The Talking Shop Podcast

The rollercoaster origin and growth story of 1080 Motion, as told by the engineer who created it all, Christoffer Bergkvist. Tune in as he shares the biggest stories from the original Quantum, to almost going bankrupt, to the secret development of the Sprint 2, and everything in between.2:15 Origin story of Christoffer and 1080 Motion, starting with the 1080 Quantum right out of college14:15 First launch of the 1080 Quantum, 100 invited and only 5 showed up17:14 Origin story of the 1080 Syncro, attempting to replicate the 1,100lb "Brake Man" machine23:20 2 lawsuits involving fraud and the government, almost causing the end (bankruptcy) of 1080 Motion27:09 Origin story of the 1080 Sprint 1, Manni/Anna-Carin/Ola/Peter join the team33:33 The 6-year secret development of the 1080 Sprint 239:59 Launching the sprint 2 in 2023Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eHQf-_rNDOwA thank you to this show's sponsors: 1080 Motion | Samson Equipment

Having a personal brand and understanding the world of content creation is almost a non-negotiable these days, regardless of how invested in it you are or not.After literally creating thousands of hours of content and thousands of individuals posts, tune in to learn 3 reflections that you can apply to your own personal brand and content creation.1:45 Lesson 1: What all content comes back to5:08 Lesson 2: It requires reasoning, not logic9:35 Lesson 3: Make what you'll actually make12:57 Closing thoughtsYouTube: https://youtu.be/rmYa1DnlJBkA thank you to this show's sponsors: 1080 Motion | FYTT | Samson Equipment

When pursing the next-level of training for your athletes, determining the most valuable and effective methods, it's important to have a few big connecting themes. This brings clarity into defining what to pursue and what avoid in training.As the main training qualities (strength, speed, etc.) are all more similar than dissimilar, we need all facets of the training program working together. Common themes bring alignment to all decisions from executing individual training sessions, to planning recovery days, to weekly, monthly, and even annual periodization.Tune in learn how all athletes and coaches can use these 5 words to increase the effectiveness of their high performance training to get even better results. (plus a 9-word bonus)Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TTbozNVHVTgA thank you to this show's sponsors: Samson Equipment | Isophit

A Norwegian Sport Scientist who's taught all over the world, Ola Eriksrud shares his favorite moments and the origin story with 1080 Motion. Recounting all the biggest stops along the way, including his creation of the 1080 MAP (Movement Assessment Profile), you won't want to miss this.4:49 Coolest/craziest stories: a poorly planned 24-hour trip to speak in Beijing, Larry Bird using the treadmill next to him, and humbling experiences working with the special forces in the US12:20 What the listener can learn from Ola's experience using the 1080 Syncro for over a decade24:59 Comparing and contrasting working with athletes in Norway vs the US30:35 Ola's origin story with 1080 MotionEpisode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/srpZ00--YrQOla's links: IG @OlaEriksrud @Athletic1080 | Athletic1080.com | LinkedInA thank you to this show's sponsors:⁠1080 Motion⁠ | ⁠FYTT⁠ | ⁠Samson Equipment⁠ | ⁠Isophit⁠

Going on year 7 with the Houston Astros, Zach Reding has seen it all (...besides AA...) working his way up from literally an internship to the Major Leagues as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. Tune in to hear all the crazy stories and stops along the way. 2:32 Winning the 2022 World Series, as the AAA strength coach getting to travel and work with the taxi squad players throughout the playoffs 6:29 Thoughts on growing deep with 1 organization over 7 years vs growing wide with multiple organizations 16:31 The key to good cross-department communication 23:30 Comparing/contrasting the training and lifestyle differences between the minor and major leagues, both for players and staff 27:52 Zach's "welcome to the Show" moment, Opening Day 29:53 Something Zach thinks the players wish fans knew about what it's actually like being an MLB player 33:15 Traits that players have get them to and/or keep them in the MLB 35:48 Tech Zach couldn't live without and tech that's (humbly) probably not worth the squeeze 37:53 Zach's top force plate metrics Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xw3UbaRpSD0 Zach on Instagram: @ZachReding A thank you to this show's sponsors: Samson Equipment | 1080 Motion | FYTT | Isophit

Using technology is not a philosophy, but technology can help you develop your own philosophy and become the best coach you can be. And there's a process and mindset that comes with doing so. Tune in for real-life stories and examples of how you can use technology to accelerate the development your personal coaching philosophy. 2:22 2 ways to think about what a philosophy is and the definition of a philosophy 5:05 How technology helps confirm, deny, or modify hunches you have as a coach 9:44 The scientific mindset and step-by-step process 12:51 My journey of using the 1080 Sprint to develop part of my speed training philosophy 20:50 Example: philosophy, principles, and specifics of individualized strength training 24:06 Example: philosophy, principles, and specifics of individualized speed training 27:27 Closing thoughts and action items for "hunches, anecdata, apply the truth" Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YOkqgjpwxnw A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | Samson Equipment | Isophit

Finally, the world knows why Boo Schexnayder is called Boo... From coaching track and field, to strength and conditioning, to variation vs specificity, and return to play, Boo has the stories to teach some powerful lessons from his +40 years in the field. 4:14 Coolest story: being perfectly content coaching high school football, rejecting multiple college football offers, then a bad principal inspired him to leave and accept a college track coaching offer and the rest is history 9:14 Biggest lessons from being mentored by Dan Pfaff and shadowing him at LSU 18:32 How Boo got into return to play and reflecting on "the level of intensity you achieve is the level of performance you can expect" 40:33 Variation vs specificity, learning motor control from Dr. Richard McGill, and reflecting on "variation increases transfer but decreases performance" and "the struggle to attain mastery is what makes improvement" 55:06 What about current training technology has both exceeded and disappointed his expectations Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ufXrcmqxMAI Where to find Boo: @BooSchex (Twitter), https://www.sacspeed.com/wp/ , https://www.ascenttrackclinics.com/ A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | Samson Equipment | 1080 Motion | Isophit

