NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

Dave Terry, Associate Director of Sports Performance at Georgetown University, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about his time at Georgetown and the value of mentorship. Topics under discussion include building the intern program, creating relationships with the athletes, and different ways to think creatively, learn, and grow as a strength coach. Find Dave on Instagram: @daveterry16Show Notes“So we talk about at Georgetown, it's not about your program but about the PROGRAM. And the PROGRAM is in all caps.” 1:42 “…you get that sense of urgency, say in your heart. That you want to drive. Keep driving, keep driving, push your athletes just a little bit more. And those details matter a little bit more because you hold yourself to that same thing.” 13:10 “Normally, they would be like, oh, well, strength coach doesn't run. Well, I ran with the guy to make sure they see me doing it all. And that takes away their excuse.” 14:06 “So with our college-level, I want someone is very curious and is going to show up. If you're asking questions, you're very curious about the field, I would love to teach you. Or, I would love for you to have an experience where you learned a lot. So if you're very curious and you're showing up on time, if we schedule a 2 o'clock call, do you call me at 1:59, or 2:05…” 15:59 “Email is going to be dmt55@georgetown. And then, Hoya Strength Instagram is just Hoya, H-O-Y-A, Strength… And then, DaveTerry16, if they're just want to get a hold of me and come by.” 35:14

Andrea Hudy, now the Head Men’s Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of Texas, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about how she got into strength and conditioning. Topics under discussion include the collaborative efforts of the sports medicine team and doctors during her time at the University of Kansas, how she was hired, writing her book and continuing her education, and the value of hosting clinics. Find Andrea on Twitter: @A_HudyShow Notes“We have to show results. We have to prove what we’re doing to people around us and doing it in the most professional way so people have buy-in.” 7:45 “You have to be able to stand up in every room that you’re in, convey a message, sell what you’re doing, but also be a great resource for those people, too.” 13:20 “So we teach. We teach movement, and we do it in a positive manner, where people enjoy it, and they get better. Again, its results, because I don’t want to waste anybody’s time. Time is precious, and time is value.” 14:45 “Those are the coaches that I want, the people that have this solid group of, or a solid base of, working with anyone.” 19:00 “Well, the grind is standing in front of 100 people, and you’re the only person leading the group, and you’ve got nobody helping you. And you need to figure out how to get these 100 people on the same page.” 19:58 “No, it’s not going to be that bad, but you feel bad about it. And then you just get better, but that’s where failure—turn it into a success and figure out how to own the room.” 20:58

Mike Hill, Associate Athletics Director of Sports Performance at Georgetown University, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about his journey from volunteer intern to director at Georgetown. Topics under discussion include being an integral, “off the bench” part of a team, what he looks for in new interns or new hires, and continuing education through reading and being a part of the NSCA’s Exam Development Committee. Find Mike on Instagram: @license_2_hill Show Notes“But a lot of the—it’s sports. A lot of the athletes now, they just want the outcome. They don't want to understand the cliché term of the process. But really, the process is how you weed out the ones that are worthy of the outcome, really.” 12:18 “Make sure you know their name and understand who they are as a person, understanding their sport rather than just understanding the programs that you would like to put them through.” 13:16 “Knowing the science,knowing the practicality, knowing your job, and being competent at that said job, for me, that’s the price of admission. You walk in the door, and that’s supposed to be expected of you.” 24:34 “And more and more, the adaptability aspect of it, the adaptability is huge for us. I guess, too, it’s also doing the right things when no one’s looking. Did we give you a task, or can you take tasks and do those mundane tasks daily without having someone to follow up on it, you know? I can’t remember who said the quote, but it’s like company and fish start to stink after three days. So after three days, are you going to start to stink? So, yeah, it’s kind of the small, little intangible things are what’s more important than where are you from, or what name do you have attached to you. Are you willing to work?” 25:20 “Dress for the job that you want, not the job you have.” 28:04

Annette Zapp, Lieutenant Firefighter in Chicago, talks to the Former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about strength and conditioning in the firefighting niche. Topics under discussion include the perks of being a firefighter who is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) and Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator® (TSAC-F®), the typical lifestyles and attitudes of firefighters in general, and common issues that they face both physically and mentally. Find Annette on Twitter: @FireSQFitness or Instagram: @FireSQFitnessShow Notes“But beyond that, I truly believe that fitness, nutrition, good sleep, good mental health and wellness as well as spirituality, I think all of those things are really important in creating resilience in firefighters.” 9:22 “Your brain is literally taking out the trash while you sleep. So if you don't sleep, you accumulate trash.” 11:42 “Because to be honest, just a general personal trainer isn't really going to be able to help out firefighters that much. We really need that sort of strength and conditioning background, the performance background.” 17:14 “I teach them I'm here to meet you where you are. I'm not interested in changing everything that you're doing or steamrolling over you. I am here to help.” 20:04 “...this is a sympathetic driven job. We are on 24/7. And there's an analogy. It's actually a pain analogy. People that are in chronic pain, their doorbell and their fire alarm sounds the same. Like they're just in a startle response.” 22:38 “The thing is, with firefighters is that we are a perpetual fixers. See a problem, fix the problem, move on to the next problem, and never really process what we saw.” 24:48 “Twitter and Instagram, @fire, F-I-R-E and then the letter S and the letter Q and then fitness, F-I-T-N-E-S-S. So when you spell it out it's firerescuefitness. And then they can always connect with me on my website. There's a chat function and an email function. And so that is www.firesqfitness.com.” 29:47

