BJJ Mental Models

Episodi

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  Mini Ep. 116: Mental Gatekeeping 23.07.2026 3min

  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: 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 ...
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  Ep. 400: Always Timeless, feat. Rafael Lovato Jr. 20.07.2026 1h 11min

  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 makes the case that consistency beats intensity, and shows how a game built on timeless fundamentals lets you dominate opponents no matter your age. Topics include: consistency over intensity, competing in your 40s, playing the long game, mastering the ...
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  Mini Ep. 115: Incremental Learning 16.07.2026 4min

  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: 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 BJ...
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  Ep. 399: Breaking Through Plateaus, feat. Giles Garcia 13.07.2026 1h 2min

  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 the specific problem hiding underneath it, and how to build a plan to solve it. Topics include: overtraining, the elevator theory, naming your plateau, and treating training partners as collaborators. Train with Giles at Ronin Grappling in Glasgow: ht...
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  Mini Ep. 114: Goodhart's Law 09.07.2026 5min

  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: 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 newsl...
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  Ep. 398: Old Bastard Sweeps, feat. Mike Mahaffey 06.07.2026 1h

  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 explains how to sweep from the bottom by disrupting your opponent's base instead of relying on speed or strength. Topics include: maintaining your base from the bottom, making them carry your weight, fulcrum sweeps, and the scissor and tripod sweeps. Follow M...
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  Mini Ep. 113: Availability Heuristic 02.07.2026 5min

  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: 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 newsl...
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  Ep. 397: Risk Management in BJJ, feat. Jake Luigi 29.06.2026 1h 2min

  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 for managing risk: name the worst-case scenario, watch for the key indicators that it's coming, and only attack hard once those indicators are in your favor. Topics include: risk-reward analysis, points of control, grip fighting, terminal positions, and G...
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  Mini Ep. 112: Coiling 25.06.2026 6min

  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 not sure what to do. But there are times when you need to uncoil, and that is when: #1: there's a productive reason to do so, and #2: you can do so safely and without giving up a lever. Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmental...
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  Ep. 396: Relative Strength, feat. Will Weisser 22.06.2026 1h 7min

  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 that unified theory: the idea that every jiu-jitsu technique exists to raise your own strength or reduce your opponent's. Topics include: relative strength, frames and misdirection, body alignment, and why being strong works. Get Will's book, Scientific ...
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  Mini Ep. 111: Porcupine Strategy 18.06.2026 5min

  In 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 $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 ...
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  Ep. 395: Take the Slack Out, feat. Jesse Walker 15.06.2026 52min

  This 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 episode, Jesse makes the case for loading a joint with tension before you ever start the breaking mechanics, so the finish takes a fraction of the effort. Topics include: adding traction before the break, the order of operations of a joint lock, backing up to retighten a loose position, fixing the much-maligned Ameri...
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  Mini Ep. 110: Mind the Gap 11.06.2026 7min

  In 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 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...
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  Ep. 394: Position Series: No-Gi Lasso, feat. Rob Biernacki 08.06.2026 54min

  This 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 working no-gi version of the lasso, a position long considered gi-only. Topics include: minding the gap in no-gi grips, the inverted grip, the omoplata as a control system, wedging, and hybrid lasso guards. Rob on Instagram: https://instagram.com/islandtopteam Learn from Rob at BJJ Concepts: https://bjjconcepts.net Ge...
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  Mini Ep. 109: Overwhelming Force 04.06.2026 10min

  In 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 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 B...
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  Ep. 393: Submission Series: The Woj Lock 2.0, feat Chris Wojcik 01.06.2026 55min

  This 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. Topics include: the three points of control, proximal vs. distal control, redefining what counts as fundamental, and training leg locks through games instead of memorization. Get Woj Lock 2.0 from BJJ Fanatics: https://bjjfanatics.com/products/woj-lock-2-0-completing-the-leg-lock-game-by-chris-wojcik Subscribe to the Gr...
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  Mini Ep. 108: Inertia 28.05.2026 5min

  In 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 $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 BJ...
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  Ep. 392: The 90% That Matters, feat. Beatrice Jin 25.05.2026 50min

  This 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 her whiteboard reels. In this episode, Beatrice breaks down the 90% of jiu-jitsu that has nothing to do with sparring, and why the work around the mat is what actually builds a career. Topics include: what podium finishes actually feel like, building a women's open mat from three people to thirty, finding the niche o...
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  Mini Ep. 107: Emotional Contagion 21.05.2026 8min

  In this mini-episode, we discuss emotional contagion: a psychological and physiological concept that shows us how much our emotions and behavior impact others around us. 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 Ne...
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  Ep. 391: Am I Getting Better? feat. Josh McKinney 18.05.2026 1h 5min

  This week, we're joined by Josh McKinney! Josh is a black belt, head coach at HeadNod Jiu-Jitsu in Southern Illinois, and the host of the I Suck at Jiu-Jitsu podcast. In this episode, Josh shares a framework for self-coaching beyond getting belt promotions, and explains why submission count and belt color are the wrong yardsticks for measuring whether you're getting better. Topics include: false metrics, the over-reliance on your A-game, learning to read old-school black belts, the Henry Akin...