Just Fly Performance Podcast

Today’s guest is Tanner Care. Tanner Care is a high-performance specialist, currently serving as the Director of Player Performance for the BC Lions (CFL) and the Director of Athletic Performance for the Vancouver Bandits (CEBL). Since 2023, he has also held the role of Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Simon Fraser University, where he oversees the physical development of athletes across 13 collegiate sports. On the surface, strength and conditioning is about increasing an athlete’s physical strength and capacities. To dig deeper and help athletes reach their highest potential, an understanding of sprint-specific forces, athlete archetypes, and dosage of inputs is essential. On today’s show, Tanner talks about his practical framework for elite athlete development. He shares how he integrates max-speed work into sport-specific drills, such as full-court basketball overthrows, and explains his “layered” coaching model, which progresses from foundational health and general capacity to more specific archetyping. The conversation also dives into the technical side of his toolkit, including the use of run-specific isometrics for sprint transfer, plyometric training, and how he balances force-velocity profiles across different athlete types. Ultimately, Tanner advocates for a “health-first” approach in the pro setting, favoring consistent, high-quality inputs over unnecessarily complex training schemes. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:03 – Introduction to Athlete Classification 2:19 – Innovative Training Drills 6:26 – Understanding Movement Signatures 11:32 – Exploring Strength Qualities 19:53 – Classifying Athlete Strength 32:02 – Benefits of Single Leg Strength 45:17 – Adjusting Training Based on Athlete Type 49:30 – Implementing Quasi-Isometrics 56:25 – The Complexity of Training Modalities 1:04:17 – Foot Positioning and Athletic Outcomes 1:07:47 – Closing Thoughts and Future Plans Tanner Care Quotes On Speed in Practice: "So the problem I was trying to solve was how can we check these speed residual boxes within the constraints of practice." On the Priority of Training: "That's layer one health has to come before performance. So removing any potential inhibition." On Dynamic vs. Passive Screening: "I've seen so many people get on a table, assess passive hip internal rotation and say there's some kind of limitation. But when we see it dynamically at sports speed, it's like, oh, there it is." On General Movement Competency: "I can't tell you the amount of professional guys I have come in that like can't do like rudimentary plyometrics like they can't hop or bound stationary let alone locomotively" On Local vs. Global Issues: "Do we have a Ferrari? Do we have a Honda Civic? Do we have a Ferrari with a flat tire? Like, sometimes we just have to deal with local issues, not necessarily broad systems of improving the overall organism." On the Limits of Strength: "We know that the strongest individuals aren't necessarily the most forceful individuals. At some point, there's a clear cutoff." On Stiffness and Propulsion: "Rate of force development and stiffness isn't always a good thing if they don't have the propulsive qualities necessary to actually displace their hips horizontally" On Force and Sprint Performance“If you’re able to generate adequate force at adequate time and attenuate high braking force, that’s always going to correlate positively with sprint performance.” On Weight Room Philosophy: "I try to remove skill or as much skill as I can within the context of the weight room." About Tanner Care Tanner Care is a credentialed strength and conditioning professional specializing in elite athlete development across pro and collegiate levels. He currently serves as Director of Performance for the Vancouver Bandits (CEBL) and the BC Lions (CFL), overseeing strength & conditioning, load management, sport science, and performance nutrition to enhance athlete readiness and longevity. Previously, he was Head Coach of Strength & Conditioning at Simon Fraser University (NCAA), leading programs across multiple sports including men's basketball and track & field, where he built evidence-based training systems. Tanner holds RSCC and CSCS certifications (NSCA), is an EXOS Performance Specialist, and earned his Master's (MS(c)) from the University of Florida. His background includes roles like Head S&C Coach for University of Ottawa rugby. He contributes to the field as a SimpliFaster author, podcast guest on performance systems, and CSCA advisory team member. Passionate about sprint training, speed, and mechanics, he's a dedicated husband, family man, and 49ers fan.

Today’s guest is Paul Cater. Paul is a veteran strength and conditioning coach with over 25 years of experience spanning professional baseball, collegiate athletics, and high-performance team environments. Paul is known for blending traditional strength training with rhythm, timing, gravity, and a deeply relational, art-driven approach to coaching. His work challenges purely formulaic or data-driven models and puts the live training session back at the center of athlete development. In an era where training is increasingly automated, optimized, and reduced to dashboards and numbers, it’s easy to lose the human element that actually drives performance. This conversation explores how rhythm, feel, load, and coaching presence shape not just outputs, but adaptability, resilience, and long-term athletic growth. If you’ve ever felt that “something is missing” in modern training environments, this episode speaks directly to that gap. In this episode, Paul and I explore training as a live performance rather than a static program. We discuss using early isometric and axial loading as a readiness anchor, how downbeat rhythm and eccentric timing drive better outputs, and why chasing numbers too aggressively can undermine real performance. We dive into music, movement, art, and coaching intuition, and how creating alive, rhythmic sessions builds stronger athletes, and better coaches, without relying solely on rigid protocols or excessive monitoring. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Mountain Training Inspirations 6:00 – The Role of Community in Training 12:15 – Performance and the Observer Effect 23:27 – Shifting Training Protocols 32:32 – Balancing Data and Intuition 42:14 – Efficacy of Isometric Training 47:23 – Five-Minute Wonders 53:28 – The Art of Adaptation 57:44 – Embracing the Subconscious 1:28:06 – A Playlist for Performance Quotes from Paul Cater "We're really just trying to create meaning with our training, to justify it to other people, or wives, or coaches, or whatever, but also to really harness what the weight's doing or the external stimulus is doing for us" "I do approach it like it's a performance. A coaching session. And if you pawn so much off to the to the robotics or the formula, it becomes almost like it's a prison." "20 minutes of rolling around on the ground and trying to do the stretching warm-ups- I've just almost eliminated those. Full stop. I can't remember the last time I did an active dynamic or same static stretching things like that." "Can you match time, and beat? ...And that's really everything, because what else is there in the transfer of training if it's not related to that timing tempo and rhythm" "I use the tech throughout the session quite heavily actually, but I don't use it as the primary validator or guider." "The world's greatest warm-up for me is always, we've called it bartending. Where the progression is how much can you hold on your back for five minutes... I just do whatever. Walk around. Rules, you just can't touch the bar to the ground." "Get to that at that perfect point where you feel the adaptation happen then you walk away, and you don't need to do anymore. Like what's the minimal dose you need to do?" About Paul Cater Paul Cater is a veteran strength and conditioning coach with over 25 years of experience working across professional baseball, collegiate athletics, tactical populations, and high-performance team sport environments. He has served in leadership and performance roles with organizations including Major League Baseball, NCAA programs, and private high-performance facilities, and is known for his ability to blend high-intensity strength training with rhythm, coordination, and ecological skill development. Paul’s coaching philosophy emphasizes gravity, timing, and rhythm as foundational drivers of athletic performance. Rather than relying solely on rigid programming or isolated testing, his sessions are built around early exposure to meaningful load, isometric and inertial work, and rhythmic constraints that reveal readiness, alignment, and intent in real time. His work integrates elements of sprint mechanics, change of direction, elastic strength, and movement artistry to create training environments that are both physically effective and psychologically engaging. Currently working in a collegiate performance setting, Paul is deeply interested in coaching as a live, relational craft; treating each session as a performance that develops not just outputs, but awareness, adaptability, and ownership in athletes. His approach bridges traditional strength training with concepts from sport, art, music, and survival movement, offering a perspective that challenges purely automated or data-driven models of performance.

