Today’s guest is Michael Zweifel. Michael is the Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach at UW–La Crosse, now in his fourth season with the program. He previously founded Building Better Athletes (BBA Performance) in Dubuque, Iowa, training athletes from youth to pro levels. Michael also coached at Clarke College and the University of Dubuque. A former record-setting wide receiver, he won the 2011 Gagliardi Trophy and still holds the NCAA all-divisions career receptions record (463).

In athletic development, the “5 S’s of performance”: Strength, Speed, Stamina, Suppleness, and Skill are often brought up. What tends to be the case is that those 5 elements are weighted in that order, with skill mentioned, but rarely or ever studied in how to improve it.

On today’s show, Michael discusses his own creative approach to skill development in American football players with an emphasis on building artistry and adaptability in his players. He speaks on the nature of constraint-based coaching that helps athletes improve their arsenal of movements on the field, as well as their decision-making skills amid chaos. We also touch on the crossover between basketball and football, and ultimately, the art of long-term development of skill in one’s sport and as an athlete in general.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

0:12 – Programming for High School vs. College-Level Athletes

5:03 – Balancing Strength and Movement Skill in Team Settings

11:09 – Developing the Skill of Lifting in Young Athletes

15:34 – Rethinking Readiness: Performance vs. Output

19:43 – Using Split Squats and Progressions for Movement Quality

26:30 – Training the Foot and Ankle Without Overengineering It

31:58 – Prioritizing Play and Variability in Movement Prep

36:30 – Gaining Buy-In Through Fun, Autonomy, and Context

44:52 – Avoiding the Trap of Over-Cueing and Technical Obsession

50:33 – Defining Transfer: Performance, Practice, and Perception

55:51 – Evolving Coaching Philosophy with Experience

Programming for High School vs. College-Level Athletes – [0:12]

Coaching high school athletes requires simpler systems and more attention to teaching intent. College athletes can handle more volume and complexity, but the fundamentals still matter.

What to try:

Prioritize clean movement and buy-in over complexity in high school settings.

Introduce more autonomy and load management with college athletes.

Don’t assume physical maturity—meet athletes where they are.

Balancing Strength and Movement Skill in Team Settings – [5:03]

It's not just about chasing strength numbers. There's value in seeing how strength integrates into movement, especially in large team environments.

What to try:

Cycle in movement tasks—like crawling, balancing, or landing—in warmups and finishers.

Use strength work to support athletic expression, not just output.

Keep the athlete’s sport in mind—strength is a tool, not the goal.

Developing the Skill of Lifting in Young Athletes – [11:09]

Lifting isn’t just strength—it’s a skill. For youth athletes, you’re teaching how to move with awareness under load.

What to try:

Start with basic isometrics and bodyweight patterns to teach control.

Add load only when position and rhythm are reliable.

Use slow eccentrics and pauses to reinforce stability.

Rethinking Readiness: Performance vs. Output – [15:34]

Readiness isn’t just about lifting heavier or running faster—it’s about how an athlete moves and feels. Output is one piece, not the whole picture.

What to try:

Include subjective readiness check-ins before training.

Look for signs of fluidity, control,

Today’s guest is Will “Hoss” Ratelle — former All-Big Sky linebacker turned strength and conditioning coach, with experience at the University of North Dakota, the NFL, and the CFL. Known for his intense, results-driven training style, Hoss blends his pro football background with evidence-based methods to build size, speed, and resilience in athletes. He’s also the creator of popular programs like “Hoss Concurrent” and a respected voice in the online performance space.

Most fitness and training education tends to be rigid, centered around fixed sets, reps, heart rate zones, and prescribed loads and timing. While this structure has value, athletes eventually need to move beyond it and enter a more adaptive, natural rhythm of training. Sets and reps can serve as a starting point, but great coaching gives training a feel, one that fosters ownership, problem-solving, and deeper athlete engagement.

