Joe Eisenmann joins me on the Supporting Champions podcast this week as we explore the area of long-term athletic development. We discuss his background in physiology, academia and applied practice and start off by discussing some of the fundamental principles of pedagogy and how important that is in academic and practical pursuits.  We then delve into some of the research Joe has conducted on lifestyle and health related behaviours and how they relate to markers of physical activity and long-term athlete development, exploring ideas on training regimes, parental inputs and the pressures they are under. It is clear that Joe adopts a holistic, critical thinking approach to help people develop and sustain health and performance across youth and adult life. I very much enjoyed the conversation with Joe as he understands many of the dynamics involved with working in sport, such as being a specialist vs generalist, but it is the centre piece of what he does and being mindful of the development of other humans that I enjoyed most. 

Show Notes

Steve and Joe start off by discussing the management of knowledge. Specifically, the translation and implementation of knowledge to ensure academic and practical impact

Steve starts to explore Joe’s journey and his experiences in the field of athlete development. But in particular a focus on Joe’s time studying and working in Carnegie 1 academic institutions, USA Football and in consultancy.

Joe shares his passion for youth sport but tells Steve about the moment he realised his focus would have to shift to health and disease related research - where research funding was being provided. 

Joe parts with some of the major insights from his period of study into physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, stress and genetics. Joe then highlights the overlapping concepts from this research and how there is overlap with long term athletic development. 

Steve and Joe then discuss how Joe supports athletes holistically. He stresses the importance of psychosocial development and the challenges associated with working as a unit with parents, coaches and athletes.

Steve and Joe chat about doing the fundamentals of performance really well, silver bullet approaches, the specialist vs generalist concept and the important skills required to work in sport. 

Joe shares a concept he likes to talk about called ‘the living lab’ and how we collect, process, implement and review information and action. Steve and Joe then unpack the importance of relational and environmental concepts in developing talent. 

Joe emphasises the importance of coach education, the coach as a delivery system and the importance of pedagogy no matter the environmental conditions. They are leaders at the centre of an athlete’s sporting experience. 

Joe asks all of us, what is your quality of life? He believes this should be one of the most important metrics in life. A good exercise Joe suggests is to think about your ideal day. 

What is next for Joe? More of living in the moment, maintaining a good quality of life and making an impact on a daily basis with youth athletes wherever that might be. 

Follow Joe online Follow Joe on Twitter https://twitter.com/Joe_Eisenmann Visit Joe's website https://ironmanperformance.org  https://ironmanperformance.org 

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