Today’s guest is Martin Bingisser. Martin is the founder of HMMR Media, one of the most trusted independent voices in throws and track & field education. A former competitive hammer thrower, Martin blends firsthand experience with deep historical and technical insight to analyze training methods, athlete development, and coaching culture. Through articles, videos, and interviews, his work bridges elite practice and practical coaching, earning him respect from coaches and performance professionals around the world. In a world of rapid-information delivery and short attention spans, the wisdom of master coaches is becoming increasingly rare. Martin has spent substantial time with two legends in the coaching world, Anatoliy Bondarchuk and Vern Gambetta. Spending time discussing the work of the past, and wisdom through the present is a critical practice in forming an effective coaching viewpoint. On today’s episode I chat with Martin in a wide-ranging conversation in coaching lessons on efficiency, adaptability, and performing under pressure (two throws, no warmups, huge crowds). We transition into Bondarchuk’s training philosophy: exercise classification, consistency, “strength” as sport-specific force production, and why weight-room PRs can distract from performance. The episode closes with motor-learning insights on rhythm, holistic cues, and how Vern Gambetta’s “general” work complements specificity. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses 30-50% off all courses until December 1, 2025. (https://justflysports.thinkific.com) Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer Use code “justfly20” for 20% off of LILA Exogen Wearable resistance gear at www.lilateam.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Martin’s background and training lens 7:05 – Why eccentric strength matters 15:40 – Isometric intent and force expression 24:30 – Tendons, stiffness, and elastic qualities 33:50 – Managing fatigue in strength training 42:15 – Applying eccentric and isometric work 51:20 – Athlete readiness and daily adjustment 1:00:10 – Long term development and durability Quotes from Martin Bingisser "You think, okay, big heavy rock, like it's all about strength. And instead it's about efficiency." "Even the most simple sport that looks like it's all about strength, it's not really just about strength." "It's measurable strength versus this kind of adaptable strength that can fit into different situations." "Is strength how much I can move on a barbell, or is strength how much force I can create in the ring?" "No one is saying you don't have to be strong. Everyone agrees you have to be strong. It's just how do we define strength? and how do we define that? Because all these guys are strong. They're just strong in different ways." "We're doing all the categories the whole year and you need to have that general stuff in there too. So you look at our program throughout the year, we put a lot of work into those general categories, but they're not the highest priority. And we're not doing stuff in the specific preparatory or the general preparatory stuff that's going to hinder our first priority stuff." "Probably 80% of the benefit of Bondarchuk's program comes down to two or three key things. And you can apply those to any type of program. It doesn't have to be Bondarchuk's methods, but one of the big ones is just consistency." "If I see something I like, I try not to say very much except do that again. Like, I don't care what you had to think about to do that, but just do that again. Like that's just reinforcing, those good habits." "Am I just trying to copy a good thrower or am I trying to find a solution that'll fit my athlete? ... But if you don't understand what they're trying to get out of it, you're just trying to copy what you see the video of, it's useless." About Martin Bingisser Martin Bingisser is the founder of HMMR Media, one of the most respected independent platforms covering throws, strength training, and track & field performance. A former competitive hammer thrower, Martin combines firsthand athletic experience with a sharp analytical eye to break down training theory, competition trends, and athlete development across all levels of the sport. Through HMMR Media, he produces in-depth articles, interviews, videos, and educational resources that bridge the gap between elite coaching practice and accessible learning. His work is known for its clarity, historical context, and willingness to challenge oversimplified narratives in modern training. Martin has collaborated with coaches, athletes, and federations worldwide, and his content is widely used by throws coaches, sport scientists, and performance professionals seeking thoughtful, evidence-informed perspectives. His approach emphasizes long-term athlete development, technical mastery, and the craft of coaching; making him a trusted voice in the global track and field community.

Today’s guest is Aaron Uthoff. Aaron Uthoff, PhD, is a sport scientist and coach whose work sits right at the intersection of biomechanics, motor learning, and sprint performance. His research digs into acceleration, force application, and some less conventional forms of locomotion, including backward sprinting, with the goal of connecting solid science to what actually works on the field, track, or in rehab. Backward running shows up all the time in warm-ups and general prep. Most of the time, though, it’s thrown in casually, without much thought about what it might actually be doing for speed, coordination, or tissue loading. In this episode, Aaron walks through his path into performance science, which is anything but linear. From skiing in Montana and playing desert sports, to football and track, to a stretch training horses in Australia, his journey eventually led him to research mentors in Arizona, Scotland, and New Zealand. That broad background shows up clearly in how he thinks about movement. One of the big takeaways from our conversation is Aaron’s overview of research showing that structured backward running programs can improve forward acceleration and even jumping ability. We also get into how backward running can be used as a screening and coordination tool, and where it fits into rehabilitation, including what’s happening at the joints, how muscles are working, and how to progress it without forcing things. We finish by digging into wearable resistance, including asymmetrical loading, and why this emerging tool may have more upside for speed and movement development than most people realize. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Topics 0:00 – Aaron’s background and coaching lens 6:40 – Seeing movement through posture and orientation 13:25 – Why breathing changes how athletes move 20:45 – Tempo, rhythm, and shaping better movement 30:10 – Constraints based coaching and problem-solving 40:55 – Sprint mechanics without over cueing 51:20 – Using environment to guide adaptation 1:01:30 – Blending strength work with movement quality 1:12:15 – Coaching intuition, feedback, and learning to see Quotes from Aaron Uthoff "Backwards running is about 70 % of the speed of forward. 60 to 70 % of the speed of forwards running. So whatever your maximum speed forward is about 70 % of that backwards for somebody who's been doing it for a little while. So just there tells you that there's not going to be the same magnitude of force as there is with a forward sprint." "If you've got anterior knee pain, which happens with lot of plyometrics, jumping, you think a lot of court-based sports, jumping track-based sports, things like that, you can simply reduce their patellofemoral joint loading by having them go backwards." "What we see that I love preferentially is that we actually get really high hamstring activation concentrically, which is not the case with forwards running." "I've got an injured athlete who had a hamstring injury and just wasn't able to decelerate his shank when he was sprinting forwards. So I had him run backwards. And what that's done is that's trained his hamstring concentrically to basically contract really, really quickly without putting that undue eccentric stress onto the joint on the muscles." "I think it's a good screening tool to see, well, where are they at from a coordination proprioceptive perspective? And you might have somebody that's super duper fast going forwards, but you know, if they actually can apply that skill, then you know, their proprioception is likely off a little bit." "By removing that vision... you're just having to tap into a different system a little bit more. And I find that that's one of the things that allows athletes to really expand their skillset majorly. "Backside mechanics plays a large role in the elasticity that's going to happen and the power that you're to be able to deliver on the front side of the body. And if you shorten that up or you're inefficient or uncomfortable in that space, then you know, backwards running is a really cool way to learn how to do that in a way that is a little bit safer at a slightly lower speed where it's a new drill." "I want you to be racing your belly, basically your belly button and your chest are going to be racing to the finish line. But unlike forward running, I want your belly button just to slightly win. And that just puts them into a posture that allows them to have that, that slightly lean, but still be upright." "Another thing I really like is I want them to stack their hips, basically their ribcages on top of their hips. They've got nice intra-abdominal pressure to allow that elastic recoil to happen through the core." "I think there's a lot more spinal engine utilized intensively with a backwards run than we might realize. And that's one of the major things I'm seeing. So we integrate a lot of spinal engine work into our drills just to help with the ability to carry that in. "If you actively, concentrically contract the hamstring and try to kick that heel out back behind you, and use that as a leading mechanism, then that allows your hip flexor to act concentrically more powerfully as well as it comes down. So you're able to train the anterior side of the thigh much more exclusively." About Aaron Uthoff Aaron Uthoff, PhD, is a sport scientist, researcher, and coach focused on human movement, sprint mechanics, and motor learning. He holds a doctorate in kinesiology, with research centered on how neuromuscular factors influence speed, coordination, and efficiency. He is especially known for his work on acceleration, sprinting, and unconventional locomotor strategies such as backward running, and how these methods affect force application, tissue stress, and motor control. His work blends strong scientific foundations with practical coaching insight, making it highly relevant for track and field, team sports, and rehabilitation environments. Alongside his research, Aaron works closely with coaches and athletes to translate complex biomechanical and neurological ideas into simple, usable training concepts. His approach values curiosity, experimentation, and respecting how the body naturally adapts when it’s exposed to new movement challenges.

