The I3 Model:
How We Identify The Real Cause of Your BJJ Injury.
Most healthcare providers treat symptoms. We find the primary driver—the root cause keeping you injured.
The I3 Model:
How We Identify The Real Cause of Your BJJ Injury.
Most healthcare providers treat symptoms. We find the primary driver—the root cause keeping you injured.
The I3 Model:
How We Identify The Real Cause of Your BJJ Injury.
Most healthcare providers treat symptoms. We find the primary driver—the root cause keeping you injured.
The Problem
You've been nursing that shoulder pain for months.
You've tried rest, ice, ibuprofen. Maybe you saw a PT who gave you some exercises. Nothing worked long-term.
Here's why: they treated your symptoms, not the cause.
At Grapplers PerformX, we use the I3 Model—a proprietary assessment framework that identifies the primary driver of your injury. Not just what hurts, but why it's hurting in the first place.
This is how we've helped over 500 grappling athletes recover fully and return to training stronger than before.
The Problem
You've been nursing that shoulder pain for months.
You've tried rest, ice, ibuprofen. Maybe you saw a PT who gave you some exercises. Nothing worked long-term.
Here's why: they treated your symptoms, not the cause.
At Grapplers PerformX, we use the I3 Model—a proprietary assessment framework that identifies the primary driver of your injury. Not just what hurts, but why it's hurting in the first place.
This is how we've helped over 500 grappling athletes recover fully and return to training stronger than before.
The Problem
You've been nursing that shoulder pain for months.
You've tried rest, ice, ibuprofen. Maybe you saw a PT who gave you some exercises. Nothing worked long-term.
Here's why: they treated your symptoms, not the cause.
At Grapplers PerformX, we use the I3 Model—a proprietary assessment framework that identifies the primary driver of your injury. Not just what hurts, but why it's hurting in the first place.
This is how we've helped over 500 grappling athletes recover fully and return to training stronger than before.
The Solution: The I3 Model
The Solution: The I3 Model
What Is the I3 Model?
The I3 Model breaks down injury causation into three interconnected components:
Incomplete Mechanics
The Setup for Injury
These are movement restrictions, strength imbalances, or mobility limitations that force your body to compensate. They're often present long before pain appears.
Examples:
Limited shoulder internal rotation forcing your neck into compromised positions
Missing ankle mobility causing your knee to cave inward during takedowns
Weak hip stabilizers leading to lower back overload
The Problem: Your body is incredibly adaptive. It will find a way to move even when optimal movement isn't available. But these compensations create stress on joints, tendons, and ligaments that weren't designed to handle it.
What We Do: During your initial evaluation, we test specific movement patterns to identify which incomplete mechanics are present. These become targets for treatment.
Incomplete Mechanics
The Setup for Injury
These are movement restrictions, strength imbalances, or mobility limitations that force your body to compensate. They're often present long before pain appears.
Examples:
Limited shoulder internal rotation forcing your neck into compromised positions
Missing ankle mobility causing your knee to cave inward during takedowns
Weak hip stabilizers leading to lower back overload
The Problem: Your body is incredibly adaptive. It will find a way to move even when optimal movement isn't available. But these compensations create stress on joints, tendons, and ligaments that weren't designed to handle it.
What We Do: During your initial evaluation, we test specific movement patterns to identify which incomplete mechanics are present. These become targets for treatment.
Incomplete Mechanics
The Setup for Injury
These are movement restrictions, strength imbalances, or mobility limitations that force your body to compensate. They're often present long before pain appears.
Examples:
Limited shoulder internal rotation forcing your neck into compromised positions
Missing ankle mobility causing your knee to cave inward during takedowns
Weak hip stabilizers leading to lower back overload
The Problem: Your body is incredibly adaptive. It will find a way to move even when optimal movement isn't available. But these compensations create stress on joints, tendons, and ligaments that weren't designed to handle it.
What We Do: During your initial evaluation, we test specific movement patterns to identify which incomplete mechanics are present. These become targets for treatment.
Incidents
The Catalyst
An incident is the event that pushes stressed tissues over the edge. It's the "when" of your injury.
Examples:
Getting stacked during a triangle attempt
Defending a tight armbar
An awkward fall during a takedown
Ramping up training volume too quickly
The Problem: Most athletes (and healthcare providers) think the incident IS the injury. "I hurt my elbow in an armbar" becomes the entire story. But if your elbow was already compromised by incomplete mechanics, the armbar was just the final straw.
What We Do: We map out the incident to understand the mechanism of injury and which structures were affected. But we don't stop there—we dig deeper to find what made you vulnerable in the first place.
Incidents
The Catalyst
An incident is the event that pushes stressed tissues over the edge. It's the "when" of your injury.
Examples:
Getting stacked during a triangle attempt
Defending a tight armbar
An awkward fall during a takedown
Ramping up training volume too quickly
The Problem: Most athletes (and healthcare providers) think the incident IS the injury. "I hurt my elbow in an armbar" becomes the entire story. But if your elbow was already compromised by incomplete mechanics, the armbar was just the final straw.