On today’s episode, Will Ratelle shares practical strategies for building training protocols that allow for flexibility and athlete autonomy. He discusses how to keep athletes dialed in during strength and power work, while also diving into topics like hamstring rehab, velocity-based training, and more.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

0:12 – Transitioning from College S&C to Academia and Private Sector

5:41 – Training Adjustments for Harsh Winter Environments

9:35 – The Role of Giant Sets in Strength Training

15:11 – Building Competition and Problem-Solving into Small Group Training

18:05 – Time-Based Plyometrics for Better Autoregulation

22:50 – Applying Time-Based Models to Jumps and Olympic Lifts

27:21 – Minimalist Approach to Accessory Work in Training

30:54 – Using Velocity-Based Training for Autoregulation

41:25 – Hamstring Rehab Strategies Using Sled Work and Sprint Progressions

44:37 – Perspectives on Nordics and Eccentric Hamstring Training

Actionable Takeaways

Training Adjustments for Harsh Winter Environments – [5:41]

Training outdoors year-round is unrealistic in extreme winters. Will adapts by simplifying programming indoors and accepting seasonal fluctuations in volume and intensity.

What to try:

Plan for seasonal ebbs and flows, especially in outdoor-heavy programs.

Shift to more controlled indoor environments during harsh weather periods.

Keep aerobic and speed elements alive through creative indoor alternatives like tempo sleds or circuits.

The Role of Giant Sets in Strength Training – [9:35]

Will uses giant sets to create training flexibility. These allow athletes to autoregulate volume, manage energy, and work at their own pace without strict rep schemes.

What to try:

Build sessions around circuits of 3–4 movements: main lift, jump, core, mobility.

Set time limits (e.g., 20 minutes) instead of strict sets/reps.

Let athletes self-select volume based on daily readiness.

Building Competition and Problem-Solving into Small Group Training – [15:11]

Will’s small group setups naturally encourage problem-solving, teamwork, and friendly competition—all without over-coaching.

What to try:

Create circuits or mini-competitions that require collaboration.

Encourage athletes to solve challenges together (e.g., team med ball throws for max reps).

Keep coaching cues minimal—let athletes figure things out.

Time-Based Plyometrics for Better Autoregulation – [18:05]

Will prefers time-based plyo sets to help athletes naturally regulate their own volume and quality of output as they warm up and fatigue.

What to try:

Run 30-60 second blocks for depth jumps or hops instead of fixed reps.

Encourage gradual build-up in intensity within each b...

Today’s guests are Cameron Josse and Joel Reinhardt. Cameron Josse is an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Detroit Lions. He’s previously led training at DeFranco’s and worked in college football at Auburn and Indiana, training athletes across the NFL, NHL, UFC, and WWE. Joel Reinhardt is the Director of Football Performance at Lafayette College. He’s coached at San José State, Stanford, UMass, and Nicholls State.

Both Cameron and Joel are field leaders in applied performance, data-driven programming, and athletic movement for physical preparation in American Football. Details in athletic preparation change from the level of high school to college to professional.

On today’s episode, Cameron and Joel speak on the nature of contact and collision preparation in their athlete populations, with a specific emphasis on the use of the ground and rolling patterns. They discuss the specific game demands of football, especially on the college and pro level, and how to prepare athletes for 25,000+ weekly yards of total on-field movement. They break down their approaches to speed, direction change, and capacity building work, with these ideas in mind. This was a show with lots of wisdom on helping players fully meet the needs of their sport.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen wearable resistance.

Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

1:57 – In-Season Program Differences: NFL vs. College Strength Cycles

4:48 – Navigating Player Relationships with Private Trainers

15:57 – Adapting Contact Prep and Agility for Different Levels

32:38 – Tempo Running as a Foundation for Training Camp Readiness

37:44 – Total Yardage and Conditioning Strategy in Football Preparation

50:16 – Designing Multi-Directional Conditioning Sessions That Mimic Football

58:28 – Integrating Multi-Directional Movements in Conditioning for Athleticism

1:03:46 – Reframing Speed Development Within Annual Training Cycles

1:10:04 – Shifting Focus: From Pure Speed to Building Complete Players

Actionable Takeaways

In-Season Program Differences: NFL vs. College Strength Cycles [1:57]

College and NFL environments demand different strategies due to season length, player access, and structure. Joel discusses managing heavy summer phases before camp, while Cam explains the shift in autonomy and scheduling when transitioning to the NFL.

