The Passive Hang

The Passive Hang - Episode 14 - Will Grant, Ghetto Movement: Nourishing Relationships

Fun, Freedom and Focus. That’s the Ghetto Movement philosophy. And I’ve got the owner on the Passive Hang podcast today - Will Grant! (@wilbagee)

This guy is someone who just comes across as super easy to talk to. But this isn’t any happy go lucky guy - Will cares deeply about the people surrounding him. You’ll realise his work ethic is what allows him to achieve such amazing skills in his physical practice, and establish a thriving community based on teaching his passion. 

Will embodies his philosophy - I can sense that he truly is having a lot of fun, but it’s underpinned with a razor sharp focus to keep learning and challenging his potential. 

What I took out of this conversation the most was his focus on building strong relationships, to ask for help, and to learn about the person, rather than the specific skill you may be after. If you find a good teacher, it doesn’t matter what they may be teaching…

You can find him at @wilbagee and his gym @ghettomovement // www.ghettomovement.com in Wollongong, NSW. Yew! 

The Passive Hang - Episode 13 - Fanny Tulloch, Mobility Training AU: Breathing in Training

What are the missing pieces from calisthenics and mobility practices? 

Stoked to have sat down with Fanny Tulloch (@mobilitytrainingau) who runs Mobility Training AU and is currently in Sweden, although she is normally found in Sydney at the Jungle Brothers gym. I’ve been enjoying Fanny’s insights for a while, she is one of the few out there sharing great content with depth, regularly. 

Although her business is titled “Mobility Training”, Fanny teaches and is knowledgeable in a wide scope of training. These days, mobility can come across as this ultimate fix all to our bodily pain. At least for me, finding out about mobility training started showing me another way to train and learn about my body, when I started searching for answers. And certainly when one starts learning gymnastics strength, it’s exciting to feel the newfound control of manipulating your bodyweight. But are these practises holistic, and if not, what is missing?

Most interestingly, we cover the role of breathing within training - an area which I feel is not always emphasised in gymnastics/calisthenics training. Breathing as an awareness practice has become popular, but what about whilst under stress? If unaware, are we practising abnormal breathing patterns? What basic coordinations are happening through the body, when breathing?

 

You can get in touch with Fanny @mobilitytrainingau and 

Fanny has written a fantastic introduction on breathing for those who want to learn more. 

https://mobilitytraining.com.au/blog/2019/11/10/breathing-the-interface-between-you-and-your-thoughts-and-emotions/

The Passive Hang - Episode 12 - Thomas Emerson, Praksis: Learning by Doing

Episode 12 on the Passive Hang and I was honoured to sit down with Thomas Emerson (@thomashughemerson), who runs Praksis (@praksiscanberra), a movement facility in Canberra. The first thing you might notice about Praksis is that it doesn’t look like any regular gym, or even yoga space. This is something different. 

Thomas is doing deep work with teaching, sharing and translating “underground” movement practices, to the wider public. A question I really wanted to ask Thomas before the interview was - “How do you explain movement to the newcomer?”. His answer is simple - “Just come to class”. He let’s the work speak for itself, and allows the content to lead the curious. 

The tagline on the website for Praksis is “improve your experience of being in a body”. Thomas admits, that this can sound “woo-woo” to some. But by letting the work speak for itself, he prioritises experiential learning over intellectual verboseness. Less thinking, more doing. Trust the process. 

This conversation was one which got me deeply thinking about my practice and it’s wider implications. It reinforced belief in me that practice in itself is worth it. It’s not just about cool skills. Tom mentions that via our perception, “We transform the world, and the world transforms us back.” We have the ability to transmute the practice beyond ourselves, into an instrument for positive change in the community. All we have to do to start is pay attention. I hope you get the same sense as you listen in. 

You can find Praksis at https://praksis.com.au, @praksiscanberra. 

The Passive Hang - Episode 11 - Nathan Lennan: Habit Changing

Double Lennan! This week I have Nathan Lennan, cousin of Jackson, who is a coach operating out of Sydney. Nathan also found the movement culture via the Ido’s Movement X workshops, and he has followed the method as well as working with coaches such as @holisticmovement and @hildersonjoachim. 

