The Team Behind the Team: Recent Episodes
Donnie Maib
As championships are won, records are broken, and physical limits are pushed, coaches and athletes alike are searching for an edge.
The margin between winning and losing is oftentimes a 1 percent difference.
In today’s high performing sports culture you will find a “team behind the team” that not only supported but sustained an individual’s or team success.
This podcast will provide relevant content and real conversations with various industry leaders influencing athletes performance today.
Host Donnie Maib, Head Coach for Athletic Performance at Texas will draw upon various experts and topics in the realm of sports performance to help educate, equip, and empower you to win not only on the field but also within your own performance team.
When the team behind the team wins, everyone wins!
This month we sit down with Mark Henry, the World’s Strongest Man, Olympian, Athlete, Wrestler, Showman, Humanitarian, Husband, and father to talk all things life, performance, and what it takes to be the best. From competing in the world games in Olympic Weightlifting, working out with the governor of Texas, to electrifying crowds for WWE […]
This month we welcome special guest Deann Koehler to the show. She is no stranger to workingwith Championship caliber coaches, teams, and staff over her decorated career as an athletictrainer. Deann and Donnie cover a wide array of topics from career path advancement, bestpractices as a professional, recovery methods for injury prevention, how to manage […]
This month we step into the studio for a special episode with our 2024 Spring Internship Class. Avery Rodgers, Dawson Dinh, Justin Shelby, and Brenda Savariego just finished up their internship in the Texas Athletic Performance department and they knocked it out of the park. You will not want to miss this session as they […]
Coach Stephanie Mock joined us this month to talk about her career and how she built a staff by advocating for new and current roles. Coach Mock talks about how young professionals need to be strategic about their career path. Advocating for yourself is very important when applying for a role, but once you have […]
Dr. Jon Daly joins us in the studio to discuss an incredibly important issue of self-advocacy in the Athletic Performance community. As professionals in athletic performance, how do we advocate or ourselves in a job where our value is always in question? Dr. Daly speaks to how crucial communication is to getting what you want. […]
As we continue to roll through the Spring Season, we brought in Coach Erica Suter from Tampa, Florida. Coach Suter joined us to discuss the challenges facing female athletes in the High-Performance environment. Some of the biggest issues today come from poor information distributed over social media. Two examples include poor nutrition advice and a […]
Joining us this month, all the way from Central Florida, is Coach Charles Stephenson. In this episode we discuss some of the biggest changes happening in Collegiate Athletics and how they affect our communication with our athletes. Key concerns such as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal are two of the biggest […]
How in the world can I turn one of my failures into a positive? Ashley Kuchar joins us in the studio to discuss how athletes can approach their game with confidence using resilience and self-compassion. We discussed how athletes deal with a lot of internal and external criticisms and ways they can block that out. […]
This week Coach Jesse Wright joins us before the holidays to discuss his work through his book “The Intent is to Grow”, his consulting company TruPro Systems and his extensive experience in strength and conditioning. We jump right in discussing communication within the workplace and the dangers of developing silos versus collaboration. We discuss how […]
This month’s show features a little twist as Coach Maib and Coach Joe switch roles in the booth and we discuss a topic that is near and dear to Donnie’s heart, Leadership. Throughout the episode we’ll discuss our past leadership experiences and lessons learned from the past. We start with 14 leadership traits and discuss […]
All the way from Dublin Ireland, JP joins coach Maib to discuss his book “The Culture System”. Right away, JP and Donnie discuss the differences between transformational and transactional leaders. Their effect on the culture of a team is crucial as JP breaks down the three most important traits in developing team culture. Building Relationships, […]
In this week’s episode, Sam Contorno walked over to the Olympic side from football to discuss her career and thoughts on Sport Science. We discuss the Sport Science industry today and what are some of the tools that really matter. With all of the access she has to the latest testing technology, Sam also covers how she communicates an endless amount of data to coaches and athletes. Lastly, Sam discusses how lasers and a scale can probably accomplish 90% of what you need to do in Sport Science. Sometimes less is more, so we do not get consumed by our technology available to us. Sam provided us with great insight this week and a valuable episode for Sport Scientists and Strength coaches alike.
Sam Contorno currently works at the University of Texas at Austin as the Associate Director of Applied Sports Science for Texas Football. Previously, she was the Coordinator of Sports Science at the University of Maryland. She also spent five years at Stanford Universityfrom 2017 to 2022. Sam graduated with a BS in Molecular Integrative Neuroscience and a minor in Health & Wellness Studies from Binghamton University in 2012, and a MS in Human Nutrition from University of Bridgeport in 2018. You can reach Sam Contorno on Instagram @samcontorno and Twitter @sam_contorno.
This week Eric McMahon hopped on Zoom with us to discuss his career and what the future holds for Strength and Conditioning. Moving forward, Coach McMahon presented a great question, are we sport coaches who also do strength and conditioning, or are we strength coaches who lean more towards a medical model? Possibly the most important topic we discussed is advocacy in sport. Coach McMahon states that you can’t just be a member of the industry, you have to be an advocate. Communication and maintaining a level head in an alpha community are some of Eric McMahon’s greatest strengths, and he covers those in depth in this month’s episode.
