u/stevekwan

I'm going through Will's book now. Here are some notes from the first few chapters.

If you're familiar with systems and concepts thinking in jiu-jitsu, you'll find familiar perspectives here. But there are also some interesting new framings and ideas that I hadn't heard explained this way before.

Will argues that the effectiveness of jiu-jitsu comes from willful opposition: mustering enough strength to overcome your opponent's. How we define “strength” is where things get interesting.

Jiu-jitsu allows us to increase our relative strength: maximizing our effective power while reducing our opponent's. We perform beyond base attributes like size and strength. A unique aspect of jiu-jitsu is how we use unfair advantages to stack the odds in our favor and defeat larger, stronger grapplers.

We find those unfair advantages in modifiers: strategies and tactics that increase our relative strength and let us punch above our weight. This is where the bulk of good jiu-jitsu ideas live: leverage, alignment, frames, and positional advantage are all examples of modifiers.

Like in a video game, we're looking to use modifiers to increase our base stats, apply performance-increasing buffs, and weaken our opponent with debuffs.

Dominant positions like mount, knee on belly, and back control are powerful modifiers; they give us one-sided advantages from an asymmetric position.

Leverage is a powerful modifier for increasing relative strength. It is, by definition, a force multiplier that amplifies your body's natural output and lets you move much heavier objects than you could with strength alone.

Will's framework helps us better understand jiu-jitsu by giving us a simple way to tell what works: Is this modifier increasing my relative strength? If it's not, why are you doing it?

The more modifiers you stack in your favor, the more your relative strength grows.

Will gets into much more detail in the book, but hopefully this gives you enough of a sampler to tell if it's something you'd be interested in. You can find Scientific Jiu-Jitsu: A Unified Theory of Grappling on Amazon.

Someone posted on here the other day asking about upcoming Father's Day sales. We weren't planning to do one, but I know times are tough and it got me thinking we could use the occasion to do something nice for the r/bjj community, and celebrate the amazing coaches who contribute on here.

From now through Father's Day I'm giving everyone on r/bjj a free copy of Jiu-Jitsu for Hobbits, presented by BJJ Mental Models and Josh Wentworth. He's the legendary u/Kintanon on here.

This is a 6-part audio concepts & strategy course for smaller grapplers. It covers escapes, standup, open/closed guard, top control, and back control.

We made this because all the existing "jiu-jitsu for small people" content seems to assume that despite being small, you are still some sort of super-athlete like Mikey or Marcelo. This is not the lived experience of most grapplers.

Most of us are regular people who train jiu-jitsu for fun. Josh has outstanding coaching ideas for folks who train jiu-jitsu recreationally and don't have athletic backgrounds, but still want to grapple effectively and win. It's one of my favorite courses on BJJMM, and I guarantee you'll get value out if it. If not I'll happy refund you the $0. 🤣

Here's the link, the free coupon is good from now until Father's Day:
https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/offers/AkiXDt2h?coupon_code=RBJJHOBBITS

I'll even raffle off some free BJJ Mental Models Premium memberships for people who redeem the code because why not.

3 points of control for leglocks.
The 3-joint rule explains how limb submissions require control of the 3 major joints. Chris expands on this concept to make it specific for leglocks: connect to the hip (creating distance and kuzushi), bend the knee (enabling twisting and preventing pull-outs), and immobilize the ankle (closing off escapes and setting up the break).

Twisting vs pulling leglocks.
Chris distinguishes between twisting leglocks (like heel hooks) and pulling leglocks (like kneebars). To decide which leglock to use, Chris asks himself: "Am I able to bend their knee?" Chris looks for a bend in the knee before he attacks a twisting leglock (which includes the Woj lock). (Note: Technically submissions like the Woj lock are a twisting/pulling hybrid, but Chris would consider twisting to be the dominant mechanic.)

Closed vs open loops.
Chris always wants to keep a "closed loop" around the leg being attacked. This means a closed kinetic chain where you are clasping either your hands or feet together around their leg. Why does this matter? Because you should always have at least one closed loop around the leg, or else they'll escape. As an example, standard ashi garami is an open loop, so in this position, Chris would clasp his hands around the ankle in a closed loop until he is able to secure a closed loop with his legs. At least one closed loop is required at all times.

