We’ve all heard the shortest path from A to B is a straight line, but HOW we measure linear speed isn’t as clearly understood. My guest on this episode, Coach and Sport Technologist Carl Valle, has honed his expertise in performance data as well as an understanding for practical application of equipment and software. In this first of a four-part series with Coach Valle we discuss linear speed and how to most reliably and validly test it. We began first with how we currently measure speed – in America we tend to think in terms of 40-yard dash times, but in other countries it’s generally in meters per second or kilometers per hour. Either way, sport performance testing usually consists of picking an arbitrary distance and measuring the speed to see how fast someone can run. It’s not quite that simple though because usually the testing protocol itself can be learned and/or taught. For example, take into consideration a laser timer: if an athlete’s initial hand motion crosses the laser before their core body even begins movement, have they started “going” yet? Regardless of the testing protocol, there needs to be just that – a protocol – to ensure consistency and fairness across measurements. Another facet of testing is the human error side of things (think reaction time to start and stop a timer). Coach Valle states that a human should oversee the testing process, but the testing process should not be dependent on the human. In this regard, a proper testing protocol can help eliminate human bias and error. An additional expert tip from Coach Valle is that a good sprint test should be long enough to get you peak velocity and precise enough to understand acceleration. We reviewed a few sport specific tests for speed and their respective pluses and minuses. We finished up the episode with a conversation around the differences and implications of peak velocity versus acceleration. After all his years of experience and expertise, Coach Valle firmly believes peak velocity indicates someone’s trainability capacity and true talent more so than acceleration. Acceleration is far more coachable and trainable, and as such, a good coach can mask a lot of talent issues by coaching acceleration well. When we’re able to raise peak velocity, we’re able to accelerate more efficiently, which in most sports is where majority of time is spent (relative to peak velocity).

Coach Carlisle's "Pursuit of Excellence Show"

Testing for Linear Speed with Carl Valle

Force plate testing allows us to measure ground reaction forces - think running, jumping, stopping, etc. It’s a newer technology for the private industry and high school sports, but here at Carlisle Performance we’re using it to maximally develop speed, quickness and jumping in our young athletes and clients. As a parent it’s a struggle to watch our children fall short of their athletic goals. And we know it’s unavoidable that there will always be someone bigger, faster, stronger, more explosive or more skilled. But with this force plate technology we’re able to help and it may just give our kids the leg up they need to achieve that next level of success. Just as medical doctors rely on medical tests to “see inside” and help determine maladies, we use the force plate testing to “see inside” someone’s force production to determine where they may have weakness or improper mechanics. From there we can prescribe proper training to address those weaknesses or faulty mechanics, whether it’s in their force production or force absorption. Measuring force brings advantages such that the Sacramento Kings use what’s called a force velocity profile to determine how their players produce force – before every game they do a jump test to collect this data. And now that we’re able to measure it, we’re giving our athletes a training advantage. Force wins in sport. Period. With force plates we’re able to gain information not available to the naked eye. Not only does this help with maximizing sport performance as mentioned above, but we can use it to help determine readiness to return to play after sustaining an injury. When we have consistent measurements, we’re able to compare pre- and post-injury metrics, as well as comparing right to left asymmetries. Lastly, we’re boosting self-esteem and confidence in training. When athletes know exactly what they need to work on to improve, it gives them direction and therefore confidence when they realize improvements in those areas. They’re able to dunk when they hadn’t previously been able to; they’re able to get that first step off the line to beat their opponent; or they can stop faster to change direction to grab that tough ball that previously would have gotten past them. Seeing improvements in numbers is what gives athletes that extra boost of confidence in their own performance. Here at Carlisle Performance we’re taking full advantage of this technology and developing force plate programs for our young athletes. We’re seeing all around improvements in performance – speed, quickness and jumping – as well as safer return to training protocols, and increasing confidence in our athletes.

Using Force Plates to Measure Performance

 As an expert personal trainer for the athletes of Silicon Valley as well as a few Fortune 500 CEOs, I've been lucky to be surrounded by some very successful individuals. In addition to Carlisle Performance Systems here in the Bay Area, I've also trained the highest level sport referees and thousands of collegiate athletes.  Drawing on experience with all of them, I've carefully dissected the routines of the most successful and learned the five areas where they're the most disciplined. Helping your young athlete find healthy routines surrounding these five areas will set them up for success in not only their sport of choice, but also in life.  1. Sleep - growth requires recovery (both body and mind).  2. School - procrastination = STRESS! 3. Nutrition - you can't out-train bad nutrition 4. Preparation - feeding your skill set 5. Competition day - successful pros have this dialed in The old saying "failing to prepare is preparing to fail" rings true for routines! Failing to establish healthy routines creates unnecessary stressors for your young athletes. My wife is amazing for many reasons, but speaking to this topic, she established a 'no phones after 9pm' rule for our children as part of a healthy evening routine to prepare for bed.  As parents of young athletes we can do wonders for our children's success by helping establish healthy routines in these five areas.  This episode is sponsored by Carlisle Performance Systems, visit coachcarlisle.com for more information.

