BJJ Black Belt, Josh Longood, went viral for saving a Frontier Airlines Flight.Josh was on a flight home when another passenger allegedly started attacking workers and causing all sorts of chaos. The Bjj spidey sense in Josh’s head started to tingle and he handled the situation exactly how a black belt should. He was able to control the aggressive passenger, keep everyone calm, and go super viral while doing it!Today, I(@thejoshmckinney) get to sit down with Josh and ask him exactly how he was able to subdue the passenger so easily. We also find out what Frontier Airlines did to thank him for saving everyone in what could have been an absolute disaster.If you’ve ever wondered, “I wonder if my jiu jitsu could work in a real life situation?” This episode is for you!Watch this before your next flight!Subscribe to the I Suck at Jiu Jitsu Show for weekly AJJ advice, mindset, training stories, and questionable life choices that help you suck just a little bit less at Jiu Jitsu.Get my free ebook The Competitor’s Journey:simplifyingjiujitsu.comGet a free copy of jiu jitsu for imbeciles: bjjmentalmodels.com/isuckSponsored by Datsusara:Use code ISUCK at dsgear.comGet Champions Stay Present(mindset hacks for competition): https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/csp0:00 Intro1:33 The viral Frontier flight story3:35 Flying home from Puerto Rico5:04 When Josh knew something was wrong8:38 Going hands-on with the passenger10:29 “I only used 2%”11:47 Zip ties, seatbelts, and keeping everyone calm13:22 Passengers started yelling “choke him!”15:39 Police, FBI, and the emergency landing16:37 When Josh realized the story went viral19:30 Riding the wave after going viral23:48 Why this went bigger outside the BJJ world28:33 Every jiu-jitsu guy’s airplane fantasy30:13 Does jiu-jitsu actually work in real life?34:06 Josh’s wrestling, MMA, and competition background41:30 Coaching vs. teaching jiu-jitsu45:36 The IBJJF rule mistake that cost him gold55:21 The best jiu-jitsu advice Josh ever received57:04 Where to train with Josh

Every BJJ white belt needs this.

When you start Jiu Jitsu, you don’t know the positions, you don’t know the rules, you don’t know the etiquette, and worst of all… you don’t know what you don’t know.

So after 18 years of training and 13 years of teaching beginners, I made the White Belt Survival Guide I wish someone gave me on day one.

These are the 10 white belt mistakes that keep people confused, injured, frustrated, annoying to train with, and worst of all… stuck at white belt forever.

If you’re brand new to BJJ, trying to get to blue belt, constantly getting smashed, addicted to YouTube techniques, scared to ask your coach questions, rolling way too hard, or wondering why everyone else seems to be improving faster than you, this episode is for you.

This is not just “beginner advice.”

This is how to survive white belt, stop sucking faster, avoid quitting, and actually become dangerous on the mats.

Watch this before your next Jiu Jitsu class!

Subscribe to the I Suck at Jiu Jitsu Show for weekly BJJ advice, mindset, training stories, and questionable life choices that help you suck just a little bit less at Jiu Jitsu.

Get my free ebook The Competitor’s Journey:

simplifyingjiujitsu.com

Get a free copy of jiu jitsu for imbeciles: bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck

Sponsored by Datsusara:

Use code ISUCK at dsgear.com

Get Champions Stay Present(mindset hacks for competition): https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/csp

0:00 Every White Belt Starts Completely Lost

2:02 There Is No Perfect Time to Start BJJ

8:46 The Skill That Makes White Belts Improve Faster

16:02 Jiu Jitsu Will Ruin Your Social Life

21:53 The Truth About Consistency

30:03 Why White Belts Need to Pay Attention

35:06 Winning in the Gym Is Not the Goal

44:27 Jiu Jitsu Does Not Automatically Make You Better

56:28 Do YouTube BJJ Moves Actually Work?

