NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

Michael Doscher from Valdosta State University talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about how to thrive for many years at one institution and work well with those around you, as well as how strength coaches should be evaluated.Michael Doscher, CSCS, has served for 20-plus years as Speed, Strength, and Conditioning Coach at Valdosta State University. He has been honored for his work on several occasions, including in 2005, when he was named the College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He followed that by being named the Samson National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by American Football Weekly in 2007.Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes "Are wins and losses down to the weight room if progress is made in the weight room?” 2:06 “Are you coaching, are you hitting the right people, are you spending too much time with the kids that are doing it right and not enough time with those that are trying to hide?” 3:58“Use informal evaluation more as a teaching tool than purely as an evaluation.” 5:25“As a head guy, you have to humble yourself.” 5:44“‘Understand what he’s trying to say’ when an athlete comes to you and tells you he would prefer you to treat him a certain way or do something a certain way.” 7:04“I can’t be status quo if I want to make that one percent difference for our athletes and make them better.” 8:49“I love what I do… but at the end of the day, it’s a great family spot.” 11:36“‘Time and honesty… fighting the battles you should fight and compromising when you need to compromise’ when educating sport coaches.” 12:55“Make them [sport coaches] always think it’s their idea… I don’t want the recognition. The kids should get the recognition.” 14:15“Everybody I meet I try to learn something from.” 15:38“When they leave you, they have to be their own person.” 16:16“If you ‘gotta’ do something that’s not good; you have to ‘want to’ go do something.” 17:00To his graduate assistants: “You’re going to learn a lot from me—you might learn some good stuff, but you’re also going to learn what not to do sometimes… and that’s more valuable sometimes than knowing what to do.” 17:57“You learn more from failure than you ever do from successes.” 18:12“Not every athlete loves to lift because he’s an athlete.” 20:20“That’s what a true champion is—they work hard at things they don’t like to do.” 21:11“People are people… at the end of the day, we’re all more similar than we are not.” 22:58“You have to be intelligent to do what we do.” 29:03“It’s not all just lifting.” 30:52“Hire people smarter than you and stronger in your weaknesses.” 31:25“You want to hire somebody for their next position.” 32:22Number one reason people fail: “Ego.” 33:30

Boyd Epley, founder of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and one of the most decorated strength coaches of all time, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about how the NSCA was founded, how Coach Epley talked Nebraska into letting him weight train all football athletes (most of whom never lifted before), and growing the profession for female strength and conditioning coaches.Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA, is the one of the most decorated strength coaches in history and is the recipient of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) Lifetime Achievement Award. Lindy’s National College Football magazine named him one of College Football’s Top 100 Most Important People of the Century after his training program helped produce five National Championships and 356 wins in 35 years of University of Nebraska Football. He is the founder of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and continues to be an advocate for strength coaches.Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “There was no way I could ever have imagined the growth of the NSCA.” 1:12“I don’t think anyone could have seen the growth.” 1:27“It used to be about strength coaches but changing the name opened the door for researchers and anyone else who has an interest.” 5:05“We coined the term strength coach.” 5:26“Ultimately, that’s what we do—we improve performance.” 6:40“My career [as an athlete] ended and they asked if I would help other injured athletes in the weight room… So I did that and it caught on.” 7:55 “I would get paid two dollars per hour, two hours per day, three days per week but instead of taking it for what it was, two hours a day, I came in and worked full days and I took it serious and it caught on like wildfire.” 8:16“The second year they went 6 – 4 it was alarming and there were rumors the head coach would be replaced.” 9:08“Then he [Tom Osbourne] says, ‘Boyd thinks we should have the whole football team all lift weights.’” 11:39“He [Bob Devaney, University of Nebraska Head Football Coach] said, ‘We’re going to give this a try because Tom thinks it’s important, but if anybody gets slower you’re fired.’” 11:59“Nebraska went from a 6 – 4 season to 9 – 2 season (after our first year lifting) and then the next year, National Championship, and then again the next year we won the National Championship.” 14:32“We were doing periodization back in the early 70s before it was formally called that.” 15:27“The way athletic programs work today are even tougher schedules than when I started as a strength coach.” 19:45“I don’t agree that athletes should be training early in the morning. They need to sleep.” 20:52“The award that means the most to me is the NSCA’s Lifetime Achievement award.” 22:56“The great ones adjust.” 25:44“We have 14 Registered Strength and Conditioning Coaches at Nebraska.” 29:45

