Today's podcast features Bren Veziroglu. Bren is a movement educator, blending scientific principles with personal exploration in his teaching. He has studied globally with top instructors across disciplines, emphasizing scalability, engagement, and physicality in his approach. Bren is an outspoken proponent of the constraint-led approach to sport, particularly in the martial arts.

In many sports and strength training programs, skill development is often reduced to rigid drills and dry repetition. While foundational qualities like strength and endurance can be trained straightforwardly, complex skills require a richer, more dynamic approach—one that embraces the full range of movement our bodies are capable of. Research consistently supports a learner-centered, constraint-led method as being more effective for long-term learning and performance.

In this episode, Bren dives into the integration of traditional strength and mobility work with dynamic movement and motor learning concepts. He shares practical insights on skill acquisition, mobility, jump training, and the role of partner-based work in foundational strength exercises—offering a fresh perspective on how we can build more effective and engaging training environments.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s GymStudio.

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

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

2:00- Bren’s Background in Athletics, Strength Training, and Movement

15:50- What “Movement” Concepts Can Offer a Traditional Sport or Sports Performance Practice

22:18- Levels of Richness and Time-Efficiency in Standard Training Exercises and the Impact of Movement Games

30:57- Dynamic Target-Reaching Exercises for Enhanced Mobility

34:37- Dynamic Partner-Assisted Exercises for Injury Prevention

45:16- Dynamic Jumping Training for Enhanced Athletic Performance

45:16- Dynamic Warm-Up Challenges for Better Athlete Engagement

46:00- Movement Variability, Differential Learning and Improved Athletic Outcomes

1:00:14- Partner Training Strength and Performance Concepts

Quotes

(7:00) "The whole paradigm of you just build your physical attributes, and you can use them on the field in sport, was so clearly not what I was experiencing." - Bren Veziroglu

(20:00) "On one end of the polarization, you have FRC, you are going to lock everything down… it’s great, but it takes an enormous amount of time, versus mobility games are the total opposite of that." - Bren Veziroglu

(46:06) "What are compensations if not the skill of self-organization?" - Bren Veziroglu

(50:19) "There's one speed skating study he did and one of the variations is literally listed is like, do a pirouette before the start. Like they're doing a sprint. Do a pirouette. And so that's how wide these variations can be." - Bren Veziroglu

(1:00:30) "Those (partner guided) mobility tasks. I think those are enormous when we're getting more out of it. Should be easier to recover from. Should be lower injury risk, should be more fun. I mean, big wins." - Bren Veziroglu

(1:02:46) "If you're just developing the strength and you're never applying it to like, how do I lift another person? Not so useful maybe." - Bren Veziroglu

About Bren Veziroglu

Bren Veziroglu is a movement educator with over 11 years of experience teaching in both private and group settings. He utilizes a unique interdisciplinary approach that blends modern scientific understanding with personal exploration and constant refinement and testing.

He has traveled the world to study intensively with many of the world’s greatest teachers in a wide variety of disciplines. His academic and physical practices inform his teaching style,

Today's podcast features Mike Bruno. Mike is the Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Performance at Clemson University. Mike has both a sports performance and massage therapy background, with an approach influenced heavily by Bill Hartman’s biomechanical model. He has worked with a wide variety of sports, including track and field, and currently oversees golf and tennis at Clemson.

Human movement is composed of more than just muscle and neural signals. It is also heavily influenced by athletes’ strategies to move pressure through their unique skeletal structures. By understanding the role of structure on speed and movement abilities, we can also better understand ideal training modalities and progressions for each athlete.

On today’s episode, Mike speaks on speed and power training through the lens of pressure management and skeletal structure. He talks about different structural archetypes and their needs in the weightroom, as well as how these archetypes lend to various performance outputs on the field of play (focusing on track speed and performance). With many anecdotes from the world of track and field, this episode draws numerous links between strength, speed and individual training factors.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Gear.

