SC Mafia Strength and Conditioning Podcast

Hey SC Mafia, This is part 2 of our episode with Joe Hudson of the Boston Red Sox organization. If you haven't listened to part 1 yet, don't worry! This episode is great as a standalone for any listeners who are looking for some Weight Room Wisdom. On this episode, Joe and I talk about his greatest pieces of advice for aspiring coaches, covering topics like: resumes, experiencing variety early, reflecting on what you truly want, and filtering all the information you take from your experiences to develop your own personal philosophy. After taking a break to touch on most memorable coaching moments, we then dive into his current professional development strategies and lessons he's learned over his career. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33). Joe's Instagram: @hudson_jr12

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Episode 11 of the Podcast! On this episode, we speak with Joe Hudson of the Boston Red Sox organization of Major League Baseball. Joe has recently been promoted to Major League S&C Coach after 8 years within the minor league system at every level. Joe's perspective is unique to a Strength and Conditioning Coach because he's grown within the organization along with many of the players he's worked with, with many approaching and reaching the big leagues during his time. In part one of our conversation, we speak more about specific programming implications of technology in S&C. With force plates and VBT becoming more prevalent in the field and some level of uncertainty regarding how to effectively integrate those tools seamlessly, we speak about our thoughts on using data to make informed decisions and produce more specific training adaptations for professional baseball players. Every player's path to the big leagues is different, and baseball players present very different physical profiles between individuals. In answering the question "how do we drive this player's performance up?" we arrive at the conclusion that a small margin of adaptation in targeted metrics can actually help, while producing more questions than answers. We discuss how athletes respond differently to stimuli, and falling down the rabbit hole is all too easy, so after working through how to identify data that is important to performance, we speak about creating the desired change while never losing the art of coaching. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @Connor_Ryder33). Joe's Instagram: @hudson_jr12

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Episode 10 of the Podcast! On this one, we go with a different format and discuss all things sprinting as a group. Our guests today are: Vail Cote (@coachvail on IG) - Strength and Conditioning Performance Science Fellow with USA Olympic and Paralympic Committee (Lake Placid, NY) TJ Cahill (@t_cahill on IG) - Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Amherst College (Amherst, MA) This was a fun one because we were able to discuss the nuts and bolts of sprint mechanics while keeping things within context of our (very different!) environments. It's interesting to see the contrast between how the same scientific concepts are applied in unique circumstances and settings. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33)

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep. 9 of the Podcast! On this one, we speak with Will Turner, Director of S&C and Admissions Officer for The Taft School, a boarding and day school in Watertown, CT. Will is in his first year at The Taft School after spending four years at Greenwich Country Day School, where he was the first full-time S&C Coach and built the program from scratch. Will has spent time in almost every sector of Sports Performance, including personal training, division 3, division 1, and professional athletics. Now, he works with high school athletes and has found his impact continue to grow as he attracts more and more athletes to his program. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33).

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep.8 of the Podcast! On this episode, we talk with Dr. Brian Thompson, Fieldwork Coordinator and Director of Sports Performance at Springfield College. Dr. Thompson is in his 26th year at Springfield College, where he has seen first-hand the growth of the S&C department and all the coaches the program has created. Dr. Thompson has held a variety of roles in his 30+ year career, including a Big-10 S&C Coach, a Paralympic S&C Coach, and Director of the Graduate Program of S&C at Springfield College. He has also held roles within the NSCA and has presented at many different professional development events as recently as the 2024 NSCA Coaches Conference! Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33).

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep.7 of the Podcast! On this episode, we talk with Jake Eglintine, Director of Performance for Women's Basketball at Iona University. Jake is in his second year at Iona, having previously worked at Northeastern University, and moving over to get into the basketball world. Jake is another guest who formerly played football at Springfield College, and initially saw himself as becoming a football S&C coach before ultimately deciding to pursue basketball. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33).

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep.6 of the Podcast! On this episode, we talk with Scott Leech, Associate AD and Director of S&C at the University of Rhode Island. Scott is now in his fourth year at URI, having been promoted to Director of S&C in July of 2021 and again promoted to Associate AD in 2023. Scott played football at SC, and now works with football, women's lacrosse, and women's tennis, and has contributed to growing the S&C program at URI exponentially over the past 4 years. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33). Scott's Instagram: @sleech72 Scott's Twitter: @ScottLeech72

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep.5 of the Podcast! On this episode, we talk with Aysia Shellmire from Holy Cross women's basketball. Aysia is entering her third year at Holy Cross, working primarily with the women's basketball program as well as women's soccer. Before landing with the Crusaders, Aysia had a number of unique experiences, including: Springfield College GA - S&C (Volleyball) University of Hawaii at Manoa - Women's Volleyball/Men's Basketball Cate School (Carpentaria, CA) - HS S&C (all sports) Westmont College - Adjunct Professor (Ex. Sci) Westmont College - Women's Basketball Athlete Aysia's Instagram: @coach_ays Special thanks to Enduraphin for supporting the podcast and our guest! Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33).

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep.4 of the Podcast! On this episode, we talk with Hunter Reeser of Vanderbilt University baseball. Hunter is entering his second year at Vanderbilt, following a year in which the Commodores earned an SEC title earning the No. 6 overall seed and hosting the Nashville Regional for the 2023 NCAA Baseball Division I Championship. Hunter has spent time with several high-level performance teams before his time at Vanderbilt, including: Springfield College GA - S&C (Football, Baseball, Women's Gymnastics, T&F) UNC-CH Football Army West Point Football UMass Amherst Westchester University Hunter's Instagram: @coach.reeser Hunter's Twitter: @hunterreeser18 Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33).

Hey SC Mafia,Welcome to Ep.3 of the Podcast! On this episode, we finish up our conversation with Fahd Jindani of Saginaw Valley State University. In part one, we talk about his arduous rehab process and how it pulled him towards S&C, getting fired (and rehired), and the transition from assistant to director. If you haven't already, give part 1 a listen! In part two, we talk about establishing precedents as a new Director of S&C, building and maintaining relationships with the Athletic Director and Sport Coaches, the way SVSU goes about professional development for their GAs and young coaches, and more. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33). Fahd's instagram: @coach_fahdj Fahd's email: fmjindan@svsu.edu

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep.2 of the Podcast! On this episode, we talk with Fahd Jindani of Saginaw Valley State University. Fahd recently began his first full Summer session as the Assistant AD/Director of Sports Performance at SVSU, coming from his position as Assistant S&C Coach for Football with the Vanderbilt Commodores from 2017-2022. In part one, we talk about his arduous rehab process and how it pulled him towards S&C, getting fired (and rehired), and the transition from assistant to director. Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33).

Hey SC Mafia, Welcome to Ep.1 of the Podcast! On this episode, we talk with Mikey Blazejowski of the Indianapolis Colts. Mikey was recently promoted to the role of Assistant - Sports Science/Analytics after serving over a year as a Professional intern with the Colts' performance staff. Other than his time with the Colts, Mikey has had a number of career stops, including: Springfield College GA - S&C (Football, WLax, T&F) Vanderbilt Football UMass Football University of Minnesota Football Tennessee Football XFL Training Camp Hope you enjoy the episode, and as always, please reach out with any feedback to scmafiapodcast@gmail.com or either Instagram account associated with the show (@sc_strength or @connor_ryder33).