIn 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…
- Ep. 399: Breaking Through Plateaus, feat. Giles Garcia · 1 h 2 min · Episode 399This 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…
- Mini Ep. 114: Goodhart's Law · 5 minIn 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 · 1 h 0 min · Episode 398This 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…
- Mini Ep. 113: Availability Heuristic · 5 minIn 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 · 1 h 2 min · Episode 397This 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…
- Mini Ep. 112: Coiling · 7 minIn 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…
- Ep. 396: Relative Strength, feat. Will Weisser · 1 h 7 min · Episode 396This 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…
- Mini Ep. 111: Porcupine Strategy · 6 minIn this mini-episode, we discuss porcupine strategy: the art of making your defense so painful that your aggressors think twice. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally…
- Ep. 395: Take the Slack Out, feat. Jesse Walker · 52 min · Episode 395This week, we're joined by Jesse Walker! Jesse is the head coach and co-founder of Rough Hands BJJ in Louisville, Kentucky, and a frequent BJJ Mental Models collaborator. In this…
- Mini Ep. 110: Mind the Gap · 8 minIn this mini-episode, we discuss "mind the gap:" a no-gi gripping concept that prevents your opponent from pulling or circling their hand free. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio…
- Ep. 394: Position Series: No-Gi Lasso, feat. Rob Biernacki · 55 min · Episode 394This week we're joined again by Rob Biernacki! Rob is the head instructor of Island Top Team and the mind behind BJJ Concepts. In this episode, Rob breaks down how he built a…
- Mini Ep. 109: Overwhelming Force · 11 minIn this mini-episode, we discuss overwhelming force: the idea that we maximize our power by using the most of our body's weapons against the least of our opponent's. Get our…
- Ep. 393: Submission Series: The Woj Lock 2.0, feat Chris Wojcik · 55 min · Episode 393This week, we're joined again by Chris Wojcik! In this episode, Chris rebuilds his approach to the Woj Lock around a few guiding concepts instead of a catalog of techniques…
- Mini Ep. 108: Inertia · 6 minIn this mini-episode, we discuss inertia: a concept from physics explaining that objects are resistant to changes in velocity. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally…
- Ep. 392: The 90% That Matters, feat. Beatrice Jin · 50 min · Episode 392This week, we're joined by Beatrice Jin! Beatrice is a black belt competing in the IBJJF top 10 at lightweight and middleweight, and she's known across jiu-jitsu social media for…