Importance of Routines

 A high performance coordinator orchestrates the various disciplines that support athletes - strength and conditioning, sports medicine, sports psychology, sports nutrition, sport coach, sport science. It is quickly becoming a critical position across professional and collegiate sport organizations. As a parent of youth athletes, you serve as your child's high performance coordinator, especially as the demand on young athletes continues to grow. I offer these three tips for improved success as your kid's high performance coordinator:  Prioritize and control the schedule. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Detach emotionally from performance outcomes. Ultimately your #1 goal as a parent of a young athletes is to do what's best for your kid. Thinking of yourself as their high performance coordinator to manage it all will better set you and your child up for successful performance.  This episode is sponsored by Carlisle Performance Systems, visit coachcarlisle.com for more information.

Parents as High Performance Coordinator

If you want to get your biggest bang for your buck in the gym, tune in to Alwyn Cosgrove's five components every workout should consist of to obtain optimal results.  A sought after expert for several of the country’s leading publications including a regular contributor to Men’s Health Magazine.   Born in Scotland and initially exposed to fitness training through an intensely competitive sport martial arts background, Alwyn Cosgrove began reading and studying any training related material he could get his hands on. This led Alwyn to formal academic studies in Sports Performance at West Lothian College and then progressed on to receiving an honors degree in Sports Science from Chester College, the University of Liverpool. During his career as a fitness coach, Alwyn began with assisting in martial arts lessons in 1986 and teaching fitness classes in 1989, and has studied under all of the top fitness professionals and coaches in the world and has worked with a wide variety of clientele, from general population clientele to several top-level athletes, World Champions, and professionals in a multitude of sports. A sought after expert for several of the country’s leading publications including a regular contributor to Men’s Health Magazine, Alwyn has co-authored five books in the “New Rules of Lifting” series and currently spends his time consulting on fitness training, training clients, training his staff at Results Fitness, speaking on the fitness lecture circuit, and coaching fitness trainers worldwide in their businesses. For the past 13 years, with his wife Rachel, Alwyn runs Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California – which has been twice named One of America’s Top Gyms by Men’s Health Magazine, a gym which specializes in programs for real-world, busy people and prides itself on “changing the way fitness is done – period!”

The Five Components of a Successful Fitness Program with Alwyn Cosgrove

Have you ever wondered how some coaches win consistently, year after year? Doc Scheppler, legendary girls basketball coach at Pinewood High School in Los Altos, Ca shares his valuable insights on how to bring the best out of his players.  His teams have won over 600 plus games and he possesses an uncanny ability to make the game fun and create an incredible atmosphere of togetherness.  In this episode, Doc shares his daily processes for improvement, his zeal for learning and his unique and proven team building strategies. 

The Key Pillars to a Successful Coaching Career with Doc Scheppler

Do you struggle with what and when to feed your athletic child and in the process neglect eating correctly yourself? Dr. John Berardi, internationally renowned Nutrition Expert provides winning nutritional strategies to help you conquer the double challenge of sufficiently feeding your family. John Berardi, PhD, CSCS is a founder of Precision Nutrition and is an advisor to Apple, Equinox, Nike, Titleist and more. He has columns on Livestrong.com and The Huffington Post.com. And was recently selected as one of the 20 smartest fitness professionals in the world.  In the last 5 years, Dr. Berardi and his Precision Nutrition team have personally helped over 30,000 people improve their eating, lose weight, and boost their health through their renowned online coaching program. Also, every year, Dr. Berardi's team mentors small groups of fitness professionals through the renowned Precision Nutrition: Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs. Books Gourmet Nutrition: The Cookbook for the Fit Food Lover