Nathan is someone who is very self directed in his learning and has purposefully vetted and found teachers for qualities he wants to develop. I think this is a shift that the movement culture places on its participants - as the scope is so broad, you have to choose your own destiny, or become lost. Asking questions and seeking out experts is one of the key tools to navigate your way. Platforms such as Instagram can serve as our portal to this connection. 

Recently Nathan went through the 75 Hard Challenge by @andyfrisella, which is about developing self discipline, grit and self accountability. This involves being impeccable for 75 days straight to several activities you commit to. Nathan takes us through the experience and his insights around internal dialogue and identity shifts, crucial for when you want to make a change in your life.

You can find Nathan at @nml_fitness or over in Sydney at Fitness First, Bond St or Anatomy in Motion. 

 

 

The Passive Hang - Episode 10 - Jackson Lennan: Movement for Change

Keeping it real with Jackson Lennan (@jacksonlennan), who is a movement coach residing in Brisbane, Australia. I met Jackson only recently, and I was fortunate to take a locomotion session with him - where I not only learnt locomotion, but a clear process for teaching locomotion. Not many coaches can do that. 

Jackson is a trained musculoskeletal therapist and has trained under Ido Portal, now with @holisticmovement. He also runs Movement 4, an online movement community, where he guides people of all ages and skill levels. 

Even though his personal practice is 1 arm handstands and other higher level skills, Jackson knows how to relate the benefits of movement to the community at large. I’ve followed his work since I saw him do really cool stuff like set up “dynamic work environments” - where he literally, brings movement to the people - such as setting up bars for construction site workers to hang off. 

During this chat he reminded me about the power of not over-reaching and being focused and patient on your own journey. In Japan they talk of Hara Hachi Bu (eating only until 80% full), and it makes sense that in training, showing up at a high level often, keeps you improving over a very long time span. I use to always try to go for PBs every week - which were always short lived victories as I either plateaued or got injured. 

Jackson reminds me of the craftsman - focusing on the overlooked details, executing the simple with high quality, and a hard working mentality. This is exemplified with his daily practice of basketball throwing through his mini basketball hoop. In this episode we finally uncover what the meaning is behind this secret movement practice. 

Check him out at @jacksonlennan and www.movement4.com.au

The Passive Hang - Episode 09 - Tom Merrick: The Way of the Warrior

About 4 years ago, I knew I needed to change my training. I had no idea of what to do, so I jumped on the internet, which lead me to YouTube, where I found these easy follow along routines. They were curated a little different, they had links to further resources and one of those links went to Ido’s old blog…

These videos were made by a guy called Tom Merrick. Now, if you search bodyweight routines on YouTube, he’ll be one of the top hits, as The Bodyweight Warrior. It’s been amazing to see his channel become so popular, and I think it’s because he’s genuine - he’s simply sharing his journey, what he learns, and tries to give value people watching. Along this way I’ve watched him go from straddle planche to now 1 arm handstand. 

When I started this podcast I knew I wanted to share some of the influences that have been really powerful for me, so it was amazing to have the chance to sit down with Tom and hear about his journey behind all the videos. He’s not the typical fitness guru - he really is someone who has just been stubbornly ultra consistent with his training, and, with his video making. 

We cover a lot of topics, including how belief ties in with training, the value of a good coach, but I especially enjoy Tom explaining a bit more about the name of his Youtube channel - about the king, warrior and magician Jungian archetypes. 

A bit of a personal one for me but I’m sure a lot of you have probably stumbled upon some of his videos as well. 

You can find Tom Merrick an Instagram at @thebodyweightwarrior or https://www.bodyweightwarrior.co.uk/ or on YouTube on his channel, Tom Merrick. 

The Passive Hang - Episode 08 - Keith Bearne: Breaking the Rules

Keith (@keithbearne) is a breakdancer and teacher from Melbourne. I found Keith several years ago when I came across his excellent resource @physicalpractice, whom he runs with his partner @rachel_locks - which give well structured, simple guides on complex movements. The internet can be a funny place, and when you see a guy doing 1 arm handstands and flips it can seem like they come from another world. I was really surprised to find out that Keith actually lives in Melbourne, and it was a pleasure having this conversation with him. 

