David Tenney | Learn the High-Performance Playbook

Regarded as a sport science advocate in Major League Soccer (MLS), follow David Tenney’s journey from sport coach to High Performance Director at Austin Football Club (FC). Tenney and NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager Eric McMahon begin by discussing increases in MLS staff and embracing the overlap between coaching and performance science staff. Tenney reflects on how experienced coaches often evolve toward mentorship, finding balance between “leader” and “practitioner.” The pair examine the new MLS-mandated performance scientist position, which requires the Certified Performance and Sport Scientist® (CPSS®) credential. Created to standardize the role and responsibilities, MLS performance scientists leverage data from GPS and force plates into effective and ethical takeaways. As President of the emerging Professional Soccer Performance Association (PSPA), Tenney shares his goals to create a network, gain representation, and increase credibility. Tenney and McMahon also explore the robust MLS developmental pipeline, interviewing strategy, and early career advice.

Connect with David on Twitter/X: @davetenney or LinkedIn: @david-tenney | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

For a deeper look into sport science, explore career trends and how to leverage the CPSS certification into new career opportunities. Discover your next job or internship on the NSCA Job Board.

This episode discusses David Tenney’s PhD dissertation, An Exploration of the Leadership Competencies Required for High-Performance Directors in North American Professional Sports Organizations, which includes interviews with NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS leaders.

Show Notes

“It's not enough just to be a really good practitioner. You have to know how to manage, lead, and collaborate with different groups and different departments and practitioners from other areas.” 8:35

“Learning to be a good mentor. I think that most people think of themselves, if you go in a room and ask most coaches, ‘Hey, do you think you're a mentor?’ Everyone would say, ‘Oh yeah, I'm a good mentor.’ But very few of us have ever been taught [those] kind of mentorship skills and what that means, and how do you mentor young practitioners. And are you connecting with them in the way they need, not just how you want to connect with them and lead them.” 27:25

“You do always want to focus on some of the hard skills of the interview process, but I think we don't in the interview process ask enough questions around is someone stress resilient, can someone be vulnerable, can someone admit they make mistakes, can someone show that they have a growth mindset. How do they handle when they don't know the answer to something?” 30:30