Best Tactical Tangents Podcasts (2024)

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170: “Time is on our side right now…” -Uvalde School District Police Chief 1:09:34

2h ago1:09:34

1:09:34

“Help!” “Help!” “Help!” “I don’t want to die. My teacher is dead.” “One of my teachers is still alive but shot.” “Officer!” “Officer!” “Are they [officers] in the building?” “There is a lot of dead bodies.” These were the words of nine- and ten-year-old children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, during a call with 911. We…

1
E117: Beth Rodden returns! - A light through the cracks and general natter 2:05:25

1h ago2:05:25

2:05:25

Beth, one of our absolute favourite ever guests is back! Since we last spoke Beth finished her book, released her book, and we've both read her book. So we talk a lot about that, the process of writing it and what we took from it. There are a few tangents and just general chat thrown in as well. If you haven't yet picked up a copy of her book we'd …

1
E116: Jorg Verhoeven - Hold fabrication, comp reflections and mental wellbeing 2:24:14

6d ago2:24:14

2:24:14

We had a great time chatting to Jorg for this week's episode. We got so carried away we totally didn't realise the time! We chat about a range of stuff, starting with Jorg's reflections on comps, then talking about his mental wellbeing and the mental wellbeing of climbers in general and ending with a chat about the furore around hold fabrication in…

1
E115: A new Dread Pirate Roberts hits the high seas.... and also Ireland 1:32:43

14d ago1:32:43

1:32:43

The time has come/has nearly come. Aidan is due to set sail for the new world. He's just been on a trip to Fairhead in Ireland so we also chat a bit about that. If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to support us: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=70353823 Support the showBy Sam Prior & Aidan Roberts

1
169: What a Wreck: Scene Size Up 1:03:51

15d ago1:03:51

1:03:51

Car accidents are something that are likely to touch all of us in some way or another, whether we are involved in one or manage them professionally as first responders. Not only are they exceptionally common, sometimes they are also challenging to manage well. We talk about some of the competing priorities and offer some ideas to get the emergency …

1
E114: Ross Fulkerson - Flow, Mindset and Prioritising adventure 1:54:31

21d ago1:54:31

1:54:31

This week we were psyched to be joined by Ross Fulkerson! An exceptionally strong climber but not one that has lost sight of all other things in life. As obsessional climbers we can be guilty of letting many other experiences fall by the wayside in our relentless pursuit of ascension. Ross has not let that happen and he manages to maintain elite le…

1
E113: Michaela Kiersch - Climbing elite level boulders and routes alongside a 'proper job' and sending V14 with a broken finger 1:52:27

29d ago1:52:27

1:52:27

It was a pleasure to be joined by Michaela Kiersch this week to talk about incredible achievements on rock, her recent trip to Rocklands without a full set of fingers, outing misogynistic comments on Instagram and so much more! There's some chat about retrospective grading, small gym communities and board climbing thrown in there as well. If you're…

1
168: Sniper in the Tower: 1966 Austin Clock Tower Shooting 1:05:35

30d ago1:05:35

1:05:35

Back in the 1960s a former Marine took the high ground in one of the first and deadliest school shootings in American history. This watershed event was part of the discussion that brought the idea of a SWAT team to the national stage and arguably brought momentum to what some now consider to be the militarization of the police. We talk about counte…

1
E112: Alex Puccio - Talking rocks, comps and impending motherhood with one of the all time greats of the game 2:40:34

1M ago2:40:34

2:40:34

We were excited to be joined by one of the greats this week. Alex Puccio was a staple in world cup finals for many years, and has also climbed some incredibly hard outdoor boulders. Known to be one of the strongest people on the scene we had a bunch of questions for Alex and we covered a huge amount of ground so we hope you enjoy! If you're enjoyin…

1
E111: Clem Lechap - Projecting tactics, team psyche and Smart Boards 2:02:46

1M ago2:02:46

2:02:46

This week we're joined by Clem Lechaptois! Clem is a phenomenally well accomplished boulderer with 8C+ ascents to his name. We chatted to him about his tactics when choosing projects, how he selects boulders with contrasting styles to supplement his training, the team environments that are most conducive to sending and much more. Clem has a company…