Today’s guest is Hayden Mitchell, Ph.D.  Hayden is a sports performance coach, educator, and researcher specializing in movement ecology and pedagogy, helping coaches design environments that support learning, resilience, self-actualization, and sustainable athletic performance through play and exploration. There is a great deal of conversation in sports performance around methods, including exercises, drills, systems, and models, but far less attention is given to coaching itself. Coaching methodology quietly shapes how athletes experience training, how they relate to challenge and failure, and ultimately how fully they are able to express themselves in performance. On the show today, Hayden speaks about exploring how coaching and physical education shape not just performance, but the whole human being. Hayden shares his path through sport, teaching, and doctoral work, including how life experiences changed his approach to leadership, control, and play. Together they discuss movement ecology, value orientations in coaching, such as mastery, learning process, self-actualization, social responsibility, and ecological integration, and why environment often matters as much as programming. The conversation highlights rhythm, joy, and exploration, along with practical ways coaches can use restraint, better questions, and playful constraints to help athletes own their development. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Hayden’s coaching background 6:42 – Learning through experimentation 13:55 – Movement quality versus output 21:18 – Constraints based coaching 30:07 – Strength that transfers 39:50 – Variability and resilience 48:26 – Developing youth athletes 57:41 – Decision-making under fatigue 1:06:10 – Simplifying training programs 1:14:22 – Long term coaching philosophy Quotes from Hayden "You start to develop more like moderate to really big like teaching orientations where you take away the command, you stop begging for repetition to be perfect and you allow things to become messier in due time." "For me, it's like discovering what somebody is afraid to do." "Whenever I get an adult who's in their like 50s or 60s, we're going to crawl. You have to have a certain charisma about this and you have to laugh and you have to do it with them. You got to be a willing participant in your own way. But once they do that, man, it lights them up." "If I'd just released them to dance, because they love to groove, they love to feel themselves, it would have gotten them into a position of real readiness and their nervous system would have been lit up instead of me exhausting them because we needed that perfect small-sided rondo warmup that everybody else is doing." "An athlete dancing is a joyful athlete and a joyful athlete is tuned in. I don't think there's too many things that offer more value than getting into rhythm throughout a session, before a session, after a session, you gotta feel into your body like that." About Hayden Mitchell Hayden Mitchell, PhD is a sports performance coach, educator, and researcher whose work sits at the intersection of movement ecology, pedagogy, and human development. He has coached and taught across a wide range of settings, from youth and collegiate sport to military, adaptive populations, and general fitness, working with ages 4 to 90. Hayden holds a doctorate in Human Performance and Sport Pedagogy and focuses on how environment, values, and teaching behaviors shape learning, resilience, and performance. His work emphasizes play, rhythm, and self-actualization, helping coaches and athletes move beyond rigid systems toward practices that develop both performance capacity and the whole human being.

Today’s guest is Dustin Oranchuk, Ph.D. Dustin is a sport scientist focused on sprinting biomechanics, speed development, and force production. Known for blending research with practical coaching insight, his work explores how isometrics, elasticity, and coordination shape high-performance sprinting and athletic movement. Isometric training is one of the “original” forms of strength training, and in the modern day has become one of the most popular areas of discussion and training methodology. Although the practice has exploded, it often lacks an understanding of physiology of adaptation with various methods. In this episode, Dustin explores the evolving world of isometric training, including the origins of isometrics. We discuss differences between pushing and holding contractions, tendon and neural adaptations, and modern applications in performance, rehab, and longevity. The conversation also dives into eccentric quasi-isometrics (EQIs), motivation and measurement challenges, and how coaches can intelligently integrate isometrics alongside plyometrics and traditional strength work. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:11 – Strength Training Beginnings 5:38 – Evolution of Isometric Training 8:38 – Modern Applications of Isometrics 9:52 – Neural vs. Morphological Adaptations 15:45 – The Importance of Long Holds 19:42 – Combining Isometrics and Plyometrics 39:22 – Exploring Eccentric Quasi-Isometrics 47:10 – Periodization and Isometric Training 1:05:48 – Future Research Directions 1:13:00 – Closing Thoughts and Reflections Quotes from Dustin Oranchuk "We can predict performance fairly well from a test where we're actually not moving at all." "I think the main evolution is getting a little bit less towards building peak strength for barbell purposes and a little bit more universal utility for rehabilitation and longevity." "Using isometrics at a variety of different muscle lengths and different contraction durations to try and rehab after a pectare or a quadriceps strain or something like that." "The general or the more popular goal with the longer muscle length movements, or lack thereof, would be morphological adaptations." "Instead of matching a position, you're just trying to get the most sort of bang for your buck out of the isometrics as far as causing hypertrophy, or being able to target tendon rehabilitation, or build work capacity, or some other sort of little bit more morphological adaptation." "Tendons tend to need a certain threshold of intensity to get noticeable or meaningful adaptations. I think it's probably somewhere around 70 % of MBIC or max isometric contraction of a pushing ISO." "It's okay for our SNC work to not look obviously like anything we do on the field." "You can create a really good weight room environment where there's camaraderie and there's competitiveness without any objective measurements." "Pushing into a rack is almost always going to be able to be done at a higher intensity than holding something." About Dustin Oranchuk Dustin Oranchuk, PhD, is a sport scientist specializing in speed development, biomechanics, and force production in sprinting and jumping. He holds a doctorate in sport science and has worked extensively with elite athletes across track and field, team sports, and high-performance environments. Dustin is widely known for his research-informed yet practical approach to sprint mechanics, isometric training, and elastic performance, bridging laboratory insights with real-world coaching application. Through consulting, research, and education, he helps coaches and athletes better understand how force, stiffness, and coordination influence maximal speed and performance.

Today’s guest is Kevin Secours. Kevin is a veteran martial arts coach, author, and former security professional with decades of experience across Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, and Russian Systema. Holding five black belts (including an 8th-dan), Kevin has worked extensively in real-world contexts while also teaching meditation, solo training, and strength rituals. He is the author of Rituals of Strength and Unconstrained, and is known for blending martial tradition, modern training theory, psychology, and philosophical inquiry into human development and resilience The conditioning and tempering of the body in striking sports can draw interesting parallels to collisions needed in jumping, sprinting and landing activities. We can also draw many lessons and ideas from the exercise tradition that goes back centuries with martial arts practice. By understanding combat training disciplines, we can draw out universal application for general movement and performance. In this episode, we explore the deeper purpose of physical training through martial arts and sport performance. Kevin reflects on early experiences with body hardening, cold exposure, and Zen-influenced practice, examining where such methods build resilience and where they become self-destructive. Drawing parallels to sprinting, jumping, and strength training, we discuss collisions, long isometric holds, ritualized discomfort, and fatigue as tools for cultivating awareness, reducing excess tension, and supporting longevity. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Martial arts origins and body hardening 17:48 – Body tension, trauma, and reading the athlete 28:23 – Isometrics, Soviet methods, and slow strength 33:58 – Journaling, drawing, and learning through reflection 45:02 – Mindset, adaptability, and mental speed 56:46 – Representativeness, ritual, and resilience 1:04:26 – Simplify versus deconstruct in training 1:12:25 – Microdosing discomfort and daily resilience 1:17:24 – Comfort seeking and modern training challenges Quotes from Kevin Secours "We refer to it as a calculus of violence. What are you willing to risk for the payoff?" "It's a meditative practice. You're learning the surfacing, and the alignment, and the variability. And you're learning the modulate, how much power you put in, that we all have enough to destroy ourselves." "It's what's called Wolff's Law. You put the bone under stress and the bone is going to thicken." "Some shortcuts are great. Efficiency is amazing, but some things just take time." "You can't just mimic the weights and mimic the reps and hope to get the same result." "The first thing you need to know is you're not buying this rank. It will be given if it's earned." "It was largely psychophysical. Long marathon sparring, long marathon holds and positions, cold water exposure, long meditation right back into fighting. So it was a roller coaster of physical and emotional." "Training should not be trauma." "Don't for a second think they wouldn't have wanted warm showers if they could have had them. Yeah. We are comfort seekers." "You have to educate to understand why you're doing what you're doing. You have to rehearse. So you practice under incrementally growing resistance and then you culminate in a pressure test." About Kevin Secours Kevin Secours is a martial arts coach and author focused on practical skill development, resilience, and real-world application of movement and combat principles. Drawing from decades of training and coaching experience, his work bridges traditional martial arts, modern performance thinking, and personal development. Kevin is known for clear teaching, depth of insight, and an emphasis on adaptability, awareness, and lifelong practice.