Rugby strength and conditioning coach Ashley Jones talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about early involvement in the NSCA, working in professional sports, why it is important to write as a strength and conditioning coach, building your network, and avoiding burnout.Ashley Jones, MSc, CSCS, RSCC*E, is a rugby strength and conditioning coach who has worked with the elite of the game. He was involved with the physical preparation of the Canterbury Crusaders (Super Rugby competition), New Zealand All Blacks (New Zealand National Rugby Union), Australian Wallabies (Australian National Rugby Union), Edinburgh Rugby (Pro14) and Scotland National Rugby Union teams. He was awarded the NSCA Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year for 2016 and holds the Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach® Emeritus (RSCC*E), recognizing over 20 years of professional coaching. Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes "First and foremost you’ve got to train yourself.” 6:07 “I’d like a young coach to have some competition experience in either powerlifting or weightlifting to understand the planning and processes going through it.” 6:32 “It’s also coming down to the ability to talk to people and communicate and organize them.” 7:41 “Experience, certification, and personality, that’s basically going to make a difference every day they walk in the weight room.” 7:57 “For me, writing [for websites like EliteFTS.com] is all about sharing information.” 8:48 “Developing other people makes you feel better about yourself in the process.” 9:42 “It’s extremely important to get to conferences.” 11:18 “It’s a great way of improving your network by standing around and talking to people.” 11:38 “My goals/vison for my athletes is process driven and outcome based.” 13:53 “We might have 47 different ways to squat.” 15:12 “In a contact sport like rugby, there’s always going to be people banged up, so we’ve got to find options along the way.” 15:22 “I think people who don’t train are more open to gimmicks than those who actually do train.” 20:40 Book – Legacy, about New Zealand All Blacks philosophy. 24:11 “Character will always find a way to win, lack of character will always find a way to lose and take shortcuts and cheat the system.” 24:33 “I want people that are working for the organization to be 100% there for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back of it.” 24:44 “Knowledge I can teach—character is formed long before I’m ever going to meet anyone.” 25:04 “I think the art of strength and conditioning is compromise.” 26:10 “Meditation is very important [for coaches].” 30:48

Andy Galpin, Associate Professor and Co-Director of Center for Sports Performance at Cal State Fullerton, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about the roles of science and technology in sport. Andy Galpin, PhD, is a tenured Professor in the Center for Sport Performance at California State University, Fullerton. Galpin received an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Linfield College, a Master’s Degree in Human Movement Sciences from the University of Memphis, and a PhD in Human Bioenergetics from Ball State University. He currently teaches and runs the Biochemistry and Molecular Exercise Physiology Lab at California State University, Fullerton.Follow Andy on Twitter: @DrAndyGalpin | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “I really hate it when the scientists say, ‘It’s my job to give them the science. It’s their job to read it.’” 5:35“You need to adjust and deliver to them in a message they can deliver.” 5:47“We’ve only got a few more years, or maybe 10 more years, when information itself is no longer a commodity.” 6:26“I can find literally anything I need to know online, but what I can’t find is somebody to walk me through, somebody to show me what it even looks like. So in my mind, the value of a coach is going to explode when the robotics really start to take over.” 6:38“I thought, if I can learn those advanced skills and still bring those back to training questions… We could answer some really cool questions.” 8:35“I barely passed chemistry as an undergrad and here I am, I have a PhD in molecular biochemistry.” 9:37“I personally identify as a coach than anything else.” 9:56“You’re not going to say you took a class from Andy Galpin and don’t know the difference between powerlifting and weightlifting.” 12:32“I’m going to always, as long as I can, give back to this field as much as possible.” 17:45“There’s so much technology in the training and performance field and there’s only more coming, we want to do what we can to help people understand how technology can be helpful or it can cause harm.” 21:01“They can be helpful but they can also be problematic if you’re outsourcing your own coaching intelligence to some piece of data.” 21:28“If you think it’s bad with technology now, just wait.” 23:15“We need to have an infrastructure in both our coaching practice and our own personal health that allows us to deal with things when it becomes very bad.” 23:55“There’s a difference between using technology as a task and letting it become a task master.” 25:28