Brittany Ducroz joined Coach Maib in the booth for an awesome conversation about understanding our self-worth in the strength coaching profession. The important questions that they present is: How much are you worth? What is your value? Brittany stresses being true to yourself and making the difficult decision to walk away from an opportunity that will not pay you what you’re worth. She also emphasizes getting different viewpoints from other professions to help relate with Directors when negotiating your worth. This is a popular topic in strength and conditioning that both Brittany and Donnie hammer extremely valuable points in the show.
Brittany Ducroz currently works as the Director at St. Edwards University here in Austin, TX as well as British Diving in London, UK. Before working for St. Edwards, she worked for the University of Houston in 2013. From 2012 to 2013, Brittany worked for Purdue University with Volleyball, Basketball, Swimming, Cross Country and Cheerleading. Brittany also worked at the University of Texas from 2011 to 2012 with Volleyball and Golf.
You can reach Brittany over email: info@mtgatx.com
Sam Partida joins us in the booth to talk about some of the most critical topics within sports nutrition and athletic performance. Sam shares some of her strategies in myth busting diet fads and understanding where and why athletes found them. One of the most critical challenges today is eating disorders. How to identify which athletes are going through it and communicating with the athlete about their eating disorder are two examples of what Sam work through and discusses with us. Lastly, Sam shares some of her tactics in prescribing meals for different athletes in different situations.
Samantha Partida joined the Texas Performance Nutrition staff in 2020. Prior to her time at Texas, she worked as a sports dietitian at North Carolina State University. Sam earned a Bachelor of Science in nutrition in 2013 at the University of Texas and worked as a clinical dietitian for people with disabilities after college before realizing her passion for sports nutrition. Sam is a registered and licensed dietitian in Texas and is a certified specialist in sports dietetics. You can reach Sam Partida on Twitter and Instagram @sampartidard.
Former Texas Volleyball star Molly McCage and Donnie hit the booth to discuss a variety of topics, but none more important than the impact of sports on her life. Molly and Donnie touch on how sports can help athletes find themselves as individuals and even find their voice as leaders. Additionally, the ongoing concern of mental health in sports continues to be at the forefront of concerns in athletic performance. Molly and Donnie discuss how a communal approach through former athletes, current teammates or professionals are some of the best people to lean on to support mental health. Tune in this month to listen to one of the all-time Longhorn greats.
Molly McCage currently plays for Athletes Unlimited and is the manager of Player Care and Coordination. From 2021-2022, Molly was the Director of Volleyball Operations at Pepperdine University. Molly played for the Allianz MTV Stuttgart Pro Team in Germany as well as being a member of the USA National Team from 2017-2019. You can reach Molly on Instagram or Twitter: @mollymccage. “
From Ice Baths to Gatorade, this week’s guest Christie Aschwanden joins us from her home in Colorado to discuss her book, GOOD TO GO. Christie covers multiple modalities we use today for recovery, but also debunks some of these methods as well. Is beer hindering or helping your recovery? Is Gatorade the best product for performance hydration? Are ice baths and cryotherapy really beneficial to recovery? In today’s world of fitness, we follow lot of misleading protocols for recovery and things we think will enhance our athletic performance. Tune in and listen to Christie break down these methods and whether or not they are really helping you.
Christie Aschwanden is the author of Good To Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery and co-host of Emerging Form, a podcast about the creative process. She’s the former lead science writer at FiveThirtyEight and was previously a health columnist for The Washington Post. Christie was a National Magazine Award finalist in 2011. Other honors she’s received include a Best Article Award (2005) and Outstanding Essay Award (2007) from the American Society of Journalists and Authors. A frequent speaker at writer’s workshops and journalism conferences, Christie is the founder of the Creative Convergence freelance writing workshops. You can reach Christie Aschwanden at her website: christieaschwanden.com, on Instagram @cragcrest, and her podcast Emerging Form.
Whenever there’s a group of people, there’s a culture” -Martin Rooney. This month we were lucky to catch Coach Martin Rooney while he was in town for a presentation. Coach Rooney discussed how we as leaders can inspire our athletes, but need to inspire ourselves as well. He and Donnie explored going “into the roar” and how the analogy applies to training not only his Mixed Martial Artists, but athletes and business professionals alike. Lastly, he covers not only pursuing and accomplishing your dreams, but addressing what we should do once that dream has been accomplished. If you ever run into coach Rooney, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to watch him tear a deck of cards with his bare hands, but for now, tune in to some of the most inspiring career advice we’ve had on the show.
A former US bobsledder and two-time Guinness World Record holder, Coach Rooney is the creator of the Training for Warriors system and former COO of the Parisi Speed School national franchise. Martin has presented to Fortune 500 companies, Military Organizations, and consulted numerous professional NFL teams. Martin has trained athletes from the NFL, MLB, UFC, NBA, WNBA and multiple top Division I collegiate programs. Martin has written five best-selling books for Harper Collins and Wiley publishers which have sold over a combined 200,000 copies. You can reach Coach Rooney on Instagram @themartinrooney and on Facebook @Martin Rooney.
Arianna Luther left the warm Miami beach to join us in the chilly Austin weather for a great show just before Christmas break. In this episode we discuss the important task of building trust with your athletes and sport coaches. We discuss what it takes to earn buy-in from the teams you work with. Additionally, in a post COVID era, we examine Mental Health and how it’s affected our athletes. Lastly, Arianna dives into her work on social media and some material her and her colleagues are releasing. Grab a notepad and enjoy!
