Claim OwnershipThe Inside Shoulder
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New podcast from the coaching team at Tackle University. The Inside Shoulder podcast is here to unashamedly celebrate and dissect the most physical sports on the planet, including rugby league, union and American football.
We invite the finest minds working & playing in the toughest sports to share their wisdom, ideas and beliefs on success on the field and in all walks of life in unfiltered conversation.
We invite the finest minds working & playing in the toughest sports to share their wisdom, ideas and beliefs on success on the field and in all walks of life in unfiltered conversation.
17 Episodes
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On this episode of The Inside Shoulder we are joined by incoming London Broncos Assistant Coach and recent Hull KR Treble Winning Assistant Coach, Danny Ward, the man who helped construct the best defence in Super League 2025 - conceding only 8-9 points per game on average, as well as only one try in the Grand Final against Wigan at Old Trafford. We discussed the decades in the making transformation of Hull KR, how a culture and environment of competitiveness and intensity was built, as well as the ingredients that went into the defence which brought Hull KR their first silverware in decades, including their fearsome line speed and kick chase. Danny Ward is now heading back to the revamped London Broncos RL, a club where he previously played and held the role of Head Coach. As a player, Danny played for Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers, Hull KR, and London Broncos (then Harlequins Rugby League). He was also capped for Great Britain.
Coach Terrence Kennel (TK) is the current Director of Applied Football Science and Speed for the University of South Florida Bulls, a Division 1 school that competes in the American Conference. TK has worked at the elite level across numerous sports including rugby, MMA, basketball, baseball, soccer and of course, American football, carving out a path and trajectory that is unique to him - surfing his own wave. In this episode we discuss speed and conditioning extensively, especially what many people - including football coaches - get wrong about conditioning and what their conditioning is missing. We also touch on learnings from moving between rugby and football, the use of military style boot camps for sport and much more! TK is an excellent and insightful follow on social media, where he can be found under the handle @tkennellphysprep on Instagram and @TKPhysPrep on X/Twitter.
Michael Gragg is Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Harding University Bisons Football program, a D2 team with multiple undefeated seasons in recent memory. Michael tells the Inside Shoulder podcast about the culture and recruitment behind the Bisons' formidable record, about his own transition from playing to the coaching staff within the same team, as well as touching on performance from the weight room, to speed and the kind of combative work needed to prepare athletes for contact. The Harding Bisons football program is a Division II member of the Great American Conference, located in Searcy, Arkansas. The Bisons football coaching staff is made up entirely of ex-Bisons players, including the Head Coach. The Bisons were NCAA Division II national champions in 2023 after a perfect season.Michael can be found on Instagram at @mdgragg50 and on X/Twitter at @MichaelGragg - go follow!
Chev Walker is a current Assistant Coach at Super League juggernauts, the Leeds Rhinos, a role he combines with coaching one of the most consistently successful Academy systems in the world and his new role as Transition Coach - taking responsibility for those promising young players and their path into the top tier professional ranks. As a player, Chev had a long and glittering career with the Leeds Rhinos as well as stints with Hull KR and Bradford Bulls. He also represented both Great Britain Lions and England on the international stage. In 2006-7, Chev made the transition to top level rugby union with Bath, and was also selected for the England Saxons representative side. In this episode we discuss aggression and collisions versus control, the different types of defensive systems, nurturing young talent, the difference between generations and much more.
Laurent Frayssinous is the current Head Coach of France and was previously St Helens Assistant Coach when the Saints were crowned World Club Champions, beating the formidable NRL champs the Penrith Panthers on their own turf. In addition to this he was previously Head Coach of the Catalans Dragons in Super League, having been a player for the club in their inaugural season. In this episode we discussed some of the ingredients that made St Helens world champs, their fearsome line speed and defensive intensity - and how they won Super League titles with the most missed tackles. Or in other words, why not all missed tackles are created equal. Most pertinently for his current role, we discussed what leading the French national team entails on a daily basis, what exactly is meant by the oft-cited term "French flair" and why it matters.
