NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

The NSCA Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) Special Interest Group (SIG) Executive Council Members, Joe Eisenmann, Rick Howard, and Tony Moreno, sit down with the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, to discuss LTAD as a framework for the field of strength and conditioning, and the importance of establishing physical literacy in athletes. Find the Long-Term Athletic Development Special Interest Group on Facebook: NSCA Long-Term Athletic Development SIG | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow NotesFrom NSCA's Coaching Podcast Production Team: The NSCA Coaching Podcast strives for the utmost quality in producing each podcast episode. Due to technical difficulties, we apologize for the noticeable interference on the host audio feed in this episode. We hope you will enjoy the insight and information on Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) from our knowledgeable panel of experts. “We just want to make sure that things are not only done right, but into the right hands of the right people that are dealing with kids, whether it be in a community recreation setting, a school setting, or a club sports setting. We just want to make sure that it's good material, and it gets in the right hands.” 10:55 “But I think we really, really need to emphasize how critical physical education and community recreation are in really defining the participation pathway. Because you look at this crisis now that we're in, and I'm just looking out my window right now. And I haven't seen any kids outside doing anything. Maybe once or twice in the past week riding a scooter for 10 or 15 minutes, and they run back in the house.” 28:39 “…we have a lot of parents and youth coaches trying to microwave young athletes. And we're really skipping those early stages of fundamental movement skill acquisition…” 32:05 “And along those lines is also this tendency that we see of over competing and undertraining. Where you sign up for AAU basketball, and you're playing six to eight games in a weekend or youth baseball, and you're playing five, six, eight games in a weekend. And all you do is compete, compete, compete. But physically, you're not really ready for the demands that are going to be placed upon your body and to proficiently execute some of those sports skills.” 32:53  

Mary Kate Feit, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning at Springfield College, and Adam Feit, Coordinator of Physical and Mental Performance at Springfield College and Assistant Director of Performance Nutrition at Precision Nutrition, talk to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about being a married couple in the world of strength and conditioning. Topics under discussion include the unique positions they hold at Springfield College, how becoming parents has changed their perspective on coaching, and why diversity is so important for the future of the field. Connect with Mary Kate via email: mfeit@springfield.edu | Find Adam on Twitter: @Adam_Feit or Instagram @aefeit | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“I was the youngest head strength and conditioning coach in Division I at the time. I took over a team that was the worst in the nation. So you talked about growth mindset and an opportunity to learn and get better.” 11:11 “Just being someone who's able to step up. If we send out a message, hey, we need someone to do this, we're looking for that person who's going to respond right away. I'm on it. Can I help?” 13:45 “However, what are they doing with that knowledge and how are they translating that into real life situations? So can you be adaptable? Can you be reliable? Can I count on you to treat everything as it should?” 14:29 “And even when I see professional athletes, I still think. I mean, they're younger than us now, most of them. And I still think of them as someone's child. And I think that changes everything. It's not about winning. It's about this individual. And I think I always kind of saw it that way.” 20:15 “Be the coach that people want to hire. Now we have technology. We need a sports science expert. We need a nutrition coach. We need a FMS corrective coach. We need a VBT coach. And I would say a coach, but a skill set. And now I look at it as be the coach that can do a lot of many things.” 38:48

Paul Comfort, program leader for the Master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Salford, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about his desire to continuously learn through practical application and research in the field. Topics under discussion include creating the post graduate program for the University of Salford, being a founding member of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA), and the complexities of technology in the weight room. Find Paul on Twitter: @PaulComfort1975 or Instagram: @PaulComfort1975 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“Find out why certain training interventions, methods, dietary interventions, et cetera are working, and then almost build that back up to the whole body. And then keep refining that process.” 10:10 “But certainly when you're in a situation with a group of other coaches, don't just jump in and offer your opinion all the time. Listen to what people have got to say. There's a huge amount that you can learn from other people.” 22:04 “You've got to look at that in those different scenarios and the different sort of context of what they're actually discussing and why. But I think that's the biggest thing is to listen, learn, and be critical of everything you read and everything you hear.” 23:56 “Whereas if you stare at the device while they're performing the exercise and they either got a higher or lower velocity, you have no idea why they got higher or lower velocity. They might have had awful technique or they might have had really good technique. So you've still got to coach the individuals that these devices aren't a substitute for coaching.” 29:58

