Prospect podcast – Moravian Director of Athletic Performance Thomas Long
Prospect podcast – Moravian Director of Athletic Performance Thomas Long
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I got my head Down when I was Young it's not my Problem it's not my problem [Music] [Applause] When I feel Better and I'm Feeling amazing all the time but I'm Never showing [Music] All Right welcome Derek you're on my left Today instead of my right Can you hear different day different Different uh different side different uh I don't know every podcast is different Coach either way I'm here we got um Coach Thomas Long with us he's the Director of athletic performance at Moravian uh University is right moravian University yes yes sir yes yep don't Downplay it coach don't downplay it Right no no i I thought at one point Years ago maybe it was Maravan College But um Moravian University yes so before Before he was there I mean he's been he Was at Villanova he built up that Program there strength and conditioning Standpoint working with a lot of the uh A lot of the Olympic sports there did a Really a lot of great things with Respect to data collection he's got his CSCS his USAW graduated from Temple
University uh exercise science he's in His seventh year um uh with Moravian and You know as coached 22 uh landmark Champion teams 14 all-ameans uh as just The kind of start of some of the things That he's done so without further ado uh Welcome coach Long coach thanks for Having me on it's an honor coach give us A background um uh from a coaching Standpoint and in education standpoint Even athletic uh you know what you Played maybe and stuff like that um and How you kind of arrived at Moravian Yeah um so I started at Moravian in 2016 And prior to that you nailed it on the Head coach i was at Villanova uh but When I was at Temple University exercise Science like like probably most young Adults who graduate from high school I Really had no idea what I wanted to do The rest of my life all I knew was Sports uh uh I played pretty much every Sport growing up uh about till high School and then I committed myself to Football and then graduating high school Um I just kind of followed the crowd Everyone said go to college so I went to College and I kind of stumbled upon Exercise science and once I found it I'll tell you what coach I was hooked um I really found a passion for learning When I got to Temple and just kind of it All took off from there um but to Graduate from Temple I had to do an
Internship which led me to Velanova and Then um I was blessed to be offered a Paid position at the end of that Internship and spent one year uh under The direction of Jacob Cox who was the Head strength and conditioning coach for The football program at the time and I'll tell you what I honestly coach That's when um a majority of my Education really started was actually Getting into the field and seeing things Live and being exposed to technologies That I didn't even know existed at the Time so um that gave me a great platform To go off of and then uh 2016 the Director of athletic performance Position opened up at Moravian and threw My hat in the ring and again probably Blessed is the key word you're going to Hear throughout this podcast um I was Very fortunate to get the position Um and now since you've arrived in Moravian because you've had they've had A lot of really great success since You've been there um talk about some of The things that you've like emphasized Or focused on in the development of you Know a lot of your athletes especially Division three level which is different Than being at division one level of Villanova talk talk about you know kind Of what some of the things you did there So it's a good question uh my my Assistant Ty Schubert and I were
Actually talking about this the other Day about how our position at the Division three level a lot of what we do For these kids and what they're going Through it's all voluntary like there's There's nothing like holding them to Come to training there's no scholarship Where you have to go to training or You're going to lose your scholarship so We're dealing with athletes who Genuinely love their sport and uh for me My biggest I wouldn't say challenge all In the beginning was making sure that I Was creating an environment where Everybody wanted to come to training and They wanted to get better and they Weren't being forced to go there it was All intrinsically motivated like they Wanted to go to the performance center To get a little bit better so Establishing a good culture with all of Our sports teams uh we have over 23 Sports teams over 550 student athletes So that was a one of my biggest Objectives getting off the ground there Was making sure that we were creating a Good environment for training um and Then dealing with I mean honestly coach We we really don't do too much different Than like training styles than pros and D1 i mean we're I don't fit myself to One style of training um I I think a Majority of strength and conditioning Coaches are like that you're kind of
Working with what you have available to You and what the athletes needs and what The sports needs are so it's kind of an Eb and flow with what we're trying to Implement It's um uh is is there like more of like A base end development at the division Three level uh versus like maybe when You were at Villanova like or is there Um more foundational elements where or Or is it the same and you're really Trying to just advance them within their Skill set level no we we definitely have A foundation level we have a foundation Card for a majority of our freshmen as They come in and we start with body Weightight movements and we progress Them accordingly from there now Obviously if an athlete comes in and They have weightlifting experience They're going to progress way faster Than someone who is completely new to The game here but yeah you you nailed it On the head coach uh we we have a Foundation level card um we call it a Tier system so we go up to uh three Tiers of training a foundation a tier Two and a tier three training style tier Three meaning we're doing more like Conjugate we're on VBT units um and We're kind of just like getting a little Bit more advanced from there Um speed development what what's the Focus there
