BJJ Mental Models

In this bonus emergency episode, we"re joined by legendary Jiu-Jitsu instructor Stephan Kesting to discuss the immediate dangers of the lapel guard position, why it is so harmful, and why the IBJJF must ban it immediately. Don"t forget to check out BJJ Mental Models Premium! If you love the podcast, you"ll definitely l

This week we"re joined by Noah Shaffner and Greg Souders from Standard Jiu-Jitsu in Maryland! Noah shares his unique perspective as a competitor trained exclusively under the constraints-led approach (CLA) since he began grappling in 2021, while Greg describes Noah"s journey from his coach"s perspective. Follow Noah on

In this week"s mini-episode we explain investing in loss, a learning mindset often attributed to Tai Chi and other internal martial arts. In his excellent book The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin discusses the concept and its relevance to the martial arts. Investing in loss means reframing our thinking to view failure a

This week we"re joined by Paul Kindzia, a BJJ black belt under Emily Kwok training out of Atlanta, Georgia. Most notably, he"s a "homeschooled" black belt who carved out his own path in the art. Paul now trains out of a private gym, "The Bunker," that he built in his home. In this episode, Paul discusses how "rolling f

In this week"s mini-episode, we explain beginner"s mind! Known in Zen Buddhism as shoshin (初心), beginner"s mind is a concept present in belief systems, philosophies, psychology, and martial arts. It teaches us to approach every learning opportunity with the curiosity and humility of a beginner. It"s a mindset that help

This week we"re joined by Dr. Michael Israetel! Mike is a PhD in sport physiology and newly minted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Josh Vogel. In this episode, Mike teaches the intricacies of training intensity in Jiu-Jitsu. Topics include: the different intensity zones (light, moderate, and hard), their respectiv