The Smooth Saw

Jeff Inman
  • 5.0 (4)
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Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of competitve tree climbing. After doing a podcast interview on the subject of training for said comps...we realized that there wasn't much out there in the podcast world dedicated to diving into all things tree climbing competition related. And so without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, we give to you, the seeker of swings, the protector of the stoke, the enforcer of the bells to ring, the one, the only, The Smooth Saw!

  1. Episode 30: 10K Hours

    JAN 9

    Episode 30: 10K Hours

    In this episode, the boys chat through the concept of mastery. A great book by Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers) highlights the concept of mastery and how it takes a person, on average, around ten thousand hours to master something. The episode starts by having a bit of a jumping in feel. Some technical difficulties lost the first part of the conversation, and the audio is still a bit choppy at times after words, but in the end the main points get across. Hope that you enjoy the episode and that it helps kick off your 2026 on the right foot! Thanks to those that participate with the podcast: Followship - Opening tunes Courant Vertical Living - Ropes, bags, vibes Arbsession - Supporting the industry and community AtmosTree.Org - Planting two trees for every episode we release. Riverside Recording - Recording, editing, savior of time for Jeff Find us on IG @thesmoothsawpodcast YouTube - The Smooth Saw

    2h 9m
  2. Episode 29: Get Ready For The Next Episode

    12/12/2025

    Episode 29: Get Ready For The Next Episode

    Exciting news and welcome back to the latest episode of The Smooth Saw Podcast! This episode we debut Evan Beck as the new co-host of the podcast and get into a bit of catch up from the last several months of what these two boys have been up to. Fun times ahead everyone!

    1h 45m
  3. Episode 28: Jack Lewis!

    05/13/2025

    Episode 28: Jack Lewis!

    Description In this episode, Jack and Jeff reflect on Jack's experiences in tree care, climbing competitions and training discussing the importance of motivation, community support, and personal growth. The conversation takes them from Jack's origin story in tree care, through his schooling and credentialing and how he got into tree climbing competitions. They discuss training routines, the love and passion for the sport and upcoming events. Sponsors AtmosTree Arbsession Courant Vertical Living Music Followship Riverside Podcast Creator Stock Music Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Context 13:07 Jack's Journey into Arboriculture 18:45 Training and Mentorship in Tree Climbing 21:40 Community Perception of Tree Work 24:34 The Arborist's Perspective on Tree Safety 27:46 Career Progression and Job Security 30:30 The Role of Trees in Personal Life 33:39 Tree Species and Climbing Experiences 36:31 Mentorship and Training New Climbers 48:08 Understanding Friction in Climbing 53:41 Climbing Styles and Equipment Evolution 57:40 The Journey into Competition 01:05:56 Training Evolution and Strategies 01:13:25 The Competitive Spirit and Community 01:21:54 Strategic Planning in Climbing 01:26:43 Mastering Repetitive Tasks 01:32:44 The Importance of Consistency and Practice 01:38:30 Mental Preparation for Competitions 01:44:45 Advice to Younger Self: Trust the Proces s01:50:56 The Journey Over the Destination 02:06:49 Outro Keywordstree climbing, competition, motivation, personal growth, community, training, aerial rescue, mental health, events, tree care

    2h 8m
  4. Episode 27: The Silence is Broken

    04/15/2025

    Episode 27: The Silence is Broken

    Keywords tree climbing, competition, motivation, personal growth, community, training, aerial rescue, mental health, events, tree care Summary In this episode, Jeff Inman reflects on his experiences in tree climbing competitions, discussing the importance of motivation, community support, and personal growth. He shares insights from recent events, the challenges faced during competitions, and the lessons learned along the way. The conversation emphasizes the significance of competition in fostering resilience and pushing oneself to improve, while also highlighting the value of community and support in the tree climbing industry. Takeaways Competition drives personal motivation and growth. Having clear goals helps in achieving success. Community support is crucial in competitive environments. Resilience is built through facing hardships. Training and preparation are key to performance. Mental challenges can impact competition outcomes. Learning from failures is essential for improvement. The importance of teamwork and collaboration in climbing. Tree climbing competitions enhance technical skills. Pursuing excellence requires dedication and effort. Takeaways Competition drives personal motivation and growth. Having clear goals helps in achieving success. Community support is crucial in competitive environments. Resilience is built through facing hardships. Training and preparation are key to performance. Mental challenges can impact competition outcomes. Learning from failures is essential for improvement. The importance of teamwork and collaboration in climbing. Tree climbing competitions enhance technical skills. Pursuing excellence requires dedication and effort. Takeaways Competition drives personal motivation and growth. Having clear goals helps in achieving success. Community support is crucial in competitive environments. Resilience is built through facing hardships. Training and preparation are key to performance. Mental challenges can impact competition outcomes. Learning from failures is essential for improvement. The importance of teamwork and collaboration in climbing. Tree climbing competitions enhance technical skills. Pursuing excellence requires dedication and effort. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Updates 08:58 Tree Climbing Competitions and Sponsorships 15:24 Personal Reflections on Competition Preparation 15:54 North American Tree Climbing Competition Overview 40:38 The Impact of Competition on Personal Growth 48:36 The Importance of Competition and Personal Growth 51:25 Experiences from the North American Climbing Event 54:42 Reflections on Performance and Mental State 57:29 Celebrating Achievements in the Climbing Community 01:02:29 Reflections on Recent Competitions 01:12:41 The Importance of Community and Support 01:22:43 Lessons Learned from Competition 01:32:40 The Bigger Picture Beyond Competitions 01:41:42 Chasing Goals and Motivation 01:44:40 Resilience and Personal Growth 01:47:44 Gratitude and Reflection 01:50:44 Leadership and Mentorship Sponsor Shoutout AtmosTree for the 2:1 TreeCycle Program Arbsession for the hookup for the listeners (make sure you listen to get the discount code) Courant Vertical Living for the sweet products Inman Fam for the love and support Music Followship for the intro and outro tunes Standing Still (Intro)Tiny Johnson Turnaround Jam (Outro)