Uh so are and are do you have any uh Well let's talk about that first speed Development what are some of the things You focus in from that standpoint uh w With your athletes is there much more of An emphasis in speed and explosion Versus uh overall uh power strength Development um talk a little bit about That it it's it's a little bit of both Coach um I definitely want my athletes Being strong so we're going to lay a Really good foundation with just key Movement patterns first whether it's Front squats overhead presses RDL's Stability ball leg curls Nordic Hamstring curls kind of just prepping Their body and the muscular system for Those high velocity movement patterns um But as far as sprints go or I mean uh Power and and speed goes sprints are our Bread and butter um every single team That we train is doing some type of Sprinting pattern whether we're focusing On max acceleration or uh max velocity Um and we're definitely just fine-tuning Those characteristics as we go through Um a couple of our teams are doing Olympic lifting our football team is Obviously heavy on Olympic lifting um I Think we only have two other teams um That are doing it at the moment our Volleyball program and women's soccer Are doing snatches um but as far as all All of our other programs go uh everyone
Is sprint oriented uh plyometrics Oriented and medball oriented coach how Many sports do you work with total so I Work primarily with the football men's Women's basketball uh tennis and golf um And Wow Diverse heavy workload yeah very diverse Yep Well and a lot of uh individual work for Each team I'm sure and obviously look Most of our viewers know like we talk Football a lot like and we talk you know Your big main sports are obviously at Any university any school right it's Football men's basketball women's Basketball usually as you look at as Like your big three right but then to Have some of those other ones sprinkled In really needs to Diversify you know what you do training Wise as well coach that's funny right Didn't we have I I'm almost positive That one of our other strength guys that We've had on worked with tennis as well Was it Rhode Island i think it was You Got University of Rhode Island i think It was a coach up there i don't know it Just seems like football and all of a Sudden like tennis is the other one they Throw in there for Yeah absolutely i I I Work with the tennis program at Villanova so that's I honestly that was The first team that I was assigned to to Really program
I was an assistant for football and then They were like "Hey man you're taking Tennis go get them." And I'm like "Oh Cool." All right um no honestly working With them is great uh we have a very Successful tennis program here our our Women's team is always fighting for the Landmark Conference Championship and our Guys are in second place right now for The Landmark so um they're very Competitive and they're dedicated so but No I was just curious as to how many Varsity sports you have you know Nice now I was curious as to how many Sports you had cuz you know look Everybody always wants to compare it to Division one where each team basically Has a strength coach on top of how many Assistants how many gas right whereas You are the guy for like majority of the Sports within the building so not only Diversification in in how you workouts But just time in general or you know Just male female athletes like all of Those things encompass a lot more of Your time explain kind of a little bit About that coach as how you break that Down a little bit yeah good question um So I don't change like our standards of Operation across teams um so for us at The division three level um again like We don't have scholarships weighing over Our heads here so like our main well my Main mission as the director is to get
All of our student athletes to their Highest level of athletic readiness and For me I break that down into five Categories um it's physical Psychological physiological Uh technical and tactical um kind of Stealing what I was taught at Temple University my professors were very uh Knowledgeable there so kind of just Reading right from the textbook but I Truly believe in those five pillars and We take those characteristics and I'm Sorry those those pillars and we start To develop them more and more as we kind Of peel back the layers but as far as Like dealing with a football program and Then going to train the tennis program It's definitely two separate worlds um And the intensity factor has to be Dialed back a little bit because you're Dealing with athletes that Um again they I tell them you don't have To love training you just got to love Your sport and if you love your sport You're going to learn to endure or Sacrifice for the sake of training and Um we really built a safe environment For those athletes to excel in so um the Intensity factor is something that uh Over the years I've definitely gotten Better with knowing that okay I don't Need to be a football strength and Conditioning coach when I'm in the room With tennis and golf athletes it's more
