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Tom Writes and Rolls

Tom Writes and Rolls

By Tom Randall

I'm Tom, a martial artist and writer at heart, coming to you from the Inland Northwestern State of Idaho. This podcast and the companion blog of the same name are focused on helping White and Blue Belts on their path of learning Jiu-Jitsu. I share my experiences; the helpful things I've learned along the way, the bumps, the bruises, successes and failures, serious moments and the many times I've just had to laugh at myself and keep moving forward. So come in, step on the mat and let's get to it!
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3. All The Stripes - Part 2: The Conclusion

Tom Writes and RollsOct 07, 2021

00:00
56:20
16. Jiu-Jitsu is Therapeutic, NOT Therapy

16. Jiu-Jitsu is Therapeutic, NOT Therapy

This one gets a little heavy, but still family friendly - for the most part. Possibly PG-13, definitely not R.
Tom and Jenn are big advocates for staying in your lane; discussing things from experience, knowledge and expertise. In this podcast, after bringing everyone up to speed on being newlyweds, Tom and Jenn share their individual stories of therapy and working through mental struggles including a mental breakdown that Tom went through in late 2020. Understanding their lane, Tom and Jenn readily admit that they are in no way licensed, certified or qualified to speak about mental health in the professional sense. This is merely their anecdotal offering of struggle and success, how therapy has helped them, and their humble suggestion of not conflating or confusing certain things with therapy.
Jan 24, 202301:22:22
15. Jiu-Jitsu is You VS You: Part 2

15. Jiu-Jitsu is You VS You: Part 2

“I said, ‘Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now, you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.'” Bruce Lee
And we are back with Part 2 of our recent conversation.
Tom left you with a small cliffhanger, introducing but not going into the concept of “Make Me Better”, so that is where Tom and Jenn jump back in today. You won’t be hearing from this dynamic duo until around the end of the month. I know, this is hard to bear, but keep in mind that a week from now, Tom and Jenn will be getting married, thus becoming Mr. and Mrs. Writes and Rolls and then taking a sweet little honeymoon.
They are hoping to bring at least one more podcast episode to you by the end of November and another around mid-December, so stay tuned!
In Part 2 of this podcast, Tom and Jenn cover:
Tom’s concept of “Make Me Better”.
Being a good training partner.
A reader’s question: A husband is uncomfortable with his wife training, what can be done?

Thanks for listening, and as always: We’ll see you on the mats!
Oct 30, 202243:39
14. Jiu-Jitsu is You VS You - Part 1

14. Jiu-Jitsu is You VS You - Part 1

“Honestly expressing yourself...it is very difficult to do. I mean it is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky and be flooded with a cocky feeling and then feel like pretty cool...or I can make all kind of phony things, you see what I mean, blinded by it or I can show you some really fancy movement. But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself...now that, my friend, is very hard to do.” ~Bruce Lee
The response to the last two-part podcast was a good one, so Tom felt that it was only proper to bring back Miss Jenn, the Blue Belle!

In today's podcast they are covering:

Reasons for starting and continuing BJJ change over time.
Jiu-jitsu is hard.
A reader's comments regarding comparing yourself to others.

So come and have fun with Tom and Jenn as they share their experiences and laugh with, and at, each other.
Oct 19, 202241:31
13. Jiu-Jitsu Girls: Jenn, The BlueBelle- Part 2

13. Jiu-Jitsu Girls: Jenn, The BlueBelle- Part 2

I bet you thought Tom was going to leave you hanging for Part 2 for another four months? Well, guess again because Tom and Jenn are back for the conclusion of their conversation!
In this episode, Tom and Jenn continue where they left off last week and cover questions and topics for Jenn such as:
Training Pet Peeves
Biggest misconceptions about BJJ
Advice to male training partners from a female
Thoughts on Self Defense

And again, good times were had by all! Thanks for listening and please, let us know what you thought of both parts!

Sep 24, 202245:42
12. Jiu-Jitsu Girls: Jenn The BlueBelle - Part 1

12. Jiu-Jitsu Girls: Jenn The BlueBelle - Part 1

**Content warning** We did let a few cuss words slip on this one, so if you normally listen with kiddos around, listener discretion is advised.

Tom is back after a near four month hiatus, but he brings with him the newly minted Blue Belt from the Reign Jiu Jitsu Boise Academy, Miss Jenn, The Blue Belle. Questions/Topics from Part 1 include: 

Jenn's background
What got her in to BJJ
Her biggest struggles that she's overcome while training
Advice to women just starting or curious to start BJJ
Advice to young mothers who are training or want to train

And much more! 