1:00:59 If It Hurts, Tap

1:04:04 Recovery Rules White Belts Ignore

1:10:22 Volume vs Intensity: How White Belts Stay on the Mat

1:14:34 Final Advice for Every White Belt

Have you ever walked into a Jiu Jitsu tournament feeling ready… and then got absolutely smashed in the first round?You trained hard. You thought you were prepared. You knew some techniques. Maybe you even had a plan.Then the match started and everything fell apart.In this episode, I’m breaking down 3 mindsets that might be the real reason you keep losing BJJ matches — not because you don’t know enough moves, not because the ref screwed you, and not because your opponent was just “stronger.”My name is Josh McKinney (@thejoshmckinney) and after 18 years of competing, coaching, winning, losing, and watching students go through the same patterns over and over again, I’ve noticed that most people don’t lose because of one big technical mistake.They lose because they don’t understand how to perform on command.They lose because they get trapped in the wrong story after a bad match.They lose because they walk into chaos with no real plan and hope their Jiu Jitsu magically shows up.If you’re a white belt, blue belt, purple belt, or anyone trying hard to compete but you can’t figure out why you keep falling short, this episode is for you.We’ll talk about competition mindset, game planning, pacing, exchanges, staying present, and how to actually compete in your own match instead of just “seeing what happens.”Get my free ebook The Competitor’s Journey:simplifyingjiujitsu.comGet a free copy of jiu jitsu for imbeciles: bjjmentalmodels.com/isuckSponsored by Datsusara:Use code ISUCK at dsgear.comGet Champions Stay Present(mindset hacks for competition): https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/csp

Chapters:

0:00 Why you keep losing BJJ matches
2:34 Mistake #1: The learner’s mindset
5:06 How to actually perform on competition day
7:00 Finding your real competition A-game
9:47 Performance mindset vs. learner mindset
10:54 Free gift: The Competitor’s Journey
12:24 Mistake #2: Victim mentality
15:05 The brutal truth about losing in front of everyone
16:13 The match I thought I won
17:01 Understanding exchanges and pacing
20:22 Why I should have turned it up sooner
23:18 Free BJJ Mental Models course
24:33 The wildest victim mentality story ever
31:24 Take responsibility for your own doodoo
33:09 Why excuses ruin your Jiu Jitsu
37:21 Datsusara hemp gear
38:49 Mistake #3: The chaos mindset
40:43 The opposite of chaos is being present
43:00 Why “just see what happens” loses matches
44:32 How I stopped losing at adult black belt
46:02 Why your game plan has to be simple
49:04 The 3 mindsets that decide your matches
50:02 Why my coach changed my finals game plan
53:28 Being present in your training camp
55:17 Know the rules, know your opponent
56:44 Why losing is part of becoming dangerous
57:39 Final thoughts

Rose Miller, aka @rosierollz, is everywhere on BJJ Instagram right now because she does something that sounds simple but is actually incredibly rare: she gives simple but helpful advice.In this episode of the I Suck at Jiu Jitsu Show, Rose and I talk about how to actually learn Jiu Jitsu faster, why so many people waste years training without a real plan, and how a black belt thinks about improvement differently than a beginner.We get into her start in Jiu Jitsu, losing a lot early, competing, getting injured, learning how to learn, teaching white belts and blue belts, creating BJJ content, CLA/ecological training, drilling, women leading in Jiu Jitsu, and why starting every round from your knees is probably making your Jiu Jitsu worse.This is not just a “do these 3 moves” episode. This is a conversation about how to train smarter, how to think better, and how to keep getting better at Jiu Jitsu without making your entire life miserable.Follow Rose on Instagram: @rosierollzGet my free ebook The Competitor’s Journey:simplifyingjiujitsu.comGet a free copy of jiu jitsu for imbeciles: bjjmentalmodels.com/isuckSponsored by Datsusara:Use code ISUCK at dsgear.com

00:00 Intro
00:46 How Rose Miller got into Jiu Jitsu
03:31 Why Jiu Jitsu gave Rose structure and direction
05:28 Starting at Gracie South Bay with elite women
08:45 Rose’s first Jiu Jitsu competition
11:18 Losing a lot and learning how to learn
13:02 Why Rose refused to quit Jiu Jitsu
15:09 The original goal of becoming a black belt
16:30 What changes when you finally get your black belt
18:19 Injuries, COVID, concussions, and loving the process
22:01 Becoming a “try-hard hobbyist”
25:17 Why Rose makes beginner-friendly BJJ content
29:13 Rose’s intention behind creating content
34:10 Women leading in Jiu Jitsu
40:42 Training in San Diego vs smaller Jiu Jitsu scenes
43:56 Cross-training, loyalty, and gym culture
47:23 Would Rose be different if she started at a hobbyist gym?
49:57 Using competition as a learning tool
53:06 Why Rose’s Jiu Jitsu content works
57:31 Drilling, CLA, and live training
1:04:33 Why CLA people can be so annoying
1:07:10 Advice for beginners learning Jiu Jitsu today
1:10:27 Stop starting rounds from the knees
1:12:34 Why Jiu Jitsu standup is still evolving
1:16:37 Is Jiu Jitsu Brazilian or American?
1:17:50 Final thoughts

BJJ works… until it doesn’t.

In this episode, I sit down with Jena Bishop, a BJJ World Champion, elite grappler, and now professional MMA fighter, to talk about the brutal truth of taking world-class Jiu-Jitsu into the cage.

Jena has beaten some of the biggest names in grappling, including Mackenzie Dern, Angelica Galvão, Luiza Monteiro, and Gabi McComb. But after transitioning into MMA, she learned something most Jiu-Jitsu athletes don’t want to hear:

Your sport Jiu-Jitsu game might not survive punches, wrestling, scrambles, and people who refuse to play guard.

We talk about why guard pulling doesn’t translate, why being on top matters more than ever, why some elite grappling styles fail in MMA, how striking changes every position, and what BJJ athletes need to fix before stepping into a cage.

Jena also opens up about burnout, fight week anxiety, weight cuts, PFL, the current state of women’s safety in Jiu-Jitsu, and why the culture of hero-worship in BJJ has created serious problems.

This is one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the show.

Get my free competition training ebook, The Competitor’s Journey:

simplifyingjiujitsu.com/comp

Sponsored by Datsusara:

Use code ISUCK at dsgear.com

Free BJJ Mental Models course:

bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck

What You’ll Learn

Why elite BJJ doesn’t automatically work in MMA

Why pulling guard is usually a terrible idea in a fight

How punches change guard, back control, leg locks, and top pressure

Why Jena stopped training mostly in the gi

The biggest mistake Jiu-Jitsu athletes make when transitioning to MMA

How fight camp, burnout, weight cutting, and mindset really work

Why Jena believes BJJ culture needs to stop protecting the wrong people

0:00 Intro

0:50 Jena’s biggest BJJ wins

1:53 Why Jena switched to MMA

4:36 Getting punched changes everything

6:11 Finding her first MMA fight

9:14 Training BJJ vs training MMA

11:41 Why guard pulling fails in MMA

14:35 Bad BJJ habits for fighting

15:35 Why half guard works in MMA

18:11 Why top position matters most

18:49 MMA rounds vs BJJ matches

21:00 Preparing for opponents

24:10 Jena’s fighting style

25:26 How Jena handles fight nerves

29:44 Burnout and fight camp

33:40 Weight cut karaoke

37:35 Post-weigh-in ritual

39:00 Cutting weight for MMA

42:23 Fight week routine

45:34 Jena’s MMA goals

48:27 Should MMA fighters train gi?

54:22 BJJ habits that don’t translate

56:19 Why elite grapplers struggle in MMA

58:04 Wrestling exposes BJJ athletes

1:00:25 BJJ culture problems

1:05:20 Protecting women and kids in BJJ

1:09:57 Leaving toxic gyms

1:13:03 Annoying BJJ gym characters

1:14:43 Jena’s next PFL fight

Is your Jiu-Jitsu gameplan actually helping you win… or are you just collecting random techniques?

In this episode, I sit down with Beatrice Jin( ⁨@berimbozo⁩ ), black belt competitor, coach, and one of the funniest creators in Jiu-Jitsu, to talk about how to build a real competition game instead of just “getting better at everything.”

Beatrice breaks down why specificity matters, how she rebuilt her own game after tough losses, why most technique content misses the point, and how competitors should think about grips, guards, training rounds, and strategy if they actually want to improve.

We also talk about guard pulling, drilling, women’s open mats, funny Jiu-Jitsu content, competing at black belt, and why your gameplan might suck.

What you’ll learn:

- Why “training everything” can hold you back

- How to build a specific A-game for competition

- Why your grips matter more than your moves

- How Beatrice structures competition training

- Why guard pulling might be the smartest strategy

- When drilling helps — and when it’s a waste of time

- How to stop training randomly and start training with intent

Try this in training:

Pick one primary guard, one secondary guard, and one grip sequence you want to force. Start rounds from there. Your goal is not to “do Jiu-Jitsu.” Your goal is to get to your spot, score first, submit first, or learn exactly where your game breaks.

Get Josh’s free competition prep ebook, The Competitor’s Journey, at simplifyingjiujitsu.com/comp

Get Rob Biernacki’s free Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles course from BJJ Mental Models at bjjmentalmodels.com/suck

Check out Datsusara hemp gear and use promo code ISUCK at dsgear.com for 10% off.

New episodes of the I Suck At Jiu-Jitsu Show every Thursday.

Subscribe so you can suck less at Jiu-Jitsu.

0:00 Beatrice Jin Joins The Show

1:50 Why The Whiteboard Videos Went Viral

7:03 Being A Serious Competitor AND A Meme

10:49 Why Most BJJ Technique Videos Suck

18:35 Why Black Belt Competition Feels Different

23:45 There Are No Mindset Tricks

26:36 How Beatrice Trains Between Competitions

28:33 Should Competitors Actually Drill?

31:01 Why She Added K Guard

32:15 How To Build Your Competition Game

35:47 Beatrice’s Genius Competition Class

48:18 Should Women Train With Men?

52:41 Guard Pulling Is Mathematically Correct

54:04 If Your Guard Gets Passed, You Deserve To Lose

1:09:06 How To Suck Less At Jiu-Jitsu

I asked the internet for their hottest BJJ takes… and honestly, this was a mistake.

In this episode of The I Suck at Jiu Jitsu Show, Josh, Bryce, and Brian react to listener-submitted BJJ hot takes that range from painfully true to completely unhinged. We talk about injured training partners who still roll like it’s ADCC finals, why “let’s roll light” basically means nothing, whether you should wash your belt, why middle-aged blue belts might have the biggest target in the gym, and whether submission-only rulesets are actually ruining grappling.

If you’ve ever had a teammate say “I’m injured, let’s go light” and then immediately try to kill you… this episode is for you.

Call the Hot Takes Hotline

Got a BJJ hot take?

Call 951-HOT-TAKE and leave us your worst, funniest, or most controversial jiu-jitsu opinion.

We may roast you.

We may agree with you.

We may accidentally start a gym war.

Get Josh’s free competition prep ebook, The Competitor’s Journey, at simplifyingjiujitsu.com

Get Rob Biernacki’s free Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles course from BJJ Mental Models at bjjmentalmodels.com/suck

Check out Datsusara hemp gear and use promo code ISUCK at dsgear.com for 10% off.

Should You Compete or Waste Money?

If you’ve ever sat on the fence about competing in Jiu-Jitsu… this episode is for you.

We break down the real reasons people compete (and the lies they tell themselves), whether tournaments are actually worth the money, and how competition can completely change your Jiu-Jitsu, and your mindset.

This isn’t just ADCC vs IBJJF. It’s about who competition is for, who it’s NOT for, and how to actually get value out of it.