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

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

2:01- Optimizing Athletic Performance through Biomechanics

8:19- Optimizing Speed Through Internal Body Dynamics

11:33- Dynamic Insights from Athlete Force Plate Analysis

16:48- Optimizing Jumping Performance with Pressure Techniques

25:34- Optimizing Athletic Performance Through Heavy Bilateral Squatting

27:47- Structural Analysis for Tailored Athletic Training Programs

30:09- Track and Field Performance Based on Pelvic Adaptations

39:21- Infrastructural Angles Influence Athletic Training Specialization

40:53- Structural Archetypes: Tailoring Training for Performance

48:18- Individual Structure Influence on Training Optimization

1:01:33- Enhanced Athletic Performance through Triphasic Training

1:09:03- Long-Term Physical Qualities Enhancement in Athletes

1:21:26- Managing Pressures and Gravity in Track Training

Quotes

(12:19) "(In a vertical jump) The faster they drop, the quicker it would pop up." - Mike Bruno"

(14:04) "If you take it like five singles, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop is going to be different on the pelvic floor and give you a different output than a banded oscillatory squat." - Mike Bruno"

(19:20) “The higher your VO2 max, the thinner your diaphragm, which I thought was a very interesting thing, but it lends on the like. Wrestlers are the highest. All they're doing is pressurizing and they're playing like hand fighting. That's all they're doing is being. Judo was the second one. Sprinters were the third one” - Mike Bruno

(31:34) "Your structure dictates quite literally everything." - Mike Bruno

(37:06) "The fluid hit the top and it suspended them. So if you ever watch someone jump and they jump unbelievable, it looks like they just kind of get suspended up there. It's like, oh, that's the fluid hitting the top." - Mike Bruno (00:37:19)"

(46:33) "One of the best things, you know, is if you don't do complexes, especially with an indicator or something where you're seeing the result, you miss the opportunity to get a lot of connections." - Joel Smith

(1:00:40) “A lot of times in my setting, I have athletes that come in, they have their, their connective tissues too stiff and it doesn't store at all. And so you're like, you're really powerful, but we can't get into good positions on the track or we can't...

In today’s solo episode, I break down 10 essential keys to building a well-rounded athletic performance program. These programming elements are often overlooked or omitted in favor of a more "machine-based" training approach. I’ll cover both the specifics of sets, reps, and training structures, as well as key principles that enhance stimulation, learning, engagement, and focus—crucial components for an athlete's overall experience. By refining both stimulation and the athlete’s attentional "spotlight," we can create training that feels more dynamic, engaging, and effective. The keys to a more complete program, are as follows:

Embrace Constraints and Limitations

Study Physical Education (Instead of only “Sport Science”)

Integrate Rhythm and Music

Work Polarities and Waves

Use Complexes

Embrace Uncertainty

Understand the Performer Environment Relationship

Test and Use Leaderboards

Use Risk

Train Yourself

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the LILA Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.

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

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

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

Timestamps

2:00- Embrace Constraints and Limitations

7:45- Study PE (Movement and learning-driven vs. output and data-driven)

13:30- Incorporate Rhythm and Music into Training

18:00- Work Polarities/Waves (Jay S)

28:00- Use Complexes

39:30- Embrace Uncertainty

44:30- Performer environment relationship

50:00- Test and Use Leaderboards

56:30- Use Risk

1:02:30- Train Yourself

About Joel Smith

Joel Smith is the founder of Just Fly Sports and is a sports performance and track coach in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joel hosts the Just Fly Performance Podcast and has authored several books and coaches in both the high school and private sectors.

Joel was a strength coach for 8 years at UC Berkeley, working with the Swim teams and post-graduate professional swimmers, as well as tennis, water polo, and track and field. A track coach of 17 years, Joel coached for the Diablo Valley Track and Field Club for 7 years and also has 6 years of experience coaching on the collegiate level, working at Wilmington College, and the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse. He is currently coaching high jump at Milford High School.

Joel has coached 4 national champions, multiple All-Americans, and NCAA record holders in track and field. In the realm of strength and conditioning, his programs have assisted 5 athletes to Olympic berths that produced 9 medals and a world record performance at Rio in 2016.