Adam Fletcher, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for men’s basketball at the University of Illinois, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the impact of the Coaches vs. COVID-19 webinars to support the service community and build the strength and conditioning community. Topics under discussion include his journey from an accounting major to strength coach, how vital it is to get to know the sport coaches, and how he seeks to be a positive role model as he works alongside his wife. Find Adam on Twitter: @Adam_Fletcher41 or Instagram: @coach_fletch | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“And in that, the aerobic capacity is really important and the movement capacity is really important. We don't just want to lose all the movement that we've went through and the pattern that we've created because we know that that's instrumental in our injury prevention.” 10:52 “And empowering those guys it creates more of an excitement around the program. I think right now, more than ever, you have to be empowering of your kids. They have to feel very positive about what they're doing.” 19:36 “I think a lot of times in strength and conditioning we push for relationships within our industry and that's important. But I think if you're not looking on the other side of the sport coaches, you're missing a huge, huge piece of what drives our jobs.” 26:50 “…it's important that, as you're on this path, that you try to positively impact everyone that you reach out to and everyone that you work with in a way that they can't forget who you are because you're true to yourself.” 28:20

Adam Ross, Chair of and an Assistant Professor within the Kinesiology Department at Dallas Baptist University, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about his unique dual role of strength coach and professor at the university. Topics under discussion include the NSCA Special Interest Groups (SIGs), building trust with athletes and students, and how his mentors and children have shaped his perspective of the field. Find Adam on Facebook: NSCA Baseball SIG or via Email: adamr@dbu.edu| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“But in order to create a desire within that person, I think you just have to give them a little bit of the opportunity to just be themselves and to figure things out a little bit on their own, while being kind of a supporting structure around them. So giving them that autonomy to do it, not just being a suffocating autocrat and someone that just kind of strangles the passion out of them.” 13:43 “…the movement capacities of athletes kind of predict the performance a lot more than the strength. And I'd say the resiliency and the ability to resist injury is along those lines too.” 17:37 “And I think there is a blend between leadership, coaching, and emotional intelligence that has, at the center of it, just transformation of an athlete.” 29:00 “You show them your leadership skills, not by what you say, but by what you do, right, and how you engage with them, and how you develop them. And intertwined with that is the coaching aspect, to where you're bringing about awareness and then what they need to do to be a better human, to be a better athlete.” 29:12

Casey Kramer, Assistant Strength Coach for the Chicago Bears National Football League (NFL) team, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about working with tactical, Olympic sport, and professional football athletes. Topics under discussion include advice for young coaches, scheduling strength and conditioning sessions in the NFL calendar, and different qualities coaches should seek to have outside of the weight room. Find Casey on Instagram: @caseykramer12| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“We have, you know, total access. So the guys are eating in our complex. We have the data that we collect for practice and everything, so we're able to really see a kind of a 360-degree view of our players during that time, so we take advantage of it.” 29:04 “They have to be better next year than they were the previous year. That's an expectation from our players and from our organization. Our guys are very competitive-- very, very competitive. They want to get better. They want to improve. They want to feel, like, as a strength coach, that you're helping them to develop and change their game in some way.” 31:25 “I think just be prepared to persevere. Start at the bottom and keep working your way up.” 32:48 “You can't just walk into strength coaching and expect that you're going to be running like a Power Five program or you're not going to be the head guy of a baseball team making it to the College World Series or being in the major leagues or anything like that. So you really have to take time to grow yourself, grow your knowledge, make sure you're staying up on what's new, and educating yourself and also trying to find ways that you can better yourself as a coach.” 34:51