Sports Nutrition for Young Athletes and their Busy Parents; episode #21

Have you ever had an empty feeling about the direction you're professional life was going despite financial success? Ryan Lee, fitness expert and founder of Rewind, discusses how he was inspired to return to his Fitness roots, as a means to address his personal health, by creating the World's First Super Bar!   RYAN LEE (CHIEF REWIND OFFICER) Ryan is the founder of REWIND. And while he's got the 22+ year health and fitness background (Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology, Created world's fastest workout video, yada yada), he's obsessed with living a good life. Which includes helping his thousands of customers achieve their goals and spending as much time as humanly possible with his wife and four kids!    https://rewindtoday.com/pages/about-us-new 

It's Never Too Late to Rewind with Ryan Lee; Episode 20

Have you ever wondered what a comprehensive Sports Performance program looks like and the various components of a successful program? Matt Shaw, the Director of Sports Performance-University of Denver, discusses their athlete- centered model in detail. Matt covers topics including; leadership development, program design philosophy, athlete's needs, effectively working with Sports Administrators and coaches.  Bio Matt Shaw enters his seventh year at the University of Denver.   As the Head Strength and Conditioning coach he oversees the strength and conditioning for hockey, Men’s basketball, Men's soccer and Men's/Women's golf, while also overseeing the department’s internship program. Since his arrival in 2012, he has trained and consulted with athletes from the NHL, KHL, MLS, and MLL. Before coming to Denver, Shaw was an assistant strength coach responsible for men's basketball, wrestling and men's soccer at Boston University. He started his tenure at BU as a graduate assistant, managing the strength and conditioning for men's soccer, wrestling and golf, and assisted with men's basketball and men's and women's swimming and diving. Before his graduate assistantship, Shaw interned with University of South Carolina Football, Boston University, Harvard University, Boston University’s Athletic Enhancement Center, and Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey under the mentorship of Mike Boyle during the 2006-07 season. Shaw has earned certifications from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Association of Speed and Explosion. Shaw has presented at numerous symposiums and clinics including the NSCA’s State Clinic (CO), the NSCA’s Hockey Training Clinic and DU’s Strength and Conditioning Clinic. He has also been published in Training and Conditioning Magazine. The St. Louis, Mo., native earned his bachelor's degree in health sciences from BU's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation with a minor in human physiology in January 2010. He also completed his master's in physical education, specializing in coaching from BU's School of Education in May 2011. He holds certifications through the NSCA (CSCS, RSCC), CSCCa (RSCC), and 3DMAPS.  Denver Sports Performance 

All About the Student-Athlete with Matt Shaw; episode #19

In this episode, Todd Durkin discusses how his unique approach to creating impact in all aspects of his life ranging from;  family, managing and leading his business ventures and helping others achieve their dreams. Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS, is an internationally recognized strength, speed and conditioning coach, personal trainer, bodyworker, motivational speaker, and author who motivates, educates, and inspires people worldwide. He is the founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA, a world-class facility that provides personal training, strength and conditioning, therapeutic massage and bodywork, Pilates, yoga, nutrition, chiropractic, and physical therapy programs. Todd works with a high-profile clientele of elite professional athletes. This includes NFL MVPs, Super Bowl Champions and MVPs, Heisman Trophy Winner, Olympic and X-Game Gold Medalists, and many other champion athletes. He is a 2 Time Personal Trainer of the Year (IDEA & ACE) and has received numerous industry accolades. Greatist has named Todd one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Health & Fitness for the past four years. His gym, Fitness Quest 10, was named one of “America’s Top 10 Gyms” by Men’s Health for the past 5 years, and in addition to high-profile athletes, attracts many fitness enthusiasts of all ages, shapes, sizes, and levels who want to improve their overall health and fitness performance. His team of 38 trainers, coaches, and therapists deliver results to over 500 clients weekly. Links https://todddurkin.com/ https://fitnessquest10.com/

The Why Behind his What with Todd Durkin; episode #18

Have you wondered about the makeup of what makes Elite athletes high performers? Well, Pete Bommarito, world-class Performance coach, discusses his top 5 traits of the superstar athletes he has personally coached in several sports including; Frank Gore, Sloan Stephens, Le'Veon Bell, Miguel Cabrera, Salvador Perez, Udonis Haslem and many more.   Pete Bommarito company website:  Bommarito Performance Systems