Sean O’Loughlin is current Assistant Coach at the Wigan Warriors, the most successful club in the history of British rugby league. As an assistant coach responsible for defence, Sean is the leading architect behind arguably the best defence in the Super League era, having not conceded a single try (!) in back to back Grand Finals. As a player, Sean was also the long-term Captain of Wigan, as well as having had the honour of captaining England at international level. He was also capped for the Great Britain Lions on 11 occasions. We discussed what it is that makes Wigan’s defence so special, aggression, culture, contact, wrestle and building a defensive system. This is a must peak behind the curtain into one of the most successful professional sports organisations in the entire world. You can follow Sean O’Loughlin on Instagram at @seanol13 and his team the Wigan Warriors @wiganwarriorsrl
Scott Leech is the Head Strength & Conditioning coach at the University of Rhode Island, a D1 Football Program. He is a pioneer in the area of “contact prep”, implementing & rigorously planning contact dosing into off and pre-season workouts for his football athletes. Scott has thought long and hard about athletes’ needs in terms of contact, both physically & psychologically, and in this episode he shares some of his ideas & observations on what it takes to prepare human beings for the unique and sometimes crazy demands of contact & collision sports. This is a must listen for both athletes and coaches in any contact & collision based sport, be it rugby league, union or football - or as Scott mentions, the many other sports where contact is part of the game and likely under prepared for!In this regard he has created a number of courses and online resource packages available online to help coaches make informed decisions around contact & conditioning, including “Contact Prep” and the “Gridiron Warrior” packages. Scott can be found on Instagram @sleech72 and on X/Twitter at @ScottLeech72
Andrew D. Ryland is a former D1 College Football and Rugby player at Penn State University, as well as international representative for the USA rugby team. He is a tackling and contact specialist coach who advises multiple teams across both sports at the elite level. In this episode we discussed learning from both football and rugby, as well as a deeper dive into the philosophy of contact and collision sports and their place in modern society. We talked about whether or not aggression should be a dirty word, and what coaches can do to help both teams and individual athletes become more physical, aggressive and comfortable in contact. Andrew can be found on Instagram at @adrcoachdevelopment and Twitter/X at @ADRCoachDev
Steven Babic is a renowned and sought-after wrestle and contact coach in elite level rugby league and rugby union. He is currently employed as the contact and wrestle coach for both the NRL's Wests Tigers and Super Rugby's NSW Waratahs. Prior to this Babic was the long term wrestle coach for the Canberra Raiders, where his ball pilfering technique arguably helped his hometown club to the 2019 NRL Grand Final, although Babic himself had been poached by the Canterbury Bulldogs at the time. Babic has also worked for the ACT Brumbies and the Parramatta Eels. He is the man behind the viral NSW Waratahs wrestle and combat sessions. Babic is on Instagram at: @hhh_defence
Adam Innes is the Head Strength & Conditioning coach for Toulouse Olympique XIII and the France national team in rugby league. An Australian by birth, he's much more than a strength coach and is an integral part of the Toulouse Olympique club, essential to the culture they've built and must maintain in the unique circumstances in which they compete. We cover athlete lifestyles, putting on lean muscle while maintaining the athletic qualities necessary to compete, how to integrate speed work and exposure in team training, as well as lessons learned from a challenging stint in the northern hemisphere's top flight, the Super League. Plus, we address the chatter than Toulouse might return to the top comp and what they would do differently this time around. Adam Innes can be found on Instagram at @adaminnes_performance
Sergeant Tom Merriman, a serving Royal Marine Commando and Physical Training Instructor (PTI) who has trained some of the biggest names in British rugby league and union. He helps us tackle the debate over the use of military boot camps for sport head on: do they build mental toughness and team cohesion? Or should teams focus on the demands of the sport? We also delve into the Commando Ethos and the qualities Royal Marines abide by to demonstrate resilience under extreme stress and adversity. Sgt. Merriman has delivered Commando style training to a number of the biggest and most successful clubs in British rugby league and rugby union. He shares what he learned along the way as well as some of the anecdotes from working with those teams, including reigning champions the Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves under talismanic head coach, Sam Burgess. Sergeant Tom Merriman maintains an Instagram account where he provides advice for potential recruits looking to prepare physically and mentally for a career in the Royal Marines. He can be found at @thecommandopti
Rohan Smith is the current head coach of the Norths Devils RLFC who play in the Queensland Cup competition in Australia. Prior to this he was head coach of one of the UK’s biggest professional rugby league clubs, the Leeds Rhinos, leading them to a Super League Grand Final in 2022. Rohan Smith is a deep thinking coach who takes inspiration and ideas from a wide range of sports. We discussed the four levels of contact, how to implement contact & tackling, building a team identity around contact and why the gym is an absolute non-negotiable for contact athletes like rugby league players. We also delved into reflections & learning from his time at the helm of Leeds Rhinos, as well as the possibility of the Australian NRL taking over the UK Super League. Rohan Smith can be found on Instagram at @coach_rohanrsmith Don’t forget to subscribe!