Today's podcast features Steffan Jones. Steffan is a trailblazing fast-bowling coach and ex-pro cricketer, known for his integrative, creative, data-backed training methods. A former Somerset and Kent bowler with over 200 wickets, he’s the last dual-sport pro from English cricket and rugby. With degrees in Sports Science and coaching certifications, Jones founded Pacelab, blending biomechanics and constraint-led training. He’s coached for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and joined Ludimos in 2024 as Strategic Advisor, pushing fast bowling into the future.

Among the various training sub-modalities, isometric work stands out as a low-risk, high-reward method that minimally interferes with an athlete’s high-speed capabilities on the field.

In today’s episode, Steffan explores a range of topics related to isometric training and athletic performance, with a special focus on fast-bowling velocity. He discusses both long-duration and overcoming isometrics, offering insights on how to incorporate these techniques into sport-specific training programs. Additionally, Steffan delves into complex training methods, pre-fatigue strategies for elastic output, and collision-based training concepts.

This episode emphasizes key principles for blending general strength with elite sport performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the LILA Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.

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

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

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

Timestamps

5:46- Enhancing Fast Bowling with Isometric Exercises

7:21- Enhancing Performance Through Isometric Exercises

14:09- Balancing Specificity and General Strength Training for Athletes

18:39- Optimizing Recovery with Long Isometric Holds

28:12- Optimizing Performance Through Isometric Training Fundamentals

34:17- Optimizing Performance Through Tailored Bowling Training

40:32- Isometric Training for Enhanced Joint Stiffness

54:30- Integration of Strength and Conditioning in Coaching

Quotes

(15:36) "The only true specific thing you can do is your skill itself."

(18:41) "A lot of people don't understand that the long isos, when you get fit enough, strong enough, resilient enough, they're actually recovery."

(23:11) "Anything below 80% intensity, the brain sees as a different skill."

(37:34) "But my back foot contact, because that's a long ground contact time, my back foot contact around the ankle is short duration."

(39:02) "That's the problem with isometrics. Unless you've got a sort of a dynamometer or a force deck, You have no knowledge of results. So it's pretty boring and the brain switches off as such. But yeah, obviously I use different stuff. I use G Strength and Remaker and all those (to measure force)”

(47:30) "And collisions are not going to be improved by doing concentric work. Collisions are going to be improved by doing eccentric and isometric work."

(52:35 "If I have a knee-dominant bowler who's who takes a long time to get warm, who's who's fast twitch or their intermediate fibers do most of the work. They never get to their fast twitch fibers. So then a pre fatigue complex would be great for them. And they go really do a, do a set of 10 squats and then expect them to bowl. Yeah, it works. Do us do a 200 meter run and then expect them to do an explosive bowl. But have you tried that? That is such a great feeling."

About Steffan Jones

Steffan Jones is a globally renowned fast-bowling coach, celebrated for his innovative, science-driven approach to cricket performance. A former professional cricketer, Jones played as a fast-medium bowler for Somerset, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, and Kent,

Today's podcast features Jeremy Frisch. Jeremy is the Director of Athletic Performance at Teamworks Sports Center in Acton, Massachusetts, specializing in youth athletic development. The former owner of Achieve Performance Training, Jeremy is a field leader in youth movement, physical literacy, and long-term athletic development. Jeremy has been a frequent podcast guest and is a source of constant inspiration for training not only younger athletes but those of all ages.

We live within a broken modern sports system (in most countries). Much of sports performance, and athletic development follows suit. Formalized speed training designed for older athletes tends to get pushed down on children far too early. Athletes are continually denied the chance to be athletes, to be autonomous movers, decision makers, and experience the full joy of sport. Not only this, but in that deprivation, we cut ourselves off from the fullness of what we could consider speed training, for any athlete.