What We Do: We map out the incident to understand the mechanism of injury and which structures were affected. But we don't stop there—we dig deeper to find what made you vulnerable in the first place.
Incidents
The Catalyst
An incident is the event that pushes stressed tissues over the edge. It's the "when" of your injury.
Examples:
Getting stacked during a triangle attempt
Defending a tight armbar
An awkward fall during a takedown
Ramping up training volume too quickly
The Problem: Most athletes (and healthcare providers) think the incident IS the injury. "I hurt my elbow in an armbar" becomes the entire story. But if your elbow was already compromised by incomplete mechanics, the armbar was just the final straw.
What We Do: We map out the incident to understand the mechanism of injury and which structures were affected. But we don't stop there—we dig deeper to find what made you vulnerable in the first place.
Injuries
The Consequence
This is the actual tissue damage—the torn ligament, strained tendon, irritated joint, or nerve compression causing your pain.
Examples:
UCL sprain in the elbow
Rotator cuff tendinopathy
MCL tear in the knee
Herniated disc in the lower back
The Problem: Treating only the injury (rest, ice, anti-inflammatories) might reduce pain temporarily, but if the incomplete mechanics remain, you're set up for re-injury as soon as you return to training.
What We Do: We treat the injured structure with specific techniques to control pain and restore movement. Then we address the incomplete mechanics to prevent recurrence.
Injuries
The Consequence
This is the actual tissue damage—the torn ligament, strained tendon, irritated joint, or nerve compression causing your pain.
Examples:
UCL sprain in the elbow
Rotator cuff tendinopathy
MCL tear in the knee
Herniated disc in the lower back
The Problem: Treating only the injury (rest, ice, anti-inflammatories) might reduce pain temporarily, but if the incomplete mechanics remain, you're set up for re-injury as soon as you return to training.
What We Do: We treat the injured structure with specific techniques to control pain and restore movement. Then we address the incomplete mechanics to prevent recurrence.
Injuries
The Consequence
This is the actual tissue damage—the torn ligament, strained tendon, irritated joint, or nerve compression causing your pain.
Examples:
UCL sprain in the elbow
Rotator cuff tendinopathy
MCL tear in the knee
Herniated disc in the lower back
The Problem: Treating only the injury (rest, ice, anti-inflammatories) might reduce pain temporarily, but if the incomplete mechanics remain, you're set up for re-injury as soon as you return to training.
What We Do: We treat the injured structure with specific techniques to control pain and restore movement. Then we address the incomplete mechanics to prevent recurrence.
What we believe
Why the I3 Model Works
When Everything Else Fails:
Traditional Approach:
You have pain
Provider treats the painful area
Pain reduces temporarily
You return to training
Pain comes back (or a new injury appears)
I3 Model Approach:
You have pain
We identify the injured structure (Injury)
We map the mechanism (Incident)
We find the movement restriction or weakness that created vulnerability (Incomplete Mechanics)
We treat all three components
You return to training pain-free with better movement than before
Movement change logged
The result: Most athletes tell us their "injured" side now feels like the "strong" side.
What we believe
Why the I3 Model Works
When Everything Else Fails:
Traditional Approach:
You have pain
Provider treats the painful area
Pain reduces temporarily
You return to training
Pain comes back (or a new injury appears)
I3 Model Approach:
You have pain
We identify the injured structure (Injury)
We map the mechanism (Incident)
We find the movement restriction or weakness that created vulnerability (Incomplete Mechanics)
We treat all three components
You return to training pain-free with better movement than before
Movement change logged
The result: Most athletes tell us their "injured" side now feels like the "strong" side.
What we believe
Why the I3 Model Works
When Everything Else Fails:
Traditional Approach:
You have pain
Provider treats the painful area
Pain reduces temporarily
You return to training
Pain comes back (or a new injury appears)
I3 Model Approach:
You have pain
We identify the injured structure (Injury)
We map the mechanism (Incident)
We find the movement restriction or weakness that created vulnerability (Incomplete Mechanics)
We treat all three components
You return to training pain-free with better movement than before
Movement change logged
The result: Most athletes tell us their "injured" side now feels like the "strong" side.
Results
Results
Results
Join 500+ Grapplers
Who Chose Expertise Over Generic Healthcare
90% of our patients avoid surgery
95% patient satisfaction rate
5.0★
average rating
5.0★ average rating
5.0★
average rating
8-12 sessions average plan of care
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
"I thought my career was over—four weeks later I was sparring like normal.”
Joss Ayres
Purple Belt
"I wish I contacted Dalton much much earlier!! Thank you so much for keeping on the mats and training whilst helping me recover."
Virtual Patient | Nils Hirani
BJJ Purple Belt
"Great to have a physio that had specific grappling knowledge so immediately understood the positions which caused the injury."
Virtual Patient | Owen Lewis
BJJ Athlete & Weightlifter
"Being able to speak to an experienced grappler who understood the more specific movements that it entails helped me communicate my pains more effectively."
Virtual Patient | Chiu Dat
BJJ Purple Belt
Your Path
Back To The Mats
Step 1: Free 15-Min Discovery Call
See if we're the right fit for your specific situation—no pressure, just honest advice.
