Here's a few videos that have been recently uploaded to our YouTube Channel. There's a Michigan State Half Gasser Test. A Mississippi State Chain-Resisted Running video. A pair of Cincinnati Bearcats high energy enthusiastic & #juiced segments. Texas Tech Coach Rusty Whitt reviews the 40YD Dash start & stance. Ohio State's Quinn Barham talks posterior chain in a Part Two reel. And, West Virginia Mountaineers Asst Strength Coach Darl Bauer joined us for an ASAP Podcast. And, oh yeah, I was at the Ohio State PRO-DAY and caught Dontre Wilson blazing through the 3 Cone Drill. Grab yourself a MUSCLE MILK® Protein Bar and enjoy! #strongereveryday
A huge shout out to our professional colleague and fellow strength & conditioning coach Scott Greenawalt. The team that he and his strength staff have developed down in Columbia, South Carolina is prepared for the toughest of battles. The USC Gamecocks are now among college basketball's elite class as they head to The Final Four. Congratualtions!
Here are a few videos from our visits to 'Carolina'. Also, our latest podcast sponsored by TEAMBUILDR, with Coach Greenawalt.
One of the featured speakers at the 34th Annual University of Tennessee Strength & Conditioning Clinic was Coach Darl Bauer. He's the Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning for the West Virginia Mountaineers Football Team. You've probably seen him in several of our past ASAP Features & ASAP Videos and he has become a sought after speaker for several clinics, including Coach Kim Wood's FOOTBALL STRENGTH CLINICS. Coach Bauer is a very knowledgeable coach…… and a definite winner! So, it was a no brainer to add Coach Darl Bauer to our ASAP Podcast Guest List. This is Episode #293….if you're keeping score! And, here's even more pics from Morgantown, WV
If anyone had thought that this annual strength clinic attendance had topped out after last years big turn out that followed a 2016 College Football Playoff appearance, forget about it! The 2017 Michigan State Spartans 10th Annual Strength & Conditioning Clinic welcomed a record turnout The adage that "you win with people" holds very true here. There's a lot of folks up there in East Lansing who have passion and commitment to the coaching profession and enjoy sharing the knowledge that they've acquired. It starts at the top and that's where the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, Ken Mannie and his leadership skills step to the forefront. He's in his 22nd year of coaching at this Big Ten power member. Try doing that! Pretty much amazing. Coach Mannie gave the opening night clinic kick-off and touched on great topics about learning…and taking on new knowledge, and the process of building relationships.
Assistant Strength Coach Mike Vorkapich…the clinic's director, definitely has a feel for how to make it all work. He's found a format that has really kept past attendees returning and new coaches on the way. One thing that's really added a professional flair to this clinic is when they made the addition of clinic emcee Ted Lambrinides. He's a speaker, professor, coach and true expert in the strength coaching & conditioning realm…. and a true authority on many of the branches of the field. In fact, over the past several years, he's become a specialist at understanding football player tracking data and consults with many of the nation's top collegiate programs, as well as all NFL teams… which he does through his work at Zebra Technologies, the leader in player tracking. Ted keeps the clinic on the go and interjects some sidebar facts regarding all things strength & conditioning. He also has an unusual memory to reel off coaching profiles of all of the speakers…. without any note cards or teleprompters!
Power MSU Spartan RB Gerald Holmes
Coach Vorkapich also makes sure that the annual event has a well rounded speaker list….. a litany of professionals who know how to share information in a great way. This year, we saw the University of Maryland's Assistant A.D.for Football Sports Performance, Rick Court give a polished talk in the newly refurbished Spartan strength training complex.that boasts a brand new floor and completely updated Rogers Athletic Rack System. And, with the help of Spartan G.A. Danny Foligno, the practical demos contained info and techniques that could be added to a coaches' toolbox. ETSU Strength Coach Al Johnson delivered. He's a seasoned veteran of the strength industry and he gave a great talk on teaching mental toughness, as well as Tim "Red' Wakeham on leadership roles and development . Round that out with CMU Coach Jason Novak and Warren Michigan's Mott High School Strength Coach Shaun Tahrebandi and you have your self a nice speaker list.
But wait, in the MSU Strength Clinic tradition, there's always a Spartans on hand to 'keep it real!'. Star Running Back Gerald Holmes gave up a Friday night as a college kid to help out one of the practical application parts of the clinic: This year, MSU Assistant Strength Coach Lorenzo Guess came through on this segment. Coach Guess, not only talks it…but he walks it, too. Lorenzo was a four year letter winner for the Spartans…playing in cool bowl games, and….. if that's not enough, he also starred on the Spartan's basketball squad with a couple of letters there, too. And, an NCAA Final Four gig! Anyway, they conducted a very nice football performance session out in the Michigan State Indoor Facility. Holmes (#24), a power RB, looked effortless as he demonstrated a a lengthy list of drills for Coach Guess. It should be noted that shifty runner had worked previously that day with the morning training groups. Hopefully, the NCAA allowed that dude some extra protein that day! As for Coach Guess, he looks like he could still don the Green & White!
