NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

Joe Kenn, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Carolina Panthers, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about… well… a little bit of everything. This is bonus audio from NSCA's Coaching Podcast Episode 40 with Joe Kenn. Enjoy!

Matt Krause, NSCA 2018 Professional Strength Coach of the Year and Director of Strength and Conditioning for the New York Yankees Major League Baseball (MLB) team, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about what he looks for in the hiring process, his path through strength and conditioning and the different jobs he had, and his involvement in the creation of the Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC) program.Show Notes “I want to make sure I am finding strength coaches that want my job. I want someone who wants to progress through the profession, so I don’t want to hire anyone I thought couldn’t replace me.” 4:51 “I enjoy the fact that every day counts, every day matters.” 9:47 “I tell every strength coach, ‘This might not work out for you, so make sure you have something to fall back on.’” 20:06 “The technology has moved where we can create accountability and expectation with all our players and it’s evolving and we’ve been evolving with it.” 34:40

Tobias Jacobi, CSCS,*D, RSCC*D, the Strength and Conditioning Coach at Strong Rock Christian School, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about his experience transitioning from college to high school strength and conditioning. Follow Coach Jacobi on Twitter: @srcs_strength or on Instagram: tobiasjacobi1 | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfield or Contact Coach Jacobi at tjacobi@strong-rock.com Show Notes “I’m so much better as a coach now moving from the college level to the high school level because I’ve learned so much as far as time management, organization… you know it’s been such a great opportunity to kind of learn trial by error.” 7:30 “I would highly suggest if you’re going to go into coaching, you need to get a teaching degree because, again, the volatility especially in college athletes, you never know when you’re going to be without a job.” 12:50 “The thing I’ve been really amazed with as a high school strength coach is what a family community is and how just the relationships have been built so quickly, but are amazingly strong.” 25:50 “You have two ears and one mouth so you should be listening twice as much as you’re talking.” (Advice to interns) 32:48

Chip Sigmon, former strength coach for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Charlotte Hornets, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about Sigmon’s experience in the strength and conditioning field when it was first starting in the 1970s, and his journey from bodybuilder to NBA strength and conditioning coach. Find Scott Caulfield on twitter @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “There’s nothing wrong with being strong. The bigger engine doesn’t slow down the machine.” 21:43 “I don’t care if you’re a volunteer or paid, you get your rear end in that strength and conditioning program.” 23:05 “You want to intern with an NBA team to get as close as you can to that.” (Asked what advice Sigmond would give a coach wanting to work with an NBA team) 24:19

Cory Kennedy, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Institut National du Sport du Québec in Montreal, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about the importance of monitoring athletes and the equipment used to keep track of their well-being. Cory Kennedy, CSCS, is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Institut National du Sport du Québec in Montreal, which is one of Canada’s Olympic training institutes. In his current role, he helps support a variety of teams and individual athletes on their Olympic journey through strength and conditioning, monitoring, and other testing support. Diving and women’s hockey are two teams he is heavily involved with right now. Follow Cory on Twitter and Instagram: @coryksandc | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “That number doesn’t matter if you don’t know what the [force] plate is telling you.” 11:30 “Monitoring doesn’t really matter if it’s not helping your athletes win.” 14:15 “I always try to explain to the athlete that I am responsible for the result every time. I’ve found in the past that athletes feel pressured; when a measure doesn’t go up, sometimes they get down on themselves.” 20:19 “A master’s [degree] is non-negotiable.” 31:58 “Get connected, talk to people, and try to volunteer as much as you can.” 33:04

Darnell Clark, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte, NC, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about his path to becoming a high school strength and conditioning coach, the structure of his high school (Charlotte Country Day) strength and conditioning program, and giving back to the industry.Darnell Clark, CSCS,*D, RSCC*D, has been the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Charlotte Country Day School (CCDS) in Charlotte, NC since 2004. In this role, Clark and his staff are responsible for the daily development and systematic implementation for 36 junior varsity and varsity teams (24 sports). In 2014, Clark was the recipient of the NSCA’s High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award. His program at CCDS has earned the NSCA’s Strength of America Award for eight consecutive years. He has had the privilege of coaching 10 NSCA High School Strength and Conditioning All-Americans and over 150 college-bound student-athletes during his time at CCDS. From 2013 – 2016, he served as the NSCA’s North Carolina State Director and presently is the NSCA Southeast Regional Coordinator. Clark received his Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where he was a member of the football team, and his Master of Physical Education degree from Arizona State University. Follow Darnell on Twitter: @coachclark44 | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “It’s an exciting time for the field of strength and conditioning with the growth of high school and tactical programs.” 4:03“I had to bring teams on team by team and convince coach by coach because it’s not mandated for them to train, and 14 years later we are training every team, including the dance team and cheerleading team.” 7:14“There are a lot more people wanting jobs than there are jobs available.” 8:25“There is a disconnect between physical education programs and exercise science programs.” 9:14“You need to have that science background, but if you cannot communicate or convey what you want the kids to do, it’s going to be pretty difficult for you to be an effective coach.” 9:52“You need to develop a repertoire of communications skills and cues and the only way to do that is by coaching and being taught to coach.” 10:59“That’s how philosophies are built is through experience.” 32:11

