This is not a drill! We repeat - this is not a drill! After 12 months of podcast radio silence, there is finally a new Fistball Australia podcast episode in the house!

Fresh off manning the mics at an immensely successful Men's Fistball World Championships in Mannheim, USA Fistball's Kyle Ejsmont joins the FiFA boys for a second attempt at recording an episode, after a previous attempt last December was unceremoniously, silently binned (due to lack of dedication from our editing team).

This time reigning Australian men's captain Rod "Inanimate Carbon" Matthews joins co-host Chris 'Super Mario' Milne to rhapsodise all things world fistball, filling in at late notice for the calendar clashing Malcolm "Mister Fister" Donnellon.

In this episode we dive in headfirst to discuss the recently completed 2023 IFA Fistball World Championships, discussing all the hot topics, dissecting the biggest stories, and reminiscing about the experience itself on a personal level.

We then turn the camera towards Mr Ejsmont himself, peeling back the curtain to talk about what goes on behind the scenes when you're an integral part of the IFA Media team (in this case, commentating the majority of the 52 games at this tournament), before turning the discussion towards the future of fistball in the USA and the impending difficult decisions surrounding the national team.

Of course, we don't finish there. Super Mario then shoots "Seven Quick Questions" about future World Championships at the boys (which of course are anything but "quick" conversations), before putting forward the submitted listener questions for responses and then finishing up with the standard (but a potentially record number of) shout-outs.

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series.

Fist on!

Timestamps:

Recorded on Saturday, 2nd of September, 2023.

We're back! Sort of!

With the 2022 European Fistball Championships kicking off today, there is simply no better time to get an in depth insight into European fistball, and so with no further adieu we present the return of The Fist, The Whole Fist And Nothing But The Fist, So Help Me Pod - The Official Fistball Australia Podcast!

In this podcast we will take you on a journey back in time... transporting you back to the year 2021 - Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are just another failed Hollywood marriage, lettuce is a regular food that could be afforded by average citizens (not a status symbol for just the rich and famous), the most concerning global political situation is in Afghanistan, not the Ukraine... and due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic restricting international travel, the IFA has postponed the 2021 European Championships and in it's place the smaller EFA 2021 Fistball Men's European Nations Cup has just been run and won by Austria in a thrilling 6 set final over Switzerland.

Does it feel like you're there?

Ok, now picture this - the following week after this historic win, our regular host Mal 'Mr Fister' Donnellon sat down at his professional microphone, and was promptly joined by special guest host Lee 'The Power Station' Morony, as they discussed all things Italian Fistball and reviewed the aforementioned European Nations Cup. And nobody was better to share this moment with them than special guest Moritz Menz of Italy, with an over-qualified cameo appearance from Nicolas Fehr of Switzerland

And so it was, a mere 9 short months later, that Mr Fister finally got off his backside and finished editing the nearly 3 hour chat down to a bite sized 1 hour 46 minutes. Enjoy!

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series. 

Fist on! 

Recorded on Tuesday, 8th of October 2021.

As the great Oscar Wilde was once misquoted: ‘When I was Young I thought that fistball was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.’ 

Our guest in this episode always has been a Young man, and even as he gets older, always will be a Young man. Laurence ‘Fistburne’ Young is the only person to have represented Australia in Fistball as a player, coach and assistant coach. 

A member of two World Championship tours, Laurie was initially introduced to the Australian Fistball coaching ranks as a result of a misinterpretation of another quote, this one by Angela Bassett; ‘It's important to surround yourself with good people, interesting people, Young people, Young ideas.’ However in a happy coincidence Laurie’s training as a physical education and outdoor education teacher actually made him an excellent choice as the Australian Fistball Team’s first head coach. 

His passion for youth development had also seen him become one of the pioneers of teaching fistball in schools in Australia. Introducing our great sport to kids in Far North Queensland and starting to develop what is hopefully the next generation of Australian Fistballers. 

Join Mal ‘Mr Fister’ Donnellon and special guest co-host Ralph ‘The Godfister’ Peterfile as we recap Laurie’s Fistball journey so far and discuss what hopefully lies ahead for Aussie Fistball, as well as their review of the critical USA v Czech Republic positional match from the 2019 Men's World Fistball Championships. 

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series. 

Fist on! 

Recorded on Tuesday, 28th of September 2021.

It's a Fistivus Miracle, they've finally released an episode of this podcast within one month of recording it!

I guess you could say Chris 'Super Mario' Milne and Mal 'Mr Fister' Donnellon were somewhat inspired by the guest for this episode, as having one of the most winningest fistball players in the world right now on the podcast was bound to instinctively run the boys back into something resembling "fistball podcast fitness".