When attacking from the bottom, start at the hip.
Grapplers like Lachlan Giles draw a distinction between the proximal pathway for leglocks (starting at the hip) and the distal pathway (starting at the ankle). Chris states that when on bottom, focus on achieving hip connection first. Why? Because connecting with their hip allows you to create distance and kuzushi. Start with the ankle and you might get crowded and lose the leglock before it's even set.

Topside leglocks are easier than bottom.
But what if you're leglocking from top position? Chris says this is inherently easier, because you can "break the rules" and skip steps since you are not obligated to defend guard passes at the same time. So while on bottom Chris prefers to set his leglocks up from the hip first, he'll sometimes break that rule when on top and start from the ankle.

Grips are personal preference; immobilizing the foot is the goal.
There are a ton of different finishing grips for leglocks. I asked Chris which he preferred. His answer: doesn't really matter as long as their foot is immobilized. Whichever grip works best (shotgun, figure-four, elbow-to-elbow, reverse figure-four, etc.) depends on you. Obsessing over "the best grip" is wasted energy, as long as you can immobilize their ankle.

Build on your entanglements; finishes rarely come from the first one.
High-level leg lockers rarely get submissions from the first leg entanglement they enter into. Chris frames 50/50 and outside ashi as his "back and mount," meaning kill positions he interplays between depending on how his opponent turns.

Body type changes your attack selection, not the concepts.
It's true that different body types create opportunities for different attacks. However, the concepts that make them work (which we discussed above) remain the same regardless of which attack you're choosing. You'll just apply those concepts differently, which results in different finishes.

Rethinking leglock fundamentals.
Chris has moved past looking at "fundamentals" as named techniques like closed guard or armbars. He views fundamentals as the underlying task: holding someone down long enough to isolate a limb, or getting their hands/hips to the mat. The classic straight ankle lock is actually one of the hardest leg locks to hit well, so it's probably less "fundamental" than other leglocks.

The Woj lock is simple and safe, not exotic.
"New" doesn't always mean "exotic." In many ways, modern leglocks like the Woj lock may be easier and simpler to finish than some of the leglocks we're more accustomed to. Chris describes the Woj lock as a slightly more technical 50/50 ankle lock. It's far easier to control than a heel hook, so you can protect your partner from themselves. That makes it trainable for people who are scared of leg locks, which Chris says is his main target audience for his latest instructional.

Defense is just the concepts reversed.
As with many concepts, the defense is to apply them in reverse: disconnect at the hip, build height, fight the feet off your hips, and straighten the leg. Bending the knee makes escaping harder, so straightening it is a key defense.

Josh "Kintanon" Wentworth is probably one of the best jiu-jitsu communicators I've ever worked with, I don't think people appreciate his stuff enough

He posts as u/Kintanon on here

Always fun to hear from the wrestlers who crossed over into BJJ! I put these notes together from a conversation between Julia Salata-Vargas and Emily Kwok.

You can win and not learn.
This is a well-worn gem in the jiu-jitsu community, but it's always worth repeating: just because you're winning doesn't mean you're getting better. Julia says she's noticed a drop-off point with her fellow wrestlers who get to around purple belt in jiu-jitsu, then get frustrated and plateau because they can't just rely on their wrestling anymore.

Go around the wall, not through it.
Julia says the main philosophical difference she's observed between wrestling and jiu-jitsu is that wrestling teaches you to push through resistance, whereas jiu-jitsu rewards finding the angle, frame, or timing that makes the resistance irrelevant. She frames this as "going around the wall" rather than going through it.

Focus on fundamental movements.
Another difference worth noting: Julia observes that wrestlers tend to spend far, far more time focusing on fundamental movements, stance, and positioning. In jiu-jitsu we tend to get drawn too quickly to the shiny fancy techniques.

Teach how it FEELS, not just how it's done.
Loved this framing. Rather than just barfing out steps and instructions, Julia checks with her students to make sure the move feels right. Sometimes a technique looks correct to an observer, but if you don't feel strong and stable, it probably won't work.