Megan Evans, Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at Virginia Tech, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about the journey from student-athlete to assistant director. Megan Evans, MEd, PhD, CSCS is in her eighth year as Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at Virginia Tech. Her team responsibilities are Women's Soccer, Women's Lacrosse, Softball, Women's Tennis, and Men's and Women's Diving. Prior to her hiring in 2009 she worked as a graduate assistant under Coach Mike Gentry and Terry Mitchell for four years. She earned her Master's Degree in 2007 and PhD in 2014. Megan was a softball player at Virginia Tech from 2002 - 2005 and still holds numerous season and career records. She was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in the fall of 2017.Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes "Evaluate everything that you do, have purpose for it, and if it fits your system, great, but don’t be so wrapped up in, ‘oh, I have to use this technology to use this technology.’” (Discussing Michael Gentry’s philosophy on technology) 6:05“[Student-athletes] are specializing so much younger now that we’re having to go back and teach basic fundamental movements of the body and re-teach it that we didn’t have to do before.” 13:09“The content here (Coaches Conference) is obviously far more pinpointed on what we want. We don’t have to hunt through the different speakers and say, ‘hey, this is the one I want to go to.’ It’s a little more clear.” 14:49“You’re getting a lot more conversation and intimacy within the networking end of things.” (Talking about Coaches Conference) 15:17“For me, it’s about connecting to the student-athlete and helping them not only develop as an athlete, but to develop as people. These are very moldable, young people at 18 to 22 years old.” 16:46“People don’t care what you know until they know that you care and if you’re treating these young people as people first and then athletes, that’s when you’re going to reach them.” 17:20“My goal for when [athletes] leave is, ‘did they learn something from me?’” 18:12Advice to newcomers in the field: “Don’t give up.” 22:44

Steve Rassel, Associate Athletic Director and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Webber International University, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about how to develop staff and interns to help them be successful coaches, and about work-life balance. Stephen Rassel, CSCS,*D, RSCC has served at Webber International University since 2009, and is currently the Associate Athletic Director and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. Prior to that, Rassel’s career began with the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball (MLB) team, followed by a stint with the Chicago Cubs MLB team. Rassel has spoken several times for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) on creating and developing a strength and conditioning department, and was named a finalist for the 2017 NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award. Rassel also serves on the NSCA College Coaches Special Interest Group (SIG) Executive Committee.Find Steve on Twitter: @StephenRassel | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “We have to have two main boxes checked off for us before we dive too deep into what they can offer, specialization-wise, even at the intern level: it’s culture and it’s growth gauge.” 5:34 “Everyone talks about culture, but you just have to keep in mind that you want to hire for culture and train for skill and that’s where the mentorship comes into play. You have to have a system that can equip them with what they need if they can bring the intangibles to the table.” 5:45 “One thing we have to make sure we keep in the forefront of our mind as coaches is that we have to take ownership right where we’re at and keep fighting, scrapping, and scratching to find ways to keep pushing and getting where we’re at." 8:17 “If you could see what hurdles we had to go through to get where we’re at, that the short-term sacrifices for the long-term gain strategies that we’ve had to implement, and the hats I’ve had to wear to get to what we’re doing.” 9:51 “Challenge yourself and reach out and connect because that brainstorming approach and us starting to link up and work together, even though we are at different places and different situations, it starts to get you in a different place mentally and these little strategies here and there can help build that momentum.” 10:27 “You look at the things in front of you and attack those as much as you can.” 13:31 “You have to maximize being great at what you currently have on your plate.” 14:30 “What if the reason I am seeing this problem is because I am the one equipped to try to get it done?” 15:00 “I challenge people to have multiple checks and balances systems when it comes to feedback.” 36:30

