Book Chapter Map
For each proposed chapter: best matching post, date, and match type.
PART ONE: WHY YOU’RE HERE
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| For What? | For What? | 2024-11-28 | Direct |
| It’s Your Hobby | It’s Your Hobby | 2024-01-11 | Direct |
| The Only Metric | Month-to-Month + Breaks | 2020-03-19 / 2020-03-05 | Composite — “The only thing you can track is whether you attended class or not” lives in Breaks; the framing of month-over-month comparison is in Month-to-Month |
| Self-Defense First | Self-Defense First | 2022-12-22 | Direct — also draw from The Main Reason (2023-02-16) for the “schools that lead with side benefits” argument |
| How Long Will You Train? | How Long Will You Train? | 2020-10-09 | Direct |
PART TWO: THE PLATEAU
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Flat Line | Plateaus | 2020-03-04 | Direct — the foundational statement; also draw from Commit (2020-04-14) for the purple belt threshold |
| Garbage Time | Garbage Time | 2021-08-27 | Direct |
| Month to Month | Month-to-Month | 2020-03-19 | Direct — thin post on its own; fold into The Flat Line or expand with original material |
| Frustration Is the Mechanism | Frustration | 2022-02-17 | Direct — also draw from Big Magic (2022-05-26) for the Elizabeth Gilbert quote |
| Boredom | Boredom | 2022-02-10 | Direct |
PART THREE: THE EGO PROBLEM
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take All Rounds | No Rounds Off | 2020-03-08 | Direct — Yes Rounds Off (2022-08-11) is a useful counterpoint (intelligent selection vs. ego protection) worth acknowledging |
| Tap at Phase Two | Tap Earlier | 2020-05-18 | Direct — also draw from Tap Early, Tap Often (2023-08-03) where the instructor injures himself by not following his own advice |
| Holes in Your Game | Holes in Your Game | 2020-08-21 | Direct |
| The Intermediate | The Intermediate | 2020-09-18 | Direct |
| Their Excuses | Their Excuses | 2021-05-21 | Direct |
PART FOUR: TECHNIQUE
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train Slow | Train Slow | 2020-03-07 | Direct |
| Technique Lasts | Technique Lasts | 2020-12-04 | Direct — also draw from Work on Technique (2024-06-27) |
| Everything Works | Everything Works | 2021-03-19 | Direct |
| The Basics | Basics + Basics, Again | 2020-04-28 / 2025-04-24 | Composite — the 2020 post makes the argument; How Many Times? (2025-03-20) gives it a personal anchor (still learning trap and roll after 10+ years) |
| Adding and Subtracting | Adding and Subtracting | 2024-08-09 | Direct — also draw from Bucket and Filters (2025-05-15) |
| Principles, Not Techniques | Secret Techniques + Secret | 2020-03-10 / 2022-06-23 | Composite — Secret Techniques argues for principles over moves; Secret (2022) reinforces “no shortcut but reps” |
PART FIVE: THE BODY
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare for Your Forties | Prepare for Your Forties | 2020-06-12 | Direct — also draw from Your 60s (2022-03-24) and Future Self (2025-07-10) |
| Longevity First | Longevity First | 2025-11-27 | Direct |
| Perishable | Perishable | 2020-03-09 | Direct |
| Tap Early, Tap Often | Tap Early, Tap Often | 2023-08-03 | Direct — distinct from the 2020 Tap Earlier post; this one is about the instructor as example, not ego management |
| Rounds to Be Careful With | Rounds to Be Careful With | 2026-01-08 | Direct |
PART SIX: THE MAT
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| School Culture Matters | Culture Matters | 2023-12-21 | Direct — also draw from Class (2023-03-02) and Train Elsewhere (2024-09-19) |
| Not a Family | Not a Family | 2023-11-02 | Direct |
| Connection Is the Mechanism | Connect and Help + Connections | 2025-08-21 / 2024-05-03 | Composite — Connect and Help makes the fullest argument; Connections (2024) gives the specific behavioral observation (people who leave immediately are most likely to quit); also Third Place (2023-10-12) and People Have to Like You (2026-02-12) |
| Be Their Favorite | Be Their Favorite | 2024-07-18 | Direct — also draw from Help Others to Help Yourself (2024-11-14) |
| Bad People Stay Bad | Bad People Stay Bad | 2023-10-05 | Direct |
| False Proxies | Black Belt Proxy + Titles and Letters | 2023-06-08 / 2023-12-07 | Composite — Black Belt Proxy covers rank; Titles and Letters covers honorifics; Social Media (2023-06-30) covers follower counts. Three posts, one chapter. |
PART SEVEN: TEACHING
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach It to Know It | Teach It | 2020-04-07 | Direct — also draw from Advise Others, Advise Yourself (2021-09-03) for the Ryron Gracie quote on teaching keeping you sharp |
| Teach Sooner | Teach Sooner Than Later | 2022-01-20 | Direct |
| Doing It Wrong | Doing It Wrong | 2023-06-01 | Direct |
| The Instructor’s Responsibility | Excuses + When Teachers Disappoint | 2023-08-17 / 2026-01-22 | Composite — Excuses contains “your teacher failed you”; When Teachers Disappoint (2026) gives the human/expectations framing; Caring and Sweating (2022-10-27) adds the physical accountability angle |
| Good at It vs. Good at Teaching It | Good at It vs Good at Teaching It | 2026-04-16 | Direct |
PART EIGHT: THE LONG GAME
| Chapter | Post Title | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compounding | Compounding | 2024-01-25 | Direct — also draw from Compounding, Again (2024-06-13) and Premature Optimization (2026-01-15, “never interrupt compounding”) |
| From Excitement to Identity | From Excitement to Identity | 2025-10-02 | Direct |
| The Relationship Changes | The Relationship Changes | 2025-12-25 | Direct |
| Some People Still Make It | Keep Going | 2026-01-01 | Direct — also draw from Just Keep Going (2021-09-30) for the Marcelo Garcia quote: “Maybe I am not better than my opponent, but I know for sure I love my training more.” |
Summary
- Direct matches: 28 of 39 chapters have a single post that is the chapter.
- Composite (2–3 posts): 11 chapters draw from multiple posts.
- Gaps requiring original writing: None. Every chapter has strong source material. Some composites could be collapsed (e.g., Month to Month folds cleanly into The Flat Line), which would tighten the book to ~35 chapters.
- Posts with no chapter home: Roughly 270 posts are not in this structure. Most are curation-heavy or cover ideas addressed more sharply by another post. The archive contains ~60 posts strong enough to be book material; this structure uses the best 40–50.