Relax let's fine-tune movement patterns Let's build confidence let's build Competency in what we're doing um but Yeah it's good question coach it's Definitely something that for me is Constantly evolving Yeah it's it's uh well it's interesting Because the different movements and the Different mentalities of the different Sports uh uh vary right i mean intensity Levels vary um what gets the most out of Them vary so I it's probably fun because It keeps it it keeps it Challenging with different sports as Opposed to just doing uh that's probably The benefit too of division three of Course you're probably overworked Because of that but Just a little bit but just a little bit Yeah yeah yeah it's all good it's all Good yeah no no no no doubt about it um When you have seen some of your you know Like I said earlier the of the um you Know a ton of all-ameans there um ton of Allconerence players what have you seen In in the evolution of those athletes The difference between the ones that Have gone on and and become some of the Better players at Moravian Uh versus you know some of the others i Is it purely is it purely talent is There work ethic what what what about Are they in the weight room more what What what is
It's a little bit of everything that you Just said coach that they were already Coming in with a tremendous foundation And strength and power and their Willingness to be coached and uh be Exposed to different styles of training Um a majority of our first team all Conference and all Americans I'm here From 5:00 a.m until 5:00 pm pretty much Monday through Friday and I'll tell you What we have kids that come in bright Early morning i see them in the Afternoon working on their skill set Down in the batting cages or doing wall Ball drills and then they're going to Practice and on top of that they're Hitting their classes so they are truly Dedicated to their craft and we're Blessed to have them at this level i Sometimes question it's like really like You're you're here like with us at Moravian like you I feel like you should Have been a PAC player or uh maybe even Beyond but um some of these athletes are Obviously student athletes but we do Have good academics here so some of These athletes do make that sacrifice of Like okay I know I could be a higher Caliber whether it's D1 D2 but having Moravian on my resume is going to Probably put me in a Position after my collegiate career so Um no coach they are dedicated uh Hardworking and talented that's the the
Three common denominators Yeah that's that's something that that Makes a ton of sense obviously um and uh You know what is about Moravian Moravian's been around it's always kind Of had a um sixth oldest university in America yeah yeah yeah you were right it Was a college up until about three years Ago when we officially became a University so is by the way is is the Town that Moravian in is that where um What's the the the company the that does The peeps the uh the Easter Oh yeah they Are that's correct yeah that's what I Thought there you go coach that that's That's a good way that you know him way To let that one out of the bag coach you Know how I you know how I know it when I Was before I was in sports and I was in U the tech field we had a meeting with Uh with their company so I I drove out There and I saw oh University is here And you know down in the Bay Area that's Where they have the uh the the peeps um Those marshmallow peep things uh but Yeah by the way Um you Derek I know you're laughing Inside at this but it's it's pretty like It's an incredible uh thing that they do There all right so anyway uh they have To they're a seasonal thing they got to Make all their money off of One that's it yeah [ __ ] that that town's About to be busy busy but that's right
Buddy dave you never see second [ __ ] you Like how I have a lot of useless Information um [ __ ] you this guy's a Trivia night gem Good to know Trivia um so so uh yeah but what is it About so we we you know like I'm one of My good friends uh um uh Coach Nymphas He's from uh head coach at Riverdale uh Proud Moravian alumni and uh yes yes He's probably watching this podcast Right now so um uh you know but what is It about you know that attracts athletes There um it it not just attracts them But like the university really retains Them very well what What is it that that It is about Moravian hey they're Retaining you they got you on seven Years already yeah damn coach yeah like You probably blinked and never thought You would be there that long seriously I Know um it was actually a little side Story i I got the job at Moravian and Then within one year uh I was sitting For an interview back at Villanova for The football position and usually how it Works yeah and I was like "Man I I told Them during the interview process I was Like "Hey man i I I don't I hate jumping Ship i you know I want to commit myself To a school for at least four or five Years." Because I was young i was only 26 years old when I got hired as a Director of sports performance and I
Really wanted to put my thoughts to the Test here to see if you know I could Make a difference and if my philosophies Are true and do I have to adjust and uh But yeah no they they've kept me here For a little while but honestly coach It's it's a small community but it's a Tight community uh the amount of work Our administrators put in to make sure That the students are getting the best Experience uh they bend over backwards Um I've honestly never been to a school Where I've seen so many support systems And resources and people that are just Willing to go the extra mile for you and They do a heck of a job of selling it uh We have events going on here year round Whether it's just regular students or Recruits um just junior days that we're Bringing student athletes on campus for Just showing them our facilities And that's another kind of um good Selling like I just a good thing to have For us is our facilities we have pretty Nice facilities for our division three School um I mean I had a couple players From the area recently visit and come Back and say you know coach like man Their facilities were were you know Above a lot of other division three Programs that that we've been to and Even comparable to some you know higher Levels so it's definitely a selling Point that's kind of getting out there
