Daniel and Drew explored the world of lavish Chinese wedding banquets, Elden Ring DLC, and unique TTRPG mechanics! Learn more about Wandering Blades: danielhkwan.itch.io/wanderingblades //SUPPORT Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio and exclusive series! patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR Head to diceenvy…

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing wedges, and we don't mean pizza! We break down the two types of wedges in Jiu-Jitsu: blocking wedges (used for immobilizing your opponent) and prying wedges (used for breaking open your opponent's defenses). This is the third in a six-part series of mini-episodes we're doing on the core mechanics of Jiu…

This week we're joined by Jeff Serafin! Jeff is the head instructor at Serafin BJJ, a partner at Gym 1801, and a black belt under Jack McVicker and Megaton Dias. In this episode, Jeff advocates for fostering a healthy gym culture and reducing dogma in Jiu-Jitsu. Topics include: identifying and avoiding toxic gym cultures, ego management in training…

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing levers! Levers are force multipliers and the source of leverage in Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode, we talk about the levers of the human body, turning frames into levers, and when levers are less important. This is the second in a six-part series of mini-episodes we're doing on the core mechanics of Jiu-Jit…

This week we're joined again by Lyzz "Daemonette" Mitrovic! Lyzz is a multi-time black belt masters world champion and a longtime member of the BJJ Mental Models Premium community. Lyzz will be competing at ADCC this year after earning her entry via victory at ADCC West Coast Trials. In this episode, Lyzz shares what high-level competition camps lo…

On the latest episode of NDNP, Daniel and Drew got an update on Jeremy's experience at UK Games Expo, discussed the challenges of emergent storytelling in TTRPGs, and Drew's familial connections to the Second World War. Learn more about Jeremy's new game, Mappa Mundi: https://www.threesailsstudios.com/mappamundirpg Learn more about Ben Robbins' Wes…

Anthony and Chris ramble as the Cleveland Guardians continue to roll into the middle of June, still atop the AL Central. They cover a sweeping set of Guardians topics to prep you for the push towards the All-Star break and the all-important trade deadline. Be sure to follow us on social at @calpenalpod and Substack at clevelandguardians.substack.co…

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing frames! You probably know what a frame is, but I'm guessing you haven't walked through the concept as in-depth as we'll do here today! Let's talk about how we define a "frame," when we want to use frames, what makes frames useful, and when frames become a liability. This is the first in a six-part serie…

This week we're joined again by Chris Wojcik! Chris is a black belt under Jeff Serafin and the author of The Grappler's Diary. In this episode, Chris discusses open guard leg entanglement strategies under different rulesets. Follow Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismwojcik https://www.instagram.com/thegrapplersdiary Subscribe to Th…

The Cleveland Guardians are one of the best teams in baseball this season, but they've got plenty of room for improvement if they want to make a deep postseason run. So who are some ideal early trade deadline targets for the team? We'll discuss that and more - and be sure to follow us on social @calpenalpod and on Substack at clevelandguardians.sub…

In this week's mini-episode, we're introducing the alignment scorecard! It's a quick way to use Rob Biernacki's alignment framework to "score" your grappling and make smarter grappling decisions faster. This episode builds on the last four mini-episodes about base, posture, structure, and alignment. Further study: BJJMM Mini Ep. 1: Base https://pod…

This week we're joined again by Cal McDonald! Cal is a BJJ black belt under Rob Biernacki from Island Top Team and is the author of the new "BJJ Foundations" instructional alongside Stephan Kesting from Grapplearts. In this episode, Cal discusses "automatic grappling," or the science of how we can improve our reaction time and make better decisions…

The Cleveland Guardians have a soft upcoming schedule heading into June, which means they could start separating themselves from the rest of the AL Central. Only time will tell, but the good times keep rolling for one of baseball's most surprising teams this season. Be sure to check us out on social @calpenalpod or on Substack at clevelandguardians…

In this week's mini-episode, we're introducing the concept of alignment! Alignment is Rob Biernacki's simplified concept for understanding Jiu-Jitsu and making smarter grappling decisions faster. This episode builds on the last three mini-episodes about base, posture, and structure. Further study: BJJMM Ep. 1: Alignment https://bjj.plus/1 BJJMM Ep.…

After some health-related delays, Daniel and Drew are back with a new episode of NDNP! Daniel recapped his first experience as a guest at Anime North, owning an interesting piece of Asian TTRPG history, and more! Learn more about Wandering Blades: danielhkwan.itch.io/wanderingblades //SUPPORT Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Pa…

The 2024 Cleveland Guardians are officially fun. And not only fun, but really darn good, as it looks like this team is going to be sticking around for the long haul. Let's dive into what makes them so good to start 2024 and what they can do to keep it rolling (i.e. keep wearing the City Connects). Catch us on social too @calpenalpod. Learn more abo…