1
167: Calling Bull$h!#: Responding to Swatting Hoaxes 1:10:58

2M ago1:10:58

1:10:58

No one should die over a false report. Internet gamers, celebrities and public figures, and maybe even one of your neighbors have been the victim of this sort of prank. These hoax emergency calls that can lead to an exaggerated police response are becoming more common, so we discuss strategies to make sure we tailor our response appropriately and k…

1
E110 - Aidan & Sam - The final Olympic wrap-up and ridiculous rambles 1:30:10

2M ago1:30:10

1:30:10

Just us this week with our reactions to the Boulder/Lead Olympic finals, if you're interested in our pre-comp predictions or our reactions to the semi-finals then those are both up as Patroon bonus episodes on the Patreon. We also end with 30 minutes of triple distilled idiocy for those who are sick of talking about the Olympics. If you're enjoying…

1
E109: Matt Fultz - Sending multiple 8C+s, coaching, tactics and self-doubt 2:24:18

2M ago2:24:18

2:24:18

Big hitter Matt Fultz joins us this week. Matt's climbing resume speaks for itself, he's near the very top of the list when it comes to sending 8C+ boulders. He's achieved a huge amount and yet still it was fascinating to hear that he is not immune to the same moments of self doubt that the rest of us experience. Matt's a great guy and it was a ple…

1
166: Run the Clock: Time, Talk, Tear Gas, Tactics 1:22:14

2M ago1:22:14

1:22:14

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Downs v. United States was a benchmark case for domestic law enforcement that establishes our requirement to attempt negotiations for a peaceful resolution. We define a hostage situation and talk about strategies to manage them in contrast to active killer and barricaded criminals. Downs v US (6th Circui…

1
E108: Molly Thompson-Smith - Qualifying and preparing for The Olympics! 1:33:26

2M ago1:33:26

1:33:26

Molly has been through a hell of a lot since we last spoke! In that time she has successfully gone through the Olympic Qualifying Series and has booked her place at Paris 2024! We catch up about the hard work and mental pressure it took to get her there as well as what life is like for a member of Team GB. Really cool to be able to get a moment in …

1
E107: Kyra Condie - Olympics, mindset and the supremacy of dank board training 2:01:21

2M ago2:01:21

2:01:21

A fellow podcast host and forever an Olympian, Kyra joins us and gives insights into her rather British-board-style training roots, her rock trips amidst busy seasons, her preparations for the Olympic games and her process for managing the psychological repercussions. Note: We take no responsibility for any subsequent competition retirement announc…

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E106: Ben Bransby - Getting stronger in your 40s, ticking Stanage and making duct tape hold umbrellas 2:22:01

3M ago2:22:01

2:22:01

Legend of British Climbing Ben Bransby joins us on the pod this week! Ben is definitely not someone to blow his own trumpet but he has climbed very hard in trad, sport in boulder over the years. He's also put up some incredible first ascents, gone on winter expeditions and even competed! He's done it all so we thought we'd ramble on about some of i…

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165: Separating the Wanna-Bes from the Gonna-Bes: Motivation, Grit, and Discipline 42:00

3M ago42:00

42:00

Your Recipe for Success looks something like equal parts of three things. Motivation, the spark and desire. Discipline, your habits and structure. And Grit, your capacity to overcome challenges, adjust, and perservere. Mike shares some of the research that’s been done on these topics and ways you can integrate them to get your closer to where ever …

1
E105: Sam & Aidan's Eras tour, genetics, asymmetrical edge controversies and grasshoppers 1:43:13

3M ago1:43:13

1:43:13

A true ramble pod this week bordering on the irreverent in the opening 20 minutes but we do calm down and have a proper discussion eventually! Amongst some wildly off-topic rambles we chat about climbing genetics and we eventually get to the main topic of the podcast which was to attempt to choose which decade of climbing we would have most liked t…

1
E104: Tom Herbert- Supplements, fueling and nutrition tips from an elite climbing nutritionist 2:38:32

3M ago2:38:32

2:38:32

Tom is back! Tom is a nutritionist that has worked extensively with climbers from all across the grade spectrum. He has a huge wealth of knowledge with all things nutrition but he also has a gift for cutting through the sciencey mumbo-jumbo and offering well simplified and usable advice. We cover a bunch of topics relating to body composition, how …

