In this week's mini-episode we discuss compression choke mechanics! Compression chokes involve squeezing your opponent's chest so tightly that their lungs can't expand to take in air. They're a bit silly and not high-percentage, but they're still worth knowing about so you don't wind up on the wrong end of someone else's compression choke highlight reel.

Listen to our prior mini-episodes on choke mechanics:

Mini Ep. 16: Blood Choke Mechanics
https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/15622350-mini-ep-16-blood-choke-mechanics

Mini Ep. 17: Air Choke Mechanics
https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/15660734-mini-ep-17-air-choke-mechanics

Read up on the different types of chokes:
https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/choking-mechanics/

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


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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

For our 300th episode, there's only one guest that'll do: James "300" Foster! James is a 3x black belt masters world champion, 4th degree black belt under Giva Santana, and the head coach at Foster Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode, James shares how teachers who are also active competitors can balance those two priorities, and even synergize them.

Follow James on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/james300foster

Subscribe to James' YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@James300Foster

Listen to James' podcast, Nerdy Mewzings:
https://www.nerdymewzings.com/podcast

Train with James at Foster BJJ:
http://fosterbjj.com/


Mental models discussed in this episode:

• Training Handicaps
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/training-handicaps/
  
  
• You Are What You Train
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/you-are-what-you-train/
  
  
• Plus, Minus, Equals
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/plus-minus-equals/
  
  
• Law of Contrast
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/law-of-contrast/
  
  
  

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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

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

In this week's mini-episode we discuss air choke mechanics! Air chokes involve cutting off your opponent's ability to breathe by either compressing their trachea ("windpipe") or covering their mouth. Air chokes often don't act as quickly as blood chokes, but there are ways to speed them up by triggering the gag reflex. We also talk about why air chokes are legitimate techniques and should not be thought of as "dirty."

Listen to our prior mini-episode on blood choke mechanics:
https://podcast.bjjmentalmodels.com/243161/15622350-mini-ep-16-blood-choke-mechanics

Read up on the different types of chokes:
https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/choking-mechanics/

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


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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

This week we're joined again by Adam Medlock! Adam is a Braulio Estima black belt and a lead educator from the UK. In this episode, Adam discusses the challenges of student assessment, or how Jiu-Jitsu coaches can measure student progress and the effectiveness of the curriculum. Key points include the introduction of the TLA cycle (Teaching, Learning, and Assessment) and the concept of cumulative disfluency, alongside a critique of one-size-fits-all curricula and seminar-style teaching.


Resources discussed in this episode:

Inside the Black Box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom, by Paul Black et al.
https://bit.ly/4dUdqqG

Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment, by Dylan Wiliam & Paul Black
https://kappanonline.org/inside-the-black-box-raising-standards-through-classroom-assessment/

Kolb's Cycle of Reflective Practice — University of Hull
https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/reflectivewriting/kolb

Teach Like a Champion, by Doug Lemov
https://teachlikeachampion.org/books/

The Art of Learning, by Josh Waitzkin
https://www.joshwaitzkin.com/the-art-of-learning


Mental models discussed in this episode:

• Cognitive Load
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-load/
  
  
• Goodhart's Law
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/goodharts-law/
  
  
• Feedback Loop
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/feedback-loop/
  
  
• Teach to Learn
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/teach-to-learn/
  
  
• Psychological Safety
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/psychological-safety/
  
  
• Making Smaller Circles
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/making-smaller-circles/
  
  
  

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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

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

In this week's mini-episode we discuss blood choke mechanics! This is the concept behind all chokes we'd classify as "carotid restraints," where compression on the carotid arteries cuts off blood flow to the brain. We'll discuss the simple "triangle around the head" concept that helps tighten all blood chokes including rear naked chokes, collar chokes, triangle chokes, and head and arm chokes.

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


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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

This week we're joined by Mandy Schneider! Mandy is a BJJ Mental Models sponsored athlete competing at purple belt out of SOUL FIGHTERS Martial Arts in Allen, Texas. Mandy just underwent surgery for chronic bursitis in her elbow, and in this week's episode, Mandy shares her experience working around injury in Jiu-Jitsu. Topics include the challenges of training through injuries, distinguishing between manageable injuries and those requiring full rest, maintaining mental sharpness and motivation during recovery, and the public perception athletes face regarding injury-related decisions.

Follow Mandy on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mandynschneider


Mental models discussed in this episode:

• Prioritize Longevity
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/prioritize-longevity/
  
  
• Timeframe Paradox
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/timeframe-paradox/
  
  
• Mental Gatekeeping
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/mental-gatekeeping/
  
  
• Visualization
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/visualization/
  
  
• Defensive Thinking
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/defensive-thinking/
  
  
• Stress and Recovery
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/stress-and-recovery/
  
  
• Training Handicaps
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/training-handicaps/
  
  
• Self-Competition
  http://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition/
  
  
  

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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

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

In this week's mini-episode we discuss dominant angles! The concept of dominant angles is more complicated than "being behind or beside your opponent." It's more about positioning your body relative to theirs such that their arms, legs, and other weapons can't come into play.

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


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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

This week we're joined again by David Figueroa-Martinez! David is a black belt, instructor, and writer training out of Gracie La Mesa in California. In this episode, David discusses one of the most difficult — but sometimes essential — decisions that many grapplers will face during their journey: the decision to leave their gym.

Follow David on social:
https://www.instagram.com/dfm.2099
https://www.threads.net/@dfm.2099

David's website:
https://dfm2099.me/

Support David via DawnBreakers BJJ:
https://www.dawnbreakersbjj.com/


Mental models discussed in this episode:

• Prevention Over Cure
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/prevention-over-cure/
  
  
• Loss Aversion
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/loss-aversion/
  
  
• Cognitive Dissonance
  https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/cognitive-dissonance/
  
  
• Keep it Playful
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/keep-it-playful/
  
  
• Psychological Safety
  https://bjjmentalmodels.com/psychological-safety/
  
  
  

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 the cost of a single private.

Sign up here for a free trial:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/


Need more BJJ Mental Models?

Get tips, tricks, and breakthrough insights from our newsletter:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletter/

Get nitty-gritty details on our mental models from the full database:
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/database/

Follow us on social:
https://facebook.com/bjjmentalmodels/
https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodels/

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