An Interview with Big Twig Podcast

Stewart Reeve (Stagger) and Matt Brown (Seven La Vide Loco, or Browny) host the Big Twig podcast, diving into axe-related topics important to the Pacific Region and beyond. They interview local throwers, review events, and spotlight local creators with a relaxed yet deeply knowledgeable style.

Inspired by their expertise, I wanted to bring that into the Axe Badger world. To do it justice, we're trying something new: a multi-media collaboration between The Axe Badger and The Big Twig Podcast. We'll start here and wrap up with a podcast episode, getting to know Stagger and Browny and exploring their top coaching tips on making the most of practice sessions. 

You can now listen to the podcast episode here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OwDAF3QrwyQsyw20X491z?si=pYcNAEIpSQ6TrXosAuCYbw

Maybe we can start with a quick intro and a little bit about your axe journeys to this point. 

Stag - G'day maaaate! My name is Stagger and I've been throwing in Leagues since September '21. Aside from being a competitor, one of my goals in the sport has always been to aid in its growth and to help build the Australian community. That goal led me to strive for the position of National League Manager at Maniax, before leaving there to become part of Australia’s favourite place to throw, Battle Axe Throwing, and work alongside the powerhouse team that is Feisty Cuffs and Wildcard. Achieving that goal was also the reason I put my hat in to run for IATF representative for APAC Region, and on a more fun note, team up with Browny to start the Big Twig Podcast! 

Browny - Badgernation!! Browny here, well my axe journey kicked off coaching in Whistler in 2018 and later that year I started up the axe floor and managed an IATF venue downtown Toronto called Escape Manor. After 4 years of fun and games I returned back home to Perth where I began in my current role as a venue manager at Maniax out West. Like Stag I have been super lucky to learn from some amazing leaders in this community and the podcast has been a little way we can hope to give something back and hopefully help it grow!! 

Talk us through how and when you guys met, and how the idea of the big twig podcast came about. What drew you to each other? How do you manage to make a podcast work when you're almost 4,000Km apart? 

Stag - Browny and I first met at IATC '22 in Toronto. Browny, being the legend he is, gave the Aussie contingent a place to practice and settle in at Escape manor and looked after us all. It really is hard to put into words what that gesture meant, it was huge for us. Through spending time with him there I think we both saw a kindred spirit in each other; shared passions and aspirations, and we hit it off quickly. We've been close ever since then. 

As for the Podcast I think it literally started through a throw away comment whilst discussing Big Axe technique ha-ha. Managing it is fairly straightforward apart from our busy schedules and time zone differences. I think Perth is still in December? 

Browny - I think the thing that attracted me to Stagman was how much he wanted to listen and learn. You could tell he had a kindred feel for the technical side of the sport early on and he was soaking up as much as he could, approaching and engaging the global community in the right manner. Why a podcast, I have always thought it is a nice way for friends to connect to talk about their passions and to be honest it has helped us keep in touch and also highlight the community and scene down under which historically has not gotten a whole lot of spotlight and attention from overseas. 

Listening to your podcast this kindred spirit for the technical side of the sport is something I've really picked up on. I thought, given the right subject it’s something we could utilise to the benefit of the Badger readers. Can you take us through strategies for making practice sessions more meaningful? 

Browny - Sure I’ll give 3.  

• Record and track your throwing over time. 

• Go backwards to go forwards. 

• Practice for adaptability. 

Stag -I'll be consistent here with Browny and break it down to 3 things: 

• Be in the right Mindset. 

• If Possible - Get a training partner. 

• Have a specific focus. 

One last quick one I'll chuck in is to track your practice. It can be easy to no see improvement if it's slower, but being able to look back across the month and see those lines trending upward is a good feeling. 

You both mentioned tracking can you explain what things you think are important to track and how you would record / chart them? 

When tracking, all data is helpful, record every throw in as much detail as you can, and that you feel you’ll be happy to keep doing long term. 

All of it can be looked at in the future to give you valuable information, which helps focus areas for training, and where you may benefit from changes. 

