I Suck At Jiu Jitsu Show

Josh McKinney

Details

Jiu-Jitsu is hard. Join host Josh McKinney on his forever quest to "suck less at jiu-jitsu." Learn from high level black belts, in depth conversations, and off the wall rants by the host himself. It is guaranteed that each episode will help you suck just a little less at jiu-jitsu, or your money back. Josh McKinney is an accomplished adult black belt competitor with a "suck-less" mindset that can help anyone progress

Recent Episodes

SEP 17, 2026
#392 The STL Outlaws: Can Jiu Jitsu Become a Team Sport? | Lloyd Wideman and Eric Longar
What happens when jiu-jitsu starts looking less like an individual sport and more like the NFL?I sit down with the St. Louis Outlaws management(Lloyd Wideman and Eric Longar) to talk about what PGF is actually trying to build: franchises, drafts, team strategy, scouting, sponsors, contracts, and a real pathway for grapplers to become professional athletes. We also get into what makes someone worth signing, why the Midwest may be sitting on a ton of overlooked talent, and whether team jiu-jitsu could actually be the future of the sportSign up for the Outlaws Qualifier: https://smoothcomp.com/en/event/34563?background=transparent&linktargets=inherit&embedView=1Check at our new Skool Jiu Jitsu Curriculum: https://www.skool.com/headnodFree Mental Models Course "Jiu Jitsu for imbeciles" : bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck Register for Grappler 4 Good: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/mission-111/grapple-for-good0:00 Intro1:20 Why buy a jiu-jitsu franchise?8:49 Going all-in on the PGF vision12:50 How the St. Louis Outlaws were created17:45 What PGF feels like from the inside21:34 The ridiculous 10th Planet origin story23:47 What PGF is like for the athletes28:03 Why the PGF rules are different33:02 Money bags and rewarding exciting jiu-jitsu37:09 How team competition actually works39:05 Who are the Outlaws signing?47:31 How PGF qualifiers and the draft work53:44 Building a team without ruining the culture57:27 The perfect professional jiu-jitsu athlete1:06:39 Contracts, sponsors and athlete expectations1:07:45 Finding the Midwest’s hidden talent1:13:09 Where the Outlaws go from here1:15:07 PGF expanding to 16 franchises1:17:32 Why Midwest jiu-jitsu needs a bigger stage1:20:43 Final thoughts on the St. Louis Outlaws
86 MIN
SEP 10, 2026
#391 Do Master Worlds They Said. It'll be Fun They Said
I thought Master Worlds was going to be a quick, fun trip to Vegas.Instead, I watched a brutal jumping guard injury, got delayed 14 hours, paid way too much for water, and almost coached one of my best friends out of the Master World title he had been chasing for years.This episode is basically my honest review of Master Worlds from a coach’s perspective. The injuries, the chaos, the weirdness of Vegas, the heartbreak of losing, and the stuff that actually makes the whole experience worth it.Somewhere in the middle of all of it, I got reminded what jiu jitsu competition is really about.Check at our new Skool Jiu Jitsu Curriculum: https://www.skool.com/headnodFree Mental Models Course "Jiu Jitsu for imbeciles" : bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck Register for Grappler 4 Good: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/mission-111/grapple-for-good0:00 Master Worlds Was Supposed to Be Fun2:14 The Jumping Guard Injury Problem10:21 Why I Even Went to Master Worlds13:06 My Perfect 38-Hour Vegas Trip Goes Wrong15:48 Spirit Airlines Delays Me 14 Hours19:11 Losing at Master Worlds Isn’t the End of the World23:37 The Real Reason I Went: Nick Sanders27:29 Nick’s Master World Title Run29:05 I Almost Cost My Friend a World Title30:39 “We Got Him”31:18 Maybe Jiu-Jitsu Competition DOES Matter34:14 My Honest Review of Las Vegas35:26 Vegas Is One Giant Airport Terminal37:01 $6.50 Water Is Criminal41:40 What Makes Master Worlds Awesome47:12 When Jiu-Jitsu Becomes Your Identity50:17 What Losing at Master Worlds Actually Means53:46 Master Worlds Actually Was Fun
55 MIN
SEP 3, 2026
#390 Former Mat Enforcer TELLS ALL
Do jiu-jitsu schools still need mat enforcers? I think they do.I’ve spent a lot of years around jiu-jitsu schools, and for a good chunk of that time I was the guy coaches called when somebody needed to be… corrected.In this episode, I tell some of my best mat enforcer stories, including dojo stormers, fake black belts, gym bullies, getting “green lit,” and the scariest enforcement I’ve ever seen.But the real point is bigger than beating somebody up. A good mat enforcer protects the culture of the gym. A bad one can ruin it.Rener's Full Video: https://youtu.be/dcOjQBp7jX0?si=iJi6mcljbJbm0dWVCheck at our new Skool Jiu Jitsu Curriculum: https://www.skool.com/headnodFree Mental Models Course "Jiu Jitsu for imbeciles" : bjjmentalmodels.com/isuck Register for Grappler 4 Good: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/mission-111/grapple-for-good0:00 The Mats Don't Lie2:33 The Viral BJJ Callout That Started This5:50 Why Every Gym Needs a Mat Enforcer8:06 CONFESSION: I Was a Mat Enforcer10:17 I Got My First Assignment at 1510:52 Our Gym Got Dojo Stormed13:16 Coach Put Me Against the "Black Belt"14:20 What Getting "Green Lit" Means18:18 With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility23:21 The Guy Who Wouldn't Stop Hurting Students24:19 I Called in the Monster26:14 The Scariest Enforcement I've Ever Seen27:20 What Mat Enforcers Are REALLY For29:28 The Most Powerful Person Besides the Coach32:35 When My Coach Still Calls Me In34:04 The Viral Gracie University Beatdown36:07 What He Did After Losing Matters40:23 The Rule Every Mat Enforcer Should Follow45:16 Where Mat Enforcers Actually Came From46:40 Why I Was Enforcing at 15 Years Old49:56 The Dark Side of Being the Enforcer51:17 Finally Beating Your Old Mat Bully52:39 How Tough Guys Create Gym Culture57:06 The Original Old-School Mat Enforcer59:54 What a Modern Mat Enforcer Should Be1:01:59 What If YOUR Gym Has a Mat Bully?
65 MIN
AUG 27, 2026
#389 "How many Blue Belts Could I Beat in a Row?" | Ask Me Anything
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
71 MIN