On today’s episode, Jeremy speaks on key principles to driving intent and multi-lateral ability in speed training for young athletes, and as they progress through their careers along with the pitfalls of early intensification and “speed training” kids like adults. He also covers many elements of athletic development, such as rhythm, crawling, rolling, strength training, and the development of aerial ability. All this, along with a discussion on the motivation factors of 80’s training movies, was an enjoyable conversation with Jeremy Frisch that is fundamental to the long-term development of athletes.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

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

1:59- Enhancing Athletic Performance with Powerball Game

7:01- Engaging Youth in Interactive Speed Training Exercises

9:33- Developmental Progression Through Play and Training

14:53- Innovative Solutions Through 80s Constraints

17:00- Fundamental Elements for Speed in Children

28:46- Fundamental Movement Activities for Youth Athletes

39:29- Joyful Motivation: Igniting Passion in Youth Sports

46:59- Engaging Athletic Training with Interactive Games

49:32- Engaging Activities Enhance Training Intent

54:04- Adapting Techniques in Enhanced Relay Races

56:58- Foundation Building Through Early Clean Technique Practice

1:05:24- Foundational Movements for Effective Athlete Development

1:10:20- Enhancing Athletic Skills Through Varied Drills

1:21:12- Intrinsic Satisfaction in Physical Training Journeys

1:25:10- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Rhythmic Coordination

1:31:27- Interactive Body-Scanning Dance Game for Xbox

Quotes

(12:37) "Expand their movement bandwidth. And the only way you can expand their movement bandwidth is by immersing them in as much movements as possible in as many ways as possible."

(29:00) "If you look in like the Russia, like everyone thinks like the Russians had this like big secret, but if you look at like, you know those eastern block training, you see all the videos of black and white, like those guys are doing gymnastics and wrestling and climbing on things and doing pull ups and like just all like out in the, out in the mountains running over like jumping over rocks and stuff. It's like that's just GPP."

(29:55) "If you really want to develop an athlete, it's gotta be age-appropriate and you gotta get them excited for what they're doing."

(49:50) "Like everyone's, everyone's involved (in speed development) Everyone. It's just not one kid alone running on a treadmill, right? Everyone's activated, everyone's excited, everyone's laughing,

Today's podcast features Jon Stea. Jon is a strength and performance coach based in Vancouver with over a decade of experience developing athletes from youth to the professional level. Jon combines coaching practices with an overarching philosophy of sport and movement concepts.

As modern society advances, youth sports and adult movement practices are becoming increasingly rigid and specialized. Many athletes struggle to progress in their sport and lose interest once their competitive careers end. Adults engage in community-based fitness but often miss the opportunity to explore their full movement potential and the deeper fulfillment it brings. Understanding why we train and how to empower athletes in their unique process is more crucial than ever.

On today’s episode, Jon speaks on building a creative, authentic coaching process that gives athletes room to fail, learn, and grow, expanding their abilities over time. He discusses the importance of connection and environment in sports training, games, and movement challenges, gets into motor learning concepts, and speaks on the overall art of coaching athletes for their long-term success. This is a conversation that our current sports, and sports performance world, demands that we have, to offer athletes room to not only be better in their sport but move and play as their authentic selves, in their chosen practice.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses.

To learn more about the Sprint Acceleration Essentials, Elastic Essentials, or Speed ID courses, go to justflysports.thinkific.com

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 https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/

Timestamps

2:00- How having a personal substantial work capacity has shaped Jon’s viewpoints on training

7:00- Capacity and aerobic elements in a total athletic performance program, as well as programs with a focus on explosiveness

10:30- Jon’s beginnings in athletic performance

15:00- The nature of coaching education and sports performance career paths in the modern and technological age

21:30- How Jon’s training process has evolved, based on athlete perception, gameplay, and the total developmental process

38:30- Insights to the creative process of game development

49:00- The use of games for more advanced athletes, to help “re-expand” movement options and facilitate a joyful training environment

55:30- How Jon’s journey shifted over time, to a more games and motor learning-based approach to training

1:00:00- How and why motor learning is at the core of athletic development in a variety of training sectors

Quotes

8:00 “When you work your superpower, it sets you up for easy wins” Jon Stea

21:10: “After a while, it’s just about the connection you make with people. Coaching or training, whether it be through sports, strength and conditioning, or working at a gym, is just a vehicle for human connection”

24:10 “You have a lot of contact time with people in a low-stakes environment (personal training, strength and conditioning), where someone is allowed to screw up, and that’s almost the point of a session, I want to see you fail, so I know where we can improve”

24:45 “We want to do a lot of things in here that you fail at, so we can do more of those things”

25:10 “You want to be your authentic self as much as possible so that athletes feel they can be that too”

30:15: “What you do doesn’t matter as much as who you are (to the athletes)”

38:45 “Go over to the wall, pick up 2 pieces of equipment, and we are going to make up a game”

39:45 “I find youth athletes, that’s something I’ve found drilled into them so much, “how do we score points, how do we win”. Rather, how do we create the most beautiful game possible?