Today’s guest is Quintin Torres, a strength and performance coach specializing in Marinovich/Heus inspired training methods. With a background in martial arts, Quintin focuses on movement quality, coordination, and individualized methods that help athletes build strength that truly transfers to sport. So often in athletic development, it is only the “hard” or easily quantifiable qualities that we look to develop. Although these are vital, sport itself (even output sports) live “in between the cracks” of maximal outputs, and then movement quality. Training rarely looks to infuse a full spectrum of athletic qualities, yet programming such as that put forth by Marv Marinovich years ago, does capture many of these dynamics. On today’s show, Quintin and I explore the Marinovich nervous system training philosophy, contrasting “soft” qualities like reactivity, rhythm, coordination, and perception with traditional hard metrics such as max strength. We discuss why MMA has embraced these methods, the limits of barbell-centric programming, and the importance of observation, experimentation, and individualized coaching. The conversation emphasizes training transfer to sport, creativity, and maintaining athlete adaptability, longevity, and engagement beyond chasing isolated numbers. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer Use code “justfly20” for 20% off of LILA Exogen Wearable resistance gear at www.lilateam.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Quintin’s background and entry into nervous system training 6:18 – Why Marinovich methods resonate in MMA 10:04 – Soft qualities versus hard qualities in performance 16:11 – Assessment driven training and athlete context 27:05 – One on one coaching versus group models 31:41 – Training quality, group size, and real world constraints 40:12 – Foot strength, barefoot work, and bottom up thinking 1:13:09 – Strength without compression and alternative tools 1:25:55 – Manual resistance and simple coaching tools 1:27:41 – Teaching, sharing, and coaching philosophy Quotes from Quintin Torres "The primary difference behind, say this training methodology to your traditional strength and conditioning methodologies, is that it prioritizes the development of soft qualities just as much as the development of hard qualities." "Soft qualities is like your rhythm, your timing, your fluidity of movements, your speed, your reaction time, your coordination on top of how much power you can develop." "We don't have any technology to measure how fluid an athlete is moving, how quickly they can acquire new skills." "We focus on very key areas of the body to enhance these mechanisms that makes an athlete talented. Foot strength and neurological drive, muscle elasticity, fluidity of movements." "We don't need you better at training. We need you better at your sport, better at the way you move, better at the way you acquire skills and better at you execute those skills under pressure." "A lot of it's based on athletic assessment and what you can observe as a coach will kind of determine how you develop training methodologies for that athlete." "Everything is trying to influence the nervous system to become more reactive and to adjust to chaos." "Barbell does not equal maximal strength. Barbell is just a tool to try to achieve a neurological drive at maximum strength on the force velocity curve." "When you go into different tools, now you can acquire different qualities when it comes to your strength, your speed, your force generation." "These kettlebells, these barbells, these dumbbells, they're very limited on what you can do as far as developing maximal strength, speed strength, strength speed, or 1RMs." "Sports performance community are not being trained on how to be sports scientists anymore, just coaches." "You got to try new training methods, do experiments. That's why I started diving deep into evo sports system with Jay Schroeder, because honestly, I was getting bored." About Quintin Torres Quintin Torres is a strength and performance coach with a deep background in mixed martial arts and combat sports. A former competitive MMA athlete, he specializes in nervous system–driven training methods influenced by the Marinovich system, emphasizing reactivity, coordination, and movement quality alongside strength. Quintin works closely with fighters and athletes to individualize training based on biomechanics, perception, and sport demands, helping them build resilient, adaptable performance that transfers directly to competition.

Today’s podcast is a solo episode on keys to athletic longevity and ability. This isn’t just a “stay strong as you age” show, but rather, speaks to principles of comprehensive embodiment of the movement and strength training process. Here I break down 10 core principles for true athletic longevity; physically, mentally, and creatively. Drawing from decades of coaching, training, and personal evolution, I explore why mastery of bodyweight skills, seasonal training rhythms, and “doing more with less” are essential as athletes age. I dive into the power of games, community, mythos, and ritual in keeping training joyful and sustainable, and explain how reflection, visualization, and a generalist mindset unlock deeper layers of performance. Whether you’re 18 or 68, I share a roadmap for staying explosive, engaged, and young at heart; so your training stops feeling like an obligation and starts feeling like an adventure again. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) 0:03 - Introduction to Athletic Longevity 1:09 - Mastery of Bodyweight Strength 7:15 - Doing More with Less 14:48 - Beyond Output: The Joy of Training 33:28 - Working with the Seasons 41:15 - Community and Gameplay 43:04 - The Mythos of Training 54:06 - Reflective Practices for Growth 1:02:29 - Staying Young at Heart 1:05:21 - Conclusion and Training Opportunities Quotes from Joel “Longevity is not about chasing numbers. It is about staying able.” “Minimalism forces your body to become smarter instead of stiffer.” “When you stop obsessing over the output, you rediscover the joy of the process.” “If you follow the seasons, your training stays fresh and your body stays adaptable.” “Gameplay brings out movement qualities you cannot coach in the weight room.” “Your training story matters. It keeps you showing up long after the numbers stop improving.” “Reflection is the anchor that keeps your training aligned with who you are becoming.” “Staying young at heart is as much a training strategy as it is a mindset.” About Joel Smith Joel Smith is the founder of Just Fly Sports, a leading education platform in speed, power, and human movement. A former NCAA Division I strength coach with over a decade of collegiate experience, Joel has trained athletes ranging from high school standouts to Olympians. He hosts the Just Fly Performance Podcast, one of the top shows in the sports performance field, and is the author of multiple books on athletic development. Known for blending biomechanics, skill acquisition, and creative coaching methods, Joel helps athletes and coaches unlock higher performance through elastic strength, movement literacy, and holistic training principles.

Today’s guest is Dr. Jarod Burton. Jarod is a chiropractor and sports performance coach focused on neurology-driven movement. He blends manual therapy, strength modailities, and nervous system training to unlock better mechanics and athletic output. His work centers on identifying and clearing the neural limits that hold athletes back. In training, there are many layers to human performance and athletic outputs. One critical layer is the power transmission of the nervous system, and how to unlock this ability in all athletes. Many athletes naturally have a more adept system, while others may need more bridges to reach their highest levels of performance. In this episode, Jarod speaks on how his approach has evolved since entering clinical practice. He shares how he uses flywheel training to teach rhythm, “the dance” of force, and powerful catches rather than just concentric effort. He and Joel dig into spinal mobility, ribcage expansion, and even breakdance-style spinal waves as underrated keys to athletic freedom. Jarod then simplifies neurology for coaches, explaining how posture reveals brain-side imbalances and how targeted “fast stretch” work, loud/sticky altitude drops, and intelligently high training volumes can rebalance the system and unlock performance. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 - Jarod’s background and early coaching lens6:55 - Internal vs external focus and simple cues13:40 - What good movement feels like20:10 - Speed shapes and improving posture29:18 - Blending strength with elastic qualities41:02 - Breathing mechanics and better movement options52:37 - Pelvis function and creating better positions1:00:15 - Skill acquisition and training that sticks1:11:48 - Programming principles and individual needs1:19:40 - Coaching philosophy and athlete communication Jarod Burton Quotes "Most of the time when people get into the flywheel there's a learning curve and I like to think of it as it's a nice dance." "One of the biggest things I love about flywheels is that you can get a very powerful stick, like a very powerful impulse, like catch and then redirection of energy." "The most important part is actually the patience and the catch at the very bottom. So you might squat up super fast and then you squat back down, but the flywheel is still turning and you're waiting for it to grab. And then as soon as it grabs you, then that's when you stick and then powerfully redirect the force." "When you're getting that rapid catch and change of direction, you're getting your muscles to rapidly fire at a lengthened state, which would just also further help them recover." "A postural pattern will reveal a side of the area of the brain that's underactive or overactive." "When the system gets sensory overloaded, it down regulates the motor system. And so if I can keep the system balanced out, the motor system is going to be upregulated and it's going to be functioning at a much higher level." "I always tell coaches, let's do 59 seconds of assessing and 59 minutes of training, essentially." "Once you understand and you see all these individuals posture, you don't unsee it. And within four seconds, you know exactly how to train somebody." "How your posture lies will tell you exactly which direction the muscles need to go to reset tone. And that's essentially all we're doing is when you reset tone, it rebalances out the brain." "It turns out that a lot of the exercises that we do don't even come close to mimicking the same amount of stimulus that you get in a baseball throw." "What I would find that would create the most amount of stimulus or the fastest rate coding high motor unit recruitment was rapid stops where you're basically catching something and you don't move." About Jarod Burton Dr. Jarod Burton is a chiropractor and sports performance coach who lives in the intersection of clinical practice, neuroscience, and high-performance human movement. A student of neurology and motor learning, Jarod works to uncover the hidden nervous system constraints that influence posture, coordination, elasticity, and power expression in sport. His methods combine manual therapy, joint mapping, sensory integration, and movement-based diagnostics to create individualized solutions that free up range, recalibrate neural rhythm, and unlock athletic speed, strength, and resilience. Jarod is passionate about a holistic philosophy of performance; one where the brain, body, and environment work in concert to reveal the best version of the athlete.

