The Strength In Numbers Podcast

In this episode, I run a thought experiment: “If you knew what you know now back when you were an athlete, what would you do differently? And does that inform your decision making for your athletes now in any way?”

I dive into the 8 things I’d change when thinking about this question.

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Doug Crandall, VP and Head of Teaching at the Referent Group, joins the show to break down the ideas behind his newest book, Building or Diminishing. Doug previously taught leadership at West Point, where he won the Excellence in Teaching Award, and has co-authored four books before this one.

We dive into the core premise of the book, that with every action we're either building or diminishing the people around us, and unpack Doug's four leadership archetypes: builder, driver, cheerleader, and belittler. We explore what separates a driver or cheerleader from a true builder, and why holding a high standard and pouring into your people aren't opposing forces, they're both required.

We also talk about the authenticity and vulnerability it takes to lead this way, and why this conversation is one that can genuinely shift how you show up in your day-to-day interactions with the people you lead.

You can grab a copy of Doug’s new book right here: https://a.co/d/05tz2oRR

🔗Check out more from Doug 👇 Building or Diminishing | Doug Crandall 

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:26 Doug's Path from West Point to the Referent Group

05:36 Breaking Down the Four Leadership Archetypes

09:00 Holding a High Standard While Building People Up

14:39 What Pulls Builders Back Toward Driver or Cheerleader

21:02 Concrete Steps for Moving from Driver to Builder

25:54 Keeping Athletes in the Moment vs. Pulling Them Forward

28:52 Leaders Cast a Larger Shadow Than They Realize

35:22 Leadership as an Accumulation of Small Moments

41:09 The "Never Met a Bad Cadet" Story

45:03 The Pygmalion Effect and the Danger of Judging Intent

49:51 Building a Builder Culture Across a Team or Program

52:08 Balancing Vulnerability as a Leader

58:10 The One Lesson Doug Hopes His Kids Take From the Book

01:01:35 When Doug Feels Closest to His Purpose 

Erika Lambert, Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of North Florida entering her fourth season, joins the show to reflect on what she's learned making the jump from a 15-year assistant career into leading her own program.

We dive into why she builds in non-negotiable time to think and plan each week, how she's learned to delegate recruiting and other responsibilities she used to own herself, and why "the people are the job" has become her filter for a to-do list that never actually ends.

Coach Lambert also breaks down how she built a weekly hour into her limited practice-time budget to make her program's five core values a living part of the culture rather than words on a wall, and walks through why her hardest leadership decisions have come through roster management.

We also get into the balancing act of coaching and parenting and trying to find how much to push your kids in their sports. 

🔗Check out more from Coach Lambert 👇

Instagram:

@OspreysWBB

@Coach_lambert

@Momsincoaching

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:02 Assistant to Head Coach: What Actually Changes

05:35 Building In Time to Think Amid the Chaos

08:52 "The People Are The Job"

12:54 Learning to Delegate as a Head Coach

16:04 Showing Your Staff What You Want, Not Just Telling Them

18:42 Recruiting for Character and Fit

20:57 Turning Core Values Into a Living Culture

30:44 The Hardest Decision: Rebuilding the Roster the Right Way

38:51 Coaching, Parenting, and Knowing How Hard to Push

51:14 The Sleeping Bags at the Track

53:16 Closest to Purpose: Coaching as Ministry 

Leddy French, Director of Athletic Development at Elite Performance in Frisco, Texas, joins the show to break down how he builds athletes at every level. After starting his career at APEC and launching his own training company, Leddy reunited with Mason Hays (EP 54) to help build Elite Performance's large-scale operation inside The Star.

We dive into his variability model for training and how he balances high-output work with variable stimuli to build physical outputs and the ability to express them. Leddy also breaks down how to actually overload change of direction drills and create a real training adaptation. 

Leddy gets into why the warm-up is so important for him, how he defines “sensory motor capacity” as a trainable skill, and his approach to youth training.