Hand fighting is its own skill, not just a setup.
I've been preaching for years that grips dictate position and that hand fighting should be a focus for everybody. Julia echoes this and encourages grapplers develop fluidity and flow with their hand fighting.

Squeaky wheel gets the oil.
It's important to advocate for your needs, especially if you're serious about championship-level competition. This means advocating for yourself, asking for help, and making sure you get it. Could relate to PT, nutrition, mental performance, etc.

Process over result orientation.
"Resulting" is when you hyperfixate on results, rather than the way you got those results. You can do everything wrong and still win; you can do everything right and still lose.

Be willing to be the nail sometimes.
Coming up in wrestling, Julia trained extensively with bigger and more experienced athletes, often men. She credits this time spent "being the nail" as essential to her long-term success.

You can extract value from every training partner.
I've noticed folks on here fixate on whether they're training in a high-level room. This isn't always necessary for success: you can get gains from anyone as long as you train with a plan. Marcelo Garcia is a famous example, who spent much of his time training with junior belts.

Receptivity is a skill that leads to compound gains.
Being willing to ask questions and show weakness are the key to long-term growth. Too easily we get defensive and make excuses, when it would be better to just fess up and admit we aren't perfect.

Always fun to hear from the wrestlers who crossed over into BJJ! I put these notes together from a conversation between Julia Salata-Vargas and Emily Kwok.

You can win and not learn.
This is a well-worn gem in the jiu-jitsu community, but it's always worth repeating: just because you're winning doesn't mean you're getting better. Julia says she's noticed a drop-off point with her fellow wrestlers who get to around purple belt in jiu-jitsu, then get frustrated and plateau because they can't just rely on their wrestling anymore.

Go around the wall, not through it.
Julia says the main philosophical difference she's observed between wrestling and jiu-jitsu is that wrestling teaches you to push through resistance, whereas jiu-jitsu rewards finding the angle, frame, or timing that makes the resistance irrelevant. She frames this as "going around the wall" rather than going through it.

Focus on fundamental movements.
Another difference worth noting: Julia observes that wrestlers tend to spend far, far more time focusing on fundamental movements, stance, and positioning. In jiu-jitsu we tend to get drawn too quickly to the shiny fancy techniques.

Teach how it FEELS, not just how it's done.
Loved this framing. Rather than just barfing out steps and instructions, Julia checks with her students to make sure the move feels right. Sometimes a technique looks correct to an observer, but if you don't feel strong and stable, it probably won't work.

Hand fighting is its own skill, not just a setup.
I've been preaching for years that grips dictate position and that hand fighting should be a focus for everybody. Julia echoes this and encourages grapplers develop fluidity and flow with their hand fighting.

Squeaky wheel gets the oil.
It's important to advocate for your needs, especially if you're serious about championship-level competition. This means advocating for yourself, asking for help, and making sure you get it. Could relate to PT, nutrition, mental performance, etc.

Process over result orientation.
"Resulting" is when you hyperfixate on results, rather than the way you got those results. You can do everything wrong and still win; you can do everything right and still lose.

Be willing to be the nail sometimes.
Coming up in wrestling, Julia trained extensively with bigger and more experienced athletes, often men. She credits this time spent "being the nail" as essential to her long-term success.

You can extract value from every training partner.
I've noticed folks on here fixate on whether they're training in a high-level room. This isn't always necessary for success: you can get gains from anyone as long as you train with a plan. Marcelo Garcia is a famous example, who spent much of his time training with junior belts.

Receptivity is a skill that leads to compound gains.
Being willing to ask questions and show weakness are the key to long-term growth. Too easily we get defensive and make excuses, when it would be better to just fess up and admit we aren't perfect.

I’ve got hours of recorded conversations with Beatrice Jin that I thought you folks might appreciate. Here are some notes from our chats.

If you don’t know Beatrice, she’s a top 10 ranked IBJJF black belt competitor and coach at Kogaion Academy in Arlington, Virginia. She also lives here as: u/beta_noodles

Some tips she shared (I’ve got more which I can post later if there’s interest):

There are no mean techniques, only mean applications.

Injury risk comes from intent and size/skill discrepancy abuse. There's nothing “mean” about moves themselves; it's all how you do them.

Being “too nice” is invisible.

