Henry Abbott: Ballistic Training To Prevent Injuries, And High-Tech Training Practices Of Elite NBA Players

May 13, 2025

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I'm pleased to welcome Henry Abbott, the author of a new book called Ballistic: The New Science of Injury Free Athletic Performance!

What an interesting conversation we had, and we went on a wide ranging journey through several topics of interest in modern big time sports. Henry has a longtime sports background–he is an award-winning journalist who led ESPN’s 60 person NBA digital and print team. So he is a longtime NBA guy behind the scenes, and in this episode, he tells us what it's like out there, touching on concerns like this crazy long 82 game season where we expect these powerful, explosive athletes to perform night after night—this kind of turns the sport into a severe long endurance grind where you can pretty much predict the athletes are going to get injured. So Henry went on a three year long quest to determine what cutting edge scientific advancements we have to measure and program athletes to train properly to prevent injury.

The title Ballistic is interesting because he focuses on the importance of ballistic high impact training, which we typically shy away from, thinking that it's too traumatizing. I really appreciated this because you've probably heard me on the show talk often about my nagging minor injuries that are always a battle and a challenge as I strive to compete in masters track and field. So you're going to get some good tidbits and also learn what the top of the line athletes are doing—he references his connection to this training facility in Santa Barbara, California called P3, it's operated by an old triathlon friend of mine named Dr. Marcus Elliott, and he is doing some really interesting data collection and analysis.

You will learn why Henry says that almost everyone has some sort of hip dysfunction, whether it's hip flexor weakness or a lack of mobility, and ways that you can progress to become more functional, especially in the three most important joints that control impact forces—the ankle, knee, and the hip. Enjoy this fun and wide ranging talk with Henry Abbott, and I highly recommend you read his book Ballistic, the New Science of Injury, Free Athletic Performance, which reveals a surprising takeaway: The explosive moves and ground impacts we often avoid in everyday workouts might provide the secret to an injury-free athletic life.

TIMESTAMPS:

The three most important joints that control impact forces are the ankle, knee and the hip. So how do we best take care of them? [03:01]

The popularity of Track and Field is still struggling in comparison to other major sports. [05:00]

What is it like to cover the NBA? What about the players being prone to injury? [08:09]

Eighty-two games are too much for the players. Humans can't do more than five max effort workouts every two weeks before their performance declines and injuries skyrocket. [10:43]

Are the players, trainers and coaches doing their best to prevent injuries? What is P3 in Santa Barbara? [12:12]

In the book, Ballistic, Henry explains about the force at the moment of landing. [16:42]

One of the most dangerous foot positions that a player can encounter is a toes-down landing. [20:11]

We want the lower body to be loose, mobile, and flexible but we also want some areas stiff. How does it all come together? [25:01]

Injuries occur when you come back down to earth, not by jumping up. It's the impact of landing. [28:17]

You need to learn how to jump properly to prevent injury. [31:55]

The WHO says immobility is the fourth leading cause of a global death. [35:23]

Every athlete needs help with their hips. [36:17]

Henry talks about dirty money and sports. There can be an adverse influence on sports. [43:09]

What really makes a champion athlete is the work ethic, resilience, family-oriented, well-blanced lifestyle. [51:18]

Is there any financial incentive in modern day NBA players to continue since they get so money? [56:31]

Henry's book Ballistic talks about caring for your body...paying attention to it to prevent injuries, but also use your body to have fun. [58:48]

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