From the Ground Up Athletic Performance Podcast

On episode 16 I sat down with Jordan Terry of Adaptable Polarity. We had a very intriguing conversation based around they system he's built at adaptable polarity. We start out by talking about the law of polarity and dual existence. The idea of neural availability is another major conversation piece that flows throughout the entire interview. The ability to connect and disconnect are major components of our human existence and transfers to multiple areas of our lives. We talk about compensation, why it occurs and how it can be compounding. Compensation is a part of the human condition, but left unattended it becomes the new normal and can drive maladaptation or injury. We discuss the idea of flow especially in regards to the bodies systems ( Nervous, Lymphatic, digestive, reproductive, vascular, endocrine) and how systems within the body are interrelated and facilitate our existence. We talk about the concept of holding space found within adaptable polarity, I would liken it to being in the moment without any preconceived notions. We discuss the role of the frontal lobe and how it is the seat of consciousness and how it can be integrated to create a new perspective. A new perspective can drive a new reality, new movement, and encourage creation. We also discuss how variation lights up the frontal lobe and we talk about how variation is a manner to create a more robust profile. We end by talking about the spiral and how the human body is a spiral all the way down to the building blocks of life. We talk about how looking at the body's movement closely shows the body functions as a coil and we talk about the ramification of this in regards to efficiency and natural manners of movement. This is a really intellectually conversation, Jordan presents a lot of interesting topics we see the overall macro view of an integrated system, but we also examine the micro and how it all comes together to facilitate the being that we are. Make sure to check out Jordan's Instagram Adaptable Polarity, He post some great content, the artwork is stellar and the concepts are really thought provoking. For a more detailed explanation of some of the concepts discussed check out Adaptable Polarity webpage. 

On this episode I sit down with Keith Ferrara of Adelphi University. Keith puts a lot of great content and ideas on social media, so many of the concepts that we covered today came from his twitter. Keith starts by sharing his background and the incredible story that got him into sports science and S&C. We discuss speed development and how he would arrange a week of offseason speed work, he takes us through a 3 day split and talks about all of his considerations along the way. We discuss what a typical acceleration based day looks like and what a typical max velocity day looks like. We discuss the considerations when implementing hill sprints and sled pushes for acceleration based practices. We also talk about bounds and how to progress them for individuals that may struggle with the coordinative nature of speed bounds. We discuss Keith's Philosophies on in season training and how he utilizes French contrast and cluster sets to potentiate and prime movements. We discuss what decision trees are and Keith discusses how he utilizes them within the context of his programming. In order to effectively group players based on their needs Keith utilizes a couple of different measures to assess for needs. The first is training age(under a year=GPP) Over a year(more specialized means), Secondly, Strength level, and lastly the 10 20 M(developed by Dietz) split test to assess needs within the weight room and training. We discuss why he utilizes Olympic lifts within his program and the adaptations that can be derived from including them. We end our conversation by discussing how he takes the nervous system into account within his training system. We also discuss how he utilizes RPR to ignite his athletes and get them properly primed for the days needs. Keith is currently beginning a new training study so we discuss the focus of that and how it will help different prep coaches get a better view of the needs of differing athletic populations. Keith has a great twitter account make sure to give him a follow to keep up with his training content and the training study we discussed. 

On Episode 14 I had the pleasure of sitting down with author of Born to Walk James Earls. We begin our discussion by defining and analyzing the role of Fascia within the body, this naturally leads us to the concept of tensegrity and how it shifts the central focus away from the bone and joint structure and examines the tensioning mechanisms of soft tissues. We discuss the different influencers of locomotion and focus mostly on the visceral and emotional early in the conversation, later more structural considerations are taken into account. The spring mass model and how it is a more effective and efficient means of viewing locomotion is discussed as well as the role of tissue resilience and stiffness. We examine the contralateral patterning of locomotion and the utilization of slings throughout the body. We discuss the role of the foot and the importance of energy conservation in the foot for stance stability and absorption. We end our conversation by examining the trends in the modern day and age that seem to push us further away from our natural state, which for so long has been that of a dynamic mover. Truly a great examination of a lot of different factors that coalesce when the body is in motion. If you've never read James's Book Born to Walk I encourage you to do so, its a great examination of the body and is extremely detailed with wonderful illustrations provided as well. You can also check out James's Instagram(Born_to_walk) to keep up with all the content he is putting out as well. Born to move is a website as well where James and others put out courses dealing with many differing concepts.  Born To Walk Amazon Link https://www.amazon.com/Born-Walk-Myofascial-Efficiency-Movement/dp/1583947698

