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BJJ Mental Models Review: Is Premium Worth It?
BJJ Mental Models Premium is a unique way to get better at BJJ. Audio courses you can’t get anywhere else, a black belt who analyzes your sparring footage, and a community where students and teachers talk. I tried everything on the platform and explain exactly how it works and why I like it.
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At a glance
The verdictBJJ Mental Models Premium
Steve Kwan · BJJ Mental ModelsOne of the best ways to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu online, and I highly recommend you try it. Audio courses save me time, the conceptual approach is unique, and unlimited black belt sparring analysis made me improve faster than anything else I ever did in jiu-jitsu.
You want a conceptual, principle-first perspective on jiu-jitsu (mindset, training, mechanical and strategic principles), you like learning through audio you can play while driving or cleaning, and you want a black belt to analyze your sparring footage and tell you what to fix.
You only want step-by-step video technique instructionals, you need an Android app for offline listening (still in development at the time of writing), or you are looking for a big-name catalog like John Danaher or Lachlan Giles (they are not on the platform yet).
- Audio courses save so much time. Because the courses are audio, I can listen while driving or cleaning the house, which makes it far easier to find time than for a video course.
- The conceptual approach is unique. The courses focus on mindset, goals, how to train effectively, and overarching mechanical and strategic principles that are hard to find anywhere else.
- Unlimited black belt sparring analysis. You send in a video of yourself sparring or competing and a high-level black belt tells you what to do better. This made me improve faster than anything else I ever did in jiu-jitsu.
- Audio format opens up new topics you would never cover in a video series (mindset, psychology, overarching concepts).
- Faster content because the instructor does not have to show and repeat a technique multiple times.
- Very high-level instructors, since this is the only place they can give an audio course.
- Direct access to the instructors in the community. I asked a question about a Priit Mihkelson course and Priit himself answered, then talked with me for over half an hour.
- Underpriced for what you get: 14 courses, unlimited sparring analysis, and the community for $20/month (or $10 with the MAX code).
- No John Danaher or Lachlan Giles yet. The platform already has Jon Thomas and Andrew Wiltse; Danaher and Giles would be perfect candidates for conceptual courses.
- No finished Android app at the time of writing. Listening on an iPhone is easy, but on Android you have to use the website through your phone browser (an app is in development).
- It is conceptual rather than step-by-step technique, so it complements rather than replaces a traditional video instructional library.
What is inside
What is BJJ Mental Models Premium?
BJJ Mental Models Premium is a premium service that helps you improve your jiu-jitsu with the help of mental models. The service includes audio courses, sparring analysis, and a community. You may also know the name ‘BJJ Mental Models’ from their podcast, which is free.
What are mental models? Mental models are what Steve calls the abstract concepts, principles, or ideas that help you think about BJJ more clearly. They can be mechanical (the knee-elbow space, the theory of alignment), strategic (double trouble, the 3 phases of guard passing), or psychological, my favorite kind (the 80/20 principle, extreme ownership). You can read about all of these in the BJJ Mental Models database. A lot of these models apply to all of life, but the point of the platform is to teach you how to apply them to jiu-jitsu.
Who is Steve Kwan? Steve Kwan is the creator of the platform, a tech CEO, a BJJ black belt, and host of the BJJ Mental Models podcast. He built it after realizing the same mental models that lead to success in BJJ also lead to success in business and life, and on the platform he explores them with other successful people in BJJ.
The audio courses
The audio courses are basically podcast series about a topic in BJJ. The audio format is nice because you can listen while doing something else, and it opens up topics that traditional video instructionals never cover, things like game planning, rhythm training, and financial jiu-jitsu. These are all the courses on the platform:
- Guard Retention (by Jon Thomas): the core concepts you need to never get your guard passed again.
- Drilling Strategies (by Andrew Wiltse): how to train to get better quickly, and which kinds of drilling do and don’t make you better at BJJ.
- Jiu-Jitsu Polarities (by Emily Kwok, coming soon): when to be loose vs tight, relaxed vs explosive. These questions are called polarities and they are everywhere, including jiu-jitsu.
- Rhythm Training (by Margot Ciccarelli): her philosophy around time and tempo, a look into the mind of one of jiu-jitsu’s most innovative players.
- Defensive Positions (by Priit Mihkelson): his famous defensive positions such as Panda and the Running Man, and how to apply the defensive principles in any position.
- Game Planning Series (by Steve Kwan and Matt Kwan): a 7-part audio intensive that guides you through building a systems-based gameplan, ideal if you feel reactive in competition.
- Introduction to Mechanics (by Steve and Matt Kwan): a 9-part series of brief courses to ramp you up on BJJ systems thinking. The best place to start if you are a beginner or new to the system.
- Old Bastard Jiu-Jitsu (by Mike Mahaffey): the classic, crushing, methodical style of the older grapplers that you can do no matter how old you are.
- The Triple Threat (by Claudia de Val): breaks down the classic triple-threat guard game of armbar, triangle, and omoplata.
- Competition and Emotion (by Dominyka Obelenyte): the mindset and psychology of a great competitor.
- Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles (by Rob Biernacki): a jiu-jitsu-for-dummies course focused on mechanics that apply throughout BJJ.
- Optimizing the Self (by Emily Kwok): competition mindset and what goes into the life of a competitor.
- The Purler Way (by Nick Purler): systematically deconstructs the concepts from his wrestling mindset book, The Purler Way.
- Financial Jiu-Jitsu (by Meg He): a framework for launching and growing your jiu-jitsu business.
- Creating Gym Culture (by Jeff Shaw): why gyms are so different, and how to create the gym culture you want.