Today's podcast features Christian Thibaudeau. Christian is a renowned strength coach with over 25 years of experience. He has worked with athletes from 28 sports, including pros and Olympians, and was Head Strength Coach at the Central Institute for Human Performance. A former national-level weightlifter and bodybuilder, he has authored multiple books and has been a prolific writer for T-Nation. He has developed the Neurotyping and Omni-Rep systems, amongst many other contributions to human performance and athletic development.

The majority of training programs, particularly for athletic performance are mostly gas, and very little brakes. They work mostly propulsion while minimizing early stance and reciprocal motion capabilities. They tend to hover on external outputs and bar velocities but do little to cultivate internal awareness of one’s own body.

This podcast is all about the value and history of training at both isometric, lower training velocities, along with combined methods (reps + isometrics) for the sake of skilled movement performance and longevity. Christian digs into the history of the martial arts and bodyweight training methods, and goes into a variety of training techniques to round out one’s weak points, maximize body awareness and build more robust athletes.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.

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

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

5:29 - Antagonist Muscle Engagement in ISO Holds

8:51 - Optimal Movement Performance through Muscle Control

14:49 - Tendon Strengthening for Older Athletes

16:38 - Age-Related Muscle and Tendon Conditioning Exercises

20:27 - Explosiveness Maintenance Through Isometric Training

26:19 - Optimizing Performance with Plyometrics and Strength Integration

27:33 - Optimal Balance: Combining Natural Movements with Isometric Training

41:54 - Enhancing Strength Through Muscle Activation Techniques

Quotes

(00:23) "When you are truly skilled at an exercise, at a movement, you should be able to do it at any velocity."

(09:10) "Maxick. Yes. So that also fits the bill because you are actually, you're trying to contract your muscle by using your own body as resistance. So it's a form of isometric training. And I believe that it is very valuable, especially in the earlier stage of training because I strongly believe that especially when it comes to motor learning and maybe hypertrophy, the better you are at creating tension in the proper muscle, the better results you'll get."

(18:35) "I think that again, long-duration isometrics is something that's going to be very, very positive to prevent the decrease in tendon performance with older athletes."

(26:40) "I work with one of the top karate athletes in the world. Like super explosive, lightning fast. And we don't lift weights. Let me correct myself. The only exercise where we lift weight is a power clean from the hang. Every form of strength work is done with a flywheel and the rest is plyometric and absorption drills."

(38:00) "Don't forget that martial arts, well, especially those of the, the karate, kung fu, and family, judo, it has evolved over two to three thousands of years. And it was not just a system of combat, it was a system of getting into combat shape"

(41:20) "Skill is first shown in slow movement."

(43:39) "The capacity to contract and. Or relax a muscle while contracting surrounding muscles."

(48:52) "I don't honestly see a method that would be more effective for rapid muscle growth than doing let's say a set of say 6 to 10 reps to failure depending on your own personal preferences and then holding for one minute loaded stretch...

Today's podcast features James Wild, a Research & Development and Speed Consultant with Harlequins Rugby Club and a Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science at the University of Surrey. With expertise in biomechanics, skill acquisition, and motor learning, James has worked with athletes of all levels, including medal-winning teams at major competitions. He is also an author and holds a PhD in biomechanics and motor control of sprint acceleration.

While many approaches exist for speed training, less attention is given to individual movement strategies. Athletes accelerate differently based on sport, movement background, and physical attributes.

James discusses his quadrant system, which categorizes acceleration strategies based on flight/ground time and stride frequency vs. step length. He also covers injury trends, plyometrics, sprint technique, resisted sprints, motor learning, and more. It was great having James back—this episode is essential for anyone interested in speed training and individualized performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Lila Exogen Wearable Resistance Training Sleeves.