More and more um abs 100% Uh I mean just from our training Facility alone I mean we're we're Blessed to have a student athleteonly Training facility whereas a majority now I shouldn't say a majority but uh a lot Of division three schools you just have A fitness center and you're competing With the general population over tracks And that's for me that's not conducive For training like I I just want the Football team in there i just want the Basketball team in there i want the golf Team in there so that we can really peel Back the layers on developing a Championship caliber team and um when we Got to yell a little bit i don't want to Look like a madman in front of a bunch Of random people so that definitely Helps us out there yeah coach but with That beard walking around campus they Already know you're that guy so that Totally fine dude like it's a dead Giveaway i think it's like strength Coach 101 gotta have the beard right yep Absolutely got to have the traps like It's just all part of it so don't worry About it they already think you're crazy Glad I'm not the only one good to know Yeah yeah You know honestly just to circle back One more thing coach that one thing that They have just initi I just brought up Uh is called our AIM program and it
Stands for something i'm I'm not good With acronyms or whatnot but basically If you do this AIM program and you don't Get a job within six months Moravian Will start to pay back part of your Tuition your loans and also give you Ability to go back to school for some Type of certificate or certification and For parents like the older I get the More I'm like "Oh man I got to sell to The parents because I mean they're the Ones that are writing the check at the End of the day." um you know that's an Assurance to those parents it's like Okay like if my son or daughter um Struggles or doesn't get a job within Six months here that Moravian if they Complete this AIM program Moravian has To so there's a lot of assurance here That like hey like we're going to take Care of your son and daughter we're Going to put them in a better position For long-term success and I think that's That's the key factor here um setting These young adults up for the next 20 30 Years of their life making sure that They got the tools to succeed No I think that's uh an important thing I mean you know uh that's why you go That's why you go to you know when you Go division three that's what you have To be thinking about i mean you got to Set set yourself up with the uh uh Getting the tools that'll help you
Succeed in life and that's what Moravian Uh you know if you go there that's Really the main priority um what what is Um what like what does a program look Like for I I mean obviously you multiple You're doing different sports so that Each one's a little bit different like But what are some of the core tenementss That you want um the athletes apply and You can pick a sport I mean if you want To do football that's great if you want To do another sport it's great but like What are some of what is like the the The typical offseason development look Like for them yeah um let's go football Because I I think everyone's going to Relate to football and I'm a firm Believer in if you can coach football You can take those concepts and you can Start to apply them to a bunch of Different teams so um for me I'm kind of More blockoriented periodization so We're going to go through different Phases here um so for us our offseason Obviously leads off with trying to put Up on as much lean body mass as possible I'm looking to make good body Composition changes during this time Frame before we get the spring ball so I Get about six to seven weeks depending On the academic schedule to really get These guys in good condition as far as Body composition goes um while we're Doing that I mean obviously we're still
Touching on power we're still paving the Way and um more so planting seeds for The next phase um layering in Olympic Lifting for them heavy uh but nothing Like we do like 60 70% load for our Olympic lifts during that phase and We're just hammering the basics during That um but Olympic lifts coach you're Going bench back squat deadlift cleans Yep uhhuh okay uh deadlifts I' I I've Kind of shied away from deadlifts the Past couple years been getting more into Blocks Um just to kind of switch up the Variation i didn't I I I didn't see a Good transfer for our deadlifts to Olympic lifting so I was just making Sure that we weren't blowing anybody's Lower backs out in the pursuit of trying Numbers lift yeah what about like hexar Deadlifts do do you do that yeah okay So Dave I got to make that Differentiation now you know what I mean Like because when I'm thinking deadlifts I'm thinking hexar all day no more Straight bar deadlift you know yeah Those I I I kind of think that those Days are kind of look maybe it's high Schooler guys but the hexbar is now like Starting to win a lot more yeah as we Look at especially for like me at a high School level right uh you know we're big Tony Holler people so that's kind of how You know we're
More and all that kind of stuff like That's really kind of what we're Following now and like you said also Like that pursuit of a number is Sometimes so detrimental especially guys That still haven't you know fully hit Puberty yet and and we're talking about Like oh coach I got to like stop aiming For a number dude like I don't even care If there's weight on this bar right now Like I want you to do it right and make Sure that we set you up for the future So like you said with percentages it's Our it's we do the same thing it's like Uh 70 75% it maybe will get to an 85% at The end of it you know it's like how Many reps can you get with this weight To come up with your max and that's how We'll figure it out i'm not one rep Maxing or doing any of that kind of Stuff like it's just it's too it's too There's too many things that can go Wrong yep too many things that can go Wrong sorry go ahead coach continue no I That that's a great point uh we we I I Can't remember the last time we did a One RM squat deadlift over I mean it's Just we're either going to do three at The very heaviest or we're probably Around five RMS um and that just gives Us a better baseline plus I mean we're We again we're blessed we I mean we have Laser systems we got VBT units uh we got Jump mats so I'm collecting metrics on a