All that plus ample restrooms, a very comfortable auditorium-style learning setting, plenty of Panera coffee and bagels along with a power box lunch selection makes for a pretty BIG deal. GO GREEN!
The Ohio State Buckeye Strength Staff, once again, did a stellar job churning out practical training information for coaches and clinicians trying to further their knowledge of the complexities of strength training & conditioning for athletics. Ohio State's Asst A.D. for Football Sports Performance Mickey Marotti doesn't stand upon the mountaintop to proclaim that his way is the best way to achieve results. He encourages that coaches find what works for them and roll with it. Don't get too caught up in all the percentages schemes and numbers games that are out there. Take basic philosophies and develop your program around very hard work, effort and discipline. He purports that there are several ways to accomplish training… but to make sure that it's proper, safe and age appropriate. Marotti has been training championship caliber athletes for over 30 years. He's been able to take the sound approaches of the different training methodologies and combine that with proper nutrition and timely rest. Walking around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and seeing his football athletes engaging in non-training activities and then seeing them in training as well, there's no question that "Coach Mick" has a handle on the situation and the guys look the part, too!
Coach Mickey Marotti:
"Building a Program"
Clinic Director Jeff Uhlenhake had all his assignments down big time. The registration and parking process was smooth. Plenty of coffee and bagels and spreads were available for all. Vendors and booths were easy to access product information for coaches. The big strength companies…Hammer Strength, Rogers Athletic were all represented. Power-Lift was there, too and all provided clinic materials and take home note sheets. Coach Uhlenhake also organized a Clinic Speaker Staff that laid down the practical stuff that coaches on hand can add to their training tool boxes. Coach Quinn Barham gave a polished talk on Developing & Maximizing the Posterior Chain. It couldn't be covered and explained more thoroughly than what Coach Barham put down! Explanations, the exercises and the demonstrations all easy to understand and follow. And he put new addition assistant strength coach Niko Palazeti through a few of the paces!
One of the other speakers, a quite familiar face at "The Woody", was Coach Brady Collins who covered the gamut of Alternative Training Methods. This talk covered all of the warm-ups, dynamic warm-up, neck training and upper & lower body training guidelines. Collins is now the Director of Football Sports Performance at The University of Cincinnati. Brady has been featured in several ASAP Videos from his previous strength coaching stops at Kentucky Wildcats, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Ohio State. His hyped up enthusiastic style is right out of the "Marotti-Court-Oliver & Lambrinides" Handbook. When Luke Fickell accepted the Cincinnati Bearcats head football coaching assignment, he grabbed Brady Collins for the ride down I-71. Booom!
ASAP Sponsor: Zebra...The Leader of Football Player Tracking
An interesting addition to this year's clinic was when Uhlenhake tabbed OSU physical Therapist Adam Stewart who gave a really interesting talk and explanation of the Buckeyes' approach to Functional Training. Again, practical information that one can take back home and use! Also, strength intern Jimmy Rodenberg, emerged as a very good demonstrator of proper form coach!
Coach Phil Matusz covered the psychological aspects of training with his "Mental Approach to Training Under the Bar" session. University of Toledo Rockets' Director of Football Strength & Conditioning discussed and explained some effective methods to overcome budget and staff restrictions. Just about everyone can use information like Brad described!
This segment has been contributed by Washington State Cougars Strength & Conditioning Specialist Adam Thackery
In August of 2016, I was hired as the strength and conditioning coach for baseball at Washington State University. The baseball team was going through a major rebuilding phase under second-year head coach Marty Lees. The fall ball roster consisted of 23 newcomers and only 18 returners. With this many newcomers to the team, it only made setting my expectations for the team that much easier. I am fortunate enough to have a coaching staff that is 100% on board with what I want to accomplish in the weight room. During the fall semester, I was able to get 13 weeks of mandatory training, and an additional two voluntary weeks at the end.
Learning to Train
The first eight weeks consisted of fall ball practices, individual sessions, and lifting. We were in the weight room every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 am; while all practices and individuals were scheduled in the afternoon. The first two weeks were spent re-grooving our squat and hinging patterns, teaching main kettlebell movements, as well as teaching major pulling and pressing movements. We would finish all of our workouts with a high-intensity finisher to build our work capacity.
Establishing a base for what we will train on until next June is key during this time. The foundation for all of our major movements must be taught and taught again. We will squat (front and back) and pull from the floor (deadlift or Olympic style pull) year round, so establishing these movement patterns from the beginning will eliminate any headaches later in the year. By the end of these eight weeks, the guys are starting to move well and we are ready to increase volume and intensity for the rest of the semester.
Training
With fall practices over, our volume and intensity in the weight room increased dramatically. We will still lift three days a week, but now we are also running on Tuesday and Thursday. Both running days will consist of high intensity, low volume sprint and plyometric work.
