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BJJ Mental Models

Your guide to a conceptual and intelligent Jiu-Jitsu approach. BJJ black belt Steve Kwan and a slate of expert guests explain the concepts, strategies, and tactics behind the gentle art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Mini Ep. 100: The Golden Rule

7 mins; April 02, 2026

Ep. 384: Secret Gracie History, feat. Jeff Shaw

38 mins; April 01, 2026

Ep. 383: The Way of Excellence in BJJ, feat. Brad Stulberg

61 hours 27 mins; March 30, 2026

Mini Ep. 99: Elbow-Knee Connection

10 mins; March 26, 2026

Ep. 382: Simple Beats Fancy, feat. Tum Energia

59 mins; March 23, 2026

Mini Ep. 98: Shuhari

7 mins; March 19, 2026

Ep. 381: What's My Game Again? feat. Josh "Kintanon" Wentworth

65 hours 27 mins; March 16, 2026

Mini Ep. 97: Double Tap

4 mins; March 12, 2026

Ep. 380: Women Grow Gyms, feat. Livia Giles

61 hours 51 mins; March 09, 2026

Mini Ep. 96: Direct and Proxy Control

8 mins; March 05, 2026

Ep. 379: Position Series: The 90/90, feat. Rob Biernacki

48 mins; March 02, 2026

Mini Ep. 95: Impostor Syndrome

6 mins; February 26, 2026

Ep. 378: Repetition and Representation, feat. Cal Jones

56 mins; February 23, 2026

Mini Ep. 94: Kinetic Chains

4 mins; February 19, 2026

Ep. 377: Presence & Anticipation, feat. Margot Ciccarelli

62 hours 24 mins; February 16, 2026

BONUS: The Economics of Jiu-Jitsu Gyms in 2026, feat. David Bayarena

75 hours 31 mins; February 12, 2026

Mini Ep. 93: Plus, Minus, Equals

7 mins; February 12, 2026

Ep. 376: New-School Fundamentals, feat. Lachlan Giles

54 mins; February 09, 2026

Mini Ep. 92: Momentum

6 mins; February 05, 2026

Ep. 375: Becoming a Kids Coach, feat. Andrew Green

48 mins; February 02, 2026

Mini Ep. 91: Leading Edges

6 mins; January 29, 2026

Ep. 374: How to Study BJJ, feat. Jake O'Driscoll

57 mins; January 26, 2026

Mini Ep. 90: Force Vectors

7 mins; January 22, 2026

Ep. 373: Finding Your Worth, feat. Erin Herle

73 hours 36 mins; January 19, 2026

Mini Ep. 89: Dilemmas

7 mins; January 15, 2026

Ep. 372: Plug-and-Play Games, feat. Ryan Rich

55 mins; January 12, 2026

Mini Ep. 88: Table Selection

8 mins; January 08, 2026

Ep. 371: Building on a Curriculum, feat. Todd Richards

70 hours 50 mins; January 05, 2026

Mini Ep. 87: Opening Salvos

6 mins; January 01, 2026

Ep. 370: The Gift Wrap, feat. Nick Volpe

52 mins; December 29, 2025

Mini Ep. 86: Do What Works

5 mins; December 25, 2025

Ep. 369: Real Talk About Humility, feat. Nick Salles

74 hours 2 mins; December 22, 2025

Mini Ep. 85: Certainty Heuristic

7 mins; December 18, 2025

Ep. 368: Lazy Wrestling, feat. Thomas & Phillip Barreiro

56 mins; December 15, 2025

Mini Ep. 84: Probabilistic Thinking

7 mins; December 11, 2025

Ep. 367: The Weight of Expectations, feat. Jesse Phillips

58 mins; December 08, 2025

Mini Ep. 83: Learning Modalities

6 mins; December 04, 2025

BONUS: Marcelo Garcia vs Lachlan Giles Analysis, feat. Drew Foster

34 mins; December 03, 2025

Ep. 366: The Gripfighting Scorecard, feat. Chris Round

61 hours 15 mins; December 01, 2025

Mini Ep. 82: Defend With Purpose

5 mins; November 27, 2025

Ep. 365: Analog Versus Digital, feat. Chris Wojcik

61 hours 36 mins; November 24, 2025

Mini Ep. 81: Respect Your Opponent

5 mins; November 20, 2025

Ep. 364: Staying Sane in an Insane Sport, Feat. Keith Krikorian

56 mins; November 17, 2025

Mini Ep. 80: Race to the Bottom

7 mins; November 13, 2025

Ep. 363: Jiu-Jitsu for Belonging, feat. Kenny Kim

52 mins; November 10, 2025

Mini Ep. 79: Points of Control

9 mins; November 06, 2025

Ep. 362: Submission Series: The Omoplata, feat. "Silver Fox" Karel Pravec

54 mins; November 03, 2025