From catching passes from Peyton Manning to changing how US Ski & Snowboard trains athletes to building an elite athlete management system in FYTT, Ernie Rimer has some crazy stories. Tune in to hear about how the +20 years are all connected in leading him from one opportunity to the next and the biggest things he learned along the way. 2:59 Coolest/craziest story: a variety from the Indianapolis Colts, Northern Arizona, and the "Hodge Podge Kids" from US Ski & Snowboard 23:20 Deciding to "rock the boat" and train all athletes at the A, B, C, and D levels instead of only the top athletes 33:04 Utah Football playing Michigan and remoting advising the coach's on how to manage a weather delay 39:25 The journey of how FYTT came to be Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XsrreOvyqHY Ernie on Instagram and Twitter: @ErnieRimer A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | 1080 Motion | Samson Equipment | Isophit

My conversation with Denton is the perfect example of how everything is more similar than dissimilar, meaning we can learn from the connections regardless of what it is. As the Pitching Coach at Lindenwood University, an 8-year baseball business owner, and time spent with the Houston Astros, Denton has some unique insights bridging the gap between all pieces of high performance. 2:35 Coolest/craziest story: World Series games working for the Houston Astros and working with Jeremy Peña 5:31 Explaining his role as a "Performance Coach" in the MiLB with the Houston Astros 15:18 How his well-rounded background/experience helps him now in a domain-specific position as a Pitching Coach 22:05 Story of turning Maryville around from an under .500 program to making a NCAA Regional in 3 years 31:24 How do you develop pitchers? 45:25 Being in the "business of finding outliers" Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Wre0q64NItM Denton on social: @d_cole32 (IG) and @EBA_MADE (Twitter) A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | 1080 Motion | Samson Equipment | Isophit

Connor Schoepp returns to the podcast for round two, diving into the stories and lessons of specializing in return to play with athletes. With experience primarily as a performance coach, he brings everything full circle to help get your athletes back better than ever. 2:08 Journey to opening his own business "Rebuild Performance and Rehab" 4:38 Connor's non-negotiables and philosophies on return to play 10:56 Case study #1: learning to ask questions, no matter how simple 20:27 Case study #2: the value of the neural component and the brain in return to play 32:51 Case study #3: how data, in this case force plates, doesn't tell the full story Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VR15tt_Tvms Connor's website: https://www.rebuildperformancerehab.com/ Instagram and Twitter: @Rebuildpr_ @Rebuild_p_r A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | 1080 Motion | Samson Equipment | Isophit

Mike Young, Director of Performance & Sports Science at Athletic Lab, has coached and spoken all over the world for 20+ years in all facets of sports performance. From track and field events, to professional athletes/organizations, and even WWE Superstars, Mike takes us behind the scenes to the stories and lessons that have led him to today. 8:11 Coolest story: becoming the landlord of a coach who rudely rejected him 5 years prior 14:42 Mike's journey to open his own business completely on his own 20:25 3 staples in all of Mike's programs 33:28 One thing that has exceeded and disappointed his expectations in training 44:11 One thing that has exceeded and disappointed his expectations in sport science 50:14 Mike's top force plate counter-movement jump metrics 53:31 Biggest thing he learned from coaching with Boo Schexnayder and how that opportunity came to be 1:01:23 From his experience as a track events coach and track S&C coach, what the team sport world can learn about speed 1:08:23 The value of coach education and his process in making his Coaching Academy Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BhsAfdNlooY Mike on social media (Instagram): @Mikeyoungphd | @athleticlab | @athleticlabacademy | @ltadnetwork Mike's links: Athletic Lab | Coaching Academy | LTAD Network | YouTube A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | 1080 Motion | Samson Equipment | Isophit

Tessa hops back on the podcast for her second appearance (previous #144) to dive into basketball-specific training topics, her experience at all levels of sports performance, and advice for coaches on increasing the longevity of their career. 1:51 Craziest story update since her first episode, sneak peek: it has to do with another private jet 7:26 A few training staples in Tessa's basketball-specific sports performance training program 12:39 Comparing football to women's basketball, thoughts on training differences for strength for male vs female athlete 22:15 Things the basketball world does well we can learn from and something it can improve on 29:18 A few things that surprisingly have stayed in her programs over time and a few things that surprisingly left quick 37:13 Comparing experiences at the mid-major, Power 4, and professional levels, what each level does good and bad 45:00 Advice to any coach looking to build more of a life outside the weight room Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Et65nJlM7xc Coach Tessa on Instagram: @CoachTessaGrossman A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | 1080 Motion | Samson Equipment | Isophit

What a crazy 5 years it's been and I'm here to share some of my biggest lightbulbs along the way. Some that seem obvious and some that slowly came to me over time, these are things I could've only learned from coaching day-in and day-out. From training to being a professional and everything in between, tune in for these real-life stories and lessons to help you become the best you can be. 0:21 Recap of 4 lessons from 4 years and 3 lessons from 2023 3:00 #1 The best KPI for progress, something I never had as a college athlete 6:51 #2 The secret sauce, what would you say in an interview? 12:21 #3 How to network like friends, with real-life examples 14:33 #4 It really is about expectations 19:01 #5 Coaches can get out of touch, and how it manifests in your coaching 21:57 Connecting the dots with more examples 23:59 5 action items for you to get better starting today Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MmbcnhULSxc A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | Samson Equipment | Isophit