Like a true dancer, Keith emphasises the importance of forging your own path, embracing individuality and finding your own style, and his teaching style is centred around guiding others to do the same. This makes me question the current culture of strength training, where there is a strong hierarchy developing on what are the best exercises, the best techniques, the best methods, where the aim is to copy exactly, rather than develop your own way. Keith isn’t afraid to challenge and I think this is an important attribute in the age where information is presented as prescriptive and teachers can become gurus and their word can become gospel. 

You can find him at @keithbearne or over at @physicalpractice. 

The Passive Hang - Episode 07 - Allan Long: Health, Wealth and Self Expression

How do you teach movement to non-movement people? How do you make people “get it?” 

Just one of the questions we discuss at length in the latest episode of the Passive Hang! 

Allan (@trainawayyourpain) is a movement coach from Sydney, he operates out of the Jungle Brothers institution and also runs his own business, Train Away Your Pain. He has trained under the Ido Portal method and is currently studying the Fighting Monkey practice, and has a martial arts background. 

Allan used to be a financial advisor at one of the big banks, but made the switch into full time coaching. He shares the story of his transition - together with the struggles of using training as an escape to finding ways of explaining his knowledge to others. “Train Away Your Pain” tells his mission as it is, and it’s a reflection of Allan’s straight talking personality as he talks honestly about the realities of getting deep in the movement culture, devoting yourself to training, relating to non-movement people and also a rarely spoken about but extremely important item - sorting your finances. 

Allan is someone who has thought a lot about his purpose, the people he wants to help and how to communicate that to them. I think that’s really refreshing in a culture where “movement” struggles to find a definition and is for some, beyond definition. 

You can find him on Instagram at @trainawayourpain or www.trainawayyourpain.com 

The Passive Hang - Episode 06 - Callum Black: Pursuit of Passion

Someone special on today - Callum Black (@blackcallum_1989), who is a Karate practitioner I met on my travels in Japan. He lives in Tokyo but hails from Jersey, a small island north of France. He shares his journey across the world, from Jersey to Australia to Japan, to pursue his passion - Karate. Callum has designed his life to support his Karate journey, and his dedication has rewarded, winning an All-Japan championship. 

Callum practises the real deal - full contact Karate - no mitts, MMA style stuff. Knock the other guy out. And like a true martial artist, Callum has always shown me only the calmest demeanour. Callum shares what it’s like to be in the heat of battle, and how he handles the pressure on stage. 

We cover not only insights from Karate but also Japan, with concepts such as 一所懸命 (issho kenmei) and 無心の心 (mushin no shin). There’s also a lot of crossover with movement concepts such as the Isolate - Integrate - Improvise mantra. Callum trains for the fight, a true performance where anything goes - and you have to trust in your preparation. 

Callum is an inspiration to me as he shows me the power of full commitment - he has committed himself to his passion, to training, to doing the hard work, day in day out, he has moved countries to learn from the best. 

If you want to get in touch with Callum check him out at @blackcallum_1989 on Instagram.

The Passive Hang - Episode 05 - Aaron Griffiths: Mindful Movement

Aaron (@agrifforama) is a lawyer by day, but also a movement ninja who resides in Sunshine Coast, Australia.  Aaron shares his journey into movement culture, from his early rugby days to finding Ido and now, trying to conquer the air baby. Without any coach, he has managed to learn his way through advanced skills in locomotion and bodyweight strength. This is especially extraordinary as he has limited time as a father and business owner. He shares his approach to learning and some tips and tricks on how to leverage tools such as social media.

Beyond the physical practice, Aaron also shares his journey into meditation, breathwork and self identity. He underlines the importance of integrating the outer physical practice with inner emotional work. He dives deep into the realisations he has made - such as recognising trigger points and goal orientation. 

You can find him at @agrifforama - have a look for great insights along with a good laugh. He always brings a smile to my face every time we interact - I hope he does to you too!