And that fistball champion was none other than Luca von Loh, a rising star in the German women's national fistball team and a respected role player for the Westside Wombats!

Luca jumps on the pod to talk about all things German fistball, and it all gets off to a great start as she gets to witness Super Mario seemingly have a stroke while trying to correctly pronounce her German and European Championship-winning club TV Jahn Schneverdingen.

The release of this episode also happens to coincide with the announcement of Luca's successful nomination to the German inaugural women's World Games team for 2022, a subject that was touched on as a possibility. Congratulations Luca!

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series.

Fist on!

Recorded on Sunday, 5th of September 2021.

Let us take you back in time.

Let us take you back to a point in history where UEFA Euro 2020 was still in the middle of Group Stage play, and the Milwaukee Bucks had just finished off the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals. A time where winter had only just begun in Australia, and all the state borders were wide open. Back when one of the co-hosts of this podcast - Chris 'Super Mario' Milne - was amazingly still in his 30s. That time, was known simply as "the middle of June, 2021", and it was a very different time indeed.

For those that can't remember that far back, fear not - as Super Mario and his co-host Mal 'Mr Fister' Donnellon were able to permanently record the moment with an already-dated-but-forever-young time capsule in audio form, also known as a podcast episode.

And who was their guest for this episode? Why it was our first-ever African nation guest - the recently-appointed Namibian Fistball Association President, Kristof Lerch!

In this episode the guys dive into all things Namibian fistball - talking their long history in the sport, the development of youth players, women's players and whether they'll be appearing at the next World Games. 

They then talk about one of the more tournament-defining games from the 2019 Men's World Fistball Championships - the double-elimination game between Namibia and the USA. We already know the classicly succinct nickname given to Keith Schweda by Mal, but what nicknames will he bestow upon Helmo Minz, Tristan Minz and Rico Kühle-Kreitz? Only one way to find out.

Oh, and take note of a few sports predictions in the much-maligned "news" segment.... oh so close!

There were a few audio issues on this recording unfortunately, but boldly push through them and you will be handsomely rewarded.

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series.

Fist on!

Recorded on...*checks notes*... Sunday, 20th of June, 2021??? C'mon guys, this is getting ridiculous...

Okay, Alwin? Alwin? ALWIN!!

Okay!

Ah yes, we too remember fondly the last weekend of April, 2021 - it was still Autumn here in Australia, we were in the middle of enjoying our ANZAC Day holiday weekend, and Chris 'Super Mario' Milne and Mal 'Mr Fister' Donnellon found time to record an episode of the podcast with the fistball equivalent of an EGOT contender - Alwin Oberkersch!

And, just a mere 45 days later, here it is in all its glory.

So, tune in to listen to the guys talking about a variety of hot, timely and relevant topics such as the European Super League, how Victoria isn't really impacted by COVID anymore, and the Women's World Championship that will be held in Switzerland!

Of course they then talk in detail about the fistball life and times of Alwin himself - his history as a fistball player, fistball trainer and of course fistball commentator. Other topics of discussion include meeting the Possums for the first time, having an Australian fistball medal named after him, his involvement in bringing legendary coach Tommy Helber to Australia. Also, is it crabs or crepes? You decide!

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series.

Fist on!

Recorded on Sunday, 25th of April, 2021.

We've set some lofty goals with this podcast, and some seem to have always been destined to fail. 

One of those aforementioned goals was to always keep these podcast episodes under 2 hours... but hey, when you get Brazilian fistball superstar Mateus 'Pato' Kuntzler on your podcast, all aspirational rules go out the window! 

Joining co-hosts Chris 'Super Mario' Milne and Malcolm 'Mister Fister' on the pod, this one is a real deep dive into all things Brazilian fistball and Brazilian fistball-adjacent. The boys discuss the cultural differences that differentiate South American fistball from European fistball, how Mateus has humbly dealt with being awarded accolade after accolade, and how he got his nickname - 'Pato'. They talk about fistball in Portugal, fistball in Colombia, and which fistball tournament should be on every fistball player's calendar. And of course we address what it's like to grow up playing a sport at such a high level despite having a physical disability, who his greatest idol is, and the positives to come out of simply talking about it. 

And then, not content with the sheer amount of topics already packed into one episode, they dissect and rate one of the universally-agreed greatest fistball games ever played (or at least, caught on camera!) - the 2005 World Games Men's Final between Brazil and Austria. Who get's deducted votes for roughing up referees? Who looks like a villain from a 2006 Hollywood mystery thriller film? And why are fistball games between Brazil and Austria so incredibly intense? All these questions are answered within. 

And for those playing at home - a fun drinking game would be to drink a shot of cachaça every time Chris or Mal mispronounce Mateus's name... although we do always suggest to please drink in moderation. 

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series. 

Fist on! 