John Grace has been in professional soccer for the last 9+ year and in the performance world even longer, seeing some crazy things like JOHN CENA. Tune in to learn more about John's takes on training high-level soccer players, how this can apply to you, and some of his coolest stories along the way. 4:13 Biggest realization of soccer-specific performance training: keep the in-season training as general as possible 18:31 Learning from the extensive (starting at age 12) pro soccer academy system, the value of some early specialization, and building relationships with the sport coach 30:32 One thing the soccer world can do better: actually addressing sprint mechanics, at least a little 37:31 Fork in the road story: stumbling into an internship with Mike Young at Athletic Lab and doing a totally *legal* internship in Vancouver with Mike 47:06 Coolest/craziest story: John Cena training at Athletic Lab and watching him crush facility records Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EXbgVl_ZC3c John on Twitter: @john_r_grace A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | 1080 Motion | Samson Equipment | Isophit

Trevor Abshire joins the pod to share the biggest stories from his strength and conditioning career and transition to sport science. What started as an internal fascination with answering his own questions turned into landing him a job in the MLB with the Cleveland Guardians. Tune in to learn about what it was like making that transition and how he made it happen. -3:00 Fork in the road: being 30 seconds away from taking a job in the Dominican Republic and almost becoming an X-Ray tech -10:00 Advice for those thinking about pivoting fields -18:26 What he did to transition from S&C to sport science -27:14 How to get into coding -32:15 Coolest/craziest story: an athlete squatting almost 600lb and all the plates falling off the bar and what it was like walking into Spring Training for the first time -36:49 Full circle: reflecting on his 4+ years of coaching and its impact on his current job as a sport scientist Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qXmDon1iBGg Trevor on LinkedIn: Trevor Abshire A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | Samson Equipment | Isophit

Sean Swetnam, Performance Coach for UCLA Football and PhD candidate, shares his inspiring journey in the world of collegiate athletics. From overcoming personal setbacks to witnessing major shake-ups in top football programs, Sean's story is a testament to perseverance and the power of manifestation in achieving one's dreams. 2:46 Fork in the road: having a torn labrum as a pitcher, deciding to not get it operated on and what that taught him when he had to pivot from playing 14:28 Craziest story: being at a part of 2 different power 5 head football coaches leaving 20:07 Having coached at UCLA and USC, spending time with baseball and football, and the odds of staying in California 25:17 Full circle: going from being a personal trainer getting free tickets to a USC football game, watching the staff run out on the field, to recently doing that with UCLA at Hawaii and thinking "I told you" Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yrpunSe2vQU Sean on Instagram: @CoachSwet A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | Isophit | Samson Equipment

By avoiding bodybuilding content, you're missing out on a crucial aspect of strength and hypertrophy development for sports performance. In this episode, I break down how learning from bodybuilding experts like Mike Israetel has made me a better coach. We'll dive into key truths, compare principles, and show how applying bodybuilding concepts can enhance your athletes' performance. 1:12 Analogy: consulting with someone else before giving advice 4:24 Truths of bodybuilding 6:16 Truths of sports performance 7:41 Truths of both 16:49 Comparing and contrasting the principles and variables of both 20:11 Real-life examples: proximity to failure/RIR/VBT, pump/metabolites, mechanical tension, "arm farm epiphany," rep ranges 35:56 Action items and value it provides Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SxjMoLFCqCM A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT, Samson Equipment, Isophit

Adam Moreau is on a mission to protect UCL's in baseball players everywhere. Although the application is much wider than just reducing Tommy John surgeries, he and his team created a revolutionary product to do just that. The FlexPro Grip directly strengthens and trains the muscles and tendons from the fingertips through the elbow with real-time data feedback. Tune in to learn more about the journey of this mission and product turning into reality. 3:14 Background and thought process for the FlexPro Grip 9:56 Process of going from the idea to a real-life product 19:48 Most frustrating part of making a product 21:35 Fork in the road story: having a booth at the 2020 ABCA with no prototype and COVID being the saving grace 33:58 Coolest story: eating dinner with Trevor Hoffman, Moises Alou, and Ian Kinsler 41:00 How getting started with their first MLB team spurred from a coach from during his high school travel playing days 7 years prior 47:21 Full circle story: a pro organization asking to unsubscribe from the product/research updates, to coming back around and being a big contributor 2 years later Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yThhYeeaYrc Adam on social media: @FlexProGrip @armoreau (IG) @AdamMoreauPD (Twitter) Link to FlexPro Grip: https://www.flexprogrip.com/ A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT | Samson Equipment | Isophit

In this episode, I demystify the sprint force-velocity profile and connect it to its crucial role in speed training. I break down how to interpret the data to to directly enhance your speed training programming and performance. Drawing from real-life sprint testing with D1 college and high school football teams, as well as anecdotal evidence, I provide actionable insights you can apply tomorrow. 3:10: Understanding each metric: definitions, formulas, and how it's measured 10:40: Simplifying metrics: reducing from 10 to 5 with correlation matrices and rationale 31:53: Evaluating metrics: what's good and bad for college vs. high school levels 33:28: Navigating data: decision-making frameworks and prioritizing issues with conditional logic 42:19: Key action items for immediate application Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3i3Mr2o3nAg A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT Samson Equipment Isophit

