BJJ Mental Models

This week we're joined by Mandy Schneider!  Mandy is an up-and-coming young competitive Jiu-Jitsu athlete training out of Dallas, Texas.  Despite her young age, she's no stranger to adversity: Mandy has been very vocal about her personal experiences with the dark side of Jiu-Jitsu, including her battles with predatory instructors and mental health.Recently, Mandy shared that she "lost sight of herself for awhile" due to the pressures from full-time competition and her personal life.  In this episode, Mandy shares her experience and explains how she came back and regained her passion for the sport.Follow Mandy on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mandynschneider/Resources discussed in this episode:The Champion's Mind, by James Afremowhttps://amzn.to/46bvvO4Mindset, by Carol Dweckhttps://amzn.to/3qQk7a7Mental models discussed in this episode:Self-Competitionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition/Mental Gatekeepinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mental-gatekeeping/Psychological Safetyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/psychological-safety/Law of Contrasthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/law-of-contrast/Mindfulnesshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/Resulting Fallacyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/resulting/Compartmentalizationhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/compartmentalization/Growth Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-mindset/ 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 Valerie "Valhalla" Worthington!  In addition to being a black belt and OG in women's BJJ, Valerie holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and teaches coaching at Saybrook University.  In this episode, Valerie explains the importance of empathetic thinking for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coaches and students alike.Follow Valerie on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/worthingtonvalerie/Email Valerie:worthingtonvalerie500@gmail.comResources discussed in this episode:Training Wheels, by Valerie Worthington:https://amzn.to/43O2cPsThe Platinum Rule, by Tony Alessandra:https://amzn.to/3CEgUgBCody Rhodes on "seeing race:"https://bit.ly/45Xc1wwMental models discussed in this episode:Survivorship Biashttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/survivorship-bias/The Golden Rulehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/golden-rule/Curse of Knowledgehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/curse-of-knowledge/Self-Competitionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition/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 Gant Grimes!  Gant is a black belt training out of Red River Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Wichita Falls, Texas.  He holds black belts in BJJ, JJJ, and Judo, and has 30 years of martial arts experience.  In this episode, Gant shares his belief that good Jiu-Jitsu looks like a bad marriage: know what makes them happy, and take it away.Contact Gant:kosotobjj@gmail.comMental models discussed in this episode:Theory of Alignmenthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/theory-of-alignment/Defense Paradoxhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/defense-paradox/Ecological Psychologyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-psychology/Keep it Playfulhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful/Grips Dictate Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-position/Dictate the Pacehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/dictate-the-pace/Economy of Motionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion/Path of Least Resistancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/path-of-least-resistance/Solid Frameshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/solid-frames/Mask Your Intentionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/mask-your-intentions/Jita Kyoeihttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/jita-kyoei/Win Conditionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/win-conditions/Position Over Submissionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/position-over-submission/Technique Chaininghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/technique-chaining/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.co⚠️ 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 Jon Thomas!  In this episode, Jon draws on his guard expertise to share mental models and best practices for gripfighting from the bottom.Follow Jon on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jonthomasbjj/Subscribe to Jon's YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@JonThomasBJJCheck out Jon's website for instructionals:https://www.jonthomasbjj.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Controlling the Distancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/controlling-the-distance/Grips Dictate Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-position/Elbow-Knee Connectionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/elbow-knee-connection/Probabilistic Thinkinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/probabilistic-thinking/Economy of Motionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion/Path of Least Resistancehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/path-of-least-resistance/Controlled Breathinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/controlled-breathing/Staying Loosehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/staying-loose/Intentionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/intention/Concepts Over Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques/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

Jake Luigi, the mind behind Less Impressed More Involved, discusses open guard in this engaging podcast. He covers the best new instructionals, the key lessons they teach, and his recommendations. Topics include guard retention, balancing denial and engagement, reacting to a guard pass, and the importance of leg locks in open guard.

