Skip to main content
#389 "How many Blue Belts Could I Beat in a Row?" | Ask Me Anything

#389 "How many Blue Belts Could I Beat in a Row?" | Ask Me Anything

From I Suck At Jiu Jitsu Show

August 27, 2026 · 1:11:53

I'm a black belt, ask me anything.You asked, I answered. No prep, no filter, just straight answers to the questions I usually dance around.If you train, you'll get something out of this. If you coach, you'll get more.In this one I get into why most of what you drill is wasting your time, how to tell if a concept is actually helping you or just confusing you, when gym loyalty turns into manipulation and how to spot it early, what to do with a talented student who has a bad attitude, why the gap between two black belts can be bigger than white belt to black belt, and my honest hot take on where jiu-jitsu is heading right now.Plus how many 150lb blue belts I could fight in a row before I lose?Come argue with me in the comments.Got a question or hot take? Call 951-HOT-TAKE and leave a voicemail. Anonymous unless you say otherwise.Want my curriculum? The one I use to run all three HeadNod schools. Go to skool.com/headnod, first 7 days free.Free from BJJ Mental Models: Rob Biernacki's Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles at bjjmentalmodels.com/isuckCome train at one of my 3 Southern IL Gyms: Headnodhq.com 0:00 - Could you beat 100 blue belts in a row?1:47 - Welcome to the Q&A episode2:13 - Do you still feel like you suck at jiu-jitsu?5:36 - What's something you'll never teach again?8:30 - When do concepts become too vague to help?13:45 - The Saturday class that humbles black belts15:54 - I Suck at Jiu-Jitsu School18:15 - Have you ever gotten in real trouble for the podcast?19:50 - My first podcast ever (nobody guessed it)20:33 - How close have you come to ending the show?21:08 - The episode I'm most proud of that flopped23:12 - Podcast Josh vs. real Josh25:46 - What does HeadNod do worse than other gyms?27:30 - Jiu-Jitsu for Imbeciles28:28 - What goes through your head when a student leaves?35:08 - How has jiu-jitsu affected your faith?38:02 - Handling a talented student with a bad attitude39:56 - When does gym loyalty become manipulation?42:13 - How do I keep HeadNod from becoming what I criticize?43:02 - Should coaches promote someone they don't like?45:06 - Feed the algorithm gods46:02 - Should coaches care if students cross train?46:56 - Toxic student vs. difficult student48:07 - My biggest hot take: morality as currency in BJJ53:55 - Do you miss competing?59:54 - Do you care if black belts respect your jiu-jitsu?1:01:13 - Why I got donkey guarded by Jeff Glover in khaki pants1:08:30 - Could you beat the 25-year-old version of yourself?1:10:44 - Wrap up

Report an Issue

Found outdated information, a broken link, or incorrect data? Let us know and we'll fix it.

0 characters (minimum 10)

We'll use this to follow up if needed

It's a mess, I know.

My goal is to build the most comprehensive BJJ encyclopedia anywhere — but good, accurate data is genuinely hard to come by. Records, gyms, belts and nationalities are pieced together from public and community sources, so some of it is incomplete, outdated, or flat-out wrong.

That's where you come in. If you spot something off, tell me and I'll fix it — every correction makes this better for everyone. This website wouldn't be possible without the community.