Ep. 240: Position Series: Sideways Open Guard, feat. Priit Mihkelson

Note: this episode has been replaced. Please listen to the audio for an important message. 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 th...

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This week we're joined by Matt Skaff! Matt is a 10th Planet black belt who specializes in the anaconda choke. The anaconda is powerful because it's not just a choke: it's a powerful positional system with a lot of submission options. Matt's key advice for the anaconda: Don't squeeze too early!Don't go deep too early: you don't want them to control your elbow.Use your lat for power: pinch your elbows to your core.Grab your tricep, not your bicep. Internally rotate your thumb...

26 Juli 202156min

This week, we're joined by Drew Weatherhead from Because Jitsu! Drew shares his best practices for transmission of knowledge and efficient learning. Book referenced in this episode: Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374533557 Find Drew online at: Drew Weatherhead Jiu-Jitsu https://drewjitsuonline.com Because Jitsu https://www.instagram.com/because_jitsu Mental models discussed in this episode: Concepts vs. Techniques https://bjjmentalmo...

19 Juli 20211h 23min

This week we're joined by Phrost, the founder of Bullshido. You probably know Bullshido as one of the internet's best resources for debunking fake martial arts, fake news, and other bullshit. In this episode, Phrost shares his toolkit for inoculating yourself against bullshit. Phrost's advice: Enforce the burden of proof.Avoid dichotomous (black and white) thinking.Keep your identity small.Trust data, not anecdotes.Beware of those promising certainty.Understand that imperfect sol...

12 Juli 20211h 23min

This week, we're joined by Erin Herle! Erin is a black belt under Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles, an elite competitor, and the founder of #submitthestigma, a mental health awareness organization for grapplers. Learn more about #submitthestigma here: https://www.submitthestigma.org/ This episode references the book Mindset, by Carol Dweck: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345472322 Mental models discussed in this episode: Mindfulness https://bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness/ Growth Min...

5 Juli 20211h 22min

This week, Steve and Matt do a super detailed breakdown of wedges: a core mechanic of Jiu-Jitsu that's critical to offense. Frames and wedges have a lot in common, but frames are primarily used for defense, whereas wedges are primarily used for offense. If you liked our prior conversation on frames, you'll love this one on wedges. Mental models discussed in this episode: Core Mechanics https://bjjmentalmodels.com/core-mechanics/ Inside Channel Control https://bjjmentalmodels.co...

28 Juni 20211h 3min

This week, we're joined by newly minted black belt Margot Ciccarelli! Margot leads us on one of our most interesting discussions ever: her philosophy of movement vocabulary. Margot argues that we speak with our bodies, and that movement is a form of communication. In this episode we talk about the vocabulary we use in Jiu-Jitsu: how we label, speak, and listen with movements we make. Mental models discussed in this episode: Dictate the Pace https://bjjmentalmodels....

21 Juni 20211h 5min

This week, we're joined by one of our most often requested guests: Sonny Brown! Sonny, also known as "that other BJJ podcast guy," is working on a kesa gatame instructional. He joins us to share core concepts on this underutilized position. We debunk common kesa gatame misconceptions: "They'll just take my back""They'll just bridge me over""They'll just push my head into an armbar or crucifix""Kesa gatame is only for big guys""Once you get into kesa gatame, you’re stuck there." C...

14 Juni 20211h 4min