On Episode 13 I sit down with Raj Chaudhari the creator of the Synapse CCR, a custom calibrated pulley system that allows for individuals to perform eccentric overloads in positions and in methods that would have been previously impossible or dangerous. He spent many years involved with the tennis community, so naturally we do cover some considerations when preparing tennis and overhead athletes. We discuss the needs of the sport, lateral movement, rotational abilities, Running and  weight training for the sport. We cover the benefits of eccentric training and also talk about some of the areas that have given individuals pause in implementing it in training. We discuss the neural, physiological, and hormonal benefits of eccentrics as well as their ability to be build resilient structures. We shift our focus to talk about the synapse CCR and how it allows for Safe eccentric overloads in extremely specific joint angles. We discuss how it can be implemented in a rehab setting and I really like the idea of being able to lessen and self adjust tension as needed to facilitate work in compromised areas. We discuss the differing methods that it can be employed, for instance with overcoming isometrics and how you could utilize that to potentiate other desired movements. I was really interested when I first discovered the synapse and after hearing all of its possible benefits I am even more interested. This is a really inventive, safe, and time efficient way to provide substantial overload in just about any joint alignment you desire. Make sure to check out the Synapse CCR webpage to see some examples of its usage and check out the system as well. They provide a lot of great examples of how to utilize the machine and also rationale for eccentric overload on their Instagram account Synapse_CCR 

On this episode I sit down with Dan Fichter of Irondequoit high School and Wannagetfast. We cover a lot of topics relating to Neurology and how to effectively utilize brain based solutions to drive effective training and aid with recovery. Our first topic is based around where he likes to start athletic development. We discuss his rationale for utilizing isometrics to help develop postural and positional awareness in his athletes and the benefits derived from that. We spend time covering how only focusing on voluntary movement misses the majority of the driver for locomotion the reflexive actions. We discuss how this pertains to speed and how the reflexive system affects speed development. Dan discusses the rationale behind Cross Crawl patterning and how to utilize it to effectively stimulate the brain and brain stem following bilateral exercise. We discuss the different variations of isometrics and the rationale behind different methods. We discuss inputting chaos into the system and allowing self organization through perturbations within training. We also spend some time talking about neuro based warm ups and Dan offers an example of how his team warms up before a game ( including freestyle, breathing in a position of power, Increasing Heart rate, bouncing, signal 6, and different methods of rolling, rocking and crawling to stimulate the vestibular and brain stem. We end the conversation by discussing different methods of recovery that he utilizes to keep his players fresh, efficient, and healthy. This is a great episode jam packed with a lot of rationale behind why you can benefit from taking the brain and reflexive system into account for athletic development. Dan list a lot of great resources that follow the same rationale such as prior guest Shawn Sherman(square1Systems) Mat Boule(IP institut) and Track Football Consortium. Dan will be at both Track Football Consortiums this summer in Texas July 9-10th and Iowa July 23-24th, so if you don't have anything going on, and even if you do jump over to one of the locations and check him and the stellar line up they have this summer.  Square 1 Systems http://www.square1system.com/ Ip Institut https://institutip.com/?lang=en Dan's social media Twitter and Instagram @WGF1 Track Football Consortium https://trackfootballconsortium.com/