Arianna Luther came to the University of Miami as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach in October of 2020. She serves as the strength and conditioning coach for the women’s soccer, swimming and diving, and rowing programs. Luther joined the Hurricanes after one year at the University of Nevada, where she worked with track and field and men’s tennis.
You can reach Arianna Luther on Twitter @Arianna_Luther and on Instagram @ariannaluther.
This week’s special guest is local to Austin, Texas and is a legend in the field of strength training. Dr. Jan Todd, the Director of the Stark Center at The University of Texas and former powerlifter shares her story as a pioneer for women in the sport. Throughout the podcast, she dives into her extraordinary journey and experiences with some of the strongest humans the planet has ever seen. We also touch on her life in academia and the critical role she has played in breaking barriers and stigmas for women and weightlifting.
Dr. Jan Todd is a Roy McLean Centennial Fellow in Sports History, and the Interim Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Todd is also the executive editor of Iron Game History: The Journal of Physical Culture, that she and her husband Terry Todd founded in 1990. During her career, Sports Illustrated often described her as the “strongest woman in the world”. As a powerlifter, she set more than 60 national and world records (in five weight classes) and was included in the Guinness Book of Records for over a decade. Jan Todd was the first woman inducted into the International Powerlifting Hall of Fame and was in the first class of the USA-PL Women’s Powerlifting Hall of Fame. You can reach Jan Todd at her email: j.todd@austin.utexas.edu Additionally, you can get ticket information for the Arnold Strongman Classic at: https://www.arnoldsports.com/sports-and-events/strongman/arnold-strongman-classic/
David Joyce is back for a bonus episode! This episode is a speaking engagement he did while here in Austin. Coach Joyce speaks about how WHAT we are doing in the future will not change, but HOW we do it will change. In what way do we bring the future forward? Additionally, he addresses 8 complex issues that should be considered moving forward in our careers. One example is the economy, and understanding the stability and allocation of funds from your respective athletic departments. This is an amazing episode and will force you to consider issues you wouldn’t normally associate with athletic performance. Enjoy!
David Joyce is the Founder of Synapsing, a global strategy and decision-making consultancy linking the boardroom to the front line in complex environments. He has extensive experience leading elite sports around the world, stretching from Premier League and European Football, to the Olympics, from international Rugby o the NFL. You can reach Coach Joyce on Twitter: @DavidGJoyce, Email: David.joyce@synapsing.com and Linkedin: David Joyce.
David Joyce joins us on a special visit all the way from Australia! Coach Joyce lays down a great deal of knowledge on improving integration amongst the separate positions in our field i.e. athletic trainers, strength coaches, etc. We discuss two of his books (titles in bio) and what his purpose was behind each one. The most critical piece in our conversation was addressing “in-groups” and “out-groups”. Lastly, we cover the importance of time management and learning when to say “NO”. Grab a note pad, this is an episode you’ll want to take notes on!
David Joyce is the Founder of Synapsing, a global strategy and decision-making consultancy linking the boardroom to the front line in complex environments. He has extensive experience leading elite sports around the world, stretching from Premier League and European Football, to the Olympics, from international Rugby to the NFL.
You can reach Coach Joyce on Twitter: @DavidGJoyce, Email: David.joyce@synapsing.com and Linkedin: David Joyce.
Coach Scott Caulfield joined us over Zoom from The Green Mountain State to discuss his great career. Coach Caulfield has done it all from his service in the United States Navy to being the head coach at the NSCA headquarters. We talk about his unorthodox coaching philosophy and some of the research he conducted at the University of Denver on The Social Construction of Strength and Conditioning. (Also see the Dr. Gearity interview, Episode 34) Coach Caulfield also catches us up on the life of a strength coach in division 3 collegiate athletics. Lastly, we cover his time in the military and how that helped shape his career.
Coach Ryan Davis flew in from Maryland and took the time to discuss his career with Coach Donnie Maib and guest host Kylie Lahey. Coach Davis really explained the importance of family, and ways we as coaches can maintain a work/life balance with such a demanding position. Mistakes early in our careers is something we simply cannot avoid. Coach Davis talked about mistakes he made as a young coach and how that helped shape his career. Finally, Coach Davis dives into the process of working with Rogue Fitness to build a new weight room for Maryland Football. This is a great quick episode you’ll definitely want to listen to.
Coach Jeff “Maddog” Madden joins us this week to share his stories and thoughts on a long and successful career in the field. For four decades, Coach Madden has done it all in strength and conditioning. Managing hard times, good times, and everything in-between, Coach Madden was able to push his athletes with great leadership skills. His leadership not only earned respect from his athletes, but from his peers as well. This episode is packed with stories that are too valuable to miss, and you don’t have to be at IHOP at 2 a.m. to hear them!
