Mike Sullivan, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Diego Gulls (AHL), makes his 4th appearance on the podcast. As my former coworker and roommate, we've spent years asking each other these kind of deep questions that lead to awesome conversations.
This time, we did it live and recorded, not knowing what each other was going to ask.
4:11 Matt to Mike: What 20% of stuff has made 80% of the impact in his career?
10:42 Mike to Matt: What are the common qualities of the most dynamic coaches that I've interacted with?
15:57 Matt to Mike: Where has creating content and the Move the Needle brand helped benefit himself both personally and professionally?
26:56 Mike to Matt: What have been the most significant fork in the road moments so far?
32:19 Matt to Mike: Any advice for making the coaching career sustainable, amidst the highs/lows/relocations/etc?
39:16 Mike to Matt: What's the future of performance and my role within it?
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UgYLPhKifIk
Move the Needle: https://www.mtnperform.com/
Mike on social media: IG CoachMikeSully, X CoachMikeSully1
And a thank you to this show's sponsors: Samson Equipment | 1080 Motion
Matt Price, Director of Strength and Performance Science for the LA Kings, shares some of the coolest moments from his 20+ years in the field. From sitting next to President Obama, to manifest working for Team Canada, to the lessons from weather delays on the side of a mountain, you won't want to miss this.
9:23 As one of the original users of the 1080 Sprint 1 on ice, the story of when the line blew up and became a "bird's nest" mid-testing session
16:16 Coolest/craziest story from his career thus far
21:19 How the Stanley Cup mindset works as a Performance Staff member
27:28 The biggest lessons from his 20 years of coaching, broken into chunks
36:29 As a former pro hockey player, what is was like finally making it to the NHL
41:07 The key to a perfect off-day in any city
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mj7Ucj8Vrgc
Instagram and X: @MattPrice_hp
Vector Hockey: https://www.vectorhockey.com/
A thank you to this show's sponsors: Samson Equipment | 1080 Motion
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 college
14:15 First launch of the 1080 Quantum, 100 invited and only 5 showed up
17:14 Origin story of the 1080 Syncro, attempting to replicate the 1,100lb "Brake Man" machine
23:20 2 lawsuits involving fraud and the government, almost causing the end (bankruptcy) of 1080 Motion
27:09 Origin story of the 1080 Sprint 1, Manni/Anna-Carin/Ola/Peter join the team
33:33 The secret development of the 1080 Sprint 2
39:59 Launching the 1080 Sprint 2 in 2023
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eserb1XQMXE
A 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 to
5:08 Lesson 2: It requires reasoning, not logic
9:35 Lesson 3: Make what you'll actually make
12:57 Closing thoughts
YouTube: https://youtu.be/rmYa1DnlJBk
A 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/TTbozNVHVTg
A 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 US
12:20 What the listener can learn from Ola's experience using the 1080 Syncro for over a decade
24:59 Comparing and contrasting working with athletes in Norway vs the US
30:35 Ola's origin story with 1080 Motion
Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/srpZ00--YrQ
Ola's links: IG @OlaEriksrud @Athletci 1080 | Athletic1080.com | LinkedIn
A thank you to this show's sponsors:
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:
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:
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:
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:
My conversation with Denton is the perfect example of how everything in performance 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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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: