IGCT Episode #15: Reactive Agility and Staff Education with Athletes Performance Nick Winkelman

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Admin

Winkelman_NickNick Winkelman joined Athletes’ Performance in spring 2007.  While studying Exercise Sports Science at Oregon State University (OSU), Nick had the opportunity to assist and implement the strength and conditioning program for the 2006 College World Series Champions. Prior to working with the OSU baseball team, Nick was the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie League team in Bradenton, Florida.

Throughout his college career, he taught the OSU personal trainer certification course, the SRPT (Safe Return Personal Trainer) course for the post-injury and post-rehabilitation population, and was the Lead Performance Trainer for the personal training department. Nick commenced his senior year with the completion of his self-initiated thesis on the bilateral deficit and the effects on strength training, which he later presented at the 2006 NSCA National Conference. Nick is in the process of pursuing a Masters in Strength and Conditioning.

In this episode we discuss:

  • His journey as a strength and conditioning coach.
  • The mission and roles of Athletes Performance.
  • The commitment to education by Athletes Performance.
  • Reactive Agility – Why and How!
  • His Mentors, Favorite Quote, Book/App/Website Recommendations.

Links We Mentioned:

  • Will’s Twitter, Facebook, Linked In
  • Athletes Performance Education:  http://education.athletesperformance.com/
  • Favorite Quote:
    • “You haven’t taught, till they have learned.” John Wooden
    • “We will do what others won’t today, so that we can do what others can’t tomorrow.” Unknown
  • Book Recommendation:
    • Attention to Motor Skill Learning – Gabriele Wulf
  • Website Recommendation:  Google Scholar, Pub Med, Prezi
  • App Recommendation:  Kinesiocapture

THIS EPISODE OF IRON GAME CHALK TALK IS EXCLUSIVELY SPONSORED BY PLAE SPORTS FLOORING:

PLAE POSTPLAE Performance Sports Flooring has more than 40 years of experience.  Their team leverages this knowledge and insight to develop innovative, premium products that exceed expectations.  Specializing in all levels of athletics the identify and understand specific needs and design solution to meet them.  Click here to see a gallery of colleges that have installed PLAE. Please Leave a Comment

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IGCT Episode #14: Creating Your Own Head Strength Coach Position with Will Hitzelberger

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Admin

Will HitzelbergerWill Hitzelberger founded Spectrum Sports Performance in 2005, Hitzelberger began his coaching career in Tampa, FL with Jodie Johnson after finishing his collegiate soccer career at the University of Tampa, where he won the Division II National Championship in 2001 and graduated with a degree in Exercise Science and Sport Studies. Hitzelberger left Tampa, FL to take a position with the New York Mets, where he would spend the season with their Minor League affiliate, Brooklyn Cyclones.

As President of SSP, Hitzelberger oversees all business development which includes contracts with Rollins College, Trinity Preparatory School, Central Florida Kraze (PDL) and Central Florida Krush (W-League).

Hitzelberger is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and a USA Track and Field Level 1 Coach

In this episode we discuss:

  • His journey as a strength and conditioning coach.
  • How he started his business.
  • How he negotiated contracts with University and Professional organizations as their strength coach.
  • His Mentors, Favorite Quote, Book/App/Website Recommendations.

Links We Mentioned:

  • Will’s Twitter, Facebook, Linked In
  • Favorite Quote:
    • “Don’t think expensive equipment will make up for the lack of practice or work ethic.”
  • Book Recommendation:
    • Movement
    • Mind Gym
  • Website Recommendation:  MobilityWod
  • App Recommendation:  Big Lifts, Nike Fuel

THIS EPISODE OF IRON GAME CHALK TALK IS EXCLUSIVELY SPONSORED BY PLAE SPORTS FLOORING:

PLAE POSTPLAE Performance Sports Flooring has more than 40 years of experience.  Their team leverages this knowledge and insight to develop innovative, premium products that exceed expectations.  Specializing in all levels of athletics the identify and understand specific needs and design solution to meet them.  Click here to see a gallery of colleges that have installed PLAE. Please Leave a Comment

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5 Levels of Leadership

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Admin

As a Head Strength and Conditioning coach, Owner, etc.  you have the privilege to lead a department.  However, once you reach that point you often realize how much you don’t know about leading.  We spend years studying the physiology and mechanics of the human body, but rarely get trained on how to lead people.  That is why I try to read at least one Leadership book a month.  In “The 5 Levels of Leadership” by John Maxwell.  He defines the five levels as:

  1. Position – Rights, people follow you because they have to.
  2. Permission – Relationships, People follow you because they want to.
  3. Production – Results, people follow because of what you have done for the organization.
  4. People Development – Reproduction, People follow because of what you have done for them.
  5. Pinnacle – Respect, People follow because of who you are and what you represent.

Maxwell provides a series of questions to ask to help you determine which level you are on, in addition to breaking down each level and providing ways to move up to the next.  Taking the time to evaluate what level you are on with your staff, along with where you are with your athletes can be a humbling experience.  However, it is necessary for you to reach the 5th Pinnacle Level.  We should all strive for that.

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IGCT Episode #13: Branding Your Program with The Citadel’s Donnell Boucher

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Admin

Donnell BoucherDonnell Boucher is the Assistant Athletic Director for Strength & Conditioning at The Citadel.  Prior to coming to The Citadel, Boucher was the performance director at Competitive Athlete Training Zone in Auburn, Mass., where he trained athletes of all levels in performance enhancement. Before that assisted w/ performance training at his alma mater, Worcester State College.  His strength and conditioning certifications include the CSCS from the NSCA, and the SCCC credential from the CSCCa, for which he is also an approved professional mentor.  Boucher earned a bachelor’s degree in health education from Worcester State where he was a four-year football letterman. Boucher completed his master’s degree in Health, Exercise & Sport Science at The Citadel in 2010.

In this episode we discuss:

  • His journey as a strength and conditioning coach.
  • How he has navigated this profession quickly.
  • Designing programs for a unique population.
  • Why he places so much emphasis on staff development.
  • How he and his staff come up with creative protocols and workouts for their athletes.
  • Organizational branding and how he uses Social Media to better their program.
  • His Mentors, Favorite Quote, Book/App/Website Recommendations.

Links We Mentioned:

  • Donnell’s Twitter, Facebook, Youtube
  • Favorite Quote:
    • “It’s not what I know as a coach, it is what I can impart on you as a coach.” Bill Parcels
    • “If you do a good job you are going to be rewarded with more work.” Bill Belichick
  • Book Recommendation:
  • Website Recommendation:  Mashable, Lifehacker
  • App Recommendation:  Prezi

THIS EPISODE OF IRON GAME CHALK TALK IS EXCLUSIVELY SPONSORED BY PLAE SPORTS FLOORING:

PLAE POSTPLAE Performance Sports Flooring has more than 40 years of experience.  Their team leverages this knowledge and insight to develop innovative, premium products that exceed expectations.  Specializing in all levels of athletics the identify and understand specific needs and design solution to meet them.  Click here to see a gallery of colleges that have installed PLAE. Please Leave a Comment

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IGCT Episode #12: Talking Pre/Post Game Nutrition with the New Orleans Saints RD Tavis Piattoly

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Admin

Tavis PiattolyTavis Piattoly, MS, RD, LDN is the Sports Dietitian for the New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Hornets, and St. Amant High School where he coordinates nutritional assessments, provides nutrition education, and develops individual meal plans. He has an extensive Sports Nutrition background working with high school athletes from all sports. He has also worked with High School Coaches, Athletic Trainers, and Strength and Conditioning Specialists with a direct focus of changing the nutrition habits of athletes in order to improve athletic performance.

He obtained a Masters of Science Degree in Kinesiology and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Louisiana State University. He is a registered Dietitian and Licensed Nutritionist by the State of Louisiana.

In this episode we discuss:

  • His path to becoming a Sports Nutritionist
  • His recommendations for Pre/Post Game Meals.
  • What we should be giving our athletes during Halftime.
  • His recommendations for Pre/Post workout snacks.
  • MySportsD.com

Links We Mentioned:

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It Takes a Villiage

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Admin

Orang Asli village

To make it in the strength and conditioning profession you must have help. A degree and certification alone will not get you to where you want to go. You must couple it with experience and networking. By working your way through the profession you begin to build a tribe of people that can assist you with climbing the ladder.  Here are five things you should look for in a great tribe member:

1.  Desire to help others unconditionally – The world is filled with too many people that want to give but expect something in return.  These people should be easy to identify.  Look for those people that just love to help.  These people are golden.

2.  Positive attitude – The strength world will beat you down from time to time.  You need to have someone in your corner that will pick you up when you are down.  Think Mick in “Rocky” someone that won’t always tell you what you want to hear, but you know deep down believes in you.

3.  Well connected – Typically a person that helps people unconditionally and has a positive attitude will also be well connected.  However, look for coaches that are constantly reaching out to other coaches.  Most jobs are filled before they are posted.  Coaches that are contiually talking with other coaches will hear about these positions first.

4.  Strong integrity –  You want to associate with people that do what they say, and say what they mean.  When you are asking a coach to make a reference call for you want to know that:

  • They are going to do it.
  • What they are going to say?

5.  They posses strengths that are your weaknesses – You want to surround yourself with people that are smarter than you.  If you are always the big fish you will stifle your learning experience.  I truly enjoy being the dumbest person in the room.  However, you must posses strengths that others find appealing or you won’t be invited to the group.  Make sure you are able to identify your strengths so that you may sell them to others.

Remember that you control who is in your tribe.  There may be times that you have to move a member of your tribe to just a colleague because they don’t posses all of the above traits.  Don’t settle for subpar tribe members.  Make sure you cherish the ones that do posses each of those qualities.  Use the comment section below to contribute other qualities to look for.

Photo used under Creative Commons from Honza Soukup

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IGCT Episode #11: On the Farm with Stanford’s Brandon Marcello

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Admin

12-mug-marcelloDr. Brandon Marcello was named the Director of Sports Performance at Stanford University in December of 2007. His role is to oversee all aspects of athletic performance enhancement for the 35 intercollegiate sports. Marcello brings over 14 years of experience in the area of athletic performance enhancement to the Farm. Marcello most recently served as the Director of Performance for USA Softball (2008 Silver Medal). Prior to his arrival at Stanford, Marcello served as the Speed and Conditioning Coach for the Baylor University Women’s Softball Team.   In 1999 Marcello was approached by Mark Verstegen to join him in Tempe, AZ to help create Athletes’ Performance (AP), a world class training facility for professional and elite athlete. Prior to his work at the Arizona facility, Marcello was a Performance Specialist at the International Performance Institute (IPI) of the IMG Academies in Bradenton, FL. A recognized author, Brandon’s work appears regularly in various journals, textbooks and periodicals. Brandon holds a PhD in Sports Nutrition from Baylor University. Marcello is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and holds two certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) and Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES). Marcello is also certified through U.S.A. Weightlifting.

In this episode we discuss:

  • His journey as a strength and conditioning coach.
  • The Stanford Staff Model
  • What he does for staff development, and ways for you to find money at your University.
  • How he integrates leadership into his training.
  • How he maintains a great relationship with his athletes long after they leave the “Farm”.
  • His Mentors, Favorite Quote, Book/App/Website Recommendations.

Links We Mentioned:

THIS EPISODE OF IRON GAME CHALK TALK IS EXCLUSIVELY SPONSORED BY PLAE SPORTS FLOORING:

PLAE POSTPLAE Performance Sports Flooring has more than 40 years of experience.  Their team leverages this knowledge and insight to develop innovative, premium products that exceed expectations.  Specializing in all levels of athletics the identify and understand specific needs and design solution to meet them.  Click here to see a gallery of colleges that have installed PLAE. Please Leave a Comment

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What the Mafia Can Teach Strength Coaches

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Admin

mafia

One of the things I love most about speaking is sitting around and talking shop with other presenters.  I spoke recently at Deer Park High School in Houston Texas.  The night before Brandon Marcello (Director of Strength and Conditioning at Stanford) and I talked shop for a good two hours in the hotel lobby.

One thing that came out of that conversation was a book recommendation titled “Mob Rules-What the Mafia Can Teach The Legitimate Businessman” by Louis Ferrante.  This book has instantly gone into my staff required reading list.  Mr. Ferrante ( I am going to make sure I use “Mr.” because I know he is connected) outlines 88 lessons relating the mafia to business.  There are some awesome titles “Leave the Gun, Take the Cannolis”, “Hide Your Money Under the Mattress”, and more.  There are several that relate to strength and conditioning, but I want to touch on three that I thought need to be reinforced:

1.  How to Hit Your Target Without a Gun – Motivating Your People:  As a strength and conditioning coach you are put in a position of authority whether you know how to handle it or not.  You must motivate your athletes, staff, coaches, administration, etc.  They will look to your for confidence and vision.  Mr. Ferrante discusses how when the US Attorney’s office prosecutes a racketeering case one mobster is typically labeled the “Mastermind”, the leader of the crew.  The one who comes up with the idea, sells it to the crew, and then motivates them to do it.  Just like in the mob, in strength and conditioning there are a lot of days that those in your “crew” don’t see past their upcoming plans for the weekend let alone the vision of your offseason.  It is your responsibility to provide them direction and shape them like clay.  It is very easy to get caught up in your goal (target) but if you cannot effectively motivate those in your crew you will be doing it alone.  However, as Ferrante puts it if “you can galvanize a dozen or so people and magnify your own one cylinder ambition into a twelve-cylinder locomotive, you can plow through any mountain”.