1
164: Power Lines and Wildfires 2023 Maui Disaster 1:29:15

3M ago1:29:15

1:29:15

Over 100 people were killed, more than 2,000 structures destroyed, and over $5 billion in damage were left behind after wind and fire tore through the historic Lahaina district and adjacent areas in Maui, Hawaii. We dive into some of the public safety and disaster planning takeaways from this event including evacuations, notifications, misinformati…

1
E103: Sean Bailey - Cutting edge climbing, comps and grading 2:04:35

3M ago2:04:35

2:04:35

This week we were really excited to be joined by Sean Bailey! Sean is one of the world's best climbers. He is right at the cutting edge in both bouldering and sport climbing. We didn't go much into any of that though! We had a general chat about the state of climbing, including comps, grading and media. Definitely one of our 'we do chats not interv…

1
E102: Ethan Pringle - Projecting, motivation, passion and social media rambles 2:27:29

4M ago2:27:29

2:27:29

Could a guest be much better suited to our favourite topics and recurring themes throughout the pod history? Ethan enthusiastically joins us on our tangents and rambles into psychology, Newtonian physics and other topics we don't know enough about to be qualified to give an opinion on. But fear not, we get some questions in from time to time and Et…

1
163: Strategy for Door Kickers 1:27:15

4M ago1:27:15

1:27:15

Is “strategic” the size of the bomb you drop, the scale of the map you use, or way you play Monopoly? In this episode, Mike and Jim turn Sun Tzu’s fortune cookie sayings into operational reality. We work through how we can win fights all over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam and still lose. We also cover strategies for winning against Active Shooters…

1
E101: Aidan & Sam - Chalk, Nocturnal Climbing and Swiss Bats 1:15:16

4M ago1:15:16

1:15:16

We're going back in time to the halcyon days of a couple of months ago this week! An episode we recorded and then forgot about! Shockingly the climbing world hasn't moved on unrecognisably in two months so it's all still relevant. We chatted about climbing at night, Sam's time in Font and ideal chalk strategies. Hope you enjoy, there's a longer ver…

1
E100: Steven Dimmitt - Podcasting, training and changing perspectives 2:46:42

4M ago2:46:42

2:46:42

This week we're joined by a voice you'll probably recognise! Steven Dimmitt, the host of The Nugget joins us to chat about podcasting as well as his personal climbing and we all ramble on about our personal climbing philosophies and what motivates us. We get to hear how being the host of a successful climbing podcast has changed Steven's relationsh…

1
162: Ordering Troops to their Deaths 1:05:32

4M ago1:05:32

1:05:32

Is the American military prepared for the sacrifices that we can expect in a World War? Mike and Jim discuss whether commanders can lead and whether the troops will follow when it comes time to storm the beaches knowing many will not return. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in …

1
E99: The Magic Wood Special with Thomas Saluz and James O'Neil 1:44:26

4M ago1:44:26

1:44:26

Something a little different this week as instead of focusing on a climber we're focusing on a crag! Magic Wood is one of the most famous climbing destinations in the world. It's seen development from too many icons to name over the years and has been incredibly popular for many years. With such popularity has come some challenges though. The crag …

1
E98: Greg Chapman - Guidebook writing, boulder development, crag preservation and The Lake District 1:53:32

4M ago1:53:32

1:53:32

The author of the Lake District (Aidan's home area) boulder guide, Greg Chapman joins us this week. We have a wide ranging discussion covering lots of things that relate to the writing of guidebooks and developing boulders. This episode is a little more esoteric than most as a lot of the conversations pertain to the Lake District but I think it mos…

1
161: Tactical ADHD: Managing Attention 1:06:43

5M ago1:06:43

1:06:43

Situational awareness demands focus and selective attention. Sometimes playing on your phone can help, and sometimes it can kill you. Most people can’t multitask as well as they think, but Mike and Jim will give you strategies to outmatch your enemy and avoid becoming a LUMP. FAA Task Management White Paper: https://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/tech…

1
E97: Aidan & Sam - Moral conundrums, building a Frankenstein climber and trip updates 1:54:01

5M ago1:54:01

1:54:01

Aidan and I this week chatting about a bunch of stuff. I'm in Magic Wood and Aidan is in Finland so we chat about that. If we could build the best climber in the world using attributes from existing climbers, who would we use? If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to hear the extended edition of this podcast then do check out our Patreon pa…

1
#115 | Safety At Sea | Advanced Seamanship Notes | Capt. Voss | Part 1 1:37:08

5M ago1:37:08

1:37:08

Sometimes we get the opportunity to sit at the hand of the master and hear first hand what is the best way to do something. This is one of those moments. This episode I read the Appendix of Capt. Voss' book 'Venturesome Voyages' and if that leaves you feeling a little less than interested, don't worry, it's just because you don't' know who Capt. Vo…

1
E96: Sébastien Berthe - Big Walls, Boats and Bouldering Challenges 1:39:40

5M ago1:39:40

1:39:40

No pies are safe from Seb's fingers! Sébastien is an incredibly accomplished climber. He's climbed at an elite level across a range of climbing disciplines and he's doing it all in an eco friendly way. In the episode we talk about his recent mission to climb 100 font 7As in a day, sailing the Atlantic to climb the Dawn Wall, free climbing the nose …

1
160: Lights in the Sky: Aliens or Drones? Jim Spills the Beans on UFOs 1:17:12

5M ago1:17:12

1:17:12

Just because it's not aliens doesn't mean we can ignore it. Let's develop a comprehensive air defense and counter drone plan in the wake of Ukraine, Syria, and Gaza. We investigate Unidentified Flying Objects, UAVs, aliens, killer drones, spy satellites, Chinese balloons, and Foo Fighters. UAP Task Force : https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Rele…

1
E95: Sam & Aidan are talking CASH! 1:34:19

5M ago1:34:19

1:34:19

In this episode, amongst other things, we're pondering about the remuneration for top climbers. Are they being exploited? Are they underpaid? Should they just be grateful to be able to climb for a living and accept that they can't expect to be set up for the future? We dive in, in a roundabout sort of way... If you're enjoying the podcast and would…

1
E94: Ashima Shiraishi - Rediscovering passion in climbing 1:50:26

5M ago1:50:26

1:50:26

The great Ashima Shiraishi joined us for a chat this week! Ashima has been on the climbing scene in a big way for what feels like forever, but somehow she's still in her early twenties! Ashima broke many records on her way through the grading scale as a young climber which culminated in her climbing V15 at just 14 years old! She has also competed o…

1
#114 | Questions & Tangents | So, You Bought an Old Race Boat Anyway. 1:48:46

5M ago1:48:46

1:48:46

Questions and Tangents #14 and this episode we continue down the rabbit hole regarding buying a used race boat. Recap Last time we discussed this I said, 'Don't do it - unless you REALLY want/ need to do it.' But as you did it anyway... (which I knew you would...) This time I'm saying- 'Since you can't take simple advice-;) here's 2 further hours o…

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E93: Emil Abrahamsson - Grappling with the Big Island, gripping with strongmen and grafting with YouTube 2:04:10

6M ago2:04:10

2:04:10

This week we were excited to be joined by Emil Abrahamsson! You probably know Emil from his exploits on YouTube, his sends of hard rock climbs and perhaps from his competition days as well. He's an accomplished climber both inside and outside but he's also a really lovely and super psyched guy with a nice optimistic take on lots of things around cl…

1
#113 | Safety at Sea | Easy MOB Recovery & Other Fantastic Myths 1:16:53

6M ago1:16:53

1:16:53

So, after all your best efforts to prevent a Man Overboard Situation now your crew are in the water, and they are relying solely on you to not only come and find them; but also to do it in heavy seas, high winds and at night. Shit. Let's explore the options when all hope appears lost, when only brute strength and the spark of ingenuity may be all y…

1
159: What’s up with the beards? Setting and Enforcing Standards 1:07:26

6M ago1:07:26

1:07:26

Green Berets have to work with a different rule book than the troops guarding nuclear weapons—and for good reasons. We explore the balance between strict adherence to rules and the often necessary flexibility to go off-script in tactical operations and your organization’s culture. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTan…