Nieko Torres (Louisville Baseball S&C) shares his journey from turning down his first job offer after his GA to being a part of a historic NCAA baseball run at Tulane. He reflects on his evolving philosophy as a strength coach to the nuances of contributing to a program during rebuilding years. 4:51 Fork in the road: deciding to not take his first job offer out of his graduate assistantship despite it ending 13:34 Coolest story: his first year at Tulane making it to the NCAA tournament with the lowest regular season wins ever 22:05 Where does the strength coach fit into "rebuilding years"? 24:52 Full circle: being completely out on technology when he first started coaching to now being a foundational part of his program Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O1d3u-tb2j8 Nieko on Instagram: @neeeks21 A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT Samson Equpiment Isophit

Corey Petersen shares his top stories from almost 10 years in strength and conditioning. Highlights include the backstory to his unique approach to injury management, insights from working with elite athletes like Christian McCaffrey, and the story of a remarkable ACL rehab getting back on the field in just 5.5 months. 3:10 Fork in the road: from his mom helping him a weight set growing up to starting college as a business major, realizing this field was for him 13:39 Craziest story: playing "trash ball" with his Women's Soccer team, destroying his ankle, and living to tell the tale through not icing his rolled ankle at all 20:20 His experience being at Stanford the year after Christian McCaffery's Heisman and his advice for working with higher profile athletes 26:51 Full circle: rehabbing the senior captain's ACL and getting her back on the field in 5.5 months, then creating a video summary reel called "The Journey" Episode on YouTube: Corey's Instagram: @CoreyPetersen44 A thank you to this show's sponsors: https://fytt.io/ https://www.samsonequipment.com/ https://www.isophit.com/

Brad Thorpe, the inventor/CEO/Founder of Isophit, shares his incredible journey from facing daunting legal and medical bills to getting $100,000 from a Facebook post. Discover how he turned personal health challenges into a groundbreaking fitness innovation which even landed him a contract with the US Military. 6:31 Fork in the road: from a lawyer bill 2x the original quote to hospital bills from the NICU, getting $100k from a Facebook post 22:05 Where the Isophit idea came from: heart attacks and high blood pressure in the family, his own being 150/100 at 19 years old, to normalizing it in 2 weeks with isometrics 32:31 Craziest story: getting a contract with the US Military 40:18 Full circle story: a failed business partnership worth $3.5 million Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FShZY-Q_3Dg Brad on Instagram: @isophit_inventor @isophit Link to Isophit: https://www.isophit.com/ and Linkedin A thank you to this show's sponsors: FYTT Online Software Samson Equipment

Josh Seligman shares some of the coolest, craziest, and most fulfilling stories from his 12 years as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. 4:55 What it's like working with Cy Young's, MVP's, and Olympians 10:21 Fork in the road story: leaving a fitness manager job in Hawaii to pursue his dreams in pro baseball 14:39 Recounting all the stops along the way from independent ball to the Major Leagues 22:57 Craziest story: the 2018 season and being 1 game away from the World Series 31:22 Full circle story: working as a performance unit and routinely being top 5 in the MLB in player availability 37:37 Reflecting on his unique experience of being both CSCS and ATC 42:18 Misconceptions about being at the Major League level 45:07 Comparing/contrasting the beginning, middle, and end of his 12 years with the Brewers 52:21 Changing identity with a new job/field, comparing it to when his house burned down Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iO28oYOT7yI Josh on Linkedin: Josh's profile Thank you to the sponsors of this show: https://www.samsonequipment.com/ https://fytt.io/

Tom Barbeau, going on year 5 with the Carolina Panthers, takes us through the coolest stories from his career so far. -2:52 Fork in the road story: Quitting his last college basketball season to get into coaching, then switching to strength and conditioning -6:21 Explaining the Burdenko Method and his connection to it -13:08 Coolest/craziest story: experience of working with athletes like Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey -18:36 First return to play experience getting a hockey player back for a first round playoff game -20:05 Stumbling into Power 5 football at Baylor, going from 1-11 to 11-3 2 years later -27:04 What is about return to play that means a little bit more as a coach? -29:12 Return to play case: NFL athlete setting PR after PR from simply adding in 1 extra off-day -34:49 Full circle story: coaching along side his parents when they came down to consult for the Carolina Panthers Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bxu_48WSO20 Contact Tom on social media @BarbeauTraining A thank you from our sponsor, Samson Equipment: https://www.samsonequipment.com/

Force plates can be your competitive edge as a coach or a fancy decoration in the corner collecting dust, depending on your understanding of how to use of them. But whether you currently have them or are interested in getting some, let's discuss how to maximize the value of force plates. . Timestamps: -0:58 Who is this episode for? -2:15 What I want for you after this episode -3:38 Creating context from my experience with force plates -5:28 What are force plates? -7:35 Quantitative and qualitative data from force plates -9:57 Doing sport science with force plates -12:12 Have your athletes out-earned well-rounded training? -15:50 Understanding the data -18:14 My ideas and decision-making tree -22:56 What it's like actually using force plates -26:44 Closing thoughts and my thought processes -30:54 Action items for both those with and without force plates . Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dfQ5Clb7qQg Link to this episode's sponsor, Samson Equipment: https://www.samsonequipment.com/