Coach Madden’s resume more than checks all the boxes required to have achieved this lofty status. An All-City, All State and All-Star athlete in his day, he went on to train over 15,000 athletes, hundreds of whom went on to become professional athletes and Olympians, in a coaching career that’s spanned nearly four decades. The football teams he was directly responsible for training, most notably The University of Texas, had a combined record of 244-70 and won Two National Championships. You can reach Coach “Maddog” Madden at his email: jmaddog59@gmail.com and his website at maddogmadden.com
This episode was mixed and mastered by Morgan Honaker and Karoline Pfeil
All the way from Vancouver B.C., Coach Peter Twist joins us to discuss his long and successful career in sport performance. He talks about his experiences with the Vancouver Canucks and writing the book, Complete Conditioning for Ice Hockey before heading into the private sector. Coach Twist also walks us through the details of fascial line training and getting out of the weight room for running in the mountains. This episode is packed with positive and insightful tips that you do not want to miss!
Peter Twist is from Peterborough Ontario, where he was drawn to becoming a Physical Education Teacher. Peter instead progressed to achieve his Masters in Coaching Science at the University of British Columbia. He graduated to work as a sport scientist conducting brain-body research and coached for 11 years in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks. Coach Twist has worked with over 700 professional athletes, published over 400 papers, authored 10 books and 19 DVD’s on athletic development. Two major honors include the NSCA’s 1998 Presidents Award and the Can-Fit-Pro 2003 Specialty Presenter of the Year Award. You can find Coach Twist on Instagram @coachpetertwist and on Facebook: Peter Twist
This episode was mixed and mastered by Will Kurzner
Are we disciplined enough to win a Championship? Did we look perfectly in sync during our warm up? Did we follow our program to a tee, and execute it on time just like the strength coach told me to? Dr. Gearity aka Dr. G joins us from the University of Denver to discuss society in sport and how we view discipline as a major contributor to winning… or is it? Major companies and athletic programs have modeled themselves with military style leadership for a long time, but the outdated and often abused system may be holding us back. Check out this month’s episode to hear why.
Dr. Brian Gearity, is founding Director and Assistant Professor of the Master of Arts in Sport Coaching program at the University of Denver. Dr. Gearity has been a S&C coach for youth, high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, including stops at the University of Tennessee and Cleveland Guardians. You can reach Dr. G online: @DrGearity on all social platforms.
This summer we tip off with Coach Molly Binetti. Molly joins us from South Carolina, fresh off winning the Women’s Basketball National Championship. In this episode we discuss her coaching philosophy and the challenges women face in sport performance. Molly also shares how her programming strategies reflect her research, Mechanical Determinants of Faster Change of Direction and Agility Performance in Female Basketball Athletes. This episode is packed with content that you do not want to miss!
Since June 2018 Molly Binetti has been the current Women’s Basketball Sports Performance Coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Before her time with South Carolina, Molly spent four seasons at Louisville working with volleyball, softball, and women’s tennis. Molly also spent one year at Purdue from 2013-14, working with women’s tennis, men’s and women’s diving, and cheerleading.
You can find Molly on Instagram: @mbinetti22 and Twitter: @MollyBinetti
The long wait is over! Zach Dechant joins us in the studio to share his thoughts on strength training and topics alike. Coach Dechant works primarily with baseball players both Collegiate and Professional. In this episode, Donnie and Zach go in depth on shoulder health for the overhead athlete. We also cover the nature of baseball today and how he manages the volume his athletes accumulate over a long season. Finally, Zach talks about the books he’s written thus far and what he plans on writing next. This is a great episode you do not want to miss!
Since 2008, Zach has been the Senior Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning at Texas Christian University (TCU) overseeing the development of Baseball. Zach also runs his own business, Zach Dechant Sports Performance Enhancement, where he offers numerous courses, blog articles, resources and (2) books written by him. You can reach Zach at his website zachdechant.com.
This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Alejandra Arrazola and Clayton Faries
Craig Moore joins us in the studio to talk about his career as a Dietician in the collegiate setting. Craig spent time with us explaining the importance of “Buy-In” with athletes and coaches. This helped him engage with athletes on a more personal level and in turn, allowed him to prescribe in-depth nutrition strategies. Lastly, we discuss an important research thesis Craig completed on Food Insecurities, and how it affected athletes at home over the COVID pandemic.
Craig has recently accepted the position of Performance Nutritionist at the Red Bull Athletic Performance Center LA (APLCA) in Santa Monica, CA. Over the past three years he was the Head Football Dietician at the University of Texas. Craig received bachelor’s degrees in both Medical Dietetics and Nutrition & Exercise Physiology from the University of Missouri, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He completed his master’s degree from the University of Utah in Nutrition and Integrative Physiology. To contact Craig, go to @craigmoorerd on Instagram or email him at Craigmoorenutrition@gmail.com
Kylie Lahey came down to the studio to record a fantastic episode on some of the mental obstacles that athletes and young adults alike face on a daily basis. Kylie comes from both a Psychology and Athletic background as both a Behavioral Health Professional and a former Swim Coach. Kylie helps us clear up one of the most misunderstood topics in the difference between Mental Health and Mental Illness. Additionally, we tackle anxiety and depression and how we can help athletes as professionals in athletic performance with motivation tactics. Tune in to another episode that strongly focuses on the ever so complex human brain.
Kylie Lahey is a Social Worker in the Behavioral Health Department at the University of Texas. Lahey relocated to Austin from Denver, Colorado to pursue her master’s degree in Social Work at UT's Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Prior to her role at UT Athletics, Lahey worked as a Behavioral Health Counselor at an eating disorder treatment hospital for both adolescent and adult clients. Lahey is also a former club swim coach (2009-2012) and collegiate club swimmer (2010-2011).