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#112 | Safety at Sea | How to AVOID MOB Situations 1:10:29

6M ago1:10:29

1:10:29

We've all done it, taken a quick nip onto the foredeck just do ' that thing' and suddenly we find ourselves realizing one wrong move and we are toast. This episode looks to try to reconcile that kind of risk-taking to the garbage can and promote instead a deep instinctual suspicion that the sea does not actually care about you, is in no way impress…

1
E92: Aidan sends his projects! 1:36:45

6M ago1:36:45

1:36:45

It's a good episode for the Aidan fans this week as Aidan has sent his projects and has learnt a great deal in the process. Perfect time to stick a microphone in front of the chap and press go. Hope you enjoy! If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to support us please check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=70353823 Suppo…

1
#111 | Deep Dives | Solar Eclipse = Wolf Eating the Sun 29:58

6M ago29:58

29:58

Today is the day of the solar eclipse across North America, the only one that will touch the continent until 2024 (when only three states will experience totality) therefore: Happy Solar Eclipse Day! I thought I would put a few thoughts down relating to the historical and scientific history of solar eclipses to give you Dad's EVEN more to amaze and…

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#110 | Dogwatch | Autopliots V's Wind Vanes | US West Coast Deliveries | Curved.Traveler Tracks 1:01:09

6M ago1:01:09

1:01:09

Another Dogwatch, to relieve the anxiety I am starting to feel doing these safety at sea episodes back to back- my dreams have started to become very weird and threatening when i spend my days talking at length about everything that can or might go wrong at sea! This time we discuss autopilots v's wine vane steering, boat deliveries out of West Coa…

1
#109 | Safety at Sea | Dismasting, Lost Steering & Other Sailing Nightmares 1:17:20

6M ago1:17:20

1:17:20

Losing the mast, rudder or even a single hatch cover at sea in heavy weather can be catastrophic, unless you have been playing the 'what if' game for a while and already have the equipment, procedures and mental capacity developed to deal with the problem, concisely & precisely. If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small v…

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E91: Bernd Zangerl - Himalayan bouldering, development and climbing beyond the numbers 1:57:37

6M ago1:57:37

1:57:37

It was great to be joined by Bernd Zangerl this week! A true legend of bouldering he's been involved in the development of loads of classic areas like Ticino and Magic Wood and has been climbing elite level boulders for over twenty years. In more recent times Bernd has been pouring everything he has learned into the development of Rakchham in the I…

1
158: “Your Children Are Not Safe”: DC Beltway Snipers 51:24

6M ago51:24

51:24

In October 2002, a 17 and 41 year old carried out a series of serial murders, killing 10 and wounding 3 others in what were described as random attacks against people doing every day tasks like pumping gas and mowing their lawn. We cover lessons from this large scale, multi-agency investigation with takeaways for individual cops and police leaders …

1
#108 | Safety at Sea | Heavy Weather Tactics 1:17:58

6M ago1:17:58

1:17:58

Whenever anyone meets me and hears I am a sailor, the first question is always 'have you been in a big storm?' Well, the answer unsurprisingly is yes, so here in concert with Keith Colwell's excellent 'RYA Sea Survival Handbook', let me lay out some of the ways to avoid becoming a statistic, when the volume on the weather gets cranked to eleven. If…

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E90: The Climbing Backpackers - How to go on your dream climbing adventure for £10 a day! 1:26:45

6M ago1:26:45

1:26:45

Something very different for you all this week. Nettie & Dave a.k.a The Climbing Backpackers are on an adventure climbing across Asia. They might be on their dream climbing trip but they're also setting out to prove that just because you don't have a huge chunk of savings that doesn't preclude you from living an adventurous lifestyle. To prove the …

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#107 | The ABC of Sailing | K is for Ketches, Yawls & Schooners 1:05:46

6M ago1:05:46

1:05:46

This episode we discuss ketches, yawls and schooners as part of the ABC of sailing, and I explore what are the pitfalls and joys of owning and operating such vessels, through the lens of my own experiences, running open ketch expeditions in Asia. If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the…

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