    1h 55m
  5. Episode 26: Bryan (BJ) Brock

    02/03/2025

    Episode 26: Bryan (BJ) Brock

    This episode we welcome the smoothest operator I know, Mr. Bryan Brock! Known by a few names, (Brockoli, Dr. Brock, BryBro, BJ) his style is copied by many, but repeated by none. If you've not had the opportunity to watch him climb, try to find him at an event and you won't be disappointed. We chat through life on the farm and in the kitchen, his journey through trees and how we landed on the style of climbing that is uniquely his. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Bryan is one of my most favorite people in the world and stoked to have him on the pod. Listen up and learn from the master! Shout outs to: Courant Vertical Living for the sweet swag you make, especially the ropes that let us glide around so smoothly. @couranttreecare Atmos Tree for the TreeCycle Program where 2 trees get planted for every episode of The Smooth Saw. @atmostreeorg Arbsession for giving us access to awesome supplies and all the support for this competitive climbing thing we do! Make sure you use your coupon code (smoothsaw) for a discount at checkout. @arbsession Followship for the intro tunes and Zak Darling for the outro tunes. Inman fam for the support and the brief chaos in the episode that displays what life actually is. Love you all.

    2 hr
  6. Episode 25: Gear and Such

    01/27/2025

    Episode 25: Gear and Such

    Solo episode for Ep 25! A few technical difficulties around the latest interview, but hey, that's what ya get with this one man band! This episode Jeff gets into the gear inspection process and some particulars around what the experience is like and what to expect when showing up for a gear inspection at an ISA TCC. This episode could (and probably should) be hours longer, but it was last minute topic to decide to touch on. Hopefully we can pick this up and loop in some head techs and judges in on the conversation to give some added perspective.  We're all some variation of a gear head. Some might gravitate towards heavy equipment and others towards micro carabiners, but what is universally the same is that the gear does not make the climber, but rather the climber makes the gear work.  Thanks and big shout out to: Atmos Tree for planting two trees for this episode! You can find them at @atmostreeorg on IG Courant Vertical Living for the rad equipment and the support. You can pick up their stuff wherever you buy your kit from. Inman fam...I love you dearly and thank you for your support.  Fllowship for the intro music. You can find them wherever you stream your music. Zak Darling for the outro music. You can find him on SoundCloud and jam out while training for hours!

    1h 41m
  7. Episode 24: Stephanie Dryfhout...World Champ

    01/20/2025

    Episode 24: Stephanie Dryfhout...World Champ

    What a special treat this episode is! We get to chat with the current Female World Champion, representing New Zeland winning the 2024 ISA ITCC in Savanna, GA...Stephanie Dryfhout!!  We chat about comp, work, mentors, covid times and some lessons to pass on. Thanks so much Stephanie for the time and coordination with being on different parts of the globe. She is a true professional and it was great to spend some time chatting with our current world champ!  If you like what this episode, please subscribe and share! Thanks to our sponsors: Courant Vertical Living (@couranttreecare) Atmos Tree (@atmostreeorg) Inman Fam! Shout outs to: Followship Band (Find them wherever you stream music) Zak Darling (Free downloads from SoundCloud)

    1h 30m
  8. Episode 23: The Masters Event

    01/13/2025

    Episode 23: The Masters Event

    And the climbers who advance to the Masters are... Some of my favorite words and also ones that make my heart rate rise faster than most. Well, here we are with the breakdown of the event. The rules, the scoring, the sheets and the vibes. We get a little philosophical at times, but it has been completed. We have now covered all of the ISA rule book and thank you for following along.  This episode is like the others in the rule book, reciting each section word for word out of the rule book. A little late night recording leads to some on air confusion that quickly gets worked through in the throwline scoring, but we got there in the end.  Thanks to our sponsors: Atmostree for the two trees that get planted for the release of this episode. Their 2:1 TreeCycle program is awesome and check them out for how to get involved.  Courant Vertical Living for making sweet products and even better vibes. Happy 200th birthday this year and honored to be a part of the Team! Followship and Zak Darling for the tunes. Followship starts us off and Zak Darling closes us out. You can find Followship on all the streaming sites and Zak Darling on SoundCloud.  Finally and most importantly, thank you to the Inman Fam. This epsiode in particular is an important reminder of how much I appreciate you and all of your support. Love y'all.

    2h 21m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of competitve tree climbing. After doing a podcast interview on the subject of training for said comps...we realized that there wasn't much out there in the podcast world dedicated to diving into all things tree climbing competition related. And so without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, we give to you, the seeker of swings, the protector of the stoke, the enforcer of the bells to ring, the one, the only, The Smooth Saw!

Information

  • Creator
    Jeff Inman
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jeff Inman
  • Show Website
    The Smooth Saw