Dave Forman, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Virginia Military Institute, talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about becoming a strength coach. Topics under discussion include communication with athletes, appreciating the growth as a coach over time, and creating lasting impressions and relationships with athletes. Find Dave on Twitter: @VMIStrengthShow Notes“So really communication is key I tell him, hey, I’m here to help you. I want to help you be the best you can be, and that’s kind of been our thing, at least as a football program. We want you to be the best you can be athletically, academically, and militarily.” 8:20 “But I think your experiences make you who you are. Makes you appreciate where you are.” 22:28 “And to see how far they’ve come and the work that they’ve put in. And sometimes hard work does payoff. I just think that’s such a cool feeling. I mean, that’s one of my most rewarding moments.” 23:54 “I think at some point, you’ve got to be fairly self-aware and understand what are your strengths and weaknesses and what can I work on and what can I do better… How you do anything is how you do everything.” 34:03 “…that’s really rewarding. But I think they see that. They see that, you know what? I didn’t have all the answers. I can be vulnerable. That’s what I’m really working on is trying to build relationships. I never thought that was important or a thing. And I mean, I was absolutely wrong about that. I mean, that’s really all that matters. That’s honestly all that matters.” 35:27 “Because nobody remembers the ‘X’s and ‘O’s. Nobody remembers if we did five sets of four or four sets of five. Who cares? They remember the experiences that you created, the shared suffering sometimes, but then also the shared overcoming and triumph.” 36:14 “They have that mentality now in life. They’ve dealt with adversity. They’ve dealt with some bad stuff, and they know, you know what? If I keep working, if I keep pushing, it’ll be okay. And later on in life, that’s going to be who knows? Get a phone call and some relative has cancer or you know what? I don’t know; you just went bankrupt or you just lost your job. And you know what? I can do with those things too because I’ve dealt with this too. I don’t know, that’s life lessons in the weight room.” 36:38 “But I try to celebrate our guys, kind of give him a platform, whatever it is. #FlexFriday or something like that. But it’s @VMIStrength. Again, if you want to shoot me a message, please do. I love connecting with people.” 37:56

Lyndie Kelley, Coordinator of Strength and Conditioning at the University of New England (UNE), talks to the former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about her journey from athlete to strength coach at UNE. Topics under discussion include coaching and mentoring a variety of athletes and students, finding creative solutions for things and being resourceful at the Division III level, and having a fully integrated team from the athletic staff all the way to the non-athletic administration. Find Lyndie on Instagram: @noreaster_strength  | Find Scott on Instagram: @coachcaulfieldShow Notes“I think that that’s super important. There’s not enough great women in strength and conditioning. We need more.” 12:23 “I can be a chameleon on any given day. That’s another important skill, I think, is being able to jack yourself up, meet the team where they’re at, or bring them down. What do they need for the day? Set the temperature and be the thermometer.” 20:10 “I think that we have great capacity to multiply if we love something enough.” 37:27 “…be part of the solution not part of the problem. And so what can you do to make your situation better? How can you get creative about things?” 39:48 “Email: llibby2@UNE.edu; Instagram: @noreaster_strength” 43:51 “…and I think that’s critical for us in this field is to help the next one in line get better than you. If you’re insecure about somebody taking over your role, that’s not the way to be. Get better than me. Let’s advance this field one stair step at a time by standing on my shoulders.” 44:44

Show Notes“When coaches talk about program design,when they talk about relating to athletes, administrators overcoming some of the managerial issues, the complexities of dealing with conflict or knowing what exercises to choose, and how to vary programs, and how to move bodies through the weight room and train them, and what’s the best or optimal, and making sense of all the language in the field, sociology, to me, really helps give me an understanding, away of framing that stuff more so and make sense of it…” 10:13 “And that’s how I think of social and behavioral science stuff that I do is that, just like strength and conditioning, you’ve got a variety of tools to use. And I can use the variety of tools indifferent scenarios and also just be more of a complicated thinker, more educated…” 19:49 “Well, there’s the connection between your coaching philosophy and your training philosophy. What do you value, and what are you really doing in practice, and how are you integrating all those things? And you can say, scientifically. That’s why, I think, we have to go beyond science. Our philosophy is the science and the practice and the values. It’s all integrated together.” 23:14 “And that’s the critical thinking piece and the actual taking that knowledge out of the lab into practice, that requires education, that requires critical thinking, that requires understanding of coaching contexts and how those context matter.” 25:48 “Maybe the way that you’re approaching this doesn’t have to be like this, and you should make a tweak, and not just a little tweak that keeps the factory going, but challenged the factory, realizing, hey, people aren’t robots. The weight room isn’t a factory. You don’t have to train like this.” 31:06 “It’s about learning in those learning lessons, and one’s own experience in society and making sense of it too, so using theory and research to make sense of our experiences.” 47:54 “I do the Twitter. So it’s @drgearity, D-R-G-E-A-R-I-T-Y, Instagram, Twitter. I like a lot of LinkedIn requests, I can add you on that one. I got the Facebook.” 58:17Transcript