Step 2: Virtual Assessment (90 Minutes)
Step 3: Custom Plan (10-15 Sessions)
Most athletes see noticeable improvement within their first 1-3 sessions!
Your Path
Back To The Mats
Step 1: Free 15-Min Discovery Call
See if we're the right fit for your specific situation—no pressure, just honest advice.
Step 2: Virtual Assessment (90 Minutes)
Step 3: Custom Plan (10-15 Sessions)
Most athletes see noticeable improvement within their first 1-3 sessions!
Your Path
Back To The Mats
Step 1: Free 15-Min Discovery Call
See if we're the right fit for your specific situation—no pressure, just honest advice.
Step 2: Virtual Assessment (90 Minutes)
Step 3: Custom Plan (10-15 Sessions)
Most athletes see noticeable improvement within their first 1-3 sessions!
Why This Matters
To Grapplers:
BJJ and grappling are unique. Your body needs to:
Control extreme ranges of motion
Generate force in compromised positions
Absorb unpredictable loads
Move explosively while exhausted
Standard PT doesn't account for this. A PT who treats runners all day doesn't understand what happens when someone yanks your arm into an armbar or stacks you in a triangle.
We do. We're grapplers treating grapplers.
The I3 Model was developed specifically for combat athletes because we needed a framework that accounts for:
Sport-specific movement demands
Injury mechanisms unique to grappling
The reality that you want to keep training, not stop for months
Why This Matters
To Grapplers:
BJJ and grappling are unique. Your body needs to:
Control extreme ranges of motion
Generate force in compromised positions
Absorb unpredictable loads
Move explosively while exhausted
Standard PT doesn't account for this. A PT who treats runners all day doesn't understand what happens when someone yanks your arm into an armbar or stacks you in a triangle.
We do. We're grapplers treating grapplers.
The I3 Model was developed specifically for combat athletes because we needed a framework that accounts for:
Sport-specific movement demands
Injury mechanisms unique to grappling
The reality that you want to keep training, not stop for months
Why This Matters
To Grapplers:
BJJ and grappling are unique. Your body needs to:
Control extreme ranges of motion
Generate force in compromised positions
Absorb unpredictable loads
Move explosively while exhausted
Standard PT doesn't account for this. A PT who treats runners all day doesn't understand what happens when someone yanks your arm into an armbar or stacks you in a triangle.
We do. We're grapplers treating grapplers.
The I3 Model was developed specifically for combat athletes because we needed a framework that accounts for:
Sport-specific movement demands
Injury mechanisms unique to grappling
The reality that you want to keep training, not stop for months
FAQ
FAQ
FAQ
Common Questions—
Start here.
How is this different from what my PT did?
Most PTs are constrained by insurance models that limit them to 15-30 minute sessions focused on symptom management. We take 90 minutes for your initial evaluation and have the freedom to find and fix the root cause.
Do I need an MRI before starting?
Usually not. Our assessment identifies the problem in most cases. If imaging is needed, we'll let you know.
What if I have multiple injuries?
The I3 Model works perfectly for this. Often, multiple injuries share the same primary driver. Fix the root cause, and several problems improve simultaneously.
Can this work for chronic injuries I've had for years?
Yes. Chronic problems exist because the primary driver was never addressed. Once we fix the incomplete mechanic, even long-standing issues resolve.
How is this different from what my PT did?
Most PTs are constrained by insurance models that limit them to 15-30 minute sessions focused on symptom management. We take 90 minutes for your initial evaluation and have the freedom to find and fix the root cause.
Do I need an MRI before starting?
Usually not. Our assessment identifies the problem in most cases. If imaging is needed, we'll let you know.
What if I have multiple injuries?
The I3 Model works perfectly for this. Often, multiple injuries share the same primary driver. Fix the root cause, and several problems improve simultaneously.
Can this work for chronic injuries I've had for years?
Yes. Chronic problems exist because the primary driver was never addressed. Once we fix the incomplete mechanic, even long-standing issues resolve.
How is this different from what my PT did?
Most PTs are constrained by insurance models that limit them to 15-30 minute sessions focused on symptom management. We take 90 minutes for your initial evaluation and have the freedom to find and fix the root cause.
Do I need an MRI before starting?
Usually not. Our assessment identifies the problem in most cases. If imaging is needed, we'll let you know.
What if I have multiple injuries?
The I3 Model works perfectly for this. Often, multiple injuries share the same primary driver. Fix the root cause, and several problems improve simultaneously.
Can this work for chronic injuries I've had for years?
Yes. Chronic problems exist because the primary driver was never addressed. Once we fix the incomplete mechanic, even long-standing issues resolve.
Get started
Get started
Get started
The I3 Model is the foundation of everything we do. It's how we've maintained a 95% patient satisfaction rate and helped hundreds of athletes solve problems that stumped multiple providers.
What Happens Next
Book a Free 15-Minute Discovery Call - Tell us about your injury and we'll explain how the I3 Model applies to your specific situation
Schedule Your Initial Evaluation - 90-minute comprehensive assessment using the I3 Model framework
Start Your Recovery Plan - Receive your personalized 3-phase treatment plan and begin fixing the root cause