Today’s guest is Reinis Krēgers, a former champion decathlete turned track and physical education coach. Reinis is dedicated to building complete movers: fast, coordinated, confident athletes who understand their bodies. His training blends classical sprint development with exploratory tasks, helping athletes develop physical literacy and long-term adaptability. In sports performance, we often fixate on exercises, cues, and optimizing micro-qualities in the moment. What we discuss far less, yet what often separates the elite, is the role of play, creativity, and culture. By looking closely at events like the pole vault and hurdles, we can see how a developmental, curiosity-driven approach benefits athletes of every sport. In this episode, Reinis shares the remarkable story of losing a finger, training exclusively with his non-dominant hand, and still setting a shot put PR. This opens the door to a rich discussion on cross-education, novelty, and how the brain actually learns movement. We explore play-based coaching, pole vault as a developmental super-tool, contrasts between Eastern and American coaching philosophies, youth sport creativity, and sustainable tendon development. It’s a conversation full of insight, storytelling, and reminders of what truly anchors a lifelong athletic journey: curiosity, joy, and the art of falling in love with movement. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen wearable resistance. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) 0:00 – Early upbringing in Latvia and falling in love with movement 6:18 – Play, curiosity, and environment driven athlete development 14:50 – Injuries, setbacks, and choosing to continue competing 23:40 – Czech training experience and constraints based coaching 33:05 – European versus American development and long term athlete philosophy 45:10 – Games, novelty, and bringing play back into training 59:47 – Specialization mistakes and the importance of multi sport development 1:11:48 – Plyometrics, bounding, and gradual tissue adaptation 1:22:40 – Injury lessons, tendon health, and the value of long term gradual loading Quotes from Reinis Krēgers "In art of coaching, there has to be that mystery a little bit in some ways." "I give a lot of constraints to kids for sprinting purposes, for actually developing their form and awareness in space. I try to explain them the constraint that you're developing something, you're developing the brain." "The mess is good. The more mess the better, really. And embrace it. It's about changing the value system for coach, I think, and an educator." "The world record holder played a lot. Why do we dare to say that we shouldn't?" "Elite athletics is that like you just need to put in hours and reps and sets over years. Cumulative training effect: if you stay in the game if you don't have many disruptions and interruptions of training you should get somewhere like it's a formula." "I was the oldest but the healthiest because they never took out sprints all year long. You're doing accelerations in off season four times a week." "It will basically increase the recovery, the nervous system recovery if you do the opposite hand or leg." About Reinis Krēgers Reinis Krēgers is a Latvian track and physical preparation coach known for blending classical sprint mechanics with modern movement ecology. With a background in athletics and physical education, Reinis has built a reputation for developing athletes who are not only fast, but exceptionally coordinated, elastic, and adaptable across environments. Drawing from European sprint traditions, plyometric culture, and cutting-edge motor-learning principles, Reinis emphasizes rhythm, posture, and natural force expression before “numbers.” His training sessions regularly weave together technical sprint development, multi-planar strength, and exploratory movement tasks, giving athletes the bandwidth to become resilient movers rather than rigid specialists. Reinis works across youth, club, and competitive settings, helping sprinters, jumpers, and team-sport athletes gain speed, power, and physical literacy. His coaching is marked by clarity, intentionality, and an ability to meet athletes where they are, building them from foundational movement quality toward high-performance execution. Whether on the track or in the PE hall, Reinis’ mission is the same: develop confident, capable movers who understand their bodies, enjoy the process, and carry a lifelong relationship with athleticism.

Today’s guest is Austin Jochum. Austin Jochum is the founder of Jochum Strength, a former All-Conference safety turned performance coach known for playful, movement-rich training. He blends strength, speed, and adaptability to help athletes build real-world capability and enjoy the process. So often, coaches inadvertently play by the formal “rules” of coaching, through substantial instruction, within smaller boxes of training. Gameplay and sport itself are the ultimate example of task-based stimulation, chaos, and problem-solving, and the more we learn from it, the more effective our training can become. In this episode, Austin Jochum and I explore how coaching transforms when you trade rigid cues for play, stimulus, and athlete-driven learning. We dig into why intent and novelty matter, how to “win the day” without chasing constant PRs, and the power of environments that let athletes self-organize. Austin speaks on his recent dive into improving his Olympic lifting, and subsequent improvement in explosive athletic power, along with the masculine and feminine nature of the snatch and clean and jerk, respectively. Finally, Austin also breaks down the JST Olympics—his team-based approach that’s exploding motivation, competition, and performance in the gym. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen wearable resistance. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) 0:00 – Austin’s background, wrestling influence, and early training lens 8:12 – How wrestling shaped his coaching, problem-solving, and creativity 14:30 – Working with movement constraints, unpredictability, and the “maze” idea 22:40 – Why he prioritizes exploration over instruction 31:18 – Building athletic bandwidth through games and environmental design 38:01 – Touch on wrestling in training and contact-oriented movement 45:10 – Heavy rope training, rhythm, and full-body sequencing 52:46 – Hiring coaches and building culture inside his gym 1:01:37 – Athlete intuitiveness, imitation, and imitation-driven learning 1:10:55 – Recovery methods, cold exposure, and principles behind them 1:18:42 – Breathing mechanics, sensory awareness, and relaxation 1:24:52 – Tempo, rhythm, and “feel” in athletic movement 1:30:48 – Coaching philosophy and where Austin is heading next Quotes from Austin Jochum "That was a big coaching shift for me is like working for the athletes in front of me and what their feedback was versus working for the Boyles, working for the head strength coach, working for the head sport coach, working for the head administrator that just wants to see pretty straight lines and their program regurgitated over and over again." "Why can't today we give them a benefit, a reason to show up and have fun so that we can get to those long-term gains." "It's all LARPing like we are LARPing as strength coaches when we do that and I don't know if it's just like they're not aware enough to realize they're LARPing, but it's like it's a video game they are playing and it's like they're trying to play off that they know something more than other people." "You should not be here to correct an athlete's foot placements on a skip when it's like, man, when is that, when is that applicable?" "The thing that works is getting intent and being excited for your training. If you're not excited to go Olympic lift, they're not going to work." "You're going to become a faster athlete if you PR in your sprints every other week. Like why are we not going and approaching it that way to get that high stimulus out of the athlete?" "If you can stack days of your wins, I'm telling you, you get the athletes way more stimulus and they're way more psychologically ready." "Once I got to like 350 on my clean and got to like 225 on the snatch, I stopped noticing the direct benefit, just because it was a strength deficit. I stopped noticing the direct benefit to my sprints and jumps. Now the benefit comes when I'm hitting that 65 to 85 % range." About Austin Jochum Austin Jochum is the founder of Jochum Strength, a performance coach known for blending old-school grit with modern movement science. A former University of St. Thomas football player and All-Conference safety, Austin built his philosophy around “training the human first,” emphasizing play, adaptability, and athletic expression over rigid templates. His coaching blends strength, speed, breathwork, and movement variability, creating athletes who are not just powerful—but resilient and skillful in chaotic environments. Through his in-person gym in Minnesota, online programs, and the Jochum Strength Podcast, Austin has become a leading voice in community-driven athletic development, helping athletes and everyday movers reconnect with their bodies, build real-world ability, and enjoy the process.