2.  The Toughest Guys Have the Thinnest Skin-Never Embarrass Someone in Public:  ”Mobsters have emotions like everyone else; in fact some are downright touchy”, sounds familiar doesn’t it.  Ferannte talks about coming up in the mob and the benefit of having old-timers that would take him aside and provide council with tact.  Coach Dooley would always say in staff meetings that “coaches were once players too”.  As coaches have walked down the road these athletes are traveling, and there is no better person that can give them advice.  However in the heat of the moment that advice can be dismissed because they are unable to see past their emotions.  Ferannte states “Employees (Athletes) aren’t volatile hit men, but they can still blow their stacks, suffer embarrassment, or harbor an eternal grudge.  If someone screws up, correct them in private”.

3.  Go to Bat for Your Guys – Loyalty to Your Team: In the book, this one takes a turn more toward the inner politics of the mafia, however the message is one that we need to make sure we are doing.  If you have heard me speak you have always heard me acknowledge our players at the end for what they do for me, my family, and our institution.  These guys/gals are under more outside pressures than at any other time in our history.  There is more scrutiny and more demand placed on them.  By no means am I making excuses for these athletes, you must still hold them accountable and provide them with a “Job Must Get Done” attitude.  However, we have an obligation as one of those authorities in their life to help protect and defend them when needed.  It is not uncommon for the Trainer, Sport SID, Academics, etc to all be fighting for that hour in their schedule they were suppose to be eating lunch.  Likewise it is not uncommon for them to mess up in a social situation.  To many times when things like this happen we turn our backs and the athletes and blame them.  Ultimately it is their obligation to manage their schedule or handle themselves appropriately in social situations, but when they don’t we need to be there provide that guidance like those “old-timers” and find ways to motivate them to handle it differently the next time.

Please Leave a Comment

Posted in Book Review, S&C Profession | 1 Comment

IGCT Episode #10: Talking “The Flexible Periodization Method” with author Karsten Jensen

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Admin

Screen Shot 2013-02-14 at 3.41.32 PMKarsten Jensen is a Ontario, Canada based Strength and Conditioning coach.  Karsten started as a strength and conditioning coach with the Danish National Elite Sports Institute from 2000-2007.  He has coached Olympic and Professional athletes from numerous sports.  He is the author of “The Flexible Periodization Method”, and rountinely speaks at industry events regarding its application.

In this episode we discuss:

  • How growing up in Denmark he became a Strength and Conditioning Coach.
  • The different types of periodization and what “The Flexible Periodization Method” is.
  • Principles the program is built on, his “Firsts”.
  • The 7 different training blocks.
  • His 9 steps to creating a training program.
  • How the method could be applied to Football.

Links We Mentioned:fpm_book_cov_web1

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When I’m An Head Strength Coach File

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Admin

I'm Organized

Recently I read an article that appeared in “This Is AFCA” (May/June 2012) discussing a file that Glen Caruso, Head Football Coach University of St. Thomas, would keep before he was a Head Football Coach. He would keep ideas in a electronic file on his desk top with all the things he learned to help prepare him for his opportunity.

Albeit not as technologically efficient, when I started in this profession I would keep binders on every topic related to strength and conditioning. I had a binder for strength and power, one for conditioning, one for nutrition, and many more.  I would then gather as much information as I could on those areas. I would dissect manuals and place each section in the appropriate binder. Once I felt like I had enough information I would then write a research report on that topic. This allowed me to present the data and then make my own recommendation based on the lessons learned by others with years of practical experience. From that moment on, whenever I read something about that topic I would compare it to what I had written.  This allowed me to decipher what was new or pertinent to my beliefs. With so much information readily available it is imperative to determine your subject matter expertise in each area.

Don’t stop with topics either. Include management and administrative policies and procedures. When I worked for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an intern I wrote down literally every tool that was in the tool box. I figured one day I was going to be a Head Strength Coach and I would need a tool box. When you finally get your opportunity you have no time. The more time you can save by preparing ahead of time the more success you will have. Remember just because you are a Head S&C doesn’t mean you are going to stay there. I tell my staff that the sooner you start preparing and acting like a Head S&C the sooner you will get that opportunity.

Photo used under Creative Commons from Stopnlock

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