If you’re a competitor (or thinking about becoming one), this episode will help you decide: 👉 Should you compete at all? 👉 Which tournaments actually make sense for you? 👉 And how to stop overthinking it and just go.

• Why most people compete (and why they’re wrong)

• The real benefit of competition (it’s not medals)

• How competition forces faster improvement

• ADCC vs IBJJF: pros, cons, and who they’re for

• Why local tournaments might be the smartest move

• The biggest mistake beginners make with competing

• How to know if competing is right for YOU

• Add 1 “performance day” per week (competition-style rounds only)

• Stop talking about competing, be about competing

• Treat each tournament like a rep, not a result

• Compete more locally before chasing “big” events

🔥 What You’ll Learn🥋 Try This in Training (Mini Playbook)

• Add 1 “performance day” per week (competition-style rounds only)

• Stop talking about competing, be about competing

• Treat each tournament like a rep, not a result

Compete more locally before chasing “big” events

ISAJJ Rash Guards: https://imposedwill.com/collections/i-suck-at-jiu-jitsu-showJiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles, feat. Rob Biernacki(FREE): https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/isuckDatsusara 10% OFF with Promo Code “ISUCK”: https://www.dsgear.com/ The Competitor’s Journey: https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/comp

00:00 – Should You Even Compete?
01:00 – Why People Say They Compete
02:00 – The Truth: Competing Is Selfish
05:00 – The Real Value of Competition
07:00 – Competition vs “Who’s Better”
08:30 – Why Competition Forces Growth
10:30 – Stop Talking, Start Competing
12:00 – The “Performance Day” Hack
15:00 – Why Competition Changes You
18:00 – Regret & Missed Opportunities
21:00 – Fear of Competing Explained
23:00 – Just Sign Up (Big Mistake People Make)
24:30 – Which Tournaments Matter?
26:00 – ADCC vs IBJJF Overview
27:30 – IBJJF Pros
33:30 – IBJJF Cons (Cost, Politics)
38:00 – ADCC Pros (Clout, Culture)
43:00 – ADCC Cons (Organization Issues)
48:00 – Local Tournaments Explained
49:30 – Why You Should Compete More Often
53:30 – The Real Answer: Just Compete
55:00 – What To Do After You Lose
59:00 – Why Competition Changes You Forever
1:02:00 – Final Advice for Competitors

The greatest BJJ matches of all time… who made the top 10?

This isn’t just a list of exciting fights. These are the matches that actually changed jiu jitsu. The ones that shifted the meta, shocked people, or proved something nobody saw coming.

I ranked them off four things. How important they were to the sport, the story going into the match, how fun they are to watch, and whether the result flipped expectations.

You’ll probably disagree with something on here. Good. That’s kind of the point.

From Roger vs Buchecha to Eddie shocking the Gracies, to some newer matches that quietly changed the game, this is the list that tells the story of BJJ.

Drop your number one in the comments and tell me what I got wrong.

ISAJJ Rash Guards: https://imposedwill.com/collections/i-suck-at-jiu-jitsu-show

Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles, feat. Rob Biernacki(FREE): https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck

Datsusara 10% OFF with Promo Code “ISUCK”: https://www.dsgear.com/ 

The Competitor’s Journey: https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/comp

Guard pulling is SOFT… or is it just smarter?

In this Hot Takes Hotline episode of the I Suck at Jiu Jitsu Show, we dive straight into one of the most heated debates in jiu jitsu. Is sitting guard weak, or are people just mad they can’t pass it? The episode kicks off with an all-time caller who works a brutal blue collar job and makes a case that might completely flip how you see guard pulling. If you “sit at work,” you don’t get to complain about someone sitting guard.

From there, it only gets more unhinged. We get into whether turtle guard is actually a guard or just a bad habit, why people care way too much about medals that don’t matter, and the ongoing gi vs no gi argument about what’s actually “realistic” in a fight. There’s also a hilarious breakdown of people waiting for you to get tired before asking you to roll, and why that mindset might be holding you back more than helping.