Dan Fichter and Chris Korfist join us during their weekend visit to speak at the University of Texas Athletic Performance Clinic. Both Dan and Chris come from a background of traditional weight lifting while playing football at the Collegiate level. When it came to athletic performance, they both knew there had to be more than just lifting and running. They share their thoughts on their findings and their search for the next key to unlock Athletic potential. Tune in for a jam-packed episode with content that will challenge your thinking and open your mind to new concepts.
Chris Korfist is a high school educator who has coached track and football for 30 years. He also owns Slow Guy Speed School which is a private training facility that deals with athletes from all levels and sports. He is also co-author of Triphasic Training for Football and the Triphasic Spring-Ankle Model. He co-owns trackfootballconsortium.com and is the Co-founder of Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR). For more information, Chris can be reached at https://slowguyspeedschool.com.
Dan Fichter owns and operates Wannagetfast Power/Speed Training, a performance training business in the Upstate NY area that offers training to elite athletes. Dan has coached football at the high school and college level for over 17 years and is currently the Head Football Coach at Irondequoit High School in Rochester NY. For more information, Dan can be reached on his handle @wgf1 on both Twitter and Instagram. Content from both Dan and Chris can be found on https://trackfootballconsortium.com.
Associate Athletics Director-Human Resources at The University of Texas, Rianne Brashears joins us to discuss her career and offer up some terrific advice when applying for a job during challenging times as we continue to come out of the pandemic. Rianne uses the phrase, “The Great Re-Shuffle” to describe the challenges in finding qualified candidates. She also gives great advice on everything you need to know when applying for a job. From resumes to your interview, she gets into the vital details of every step of the process. If you’re looking for a job in the Athletic Performance profession, this episode is a must!
Rianne Brashears is the Senior Associate Athletics Director-Human Resources at The University of Texas at Austin. In a department employing approximately 3,000 employees, volunteers and contractors, responsible for oversight and supervision of all Human Resources operations on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Frank Erwin Center. For more information, email Rianne at Rianne.Brashears@athletics.utexas.edu
Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Texas, Adam Pecina joins us to discuss his career and some of his experiences that have affected him as both a leader and Athletic Trainer. From mentoring young, up and coming Athletic Trainers to working closely with Head Coaches in some of the most demanding positions in the country, Adam walks us through his mindset and daily approach. Additionally, Joe Krawczyk, the new co-host is introduced to the show. Tune in and enjoy!
Adam Pecina is the Assistant Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Texas, where he currently works directly with Men’s and Women’s Golf. Additionally, Adam helps oversee all other Olympic sports as well. Prior to Texas, Pecina worked as the Director of Sport Medicine at the United States Naval Academy from 2015-18 While at the Naval Academy he oversaw all aspects of medical care for 33 varsity sports with primary coverage of Men’s Basketball.
Texas coaches, Anna Craig and Clint Martin, make their way out of the weight room and into the recording studio to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas within Athletic Performance. Each spoke to the power and strategy of building relationships, their experience as a minority in Strength & Conditioning, and how they address specific demands to their respective sports. Their transparent perspectives and practical experiences shared culminate to one of our most powerful episodes yet!
Clint Martin serves as an Associate Director in Athletic Performance, coaching Track & Field, Men’s Swimming, and Women’s Golf. Prior to arriving at Texas in 2016, Martin coached Men’s Basketball at Nevada and Iowa State. He’s trained Olympians in Track & Field, Swimming, and Wrestling.
Anna Craig begins her 10th season on the 40 acres, serving as an Associate Director of Athletic Performance while training Women’s Tennis, Soccer, and Diving. During her tenure at Texas, she’s coached Football, Men’s Basketball, Soccer, Women’s Tennis, and Diving, including Olympic athletes in Diving and Soccer.
Stanford coach, Tyler Friedrich, joins Donnie Maib and Anna Craig at the 40 Acres while away from The Farm. Tyler explains the benefit of working with a variety of sports and elaborates on qualities he looks for in hiring coaches. He dives into how he’s utilized technology and the skill of presenting data to coaches. Tune in for more!
Tyler Friedrich is the Director of Olympic Sports Performance at Stanford University, where he currently works with Women’s Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Rowing, and Men’s Gymnastics. Prior to Stanford, Friedrich coached at Arizona State where he played a large role in integrating sport technology in the sport performance department.
This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Morgan Honaker
From across the world, Coach Nicolai Morris makes time in the midst of the Olympics to share her lens on training a variety of sports. She expounds on her use of gymnastics as a training strategy, the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach, and her joint founding of ‘Women in Sport’.
Nicolai Morris is a Strength & Conditioning Specialist with High Performance Sport New Zealand. She coaches the New Zealand Women’s Field Hockey team, and has worked with a variety of sports including rowing, swimming, rugby, track & field, and more. Most recently, an athlete she coaches won the Silver Medal in the Women’s High Jump at the 2021 Olympics.
This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Kaia Daniel and Sofia Salter.