Unlimited sparring analyses
The sparring analyses work like this: you upload a video of yourself sparring or competing, and a black belt analyzes it. He records a video talking over your footage, pausing it to point out arrows on the screen, and explains what is happening in your roll. He shows your most common mistakes and how to do better. I personally think this feature is amazing. In my own analysis, Steve identified my biggest mistake (standing too upright instead of crouching more) within a few minutes. I fixed it and it made a big difference in how much pressure I put on opponents and how easily they could reguard and sweep me. It is crazy how much one good tip from a good black belt can help you.
The community
The community is a Discord server with all the students and teachers of the platform. It is a friendly place to discuss the courses and ask questions to the teachers, who are more accessible than I expected. You get to talk with high-level black belts such as Steve Kwan, Jon Thomas, Priit Mihkelson, and Stephan Kesting. I don’t know any other digital learning platform where you have such close contact with the instructors, which is helpful because asking questions leads to much deeper learning.
Key techniques covered
- Guard retention core concepts (Jon Thomas) and defensive positions like Panda and the Running Man (Priit Mihkelson)
- The triple-threat guard game: armbar, triangle, and omoplata (Claudia de Val)
- Systems-based game planning and an introduction to BJJ mechanics (Steve and Matt Kwan)
- Mechanical principles: the knee-elbow space and the theory of alignment
- Strategic principles: double trouble and the 3 phases of guard passing
- Psychological models: the 80/20 principle and extreme ownership applied to jiu-jitsu
- Drilling and rhythm: effective drilling strategies (Andrew Wiltse) and tempo training (Margot Ciccarelli)
Who is Steve Kwan?
Steve Kwan is the creator of the BJJ Mental Models platform, a tech CEO, a BJJ black belt, and host of the BJJ Mental Models podcast. He created the platform after realizing that the same mental models that lead to success in BJJ also lead to success in business and life. On the platform he explores these mental models with other successful people in BJJ.
What are mental models? Mental models are what Steve calls the abstract concepts, principles, or ideas that help you think about BJJ more clearly. They can be mechanical (the knee-elbow space, the theory of alignment), strategic (double trouble, the 3 phases of guard passing), or psychological, my favorite kind (the 80/20 principle, extreme ownership). You can read about all of these in the BJJ Mental Models database. A lot of these models apply to all of life, but the point of the platform is to teach you how to apply them to jiu-jitsu.
Why the black belt sparring analysis is the best feature
The black belt sparring analysis is very unique, so maybe it is hard to picture what it actually is. Let me give you an example from my own footage.
Here is a sparring analysis video that Steve did for me. I am the guy in the purple gi. I uploaded the video and asked for general feedback. Check out the result for yourself.
I found this analysis insanely helpful, and I think you can see why. Steve identified my biggest mistake (standing too upright instead of crouching more) within a few minutes. I fixed it and it made a real difference in how much pressure I put on opponents and how easily they could reguard and sweep me. It is crazy how much one good tip from a good black belt can help you. That is why I like the video analysis so much.
What does BJJ Mental Models Premium cost?
BJJ Mental Models Premium costs $20 per month and you can cancel monthly. You can try the service for free with the 7-day trial, and you can get 50% off your first three months by using the coupon code MAX (my name) at checkout. That brings the price down to about $10/month to start. Compared to a single one-time BJJ instructional, which often runs $77 to $147, getting 14 audio courses, unlimited black belt sparring analysis, and the community for $10 to $20 a month is, in my opinion, underpriced.
FAQ
Is BJJ Mental Models Premium worth it?
Yes, definitely. It is actually underpriced if you ask me. You get access to 14 BJJ courses, unlimited sparring analyses, and the community for only $20 per month (or $10 with my discount code MAX). Compared to any other BJJ instructional, it is a really great price, and the conceptual approach plus the sparring analysis are hard to find anywhere else.
How much does BJJ Mental Models Premium cost?
BJJ Mental Models Premium costs $20 per month and you can cancel monthly. You can try the service for free with the 7-day trial, and you can get 50% off your first three months by using the coupon code MAX (my name) at checkout.
Is there a BJJ Mental Models discount code?
Yes. Use the code MAX at checkout to get 50% off your first three months after the 7-day free trial. Steve gave me that code, so it brings the $20/month tier down to about $10/month to start.
What do you get with BJJ Mental Models Premium?
Three things: audio courses by world-class black belts (14 at the time of writing, on topics like guard retention, drilling, game planning, and competition mindset), unlimited black belt sparring analysis where you upload your footage and a black belt records feedback, and a Discord community of online teachers and students.
What is the black belt sparring analysis?
You upload a video of yourself sparring or competing and a black belt records a video talking over your footage, pausing to point out arrows on the screen and explaining your most common mistakes and how to fix them. It is unlimited, and it is my favorite feature. One good tip (for me, standing too upright instead of crouching) made a big difference fast.
Why are the courses audio instead of video?
The audio format lets you listen while doing something else, it is better for conceptual discussions, it opens up topics like mindset and psychology you would never cover in a video series, the content moves quicker because the instructor does not have to show and repeat a technique, and it attracts very high-level instructors who would not otherwise give a course.
Does BJJ Mental Models have an app?
There is no finished Android app at the time of writing (one is in development). Listening on an iPhone is easy, but on Android you currently access the courses through your phone browser.
Who is Steve Kwan?
Steve Kwan is the creator of the BJJ Mental Models platform, a tech CEO, a BJJ black belt, and host of the BJJ Mental Models podcast. He built the platform after realizing the same mental models that lead to success in BJJ also lead to success in business and life.
Stop waiting, get better at BJJ now
I highly recommend you try BJJ Mental Models if you want to improve your jiu-jitsu. Start with the 7-day free trial and use code MAX for 50% off your first three months.