What to try:

In college, leverage summer access to build in more football-specific work before camp.

In pro settings: Expect less year-round control—build players' autonomy and keep lines open during away periods.

Plan for longer in-season stress in the NFL (17+ games); taper early and build recovery into weekly rhythms

Navigating Player Relationships with Private Trainers [4:48]

Cameron emphasizes collaboration with private-sector coaches when players train off-site. Rather than resisting outside input, he advocates for using it to better individualize in-team programming.

What to try:

Reach out to private coaches working with your athletes—especially vets with long-standing relationships.

Use those conversations to shape training direction, not override it.

Drop the ego—focus on what helps the athlete feel and perform best

Adapting Contact Prep and Agility for Different Levels [15:57]

Literal contact prep (e.g., wrestling, rugby-style drills) is mostly off-limits in team settings. Cam shifts toward decel work, ground-based drills, and rolling patterns to mimic collisions without violating rules.

What to try:

Use crawling, rolls, and tumbling as proxies for contact—especially during early prep phases.

Emphasize deceleration and COD mechanics for lower body contact loading.

Today’s guest is Jay DeMayo, Jay is the longtime strength coach for men’s basketball at the University of Richmond and the founder of CVASPS—the Central Virginia Sport Performance Seminar. He’s known for connecting top minds in sport science and coaching, and for his practical, athlete-first approach to physical preparation.

Where the emphasis of an athletic performance program can easily be centered from a narrow perspective, Jay considers a wide variety of inputs, from an athlete’s underlying structure and positional abilities to their perception of workout adjustments, to specialized exercises and technical training elements.

In this episode, Jay digs into the principles he uses to prepare athletes for the demands of the game. From a foundational perspective, he discusses building work capacity and progressing split squats. On the power side, he shares his take on Olympic lifts and French Contrast training, while also addressing the role of autonomy and individualization in his approach. Throughout the show, Jay unpacks practical tools and coaching strategies that drive long-term athletic development.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

8:21- Tailoring Training Methods for Athlete Engagement

11:01- Unveiling Louis Simmons' Strength Training Insights

14:24- Enhancing Basketball Players' Performance Through Tailored Training

21:37- Personalized Exercise Selection for Enhanced Performance

27:55- Engaging Exercise Progressions for Effective Training

30:22- Mastery of Bottom Position for Exercise Gains

34:49- Empowering Athletes through Autonomy and Structure

40:02- Enhancing Lift Performance through Positioning Techniques

49:28- Maximal Expression Circuit Training with Olympic Lifts

59:19- Hormone Spikes in Squat Training

1:14:38- Tailored Stimuli for Optimal Physiological Response

1:17:31- Strength-Speed Emphasis in Athletic Training Program

Actionable Takeaways

Tailoring Training Methods for Athlete Engagement [8:21]

Let’s stop clinging to strict, textbook methods. Jay reflects on how older training styles—like Westside—can still have value when creatively repurposed. It’s not about mimicking those programs but about borrowing what drives athlete engagement and technical mastery today.

What to try:

Use methods like box squats to teach depth and posture before progressing to more dynamic movements.

Connect the dots for athletes: show how learning positions now sets them up for more “fun” or explosive lifts later.

Reinforce that mastering basic postures unlocks more advanced training, not just better numbers.

Unveiling Louis Simmons' Strength Training Insights [11:01]

Jay highlights lessons from studying Louie Simmons—not for copying his powerlifting templates, but to appreciate mastery and intention. Athletes need to understand why they’re training a certain way, not just how.