Number of different things anyway so um And I mean look I mean I think we can All agree there there's a thousand ways To get the same result here so for me I I I got to look at what's the team you Know because every year it's it's a Different team every single year Different personalities different Dynamics you lose leaders you gain Leaders and you got to train the leaders You got to make sure kids are being good Teammates so it's a big juggling act but Um anyway back back to the back to the Conversation uh yeah so we're going to Gain some muscle mass in the beginning But for me it's all about chess i'm Setting myself up for the next phase and Laying and planting seeds um so like Again we're we're teaching in the Beginning for Olympic lifting and then We're hammering back squat front squat RDL's uh really big on RDL's I know a Lot of a lot of coaches are uh just Better bang for your buck i feel like Much safer but at the same time like if If your goal is to become a more Proficient Olympic lifter like look man You got to be able to front squat you Got to be able to RDL you got to have That range of motion you got to have That strength otherwise like how are you Going to get out of the hole in the Clean um so we're going to always be Hammering those we may rotate different
Tempos we may do you know more eccentric Focus or we might do pauses at the Bottom with a lot of stuff just to get Them uncomfortable um but that gives me More time to yell coaching cues at them So like if we're doing 4se secondond Eccentrics it just it gives me more time To reinforce coaching cues while I'm Behind them elbows up elbows up big air Brace brace brace knees out knees out Knees out um so again just playing chess Here making sure that we're setting them Up for the next move um right now our Guys are on their last week of spring Ball so we're week five of spring ball Right now and I'm a firm believer we can Still make gains during spring ball um It just needs to be uh modified like Obviously volume is cut down we're Keeping intensity high um we're making Sure we're recovering we're only going Three days a week weightlifting right Now as opposed to four in the beginning Six week phase um four weight room days And then two turf days during the uh First six weeks uh but right now we're Just going and not to interrupt you Again coach but like you know just for Our viewers and things like that like They don't when they hear spring ball They think division one spring ball full Pads we're going at it and then we're Playing a game at the end division three Spring ball not so much you know um I
Believe it's still shorts and a t-shirt Right and it's uh helmets and shoulder Pads we're we're allowed there you go so Look we're progressing okay because when I was there not to date myself but it Was the first year we were allowed to Use a freaking ball up until then we Used a towel right so at this point you Know and look we've talked to a bunch of Guys that obviously like everybody looks At spring ball as a benefit but is it is Not your full padded banging around you Know five weeks of high intensity and Then you're finishing with a spring game So it is a little divi a little Different division three wise which Allows you to actually continue your Workout and like you said can still Gains without having to be worried about You know hey I got a game here or a or a Full practice we're going to inner squad Scrimmage on Saturday and you know I'm Trying to win my job you know based off Of those types of things so it's Definitely a good a big point Yep so I mean it's it's we just modify a Couple things we're still hammering down Um percentages start to rise a little Bit with our Olympic lifting because I Got to make sure you know the that we're Rapidly approaching the time frame when These kids scare the [ __ ] out of me the Most is when they go summer mode and They leave us and we don't see them for
May June and July and it's just like Okay fingers crossed that you're doing The work here so right um you know we're Again for me theme word right now is Chess we're we're being strategic we're Setting ourselves up for summer training Mode making sure they understand the Type of intensities that we're going to Be exposing them to um and starting to Mix in more sprint work and field work And conditioning um we have a sled Conditioning test that we do uh when we Report back for training camp so it's Broken down to Okay yeah bigs big Skilled and skilled so they're all doing Some different type of uh sled work so So that's So rather than a uh you know 300 yard shuttle or a 110 you guys do a Sled conditioning test can you explain That a little bit that's I'm that's I'm that's absolutely I've never heard That so maybe I'm maybe I'm late to the Party no I So like when we were at Villova we we were kind of toying with The same concept and um like look you You got to get the correct amount of Yardage right you you got to make sure That you're you're slowly ramping up the Yardage per week uh to make sure that They're ready for the demands of college Football but it's not all running Eventually you're going to be engaging Another human being and you're going to Have to move that human being um so our