Micah Kurtz, Director of Strength and Conditioning at AC Flora High School talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about high school strength and conditioning, and how to break into the field.Micah Kurtz is in his eighth year as Director of Strength and Conditioning at AC Flora High School, which has won 14 state championships in the past five years, including the 2016 boy’s basketball and boy’s golf championships. He also serves as the Strength and Conditioning Consultant Coach to the nine-time high school basketball champion Oak Hill Academy. Kurtz was named the NSCA National High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the year in 2016 and the South Carolina High School Strength Coach of the year in 2013 and 2014. Follow Micah on Twitter and Instagram as @KurtzM3 or visit his website at: www.TheAthleteMaker.com |Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes On breaking into a high school where there is not an existing program: “You really need to go to a school and introduce yourself to the coaches and the athletic directors. Let them know what you do.” 2:05“More and more schools are understanding the value of having a full-time certified strength coach.” 7:40“Can you live pretty comfortably being a high school strength coach? Yes, definitely.” 9:00“Your job security is much, much higher at the high school level.” 9:15“We have to meet the athlete where they are. You can’t have them all doing the exact same movements.” 10:52“We’ve been able to expand our program to where we are bringing fourth and fifth graders over a few days a week… and they are learning those fundamental movement skills at that young age.” 14:45“If you spend time cultivating a good relationship with [your athletes], and they understand everything that you’re doing is to improve them as a person and as an athlete, they’re going to buy in and do what you say.” 22:40“You’re not in it for yourself. You’re not in it to get rich. It’s all about making your athletes better and giving back to the profession.” 30:30“Kids need to understand that you’re going to have failures in life and you should not get rewarded and get an award for everything you do.” 35:22“Don’t place an overemphasis on winning, but don’t devalue the importance of having success and winning.” 35:35 

Jay DeMayo, strength and conditioning coach at the University of Richmond, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about training within a system but having flexibly, empowering athletes to make decisions in workouts, staying at one institution for 15+ years, books every coach should read, and knowing your role within the team setting.Jay DeMayo is in his 15th year as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Richmond, and his eighth year working with the men’s basketball team. DeMayo is directly responsible for the strength training, conditioning, and flexibility development of the men and women’s basketball teams. He also educates the student-athletes on the proper nutrition to make sure their bodies are performing to their full potential. DeMayo has presented at numerous seminars and clinics in five different states and has coached and lectured for a month at Ningbo University in China. He came to Richmond from Indiana State, where he was a graduate assistant during the 2002 – 2003 academic year. Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter: @cvasps | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “It’s kind of time to stop fighting and bickering about exercise and this and that and start talking about principles and results and performance and things that we can do to make sure we’re doing things better for the people we work for—and that’s the athlete.” 9:21“We tend to look at people (coaches) differently because they’re American.” 11:11“I have no problem with an athlete saying ‘I don’t want to deadlift, I want trap bar deadlift or sumo deadlift’ because until you can show me research that shows if you deadlift X amount of bodyweight, then you’ll go to the NBA, then who cares? It’s general exercise, keep getting strong at it until you’re stuck.” 14:55“You have to own the position… If you want your kids to hit squat depth or whatever it is but you don’t teach them how to be in that bottom position, I think you’re asking for problems.” 21:53“The principle behind everything is to get a little better each time.” 24:41Suggested reading:Conscious Coaching by Brett Bartholomew 29:241 x 20 by Michael Yessis 30:02Supertraining by Mel Siff 30:11Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe 31:50“I think if you’re starting… the one thing you have to be willing to do, and a lot of us have done wrong, is that we don’t have the ability to say no.” 32:41“Shut up and listen.” 33:39“There’s nothing like a Buddy Morris rant.” 34:46“The Rock said it best; ‘sometimes you just have to know your role and shut your mouth’”. 35:39“It’s years of work to just understand what you’re doing.” 36:57“What we do is really important but what we do does not trump what the sport coach does or what the athletes do.” 38:12“When there’s a job that’s posted that means that other people are working more because it’s open so calling and emailing isn’t probably your best bet to inquire about it.” 42:35“There’s got to be something better we can do than use exercise as punishment.” 45:46

