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BJJ Mental Models· Folge 391

Ep. 391: Am I Getting Better? feat. Josh McKinney

Montag, 18. Mai 2026 · 1 h 05

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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:
instagram.com/thejoshmckinney

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

Call the Hot Take Hotline:
951-HOT-TAKE

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

Mental models discussed in this episode:
• Self-Competition
bjjmentalmodels.com/self-competition

• Goodhart's Law
bjjmentalmodels.com/goodharts-law

• Systematic Abandonment
bjjmentalmodels.com/systematic-abandonment

• Concepts Over Techniques
bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques

• Deliberate Practice
bjjmentalmodels.com/deliberate-practice

• Resulting Fallacy
bjjmentalmodels.com/resulting

• Economy of Motion
bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion

• Making Smaller Circles
bjjmentalmodels.com/making-smaller-circles

• Process Over Outcomes
bjjmentalmodels.com/process-over-outcomes

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bjjmentalmodels.com/database

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