The consequences of excessive niceness aren't always obvious. They manifest in missed opportunities and things you fail to make happen. The mean person's problem is visible, but the nice person's isn't... including to themselves.

Reframe “letting them work” as “manage your level.”

Experienced grapplers often say they're “letting them work” by turning down their intensity against junior opponents. Beatrice suggests that instead, we switch to a skill level appropriate for our partner. “Letting them work” isn't helpful because we're not giving them realistic offense.

Aggression comes from the bottom, too.

Guard pulling doesn't have to be the safe or passive choice. Top black belts race to it because their guard is their most aggressive weapon. Niceness extends to thinking that certain positions are inherently passive.

Honesty, not niceness, is the real virtue.

Holding back pressure, technique, or intensity might feel like kindness, but it’s not. It’s a type of grappling dishonesty that robs your partner of a realistic look at jiu-jitsu.

Being “not nice” is different from being disliked.

Quote from B: “If I'm more aggressive, people aren't going to like training with me. And that was like a big hangup I had for a really, really long time.” Sometimes our niceness comes from fear of being disliked, and that fear is often unfounded. There’s a difference between being “not nice” when rolling and being dangerous.

Niceness is ego protection in disguise.

I’ve called this pattern “defensive thinking” on BJJMM: the tendency to create excuses for poor performance before the performance even happens.

Going easy on someone you respect is, in fact, disrespectful.

Black belts and experienced grapplers don’t want you to “roll scared” with them. As long as you are being safe, try your best.

“Discipline in position” is B’s mantra to conquer niceness.

Think of every position as a mini-game. Focus on holding the position and advancing. Don’t make dumb mistakes that could cost you the position. That’s the “discipline in position” bit: focus on the next obstacle in front of you and don’t overthink it.

u/beta_noodles feel free to correct me if I screwed it up

I’ve got hours of recorded conversations with Beatrice Jin that I thought you folks might appreciate. Here are some notes from our chats.

If you don’t know Beatrice, she’s a top 10 ranked IBJJF black belt competitor and coach at Kogaion Academy in Arlington, Virginia. She also lives here as: u/beta_noodles

Some tips she shared (I’ve got more which I can post later if there’s interest):

There are no mean techniques, only mean applications.

Injury risk comes from intent and size/skill discrepancy abuse. There's nothing “mean” about moves themselves; it's all how you do them.

Being “too nice” is invisible.

The consequences of excessive niceness aren't always obvious. They manifest in missed opportunities and things you fail to make happen. The mean person's problem is visible, but the nice person's isn't... including to themselves.

Reframe “letting them work” as “manage your level.”

Experienced grapplers often say they're “letting them work” by turning down their intensity against junior opponents. Beatrice suggests that instead, we switch to a skill level appropriate for our partner. “Letting them work” isn't helpful because we're not giving them realistic offense.

Aggression comes from the bottom, too.

Guard pulling doesn't have to be the safe or passive choice. Top black belts race to it because their guard is their most aggressive weapon. Niceness extends to thinking that certain positions are inherently passive.

Honesty, not niceness, is the real virtue.

Holding back pressure, technique, or intensity might feel like kindness, but it’s not. It’s a type of grappling dishonesty that robs your partner of a realistic look at jiu-jitsu.

Being “not nice” is different from being disliked.

Quote from B: “If I'm more aggressive, people aren't going to like training with me. And that was like a big hangup I had for a really, really long time.” Sometimes our niceness comes from fear of being disliked, and that fear is often unfounded. There’s a difference between being “not nice” when rolling and being dangerous.

Niceness is ego protection in disguise.

I’ve called this pattern “defensive thinking” on BJJMM: the tendency to create excuses for poor performance before the performance even happens.

Going easy on someone you respect is, in fact, disrespectful.

Black belts and experienced grapplers don’t want you to “roll scared” with them. As long as you are being safe, try your best.

“Discipline in position” is B’s mantra to conquer niceness.

Think of every position as a mini-game. Focus on holding the position and advancing. Don’t make dumb mistakes that could cost you the position. That’s the “discipline in position” bit: focus on the next obstacle in front of you and don’t overthink it.

u/beta_noodles feel free to correct me if I screwed it up