What to try:

Share stories or videos of experts from outside your sport to spark discussions about mastery and approach.

Ask athletes to reflect on what "winning" a lift means to them—focus, technique, or load?

Create reflective moments for athletes to assess their own intent during sessions.

Enhancing Basketball Players’ Performance Through Tailored Training

[14:24]

Forget rigid metrics for the sake of numbers. Jay focuses on using basic force plate data (jump height + contraction time) to guide individual exercise choices—not to chase numbers, but to fit each athlete’s needs.

What to try:

Test vertical jump and contraction time; use results to bucket athletes into fast/slow jumpers.

Prescribe exercises accordingly:

Today’s guest is Hunter Eisenhower, Associate Head Coach for Sports Performance at Arizona State Men’s Basketball. With experience in the NBA and NCAA, Hunter blends force production qualities, data analysis, and variability-driven human training methods to build explosive, adaptable athletes. He’s the creator of the “Force System” and a thought leader in modern athletic performance concepts.

Most athletic performance training is centered around outputs. Movement abilities and qualities are discussed, but there isn’t much quantification process that goes towards an athlete’s raw abilities, such as variable jump strategies alongside stiffness and compliance competencies.

On today’s episode, Hunter shares his approach to offseason prep using general physical means that build that “human strength”—developing capacity alongside movement variability. Hunter also breaks down how he quantifies an athlete’s movement capacities and library, their ability to, balance rigidity and compliance in line with force plate data. We wrap with ideas on foot training and using variable surfaces to meet the demands of dynamic sport. This is a great look at training beyond just big lifts—into the true movement needs of the game.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses

Check out the newest mini-course, Sprint Drills Reloaded on how to maximize sprint drills, their specific strength development, building of major sprint actions, along with better integration of sprint drills into sprinting technique. The special intro sale ends July 1st. (https://justflysports.thinkific.com/courses/sprint-drills-reloaded)

Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Main Points and Key Takeaways

2:00- Sandbags, Suffering, and the Mental Edge

6:00- Let Hard and Fun Coexist in Your Program

10:19- The Importance of Variability in Program Design

12:53- Early Off-Season Program Design

19:27- Rewild Your Program: Crawl, Climb, Wrestle, Hang

23:28- Rethink GPP: Don’t Just Prep to Lift—Prep to Move

30:20- Break Barbell Monotony with Sandbags

34:49- Sleds Are a Movement Tool—Not Just a Finisher

41:03- Measure Movement Options—Not Just Output

48:39- Don’t Confuse Explosive with Efficient

54:31- Train Variability by Changing the Rules

58:05- Cue for Change: Let the Jump Reveal the Strategy

59:50- Start with the Foot—It Tells the Whole Story

1:05:07- Polish Boxes, Stall Bars, and DIY Creativity

Sandbags, Suffering, and the Mental Edge (2:00)

Simple tasks like sandbag holds or dead hangs can reveal a lot about an athlete’s mental state and fatigue tolerance. Sometimes mental state—not just strength—dictates how long you’ll last under tension.

What to try:

Program weekly “grit sets”: sandbag holds, wall sits, or dead hangs.

Try them first thing in the session—before the brain can talk itself out of effort.

Pair them with journaling or a quick “mind state” score: how’d it feel today?

Let Hard and Fun Coexist in Your Program (6:00)

Every session can’t be a competition. But not everyone should be brutal either. Hunter encourages toggling between “suck” and “play.” One makes you tougher, the other keeps you coming back.

What to try:

Alternate between gamified partner drills and long isometric work during your week.

Use athlete feedback: which days feel “engaging”? Which feel like “grinding”? Both matter.

Build polarity into the week—not just into the periodization model.

The Importance of Variability in Program Design (10:19)

Sticking to one type of stimulus flattens the athlete’s capacity. Instead, training should live across a spectrum—fun to miserable, slow to fast, light to heavy.