Cyrus Habibi-Likio is a former elite running back having won a Rose Bowl in 2016 with the Oregon Ducks, before playing for the Boise State Broncos. As well as having worked out for several NFL teams, Cyrus went on to play in the UFL for the Memphis Showboats. In addition to his football career, Cyrus grew up playing rugby union and was close to signing a professional rugby league contract after falling in love with the sport a couple of years ago. We discussed the similarities and differences between all three sports, effective tackle technique and training, as well as content creation and how to stand out from the pack on social media - where Cyrus has amassed over 110k followers across multiple platforms as a professional content creator. You can find him on IG at @cyri3e and on TikTok at @cyfytv
Matt Vickery is an experienced strength & conditioning coach with a background in rugby union, rugby league & combat sports. He specialises in strength and conditioning demands for those sports & as well as training current athletes, he has particular expertise with helping aging & retired sportsmen and women to stay healthy & athletic beyond their playing days. We discussed maintaining athleticism and the transition from playing sport into retirement - for pro athletes and amateurs alike - as well as supplements & nutrition for contact sports, alcohol, sleep, and how to keep testosterone levels high. Matt can be found on Instagram: @jump.throw.lift
Rich Hunwicks is a high performance coach & COO of the Everyday Athlete. He won Super League Grand Finals with Leeds Rhinos, a Challenge Cup and a League Leader’s Shield at Catalans Dragons, as well as served under master coach Wayne Bennett during England Rugby League’s 2017 World Cup campaign, in which they narrowly missed out, losing 6-0 in the final against Australia. We talked about the massive cultural overhaul and professionalisation projects in which Rich has played an instrumental role in the top flight of rugby league in the Northern Hemisphere. At times, this included navigating different & delicate cultural environments as well as operating through the language barrier. Rich gives a sneak peek behind the curtain of the Catalans Dragons transformation from “also rans” to Super League juggernauts, as well as anecdotes from working under arguably the greatest coach of all time and one of the most enigmatic figures in all of sport, Wayne Bennett.We also discussed what it means to be an Everyday Athlete and Rich’s current work in professional football (soccer). Rich can be reached via his website www.richhunwicks.com and is on Instagram and Twitter/X at @richhunwicksThe Everyday Athlete project can be found at www.theeverydayathlete.uk
Omar Mouneimne is an elite defence coach with almost two decades of experience working at the highest levels of professional rugby union in the world. He was most recently defence coach for Exeter Chiefs in the English premiership, and has also coached with Bristol, Edinburgh, Stade Français and the Sharks in Super Rugby, among others. Across rugby league, union & American football it is often the best defensive outfits who dominate. We sat down with Omar to discuss why that is, and why it’s important to be realistic about the physical, aggressive & collision based nature of the sports… And why that’s not something to be ashamed of. We also discussed how league has influenced union defence & what union can offer league today. Omar can be found on Instagram at @omar_mouneimne_ and via his website: omardefence.com
Alec Olson is the Strength & Conditioning Coach for Portland State Vikings football, a D1 program in the Big Sky Conference. We discussed preparing his football athletes for the unique demands of contact & collisions, how Alec has been implementing ideas & principles from rugby league & rugby union, as well as the differences & similarities in physical demands between all three sports. Alec is an outspoken coach with a ton of great ideas - enjoy the conversation! You can follow him on Instagram @alecolson_strength_coach
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