Sled conditioning test is just by Position so it's bigs big skills and Skilled um our big guys um I forgive me I I forget the amount of pounds that we Have on the sled but it's simulating a Play drive okay so okay 10 series play Drive and our O line Dlinemen they have To engage their sled they have to get I'm sorry first they have to lie down on Their bellies get up off the ground as Fast as possible engage the sled push it 10 yards in 5 seconds and then they rest For 25 30 seconds to simulate a play Drive and they got to complete 10 of Them so get off the ground engage the Sled push at five yards rest 20 25 Seconds um big skilled and skilled a Little less weight but they're going to Travel a little bit more distance with The sled but there's also going to be a Running component to it so our And it's A oneman sled yeah so big Yeah battle I Call them battle axis o line Dlineman They're going to engage the sled for Five yards they got to do that 10 times Uh big skilled they're going to push the Sled 10 yards and then they got to do a 10 yard out and back sprint so disengage From the uh the sled either peel to the Left or the right and do a 10 yard Shuttle down and back and then rest for 30 seconds and then repeat that nine More times Yeah uhhuh so I mean look look for me
Like if they can complete that I know That their aerobic capacity is on point And we got the strength to at least get That 10play drive going um our skilled Guys are going to push a sled for five Yards they're going to disengage from The sled and do a 15 yard shuttle down And back and then get back on the sled And push it five more yards so simulates Getting off the block running a route And then engaging with somebody down the Field again um right for us we it's year This will be year three of doing it and Each year we got more and more guys that Are passing the test so Dave what was yours at Yukon did you Have a conditioning test 300 yeah did You have one Dave yeah so we at first we Had the the um the 1040 test we had to Get um to 90 you had to be Um h I can't remember what it was 90% I Think or or of your uh uh fastest time And then they've a holtz moved us to the 300 shuttle test uh which was that 50s That's um 60 yard down back Down back down I think it was wait I Think it was no it was yeah it was 650s You're right it was 650s Right you're back Save your heart we had 16 110s Was it was You want to talk about people Dying coach you want to talk about People dying there were guys that were Like you know freshman incoming like
Look they tell you look here's what We're going to do it unless you're And Back in you know 2004 that you know There were trainers but there wasn't Trainers and you could go out there and Oh I did my whats I worked for it you Know and look you had to make that time With your 45 seconds in between and There were a lot of guys that were like College football is not for me and that Was like you know hey we showed up on Saturday Sunday morning conditioning Test bright and early and were out there Going and there were a lot of dudes that Were re like they were reconsidering Life let alone you know football or College it was a killer and then look You know if you didn't make it you had To show up at 5:00 a.m and do extra Conditions for practice and then until You like they would give you like a Couple days and then again a couple days Again and I mean there were dudes that It was like camp was ended and they were Still trying to pass their 110s and it Was like "Hey this is really what we're Going to hold you to." But I was never a Big I'm like how does this like I'm not Huge on the I'm not huge on the te the Testing part as well and then when I When I transferred back to Montlair State we didn't do any testing we just Showed up and played because you know And like Dave knows this about like I am
A firm believer that in the best Practice mimics game play in whatever Way shape or form you can get that to Because football's different like that You're practicing way more than you Actually play so the closest you can get To playing is what I feel like you Should be that's where you get the most Out of your players like and you got to Find figure out a way to do that with Practice same thing with conditioning Tests man like you know that's why even With my high school guys when we're Doing an exercise in the weight room you Know it's hey we're doing this because When we're out there with pads on this Is what it is oh okay coach and then They're more conducive to be like "All Right coach now I get why we're doing This shit." Right they buy in right okay Cuz help me get off a guy this is going To help me you know accelerate out of my Stance or run through somebody on a Tackle right you just have to do that With them you line up in shorts and a T-shirt and say "Hey we're doing 110s For time." Guys like "This ain't track What are we doing here?" Yeah right well Coach this ain't track like I didn't Sign up for track i'm like well I think There's a sign up for I forget there's Some NFL coach who like they used to do A a mile run test and one of their Running backs failed the test and the
Coach was like if it's ever fourth and a Mile we won't give them the ball and It's like when are you ever going to Have to sprint 50 yards uninterrupted Correct yeah that's what I said you know Same thing even you know 40s are one Thing we know it's always going to be a Thing but at the end of the day how many Guys are running 40s right like how many Times do you see a bench on the 50 yard Line with 225 on it and you got to rep It in the middle of a game right like That used to always be my argument like Hey man I'm sorry I can't rep this for What you want me to like i mean like You're about to go into the toughest Period as a football player and you you Want to go into that under a state of Fatigue already i already on day one of Camp when do you do when do you do your Like your conditioning test with those Those kids when is that um so I think Like compliance wise like that we we Report and then we have to have a Compliance day and then it's usually Like day three we get our guys going as Soon as possible do you do you ever have A concern that that um sets them back Fatigue-wise for the rest of camp and Especially if we're going Tony Hollers Maybe possibly injuries and stuff you Know yeah coach that's that's always on My mind and that's the one thing I'm Looking for but the the the thing for me