Your network and networking isn't good enough to help you achieve what you want to achieve. "It's all about who you know" and "your network is your net worth" isn't cutting it anymore. Time to take action to take control of your networking! Top quotes: "If you do the right stuff for the right people over a long period of time, that's when the opportunities come your way." "Not that it's a direct correlation: drive 1.5 hour each way to shake someone's hand and they offer you can opportunity. But I know how to not get those opportunities, by not doing those things." "When you're trying to grow, you network upwards. When you're trying to get together, you network laterally. When you're trying to teach, you network downwards." Timestamps: -1:26 Stories and examples of when networking came back around to positively benefit me over the last 4+ years -6:54 Core principles, concepts, and networking definition: intentionally (organically) exchanging value with other professionals -12:49 Breaking down the different kinds of networking (upward, lateral, and downward) -16:07 What NOT to do in networking, avoid this at all costs -19:02 How to cold approach someone for networking using my XYZ formula -21:22 How to continue networking over time with those already in your network -24:41 Action items (3) for yourself moving forward to start taking control of your networking Link to YouTube: https://youtu.be/HiDKLiqW-x4 A link to this show's sponsor: https://www.samsonequipment.com/

I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours and connect in person with Dan, and I must say he's not only an amazing coach with 20+ years in the field but an even more selfless and thoughtful person. I'm extremely excited to share some of his stories from the journey along the way. 2:19 Biggest fork in the road: picking between moving from Assistant to Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Harvard and the Director of Olympic Sports Performance at Duke, and the details that went into making that decision 12:44 Story from 2 weeks into being hired at Harvard, his boss leaving and becoming the interim Director in charge of all teams, coordinating training the next day for 41 teams, and having to change the long-tradition Harvard football warm up on national TV 24:28 Using Marcus Stroman as an example, Dan explaining where he in his role falls into the development process with an already elite athletes 30:53 Coolest/craziest story: being asked to officiate a wedding of 2 of his former athletes 33:11 Full circle story: having "family lifts" in the morning at Duke with his daughter after all the childhood health complications she fought through and the positive impact she's had on him Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0A9JbvWMG98 Instagram: @theothercoachp Email: dan.perlmutter@duke.edu

"Although it doesn't make sense now, I know one day it will," and today is that day. In this episode, I reflect back on an internship I was supposed to do, that didn't end up working out, that still changed my life either way. Not to give too much away, but let's just say I was on the line for $12K on an Airbnb when I needed to decide... Now, 2 months out of when that internship would've ended, here's the episode: 1:46 Brief background of situation 5:22 The moment I realized I wasn't going to do it 8:47 The perspective gained from realizing "I should've been in ___ right now" 12:07 Follow up and action items for you moving forward Link to episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wNBDtpR6pew Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBigToe

Steve Breitenstein, a mentor/fantastic speed coach/friend, joins TSP for the third time to reflect on the journey leading to his next career. From 10+ years at TCBoost, to the last 6 years of becoming a better leader, he takes us through it all. Although I've heard all the stories and lessons live the first time when recording, and seeing him 6 days a week for the last 3 years, I had to take notes while editing (twice) because I found it that impactful yet again. Here are the highlights: 2:43 Where his journey of leadership development started, personally seeking out his own mentor 12:10 Connecting with Jeremy Boone and staying in touch after his 12-week 1-on-1 mentorship 16:32 Utilizing TCBoost as a platform to turn leadership development into a full-time role 20:37 Why the last 6 years of this potential new career were as long as they were 26:36 Reflecting back on potential moments of frustration on the 10+ years at TCBoost 34:07 First moment of realizing a full-time leadership development role was in the realistic and near future 45:55 Advice for getting clarity when figuring out what your "boxes" are when navigating career changes Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZqLEg16we_M Instagram/Twitter: @SteveBStein Email: steve@winningleader.com A thank you for this show's sponsor, Samson Equipment: https://www.samsonequipment.com/

In a fantastic roundtable-style discussion with Mike and Hunter, I ask them to reflect on their most recent jobs and what their journey taught them. In the high turnover field of strength and conditioning/sports performance, I ask and they answer some very real questions we all face. Mike and Hunter met coaching at UC Davis, Mike went private to TCBoost Sports Performance, Hunter went professional to the Sacramento Kings, and now they're back in college at Illinois State and Arizona State, respectively. An honest and candid conversation with some great coaches and better friends, I hope you enjoy. -5:59 Why did you want to switch from each of your previous jobs to the next one? -28:49 What was one thing when switching jobs that was a positive challenge (fulfilling) and one that was a negative challenge? -41:40 What was the biggest lesson learned from each of your previous spots? -57:39 Why did destiny kept you at each previous job as long as it did, despite maybe wanting to leave earlier? Previous episodes: Mike on #133 and #137 (guest-interviewed me), Hunter on #146 Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kV1JZ5_IVPA Instagram: @CoachMikeSully @HunterEis_sp @MTN_Perform Twitter: @CoachMikeSully1 @HunterEis_sc @MTN_Perform A thank you to our show's sponsor Samson: https://www.samsonequipment.com/

If I typed out all the lessons, that would defeat the purpose of the episode, right? Here's a top quote from each lesson. -2:02 #1 "It's valuable for yourself as a coach, but also on the flip side for the athlete, to describe 'hey, I love the big goals, let's break it down into a little bit smaller goals. I think it'd be super impressive, based on where you're currently starting at, let's shoot for this first." -5:44 #2 "At the end of the day, to be good at your sport, you have to be good at your sport. So how do we do things, work on things in training, for the sport that actually go towards the sport?" -9:01 #3 "Why are we here? Are we here to get really good at that one medball throw or hurdle jump variation? Or are we here to get better at the sport?" -15:40 Bonus "All of the athletes who are also good, do the same things. You can't do the minimums if you want maximum results" Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Sa2nR6ks9hw Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBigToe A link to our sponsor: ⁠https://www.samsonequipment.com/