On this episode I sit down with Alex Effer of resilient education to talk all things movement related. We cover a ton of territory and topics related to the body and movement. We start our discussion by examining some of the nuances related to the overall conception of movement as well as the planes movements occur in. We discuss how movement is not simply biomechanical but a reflection of the integration of multiple systems. We also discuss misconceptions about planes and how movement across multiple planes simultaneously affect each other. We discuss the role of the diaphragm and how it ties to the pelvis and ribcage region. This naturally led us to a good bit of discussion on the role of breathing in proper locomotion and how many individuals have breathing patterns that are far from optimal. He provided some insight about the anatomical limitations that individuals that are overly compressed or expanded might encounter. He then provided several examples of how to correct these bias through proper exercise application. We end the conversation by discussing his main considerations when programming for athletic development. Alex presents great points and considerations for proper development of athletes including 1) Assessment(and how to assess large groups without being disruptive) 2) manipulation of force vectors 3) Management of gravity 4) fitness quality/adaptation 5) sport 6) constraints( using constraints to allow for proper self organization of individual athletes.) This is a great episode covering a lot of real estate providing great explanations of different systems and how they integrate or interfere with proper movement solutions. Alex provides a lot of examples of how to properly build dynamic movers through simplified solutions. Don't forget to check out his website resilient education and alex's instagram as well. Resilient education https://www.resilientedu.com/

On todays Episode I sit down with Mat Boule of IP institut, we take a dive into his perspective of motor output and how it is built through early sensory information derived from early formative stages. We discuss the pyramid of Williams and Shellenberger, which details the development of reflexes, posture, locomotion, and motor learning. We discuss methods to that can be utilized to intervene when faulty patterning has been created in early developmental stages. We examine how traditional methodology varies from neural based approaches and talk about how neurological solutions/ priming can be easily implemented into everyday athletic preparatory approaches. Posture is something that details the movement solutions that someone presents, with Mat being a posturologist we spend some time talking about common posture issues that he observes and their root cause. We also spent some time talking about Central Pattern Generators and the role that they play in movement. Overall this is a great episode providing a lot of great information on how to fix everyday issues or compensations by addressing the true root of the problem, ineffective patterning created from deficits created in early developmental stages. Give Mat a follow on Instagram to keep up with all his latest content, you can also check out his content on his webpage. CIES Webpage for Mats Posturology.

On episode 9 I sit down to chat with Mike Whiteman of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy. We discuss a lot of great topics pertaining to athletic development and how to do it in an organic and sustainable manner. We discuss where he starts his athletes and how he progresses them through a number of modalities. We discuss how he Utilizes plyometric progression to deal with the needs of his sporting population. We discuss how strength training can be stacked in order to benefit and facilitate the needs of athletes. We examine his rationale for the inclusion of isometric means within his program and how he layers his methodology. We also go through his basic structure and rationale for a given session. There is a ton of good concepts in this episode and I really enjoyed following his logic and line of thinking on building resilient, tendon driven, elastic athletes for sport.  Make sure to give his accounts a follow on Social media, he post a lot of great progressions. Hounds speed and strength on twitter.

On Episode 8 I sit down with Scott Meier of Farmington High School. We discuss a lot of different factors surrounding the effective development of athletes. We discussed his starting point and things that he looks to develop early. We also talked about the role of specificity in training with his various athletic teams that he serves. We discuss the traditional lay out of Triphasic training, how he implements differing auxiliary movements during that time, and how he implements speed and agility training as well. We examine the rationale behind triphasic training and the many different benefits an athletic population can derive from this methodology. We also discussed how he utilizes his free lap timing system and some of the realizations he has had about speed training with his freelap. Overall, its a great conversation covering a lot of real estate around Triphasic. Scott is an experienced and great Athletic prep coach, so there's a lot of good information to take away from this podcast.  

On this episode I sit down to discuss athletic development with Andrew Pichardo PhD, strength and conditioning coach at Tyler Legacy high school in Tyler, Texas. We talk about the variety of of methods that he utilizes to develop athletes from middle school all the way up to secondary populations. We discuss the nuts and bolts of his programming and how he best makes use of his time throughout a session. We discuss how he advances speed and sports skills on the field as well. We also look at the KPI's that he utilizes to measure athletes preparedness for a given sport. The Tyler Legacy twitter account has posted some unique and creative warm ups, so naturally we spent some time breaking down the how and why behind some of those methods. Overall this is a great episode to examine a strength coach that is growing and finding himself within in the field, its great to hear all the different things that he has accessed and worked on in these last two chaotic and unpredictable years. I love examining research as well if you would like to examine some of Andrew's work on adolescent resistance training here are his articles.