Can we talk about Burnout. How do you balance driving for improvement, against just enjoying it? 

Stag - Yeah, I've seen it for sure, burn out is real. We do this for fun, and it should aways be the main focus. 

If you are there (feeling burnt out), just take a break. Remember and try and reconnect with what you fell in love with at the start. 

Browny – I've seen burnout ruin people's love for the sport, and I've experienced it myself. Moving from Toronto, where I practiced with a group, to Perth, where I trained alone, was tough. I pushed through and reached a high level, but it wasn't always fun. Eventually, I set up a new training routine with others, which has been more energizing and effective. It's important to enjoy the sport, and if solo grinding becomes too much, it's okay to adjust goals or take a break to protect your mental health and life outside the lanes. 

I’ve heard you guys on the Pod stress the importance of mastering rotation as the first real focus, any general practice tips in that area? 

Browny - About rotation? I forgot what I said but yeah just that different factors: head weight, handle shape, handle length, wood density all lead to very different landing angles with the same throw/thrower. A good thing is to try lots of stuff as the right combo for you might exist amongst all that without having to spend lots of time working on technical change. A quick handle change or more weight at the poll could be all you need to jump up a level. 

Personally, I tend to land flat, I’ve tried moving back, throwing slower, arching the trajectory, with some inconsistent results, and I’ve ended up abandoning the changes. Should I persist through the “Backwards to go forwards” phase? Or is it time to consider a different axe? 

Browny - Hmm I would be wary of moving further away from the target as it often leads to increased speed and movement and gives the axe more time to displace. Assuming someone is almost as close as they can be but landing flat: Two of my go to factors in changing rotation is step/approach speed and ensuring grip/finger tension on the handle is softening well during the backswing and assessing handle angle at the end of the swing. Those are the things I would be looking at first and persisting with, then moving to equipment mods or axe changes.  

At this point, the conversation goes back and forth, discussing all manner of technicalities. It becomes apparent a lot of this stuff can’t be easily converted into “generalised” advice, it needs to be catered to the individual. I get the increasing urge to have one of them do that for me (for the blog). Luckily, I live close to Stagger, so (for the blog) I pay him a visit to get some Stag-gering wisdom dropped on me.  

Within 20 minutes I’m seeing marked improvements, stuff I’ve struggled with alone in practice suddenly clicking into place. I hang back at the end and have a quick chat with Stag about coaching. 

I know from talking to some good throwers, and from my brief experience with you just now, you’re a really talented coach. How have you gotten to this level of coaching? 

Time and investment into it just like throwing itself you need to practice coaching to get good at coaching you need to be able to understand each and every part of a throw and what makes it and what can affect certain parts of it.  

Can you always see straight away what people need to work on to improve? 

No not always, a lot of the time it can be quite straight forward honestly. Usually, bigger problems have easier to identify answers, so yeah it depends, with enough time for sure and if you don’t, if you’re not sure just work on a couple of things, trial and error. 

Are you able to coach yourself effectively, do you need to see videos of yourself, or can you feel what you’re doing? 

I can sort of feel what I'm doing, but I'd love to have a coach. Watching Browny's progress with Tristan makes me want that kind of guidance to reach the next level. Honestly, I've always been a bit camera-shy, but recently I got two videos of me hitting successful clutch throws from different angles. It was eye-opening! I watched them and thought, "Oh, that's what I do!" Then I went into the lane, tried it again, and nailed another one. Videos can be super helpful—not just for fixing mistakes but for reminding you of what you’re doing right. 

Quickly summing up then, to make practice meaningful it’s best to have some objective feedback guiding your efforts. A training partner and data tracking are great tools to utilise, even better if at times that “training partner” can be a qualified coach. Have patience when trying to make changes, find a way to keep it fun, and don’t be afraid to “go backwards to go forwards." 

There is so much I’ve had to leave on the cutting room floor, the passion and excitement these guys have for this topic is contagious. So, I’m really glad you’re all going to get to hear them expand on this topic in the next episode of their podcast. 

To Be Continued...(!!!)