Eric Udelson has been crushing it in the Philadelphia Union organization, working his way up to the 2nd team level. A good friend who always brings thoughtful discussions, he joins TSP to talk about the some of the biggest moments on from his journey so far. -2:43 What it's like working in an MLS organization -8:10 The value of experiments and getting "reps on reps" coaching through an academy -21:59 Fork in the road story: 1 year of PT school, taking the "leap of faith" to leave and start as a Graduate Assistant at University of Virginia S&C -36:47 Craziest story: winning the 17U national championship his first season with the Philadelphia Union... "You get exposed to those playoff-level emotions and I was just losing it on the sidelines. At the end I felt like I had played a 90 minute game" -42:49 Full circle story: his first time being 100% in charge and responsible of a high-profile academy player's hamstring rehab -Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_O8mLpEbePE -Instagram: @udels_ -Twitter: @Eric_Udelson -A link to our sponsor: https://www.samsonequipment.com/

Juwan, who I had the pleasure of training this past off-season, joins TSP to share the biggest stories, lessons, and experiences from his playing days, including his insights planning for his life after football. 1:56 All his stops along the way, playing basketball and football, his double offer to play at NIU, playing in the CFL, and winning multiple Grey Cups 4:53 The craziest story, actually the most pivotal one: his first fall camp at NIU, getting bullied off the line by a future 7-year NFL vet and how that informed his next 4 years 7:59 Stories from the first week/month in the CFL, how eye-opening it was, and surprising moments 15:06 Wrestling with accepting the fact that he never got an opportunity in the NFL 19:11 Stories from winning multiple Grey Cups 22:39 Full circle story: battling through the uncertainty of COVID and choosing to go back to school for his Masters in counseling 26:09 Life after football and all his plans Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G7phqim37O4 Instagram: @JBrescacinJones82 Twitter: @Saskatchjuwan

If I listed all the lessons here, that would defeat the purpose of the episode, right? Here's a top quote from each lesson and a link to the episode on YouTube: 1:15 Lesson 1. "If you're doing everything you can do to close that gap between what you're saying and what you're doing, then you're not an imposter." 7:26 Lesson 2. "The fact that I went through that process is a huge foundational moment for my sports science fascination. Looking back, it's crazy to think how different it would've been if I had left TCU." 13:05 Lesson 3. "I was told 'you must be a decent dude if you've gotten that many yeses and referrals, but I don't know you as a professional. I can only speak about you as a person.'" 18:00 Lesson 4. "I can only say this after 4 years of getting all those noes, that I understand why I got all of them." YouTube: https://youtu.be/3ftqhfaBnVE Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBigToe

Brian Anderson has done a lot of incredible things in the baseball world, both as a player and as a coach. He and I discuss his major stops along the way, including winning the World Series, and all the stories that came with it. Top quotes: "I don't really tell them what to do, like 'you should do this' or 'do that because I did it' or 'that's how they do it up here.' I really try to protect them from the things that don't work." "Trust the process, trust your preparation, put in the work now. But when we play, have a plan, but go play. Don't practice in the game...I struggled with that at the big league level." "I have yet to see a guy who's good at baseball that goes about his business the right way where the results aren't, if not great, really good." Timestamps: 3:32 Brian's playing career from the University of Arizona, to being drafted 15th overall in 2003, to making it to the big leagues 7:29 Journey from being completely out of baseball to coaching at Northwestern 8:59 Sharing his biggest coaching philosophies and where those came from during his playing days 13:11 Comparing and contrasting the different rounds of the playoffs 16:44 World series stories from winning it all with the White Sox in 2005 21:28 Brian's advice on what the best do the best: slow the game down Twitter: @WWBAD32

Joey Cunha shares his biggest stories, lessons, and experiences along the way from not getting recruited out of high school to building the successful business he runs now with all the biggest stops along the way. Key quotes: "During that 2 year span I watched no baseball. I was completely out, I wanted nothing to do with it, I felt resentful. I was training, kept getting hurt, the NCAA got us. Those 2 years I needed a break." "We drove 26 hours straight, across the country, in 2 blizzards, and we got there on time. No sleep, I went immediately into a presentation." Show notes: 2:24 Joey's playing background, education, and mentors. Including stories of going from JUCO to D1 and his first hitting coach job 13:38 Getting back into baseball: the leap of faith he took becoming high school coach which eventually led to consulting for the Chicago Cubs 19:24 Joey's craziest story: driving to the ABCA through a snow storm when all the flights got cancelled, 26 hours straight 24:11 The origin story of The Farm System and how it came to be 33:05 Story of how the Farm Boards got created 37:34 Joey's first big athlete: working with Paul Skenes since high school 41:31 (my own question) Joey's opinion on The Farm System philosophy and training for pitchers Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pGdh9OfT8oM Instagram/Twitter: @_joeycunha @TheFarmSystem Website: https://thesystem.farm/

Brendon Ziegler, one of the top performance coaches in college men's basketball, joins TSP to share his stories, lessons, and experiences from almost 20 years in the field. 1:32 Brief overview of Brendon's first internship and coaching experience with Al Vermeil and the Chicago Bulls 4:01 Fork in the road story: internship with Al Vermeil, learning the importance of philosophy, setting him up for literally the rest of his career 10:01 Understanding and defining a philosophy and how it turns into real life 13:02 Craziest story: two of his ex-athletes from different schools meeting, talking about him on their first date, then getting married 15:54 Craziest athletic story: an athlete at Cal State Bakersfield doing a backflip after a set of hurdle jumps 18:21 Full circle story: 5 years of grinding at Cal State Bakersfield coming together to win a volleyball, basketball, and softball conference championship in the same year 23:25 The story of having cancer while and not missing a day of work while in chemotherapy Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eG71qgPZf9s Email: brendon.ziegler@northwestern.edu

