A3 The Academy

Special guests Reggie Bolton - Director of Athletics at Bakersfield College, and R. Todd Littlejohn - Head Football Coach at Bakersfield College, join Coach AJ Orange and Coach Ryan Beckwith to discuss the realities that revolve around collegiate athletics...the expectations, recruiting, and how to be successful.

The panel discusses the intricacies of preparation. Peak performance is dependent on the persons ability to prepare.

The panel discusses sport combines / camps, and the importance of the preparation for them. And reminding everyone, that combines / camps are all about testing and how you show up and compete. Enjoy the conversation from a panel that has experienced combines / camps at every level!

Ryan Beckwith and Art Charles, Jr. discuss the importance/meaning of Visualization and how it effects Decision Making. You won't want to miss this one... Visualize like an Athlete

Today both Ryan Beckwith and AJ Orange discuss the Functionality of Strength in training. Why we need to focus on aspects beyond simply training for Strength in the weightroom. Train like an athlete...

The panel discusses the many levels and perspectives of leadership. Leadership is not a simple definition, or a one way or the highway type of system. Compassion, communication, tough decisions, staying true while also having an open mind/heart are ALL necessary to be an effective leader.

The Panel welcomes a new member Stevi Robinson - Assistant Volleyball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for CSUB. The focus of today's conversation is the high rate of injury we are seeing in professional sports recently...which leads the conversation down the path of preparation being the best form of prevention. Enjoy!

This week the panel discusses SPEED and how we all need to be thinking about it. To increase your "speed" there are many dimensions that need to be taken into account. Only focusing on the straight on speed does not encompass all that is needed to improve. SPEED of recognition, SPEED of rebound mechanics, SPEED of deceleration, SPEED of the acceleration, top-end SPEED, just to name a few. ALL are vital to the development of TRUE SPEED. Enjoy!

The panel discusses the current standing of youth sports today, the importance of athletic development, and weighs in on the hyper focus on youth sports skills training. When our young athletes are "over-skilled" and "under-developed" due to the focus on sports skills and not training the body for movement and growth, we are faced with premature peaking and higher injury rates.

The panel discusses the importance of recovery as well as the "secrets of the trade" for making sure the body/brain combo is at its most optimal.

The panel welcomes a special guest - Coach James Garces, the Head Assistant Coach at California State University, Bakersfield Men's Soccer team. This discussion gives a real look into the Coaches perspective of recruiting and what a College Coach is actually looking for. If you or someone you care about aspires to play in college, you don't want to miss this one!

In these trying times it is imperative that you are a good and positive learner. Being a good student spills beyond the classroom...especially as we move into a season of distant learning. Focus, organization, and personal responsibility have never been so important.

Today The Academy discusses the importance of metrics. How maturity in your training will provide you with more than just numbers. The closest you can ever get to "Game Speed" is testing your BEST in training. AND in the heat of the moment, with the pressure on - YOU can rely on those times you TESTED YOUR TRAINING METRICS to be at YOUR BEST! True confidence comes from within...knowing you can pull or push that extra pound, jump that extra inch, run that extra tenth of a second faster, will give you the self-conviction needed in the moment of truth!

Part 2 of 2. Today's conversation deals with redefining Relaxation into a new term of Performance. Without true clarity of mind, ultimate performance cannot be achieved! Listen with purpose here...there are some golden nuggets!

Part 1 of 2 - Today's conversation starts with Mindset and flows into personal successes from our team. Mindset, work ethic, the will to succeed - it is born in us all - some just need a little introduction and push in the right direction. Next week we will move into Part 2 of this conversation - The importance of Relaxation under stress. IT IS A GAME CHANGER!!

The team discusses the importance of training like an athlete...regardless of your level or ability. Training like an athlete is not reserved for the pro's - on the flip side, it is vital as a human to train multiple planes of movement with a multitude of compound exercises. Get the insights - enjoy the convo!

The Academy Crew discusses the reality with the financial picture - starting with college scholarships and moving into the pro's.

The Team welcomes two special guests, Jennifer Wright - Owner and Head Coach of Emersion Crossfit and Reggie Bolton - career College Football Coach and current Department Chair of Kinesiology at Bakersfield College.

As the country starts to open up, two of our team (Art Charles, Jr & Justin Kelly) get some great news about starting their Professional season. Another of our team (Manav Shah) was presented with an opportunity outside of his Professional playing career - the entire team talks through the situation.