Today’s guest is Bill Smart. Bill is a sport scientist and physical preparation coach specializing in elite fight-sports performance. As the founder of Smarter Performance and the Strength & Conditioning lead for the CORE MMA team, Bill integrates cutting-edge evidence with real-world high-performance systems to enable combat athletes to show up on fight day in optimal physiological condition. Much of the conversation in sports performance hinges on speed and power development, or conditioning, as a stand-alone conversation. Sport itself is dynamic and combines elements of speed, strength, and endurance in a dynamic space. Training should follow the same considerations to be truly alive and effective. In the episode, Bill shares his journey from cycling and rowing to combat sports. He discusses how long isometric holds develop both physical and mental resilience, and their implementation in his programming. The conversation dives into muscle-oxygen dynamics, integrating ISOs with conditioning, and how testing shapes his approach. Bill also explores flywheel eccentrics, fascicle-length development, and why sprinting is a key element for maintaining elastic power in elite fighters. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses 30-50% off all courses until December 1, 2025. (https://justflysports.thinkific.com) Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer Use code “justfly20” for 20% off of LILA Exogen Wearable resistance gear at www.lilateam.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Bill’s coaching journey and early mentors 6:04 – The importance of movement observation and intuition 11:35 – Why athletes plateau and how to identify limiting factors 20:42 – Strength training principles that actually transfer 30:01 – Using movement variability and play in training 40:36 – Coaching communication and creating connection 52:09 – The role of curiosity and creativity in coaching longevity 1:00:55 – Key lessons from years of coaching experience Quotes from Bill Smart "I know Gus and Angus Ross, who is one of my colleagues at HPCNZ he talks about those long ISOs as being basically your average motivated athletes training method because it's uncomfortable you've got to be very motivated to move through it." "Soon as there's a bit of like involuntary muscle action, you're probably in quite a productive place in terms of timeframe." "The cognitive element is something that gets brushed over a little bit, especially from scientific populations, which is interesting because essentially the brain governs everything that we do." "I do think that it's quite common that we often disassociate cognitive from physical." "Breathing is one of those other things that plays a large role in some of the efficiency components." "Whatever the intervention is matches what we need for the sport and not an excess. And for fighters a lot of the times, conditioning is definitely not something that's lacking. So it's it's great to have these other means to elicit some of that." "Skills training is like the absolute most important thing. So basically all training from a conditioning or strength standpoint needs to be maximally efficient to get to design results for an athlete." "The primary area that you find mixed martial arts athletes will fatigue is the upper body because of like all the clinch work, the grappling work." About Bill Smart Bill Smart is a sport scientist and physical preparation coach specialising in elite fight-sports performance. As the founder of Smarter Performance and the Strength & Conditioning lead for the CORE MMA team, Bill integrates cutting-edge evidence with real-world high-performance systems to enable combat athletes to show up on fight day in optimal physiological condition.

Today’s guest is Sam Elsner. Sam is a former NCAA Division III national champion thrower turned motor learning writer and educator. He’s the author of The Play Advantage and creator of the Substack CALIBRATE, where he explores how humans learn movement through play, perception, and environment design. Sam brings a rare blend of elite athletic experience and deep skill-acquisition insight to help coaches and athletes move beyond drills toward true adaptability and creativity in sport. As athletic performance is largely driven by weight-lifting. It digs into maximal strength and force-related outcomes in such excess that all other elements of athleticism are negated. Skill learning and high velocity movement are the wellspring of sporting success. As such, having a balanced understanding of the training equation is critical for the long-term interest of the athlete. On today’s podcast, Sam and I dive into how athletes truly learn to move. Sam traces his journey from WIAC throws circles to Cal Dietz’s weight room, why a rigid “triphasic for everyone” phase backfired with a soccer team, and how ecological dynamics and a constraints-led lens reshaped his coaching. Together we unpack the strength–skill interplay, 1×20 “slow-cook” gains versus block periodization, the value of autonomous, creative training application. We touch on youth development, culture, and team ecology, plus where pros are experimenting with these ideas. This episode is loaded with both philosophy of training and skill learning, along with practical takeaways in program design. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 1:18 - Early training experiences and triphasic background 5:44 - Implementing triphasic as a young coach 11:22 - The failure of rigid block periodization 17:49 - Vertical integration and maintaining all qualities 24:58 - Discovery of the ecological dynamics lens 29:57 - Why skill learning changed his view of strength 35:43 - 1x20 as a slow cooking strength framework 43:15 - Autonomy and stance/position freedom in the weight room 52:38 - Culture, environment, and how athletes learn 1:00:43 - Highlight play examples and perception-action 1:14:23 - Constraint-led models in team sport settings 1:20:55 - Where to find Sam’s work Quotes "I use track and field as a segue to bettering my performance and my physical capabilities for football, getting prepped for that." "Traditional skill development or coaching really kind of hindered my capability of my ceiling." "I've always had that overarching question in my head of how do I bridge the gap between practice and game day performance?" "At the time I thought it was drill, rudimentary rote repetition type practices. I'm here today, I'm on the complete opposite end of that on what I believe." "In order to do true Westside, you got to be in Columbus, Ohio at Westside with Louis Simmons or his very close people that he talked with. Otherwise, everything else is just an iteration of Triphasic. It's your own paintbrush on the canvas." "Everything works to a point and it's not just like this way versus this way. No, there's integration. Everything that we do in life is blended together." "If you're able to get younger individuals being able to explore and play, I think later on in their life, they'll be able to be that like "gifted athlete" and be able to allow to come up with their own artistic way of doing things." "I'm in that bank of the more sports, the better as a younger age, like multi-sport athlete, no specialization." "I tried to implement triphasic trainer right away, block periodization and it blew up in my face because it was their preseason work. They're slower. They're not able to adjust on the pitch or anything like that and they're just like slow and just non-athletic." About Sam Elsner Sam Elsner is a former NCAA Division III national champion thrower from the University of Wisconsin-Stout who has transitioned into a leading voice in motor learning and skill acquisition. A six-time All-American and 2018 discus champion, Sam brings a deep, first-hand understanding of performance and training into his current work, exploring how athletes truly learn movement rather than just repeat drills. Now writing the popular Substack CALIBRATE and authoring The Play Advantage, Sam bridges neuroscience, ecological dynamics, and lived athletic experience to help coaches and performers unlock adaptability, creativity, and “feel” in sport. His work reframes coaching from rote technique toward curiosity, environment design, and the art of human learning in motion.

Today’s guest is Ben Simons. Ben is a British performance coach and two-time Olympic bobsledder with a background in sprinting and sports science. A former World Cup gold medallist, he’s now focused on helping athletes develop speed, power, and coordination through evidence-based, real-world training methods. Ben blends biomechanics, motor learning, and nervous-system training to build explosive, adaptable athletes. Many speed training topics and conversations focus exclusively on the most stimulating possible methods; fewer get into individual factors, athlete adaptability, and how that speed and power training evolves with the needs of the athlete. On today’s show, Ben and I discuss asymmetry, rhythm, and “aliveness” in sprint and power development. We explore when to let unique mechanics—like Byanda Wlaza’s galloping stride—run their course versus coaching toward a technical model. Ben gets into the general speed training lessons he gained from bobsled, and shares why he now favors yielding isometrics, unilateral strength, and med ball throws over heavy lifts, emphasizing longevity, reflexive strength, and movement variability. We finish with how curvilinear sprints, pool work, and playful, multidirectional movement help athletes stay reactive, adaptable, and pain-free. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen wearable resistance. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Asymmetry, gallop running, and what to do with extremes 12:25 – Air-time vs ground work: why the stuff in the air transfers to sprinting 16:08 – From long jump and 4x100 to bobsled trials and the push track 19:57 – Retirement, coming back, and the management needed for longevity 24:04 – Achilles management, playing sport, and the power of movement variety 31:09 – Practical coaching advice: get people back into the sport they love 41:31 – Curvilinear sprints, feeling safe, and bringing play into rehab 45:53 – How bobsled pushing changed Ben’s acceleration and posterior chain 52:28 – Hamstring training, velocity, and the limits of eccentric volume 59:46 – Practical tools: tank sleds, prowlers, glute-ham machines, and Zurcher split squats 1:08:19 – Why Ben minimized compound max lifts and what he uses now 1:24:46 – Programming for mature athletes: living off the strength bank and using yield isometrics  Quotes from Ben Simons "Almost all speed coaches are going to try and move their athletes back towards that perfect technical model." "Kicking a ball thousands of times in your development... you very quickly fall into your dominant leg." "One of the arguments with traditional A's and B's is that you're isolating one side and you're changing the learning process there because you're actually taking a reflexive action, which is the cross-extensive reflex that you get in a dribble." "Modulating the pain is a huge piece within that rehabilitation because you're not going to compensate as much when you feel less pain." "Just making sure we stay in touch with that reflexive part of the movement, you know, in the coupling phase, in the amortization is key." "When you're upright pushing a bobsleigh... you have got to put that impulse through the sled itself. So it does feel like there's almost a punching going on with your handles." "If you get him into a glute ham raise... can really feel that pelvis position under duress which is a great way to teach people where they are in space because a lot of people just don't understand the tension that they need within that pelvis and lumbar to get it neutral." "I think in developmental stages, it's definitely those compound lifts and max strength methods are the easiest way to make gains in strength and output... But I just wonder once that money is in the bank, how far you need to pursue them." About Ben Simons Ben Simons OLY is a British performance coach and former Olympic bobsledder with a background in sprinting and sports science. A two-time Olympian (Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018) and World Cup gold medallist, Ben spent a decade representing Great Britain on the international stage, competing in over 120 events. Before bobsleigh, he was a Welsh indoor 60 m champion and studied sports science at Cardiff Met, experiences that laid the foundation for his lifelong focus on speed and power development. Today, Ben brings that elite-sport experience to his work as a strength, speed, and performance coach. His approach blends biomechanics, motor learning, and nervous-system training to help athletes move efficiently and perform explosively under pressure. With an emphasis on coordination, recovery, and data-driven methods, Ben coaches athletes and teams across sports to bridge the gap between research and real-world performance, developing complete athletes who are as resilient and adaptable as they are fast and strong.

