Competency Ss8Ep#5

·20 min·2 clips

The host blindfolds kids to walk a 15-foot plank, revealing how balance fails when vision is removed.

The episode opens with the host admitting he is hungover and unprepared, joking about his recurring failure to bank episodes in advance. He pivots to discussing how he started 'warrior training' for kids, including his 7-year-old son Fionn, after his partner suggested martial arts like taekwondo or karate, which he rejected in favor of mixed martial arts. Unable to find a local MMA class, he decided to train the kids himself every Monday. The training evolved from jujitsu to a mix of activities focused on balance, coordination, and teamwork, branded dramatically as 'warrior training' to engage the children. A key exercise is the 'plank of death,' where kids walk a 15-foot length of timber blindfolded, which the host notes is surprisingly difficult even for adults. He shouts drill sergeant-style commands, which the kids enjoy because it treats them like adults, and he reflects on how similar authoritarian coaching from his MMA coach Shane Thomas motivated him. The host explains that warrior training provides a creative outlet for him, linking it to his high openness personality trait, which thrives on novelty and problem-solving. He contrasts this with his settled business, which has become process-driven and lacks the creative buzz he craves. Activities described include army crawls under a net, striking and sprawling drills, bounce castle dives where he yells at kids mid-air, and dart throwing to teach precision. He emphasizes that the core lesson is showing kids that practice leads to improvement, a life skill he feels is undervalued. The host plans to involve parents in the training to model lifelong learning for children. He concludes by noting that competency creates a positive feedback loop, making future learning easier, and ends abruptly after 20 minutes.

As heard by us

A blunt riff on praise, practice, and competence.

This review tracks a simple but sturdy idea: praise matters most when it comes from someone who is usually hard to please. The movement from children in training to the speaker's own martial arts experience keeps the point grounded, and the rough, combative delivery suits the…

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you like pep talks that start hungover and end in a lesson about competence.

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