What I Found Most Useful This Year
Tools That Helped Me Get Better At Bjj
Choke Point Chronicles is where strategy meets storytelling. Each post explores the tactics, psychology, and culture of Jiu-Jitsu, written for students and coaches who want to train with intention and think deeper about the art.
Tapped In is a short-form audio series built for grapplers chasing mastery, not medals. Weekly insights blending mindset, structure, and real-talk in just 15-20 minutes.
Upgrade to premium for just $5/month to unlock deeper essays, bonus audio, and behind-the-scenes coaching content.
👉 Join BJJ Mental Models+ (Code: FIGUEROAMARTINEZ)
What I Found Most Useful This Year
Jiu-Jitsu can be difficult and sometimes we need something to help with the learning curve. While none of what I’m gong to share is going to create any short cuts, they have helped me during the year.
Hopefully they can help you in the coming year.
A Tapped In Episode You Might Like
E90 | Bonus Ep | The Real Win As a Coach
Podcasts
I do a good chunk of my podcast listening while at work or when I have to commute to my 5am classes three times a week.
I don’t normally listened for pure entertainment. I want what I’m taking in to have some substance, where I feel like the time was spent advancing me further along.
These are my favorite podcasts along with with my favorite episode from each this year.
Bjj Mental Models - This is by far the best Bjj podcast around. I love how Steve, allows the guests to do deep dives on various Jiu-Jitsu issues that we all encounter. The big plus is the premium upgrade. Steve is really doing some great stuff on this platform.
The Pivot - The Pivot is centered around Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder, having conversations with athletes and entertainers in such a way that feels like we’re just hanging out. The episodes that I love most is when the show pushes into more introspective aspects of their guests.
A Bit of Optimism - Simon Sinek is one of my Go-To voices for leadership related topics. I absolutely love his inquisitive mind and approach. He interviews supervisors, business owners, and CEOs from across various fields. Much of my coaching approach is tied to him as an author.
The Diary of a CEO - Steven Bartlett has some awesome conversations with people of varying industries. I love how eclectic the conversation and personalities get. I feel like I learn quite a bit about people through this podcast.
Instagram Content Creators
IG can be a difficult place to sift through when it comes to the amount of content that comes at you. We’re bombarded with so much, but these are some of my favorites. Do yourself a favor and start making bookmarks for specific types of content that you want to review later.
Some that I have in place are Judo, Wrestling, Foot Sweeps, Pressure Passing and Leadership.
Merge Grappling - The Merge is run by Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Mike Trasso. Mike is such a fantastic instructor. He has this ability of conveying important details in the simplest of ways. My favorite instructor that I’ve personally learned from.
JFloJudo - Justin Flores is one of the best grapplers around. He is such an amazing wealth of knowledge for everything Judo. He has such beautiful stand up. While lessons from him are outside of my price range, his IG is a goldmine.
ChrisBonesJJ - Chris has a no nonsense approach that I find incredibly amusing. What I love most is that he teaches the basics that I was somehow missed along the way.
Bloggers
My go to site for the written word is Substack. There are some amazing writers and instructors on this site.
The Grappler’s Diary - Chris Wojcik has been writing for quite a while now, both on the blog and releasing a book this year. He’s a great follow and someone I follow for inspiration.
Living As A Grappler - I love Simon Padilla’s approach to breaking down Jiu-Jitsu themes. He has some amazing breakdowns through his Substack account.
The Lost Creonte - Another great Substack read. Two of my favorites recent posts were “White To Blue: What to Focus On” and “How to Design A Bjj Curriculum.” Great follow!
Technique Platforms
I’m pretty picky about what platforms I decide to invest in, but these are the three that I actually purchased something from. If price is an issue, wait for the most common sale during the year, like I did.
The.BjjProject - Earlier this year I went through Chris Bone’s Bjj Building Blocks which has been an amazing addition. His approach isn’t about being flashy and more about the basics, which I enjoy.
Kit Dale Training - I’ve been a fan of Kit Dale since my Blue Belt days. What I enjoyed most about his platform was the Task Based Games. A Must have!
BBC Maestro - There are a host of different experts and subjects that you can enjoy, but he one that I jumped into was Lee Child’s Writing Popular Fiction.
Final Thoughts
What I’d like everyone to take away from this is, we have to invest in ourselves.
You don’t have to do all of these, obviously, but it’s important for us to learn from others. Sometimes that learning will be for free, other times it will require us to spend a little bit of money.
You are worth it, so please find that thing you are curious about, and push forward.
This community is FREE to join!
You’ll have full access to General Discussion, Q&A, Technique Breakdowns, Recorded Work Shops, and Audio Courses.
Thank you for reading.
David Figueroa-Martinez
Founder, DFM Coaching
Coach | Writer | Grappler
DFM Coaching is dedicated to helping you overcome mental hurdles and achieve your full potential in BJJ. Whether through in-person instruction, seminars, private lessons, remote coaching, or video analysis, I provide personalized support tailored to your needs. Keep pushing forward, and let’s grow together!