Today’s guest is running and movement coach, Lawrence Van Lingen, a world-renowned movement coach known for helping athletes move better by blending scientific principles, psychology, biomechanics, and intuitive coaching methods. He’s worked with a range of athletes, from Olympians and elite runners, to everyday movers to unlock efficiency, fluidity, and performance.

Running and what we would refer to as “functional strength” are closely related. Strength-based movements that train the gait cycle are amongst the most natural and effective versions available. In working the keys that make for better propulsion and effectiveness in locomotion, we can get insight into better strength practices in general.

In this episode, Lawrence van Lingen shares how crawling, backward movement, foot training, and resisted walking can strengthen critical elements of the gait cycle. He explores the connection between natural rhythmic movement and running performance, the ways fear can disrupt quality motion, and how play and curiosity drive better movement learning. From syncing strides to music to mobilizing the feet, Lawrence offers a range of practical, creative methods to enhance coordination and speed.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Check out the newest mini-course, Sprint Drills Reloaded on how to maximize sprint drills, their specific strength development, building of major sprint actions, along with better integration of sprint drills into sprinting technique.

(https://justflysports.thinkific.com/courses/sprint-drills-reloaded)

Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

3:30- Barefoot Origins: Impact on Human Movement

9:40- The Impact of Fear on Athletic Performance

20:55- Enhancing Running Performance Through Rhythmic Variation

29:00- Syncing Music Tempo with Physical Movements

37:38- Optimizing Athletic Abilities through Strong Hips

40:08- Enhancing Running Mechanics Through Resisted Walking Exercises

42:19- Enhancing Movement Quality through Central Patterns

45:51- Enhancing Ankle Mechanics Through Foot Mobility

52:35- Enhancing Mobility Through Unique Movement Practices

59:06- Enhancing Muscle Activation and Injury Prevention

1:12:02- Enhancing Running Mechanics Through Foot Mobilization

Key Takeaways

[3:30] – Barefoot Origins: Impact on Human Movement

Lawrence digs into why humans move so differently compared to animals. His take? Our lifestyle has pulled us far from our natural roots. Kids growing up barefoot, outdoors, and constantly playing tend to move better—more fluid, intuitive, and efficient. But if you’ve spent your life in shoes, cars, and classrooms, you’ve likely lost some of that.

Takeaway:Reclaiming efficient movement may mean “unlearning” modern habits and returning to play, curiosity, and organic exploration—just like barefoot kids who never saw a car before age ten. Drills can help, but you won’t drill your way back to instinctual movement if your foundation is disconnected.

[9:40] – The Impact of Fear on Athletic Performance

Fear, even subtle, can hijack movement. Lawrence emphasizes that emotional blocks—doubt, hesitation, trying too hard—are often the root of poor performance. Confidence doesn’t just show up on the scoreboard, it’s embedded in your nervous system and your patterns.

Takeaway:Fear shows up in the body before it shows up in results. Addressing performance isn't just about skill—it’s about safety and trust in your movement. Don’t just train mechanics—train confidence in your central patterns. You can’t out-coach fear with drills alone.

[20:55] – Enhancing Running Performance Through Rhythmic Variation

Running with perfect repetition isn’t always the goal.

Today’s guest is Rett Larson, strength coach for the German Women’s Volleyball Team and creator of the "No Zombies" training philosophy. Rett coached Olympic medalists with China and the Netherlands, blending energy, rhythm, and purposeful movement into world-class performance.

As sport expands into an increasingly more high-pressure, early specialization event that can easily suck fun and joy away, there grows a need for a "counter-culture" within athletic performance. Not only does a "physical preparation" process for athletes that is joyful and gamified lead to more fun within a training session, but it also develops important athletic qualities, within that umbrella of "fun" that may not be possible in more "traditional" sessions.

Rett Larson is spearheading an active, engaging approach to the physical preparation process for athletes with warmups designed for joy, engagement, and a comprehensive stimulation of athletic qualities along the way. On today’s episode, Rett speaks on a variety of engaging tools and gamifications in the warmup process for both thermogenic and neurological preparation. He goes into his take on partner exercises and isometrics, and the process of using a physical challenge to "sneak" strength and skill elements in the program.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Wearable Resistance Gear.