Zack Zillner joins us in the studio to share experiences and anecdotes from his career as a sport performance coach. Zack elaborates on characteristics of high performing teams, collaborating with sport coaches, the simplicity of specificity, KPIs for basketball players, and more. This episode is packed with coaching principles and lessons specific to strength and conditioning.
Coach Zack Zillner is starting his 5th season as the performance coach for Texas Women’s Basketball. Prior to Texas, he coached at Kansas, Illinois, and Southern Mississippi, working with a variety of sports that include women’s and men’s basketball, volleyball, women’s golf, and more.
This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Alejandra Arrazola.
Samuel Gardner is currently in his 6th year supporting Team USA as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. Sam has worked with medalists from the London, Sochi and Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sam has also spent time working as an Athletic Development coach in professional basketball supporting the Santa Cruz Warriors and Golden State Warrios. He also spent a year working as a contracted Strength and Conditioning coach for the US Department of Defense while working with the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion.
Sam has been certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a RSCC and CSCS. He is also dual certified through USA Weightlifting (USAW) as a sports performance coach and club coach. Sam is a level-1 certified USA Track and Field (USATF) coach as well as a level-1 Functional Movement Systems (FMS) and level-1 anthropometrist through the International Society of Anthropometrics (ISAK) as well as a Nike SPARQ certified tester and a level-1 Precision Nutrition Coach.
This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Oscar Kitmanyen.
Donnie Maib & Mike Hanson had the privilege to hear from University of Florida Strength & Conditioning Coach, Matt DeLancey. Coach DeLancey shares how his philosophy has evolved, characteristics he sees of high performers, nuances of programming for separate sports, and advice for aspiring coaches.
Matt DeLancey is in his 18th season as a strength & conditioning coach at the University of Florida, serving as Assistant Director. While collaborating with well-renowned sport coaches, he has had the opportunity to work with 110 Olympians and 25 medalists primarily coaching Volleyball, Track & Field, and Swimming. DeLancey currently holds CSCS, USAW, CES, and PES certifications.
This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Harris Codini, Karoline Pfeil, and Will Kurzner.
Tracy Fober has a unique perspective in performance after having served as a physical therapist and strength & conditioning coach. She visits with Donnie Maib and Mike Hanson to share her thoughts on a variety of topics including how proximity breeds collaboration, gaps in returning athletes to training, the importance of leadership in high performance, as well as problems and solutions for discrepancies between men’s and women’s sports.
Tracy Fober is a performance coach, physical therapist, and owner of Iron Maven Performance Health in Park City. She previously worked with US Ski & Snowboard leading into the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. For the past two decades she has coached and assisted athletes of various levels.
This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Alejandra Arrazola and Sofia Salter.
Hear from author, coach, and sport dietician, Dr. Marc Bubbs, as he expands on the pillars of recovery. Dr. Bubbs addresses the impact of sleep on performance, the double-edge sword that is sleep monitoring, contextual dietary considerations, simple strategies for stress-management, and why building relationships with athletes is important. Tune in for an extremely insightful episode!
Dr. Marc Bubbs is a Naturopathic Doctor, Performance Nutritionist consultant for Canada Basketball and ALTIS, speaker, author, and former Strength & Conditioning Coach. He has worked with elite and professional athletes on improving their health for nearly two decades. Dr. Bubbs regularly presents on health, fitness, and performance at conferences around the world in addition to consulting with professionals from a variety of sports.
Dan Pfaff and Coach Loren Landow join Donnie Maib and Anna Craig to take training back to the “Fundamentals and Foundations of Coaching and Performance”. This episode includes evaluation of sport and athletes, starting points in programming and conditioning, instilling fundamentals into high level athletes, the significance of movement literacy, and creating buy in.
Coach Dan Pfaff is a world-renowned track and field coach: including 49 Olympians, nine medalists, 51 World Championship competitors (also nine medalists), and five world-record holders. He has directed athletes to 57 national records across a multitude of events. He is currently the Head Coach for Altis-elite training for athletes, and a global leader in education for sport performance.
Coach Loren Landow enters his third year as the Broncos' head strength and conditioning coach and is owner/founder of Landow Performance. He is a world-renowned movement and sports performance expert who is highly sought after for his ability to analyze and correct biomechanics. He has trained thousands of athletes of all ages and abilities.
This month we hear from Daniel Martinez as he displays his versatile background by sharing his experiences and views on a variety of performance topics. He shares his approach to coaching 17 teams, insight to force plate application, perspective on demands of court-athletes, and he discusses the practicality of sales as a coach. This episode is filled with examples of Daniel’s unique lens as a performance practitioner.
Coach Daniel Martinez is in his 4th year as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Trinity University, where he works with 17 teams. In addition to coaching at Trinity, Daniel coordinates a Trinity conference on sport science and strength & conditioning. He has previously served as a consultant for ForceDecks where he worked with many teams at the collegiate, professional, and international level.
Dr. Mike Voight joins Coach Maib to define and discuss leadership, a sought-after trait of successful teams that is often overlooked and underdeveloped. Dr. Voight shares practical ways to develop leadership within teams, illustrates traits of successful leaders, discusses the impact of belief and buy-in, in addition to highlighting why developing leadership should be a priority for every team.