Recorded on Sunday, 11th of April, 2021.

Well first we should probably address the title of this episode - is it so terrible that it's actually great? Or is it just terrible? Does our audience even understand the reference? Who knows, but it's out there now and we can't take it back... so we'll just have to own it.

But onto the episode itself. For this episode Malcolm 'Mister Fister' Donnellon is back in the co-hosting chair, and this time he and usual host Chris 'Super Mario' Milne are joined by new age Danish Fistball Royalty... as they welcome onto the podcast Danish national team player and one of the driving forces of the reinvigorated Denmark fistball scene - Thore Naujeck!

In this episode the boys talk about the rise and fall and rise and fall and rise of fistball in Denmark, the availability of international ciders in Australia and the lineage of European royal families. They also casually touch on the epic first fistball match meeting between Australia and Denmark at the 2019 Men's Fistball World Championships

It should also be noted that this is the second attempt at episode #15 - the previous attempt was one week prior with former Australian Men's National Team Coach Laurence Young. Unfortunately audio issues scuttled that entire recording, and it had to be scrapped. Another time perhaps.

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series.

Fist on!

Recorded on Sunday, 28th of March, 2021.

With Germany recently losing their grasp on first place in the podcast episode rankings to surprise contender Wales, we've decided to throw it back to our German listeners in a challenge to rise again and claim the top of the standings - by bringing on former German international player and accomplished star of TV Brettorf, Tobi Kläner!

We also welcomed back Lee 'The Power Station' Morony to once again co-host this one, joining co-host Chris 'Super Mario' Milne while Malcolm 'Mister Fister' sat out this week, potentially in the sin bin.

In this episode we dig deep into the Tobi's fistball journey, as we learn the brutal repercussions placed on those who choose not to play fistball in Brettorf, where his Australian Fistivus victory ranks in his all-time fistball highlights, and the importance of staying connected with the fistball family during lockdown. We then inundate Tobi with listener questions, most of which are not really directly related to fistball, and some of which he tactically chooses not to answer in any detail. We also learn some important life facts, including the changing of seasons in Germany and a classic German phrase in reference to what it's like to drink a non-alcoholic beer. All eye-opening stuff.

And of course we only work in extremes here - just one recording after Sander Koyen's record breaking 1 hour, 59 minutes and 5 seconds single episode effort, Tobi's comes in a short, sharp and sweet 1 hour, 9 minutes and 31 seconds, making it the 4th shortest episode we've released. Perhaps if he hadn't been so cagey about answering the listener questions, it may have gone a bit longer...

Oh, and apologies for some minor audio issues with this recording.

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series.

Fist on!

Timestamps:

Recorded on Sunday, 28th of February, 2021.

Fear not, listeners, we have not forgotten to record episodes of this podcast - this one just, uh, took a little longer than normal to edit.

Originally recorded just over 2 weeks ago, returning Malcolm 'Mister Fister' Donnellon joined co-host Chris 'Super Mario' Milne back in the "Studio" as they welcomed Belgian international fistballer, and current President of the Belgische Vuistbal Associatie (i.e. the Belgian Fistball Assocation) - Sander Koyen!

It's a rare occurrence in which we would need to issue a warning for "adult content" on our podcast episodes... but for anyone familiar with Belgian fistball and their Facebook posts, this may come as no surprise. Ironically enough the "adult content" warning is due to some rather juvenile, childish humour from all parties involved. You've been warned!

But it's fair to say that no stone was left unturned this episode, as the boys responded to an unexpected challenge from the South Africans, before Sander recapped the somewhat unexpected birth of Belgian fistball (in Australia, no less!), his first introduction to the Jona Obersee Masters, and the cloudy immediate future of the sport for the newer fistball nations. He was then hit with some hard-hitting questions involving the origins of their team mascot, his recommendations regarding hangover sushi and whether phallic inflatable hats are aerodynamic enough for fistball. 

And then by popular demand, we have brought back the Game Review segment! This time around, the boys analysed and discussed (with some mixed feelings) the now-iconic 15th Place Positional Match from the 2019 Men's World Fistball Championships, the one where plucky underdogs Belgium managed to overcome fistball powerhouse Australia (with a bit of luck or whatever) in a 5-set epic that nearly pushed 2 hours of playing time and caused havoc for the tournament scheduling crew.

Oh, and congratulations to Sander, as he is now the guest on the longest single episode released of TFTWFANBTFSHMPTOFAP, topping Christoph Oberlehner's episode by a mere 12 seconds to come in at 1 hour, 59 minutes and 5 seconds (after extensive editing, of course).

As always, a huge thank you to Rafael Dobler for the theme music to this podcast series.

Fist on!

Timestamps:

Recorded on Sunday, 7th of February, 2021.