Use the code "justfly25" for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

6:12- Enhancing Athlete Performance through Innovative Training

20:06- Rope Flow in the Warmup Process

25:19- Team Bonding through Partner Exercises and Gamification

29:39- Athletic Development through Diverse Warm-Ups

31:24- Engaging Training Games for Athletic Development

38:00- Enhancing Motor Learning Through Novel Activities

48:14- Isometric and "Sneaky Strength" Exercises

54:50- Tennis Balls as a Powerful Warmup Tool

1:05:36- Animal-Inspired Safari Warmup Routine

1:14:35- Dynamic Movement Enhancement with Wearable Resistance Gear

Key Takeaways

1️⃣ Rethinking Training Norms: Breaking the Script

Let’s be honest—starting the season with FMS testing or default punishments like push-ups feels like a missed opportunity. Rett challenges that default. Why not flip the script? Start with something that actually taps into the nervous excitement athletes bring into day one. Instead of draining that spark, use it to build buy-in.

What to try:

• Kick things off with a creative team challenge instead of movement screens.

• Replace punishments with something silly but memorable (e.g., team serenade or worm dance).

• Avoid singling people out—no solo singing for introverts. The goal is laughter, not dread.

2️⃣ Rope Flow: Movement Puzzles that Stick

If you’ve ever tried rope flow, you know it’s strangely addicting. Rett uses it as a warm-up tool that hits thermogenic, rotational, and coordination qualities all in one. It’s essentially a moving puzzle—and that makes it ideal for getting athletes out of zombie mode.

What to try:

• Add rope flow sequences early in warm-ups to raise body temp and spark engagement.

• Mix in new patterns over time so it stays fresh.

• Think of it as "motor learning meets party trick"—athletes love that feeling of leveling up.

3️⃣ Partner Work and Social Pressure: The Good Kind

Warm-ups don’t have to be solo grinds. In fact, the social element is part of the magic. Whether it’s balloon volleys in a split squat or partner wall sits, Rett uses simple tools to inject teamwork, laughter, and just the right amount of peer pressure.

What to try:

• Design partner or trio-based warm-up drills to naturally boost effort and engagement.

• Add tasks or games that distract from the burn (like volleying a balloon while holding a lunge).

Today’s podcast guest is Stefan Holm—Olympic gold medalist and one of the most elite high jumpers in history. Standing just 5’11”, he cleared over 140 bars at 2.30m or higher, won the 2004 Athens Olympics, and holds an indoor best of 2.40m (co-owning the “height jumped over head world record). Now a coach for Sweden’s national team, Holm brings deep insight into jumping training and performance at the highest level.

On today’s episode, I ask Stefan about his early life as an athlete, and formative sporting experiences, along with the tree of coaching that led to his own training methods. Stefan covers his history with high jump variations, plyometrics, strength training, technique development, and much more on today’s show. As Stefan is now a coach, he also discusses his philosophy based on his time as a world-class competitor. This is not only a great show on training ideas, but also a great opportunity to study one of the best of all time in their given sport discipline.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Wearable Resistance Gear.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

4:29- Stefan’s Early Training: Genetics, Childhood Sports, and High Jumping

15:21- Rituals in High Jump Training and Athletic Mastery

26:06- Strength Training and High Jump Performance

40:12- High Jump Training Methods, "Holm Hurdles," and Plyometrics

41:04- Emphasizing the Feeling of Flying in High Jump

52:36- Approach Dynamics in High Jump

1:01:17- Strength Training and Range of Motion Concepts

1:03:32- Gradual Plyometric Progression for High Jumpers

Stefan Holm Quotes

(2:50) "My dream was to be a professional soccer player." - Stefan Holm

(3:00) "We played tennis, we played ice hockey, we tried track and field, we played football. Of course, we just played outside, trying to do everything." - Stefan Holm

