BJJ Mental Models

This week we're joined by Anthony "El Toro" Birchak!  Anthony is a UFC, Bellator, and Rizin MMA veteran, as well as a BJJ black belt under Casey Halstead.  In this episode, Anthony draws on his wrestling background to explain the importance of wrestling, both mentally and technically, in Jiu-Jitsu.Follow Anthony on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/abirchakmma/Follow Anthony on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyBirchak/Train with Anthony at 10th Planet Tucson:https://www.10thplanettucson.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Mask Your Intentionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mask-your-intentions/Respect People, Not Positionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/respect-people-not-positions/Beginner's Mindhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/beginners-mind/ Controlling the Distancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/controlling-the-distance/Asymmetric Warfarehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/asymmetric-warfare/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 Alexander Darwin!  Alexander is a black belt at Boston Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is best known as the author of the BJJ-inspired sci-fi/fantasy novel, The Combat Codes.  In this episode, Alexander talks about the ethos of keeping it playful: a statement we've all heard before, but also a philosophy that significantly increases your enjoyment of — and performance in — Jiu-Jitsu over the long term.Follow Alexander and The Combat Codes on social:https://www.instagram.com/combatcodes/https://www.facebook.com/CombatCodes/https://twitter.com/combatcodesRead The Combat Codes on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Combat-Codes/dp/0316493007 Listen to The Combat Codes on Audible:https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Combat-Codes-Audiobook/B0BJ56BWCQMental models discussed in this episode:Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Keep it Playfulhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful/Self-Competitionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition/Feedback Loophttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/Emotional Contagionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/emotional-contagion/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 Shama Ko!  Shama is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Penny Thomas and is best known for her role as Program Director at Girls in Gis.  In this episode, Shama shares advice on the obstacles we encounter in our Jiu-Jitsu journey, and the power of community in overcoming them.Follow Shama on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/shamasko/Visit the Girls in Gis website:https://www.girls-in-gis.com/Follow Girls in Gis on social:https://www.instagram.com/girlsingis/https://twitter.com/_girls_in_gis_https://www.facebook.com/GirlsinGis/Subscribe to Girls in Gis on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/GirlsinGisListen to the Girls in Gis Podcast:https://www.girls-in-gis.com/girls-in-gis-podcast/Mental models discussed in this episode:Path of Least Resistancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/path-of-least-resistance/Keep Your Identity Smallhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-your-identity-small/Permission Paradoxhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/permission-paradox/Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/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 Shanti Abelha!  Shanti is a multi-time black belt world champion, management consultant, and head coach at Hive BJJ in Copenhagen.  In this episode, Shanti draws upon her business management experience to introduce lean methodologies and explain how they can transfer to skill development in BJJ.Follow Shanti on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/shantibjj/Train with Shanti at Hive BJJ:https://hivebjj.com/Resources discussed in this episode:Toyota Kata, feat. Mike Rother — YouTubehttps://youtu.be/ARbMvYQaRGgMental models discussed in this episode:Shuharihttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/shuhari/Investing in Losshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/investing-in-loss/Habits Over Resultshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/habits-over-results/Scientific Methodhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/scientific-method/Kaizenhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/kaizen/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 David Figueroa-Martinez!  David is a black belt, instructor, and writer training out of Gracie La Mesa in California.  In this episode, David discusses how Jiu-Jitsu, while not a replacement for therapy, can still be a powerful tool for assisting in trauma recovery.Follow David on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dfm.2099/David's website:https://dfm2099.me/Dawnbreakers BJJ:https://www.dawnbreakersbjj.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Emotional Contagionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/emotional-contagion/Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Incremental Learninghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/incremental-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 again by Brandon Mccaghren!  In this episode, Brandon breaks down the concepts behind an essential 10th Planet guard: the lockdown.Follow Brandon on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brandonmc.ninja/Subscribe to Brandon's YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@brandonmcninjaGet Brandon's lockdown instructional at BMAC academy:https://bmac.mykajabi.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Prevention Over Curehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/prevention-over-cure/Myopiahttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/myopia/Shuharihttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/shuhari/Center of Gravityhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/center-of-gravity/Do What Workshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/do-what-works/Concepts Over Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques/First Principleshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/first-principles/Controlling the Distancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/controlling-the-distance/Kuzushihttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/kuzushi/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 Dr. Nate Zinsser!  Nate shares the confidence-building guidance from his essential book, The Confident Mind.Get Nate's book, The Confident Mind:https://www.natezinsser.com/bookNate's website:https://www.natezinsser.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Growth Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-mindset/Mental Gatekeepinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mental-gatekeeping/Self-Competitionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition/Habits Over Resultshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/habits-over-results/Keep Your Identity Smallhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-your-identity-small/Resulting Fallacyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/resulting/Flowhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/flow/Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Law of Contrasthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/law-of-contrast/Kaizenhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/kaizen/Technique Visualizationhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/technique-visualization/Reflecting "As If"https://bjjmentalmodels.com/reflecting-as-if/Permission Paradoxhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/permission-paradox/Feedback Loophttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/Plus, Minus, Equalshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/plus-minus-equals/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/⚠️ 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 Priit Mihkelson!  In this episode, Priit explains recent developments in what he calls "sideways open guard:" a supine guard where your body is tilted to the side.  It's an emerging position being used by competitors such as Lachlan Giles.Follow Priit on social:https://www.instagram.com/priit_mihkelson/https://www.facebook.com/priit.mihkelson/Sideways Open Guard — BJJ Fanatics:https://bit.ly/46HGUFiDefensive BJJ:https://www.defensivebjj.com/Resources referenced in this episode:Jon Thomas Instagram reels:https://bit.ly/3JK95cPhttps://bit.ly/3D1tVkqAndré Galvão vs. Braulio Estima, ADCC 2013https://youtu.be/Gui5wWJA4gIMental models discussed in this episode:Seated vs. Supine Guardshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/seated-vs-supine-guards/Limb Coilinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/limb-coiling/Funnelinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/funneling/Predictable Responseshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/predictable-responses/Dictate the Pacehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/dictate-the-pace/Controlling the Distancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/controlling-the-distance/Committed Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/committed-techniques/Elbow-Knee Connectionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/elbow-knee-connection/Dominant Angleshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/dominant-angles/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:⚠️ 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 Greg Sirico!  Greg is a Marcelo Garcia black belt and is the head instructor at Odyssey BJJ in Atlanta, Georgia.  In this episode, Greg explains how regular folks who aren't BJJ celebrities or world champions can build successful and thriving Jiu-Jitsu careers.Follow Greg on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gregsirico/Follow Odyssey BJJ on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/odysseyjiujitsu/Odyssey BJJ website:https://odysseybjj.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Double Down on Strengthshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/double-down-on-strengths/ Respect People, Not Positionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/respect-people-not-positions/Solid Foundation, Flexible Perimeterhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/solid-foundation-flexible-perimeter/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 Steph Gaudreau!  Steph is a popular strength coach, performance nutritionist, and Jiu-Jitsu athlete.  In this episode, Steph shares her playbook on performance nutrition for "regular people:" those of us who train for fun and not as a profession.Follow Steph on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/steph_gaudreau/Steph's website:https://www.stephgaudreau.com/Listen to Steph on the Fuel Your Strength Podcast:https://www.stephgaudreau.com/fuel-your-strength-podcast/Resources discussed in this episode:Atomic Habits, by James Clear:https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habitsMental models discussed in this episode:Feedback Loophttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/Scientific Methodhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/scientific-method/Certainty Biashttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/certainty-bias/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