This week we're joined by Kiaya Jackson! Kiaya is the founder of SoPro Collective and a Jiu-Jitsu competitor representing Brandon Mccaghren from 10th Planet Decatur. In this episode, Kiaya explains her unconventional journey into a Jiu-Jitsu career, and shares her playbook for making a living in the sport beyond the usual athlete and coach career p…

Tabletop game designers Banana Chan and Sen-Foong Lim joined Daniel for a conversation about the revised edition of their indie hit, Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall! They talked about the games themes of food, family, intergenerational knowledge, racism, and the immigrant experience. Check out the crowdfunding campaign for Jiangshi here: https:…

What a July it's been (and still going to be) for the Cleveland Guardians. There's a little something of everything going on with this team, and it should only get better as the stretch run continues. Let's take stock of the team out of the All-Star break and start looking towards the trade deadline. Be sure to follow us on social @calpenalpod. Lea…

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing posts, the last of the six core mechanics of Jiu-Jitsu! Posts occur when you use an extremity of your body to connect with and base off a platform like the floor. Posts are important for maintaining your own base and creating opportunities to attack your opponent. This is the sixth in a six-part series …

This week we're joined by Charles Harriott! Charles is a BJJ black belt, professional seminar instructor, and content creator. In this episode, Charles introduces a mental model he calls "the 3-fold view of Jiu-Jitsu." We discuss the three lenses through which Charles views Jiu-Jitsu and how these different perspectives work together to help him be…

Daniel and Jeremy reviewed the Goblin Slayer TRPG based on the Goblin Slayer light novels written by Kumo Kagyu and illustrated by Noboru Kannatsuki! This game was published in 2019, and was designed by Tadaaki Kawahito with Group SNE, a Japanese company most famous in the gaming world for Record of Lodoss War and Sword World RPG. Learn more about …

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing hooks, the main mechanic behind techniques like butterfly guard. Hooks are a tracking mechanic used to follow your opponent and create opportunities to off-balance them. This is the fifth in a six-part series of mini-episodes we're doing on the core mechanics of Jiu-Jitsu: frames, levers, wedges, clamps…

This week we're joined by Jesse Walker! Jesse is a black belt under Chris Haueter and is the head coach at Rough Hands BJJ in Louisville, Kentucky. In this episode, Jesse introduces the paradox of control: a concept teaching us that in order to attack in Jiu-Jitsu, you must sometimes sacrifice control for movement. Follow Jesse and Rough Hands BJJ …

The Cleveland Guardians are sitting atop the AL Central - and nearly the entire American League - with one month to go until the trade deadline. Not to mention the team has the first pick in the upcoming MLB draft, too. July is a going to be a busy month for the organization, and we'll get you ready for it with our latest episode. While you're at i…

In this week's mini-episode, we're discussing clamps, the mechanic where you use your limbs to create a closed circuit around your opponent's body. Think closed guard or seatbelt. This is the fourth in a six-part series of mini-episodes we're doing on the core mechanics of Jiu-Jitsu: frames, levers, wedges, clamps, hooks, and posts. Further study: …

This week we're joined by Ben Van Doren! Ben is a Lucas Lepri black belt and the head instructor at Deep Blue Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Caledonia, Michigan. In this episode, Ben draws on his experience as a manager and BJJ gym owner to discuss difficult coaching conversations. This conversation is a great playbook for Jiu-Jisu leaders of all sorts, an…

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.…