Elitefts Sports Performance Posdact Episode 3: Tom Palumbo

Interview with Tom Palumbo, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Flagler College

I first met Tom Palumbo in 2006 when he visited The United States Military Academy at West Point. I was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Army and Tom was the Associate Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at The Ohio State University, a position he held until the Spring of 2012. As the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Denison University, I had decided to intern for Tom at Ohio State in the summer of 2007. Tom's passion for getting his athletes better, his diligence and practical application of anecdotal research, his tenacious work ethic, and his unwavering integrity has made him one of the most respected coaches at the collegiate setting.

Tom has used his experiences from the University of Georgia, The Pittsburgh Pirates and The Ohio State University to organize and institute Flagler College's first ever strength and conditioning program. In this interview from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Conference in Kansas City, Missouri last May; Tom and I discuss is journey and transition through the coaching field as he goes into detail about programming, internships, and frustrations in the industry.

I have witnessed firsthand, Tom Palumbo coaching in the weight room, mentoring interns, and presenting at conferences. I asked Coach Palumbo to present at three consecutive Central Ohio Strength and Conditioning Clinics as well as many other regional and national conferences. As an internship coordinator, I would schedule multiple professional development trips each year. These were integral to the learning process for our student coaches. One of those trips was always to elitefts. The other was to the Ohio State University to visit with Tom.

Here is a list of the topics covered in this interview:

The career path

The Challenges of starting a program from scratch

Transitioning to a smaller school

Using accommodating resistance

Both sides of internships

Off-season programming

The stressors of the profession

Dealing with sport coaches