Loren Landow, Director of Sports Performance at Landow Performance Denver, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about beginning your coaching career, having longevity at one institution, where and when to “pick your battles” (or not), and learning to listen.Loren Landow, CSCS,*D, is highly sought after for his ability to analyze and correct biomechanics. His goal is to maximize human performance, while decreasing the likelihood of injury. Landow has trained thousands of athletes of all ages and abilities, including over 500 professional athletes in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and Olympic athletes. Landow has worked with over 30 NFL All-Pros and over 20 first-round draft selections in the NFL. He recently published “My Offseason with the Denver Broncos: Building a Championship Team (While Nobody’s Watching).”Find Loren on Twitter: @LorenLandow | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “We know our ‘why,’ but we’re trying to evolve our ‘why’ and truly grow as coaches each and every day.” 4:01“We’ve put together this team of practitioners (the Resilience Project) and everything we do is data driven.” 13:52“My ‘why’ is to be a source of direction to guide your path, help you find your way, I want to be that person to help guide a path.” 16:43“I want to show coaches that you make a living in this industry in the private sector and you can make a very nice living… you can do all those things… you just have to get up every morning and push.” 17:56 “I think I’m equivalent to a greyhound dog because if I’m not coaching, I’m going to lose my mind.” 18:41“Most of my employees have been interns for me and I don’t care about your resume, I do not care about what you’ve done… what I care about is how you interact with our team… are you a ‘me’ or a ‘we’ guy?” 19:40“During the internship I’ve got 400 – 600 hours that I can evaluate you, I can watch you. If you walk into the bathroom and there’s water all over the sink are you going to wipe it down or are you just going to leave it? If you see some paper on the ground are you going to pick it up and throw it away?” 20:22“Just watching who you are from a character standpoint and a value standpoint that tells me all I need to know.” 20:50“I can’t teach you to be a good person, I can’t teach you to be a person who has good relationships, I can’t teach you to be a good team player, but if you are those things I do believe I can teach you how to be a good coach.” 20:58“Our time is limited in everything that we do, so to me it makes no sense to do anything half-hearted.” 23:05“I want to be able to share a passion of mine and something that gives a purpose to our industry.” 25:45“We talk about putting ourselves in vulnerable positions to make ourselves grow.” 27:12“If you have a question ask it, don’t be intimidated, don’t be afraid to go up and talk to a speaker or someone you look up to.” 29:21“Mentorship is a two way street.” 29:42“Don’t just take, take, take. Provide and give.” 30:05 “Always pay homage to those ‘who have set the table for you.’” 30:36“With all the mistakes I’ve made within the industry, I would not change a single one because I’ve truly learned from them.” 33:01“Working with the middle school athletes, that’s where you really learn a lot.” 37:10“People give up way too soon… it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a grind (to become the best).” 38:07