This week we're joined by Lucas Wilhan! Lucas is a black belt under Bruno Fernandes and is the head instructor at Lapel Arts in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In this episode, Lucas joins us to break down concepts behind the ankle lock, and to discuss modern innovations and variants around this submission. Follow Lucas, Pauline, and Lapel Arts on Instagram…

In this week's mini-episode, we're introducing the concept of structure! Structure means the ability to effectively utilize your limbs. This episode builds on the last two mini-episodes about base and posture. Further study: BJJMM Ep. 1: Alignment https://bjj.plus/1 BJJMM Ep. 50: Alignment 2.0, feat. Rob Biernacki https://bjj.plus/50 Get our Intro …

This week we're joined by Dr. Jooyoung Lee! Jooyoung is a BJJ black belt, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, and an accredited expert in the sociological study of violence. In this episode, Jooyoung discusses the science behind "pulling the trigger" when grappling, how to be more aggressive in the moment, and how to avoid becomi…

In this week's mini-episode, we're introducing the concept of posture! Let's talk about what posture means in the context of Jiu-Jitsu, why it's so important, and how managing posture improves both your defense and offense. This episode builds on last week's mini-episode about base. Further study: BJJMM Ep. 1: Alignment https://bjj.plus/1 BJJMM Ep.…

This week we're joined by Beatrice Jin! Beatrice is a coach at Kogaion Academy in Virginia, an outstanding brown belt professional competitor, and the operator of America's longest-running women's open mat. In this episode, Beatrice explains how unaggressive grapplers can shed that passive mindset, "stop being nice," and weaponize the strategic mea…

We're launching a brand new mini-podcast! Once a week, we'll publish a brief explanation of a key mental model for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This week we're talking about base, one of the core elements from Rob Biernacki's theory of alignment. Further study: BJJMM Ep. 1: Alignment https://bjj.plus/1 BJJMM Ep. 50: Alignment 2.0, feat. Rob Biernacki https…

This week we're joined again by Dominyka Obelenyte! Dom is a black belt under Marcelo Garcia, a 4x black belt and 10x overall world champion, and a longtime BJJ Mental Models collaborator and coach. In this episode, Dominyka breaks down mental models for Jiu-Jitsu gameplanning alongside her new Digitsu instructional, The Art of the Gameplan. Get Do…

The Asians Represent crew did their first live show in almost 4 years at Breakout Con 2024! Breakout Con was where everything for the podcast started and we are so grateful for this wonderful convention! //SUPPORT Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio and exclusive series! patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSO…

The Cleveland Guardians have finished a fantastic April that sees them as one of the best teams in the American League. But there are a few underlying issues the team needs to address moving forward if they want to stay in contention. We'll talk about that and more in our latest episode, and be sure to follow us on social media @calpenalpod. Learn …

Get our Intro to Mechanics audio course, normally $79, FREE: https://bjjmentalmodels.com/freeintro Don't forget to check out BJJ Mental Models Premium! If you love the podcast, you'll definitely love our premium membership offerings. The podcast is truly just the tip of the iceberg – the next steps on your journey are joining our community, downloa…

This week we're joined again by Josh McKinney! Josh is a coach at HeadnodHQ in Illinois and a black belt under Kyle Watson. In this episode, Josh breaks down his "Champions Stay Present" coaching strategy: a mindfulness-based method to help athletes achieve their best performance and mental state. Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com…

In our latest episode, we look at how the Cleveland Guardians have raced out to being one of the best teams in baseball. What will it take for them to keep playing at this pace and what can fans expect moving forward? Let's discuss this exciting start and more, and then be sure to follow us on social @calpenalpod. Learn more about your ad choices. …

This week we're joined again by Dr. Mike Piekarski! Better known as "Doctor Kickass" on Instagram, Mike is a BJJ black belt under Henry Akins and is a Doctor of Physical Therapy. In this episode, we discuss ways to safely apply the stack pass and reduce your risk of injury while defending it. Follow Mike on social: https://www.instagram.com/doctor_…

For the season five finale of Asians Represent, members of the Asians Represent Discord team reflected on their first experience with jubensha - a type of Chinese murder mystery LARP! Book a virtual jubensha with Mister Ri at https://ko-fi.com/misterri/shop //SUPPORT Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio an…

This week we're joined by Giles Garcia! Giles is the head coach at Ronin Grappling in Glasgow, Scotland. In this episode, Giles explains why it's so important that coaches help their students simplify their thinking surrounding Jiu-Jitsu. Follow Giles on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/el_guanche Train with Giles at Ronin Grappling: https://ro…