Bob Alejo, Director of Sports Science at Power Lift, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about how Bob got into Strength and conditioning when the field was in its early stages of development. Bob shares his experience and gives advice on how to succeed in the strength and conditioning field.Bob Alejo, CSCS, RSCC*E, has been the Director of Sports Science at Power Lift since July 2017. From 2011 – 2017 he was the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball (MLB) team, a position he also held from 1993 – 2001. Prior to rejoining the Oakland Athletics, Alejo was the Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 2005 – 2008. From 1984 – 1993, Alejo served as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he worked with 23 men’s and women’s teams. Follow Bob on Twitter: @Coach_Alejo | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning and I hated going home because you had so much fun being around that kind of energy.” 6:57“Buy-in from athletes didn’t happen the first day, and it really didn’t happen the first few years, but as time went on the guys who were lifting kept lifting and they got better at that because there was someone really driving it.” 15:28“I feel like if I was to put my hand on…a philosophy or method that we used that no one else did was that we lifted as heavy as we could all the time.” 18:36“You have to do what suits your facility, what suits your athletes and what you can get done that’s going to create a stimulus and help them get better.” 19:55“The sets and reps are the easiest things that you’ll ever do. It’s the stuff that you do outside of it that make the sets and reps come to life.” 21:09“It’s a little bit different on how you get there, but the qualities of the coach themselves, I think are as relevant as they were [in the past]. I think you have to be able to work with people and you have to be able to work with different socioeconomic backgrounds.” 22:14“We’re all selling something. In our case we’re selling our program, we’re selling my integrity that you’re going to follow.” 22:39“Run your weight room like a business because it is … You have to have a well-structured, organized program and that doesn’t mean necessarily the weight training. It means: how’s your staff act; what kind of personality do you want to represent; what kind of image are you going to portray?” 23:14“Be careful with what you say or what you write because somebody might believe it.” 53:36“I think scholarly work is important because, first of all, it teaches you how to speak … You put your thoughts together, you order them, you learn how to present it to people and you also learn how to write and inform somebody who doesn’t know what you know.” 55:50“If it takes you 100 words to explain something that should take 20, then you probably don’t know what you’re talking about.” 56:54

Liane Blyn, Director of Olympic Sports at Appalachian State University and world record holding powerlifter, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about what she tries to impart to interns to prepare them for the field, how being a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) has benefitted her as a strength coach, and advice for up-and-coming strength and conditioning coaches.Liane Blyn is a highly sought-after strength and conditioning coach with over 20 years of experience as a strength coach, athletic trainer, business owner, and competitor. She is currently the Director of Athletic Performance-Olympic Sports at Appalachian State University. Previously, she coached at Franklin High School, Arizona State University, Boston College, University of Nevada-Reno, Parisi Speed School, and her own business, Athletic Based Training. She is a 14-time United States of America Powerlifting National Champion and team member, current International Powerlifting Federation (IBF) World Champion, and world record holder in the bench, deadlift, and total. Find Liane on Twitter: @lianeblyn | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “We’re trying to figure out how to take the… classroom application and bring it into… practice within the weight room.” 1:18“We want to try to put out the best interns possible.” 1:33“I don’t want to run an internship where… they get no actual practical experience out of it.” 2:17“We’re trying to set up an actual curriculum to where every single week, our student interns are learning something.” 2:27“My husband said enough is enough—he’s like ‘what do you want to do?’” 7:42“Meg Stone was my idol.” 8:32“I’m a coach—the hardest part about owning a business is all the business side of it.” 10:00On making the transition from private sector to high school: “I’m… someone who wants to be on the floor, who wants to have an impact on student-athletes.” 10:12“[I] had about 70 kids, and five years later… I had 613 kids in my [high school] summer program.” 11:09“Most head coaches don’t make great business owners.” 13:42“One of the best hires you can make as an athletic director is a strength and conditioning coach in your high school.” 14:55“[Being an ATC] has helped me say, ‘This is how we incorporate the reconditioning phase back into the weight room.’” 17:45“I think it’s an important piece of it for me, to be actually an athletic trainer, especially if you’re at a smaller school.” 18:06“On the flipside though, there’s… athletic trainers out there that take the [Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist®] CSCS® just to have the credential behind their name but they have no idea what happens in a weight room.” 18:42“They can take the test and pass the test, but can they actually coach?” 19:01“Anyone can read a book, but can you apply it?” 19:35 “It’s more than just about lifting weights… it’s can they move, can they run… are they able to stop, start, change direction?” 20:55“Some of your worst kids in the weight room are your best athletes on the field.” 22:08“I think you have to practice what you preach.” 26:50“You have to be an example to your student-athletes.” 27:00“If you… haven’t touched a weight in your life, your kids are not going to respect you.” 28:10“Go out and meet as many people as you possibly can.” 32:01“Get involved, and coach, and be around as many sports as you possibly can.” 32:28“Male or female, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you focus on one sport.” 32:33