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

For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

3:00- Personalized Approach to Enhancing Speed Through Strength

7:25- Distinct Athletic Techniques Across Animal-Inspired Strategies

19:17- Ankle-Dominant Movement and Injury Risk Factors

26:03- Enhancing Performance Through Diverse Sports Integration

36:31- Reactive Strength Optimization for Acceleration Performance

40:24- Technique-Focused Interventions for Acceleration Enhancement

45:03- Enhancing Performance Through Technical Acceleration Cues

51:54- Enhancing Hip Muscle Strength Through Leg Swings

56:29- Tailored Loaded Resistance for Sprint Optimization

1:03:32- Personalized Training Approaches Enhancing Athlete Performance

Quotes

(23:29) "The importance of adaptability: In particular for team sports in what you're doing, that your footwork patterns and the conditions under which you accelerate are going to change, you know, every single time you do it."

(25:00) “The field hockey players tend to adopt a bit more of a spinner type strategy where the step rate's higher, flight times lower and then with the lacrosse players it's a bit more of a, towards more of a bounder type strategy in, in comparison.”

(29:15) "I think it's always useful to know their acceleration strategy. But, but that information alone doesn't mean that you intervene automatically in a specific way."

(32:24) “If it was a bounder picking up repeated calf injuries during those, excuse me, during those warm up sprint efforts that they get week after week or even in the speed sessions, then we might try and get them to focus on a slightly higher step rate.”

(38:30) “What I have fairly consistently found though is that when meaningful changes to those reactive strength stiffness like qualities have been made, typically through a combination of pliers and isometric work, although more along the lines of plyos, contact times typically become a bit shorter. And as a result, what you see therefore is that those player acceleration strategies often move slightly more towards bouncer or bounder strategies where contact times are short relative to their flight times.”

(41:11) "Sometimes it is about trying to identify what might be relatively simple deficits from a strength perspective in an individual and going after those to change their technique as opposed to directly cuing them to do something."

(57:00): “If I was gonna use sleds as a means to try and increase step rate frequency, I might generally load up heavier and there and have them sprint in a way where they're havi...

Today’s podcast features Kevin Mulcahy. Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach and owner-operator of the Design the Game Project. He has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents, for over 30 years. Kevin takes a multi-lateral focus on human movement, skill development, and S&C, led by a deep interest in ecological dynamics and the constraints-led approach to coaching and motor learning.

Extremely common to have conversations on speed training. It is rare to have conversations on the practical integration of speed training into actual sport tactics. It’s easy to hit the status quo of improving maximal lifts or running athletes through timing gates and seeing better times. It’s more complex to seek an integrated model that fits speed into the constraints of the game itself, but also a more integrated, creative, and ultimately rewarding process.

Today's episode explores Kevin’s approach to game speed training, skill acquisition, and tactical advantages through constraints. He also discusses using games and sport variations to enhance athleticism and tactical ability. Additionally, we get into ideas on acceleration, deceleration, aerobic capacity, and sport-specific tactical demands. This episode ties together key concepts to deepen our understanding of physical preparation and athletic movement.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio.

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

Kevin’s Blog and Coaching Cohort

Coaching Cohort

Substack Blog

View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Main Points

4:20- Enhancing Skill Development Through Constraints in Sports

10:02- Tactical Advantage through Speed Variation in Sports

17:11- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Game Speed

21:41- Gaelic Football Speed Training Techniques

27:17- Enhancing Tactical Awareness through Dynamic Game Scenarios

31:46- Strategic Gaelic Football Running Drills for Performance

36:05- Individualized Basketball Training for Skill Development

52:18- Uncontrolled VO2 Running for Enhanced Fitness

56:13- Engaging Games Enhance Tactical Learning Methods

1:04:57- Instinctive Game-Reading for Enhanced Sports Performance

1:11:30- Advanced Vertical Jump Training Techniques

1:18:16- Enhancing Anaerobic Capacity in Team Athletes

Quotes

(5:00) “I have a few core games, like I use Olympic handball a lot, use tag rugby, we play NFL, what we call NFL, which is kind of a tag American football and all sorts of things in between”

(15:40) “I mean every sport, basketball has, has really deeply worked on that over a many number of years to where I think a lot of sports steal those kind of movements from basketball”

(22:17) “Acceleration is absolutely worth training. But then the constraints of the game mean that that's only going to bring you so far”

(24:57) “But then I can start constraining. Does this look like the game? Are these the distances we're going to transition? How do I motivate players and incentivize players to actually go all out? How do I incentivize the defenders to. To be aggressive and try to stop the. Their, their teammates at training? So that's where I've gone the last number of years”

(43:33) "Man to man for me only works if you're more athletic than the opposition. And if you're not, you have to have better tactics."