And we kind of set in some fail safes Here if they don't because they're being Timed it's it's a timed evolution so They don't need the time they're done so Go on rep five of this sled conditioning Test and they don't hit it they don't Make the time you're done later it's not Like "Hey you're going to get it on the Next one buddy." Like no dude this ain't How this That's where the wheels can Come off the bus is if you keep allowing That athlete to continue when they're Obviously already failing it's like dude One we don't have time like we got Things we got to do and two your safety Is the number one concern like you don't Make time man and like guess what you Showed us that you're not ready you Didn't follow the summer training packet That we provided to you that outlined Everything you had to do to be ready for This moment in time right so they're Probably going to do some extra Conditioning at the end of practice so Right uh that's how we kind of make sure That we're not you know putting them in A bad position but no coach I totally That that is always on my mind because It's like we just worked our asses off For the past eight nine months for this Moment in time right here i'll be damned If a sled is the thing that sets aside Our number one running back like that That's that can't
And I also think coach that's something Else that like you said is an a giant Concern when you're at the division Three level Is again you you started this off with That like there's nothing holding these Kids here so when they so majority of Them especially a school like Moravian Where people go to and live there they Leave for summer this isn't division one Where you're just into your summer Semester and you're there with all of Your strength coaches you're there with The other guys on your team and you're Still in your workout groups that you Have where all of spring all of winter Now you're going home and football is Like number three or four you might You're probably working a job you're Probably working out at in Planet Fitness with other dudes that are in There like "How come you're not doing Curls today bro?" Like you know like Hang on do you want me to take the Selfie for you or someone else dude like No man i'm trying to follow this packet Because I got to go out and do it and Also like do I have access to a sled to Work and push and do those things and Mimic it or you know five of my buddies Are like "Dude what are we doing we're Going to the party." And you're like "Dude I got to get my work in here." So On the other side it also is like hey
These guys now have to be extra dialed In and okay when you come back and you Do that now I know you're bought in Because you on your own time and put you Know that little bit of extra effort Kind of like you know that saying that's Always like it's what you do when no one Is watching right like that type of Thing um and there's no way to really Gauge it right like hey dude send me a Zoom of you working out or some [ __ ] Right send me a video of you doing this They can BS that that That's Come on Dude these kids are savvy christ they Could freaking you know chat GBT Anything they want like they're smarter Than us at this point it's really Difficult it's something that I think Division people overlook that side of it That's where the the you know division Three athletes play for the love of the Game they sure as hell don't play for NIL money or scholarship money that's Where you kind of differentiate that a Little bit but it is something that's Really hard especially if like you know You're expecting this guy to be your guy Now all of a sudden he comes in he's not In shape he's not ready to go sets Everybody back the entire team yep puts The coaches in mood right from the jump You're like hell they're already pissed Because the wife is not going to see Them for freaking god knows how long and
They got four kids and it's like what Are we doing you know like it's really Difficult definitely I'll give credit to our head football Coach so ironically our head football Coach is Jeff Long same last name no Coincidence or whatever it's just a Coincidence but um we started doing Mandatory take-home binders so right our Guys leave they'll get issued a Take-home binder and that binder has to Be returned to us the first day of Training camp filled in and then we test Them so there's that accountability Factor and we tell them this all the Time especially like our recruits coming In it's pretty good sales pitch but like It's teaching them and planting that Seed about the accountability like hey Man like that threemon time frame that May June July for a college football Player that is when the your training Matters the most and how would you feel If if you did all the workouts and you Sacrificed and you did the packet you Filled it in you turned it in how's it Going to make you feel if you find out That 20 of your other brothers didn't do It like do you want to play college Football with that guy right and a Majority of them like "Heck no I don't Want to play college football with that Guy." And so I think I mean we're we're Getting to a point now believe it or not