Brian Buck, Director of Sports at Sparta Science, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the new roles that data and technology are playing in the weight room. Topics under discussion include what young coaches should know getting into the field of strength and conditioning and the importance of building relationships and developing people. Find Brian on Twitter: @brianbuck6 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“So what makes a good strength coach, and people touch on it a lot, is being able to have conversations with these guys. Do they care that you care? Are you a good person, and why should they listen to you?” 12:40 “So you've got to understand-- there's got to be an education piece, there's got to be a relationship piece. And at the end of the day, it's got to work. So it's a fun skill, it's a fun job, and I've really enjoyed my time in it.” 13:49 “I think where people really separate themselves from others is the resources they get their hands on to. How much they're willing to read daily, because that's not easy for everyone. How interested are you in research and books? And I think on top of that, the last piece that really sets people apart is your networking capability. And are you willing to go do a site visit?” 14:42 “Wherever your situation is, make it the best, learn from it, create the best where you are. And really, those other opportunities are going to pop up and you're not going to wear yourself out thinking about them.” 29:32

In this special Season 4 podcast kick-off, NSCA’s Tactical Program Manager, Nate Palin, introduces the new NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon. McMahon discusses how he got into strength and conditioning, transitioning into new roles and the challenges it brings, and the direction that he wants to bring the NSCA with this new position as a bridge between strength coaches and the organization. Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs | Find Nate on Instagram: @natepalinShow Notes“…the relationships and networking is a huge part of our profession, and I think the NSCA that's our role in terms of creating those communication structures and creating those conversations…” 1:43 “I wanted to pursue the field. I just wanted to make sure it was the right choice for me… it's a huge commitment in terms of, you might have to pack up and go.” 3:32 “We are people that are sought after as communicators, as presenters, as influential important people in their organizations with potential to move up the ladder in terms of athletic directors or CEOs or presidents of their organization. We're educated professionals.” 5:13 “I would have never touched the field in college if it wasn't for strength and conditioning, so I credit any success I had as an athlete to my training during those years and changing my body, getting strong, and winning that starting job. That meant a lot to me at the time and inspired me to pass it forward here.” 15:44 “I'm new to this job, but I've been with the NSCA for a long time, and I want every coach to feel like they are just as much a part of this organization as you and I are.” 24:17

Jeff Connors, who retired after a staggering 31-year collegiate coaching career, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about being a servant to athletes and contributing to their lives. Topics under discussion include “surviving” head coaching changes, learning from others in the field, and using his coaching experiences to write books.Show Notes“I've been always trying to learn, and I've always tried to attach myself, or fly across country and find people smarter than me, which is not real hard to do. So that's how I endeavored to become smarter, is by associating myself with the best.” 16:44 “So I try to learn year to year. I try to develop a good reputation to where I would be retained. I try to outwork people. I think there's something to be said for a work ethic.” 17:17 “I've never been real concerned with trying to please the football coach over what I believed. I was always flexible and I always listened, but I always considered myself to be the professional. And so I would try to educate football coaches.” 18:08 “I believe that you are serving people as a strength and conditioning coach, trying to improve their lives, trying to contribute to their lives, where they're successful throughout the course of their lives because of the experience they have with you and their collegiate experience.” 22:50

Antonio Squillante, a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Weightlifting Special Interest Group (SIG) chair, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about using weightlifting, not just the sport, as a means to build strength and power in athletes from the platform to the field. Topics under discussion include being involved with the NSCA through leading the Weightlifting SIG and teaching Exam Prep classes, moving from Italy to pursue his dream of coaching, and going back to school for his PhD. Find Antonio on Facebook: NSCA CSCS Exam Prep or NSCA Weightlifting SIGShow Notes“I've always felt supported by the NSCA, itself, and I think, since that point on, all I wanted to do was growing within the community and give back to the community because they gave me a lot.” 8:28 “It’s a lot about taking the first step, once you get involved, and all you want is just, generally, giving back, opportunities will come your way. And you just have to be available and be-- I think, an open mind and embrace the challenge.” 10:20  “A certain component of absolute strength work is always important for injury prevention reasons, but also to just improve your ability to express power.” 18:53 “That kind of impact is so much more rewarding than winning anything, championship doesn't matter, if you can impact someone's life, that's the most you can do, I think.” 25:52 “Either the CSCS Prep Group on Facebook, or if you're already in the community, working, maybe the NSCA Weightlifting SIG.” 27:59