(50:08) "If your intention is to get fitter, you have probably got a better chance of doing that if they enjoy it."

(55:08) "If we get them turning up again motivated, we're winning."

About Kevin Mulcahy

Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach who has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents for over 30 years. He is the owner-operator coach of the Design the Game Project,

This episode features performance coach and tendon specialist Jake Tuura. Jake is an experienced coach and educator focusing on athlete hypertrophy, vertical jump improvement, and patellar tendinopathy rehabilitation. He spent seven years as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach as well as time in the private training sector.

Connective tissue is critical in athletic movement and performance, but its relationship to both performance and the rehab process is still evolving. New research is continually coming out that is molding our understanding of what is really happening “under the hood” in training, and how to optimize processes to maximize tendon health and performance.

On today’s podcast, Jake explores tendon science alongside athletic performance concepts. He covers ideas on animal tendon properties, age-related tendon changes, tendon stiffness vs. compliance, and the collagen matrix. On the performance end, Jake talks about the impacts of various training means on tendon adaptation, particularly various forms of isometric training, heavy strength training, plyometrics, and more. This was an awesome show connecting the latest tendon science with practical training solutions for healthier tendons and better athletic movement.

Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses.

To learn more about the Sprint Acceleration Essentials, Elastic Essentials, or Speed ID courses, go to justflysports.thinkific.com

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.

Main Points

6:42- Achilles Tendon Length Disparity: Humans vs. Deer.

9:33- Tendon Regeneration Discrepancy in Wild vs. Racehorses

21:55- Golgi Tendon Organ and Training Optimization

24:39- Age-Related Changes in Tendon Properties

26:44- Collagen Production Influencing Tendon Stiffness Adaptation

28:47- Tendon Compliance Impact on Athletic Performance

40:41- Preserving Tendon Elasticity for Athletic Longevity

45:38- Reframing Tendon Pain as a Healing Signal

53:14- Optimizing Joint Rotation for Enhanced Performance

1:04:41- Tendon Health and Aerobic Fitness Relationship

1:08:01- Tendon Health Benefits of Isometrics and Lifting

1:11:17- Tendon Strain Variability in Plyometric Training

1:16:24- Enhancing Performance Through Muscle-Tendon Synchronization in Plyometrics

1:21:54- Tendon-Focused Training Periodization Strategy

Quotes

(7:38) "It's crazy to see how long that (deer Achilles tendon) is and how little blood flow it gets and they're able to do what they do." - Jake Tuura

(12:50) “I went hunting for three months. So I didn't, I didn't jump at all. It was winter, it was icy out. And then I go back to dunking and (the patellar tendon) blows up again. So it's like the man-made tendon issues are when you change things suddenly.” - Jake Tuura

(21:49) "The worst thing you can do is completely take it away and then try to hop back in. I think it's going to blow up or maybe it's going to have a serious injury." - Jake Tuura

(28:10) “The tendon gets pulled on and then the tendon has a, the cells have a response to get stiffer. So like if you pull on the tendon, let's say 10% of its resting length, which is a pretty big pull on a tendon. The tendon has this, this adaptation where the cells kick out more collagen. It lays down the collagen, the tendon to get stiffer.” - Jake Tuura

(37:00) “Collagen fascicles don't really extend a whole lot. Yeah, like, their strain is very minimal. And the collagen fascicles have this helical rotation, which then is again, more extendability. The helical angle decreases as you get older because the gel is drying up and it becomes more linear.” - Jake Tuura

(47:00) “You have to respect the many months process where it's going to reorient t...