Competition Friday
Fridays are our biggest lifts, so setting the mood the minute they walk into the weight room is EVERYTHING!!! The whole team will be at least 30 minutes early to the lift for foam rolling, stretching, or getting something from the nutrition station. The music will already be cranked up as the guys are getting ready to attack the lift. We will start the lift off with either a 1v1 or 2v2 competition, pairing the position players against the pitchers. There is a new competition every week, and the athletes won’t know who will have the opportunity to go. We will do a variety of competitions that favor different strengths. The competition could be anything from:
Climbing rack to rack from a rope:
A straight-arm plate hold:
Or a partner progressive load barbell hold:
The stakes are high during these competitions, as the entire losing group must complete a predetermined amount of burpees before beginning their lift. After each lift, we will pair the entire pitching staff against the position players. These competitions will vary in length and intensity based on the week.
They can be as simple as: A med ball plank relay:
Or a Sally-Up, Sally-Down push-up challenge: (insert video)
Finishing every week on a high note is crucial for a culture-changing program. It creates a sense of accomplishment, competitiveness, and pride. And most of all, it creates excitement for the next week of training.
Cougar Challenge
Week 12 is four days entirely dedicated to competitions. Our roster was drafted into four teams of pitchers and position players combined. Monday morning consisted of a set distance for each team to complete on the Versa Climber, followed by a short relay, and then finished off with the entire team banded together racing through a predetermined route around campus carrying the Cougar Flag. Tuesday morning, each team reported to our Sports Nutrition Department for a surprise hydration test. Each team was either awarded or subtracted points depending on their level of hydration. After hydration testing was done, we headed to the pool for a mix of team and individual relays and challenges. With the weather in Pullman being hit-or-miss, we waited to do Wednesday’s challenges in the afternoon on the baseball field. We had six different competitions for each team to compete head-to-head against. The competitions included: sled push relay, tug-o-war, med ball relay, farmers carry relay, med ball scoop throw, and sled drag relays. Each event included a surprise twist that would require the entire team to work together before or during the event. The final challenge was held on Thursday afternoon. Each team reported to the weight room and we banded them together again for a campus-wide scavenger hunt relay. Before each team could begin, they had to complete a 10 question quiz about the history of PAC-12 Baseball (each incorrect answer resulted in a 30 second penalty). I had eight interns around campus and Pullman with a riddle for each team to solve before they could move on to the next checkpoint. At the final checkpoint, each team had to carry a sandbag, 100lb dumbbell, 32kg kettlebell, and a 25kg bumper plate back to the baseball field for the finish line. We finished the week off with bear crawl harness battle with the finish line being a College World Series home plate. The intensity was through the roof; it was a great way to finish off the week and head into Thanksgiving break.
Special thanks to Washington State University Strength & Conditioning Specialist Adam Thackery for contributing this article. Follow him on Twitter @AdamThackery
The field of Sports Nutrition is on the grow. College and professional teams are not only seeking advice from nutritionists for their teams, but they're hiring full-time dietitians to direct programs that apply the science of nutrition to enhance their athletes' performances.
I made another trip to The Ohio State University to get first hand information from OSU's expert on dietetics for football performance, Sean McMickle. We talked extensively on the ever-evolving program at one of the nation's most highly revered football programs. McMickle, is a key figure as a performance team member established by Head Football Coach Urban Meyer and Asst' A.D. for Football Sports Performance Director Mickey Marotti.
In this podcast, we discussed:
the OSU Football performance team
Methods of feeding the Buckeye Football Machine
choosing meats wisely for optimal sports enhancement
Typical Buckeye Breakfast
expanding the sports nutrition at OSU
OSU's nutrition Master's program
Buckeye "Victory Meal"
a super calorie weight gain smoothie
OSU Football Sports Nutrition social media
If you missed our previous podcast, here's the link: More OSU Nutrition And here in this video is McMickle's Weight Gain Smoothie that includes Information, ingredient list and mixing techniques:
As usual, ASAP Podcasts only settle for the top professionals in the business. And in this case, nothing changes….. straight to the pinnacle. College basketball's all time winningest program and Coach Robert Harris!
We went right to the head of the class for this one. We have been to Lexington on previous visits as we have always been in close contact with Coach Ray "Rock" Oliver. But Rock has moved up to an administration role at Kentucky. Nowadays, the man in charge of training the elite players that Head Coach John Calipari recruits for the Kentucky Wildcats is Coach Robert Harris. He took over after a stint as the assistant for Coach Oliver and the transition has been as smooth as an uncontested Wildcat layup. Harris knows the ropes and knows how to motivate top level athletes to push themselves. His background also had stops at Arkansas and even spent some time working with NFL players just up I-75 North at the Cincinnati Bengals, where he learned and gathered some insights under Coach Chip Morton. Coach Harris joined us for an ASAP Podcast…. some pics of the Kentucky Wildcats in training….. and some video, too.