
About this episode
This week we're joined by Nick Volpe! Nick is the black belt head coach at Dark Bear Jiu-Jitsu in Staten Island, New York. In this episode, Nick explains how he makes Jiu-Jitsu coaching accessible to students and coaches of all experience levels. Topics include: self-organized learning, teaching the "why" behind techniques, the importance of timing, creating objectives that guide student progress, and layered difficulties during live resistance training.
Follow Nick on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/darkbeardojo
Train with Nick at Dark Bear Jiu-Jitsu in Staten Island:
https://www.darkbeardojo.com/
Mental models discussed in this episode:
- Ecological Dynamics
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/ecological-dynamics/ - Concepts Over Techniques
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/concepts-over-techniques/ - Self-Organization
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/self-organization/ - Economy of Motion
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/economy-of-motion/ - Windows of Opportunity
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/windows-of-opportunity/ - Gamification
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/gamification/ - Probabilistic Thinking
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/probabilistic-thinking/ - Training Handicaps
https://bjjmentalmodels.com/training-handicaps/
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/
Get every episode summarized
Each time BJJ Mental Models publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from BJJ Mental Models

Ep. 390: Making Jiu-Jitsu Accessible, feat. Ryan Rich & Max Corteggiano
BJJ Mental Models

Mini Ep. 105: Double Trouble
BJJ Mental Models

Ep. 389: The Double Tap, feat. Drew Foster
BJJ Mental Models

Mini Ep. 104: Head Position
BJJ Mental Models