BJJ Mental Models

Competitive grappler and instructor, Rob Biernacki, discusses his mindset for success in jiu-jitsu. Focusing on the rejection of 'alpha' tropes, Rob emphasizes the importance of trusting in your training, yielding to the possibility of loss, and identifying as perseverant. The podcast also covers topics such as avoiding bad decisions in competition, maximizing scoring opportunities, understanding and bending the rules of the sport, and the benefits of Fukyu Jujitsu training.

This week we're joined again by Stephan Kesting!  In this episode, the legendary Grapplearts instructor breaks down key concepts from his latest instructional, Rolling Backtakes for Everyone.Follow Stephan on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stephan_kesting/Resources mentioned in this episode:The Dope Mount, The Easiest Way to Get to the Mount —Stephan Kestinghttps://youtu.be/hhZx5ZFhSQwRolling Backtakes for Everyone, by Stephan Kestinghttps://www.grapplearts.com/rolling-backtakes-for-everyone/Mental models discussed in this episode:Predictable Responseshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/predictable-responses/Committed Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/committed-techniques/Economy of Motionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion/Asymmetric Warfarehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/asymmetric-warfare/Static vs. Dynamic Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/static-vs-dynamic-control/Investing in Losshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss/Critical Control Pointshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/critical-control-points/Keep it Playfulhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful/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/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/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

Chris Wojcik, a black belt in BJJ, discusses the evolving standup game in competition Jiu-Jitsu, blending wrestling, Judo, and BJJ. They explore the use of foot sweeps, the importance of grip fighting, integrating Judo and wrestling for taller opponents, and the overlooked turtle position in Jiu-Jitsu. They also discuss the challenges of blending martial arts techniques and the significance of finding compatible training partners and coaches.

This week we're joined again by Drew Foster!  Drew Foster is a black belt instructor at Elevate MMA in North Carolina, the host of The Neon Belly Podcast, and a frequent contributor on /r/bjj under the alias Darce_Knight.In this episode, Drew discusses a topic we've wanted to get into for a long time: impostor syndrome.  Oxford Dictionary defines impostor syndrome as "the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills."Follow Drew Foster on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/drewdarceListen to Drew on The Neon Belly Podcast:https://theneonbelly.buzzsprout.com/Check out Drew's contributions on Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/user/Darce_Knight/Mental models discussed in this episode:Self-Competitionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition/Double Down on Strengthshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/double-down-on-strengths/Respect People, Not Positionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/respect-people-not-positions/Kaizenhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/kaizen/Reflecting "As If"https://bjjmentalmodels.com/reflecting-as-if/Loss Aversionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/loss-aversion/Beginner's Mindhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/beginners-mind/Keep it Playfulhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful/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/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/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

In this episode, we're joined by Joe Hannan!  Joe is a BJJ black belt under Emily Kwok, the founder of BJJ Meditations, and the co-host of The Highest Levels on BJJ Mental Models Premium.  In this episode, Joe discusses the importance of finding meaning in your Jiu-Jitsu journey. Follow Joe on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/bjj_meditations/Listen to the BJJ Meditations Podcast:https://www.bjjmeditations.com/podcastSubscribe to BJJ Meditations on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@bjjmeditations3786Visit the BJJ Meditations website:https://www.bjjmeditations.com/Resources discussed in this episode:The Art of Learning, by Josh Waitzkin:https://www.joshwaitzkin.com/the-art-of-learningAwakening from the Meaning Crisis, by John Vervaeke:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh3f0P5qjrSdb5eC1ZfZwWJMental models discussed in this episode:Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Keep Your Identity Smallhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-your-identity-small/Prioritize Longevityhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/prioritize-longevity/Keep it Playfulhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful/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/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/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

In this episode, Brother Matt joins us to discuss his coaching experience with ecological dynamics and drilling.  We also get into whether the discourse surrounding the ecological approach in Jiu-Jitsu is productive or toxic.Check out The Essential Jiu-Jitsu Podcast with Brother Matt:https://ejjp.show/Subscribe to EJJP on YouTube:https://youtube.com/@TheEssentialJiuJitsuPodcastCheck out the On Guard online academy:https://onguardbjj.com/Zara Can Do Jiu-Jitsu:https://amzn.to/46tACIHResources discussed in this episode:BJJMM episode 206 feat. Dr. Rob Gray:https://bjj.plus/206How We Learn to Move, by Dr. Rob Gray:https://amzn.to/3E5tg1oMental models discussed in this episode:Ecological Psychologyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-psychology/Constraints-Led Approachhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach/Interleavinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/interleaving/You Are What You Trainhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/you-are-what-you-train/Effortful Retrievalhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/effortful-retrieval/Differential Learninghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/differential-learning/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/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/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 Kristian Woodmansee!  Kristian is a black belt under André Galvão, the founder of Logic BJJ Online, and the head instructor at Logic Philly.  In this episode, Kristian explains his ladder system for guard passing: a simple concept that helps anyone better understand best practices for passing the guard.Follow Kristian on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/logicbjjonline/Subscribe to Logic BJJ Online:https://logicbjjonline.com/Train with Kristian at Logic Philly:https://logicphilly.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Probabilistic Thinkinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/probabilistic-thinking/ The Map Is Not the Territoryhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/the-map-is-not-the-territory/Dictate the Pacehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/dictate-the-pace/Grips Dictate Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-position/Dominant Angleshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/dominant-angles/Grip Inversionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grip-inversion/Phases of Passinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/phases-of-passing/Inversionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/inversion/Funnelinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/funneling/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/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/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

BJJ black belt and film director Riley Stearns talks about achieving work-life balance while maximizing Jiu-Jitsu enjoyment. They delve into the importance of simplicity in creating effective systems, maintaining a balance between work and Jiu-Jitsu, and overcoming challenges returning to Jiu-Jitsu after a layoff. Additionally, the podcast explores the themes of 'The Art of Self-Defense' movie and the value of hobbyists in the Jiu-Jitsu community.

World-class competitive card gamer Wesley "LambySeries" Seek discusses creating luck, shaping the meta, and playing through tilt. They explore strategic positioning, recognizing patterns, and intuition for success. The conversation delves into maneuvering opponents, staying ahead of the meta, and adapting to changes. They also provide information on coaching and a new YouTube channel dedicated to marbles.

Renowned competitor and teacher Shawn Williams shares his closed loop strategy for Jiu-Jitsu, emphasizing advancing without compromising position. They discuss reflexive movement, teaching high-level competitors, and the importance of high commitment techniques in Jujitsu.