The Five Common Denominators of Elite Athletes with Pete Bommarito; episode #17

Scott Hopson, fitness and performance industry leader provides insightful information on: How to design an effective Fitness Program for any population. How to select a Personal Trainer that will deliver transformational results. Why group exercise classes are sweeping the fitness industry.   He is a co-founder of PTA Global and Pivotal – development companies in fitness and performance. Mark Verstegen has described him as “an industry leader,” Richard Boyd attributes him with “one of the best minds in the industry with a gift that is hard to match’, and Michol Dalcourt considers that “his work to the industry is vast and significant.” His clients include EXOS, Gray Institute, Midtown Athletic Clubs, UNIFIT Academy, and numerous other industry-defining organizations. In 20+ years he has authored 50+ accredited courses and certifications, his work is in 100+ countries, and has coached/educated over 100’000+ people globally. 2018 is going to be an incredible year teaching in USA, China, Southeast Asia, Brazil, and Australia. Alongside his better half, Hayley, Scott is truly excited to launch the much-anticipated Pivotal Mentorships. Check out Scott's website Pivotal Coaching

Top Strategies for Creating Optimal Health with Scott Hopson

Dr. Stephany Coakley provides a proactive approach and proven strategies to help individuals be more resilient in the face of adversity. This episode is beneficial to any individual seeking viable and research-backed solutions to dealing with adversity.  Dr. Stephany Coakley, a certified mental performance consultant and licensed professional counselor with a doctorate in exercise and sport science with a concentration in sports psychology, was named Senior Associate Athletic Director for Mental Health, Wellness and Performance in December, 2017. With the appointment, Dr. Coakley becomes the first full-time mental health specialist with the Temple University Department of Athletics. Coakley, who earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Temple, returns to her alma mater with an impressive resume. Since 2003, the Nassau, Bahamas native has worked as a certified mental performance consultant with Maximum Mental Training Associates in Washington, D.C. There, Coakley coordinated mental health and wellness services for college student-athletes, as well as Olympians and professionals. Her duties included designing and coordinating mental health strength and conditioning programs for multiple and diverse sports; assessing psychological issues impacting athletes in the program; and performing robust evaluations to measure effectiveness and efficiency in order to improve and strengthen existing programs and establish new ones.

Key Strategies to Bounce Back From any Situation with Dr. Stephany Coakley

Elevate to Great with Brian Nunez   If you desire to live a Fit, Focused and Free lifestyle, then this episode is for you. Brian discusses how to create winning habits in one's quest to achieve excellence. He also takes a deep dive into his maniacal passion for serving others which he believes is the key to one's success.   Brian is an internationally recognized industry leader and award-winning presenter inspiring coaches and clients all over the world. He is one of the most sought-after coaches in the world specializing in athletic performance, mental conditioning, and business leadership. He is the founder of FNS Training Center, a unique performance training facility that provides a one of a kind “team training” experience along with personal training, nutrition coaching, and mental conditioning.     Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix, and if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes! Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast, and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you! Links mentioned in this episode: Elevate to Great, Brian Nunez Carlisle Performance Systems  

Elevate to Great with Brian Nunez; EP. #13

   On today’s show, we’re diving into strategies around two things I love to talk about: youth athletes and sports nutrition! I’ve brought on Dr. Cathy Saenz, RD and assistant professor at Jacksonville University, to walk us through some great strategies for achieving optimal nutrition for youth athletes. Feeding them requires knowledge and planning. Not only do they need optimal nutrition for fueling and recovery from training, but they also must meet energy demands of growth and maturation. Dr. Saenz provides actionable steps to help your youth athlete refuel with the nutrients they need by focusing on family mealtimes before and after practice or game day. You and I both know sports nutrition is key to performing well and yet, proper nutrition can be an afterthought. This episode is loaded with very doable strategies that I want you to consider using to help your child develop healthy habits around food.  Nutrition Tips Covered 1. How and when to properly hydrate 2. How to choose high-quality proteins 3. The negative implications of sugar. 4. Cultural differences in food and how to address their nutrition needs  5. Pre, During and Postgame fueling strategies 6. How to fuel for power athletes vs endurance athletes. Links mentioned in this episode: Banned Substance List  Head over to Instagram and DM me and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!        

Sports Nutrition for Youth Athletes; ep. #12

As youth sports become more demanding, both of the kids and the parents, I'm providing my expertise as a resource for the highest level of personal training for youth athletes; and helping parents navigate youth athletics. Over 30 years in athletics as well as raising 3 collegiate scholarship athletes, my dynamic background helps position me as an expert in the health, fitness, and professional industries. I specialize in speed, quickness and jump training for youth athletes. Along with being a personal trainer in the Bay Area's Silicon Valley, I'm a Premier Health and Wellness Consultant, former Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Francisco 49ers, John Maxwell Certified Teacher, Speaker, and Top High-Performance Coach to business executives and youth athletes.

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Coach Carlisle's "Pursuit of Excellence Show"

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