We also talk about how to drive people to want to train with you in the private sector, the lessons he took from Bobby Stroupe at APEC, and how to balance giving clients what they want with what they need.

🔗Check out more from Leddy 👇

Instagram: @lf2performance 

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

01:21 Influence of APEC and early experiences in performance training

07:18 Adapting training when starting own facility

09:45 Creative resourcefulness with minimal equipment

11:25 Balancing perception and training effectiveness

16:27 Stable vs. variable training stimuli

18:14 Expression of physical capacities through dynamic tasks

20:46 Using variability to enhance change of direction

23:38 Training youth athletes and building sensory motor capacity

25:40 Warm-up strategies and engagement

33:46 Change of direction drills as expression of ability

37:43 Adding external load and velocity to training

42:51 Ensuring training stimulates true adaptation

52:32 The importance of training perception and challenge

01:00:03 Balancing training complexity and athlete engagement

01:07:35 Optimizing short-term athlete development

01:15:40 Commanding attention from the start

Chico Morales, VP of Operations and Director of Performance at Built 4 It, joins the show to share how he rose from PT tech to running two multidisciplinary facilities in the DFW area. Built 4 It brings performance training and medical services under one roof, and Chico has been there since he was the company's first employee in 2020.

We dive into how Built 4 It's medical and performance sides work together so athletes never have to leave the building for treatment, how Chico structures training across youth, high school, adult, and pro populations, and the deceleration and single-leg work he prioritizes to fill the gaps within the private sector. 

We also talk about how Chico quickly rose from assistant trainer to Director of Performance and VP of Operations, how he approaches staff development, and how Built 4 It has intentionally grown their culture and community across two facilities. 

🔗Check out more from Chico 👇

Instagram: @chico_performance12 @built4it_official 

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

03:02 Building Built For It: Growth and facilities

04:22 Holistic model: Medical and performance integration

05:50 Transition from PT to coaching

09:47 Rapid growth and leadership at Built For It

12:26 Staff development and intern training

14:47 Self-development and industry evolution

17:58 Youth training programs and age brackets

20:25 Filling gaps in high school athlete development

23:02 Technical vs. drill-based training

24:46 8-week training programs and measurable results

25:33 Group programming and scheduling

27:24 Roles beyond coaching: Operations and management

30:19 Managing multiple facilities and travel

32:12 In-house medical and performance collaboration

34:00 Building long-term athlete relationships

36:28 Community and culture at Built For It

39:20 Expanding to new markets and international opportunities

50:29 Influences from athletic coaching and leadership

54:01 Common mistakes in athlete development

57:26 Advice for young trainers and industry newcomers

01:00:41 Balancing faith, family, and career

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on my own programming and why I’ve completely overhauled my system twice in the last four months. I break down what I started with, what I changed it to, and then how I changed it again four weeks ago.

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chase Sanders, owner of Chasing Strength and the strength coach for football and baseball at Damien High School, joins the show to share lessons from coaching across the high school, collegiate, and private sector settings. After spending six years as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Cal Poly Pomona and learning under an elite staff at Utah State, Chase brings a unique perspective on athlete development and coaching.

We dive into his approach to training youth athletes, why he believes coaches should chase adaptation rather than novelty, and the experiences that shaped his coaching philosophy. Chase also shares how he built Chasing Strength from his garage and the deeper purpose that continues to drive and inspire him.

🔗Check out more from Chase 👇

Instagram: @chasing_strength7

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:00 Chase's Path to Sports Performance Coaching

07:00 Building a Sports Performance Program from Scratch

10:02 Establishing a Training Culture and Coaching Development

17:56 Lessons from Elite Coaches and the Importance of Standards

19:54 Comparing College, Private Sector, and High School Coaching

25:23 Transitioning to Private Coaching

30:26 Building Relationships in Coaching

35:34 Navigating Business Logistics

42:44 Vision for the Future

48:18 Balancing Business and Coaching

51:21 The Importance of Consistency in Training

54:55 Educating Parents and Athletes

01:00:41 Inspiration and Personal Growth

01:06:47 Work-Life Balance and Prioritizing Family

Will Graham, Director of Performance for Men's Basketball at Stony Brook University, joins the show to discuss his transition into a new role after spending the past seven years at Liberty University and four years in the private sector at APEC.

