Whether it be the daily commute or early morning cardio, cooking dinner or doing the chores, walking the mall or relaxing poolside on a weekend – podcasts are a great way to conveniently sneak in a little extra learning for the week. In this weekly installment, I share with you a shortlist of listen-worthy podcasts – old and new – to check out this week. Enjoy!
Historic Performance Podcast – Episode #19 – “Fred Eaves”
The Historic Performance Podcast is a terrific resource for Strength & Conditioning Coaches. James Darley does a tremendous job hosting the show, keeping it moving while asking some great questions. While Darley has now recorded 50 episodes, compiling a list that is studded with some of the best in our profession, any time I see Coach Fred Eaves’s name on a podcast or article, I tend to immediately download it first, as was the case here. Not only did Coach Eaves win this year’s NSCA National High School Strength Coach of the Year award, but he also always shares a wealth of information when he speaks, holding nothing back.
This recorded conversation between Darley and Eaves did not disappoint. Coach Eaves divulges a ton of information about his program at Battleground Academy, where he runs a premier High School Strength & Conditioning Program. Discussing everything from how Coach Eaves has grown his program over the past four years, to how he deals with parents and sport coaches, all the way to how he goes about monitoring his football players during hot summer practice-days, you will be sure to walk away with a ton of practical information after listening to this one.
Physical Preparation Podcast – Episode #39 – “Physical Preparation w/ Mike Snyder”
If I have a “favorite podcast” to listen to when it comes to Strength & Conditioning, it’s probably got to be Mike Robertson’s Physical Preparation Podcast. Between the production quality, the hosting by Mike (who is a tremendous and world-renowned physical preparation coach in his own right!), the topics covered, and the guests that are on, you couldn’t ask for a better show. So, I urge you to subscribe to his podcast and start going through the older episodes.
Today, though, I am recommending one that was recommended to me by Damon Reel, an Exercise Science undergrad turned ATC master’s student that I have just recently gotten to know, and have really enjoyed speaking with. So, when Damon suggested that I take a listen to Mike’s podcast with Mike Snyder, I took his word for it and checked it out. Mike Snyder is a Strength & Conditioning Coach at Trinity High School in Louisville Kentucky, and in this episode the two Mikes discuss Snyder’s philosophy on building a program, slow-cooking athletes, getting parental and student-athlete buy-in, and developing a student-athlete without the expectation that they are going to “play at the next level”. It’s a great episode with a ton of applicable information for really any type of coach working with high school-aged athletes.
The Baseball Drive Podcast – Episode #7 – “Maintaining Peak Performance During the Baseball Season”
A few weeks ago Tim Banos, of the newly created The Baseball Drive Podcast, approached me and asked me to speak on his show about training for the high school baseball player. I obliged, but it wasn’t just because I wanted to be on any old podcast. I accepted for two reasons: first, I had heard a previous episode that I really loved (so much so that I recommended it here), and second, because of his professionalism when he approached me on this. And, Tim stressed that very point in his opening emailing, stating that he wanted to conduct a thorough, professional podcast with lots of value for his listener. He said, “Not that I don’t want you to share your background and where you came from, but this isn’t the podcast for that; it’s the podcast for giving our listener things they can use right away to make a difference.”
I was struck by this mission, and couldn’t wait to do the interview. Late last week the podcast aired, so I wanted to take a moment to share it with you – not because I am the one being interviewed, but because Tim Banos was a pleasure to work with, and I believe the episode does deliver on his promise of being professional and full of valuable information for the high school player, coach, and parent.
Ryan J. Faer 