Tim and Adam answer questions they've been asked about coaching or learning styles, and also address some thoughts they've heard more generally. They discuss why specifically they typically do not demonstrate techniques for students start to finish, and why Tim has insisted that self defense isn't important to teach or learn in Jiu Jitsu classes. Finally, Tim explains and defends a comment from an earlier episode claiming that offense and defense are the same in Jiu Jitsu.

Tim and Adam ring the new year in discussing how to approach returning to the mats after the holidays, how to approach setting and attaining goals in Jiu Jitsu and why most people should not set a new goal when they return to the mats.

Tim and Adam take an episode to discuss their Jiu Jitsu journeys throughout the past year - the ups, the downs, the changes and the progress. They discuss what they've focused on and what they've discovered, and also offer practical advice to beginner, intermediate, and advanced Jiu Jitsu athletes on how to reflect on Jiu Jitsu in a way that will help you make quicker and greater progress as you return to the mats.

At some point in the journey of everyone who makes it past white belt, we deal with "losing" to someone we don't think we should lose to. Whether that loss is being tapped, having our guard passed, or anything in between, this fear costs us training opportunities at open mats, other gyms, and sometimes within our own home gyms. Adam and Tim discuss how to overcome these fears, opening the doors to more enjoyable training and more opportunities to get better.

Tim and Adam discuss what is considered by some to be the most devastating position in Jiu Jitsu, but for many practitioners is a challenge both to control and attack. Tim discusses the keys to avoid being thrown or rolled off from top position, and the one objective that will shut down all other attacks. Adam describes how he flipped the switch from consistently losing the mounted position to consistently submitting from there, and the two talk about the role patience plays in success.

In this episode Tim and Adam discuss submissions - and specifically, why Tim believes that submission is the only thing that even matters in Jiu Jitsu. They briefly define Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for any listeners unfamiliar, but focus then on what it means to focus on submission before anything else and how that impacts our training. Finally, they discuss what things like passing the guard, pinning and taking the back mean if submission is the only thing that truly matters

If you enjoy this podcast, don't forget we have an instagram at open.matpodcast!

Pinning is an important part of all grappling sports, but is much less important in Jiu Jitsu compared to other similar sports. Or is it? In this episode Tim and Adam discuss how pinning serves a different purpose, and why it remains an absolutely critical skill in a sport that rewards it so little. They discuss how to define pinning, how to use it strategically, and how to progress pins toward submissions while maintaining control.

If you enjoy this podcast, don't forget to follow us on Instagram at open.matpodcast!

As we get better at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, we tend to develop certain areas of our game we're better at than others. But how do we take those skills and turn them into true specialties? In this episode Tim and Adam discuss how to develop specialties in Jiu Jitsu, the two ways they tend to develop, and Tim shares his thoughts on the most critical part of developing specialized skills which we often overlook.

If you enjoy this podcast, don't forget we have an Instagram! We are always happy to engage with questions, comments, or even disagreements at open.matpodcast.