Advertise on podcast: BJJ Mental Models

In 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 audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

This 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. In this episode, Brandon explains hand fighting for jiu-jitsu standup: how to get past your opponent's head, hands, and hips while protecting your own. Topics include: your default stance and the down block hand, feints and distance management, "positive" versus "negative" wrestling, fighting for inside ties, and play wrestling to build timing. Learn wrestling for jiu-jitsu from Brandon at WrestleJitsu Club: https://www.wrestlejitsu.club Get Dominate the Hand Fight: https://www.wrestlejitsu.club/dominate Follow Brandon on Instagram: https://instagram.com/brandonreed001 Subscribe to Brandon on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@brandonreed3x Mental models discussed in this episode: Controlling the Distance https://bjjmentalmodels.com/controlling-the-distance Opening Salvos https://bjjmentalmodels.com/opening-salvos Predictable Responses https://bjjmentalmodels.com/predictable-responses Mask Your Intentions https://bjjmentalmodels.com/mask-your-intentions Tokui Waza https://bjjmentalmodels.com/tokui-waza Keep It Playful https://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful Do What Works https://bjjmentalmodels.com/do-what-works Inside Channel Control https://bjjmentalmodels.com/inside-channel-control Constraints-Led Approach https://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach Head Position https://bjjmentalmodels.com/head-position Windows of Opportunity https://bjjmentalmodels.com/windows-of-opportunity Kuzushi https://bjjmentalmodels.com/kuzushi Dictate the Pace https://bjjmentalmodels.com/dictate-the-pace Investing in Loss https://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss Grips Dictate Position https://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-position ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels Music by Enterprize: https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

In 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 Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

This 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 episode, Jeff talks about the fragmentation of the jiu-jitsu community, and what coaches and students can do to bring it back together. Topics include: gi versus no-gi tribalism, ecological versus traditional training, gatekeeping, and cross-training. Train at Serafin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (inside Gym 1801) in Evanston, IL: https://serafinjiujitsu.com Follow Jeff on Instagram: https://instagram.com/serafinbjj Follow Gym 1801 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gym.1801 Resources discussed in this episode: Mini Ep. 120: Ecological Dynamics, by Steve Kwan: https://bjj.plus/mini120 Mental models discussed in this episode: Ecological Dynamics https://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-dynamics Constraints-Led Approach https://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach Keep Your Identity Small https://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-your-identity-small Certainty Heuristic https://bjjmentalmodels.com/certainty-heuristic Beginner's Mind https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beginners-mind Resulting Fallacy https://bjjmentalmodels.com/resulting Silver Bullet Fallacy https://bjjmentalmodels.com/silver-bullet-fallacy Survivorship Bias https://bjjmentalmodels.com/survivorship-bias Rapoport's Rules https://bjjmentalmodels.com/rapoports-rules Curse of Knowledge https://bjjmentalmodels.com/curse-of-knowledge Intention https://bjjmentalmodels.com/intention ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels Music by Enterprize: https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

In this mini-episode, we explain visualization: the science behind it, its limitations, the difference between general and technique visualization, and how it applies to jiu-jitsu. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

This 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 Masters World Championship at black belt. In this episode, Hillary explains the difference between instructing and coaching, and how she uses questions to help students work out answers for themselves. Topics include: relating jiu-jitsu to sports students already know, building on each student's favorite techniques, letting go of control as a gym owner, turning Instagram clips into homework, and coaching students who only train twice a week. Train at Unicorn Jiu Jitsu in Portland, OR: https://unicornjiujitsu.com Get private lessons, online coaching, or coach mentorship with Hillary: https://unicornjiujitsu.com/page/PrivateLessons Follow Hillary on Instagram: https://instagram.com/unicorn_jiujitsu Follow Unicorn Jiu Jitsu on Instagram: https://instagram.com/unicornjiujitsupdx Follow the Gathering of the Unicorns women's camp on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gathering_of_the_unicorns Mental models discussed in this episode: Transfer of Learning https://bjjmentalmodels.com/transfer-of-learning Tokui Waza https://bjjmentalmodels.com/tokui-waza Growth from Discomfort https://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-from-discomfort Constraints-Led Approach https://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach Feedback Loop https://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop Effortful Retrieval https://bjjmentalmodels.com/effortful-retrieval Psychological Safety https://bjjmentalmodels.com/psychological-safety ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels Music by Enterprize: https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

In 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 our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

This 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 Mario theory of jiu-jitsu: a good game teaches you how to play it by raising the difficulty one step at a time, and a good jiu-jitsu class works the same way. Topics include: game design, resource management, coaching without instructions, defensive jiu-jitsu, and intrinsic motivation. Buy Inverted Gear apparel: https://invertedgear.com Train at Inverted Gear Academy in Allentown, PA: https://invertedgearacademy.com Follow Nelson on Instagram: https://instagram.com/invertedgearnelson Mental models discussed in this episode: Zone of Proximal Development https://bjjmentalmodels.com/zone-of-proximal-development Investing in Loss https://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss Constraints-Led Approach https://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach Self-Organization https://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-organization Gamification https://bjjmentalmodels.com/gamification Ecological Dynamics https://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-dynamics Return on Investment https://bjjmentalmodels.com/return-on-investment Win Conditions https://bjjmentalmodels.com/win-conditions Defense Paradox https://bjjmentalmodels.com/defense-paradox Keep It Playful https://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful Perception-Action Coupling https://bjjmentalmodels.com/perception-action-coupling Continuum of Motivation https://bjjmentalmodels.com/continuum-of-motivation Process Over Outcomes https://bjjmentalmodels.com/process-over-outcomes ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels Music by Enterprize: https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