Brett Platts takes us through his crazy introduction to professional baseball and all the top moments along the way. Having spent time at the University of Iowa, the Chicago Cubs, and the Texas Rangers, he's been around some of the best of the best. -1:50 Writing emails to all 30 MLB directors and hearing back from the Chicago Cubs -9:29 Craziest story: meeting Marcus Stroman and spending time in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic -14:40 Deciding to leave the Chicago Cubs and the Dominican Republic to switch organizations and go to the Texas Rangers to become a Strength and Conditioning Coach for an affiliate team -18:38 Manifesting becoming a Major League Strength and Conditioning Coach and his game plan to get there -21:52 Talking through work-life balance as a professional baseball strength and conditioning coach Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kvAdnE4LZUI Instagram/Twitter: @BrettPlatts

Brandon Golden is back for a 2.0 episode! A lot has happened between episode #97 and now... Brandon sits down with me to reflect back on his career so far and all the insights he has gained. 1:08 What he learned in the beginning, middle, and end of his 4 years with East Carolina Baseball 13:07 Finding ways to continually grow and progress within having the same job 17:01 Describing his current day and week with Five Tool Connection and training out of his house 19:49 Reflecting back on what he would've done differently/added in to lead him to a role like he has now 24:53 Comparing and contrasting being in the pros vs private 28:05 How to add value when consulting with top college baseball teams in the country Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Yc0XERmAct8 Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBGolden

Sharing some real (and embarrassing) stories from my first 3 years of coaching. Each mistake comes with a summary of the mistake, 1 or 2 anecdotes, and the lesson learned. 0:27 Applying the Dunning-Kruger Effect (Peak of Mount Stupid, Valley of Despair, the Slope of Enlightenment) 1:46 Mistake #1: thinking I had enough stories 2:26 Story about when I blew it with a famous speed coach on the phone 9:06 Mistake #2: thinking what I put on paper is really what caused improvement 13:38 Mistake #3: thinking my athlete's expectations will always align with mine 16:40 Summary and action items Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UqLS27QnuiM Instagram/Twitter @CoachBigToe

The 1080 Sprint is an awesome piece of technology and definitely a competitive edge of mine as a speed coach. Over the last 3 years, I've tracked a bunch of sprints and dove done a lot of different rabbit holes. In this episode I'm going to share all my experiments, successes, failures, and everything I've learned to help you understand (almost) everything the 1080 Sprint can do. This is a very visual episode with a bunch of video examples, please consider watching this episode on YouTube linked below on my channel. 0:09 Intro 0:53 Understanding the biggest concept of using the 1080 Sprint 1:50 Resisted sprints: load-velocity profiling, force-velocity profiling, and training 8:57 Resist drills: sprint drills, vertical jumps, broad jumps, single leg broad jumps 11:56 Assisted sprints/drills: the quality and using it as a teaching tool 14:22 Deceleration: tissue prep, tracking data, and my experiments 17:03 Lateral movement: lateral bounds, shuffling, and tracking data 18:02 My experiments 20:36 Addressing concerns: big groups and portability 22:59 Action items moving forwards Link to episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UoVij4oipnU Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBigToe

Jay Ehrenstein is an international translator (for publications like MASS and Renaissance Periodization) and educator/coach at APEKS Performance Institute working with the Mexican national men's soccer team and world champion fighters. 2:55 What Jay's parents were like growing up 7:40 Biggest moment of his life leading him to now: being incarcerated in federal prison, the lessons it taught him, and how it influences himself as a professional now 22:55 Summary of everything Jay's got going on Instagram: @CoachEhrenstein

As a speed coach, business owner, and family man, Kyle Davey is always looking to level up his knowledge and consequent results when training athletes. As my friend for over a year, it's been crazy to watch all the things he's able to constantly learn. I had him on this episode to share all about how he does it all. 3:20 Introduction, how he does what he does, and his genuine fascination of the human body and training 7:45 Real life example: diving down the rabbit hole of neck training 15:05 Kyle's process of organizing research 20:23 Evolving rabbit holes throughout his career and the value of chasing what's important to you at that point in time 27:23 Sharing the process of once you have a topic, where do you go next? Instagram @KyleDavey1 / Twitter @KD_KyleDavey Link to our first podcast Ep 101: HERE Link to Salem Speed Academy: HERE Link to Neck Training Webinar: HERE

Connor Schoepp has done a lot of things and been a lot of places in the coaching world, and he's here on TSP to share some of his top stories with us! 3:18 Brief summary of Connor's parents and how impactful it was having the example of his mom being a teacher 6:02 Formative childhood experience: not being inclined to anything sport or training related, then ending up not only playing college football but also coaching in strength and conditioning 8:16 "Fork in the road" story: getting let go during COVID, battling health issues, and getting a call from Buddy Morris for a job with the Arizona Cardinals 17:12 Craziest story: while at Miami, halfway through an undefeated season, playing Notre Dame at home and having Ed Reed put his arm around him while celebrating on the sideline 21:39 Full circle story: Vern Gambetta messaging him about wanting to talk shop about something he posted, after Vern's book was the first book he read in college when he wanted to get into the field 25:55 Quick action-oriented advice for the listener: gratitude and writing something down every time he get into the office Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OLcApGTPQbw Instagram / Twitter: @ConnorSchoeppSC

