BJJ Mental Models Review
Please note this is NOT an advert or sponsored post, it's a genuine review and I was given an affiliate link only after I wrote it!
You can see my video review of BJJ Mental Models on my YouTube channel
"BJJ Mental Models is your guide to a conceptual and intelligent Jiu Jitsu approach"
BJJ Mental Models is a free podcast, which started as a conversation between two Canadian black belt brothers, Matt and Steve Kwan, discussing Jiu Jitsu concepts or "mental models". The podcast has morphed into guest interviews but the conversation is usually always around grappling concepts and principles or at least has a focus on that.
They also have a paid Premium membership for $20 a month, which offers audio instructionals with some of the world's most interesting, erudite and experienced Jiu Jitsu black belts and other experts in their field who train JJ too. With Premium you also have access to an excellent Discord server, where many of the people they have had on the podcast and Premium content, are also hanging out, including people like Jordan from Jordan Teaches Jiu Jitsu, Priit Mihkelson from Defensive BJJ, Christian Graugart from BJJ Globetrotters, Sebastian Brosche from Yoga 4 BJJ, Jon Thomas, Andrew Wiltse, Stephan Kesting, Emily Kwok, Margot Cicarelli and many, many more. The premium content and the Discord will only keep growing over time, but already there’s enough content to keep any grappler of any level going for quite a while.
The other thing you get with Premium is Rolling Reviews where you send them footage of your rolls and one of the black belt reviewers will critique you. I haven’t done this yet but many people in the Discord rave about how useful it is.
It’s Audio Not Video!
There’s a lot of video available online and these days a fair amount of decent video. But I love that these guys are providing insanely valuable content but in audio only format. I have enough screen time as it is but with this podcast I can listen while I work on my bus conversion, while I’m driving to and from work and the gym, and while I’m cooking at home too.
Podcasts are a busy person’s book or newspaper or other time consuming media where you only read the thing while doing nothing else, except maybe eating... maybe. I love to read but I have a daily todo list which simply doesn’t allow for it right now. I’ve got stuff to do and reading isn’t going to get stuff done (unless it’s literally the only book I’m trying to read right now, which is Getting Stuff Done).
This Tribe is My Vibe
Steve and Matt Kwan both train BJJ but at different gyms, just like me and my brother Jae. They have very different BJJ experiences as Steve considers himself a hobbyist who has never competed but does coach and Matt is an active competitor. They have quite different careers outside of Jiu Jitsu too, which means they use different analogies to explain some of the concepts they talk about. Steve has a background in tech and IT and Matt has been a chef at the highest and most stressful levels, and is now a gym owner and coach, so it’s really interesting to hear their different takes on things. I’ve listened to their first 20 or so episodes and then I switched to listening to all their most recent ones, and at some point between, Matt has left the podcast due to conflicting time schedules, so it’s now just Steve interviewing all the most prominent and interesting people in Jiu Jitsu across the world. Matt is still involved and is one of the Rolling Reviewers, plus they plan to do some Premium content with Matt soon too.
What is a Mental Model?
'A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world. It is a representation of the surrounding world, the relationships between its various parts and a person's intuitive perception about their own acts and their consequences. Mental models can help shape behaviour and set an approach to solving problems (similar to a personal algorithm) and doing tasks.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_model
Here are a few key examples which resonated with me, which I found in the BJJ Mental Models FREE crash course.
🧠 "Hack your mind" with learning models, like CONCEPTS OVER TECHNIQUES - memorise the concepts behind techniques, rather than trying to remember step-by-step details.
💪 "Hack your body" with mechanical models, like the THEORY OF ALIGNMENT - maintain your posture, structure and base, while attempting to break your opponent's.
🤼♀️ "Hack your environment" with social models, like RAISE THE LEVEL IN THE ROOM - you will improve if you help your training partners improve too.
🧘♀️ "Hack your decision-making" with strategic models, like PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE - don't fight force with force, circumvent frames rather than attempt to go through them.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I can't say enough good things about BJJ Mental Models, I only wish I'd discovered them earlier but I'm not one to look back with regret, only be grateful for what I have now and excited for what's to come. I have no doubts BJJMM is going to go from strength to strength and already some really phenomenal content has been added just in the 2 weeks I've been a Premium subscriber.
You have nothing to lose by signing up to their FREE newsletter and also their 7 day FREE trial of BJJMM Premium. If you sign up for the free trial using the link below you'll also receive 50% off your 1st 3 months, should you choose to continue past your free trial. You can cancel anytime by the way, there's no commitment, it's just a rolling monthly membership.
If you love grappling and want to get better at it, you have to supplement your mat time with extra resources and they don't come better than this. My understanding of grappling principles and concepts has increased significantly since I discovered BJJ Mental Models, and I also feel I now have direct access to some of the most intelligent and interesting people in the sport.
Although they were kind enough to give me this affiliate link, everything I said in this review was written before I even knew they had an affiliate programme. Everything they do is really well thought out and reassuringly professional. The fact that this is just a side project for Steve and he still maintains a normal day job, is both amazing and inspiring but I wouldn't be surprised at all if it becomes big enough to support him and others full time in the future.
https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/offers/BhG5iMAG?coupon_code=TAMMI
