Strategic models are about hacking your decision-making. These models help you make quicker decisions in battle, set the table to make victory more likely, and find and exploit weaknesses in your opponent’s game.
- Alignment Over Position
Managing alignment is more important than managing position. - Asymmetric Warfare
Prefer strategies that attack your opponent where they are weakest. - Committed Techniques
When you have multiple options available, favor techniques with a higher chance of retaining position. - Compounding
Invest in things that grow in value over time. - Constant and Variable Tension
Know when to squeeze and when to explode. - Controlling the Distance
Take away space when attacking and create space when defending. - Countergripping
Defeat grips by breaking them, inverting them, or changing the angle. - Crossing the Center
The body is vulnerable when limbs are passed across the center line. - Defend With Purpose
A defense is only a good defense if it gets you out of the bad position. - Defense Paradox
Effective offense is built on effective defense. - Dictate the Pace
Be active, not reactive. - Dilemma
Force your opponent to choose between two equally bad options. - Diminishing Returns
More effort doesn’t always mean more results. - Do What Works
If a technique is working for you, it’s a good technique regardless of what anyone says. - Dominant Angles
Create positions where your opponent is not fully facing you, and exploit those angles. - Double Down on Strengths
There are diminishing returns to patching up your weaknesses. It's better to double down on your strengths. - Double Trouble
To fully control a near side limb, you must also control a far side limb. - Economy of Motion
Favor techniques that require minimal movement and energy. - Funneling
Take away options until your opponent is forced to fight you where you’re strongest. - Grips Dictate Position
Whoever controls the grips controls the position. - Hick's Law
Speed up your reaction time by reducing the number of decisions available. - Inversion
Find creative solutions by attacking problems backward. - Kuzushi
Break your opponent’s balance before attempting a throw or sweep. - Last Mile Problem
We have a tendency to coast when the end is in sight. - Layers of Guard
Like an onion, the guard has many layers. You pass by peeling the layers back one by one. - Layers of Strategy
Every good plan has two parts: a solid foundation and a flexible perimeter. - The Map Is Not the Territory
Mental models are not always 100% accurate. - Marginal Gains
Big results come from a series of small, incremental improvements. - Mask Your Intentions
Mask your intentions so your opponent doesn’t know what you’re really attacking. - Minimize Attack Vectors
Position your body to reduce the places your opponent can attack you. - Myopia
Don’t get so caught up in what you want that you ignore better opportunities. - Opening Salvos
Ensure you have low-commitment strategies for the engagement phase. - Path of Least Resistance
Go around obstacles rather than through them. - Pattern Interrupts
Break your opponent out of their pre-programmed responses and behaviors. - Phases of Guard
Guard has three distinct phases: engagement, maintenance, and retention. Know the right strategy for each. - Phases of Passing
Pass the guard in three steps: disentangle, control, pass. - Placeholders
Don’t abandon one point of control until you’ve replaced it with another. - Position Over Submission
Prefer positional advancement and security over submission attempts. Do not attempt submissions unless you are fully secure in your position. - Predictable Responses
Each technique has a series of common and predictable reactions. - Prevention Over Cure
Preventing a problem is better than fixing it after the fact. - Prioritize Longevity
Be wary of techniques and scenarios that have a high chance of self-injury. - Probabilistic Thinking
Create scenarios where success is a high probability. - Return on Investment
Calculate the risk and possible reward before taking any action. - Shifting Platforms
Continuously move and switch angles to prevent your opponent from applying pressure against you. - Static vs. Dynamic Control
There are two types of control in Jiu-Jitsu: static, and dynamic. - Table Selection
Find or create environments where you’re likely to get the best result. - Technique Chaining
A series of attacks works better than a single attack by itself. - Timeframe Paradox
Your short-term and long-term goals might require contradictory behavior. - Tipping Points
Once you have sufficient leverage or momentum, your desired outcome can no longer be denied. - Tokui Waza
Know your best techniques, and funnel your opponent into them. - Trading Up
When you commit part of your body to a technique, make sure you're getting more than you give. - Waypoints
Prioritize getting to positions where you have lots of good options. - Win Conditions
By knowing and exploiting the rules, you can defeat an otherwise superior opponent who doesn’t. - Windows of Opportunity
Timing is just as important as execution.