Matthew Van Dyke, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Denver, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about professional development, working as part of a comprehensive sports performance team, and developing additional knowledge in the field.Matt Van Dyke, MS, is an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Denver where he is responsible for the speed, strength, conditioning, and mobility workouts for the men’s lacrosse, alpine ski, volleyball, tennis, and swimming teams. Prior to his position with the University of Denver, Van Dyke was the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Minnesota. During his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Van Dyke was responsible for performance programming for men’s and women’s hockey, baseball, track and field, and the women’s golf team. He has presented at the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) National Conference and has presented at the Minnesota Sports Performance Clinic. Additionally, he is a co-author of Triphasic Training: A High School Strength and Conditioning Manual and author of several articles on xlathlete.com as well as his professional website, vandykestrength.com. Find Matt on Twitter: @Matt_VanDyke | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “The idea that we are stress managers is how I’m going to focus my time with athletes.” 2:28“How the athlete is perceiving stress is always going to be a more critical piece of the puzzle than anything else.” 6:17“We’re on a quarter system at DU, so basically every 10 weeks our athletes are having finals and the likelihood of injury is increased because the body views stress as stress. So how can we vary our training program to ensure we keep our athletes performing at a high level?” 7:30“Make the most of every opportunity you have. Regardless of what school you’re at, you’re all going to be tasked with different responsibilities. Whether it’s taking out the trash or restocking the fueling station, whatever it is you have to do the absolute best you can do at that because as you progress at those, you’ll be given more responsibilities.” 13:55“As a young coach, I knew how to get guys strong, but you learn quick there are so many more variables than just that.” 16:14“For us, nothing is ever set in stone.” 18:10 “Time management and understanding how important your network is to this profession is key.” 20:30“Writing is a tremendous method to explain the methods that you’re using with your athletes.” 24:30“I think a roadblock is knowing there’s always going to be the work to personal life ratio. Going into this profession knowing this isn’t a ‘9 – 5’ is key.” 28:25“What are you doing for your continuing education?” 29:55“It never feels like work, you’re not stuck in a cubicle, you’re moving every day.” 34:40“It’s more about development in the long run, because the majority of our athletes aren’t going to play professional sports.” 35:31  

Katie Fowler, from the University of South Carolina, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about being part of a National Championship team/culture, successful intern qualities, being a female strength and conditioning coach in a male dominated profession, and the influence of data in strength and conditioning.Katie Fowler, CSCS, is in her third season as the strength and conditioning coach for the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team. Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, she spent three seasons as the assistant director for basketball performance at the University of Maryland, where she worked with women's basketball and helped them to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Sweet 16 (2013) and two NCAA Final Fours (2014 and 2015), in addition to continuing to work with Maryland alumnae playing in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Fowler is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and holds Precision Nutrition Level-1 Certification and a Fascial Stretch Therapy Certification.Find Katie on Twitter: @_KatieFowler ‏ | Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “It’s a six game win streak to win a National Championship.” - 1:30“Having the ability to ‘turn it off’ and have interests outside of [strength and conditioning] is important.” – 7:14(Regarding successful interns) “They have confidence but yet humility and they want to keep learning.” – 11:45“Have the confidence to go up to other coaches and introduce yourself, and not be afraid to go out on a limb sometimes.” – 12:46“Don’t be discouraged [at a competitive profession], there are opportunities and it is a really rewarding profession.” - 16:15“If you want to work at the college level, go work at the college level, if you want to work in the NBA, go work in the NBA. There at no limits.” – 16:40“How do we decide what data is going to be useful [to our sport coaches]?” - 20:20Books – Pete Egoscue (anything by him), Extreme Ownership, Give and Take, The Feminine Mystique - 25:00

Cal Dietz, from the University of Minnesota, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about putting new learning into application, and many aspects of professional and personal development.Cal Dietz has been the Head Olympic Strength and Conditioning Coach for numerous sports at the University of Minnesota since 2000, including men’s hockey, men’s basketball, women’s hockey, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s swimming, track and field, baseball, and wrestling. During his tenure, Dietz has trained a Hobey Baker Award winner, two Big Ten Athletes of the Year, as well as athletes that have achieved 450 All-American honors, 31 Big Ten/Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Championships teams, and 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship teams. Previously, Dietz was the strength coordinator at the University of Findlay. Find Scott on Twitter: @scottcaulfieldShow Notes “We’re all in this together, we’re trying to make people better.” - 3:37“I got into [strength and conditioning] because I think I can help kids have a great experience.” - 5:30“I've had a huge influence on kids that I didn't even know I had.” - 6:28“You can train, have a process, and get better.” - 7:41“Even if it's not a good job right away, make it the job you want it to be.” - 12:03“Don't get frustrated. Keep making the job better.” - 12:30“The most developmental times I've had are when I've had assistants who question me.” - 22:12“Adaptability in a young coach is important.” - 23:01“After a coaching change, don't rip on the other staff.” - 26:03“As a young coach, the most important thing is your networking.” - 36:50“This business is about people, and you'll win with people.” - 39:38“You can't have everything all the time.” - 52:45