Ep. 5: Finishing Mechanics

This week we're joined by Ben Van Doren! Ben is a Lucas Lepri black belt and the head instructor at Deep Blue Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Caledonia, Michigan. In this episode, Ben draws on his experience as a manager and BJJ gym owner to discuss difficult coaching conversations. This conversation is a great playbook for Jiu-Jisu leaders of all sorts, and how they can productively navigate the difficult conversations that arise on the job with both your students and coaches. Fol...

1 Juli 20241h 4min

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing wedges, and we don't mean pizza! We break down the two types of wedges in Jiu-Jitsu: blocking wedges (used for immobilizing your opponent) and prying wedges (used for breaking open your opponent's defenses). This is the third in a six-part series of mini-episodes we're doing on the core mechanics of Jiu-Jitsu: frames, levers, wedges, clamps, hooks, and posts. Further study: Mini Ep. 6: Frames https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/2431...

27 Juni 20247min

This week we're joined by Jeff Serafin! Jeff is the head instructor at Serafin BJJ, a partner at Gym 1801, and a black belt under Jack McVicker and Megaton Dias. In this episode, Jeff advocates for fostering a healthy gym culture and reducing dogma in Jiu-Jitsu. Topics include: identifying and avoiding toxic gym cultures, ego management in training, and strategies for pairing students to ensure safety and learning. Follow Jeff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serafi...

24 Juni 20241h 9min

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing levers! Levers are force multipliers and the source of leverage in Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode, we talk about the levers of the human body, turning frames into levers, and when levers are less important. This is the second in a six-part series of mini-episodes we're doing on the core mechanics of Jiu-Jitsu: frames, levers, wedges, clamps, hooks, and posts. Further study: Mini Ep. 6: Frames https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/24...

20 Juni 20249min

This week we're joined again by Lyzz "Daemonette" Mitrovic! Lyzz is a multi-time black belt masters world champion and a longtime member of the BJJ Mental Models Premium community. Lyzz will be competing at ADCC this year after earning her entry via victory at ADCC West Coast Trials. In this episode, Lyzz shares what high-level competition camps look like, how to best utilize your competition team, and what to do when your preparation doesn't go according to plan. Follow Ly...

17 Juni 202458min

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing frames! You probably know what a frame is, but I'm guessing you haven't walked through the concept as in-depth as we'll do here today! Let's talk about how we define a "frame," when we want to use frames, what makes frames useful, and when frames become a liability. This is the first in a six-part series of mini-episodes we're doing on the core mechanics of Jiu-Jitsu: frames, levers, wedges, clamps, hooks, and posts. Further s...

13 Juni 202410min

This week we're joined again by Chris Wojcik! Chris is a black belt under Jeff Serafin and the author of The Grappler's Diary. In this episode, Chris discusses open guard leg entanglement strategies under different rulesets. Follow Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismwojcik https://www.instagram.com/thegrapplersdiary Subscribe to The Grappler's Diary: https://thegrapplersdiary.com/ Resources discussed in this episode: Everything is Turtle, by Steve Kwan (req...

10 Juni 202453min

In this week's mini-episode, we're introducing the alignment scorecard! It's a quick way to use Rob Biernacki's alignment framework to "score" your grappling and make smarter grappling decisions faster. This episode builds on the last four mini-episodes about base, posture, structure, and alignment. Further study: BJJMM Mini Ep. 1: Base https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/15022850-mini-ep-1-base BJJMM Mini Ep. 2: Posture https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/150780...

6 Juni 202418min