Good times were had by all.

Sep 19, 202241:12
11. The "Best" Submissions

11. The "Best" Submissions

In this episode, Tom talks about two separate studies with very similar results regarding the most used/high percentage submissions. He also gives some solid interpretations and takeaways for the aspiring White and Blue Belt Jiu-Jitsu players out there. 

Apr 28, 202231:52
10. Blitz

10. Blitz

On today's episode, Tom covers a handful of topics, hence: BLITZ. A nice 35min episode to brighten your day and help you on your jiu-jitsu journey!

Apr 02, 202235:15
9. A Jiu-JItsu "History" Lesson

9. A Jiu-JItsu "History" Lesson

What do you know about the origins of Jiu-JItsu? Is it a cocktail of facts, fiction and marketing or have you seen a bigger picture? Tune in as Tom discusses what he currently understands of the History of this art as well as the resources he has acquired to dive even deeper.

Tom references an article about Robert Drysdale in this podcast, you can find it here.
Feb 20, 202239:36
8. Professor White Belt

8. Professor White Belt

And we're back with another podcast! Do you know what happens when you forget your belt? Do you know what happens when you do this and you are supposed to be the one teaching?! Tune in to find out!
Jan 17, 202233:58
7. Your First BJJ Class (and Beyond!)

7. Your First BJJ Class (and Beyond!)

So, you've decided to try out a BJJ class. What now? What do you bring? What are the rules? How do you survive? Does fitness matter? Tune in for a few guidelines to help you survive your first class and beyond!

Dec 30, 202139:18
6. A Season for Thanks - A Thanksgiving Offering

6. A Season for Thanks - A Thanksgiving Offering

This time, Tom takes a break from the BJJ talk to give you another Holiday focused episode, a short Thanksgiving poetic offering for you to enjoy.

Nov 25, 202121:05
5. 5 Thoughts for Overcoming Frustrations in Training

5. 5 Thoughts for Overcoming Frustrations in Training

In this episode, we speak about different things that could be frustrating you in your jiu-jitsu journey and I offer a few thoughts on how to overcome them and as always share from my own experiences. I may or may not do a terrible impersonation of Heath Ledger's "Joker"... you'll have to listen to find out!
Nov 11, 202101:05:28
Trailer

Trailer

Meet Tom: a martial artist and writer at heart coming to you from the Inland Northwestern State of Idaho. Join Tom for a fun and geeky mix of episodes as he looks entertain you with original works of short fiction spanning a range of genres (that's the "Writes" part), as well as helping you on the path of Jiu-Jitsu by discussing his own path and the helpful things he has learned along the way (that's the "Rolls" part). Despite not getting paid for it, Tom also likes to tell you what he's drinking. So pull up a chair, grab a drink in and join the fun!

Oct 21, 202100:53
4. An Offering for Fall and Halloween

4. An Offering for Fall and Halloween

Ok, finally time for a "Tom Writes" Episode where I share some fun Fall and Halloween poems I found as I was mucking about on Pinterest. Don't judge. Let's have some fun on this short, family friendly episode, which I hope gives you a laugh or two, at least at my expense.
Oct 21, 202122:00
3. All The Stripes - Part 2: The Conclusion

3. All The Stripes - Part 2: The Conclusion

Technical glitches, difficulties and mess-ups, OH MY! Kinda like being a white belt, but it gets better!
Here we explore a few more topics as one pursues chasing that cheap medical tape on the tip of your belt and cheap colored cotton wrapped around your waist. Sit down, grab a drink and let's talk!
Oct 07, 202156:20
2. All The Stripes! Part 1

2. All The Stripes! Part 1

Of all blog posts I’ve created, and of all the search terms that have lead people to my blog - the most popular and frequent all revolve around getting stripes on their white belts. So, we dive in to those most read posts to see what jewels we can find while Tom enjoys an Octoberfest beer.
Sep 17, 202126:38
1. Starting from The Bottom

1. Starting from The Bottom

Everyone has to start somewhere, amiright? In this podcast I discuss what I’m am doing on the BJJ side of the blog and podcast and we dive in to the first post I ever wrote about my Jiu-Jitsu journey as well as the thoughts I have now about what I wrote then. Hope you enjoy!
Aug 28, 202122:54