In 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 to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

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 framework. In this episode, Rob explains the intention-led approach, where you give students a goal to work toward instead of specific things to focus on. Topics include: a plain-language primer on ecological dynamics, intention versus attention, win conditions as a driver of behavior, grip fighting as a warm-up, teaching leglocks without fear. Follow Rob on Instagram: https://instagram.com/liquid_rob Train with Rob at Ascension Athletics: https://ascensionathleticsct.com Resources discussed in this episode: The Constraints-Led Approach, by Ian Renshaw, Keith Davids, Daniel Newcombe and Will Roberts: https://routledge.com/9781138104075 Ecological Dynamics in Sport Coaching, by Steve M. Smith: https://routledge.com/9781032869223 Ep. 144: The Constraints-Led Approach, feat. Dr. Rob Gray: https://bjj.plus/144 Ep. 330: The Student's Guide to Eco, feat. Noah Shaffner & Greg Souders: https://bjj.plus/330 Mental models discussed in this episode: Ecological Dynamics https://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-dynamics Intention https://bjjmentalmodels.com/intention Ecological Psychology https://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-psychology Self-Organization https://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-organization Constraints-Led Approach https://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach Perception-Action Coupling https://bjjmentalmodels.com/perception-action-coupling Win Conditions https://bjjmentalmodels.com/win-conditions Deliberate Practice https://bjjmentalmodels.com/deliberate-practice Growth from Discomfort https://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-from-discomfort Psychological Safety https://bjjmentalmodels.com/psychological-safety Consistency https://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels Music by Enterprize: https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

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. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

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 around 43). In this episode, they walk a complete beginner through what happens before your first jiu-jitsu class. Topics include: vetting a gym, what to bring, why you should tap early, panic and intensity, injury risk. Learn more at Rough Hands BJJ: https://roughhandsbjj.com Follow Jesse and Shelby at Rough Hands BJJ on Instagram: https://instagram.com/roughhandsbjj Resources discussed in this episode: Yoga for BJJ, by Sebastian Brosche: https://yogaforbjj.net Women's Grappling Network on Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/341922519178021 Mental models discussed in this episode: Keep It Playful https://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful Psychological Safety https://bjjmentalmodels.com/psychological-safety Acute Stress Response https://bjjmentalmodels.com/acute-stress-response Prioritize Longevity https://bjjmentalmodels.com/prioritize-longevity Survival Mode https://bjjmentalmodels.com/survival-mode Compatible Intent https://bjjmentalmodels.com/compatible-intent Respect Your Opponent https://bjjmentalmodels.com/respect-your-opponent Investing in Loss https://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss Beginner's Mind https://bjjmentalmodels.com/beginners-mind Motivation https://bjjmentalmodels.com/continuum-of-motivation Prevention Over Cure https://bjjmentalmodels.com/prevention-over-cure Paradox of Tolerance https://bjjmentalmodels.com/paradox-of-tolerance ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels Music by Enterprize: https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

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 for everything from marketing to products to (of course) jiu-jitsu. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

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 politics in jiu-jitsu organizations. Giles is the head coach and owner of Ronin Grappling in Rutherglen, just outside Glasgow, and a returning guest on the show. In this episode, Barbara and Giles explain why every gym has politics, whether the coach wants them or not. Topics include: informal power, accountability structures, setting your gym's culture on purpose, the jiu-jitsu cycle of abuse, and leadership burnout. Read Barbara's master's thesis, Power and Politics in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Teams: https://bit.ly/4iIUYH0 Follow Barbara on Instagram: https://instagram.com/superbabs_bjj Train with Barbara at Bergen Grappling: https://www.bergengrappling.com Train with Giles at Ronin Grappling: https://roningrappling.com Giles's jiu-jitsu portal, BJJ Codex: https://www.bjjcodex.com Mental models discussed in this episode: Psychological Safety https://bjjmentalmodels.com/psychological-safety Respect People, Not Positions https://bjjmentalmodels.com/respect-people-not-positions Emotional Contagion https://bjjmentalmodels.com/emotional-contagion Paradox of Tolerance https://bjjmentalmodels.com/paradox-of-tolerance Extreme Ownership https://bjjmentalmodels.com/extreme-ownership ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels Music by Enterprize: https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

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: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro ⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium! The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free: https://bjjmentalmodels.com Need more BJJ Mental Models? Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter Learn more mental models in our online database: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database Follow us on social: https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels