This week, we're joined by Josh McKinney! Josh is a black belt, head coach at HeadNod Jiu-Jitsu in Southern Illinois, and the host of the I Suck at Jiu-Jitsu podcast. In this episode, Josh shares a framework for self-coaching beyond getting belt promotions, and explains why submission count and belt color are the wrong yardsticks for measuring whether you're getting better. Topics include: false metrics, the over-reliance on your A-game, learning to read old-school black belts, the Henry Akins "how many steps" test, and managing effort as a progress metric.

Follow Josh on Instagram:
https://instagram.com/thejoshmckinney

Listen to the I Suck at Jiu-Jitsu podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@isuckatjiujitsu

Call the Hot Take Hotline:
951-HOT-TAKE

Train with Josh at HeadNod in Southern Illinois:
https://headnodhq.com


Mental models discussed in this episode:

• Self-Competition
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition
  
  
• Goodhart's Law
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/goodharts-law
  
  
• Systematic Abandonment
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/systematic-abandonment
  
  
• Concepts Over Techniques
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques
  
  
• Deliberate Practice
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/deliberate-practice
  
  
• Resulting Fallacy
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/resulting
  
  
• Economy of Motion
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion
  
  
• Making Smaller Circles
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/making-smaller-circles
  
  
• Process Over Outcomes
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/process-over-outcomes
  
  
  

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Music by Enterprize:
https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

In this mini-episode, we discuss cognitive load: our brain's working memory (like computer RAM), and how to manage it so we can learn jiu-jitsu more effectively.

Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro


⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium!

The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter

Learn more mental models in our online database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database

Follow us on social:
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels
https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels
https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social
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This week, we're joined by returning champion Ryan Rich and first-timer Max Corteggiano! Ryan is a third-degree black belt who owns Granite Bay Jiu-Jitsu in California and was one of the early adopters of the constraints-led approach, and Max is a first-degree black belt from France who runs BJJ Flowcharts. In this episode, Ryan and Max break down what they've learned from building BJJ Games together, a project focused on making CLA simple and accessible for coaches and students. Topics include: simplifying the constraints-led approach, the blended ABC and eco method, designing games around invariants, attention spans in coaching, and ditching the warmup.

Check out BJJ Games:
https://bjjgames.com

Check out BJJ Flowcharts:
https://bjjflowcharts.com

Train with Ryan at Granite Bay Jiu-Jitsu in Granite Bay, CA:
https://granitebayjiujitsu.com


Mental models discussed in this episode:

• Constraints-Led Approach
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/constraints-led-approach
  
  
• Concepts Over Techniques
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques
  
  
• Win Conditions
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/win-conditions
  
  
• Ecological Dynamics
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-dynamics
  
  
• Cognitive Load
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-load
  
  
• Invariants
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/invariants
  
  
• Effortful Retrieval
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/effortful-retrieval
  
  
  

⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium!

The world's LARGEST library of jiu-jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter

Learn more mental models in our online database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database

Follow us on social:
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels
https://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodels
https://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.social
https://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodels

Music by Enterprize:
https://enterprize.bandcamp.com