Today’s guest is Cody Hughes. Cody is a strength and performance coach at Farm & Forge in Nashville, blending over a decade of collegiate and private-sector experience into a practical, athlete-centered approach. His work bridges foundational movement with modern tools like VBT and GPS tracking, always anchored by the belief that health drives performance. With the rising influence of technology in training, it can become more difficult to look clearly at the core facets of athletic force production, as well as how to optimally use technology to fill gaps, inform decisions, and even motivate groups. On today’s episode, Cody traces his shift from heavy-loading bias to a performance lens built on force management, eccentric RFD, and training that actually reflects sport. We unpack depth drops vs. “snapdowns,” why rigid “landing mechanics” miss the mark, and how movement literacy, variability, and velocity drive speed and durability. On the tech side, we get into velocity-based training (VBT) as a feedback and motivation tool, using it to gamify effort and auto-regulate load, and knowing when to remove the numbers to protect recovery and intent. Leaderboards, incentives, and smart stimulus design all matter, but Cody keeps it clear that data supports the human element that produces real power. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen wearable resistance. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 – Early lifting story and the hip replacement turning point 5:31 – Coaching development, biases, and error-driven learning 19:29 – The snapdown debate: context, progressions, and purpose 25:44 – What eccentric RFD tells us about athletic durability 30:42 – Strength as expression: assessments and force-plate logic 42:31 – Movement literacy and using competitive, decision-rich drills 49:30 – VBT explained: feedback, governors, and gamification 56:50 – When to hide feedback: elite athletes and psychological load 1:01:35 – Where VBT shines: youth and early training ages 1:25:28 – Wrap up and where to find Cody Quotes from Cody Hughes "You gotta have a minimum of like 135-140 minutes a week of training to be effective to get some type of minimum effective dose." "Movement efficiency is everything to be able to express any type of movement skill." "Too many people running high school weight rooms are simply sport coaches that felt like they know what they're doing. They pull out a manual from what they did or they think that they used a very shallow thinking model of X football team won X amount of games, therefore their program must work." "If you can't explain what you're doing with your program... it's just this carbon copy. It's a dead static program, not a living environment or a living complex system where you're making decisions based off of your kids." "Performance coaching... it's such an art. There is no straightforward answer, like period." "Load is inversely correlated with speed. Great. So now we can match velocities to the type of stimulus we're looking for on top of trying to gamify the training in order to amplify the stimulus of the training that already existed." "If you stand on a force plate, I can take three measurements with propulsive power, breaking power at MRSI and learn a lot about what you can do and how you express it." "You don't just want to reward the fast kid because if the fast kid may always be the fast kid, they need to be incentivized to try to be a more fast kid." About Cody Hughes Cody Hughes, MS, SCCC, CSCS, PSL1, is a strength and performance coach at Farm & Forge in Nashville, Tennessee. A former collegiate athlete with more than a decade of coaching experience across NCAA Division I and II programs, high schools, and the private sector, Cody brings a practical, athlete-centered approach to performance training. His work focuses on building strong movement foundations, using technology like velocity-based training and GPS tracking to inform programming without losing the art of coaching. At Farm & Forge, Cody leads programs for athletes ranging from youth to professionals in sports such as football, hockey, and tennis. Whether guiding a developing athlete or a veteran player, Cody’s goal is to help each individual move well, train smart, and perform consistently at their best.

Today’s guest is James de Lacey. James is a professional strength and conditioning coach and the founder of Sweet Science of Fighting, a leading platform for combat sports performance. He has coached in professional rugby leagues across New Zealand, Europe, and the United States, and has trained athletes in MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, and BJJ. Through Sweet Science of Fighting, he delivers evidence-based programs and education for fighters and coaches worldwide. Strength training for athleticism typically focuses on sets, reps, and general forces, but rarely gets into aliveness and skill management of the resistance itself. The former is great for building basic physical competencies, but in integrating the latter, we can breathe more life into a performance program. On today’s show, we dive into James' approach to building athletic strength and power across multiple mediums. We explore how Olympic lifting, especially pull variations, connects to real sport actions, and how striking and collision sports highlight the importance of timing, rigidity, and effective mass. We also break down resistance methods like oscillatory work, flywheels, and accentuated eccentrics, focusing on their alive, reactive qualities rather than just load. These principles carry into speed and power training, including plyometrics and sprinting, with rhythm and movement quality as a central theme. The episode makes strong connections between field sports and combat sports, showing how momentum, relaxation, and rigidity at impact shape performance. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen wearable resistance. Use the code “justfly20” for 20% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:56 - Olympic Lifting Philosophy and Sport-Specific Implementation 4:26 - The Role of Bar Flex and Slack in Block Pulls vs. Rack Pulls 7:03 - High Block Work for Impulse and Technical Refinement 12:22 - Oscillatory Training and the Limits of Maximal Strength 24:49 - Upper/Lower Body Dissociation for Fluid Movement and Game Speed 52:25 - Controlled Eccentric Overload using Flywheel Technology Quotes "High pull was probably my favorite variation of all time, just because you're supporting heavy loads, you're having to maintain positions over the bar, and then you're having this violent extension pulling it vertically." "I found snatch variations tend to be easier on the shoulders for a lot of athletes, like especially in rugby and stuff. They're not actually that easier to learn than the clean variation because the front rack is so difficult for so many people." "The power rack holds the bar, whereas the blocks hold the plates. You have no slack. So it just makes it way harder." "I stole from Vern (Gambetta) the power lunge and lean. So like the medicine ball out in front, and as you step forward, you kind of rotate over, and it's like continuous. And then the same thing overhead and lean. Those two, I use those on warmups all the time. They're great." "Regarding the actual eccentric, people will say it's not eccentric overload because it gives you the same as what you put concentrically. But you can modify the way you either do the concentric or the eccentric to be able to create the overload." "I think a lot of these machines, the best applications are in the eccentric overload stuff, because you're limited with traditional lifting where you either have to do super heavy loads, multiple spotters, or weight releases." About James de Lacey James de Lacey is a professional strength & conditioning coach and the founder of Sweet Science of Fighting, a leading platform for combat sports performance education. He holds a Master’s degree in Sport & Exercise Science and has worked as an S&C coach in professional rugby leagues across New Zealand, Europe, and the United States, as well as with MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, and BJJ athletes. Through Sweet Science of Fighting, he creates evidence-based programs, courses, and research breakdowns focused on strength, power, conditioning, and technical performance for fighters and coaches. His work bridges sports science with the practical demands of combat sports, making high-level training methods accessible and applicable worldwide.

