Eric Schmitt on Program Design and Agile Periodization in the NBA

If you’ve ever wondered how to write training programs for an NBA athlete, you’re going to love this episode.

Whether we’re talking about off-season development, managing the grind of an 82-game season, or bringing an injured athlete back to 100%, today’s guest has seen it all.

Eric Schmitt is in his fifth year as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.

And prior to his arrival in Memphis, he served as the Director of Sports Performance at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 2016-2019, and he came to UCSB after serving as an Assistant Sports Performance Director at UCLA from 2013-2016.

And in this episode, Eric and I are going to take a deep dive into program design for NBA athletes.

By just training you can get a good idea if someone has been training…and if someone hasn’t been training that’s pretty evident as well. So you can treat that session like an evaluation without having to go through more formal testing measures. – Eric Schmitt

This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast:

* Eric’s background and how he got started in the world of physical preparation.

* The exit interview process, and how he goes about setting goals for the off-season.

* Why frequently tapping into and talking to your athletes sets the stage for long-term success.

* How private S&C; coaches can best integrate with NBA coaches to get the best results for the athlete.

* Why bouncing around from city-to-city may look cool on the ‘gram, but ultimately hampers development.

* The role of transparency in the communication process, and why this is so critical to an athletes success.

* The intake and evaluation process athletes go through when they report for pre-season training camp.

* Why Roy Hibbert told me he wasn’t doing any testing or evaluation for at least the first week of our training together.

* Nerding out on program design: The micro, meso and macrocycles the Grizz use to plan and periodize the in-season.

* Why utilizing minimum effective dose is crucial, and how much work you REALLY NEED to maintain strength qualities.

* Return to play, and how to effectively collaborate between athletic trainers, physical therapists and strength coaches.

Connect with Eric:

* Eric Schmitt IG

Related Links:

* Chris Chase on the Trainable Exercise Menu

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