Some takes are brutally honest, some are completely ridiculous, and a few might actually change how you train. Along the way, we talk about the difference between technique and strength, how rule sets shape your game, and why most people arguing about jiu jitsu online are missing the bigger picture.

At the end of the day, this episode proves one thing. Everyone in jiu jitsu has an opinion, and most of them are insane.

Drop your hottest take in the comments, call in to 951 HOT TAKE, and if you see someone sitting guard this week… go pass it.

ISAJJ Rash Guards: 

Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles, feat. Rob Biernacki(FREE): https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck

Datsusara 10% OFF with Promo Code “ISUCK”: https://www.dsgear.com/ 

The Competitor’s Journey: https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/comp

0:00 “Guard Pulling is SOFT”… Until This Guy Spoke

8:31 The Truth About Masters Medals (Nobody Admits This)

16:51 Waiting Until I’m Tired to Roll is PATHETIC

22:34 “You Only Won Because You’re Small” 🤡

29:37 Turtle Guard is FAKE… Or Is It?

37:09 “Let’s Roll Light” is the Biggest Lie in BJJ

39:12 Why Instructionals Are So Hard to Follow

43:53 Do Skull Rash Guards Kill Your Cardio? 😂

46:47 Ecological Training vs Drilling (Who’s Right?)

52:55 Signing Up “Unapproved” is SOFT Behavior

59:14 The Worst Guy at Morning Class 💀

1:02:34 No-Gi is NOT More Realistic (Hot Take)

1:14:02 Rubber Guard = Essential Oils of BJJ

This episode is the exact system I used to help students go from white belt to blue belt in months, not years.

After 18+ years of training and coaching, I realized something:

👉 Most people are training wrong.

👉 And it’s why they get better WAY slower than they should.

So in this episode, I break down the 3-step formula to learn Jiu-Jitsu 10x faster. This is a system I’ve refined over years of coaching and competition.

This is the same framework behind “Master Any Position in 6 Weeks”… but simplified so you can apply it immediately.

Master Any Position in 6 Weeks: https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/6

Greatest Guard Passing Seminar Ever: https://youtu.be/aDAwqBVoDP4

Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles, feat. Rob Biernacki(FREE): https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck

Datsusara 10% OFF with Promo Code “ISUCK”: https://www.dsgear.com/ 

The Competitor’s Journey: https://www.simplifyingjiujitsu.com/comp

00:00 The 10x Jiu-Jitsu Secret (Why Most People Learn Too Slow)

03:00 The Old Way vs The Fast Way (What Actually Works)

05:40 The 3-Step Formula Explained

06:00 Step 1: Focus (Why You’re Getting Nowhere)

09:45 How to Choose the RIGHT Focus (Most People Mess This Up)

12:30 The 80% Rule (Fix What’s Actually Happening to You)

14:00 The Excuse Trap (Why You’re Not Improving)

16:40 The “Jiu-Jitsu ADD” Problem

21:50 Why Reflection After Training Matters

25:20 Step 2: Fight (How You Actually Get Better)

26:30 Understanding vs Reps (You Need BOTH)

28:00 Why Drilling Alone Fails

30:00 The Truth About Competition Reps (Underrated Advantage)

32:00 When Drilling DOES Work

34:20 Constraints Training (Pros & Cons)

36:00 The “Designated Winner” Hack (Game-Changer)

41:10 Positional Sparring Done RIGHT

43:00 Why Most People Waste Their Rounds

44:40 Step 3: Feedback (The Missing Piece)

45:30 Why Wins & Losses Are a TERRIBLE Metric

47:30 The Right Way to Measure Progress

49:00 How Black Belts Actually Train

50:10 Creating Your Own Metrics

52:30 Why Your Coach Won’t Fix This For You

54:40 The Ultimate Test: Can You Teach It?

57:00 The Loop That Makes You Dangerous

58:40 How to Repeat This Forever (Endless Progress)

59:30 Final Thoughts + How to Apply This Today