This week we're joined again by Chris "The Villain" Paines!  Chris is a BJJ Globetrotter and a black belt under Priit Mihkelson.  In this week's episode, Chris shares his strategies for gripfighting from the top.Watch Chris' viral YouTube video, "How to Defend Everything:"https://youtu.be/BWitv9AKoNUBuy Chris' instructionals on BJJ Fanatics:https://bit.ly/43bQXzWFollow Chris on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chrisvillainbjj/Subscribe to Chris on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisPainesBJJSupport Chris on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/VilaobjjMental models discussed in this episode:Grips Dictate Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-position/Elbow-Knee Connectionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/elbow-knee-connection/Phases of Guardhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/phases-of-guard/Concepts Over Techniqueshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques/Phases of Passinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/phases-of-passing/Inside Channel Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/inside-channel-control/Center of Gravityhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/center-of-gravity/3 Joint Rulehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/3-joint-rule/Prevention Over Curehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/prevention-over-cure/Limb Coilinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/limb-coiling/Win Conditionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/win-conditions/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/bjjmentalmode⚠️ 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 Josh "Kintanon" Wentworth!  Josh is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, the head instructor at Apex MMA in Georgia, and a longtime presence on forums like Bullshido and Reddit.  Josh is a small guy in a gym full of giants, and normally competes at light featherweight.  In this episode, Josh shares concepts and strategies for smaller grapplers who want to be effective against much larger opponents.Troll Josh on Reddit:https://reddit.com/u/kintanonTrain with Josh at Apex MMA in Georgia:https://www.apexconyers.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Types of Guardhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/types-of-guard/Body Tetheringhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/body-tethering/Elbow-Knee Connectionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/elbow-knee-connection/Return on Investmenthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/return-on-investment/Overwhelming Forcehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/overwhelming-force/Static vs. Dynamic Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/static-vs-dynamic-control/Force Vectorshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/force-vectors/Surface Areahttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/surface-area/You Are What You Trainhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/you-are-what-you-train/Grips Dictate Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-position/Asymmetric Warfarehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/asymmetric-warfare/Prioritize Longevityhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/prioritize-longevity/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 James "300" Foster!  James is a 3x black belt masters world champion, 4th degree black belt under Giva Santana, and the head coach at Foster Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  He's also a big boy!  In this episode, James shares mental models and training strategies for larger grapplers.Follow James on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/james300foster/Subscribe to James' YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@James300FosterTrain with James:http://fosterbjj.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Phases of Passinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/phases-of-passing/Layers of Guardhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/layers-of-guard/Train With Purposehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/train-with-purpose/Asymmetric Warfarehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/asymmetric-warfare/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: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 Mike Mahaffey!  In addition to being "the Old Bastard Jiu-Jitsu guy," Mike is a black belt under Chris Haueter.  In this episode, Mike shares how all of us (especially us older grapplers) can reduce our risk of injury while remaining effective at Jiu-Jitsu. Follow Mike on Instagram:https://instagram.com/oldbastardbjj/Listen to Mike's prior appearance on BJJMM:https://bjj.plus/191Mental models discussed in this episode:Short-Term / Long-Term Paradoxhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/short-term-long-term-paradox/Stress and Recoveryhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/stress-and-recovery/Consistencyhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/consistency/Prioritize Longevityhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/prioritize-longevity/Table Selectionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/table-selection/Limb Coilinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/limb-coiling/Myopiahttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/myopia/Tipping Pointshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/tipping-points/Growth From Discomforthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-from-discomfort/Economy of Motionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion/Theory of Alignmenthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/theory-of-alignment/Win Conditionshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/win-conditions/Constraints-Led Approachhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach/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://in⚠️ 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 fan-favorite Emily Kwok!  Emily is a 4x black belt world champion (2x adult, 2x masters) and a black belt under Marcelo Garcia.  In this episode, Emily explains how a mindset of abundance (as opposed to scarcity) is essential not just for our individual development, but also the development of the entire sport. Follow Emily on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/emilykwokbjj/Connect with Emily for coaching:https://www.emilykwok.com/Mental models discussed in this episode:Abundance Mindsethttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/abundance-mindset/Table Selectionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/table-selection/Constraints-Led Approachhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach/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