Dr. Voight is a Professor in the Physical Education and Human Performance at Central Connecticut State University, where he teaches graduate courses in leadership, sport psychology, and sport philosophy/sociology, and undergraduate classes in stress management & exercise science. Prior to this position he lectured at the University of Southern California. He’s worked with numerous of professional & collegiate teams including Texas, USC, Wake Forest, Virginia, Kentucky, Harvard, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, and more.
Michigan head strength & conditioning coach, Lew Porchiazzo, joins Donnie Maib & Mike Hanson to discuss how he has evolved as a coach and to share his insight on sought-after coaching qualities, recovery, collaboration, and more. Tune-in to hear Lew’s approach to training and several other coaching principles.
Lew Porchiazzo is in his 11th season at the University of Michigan where he currently serves as a Head Strength & Conditioning Coach working with Softball, Women’s Gymnastics, and Men’s Soccer. Prior to Michigan, he completed internships at Baylor University and at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Additionally, Coach Porchiazzo has presented on various performance topics at a number of coaching clinics over the past several years.
We welcome the perspective and thoughts of our very own team physician at Texas Athletics, Dr. James Bray. Dr. Bray shares his day-to-day as a team physician in college athletics as well as his role in the performance team model. He discusses how to build trust with student-athletes, why his job is fulfilling, how he maintains a healthy work-life balance, and more!
Dr. James Bray is entering his ninth year as the head team physician for Texas Athletics. Prior to Texas, Dr. Bray spent 10 years in clinical medicine working in primary care and non-surgical orthopedics. Additionally, he has been elected to the Clinical Staff Organization of Scott & White, served as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Texas A&M Medical School, and is currently Affiliate Faculty at Dell Medical School in Austin, Texas.
This episode features a coach who has a wealth of knowledge and is loaded with lessons that are applicable for both young and veteran coaches alike. Director of Strength & Conditioning at the UFC Performance Institute, Bo Sandoval shares his approach to collaborating with coaches and athletes, how seemingly small opportunities can move your career forward, the importance of adding versatility to your role, and much more!
Prior to joining the UFC Performance Institute, Sandoval served as a Strength & Conditioning specialist at the United States Olympic Training Center and as the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Michigan. While at UM, he expanded his involvement with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), participating in multiple Special Interest Groups, as well as serving as a subject matter expert on Weightlifting for the Essential Lifts Certification and Curriculum, and was honored by the NSCA as the 2015 College Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.
Well renowned coach, Zach Even-Esh, joins Donnie Maib and Mike Hanson to dive into Zach’s perspective as a veteran coach. Key topics discussed include coaching the modern athlete, the impact of training in different environments, the benefits of being a multifaceted coach, and a lot more. As always, Coach Even-Esh will leave you fired up with plenty of takeaways!
Zach Even-Esh is the founder of The Underground Strength Gym and creator of The Underground Strength Coach Certification. He has served in both the collegiate setting and private setting, working with hundreds of athletes from a number of sports. He is the author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning, and continues to provide many training resources on his website and speak to coaches around the country.
Coach Andrea Hudy and Dr. Phil Wagner hop in the booth to discuss their paths that led them to working in sport, the role of data in performance and insight that data can provide, gaining coaching experience, diagnosing needs of athletes, what makes a good coaching candidate, and much more.
Andrea Hudy is entering her second season as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Men’s Basketball at the University of Texas. Prior to Texas, Coach Hudy served as the Assistant Athletics Director for Sport Performance at the University of Kansas, and also served as a performance coach at the University of Connecticut, spanning 25 years in the industry working primarily with Basketball. In 2013 she earned NSCA Coach of the Year honors while coaching at Kansas.
Dr. Phil Wagner is the founder of Sparta Science, a data management platform for athletic development. Additionally, Wagner has served as a performance coach at the University of California Berkeley and the University of California Los Angeles, as well as coaching Rugby in New Zealand and Australia.
Nutrition is an important puzzle piece to performance which led to us to our next guest, University of Texas Director of Performance Nutrition, Amy Culp. Amy discusses her path to becoming a director in addition to establishing a nutrition department at UT. She gives insight into collaborating within the performance model, factors of fueling for performance, establishing buy-in from athletes, nutritional considerations for injured athletes, and addressing eating disorders.
Amy Culp is beginning her 9th year as a sport dietitian at the University of Texas. She is both a registered and licensed dietitian and is board certified in sports dietetics. She is an active member of the national and local chapters of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA), Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Dietetic Practice Group (SCAN), and serves on the board for CPSDA.
Coaches Donnie Maib and Mike Hanson received the privilege to pick the brain of one of the best innovators in sport performance, Coach Dan Fichter. Dan sheds light on his unique approach to training, how he trains the nervous system to improve motor control, strength, and performance. Tune in as he litters this episode with thought-provoking training gems and great pieces of advice!
Dan Fichter owns and operates Wannagetfast Power/Speed Training, a performance training business in the upstate New York area that offers training to elite athletes. Additionally he travels the country speaking to numerous coaches on speed training, strength training, and nervous system development and how to pull these elements into a comprehensive package that can substantially elevate an athlete’s speed and strength. Uniquely, Fichter's system attacks the athlete at the individual specific level (SBN-Specific body needs) unlike most programs that offer a more standard approach.