(6:50) "I think you can handle a lot, all of you, but I think you have to build it up year by year. I mean, doing these sort of plyometrics that I did at the age of 28, 30, I didn't start there." - Stefan Holm

(9:23) "I started jumping for fun together with my best friend in his backyard when we were like six or seven years old. And we had to do the scissor kick because we had didn't have a mat to land on. We had to land on our feet." - Stefan Holm

(24:45) "But then I starting lifting in the fall of 1995 when I was 19, one and a half years later, I jumped 230 for the first time. So I think that I, when I get used to it, the first six, seven months, that was rough because I, I got muscles that I couldn't control. I got so much stronger and slower and just felt heavy and everything. But after, I mean, six, seven, eight months, but I could get control of everything then. I really think that it, it helped me to jump higher and also to get stable on higher heights. I could do them more often." - Stefan Holm

(27:01) "If I really, really, really wanted to jump a certain height, I jumped until I cleared it. For good and for bad." - Stefan Holm

(37:20) "Whatever everybody sees is these viral clips, me jumping over like 170 hurdles or 150 hurdles or whatever there are. But I mean I. I started off on the usual lower hurdles. That's 107 their tops. And I was doing plenty of jumps as a kid and as a youth jumper as a junior. I didn't buy these high hurdles until I was 24." - Stefan Holm

(41:10) "I had a session when I was jumping over hurdles, different kind of exercises, around 200 jumps in a session. I also did some, some bounding 60 meters. 24 times 16, 24 12. Left, right, left, right, left, right. And yeah, and then six times on your left leg, six times on your right leg. That was a very, very fun morning actually." - Stefan Holm

Today's podcast features Ty Terrell, Director of Strength and Conditioning for Oklahoma Men’s Basketball. Ty brings deep experience from the NBA, having led performance programs for the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks. He specializes in athlete development, performance testing, and biomechanics-driven return-to-play protocols. Ty has been mentored by Lee Taft and Bill Hartman, and has a unique fusion of abilities and methods in human performance.

Typically, the goal of athletic performance training is based on increasing outputs, muscle size, and aerobic capacities. Less emphasis is given to athletic movement qualities, how the body creates space for motion, and the process of loading and releasing energy. In understanding both outputs and movement dynamics, a more comprehensive training experience can be provided.

On today’s podcast, Ty speaks on optimizing the phases of athletic movement, particularly the “unloading” and reversal phases of squat and jump patterns that are often missed in training. He discusses the balance and interplay of movement-oriented training with strength and output capabilities. From a practical perspective, Ty gets into the nuts and bolts of unweighting methods, opening space in squat and hinge patterns, working absorption and propulsion with cables, step-up dynamics, and much more.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

2:45- Holistic Athlete Development in College Sports

11:06- Organic Skill Development Through Free Play

19:04- Optimizing Movement Patterns for Athletic Success

20:06- Biomechanical Efficiency in Training Practices

29:52- Optimal Force Production for Athletic Enhancement

38:04- Optimizing The Phases of Athletic Movement for Vertical Jump Outcomes

47:44- Band-Assisted Unweighting for Muscle Recovery

53:54- Optimizing Movement Quality with Training Modifications

55:27- Optimizing Movement Quality Through Unweighting Methods

1:01:43- Efficient Transition Phases in Vertical Jumping

1:09:30- Cable Unweighting for Enhanced Movement Patterns

1:13:31- Cable Lifts and Step-Up Techniques

Quotes

(18:21) "I keep things very simple. I don't get far away from like, just the traditional movements. You have to be able to squat well enough." - Ty Terrell

(22:40) "The unweighting phase creates the potential for the braking phase. The braking phase slingshots us into the propulsive or concentric phase." - Ty Terrell

(23:15) "You need output, you need to be able to produce that quickly. But there are aspects of movement quality that will negatively impact your propulsive output. So you have to have both. And I think the biggest thing is to find is to define what is good enough in your situation." - Ty Terrell