We dive into what attracted Will to Stony Brook, the first steps he's taking to build relationships and establish his program, and the lessons he's carrying with him from both the private and collegiate sectors. We also discuss his weekly programming structure, the skills that translated most from the private sector to college athletics, and his perspective on efficient versus effective movement.

🔗Check out more from Will 👇

Instagram: @coachgraham_ @train_pursuit 

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:57 Journey into Coaching and Sports

05:07 Transitioning from Private to College Coaching

10:01 Skills Developed in the Private Sector

16:06 Building Relationships and Team Dynamics

19:08 The Decision to Move to Stony Brook

23:05 Preparing for a New Role at Stony Brook

26:58 Program Structure and Training Philosophy

28:29 Training Methodology and Positioning in Basketball

31:11 Adapting Training for Individual Needs

33:19 Integrating Holistic Approaches in Coaching

37:20 Proactive Problem Solving in Coaching

39:40 Understanding Second and Third Order Consequences

45:16 Balancing Efficiency and Effectiveness in Movement

49:51 Reflections on Coaching Journey and Development

Justin Ochoa, Owner and Director of Performance at Gem Sessions Training, joins the show to break down his approach to basketball development and the integration of both skill and performance training.

We dive deep into Justin's athlete profiling system, how he manages leading both skill and performance development, and the value that comes from owning both areas. Justin also explains how he's adapted Tony Villani's Game Speed System to his basketball setting and the impact it’s made. 

Justin breaks down his 3-2-1 system for looking at force plate metrics, the insights he's gained when comparing force plate asymmetries to 5-0-5 change of direction asymmetries, and the athlete archetypes he uses to guide programming and development decisions.

🔗Check out more from Justin 👇

Instagram: @justinochoa317

Justin Ochoa — Bio Sites 

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:31 Force Plate  3-2-1 System

10:10 Force Plate and 5-0-5 Asymmetries

18:35 Individualized Approaches to Athlete Training

22:05 Creating Athlete Archetypes

26:24 Integrating Skill and Physical Profiling

30:38 Adapting Game Speed Systems for Basketball

35:34 Blending Basketball Skills with Movement Control

39:15 Integrating Sprinting and Change of Direction Training

52:30 Monitoring Performance and Adjusting Training

58:23 Balancing Skill and Strength Training

01:06:37 Building and Filtering Career Opportunities

Sam Patterson, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, joins the show after a great first season that included an American Southwest Conference Championship and a trip to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. After spending eight years at Oral Roberts, Coach Pat shares what it was like stepping into his first head coaching role and the lessons he learned throughout the transition.

We dive into his first priorities as a new head coach, how he approached building relationships with players, and the process of establishing the culture and standards he wanted for the program. He also breaks down the core values he recruits to, the differences between developing athletes at the Division I and Division III levels, and why giving players ownership of their own development is critical to long-term success, especially at the DIII level.

We also talk about his deeper purpose as a coach, why he doesn’t place his identity in wins and losses, and how he intentionally integrates his family into his coaching career.

🔗Check out more from Coach Patterson👇

Instagram: @coach_patterson

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:00 Building Initial Relationships with Players

05:49 Establishing Core Values and Standards

09:07 Recruiting for Selflessness and Team Chemistry

11:55 Navigating the Challenges of Division III Coaching

20:55 Balancing Structure and Personal Ownership in Development

36:33 Setting Standards and Accountability

39:41 Managing Time and Efficiency in Practice

42:34 Individual Development vs. Team Focus

44:41 Empowering Players Through Ownership

51:27 Navigating Leadership Decisions

01:00:07 Finding Identity Beyond Wins and Losses

01:04:04 Integrating Family into Coaching Life