Today’s guest is Manuel Buitrago. Manuel is a PhD, along with being the founder and director of MaStrength, a global education brand dedicated to authentic Chinese weightlifting. Since launching MaStrength in 2014, he’s taught 100+ seminars worldwide, authored Chinese Weightlifting: A Visual Guide to Technique and Chinese Weightlifting: Technical Mastery & Training There are many misconceptions in the world of strength training, especially as the lens of a skeletal pressure-based view is not included in modern training systems. When skeletal pressure dynamics are understood, it allows us to see why athletes prefer particular variations of lifts, how and why they fail lifts, and what aspects of the lifts themselves lead to better athletic outcomes. On today’s episode, Manuel speaks on the practicalities of weightlifting and how it carries over to sport. He compares powerlifting and Olympic lifting from a technique and transfer standpoint, and gets into how body shapes, breathing, and set-ups affect a lift. Manuel also touches on connective tissue and why it matters for performance and durability. From this episode, you’ll learn concepts about the Olympic and powerlifts that can not only improve lifting performance but also facilitate a better transfer to athleticism and movement ability. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength. Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer at thedunkcamp.com Use code “justfly20” for 20% off of LILA Exogen Wearable resistance gear at www.lilateam.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 - From gymnastics and powerlifting to Chinese weightlifting 3:34 - First Olympic lifting exposure via IronMind footage and Pyrs Dimas 5:40 - The Chinese team’s systematic approach that sparked the study abroad 9:30 - Breathing, shapes, and the funnel concept for lifting 26:15 - Bottom-up squats: why weightlifting squats differ from powerlifting squats 30:45 - Training near the hip and block work to bias upward, explosive shapes 41:08 - Squat jerk versus split jerk - body shape, femur length, and selection 54:34 - Box squats, touch-and-go versus deloading - individualize by athlete shape 58:29 - Practical breathing cues to create and switch the funnel shape 1:07:24 - Applying shapes to sport - who benefits from which strategies Quotes "When you do the lifts, it's not just one shape you need because you have to go up, but you also have to go down. "If you're breathing like a power lifter in the start position, you're making your job more difficult." "In weightlifting, the squats happen after the catch. So all of your squats are from the bottom up actually." "People who overhead squat from the rack, they're not going to get as deep. They're not going to bend the same way as they would in a snatch because the snatch is unweighted when you get under it." "People would blame the nervous system, it's like, does not help me in real time when I'm coaching athletes. I need something else and the shape is easier to see." "You totally can bend bone, you know, and they do bend throughout the movements." "All of it is working together. And so you have to find a way to put it all together rather than try to separate it because you'll get lost." About Manuel Buitrago Manuel Buitrago, PhD, is a coach, author, and the founder/director of MaStrength, where he teaches the techniques, theory, and programming principles of Chinese weightlifting to athletes and coaches around the world. He launched MaStrength in 2014 and has since delivered more than a hundred seminars and training camps internationally while building a widely followed library of articles, videos, and social content on Chinese methods. Buitrago holds an honorary weightlifting coaching credential from Chengdu Sports University, reflecting years of study, mentorship, and translation work with Chinese sports scientists and coaches. He is also a certified USA Weightlifting coach and referee. His books—Chinese Weightlifting: A Visual Guide to Technique and Chinese Weightlifting: Technical Mastery & Training—distill the system’s technical model and practical programming into accessible resources that have been translated into multiple languages.

Today’s guest is Jack Barry. Jack is the founder of JB Performance and a former ABCA DIII All-American (York College, 2021) who played at Salisbury University. After college, he worked at Tread Athletics, then built a remote+in-person coaching model. Jack has coached athletes from high school to pro levels, appeared on Baseball America’s 90th Percentile, and hosts the “Just Rippin’” podcast. On today’s episode, Jack speaks on athletic potential as a function of work capacity with quality, deliberate practice. We unpack the mental side of training, how visualization, targeted self-talk, and timely pattern breaks calm performance anxiety and restore confidence. He also touches on how athletes thrive when they develop a unique identity, balance effort with recovery, and treat mindset and mechanics as equal partners. This is a dynamic episode, at the intersection of pitching skill and global human performance concepts. 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 Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:20 – From college ball to new competitive outlets4:10 – Work capacity, family influences, and cross-training7:10 – Adapting training: speed, volume, and specificity10:01 – Aerobic contributions in racket and throwing sports15:46 – Provoking reactivity: stumble drills and innate responses23:16 – Pattern breaks, the yips, and the "be sexy" mentality27:44 – Reactive throwing drills to clean the arm action31:15 – Pre-movement cues and subtle distractions to speed action43:21 – Visualization with highlight reels to build confidence52:25 – Essentialism in training: less and better59:50 – Start with less, progress intelligently1:00:25 – Barefoot training and simplifying the lower half Quotes "I'm probably not going to be the strongest guy in the gym, but darn it if I'm not going to have one of the highest VO2 maxes and work capacity and be able to cook you on the track." "If you want to get faster, if you want to increase your work output, you have to approach those two different sessions in the same way." "If you do want to get faster, if you do want to be able to run further for longer at faster paces, you need to kind of split up the focuses of each one of those training sessions and supplement them in throughout the week." "Racket sports with throwers, especially a lot of crossover there but as far as like the work capacity point definitely a lot easier to sort of program in or give to guys to when you give them like a competitive outlet." "Conditioning for court sports is miserable. If you put us indoors and you just give us lines that we have to go back and forth on for 200 times or whatever for an hour straight. That's the physical sport representation of the looney bin essentially." "The reactive component to pitching is completely unreactive in the sense that you start every play with pitching. You have 20 seconds in between throws and you're throwing to a stagnant target." "You need to verbalize it in order to give it less of an importance or a significance. I'm going to use the Y word." About Jack Barry Jack Barry, CSCS, is the founder of JB Performance, where he helps pitchers turn efficient mechanics and smart workloads into game-day velocity and command. His process blends slow-motion video breakdown, individualized drill progressions, and clear week-to-week plans that are simple to follow and easy to measure. Jack’s focus areas include strength & conditioning, throwing mechanics and workload management, pitch design, and mobility. Jack Barry Performance Before coaching online, Jack played college baseball at Salisbury University, then continued his career at York College (PA), where he earned ABCA Division III All-American honors in 2021. After his playing career, he joined Tread Athletics, sharpening his player-development chops inside a high-feedback, data-aware environment. BachTalk+1 Jack has been featured on Baseball America’s 90th Percentile podcast and hosts “Just Rippin’,” where he talks shop with coaches and athletes. He’s worked with pitchers from high school through the professional ranks, delivering concise feedback after each bullpen—what to keep, what to change, and exactly how to practice it—with objective checkpoints (velo, strike %, spin/axis when available) and long-term arm-health planning.

Today’s guest is Romain Tourillon. Romain is a sports physiotherapist and researcher specializing in the foot–ankle complex, with clinical leadership at the Swiss Olympic Medical Center, La Tour Hospital (Geneva). His PhD at Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne examined foot muscle strength and sport performance. It’s important to train the lower legs in athletes, but the question is what type of training is best, especially when it comes to working the toes and forefoot, versus more general calf and shin work. In this episode, Romain discusses his research on forefoot biomechanics and performance. He shares training that boosted MTP (big-toe) flexion strength ~28% in trained athletes and explains how stronger forefeet enhance sprinting, cutting, and jumping via better force transmission and stability. We also cover injury prevention, targeted foot/ankle exercises, challenges in measuring toe strength, and where 3D analyses may take the field— with practical takeaways for coaches and athletes throughout. 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 code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer Use code “justfly20” for 20% off of LILA Exogen Wearable resistance gear at www.lilateam.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:00 Building a PhD Protocol from Real-Life Training 4:46 Using Everyday Objects to Innovate Foot Training 8:16 Surface Texture and Proprioception in Barefoot Work 11:27 Breaking Down Romain’s PhD Research on the Forefoot 16:22 Gym and Home-Based Protocols for MTP Flexion 22:11 Measuring Toe and Forefoot Strength Accurately 31:20 Mobility of the Forefoot and Its Role in Force Production 37:31 Results: How 8 Weeks of Forefoot Training Changed Performance 43:54 Explaining the Improvements in Cutting, Jumping, and Sprinting 53:01 Linking Forefoot Strength to Ankle Stability and Injury Prevention 58:23 Isolated Toe Training vs. Global Foot and Calf Training 1:15:09 Designing General Foot-Ankle Programs for Teams Romain Tourillon Quotes "One of my philosophy as a rehab coach is also you know to I would say be able to do all the exercises that I can give to your athletes. Also because you understand a little bit the feeling and the intensity or the way that you have to do it." "There is no good or bad exercise, there is just some parameter that you really have to focus on but you can really have different kind of way of targeting things." "From proprioceptive things we know that the foot and ankle really have the ability to change its biomechanics regarding to the surface that you are in contact with." "We know that if it helps you, your brain will know that and after you've put an ankle which turn off a little bit just to have a kind of economic things." "The idea of the PAG was really to... I would say investigate the role and the function of the forefoot flexion strength." "Those muscles are pretty sensitive to angle and to dorsiflexion. So changing the angle of the ankle, so putting your ankle into dorsiflexion or plantar flexion, change the force length relationships of the extrinsic to flexor." "We don't have an ISO. It's what I say. We don't have an ISO kinetic for the toes. So we don't have any gold standard." About Romain Tourillon Romain Tourillon, PT, PhD, is a sports physiotherapist, researcher, and educator focused on foot–ankle biomechanics in health, injury, and high performance. He leads the foot–ankle service at the Swiss Olympic Medical Center (La Tour Hospital, Geneva) and consults with elite athletes. Romain earned his PhD at Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne, with work centered on metatarsophalangeal (MTP) flexion strength and its links to sprinting, cutting, and jumping performance. His publications and talks translate cutting-edge research into practical assessment and training methods for coaches and clinicians.