(40:12) "I think you're trying to get the most with the least. And the priority is to make them feel like they can go out and play. So it's more restorative." - Ty Terrell

(44:48) "I kind of want that inflammatory process to occur in the off-season. So, you know, the adaptations and responses that come with that as opposed to the season, it's like we're trying to dampen those inflammatory responses so we can do something the next day." - Ty Terrell

(49:00) "A big thing we do either at the beginning of the workout to learn movement or to learn how to move in a Low threshold way we do a kind of sandwich. Maybe we had a sprint day, maybe at an encore workout, then we're going to sandwich the day with, hey, like another like 10 minutes of low threshold work and unweighting, you know, so like front foot elevated split squats." - Ty Terrell

(50:31) "You have to find a way to come back into that space a little bit or else you won't be able to acces...

Today's podcast features Tony Holler. Tony Holler is a veteran high school track and field coach, renowned for his "Feed the Cats" sprint training philosophy. With over 40 years of coaching experience in both track and football, Holler has become a leading voice in athlete-centered speed development. He is the head track coach at Plainfield North High School in Illinois, where his teams have consistently produced elite sprinters and state champions. He is also the co-founder of the Track Football Consortium, a popular coaching event that bridges the gap between sprint and team sport development.

In a day where the methods are many, Tony Holler has created a training system where he keeps the simple things simple, but off-sets that simplicity with a variety filled “X-Factor” training day that runs like a power-oriented basketball practice in many ways.

On today’s podcast, Tony speaks on his formative experiences as an athlete, young coach, and teacher that have led him to his current positions in coaching. Tony speaks extensively on his X-Factor workouts, inspiration from his dad’s basketball practices, and the keys to the variability in both plyometrics and wicket variations that define the training day. He also speaks on X-Factor paving the way for a simpler, competitive speed workout on the following day. Tony also touches on how the “feed the cats” methods have influenced the successful distance program at Plainfield North, along with many other nuggets of wisdom.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

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View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)

Timestamps

8:37- Competitive Coaching Styles in Track and Field

16:59- Fostering Passionate Learning Environments for Success

22:06- Sports Engagement and Flow for Long-term Passion

32:04- Color-Coded X Factor Athletic Training Program

43:54- X Factor Workouts for Recovery and Performance

50:29- Transitioning from Survival to Performance Mindset

59:49- Optimizing Sprint Performance Through Varied Techniques

1:02:08-Enhancing Speed with Varied Wickets in Training

1:08:16- Focused Timed Sprints for Effective Performance

1:12:30- Optimizing Coaching Practices for Large Groups

1:15:01- Intentional Training for Optimal Athletic Performance

1:22:07- Optimizing Cross Country Runs for Peak Performance

Quotes:

(4:45) “Baseball is not a hard sport, but they made baseball hard for us” - Tony Holler

(5:50) “I grew up with this weird mix of Neil Young and General Patton” - Tony Holler

(13:00) “There is no defense in track… it’s not a zero-sum game, which I love” - Tony Holler

(20:30) “I think like and love come before excellence” - Tony Holler

(32:10) “In basketball, my father would start practice with stations, and stations were things like we jump back and forth over a balance beam, and then we go forward, back and forth. And then the next station was jump rope, and the next station was lateral slides back and forth, touching the lane lines. And we do that kind of thing in X Factor because what I have found is that basketball players seem to be the healthiest, most durable track athletes.” - Tony Holler

(35:30) “Our favorites are the extreme ISO lunge that we do not do for five minutes. We do it for more like a minute. You know, maybe we're not cooking the steak long enough. But this is very important. Always err on the side of less.” - Tony Holler

(00:44:15) “I color code our speed workouts and our X factor workouts as yellow, which to me means caution. And that caution is don't let today ruin tomorrow. Almost always the day after an X factor workout is a sprint workout for us” - Tony Holler

(47:40) “Speed is repetitive. X factor is very much flex” - Tony Holler