In this episode of The Team Behind The Team, Donnie sits down with the Director of Applied Sport Science at the University of Texas, Travis Vlantes. Donnie and Travis pull back the curtain to discuss a host of topics relating to the emerging field of sport science, including advice for young professionals, a team-first model, collaborating with sport coaches, athlete monitoring, the direction sport science is heading, and professional development.
Travis Vlantes is a native of Mason City, Iowa. He earned a degree in Biology at Wartburg College, and a master’s degree in exercise science at West Texas A&M. Currently, he is in his fourth-year as the Director of Applied Sport Science at the University of Texas. Prior to Texas, Vlantes served as a sport performance coach at the University of Wyoming where he worked with several Olympic sports implementing athlete monitoring.
This month, Sheri Walters joins Donnie Maib to discuss a performance model from the lens of sport medicine. Sheri shares her professional journey that has led her to Texas A&M and how her philosophy has evolved over the years. She dives into topics relating to performance versus safety, recovery modalities, return-to-play strategies, collaborating with sport coaches and strength coaches, and continued education.
Dr. Sheri Walters most recently served as an assistant professor at A.T. Still University in the Department of Kinesiology while concurrently serving as a consultant for USA Women’s Ice Hockey. Sheri has served for a variety of companies and teams over the years including for US Paralympic Track and Field, EXOS, Indiana State University, the Detroit Shock, and more.
Brett Bartholomew stops by the booth to talk shop with Donnie Maib. Brett dives into a plethora of topics that expand the role of performance coaches. He revisits the intricacies and importance of building buy-in, having transparent communication, and having skin in the game. Other subjects that Brett shares his thoughts on include his influencers, the process of writing a book, the governing bodies of certification, marketing in strength & conditioning, adding value to yourself and others, and career evolution. It’s imperative to note that Brett’s principles can be applied far beyond strength & conditioning!
Brett wears many hats as a strength & conditioning coach, best-selling author, philanthropist, and more. His experience includes coaching athletes in the private sector, collegiate field, and in the U.S. Special Forces. Altogether, Brett has coached a wide-range of athletes from youth athletes to Olympians across 23 sports. For more information, visit artofcoaching.com.
All the way from the land down under, Ben Haines joins Donnie Maib to discuss Ben’s career path, the shaping of his philosophy, working with high school athletes, Ben’s role in utilizing sport science, an integrated approach to performance, the challenge of earning a PhD, mentoring younger coaches, and keeping an open mindset.
Ben Haines has been coaching in Australia since 1999, working with a wide range of sports in the professional, private, and academic setting. In addition to becoming a Level 3 ASCA Master Coach, Ben earned his PhD examining the neuromuscular effects to maximal strength and power training. Currently, he is the head of Physical Preparation for Australia Volleyball.
Donnie dialogues with behavior health specialist, Ashley Harmon. Behavior health is an essential component to performance, yet is seldom spoken about. Ashley educates listeners on the multitude of services that are provided for student-athletes at the University of Texas. Additionally, she covers working collaboratively with a performance team, what mental health is, the power of getting to know athletes, how social media and injuries can drastically effect mental wellness, life after athletics for athletes, and resources for those wanting to learn more.
Ashley Harmon is in her fourth year at the University of Texas, serving as the Assistant Director of Clinical Behavioral Health. She’s no stranger to the 40-acres, having earned her master’s degree in social work at UT in 2013. Additionally, Ashley provided clinical services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault along with medical social work services at two community hospitals.
While visiting the forty-acres, Australian strength & conditioning coach, Andrew Pyke, gets a moment to dialogue with our Director, Donnie Maib. Andrew offers a unique perspective, being from Australia and also wearing many different hats as a teacher, sport coach, and S&C coach. He takes listeners through the vigorous process of becoming a credentialed coach in Australia, programming philosophies, building trust with sport coaches, utilizing technology, and the direction that Australia S&C may be heading.
Andrew Pyke is a certified ASCA Professional Coach from Gold Coast, Australia. Currently, Andrew works with both swimming and rugby as a strength and conditioning coach, is a school teacher, a high school rugby coach, and much more!
On this episode of The Team Behind The Team, Donnie dialogues with Texas’s very own, Kassi Hardee. Kassi, who currently serves as the athletic trainer for Texas Softball, shares her insight on many topics related to sports medicine in the college setting. She discusses her team approach to return-to-play, recovery modalities, communication strategies, advice to aspiring professionals, work-life balance, and the power of listening.
Kassi Hardee is a longtime Longhorn, having graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from UT in 2008. Following graduation, Kassi earned her master’s degree from the University of Virginia, working with football and rowing. Her journey as a sports medicine professional has been decorated having earned the Big-12 Conference Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2018, and receiving the Achievement of Distinction for Clinical Suggestion Manuscript Award in 2013.
For the inaugural episode of the Team Behind The Team, we sit down with renowned coach and author, Cal Dietz. Cal sheds light on what he’s been working on, the shift in his competiveness, and a variety of training topics. He discusses the importance of fluid periodization, his views on core bracing, squat depth, and unilateral training, what makes interns successful, communication and culture within a team, and much more!
Cal Dietz serves as the Associate Director of Athletic Performance at the University of Minnesota, where he has coached many championship teams over the last twenty years. He is the author of Triphasic Training, co-founder of the Reflexive Performance Reset system, and continues to travel the country speaking on sport performance.