Mini Ep. 78: Last Mile Problem

11 mins; October 30, 2025

Ep. 361: Submission Series: The Kimura, feat. Stephan Kesting

58 mins; October 27, 2025

Mini Ep. 77: Types of Guard

7 mins; October 23, 2025

Ep. 360: The Perfect Training Camp, feat. Josh McKinney

59 mins; October 20, 2025

Mini Ep. 76: Knee Line

14 mins; October 16, 2025

Ep. 359: Old Bastard Closed Guard, feat. Mike Mahaffey & Jesse Walker

52 mins; October 13, 2025

Mini Ep. 75: Curse of Knowledge

3 mins; October 09, 2025

Ep. 358: Please Tap, feat. Rob Biernacki

52 mins; October 06, 2025

Mini Ep 74: Center of Gravity

5 mins; October 02, 2025

Ep. 357: The Truth About Burnout, feat. Jeff Shaw

57 mins; September 29, 2025

Mini Ep. 73: Tipping Points

5 mins; September 25, 2025

Ep. 356: Safer Jiu-Jitsu Competitions, feat. Dr. Jen Case

56 mins; September 22, 2025

Mini Ep. 72: Solid Frames

7 mins; September 18, 2025

Ep. 355: Jiu-Jitsu Tape Study, feat. Corey Guitard

61 hours 56 mins; September 15, 2025

Mini Ep. 71: Priit's 45° Rule

8 mins; September 11, 2025

Ep. 354: How Goals Evolve, feat. Thomas Rozdzynski

56 mins; September 08, 2025

Mini Ep. 70: Hick's Law

4 mins; September 04, 2025

Ep. 353: Jiu-Jitsu Fitness Myths, feat. Dr. Kristi Charish & Dr. Christle Guevarra

75 hours 8 mins; September 01, 2025

Mini Ep. 69: Consistency

5 mins; August 28, 2025

BONUS: Updated Pedagogy, feat. Rob Biernacki

60 hours 14 mins; August 26, 2025

Ep. 352: Arm Drag Concepts, feat. Niamh Bryn

55 mins; August 25, 2025

Mini Ep. 68: Defensive Thinking

5 mins; August 21, 2025

Ep. 351: Injury Prehab, feat. Dr. Mike Piekarski

59 mins; August 18, 2025

Mini Ep. 67: Loss Aversion

6 mins; August 14, 2025

Ep. 350: Front Headlocks, feat. Brianna Ste-Marie

63 hours 8 mins; August 11, 2025

Mini Ep. 66: Abundance Mindset

5 mins; August 07, 2025

Ep. 349: Overcoming Obstacles, feat. Edwin "Junny" Ocasio

56 mins; August 04, 2025

Mini Ep. 65: Process Over Outcomes

7 mins; July 31, 2025

Ep. 348: The Timeline of Coaching, feat. Francesco Fonte

54 mins; July 28, 2025

Mini Ep. 64: Resulting

7 mins; July 24, 2025

Ep. 347: The ABCs of Mental Coaching, feat. Laurien Zurhake

59 mins; July 21, 2025

Mini Ep. 63: Self-Competition

6 mins; July 17, 2025

Ep. 346: Tryhard Hobbyists, feat. Rosie Miller

60 hours 56 mins; July 14, 2025

Mini Ep. 62: The Red Queen Effect

6 mins; July 10, 2025

Ep. 345: Back After Layoffs, feat. Elisabeth Clay

55 mins; July 07, 2025

Mini Ep. 61: Systematic Abandonment

9 mins; July 03, 2025

Ep. 344: Ankle Lock Strategy, feat. Jake O'Driscoll

58 mins; June 30, 2025

Mini Ep. 60: Flow

8 mins; June 25, 2025

Ep. 343: Living Your Values, feat. Giles Garcia

84 hours 49 mins; June 23, 2025

Mini Ep. 59: Growth Mindset

8 mins; June 19, 2025

Ep. 342: Developing Coaches, feat. Cody Maltais

57 mins; June 16, 2025

Mini Ep. 58: The 80/20 Rule

10 mins; June 12, 2025

Ep. 341: Jiu-Jitsu Is a Team Sport, feat. Francesco Fonte

50 mins; June 09, 2025

Mini Ep. 57: The Map Is Not the Territory

6 mins; June 05, 2025

Ep. 340: Awkward Turtles, feat. Sonia Sillan

65 hours 3 mins; June 02, 2025

Mini Ep. 56: Controlled Breathing

5 mins; May 29, 2025

Ep. 339: Developing Youth Programs, feat. Brennan Strimple

51 mins; May 26, 2025

Mini Ep. 55: Staying Loose

5 mins; May 22, 2025

Ep. 338: Gaze Tracking, feat. Timothy Lee Peterson

60 hours 35 mins; May 19, 2025

Mini Ep. 54: Controlling the Distance

9 mins; May 15, 2025

Ep. 337: Gatekeepers Ruin Everything, feat. Charles Harriott

80 hours 51 mins; May 12, 2025

Mini Ep. 53: Kuzushi

6 mins; May 08, 2025

Ep. 336: Growing Your Academy, feat. Hillary Witt & Nelson Puentes

63 hours 22 mins; May 05, 2025

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