4:03 Brief summary of the stops along the way in his journey 6:10 "Fork in the road" story: getting his Graduate Diploma of Education in Physical Education and the foundations he learned about teaching and working with athletes 14:53 Coolest/craziest story: officially moving to the United States with his family for this job then COVID happening a week later 20:35 Advice to any professional looking into getting a job in a different state 23:28 Something that met and didn't meet Mathew's expectations about moving to the United States 26:13 "Full circle"/most proud story: the opportunity to start a family and keep it going in the United States while working for such a global and impactful company 28:10 One thing he misses and doesn't miss about Australia 29:57 Any actional advice for a practitioner in the field: "be open" to learning because you never know where it could take you (maybe even across the world) Instagram: @Mathew_Pell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-pell-6bb54b26/ My Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBigToe

Getting faster is simple in theory: get from A to B in less time. Speed training is simple in theory: we know what "good mechanics" are, we know how top speed and acceleration are different, we know drills that are effective. But what about the missing link? What makes some athletes faster than others? How do you continue getting faster after years of speed training? Listen to find out. 0:00 Story time: the "peanut gallery" during NFL Combine training 2:06 Defining what we really mean by "speed training" 3:08 Speed training triangle: force, mechanics, rhythm/timing 6:35 The ability to quantify each one of these things and how it influences its perceived importance 9:12 Sprinting fast triangle: speed, effort, feel 13:18 Putting it all together triangle: coach's eye, athlete's feel, sprint times 15:06 Action items, things to do, and experiments to mess with to help these concepts click Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8fhpDxyeElY Instagram / Twitter: @CoachBigToe

Kyle Sammons, formerly Director of Sports Science for University of Washington Football, takes us through some of the most foundational stories of his journey leading us to now: 4:05 The impact his parents had, always being a good example, and having the real conversation of almost having to move due to the financial state of California at the time 7:50 Biggest moment growing up: not getting recruited despite having the stats, then finally getting the offer after playing at Junior College 11:31 Fork in the road story: graduating and working with a finance degree, then doing an unpaid internship 18:40 Craziest story: rehabbing Achilles ruptures for 2 athletes at the same time, after tearing both of his quadriceps tendons 23:46 Full circle story: working with his return to play athletes, the combination of their growth and his personal growth throughout the process Instagram: @Kyle_Sammons_ Twitter: @CoachKSammons

3:18 Reflecting on the impact of his parents: growing up playing AAU basketball in Alaska, learning about being hard-working, productive, and efficient 7:42 Big moments from childhood: the great people in his corner, highlighting his high school basketball coach 11:05 Biggest "fork in the road": college professor while studying physical therapy guiding him to strength and conditioning 17:41 First exposure of S&C: getting drawn into college football and interning at Washington 20:07 Craziest story: experiencing NBA Summer League in Las Vegas as a coach from growing up watching those games as a kid 26:10 Something that has met and not met his expectations about coaching in the NBA 35:57 Full circle story: getting his current job, the moment of relief after the mental torture he put himself through Instagram/Twitter: @HunterEis_SC

You owe it to yourself as a professional to become the best consumer of social media as possible. This isn't for casual scrolling, this is for the people you intentionally follow and the content you intentionally seek out to help yourself become the best version of you as a professional you can be. Listen to this full episode to learn the perspective and context it takes to maximize your social media consumption. 0:32 Why becoming a better consumer of social media matters 1:14 The weird times we live in, inspired by Bret Contreras on a different podcast: the ones who are actually experts/good at what they do are rarely the ones who look the best on social media 2:16 Creating context. What's your context and what's their context? 4:12 First big red flag...WHO DO YOU TRAIN??? 6:25 Next red flags: have you heard their voice, TOO many followers..., bold claims/clickbait, too narrow of content/lack of big picture 10:23 Green flag: what would you expect good social media of someone in your similar situation/situation you aspire to be look like? 11:18 Green flags: training similar population, give good logic and reason (even if don't have a similar population), not too buzz-wordy/easy to consume 15:21 Take home points: What's your truth vs their truth, tying everything back to the big picture, it's OK to be critical, how to implement things you consume Link to episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9kGw9gWj52g Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBigToe

Tessa Grossman has done a bunch of stuff and been a lot of places so far accumulating a bunch of super cool and unique stories. Such stops have included playing softball at Dartmouth, coaching with the LA Rams, Cal Berkely, Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals as a Bill Walsh Fellow, Illinois State, and now Middle Tennessee State University. Here's what we talked about: 1:36 Impact of Tessa's parents and stories foundational to her main beliefs now 7:19 Biggest "fork in the road" moment that has led Tessa to now: choosing to not play softball her senior of high school and stumbling upon S&C as a career, and choosing Dartmouth despite not offering an Exercise Science degree 13:51 Earning the Bill Walsh fellowship and her experiences in the NFL 22:18 Craziest story: sharing a private jet with LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay 26:51 Biggest full circle moment: taking the job at Middle Tennessee and voluntarily leaving football, trusting the process, and getting back into football 1 year later Instagram: @coachtessagrossman / Twitter: @tessakateee

Interviews can be intimidating, especially if you've never done it before. But what if you knew exactly how it was going to go down? I believe all interviews are more similar than dissimilar, but something as specific as an on-campus interview is a unique challenge in and of itself. Level up your skills and yourself as a professional by learning from my stories and experiences to help you crush your next interview. 1:55 The value of the itinerary and itinerary examples from real on-campus interviews 5:07 Game planning beforehand: you better lock in your answers to these 3 questions 8:33 How to prepare for each interaction, what does each person really want, and what experience do you want to create 11:33 The chalk talk, how technical the conversations actually get 12:44 Plot twist: what percentage of the day do you think is small talk? 15:27 An hour meeting with the director at the end, sharing my 3 vastly different experiences 18:53 Biggest takeaways and action steps for you moving forwards Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Llhvx5tDtzQ Instagram/Twitter: @CoachBigToe