Duncan French, VP of Performance at UFC Performance Institute, and Bo Sandoval, Director of Strength and Conditioning, discuss supporting UFC athletes, staying open to new ideas, being adaptable as a coach, and different approaches to athlete support.

Kurt Hester, Head of Sports Performance at Louisiana Tech University, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about his journey from weight lifting at 12 years old to training collegiate football athletes today. Topics under discussion include starting a business, pioneering strength and conditioning, and the interview process. Find Kurt on Twitter: @thekurthester or on Instagram: @hesterkurt | Find Scott on Instagram: @coachcaulfieldShow Notes“And you have to come to a point, as a man or a woman, and say, you know what? I want to do what’s right by my athletes. Over this undying loyalty to a sport coach.” 3:52 “My staff understands the emergency protocol of assessing the athlete of high-volume O2 if we have it down on the field, then immediately submerge in the ice mass, and then calling 9-1-1. So it’s an action plan that, if a young trainer gets, basically, shell-shocked and can’t move and can’t think, that we can go into action and help out.” 8:41 “You have to look at the heat index, how hot it is on turf versus how hot is it on the grass, the humidity level, your wind, your wind direction. There’s a lot of things that you have to utilize and understand, use that information, in taking your protocol, and either taking away reps or adding reps.” 9:59 “I like to bash my head into other humans. I love the physicalness of football. But I love the middle aspect of getting ready for the game. And that’s why I got into the—more, I got into the field. Not from the lifting aspect, because I love to train, but I loved what you had to do mentally to prepare to play a warrior sport.” 16:05 “That whole people side of things, relationship-building, is kind of the ‘X’ factor in this profession, right? You can have written the greatest program, but if you can’t get athletes to believe in what you’re selling and what you’re telling them is going to help them, then it doesn’t really matter anyway.” 28:05 “And if you’re in it for yourself, if you’re in it for your social media hits, and your tweets, and your likes, you’re in it for the wrong reason. This field is not about a coach, it is about the humans you do coach.” 29:03 “And that’s where you start learning more by interacting with other coaches and throwing around a ton of ideas.” 44:26 “It’s connected either at @thekurthester on Twitter, or it’s Hester Kurt on Instagram. Email khester@latech.edu.” 47:02 “We’re always looking for free interns. Being in Ruston, Louisiana, which is in north Louisiana, it’s not very big, it’s kind of hard to get help. So if you’re willing to learn and willing to work, I’ll take you in a heartbeat. If you’re breathing and you’re ambulatory, we’re good to go.” 47:46

Courteney Benjamin and Yasuki Sekiguchi, from the Korey Stringer Institute, talk to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about preventing sudden death in the heat and how coaches can plan ahead, create, and respond with an emergency action plan. Find the Korey Stringer Institute on Twitter: @K_S_Institute | Find Scott on Instagram: @coachcaulfieldShow Notes“But I think you know, as we all know, sometimes in the high school setting or in other settings, the athletic trainers just can't physically can't be everywhere. So at least having coaches that are site that at least have the basic lifesaving skills is crucial.” 12:24 “…if someone collapses on the field, where is our closest AED? Where is the cold tub? And who's putting it on? Who's calling EMS? Do we have a way for EMS to get here?” 17:18 “Like, that should be thought about weeks before going into what is our-- what do we want our plan to look like? And then let's stick to it, you know? I think-- I know coaches don't always don't always like to do that, but I think at least having the conversation, it at least like plant a seed, you know? Like, it plants that little seed in their mind that they might be start thinking that way.” 20:36 “…the CSCCA and NSCA joint consensus guidelines for a transition period, safe return to training following an activity. That's a really awesome one. Another one that recently came out from NCAA is the inner association recommendations preventing catastrophic injury and death and collegiate athletes. And then I think the other one that still just a really, really good resource is the 2012 NATA and NSCA joint task force recommendations for preventing sudden death in collegiate conditioning sessions…” 21:28 “You mentioned before we started rolling too, the NCAA inter-association recommendations has a great checklist in it. So really super simple yes, no you know, so you can really evaluate what you're doing and how you're-- you know, if your program meets these.” 22:12 “…people are always welcome to reach out to me or Yasuki or really anyone at KSI…” 22:31