Over the past three years with this new Football staff that we're actually Having way way better return numbers Like our guys are returning in way Better condition so there's some good Stuff there yeah no no doubt about it Well obviously ultimately if it Translates into victories that's that's What you're looking for right correct Yeah from from a coach standpoint so That's always the the key um As far as when you get do you get any Athletes that transfer in there is that Something that happens and how do you Get them on the same page if you do have Transfers that come in yeah uh with the Transfer uh transfer portal the past two Years we've been scooping up a lot of um Like graduate transfers like kids that Are to our program for our graduate Programs that may have one or two years Left and they have been like honestly Impact players for us like I can and and Not just for football like across all of Our sports here like these kids that We're picking up that are transferring From whether it's D2 down uh like They're impact players for us and you Know I I just when they get here I I Have an honest conversation with them It's like I I I' love that you're here With us but there's a certain way we're Going to go about doing things and I Need you to be a team guy or a team girl
And and buy into our concepts and we'll Obviously bend over backwards to help You accommodate you in any way shape or Form but at the end of the day team Objectives are team objectives and we're Not going to deviate from you know how You did things at a different school That that's we're not going to change How we operate No doubt about it um and that that's That's interesting because they are Impact players they're probably used to A certain way of doing things um and Getting them you know on the same page That's always the hardest thing the the Integration of it all um f finally so Like where do you see Um really this the the industry that You're in going as far as development of College athletes like what do you see as Some of the things that are become the Most important influences uh in Developing athletes Um definitely I what we started our Conversation with way more speed and Sprint oriented um I I I think the the old way of thinking That Olympic lifting was the only way to Get athletes to be powerful is slowly on Its way down i mean there are obviously Benefits to Olympic lifting uh but Honestly I I think it hinges more on the Coach if that coach is able to teach and Implement set Olympic movement patterns
But I I'm seeing a really good trend That is showing way more speedoriented Like you got to do sprints you got to do Max velocity you got to do max Acceleration and not just linear like Curve sprints uh change of direction uh Different starting positions like unless You're a track athlete you know what I Mean like what if you're lying on your Back and you got to get up and sprint so I mean just implementing different Positions that these kids may be exposed To um and uh believe it or not like uh Like field games um I'm seeing way more Um which is really cool because I mean Now you're you're you're killing two Birds one stone the kids are having fun And you're getting everything you need As a professional um but like field Games and just different scenarios and Just different stimulus and I I I think That's a trend that you're going to see Maybe replace like change of direction In general if you're if you're Incorporating different competitive Games into the equation You you're you're checking a lot of Boxes there so uh definitely more turf And field work oriented or court work Depending on the surface you know Depending on the sport but um you know I For me I think the weight room is always Going to be the wait room like I'm not Trying to reinvent the wheel here i
Think there's a lot of intelligent People out there that have already Figured out how this is supposed to be Ran and how it's supposed to work and It's our job as the professional to Implement the right thing with the right Group at the right time um but Definitely I I'm seeing definitely Trends for more sprints acceleration top End velocity um and games like field Games you almost have to trick them into Training right in a way right it's kind Of what it is i mean Dave we've done it For long with our younger kids you know Hey we want them to run make it a relay Right and then at the end of the day I Think competition trumps everything Because you know these guys want to go Back to the locker room and one group's Going to win one group is not right or You know Tony Holler's record rank Publish like nobody wants to be at the Bottom of a list right so no matter what Post it let them look at it you know at The older levels where now that becomes Now you're a healthy level of Competition i think like I said can Almost trick them into training also This is the why generation coach why are We doing this so you need to directly Link what you're doing with something That's going to benefit them Individually even though it's a team Sport individually for what's going to
Make them better what's going to help Them improve and and why they're doing It Otherwise you know coach I'm not doing This just to do something right correct So I think that's that's why you're Seeing that bit of an uptick you know in That type of training when it's more Situational or sport specific as close To as you can get to a game or a Full-blown competition like scenario Well there's no doubt about it that's The that's a big thing is that you got To get them to a scenario where it's Game like and competition like and um And that's where you get the most out of Them i think the games the games portion Of it you know um like the old the old Days of like literally tag like um and Being able to chase and avoid getting Tagged and I mean that was change of Direction you know that was explosion That was speed right um but you don't You don't see them going like as kids Doing that as much but like right man Let me tell you something you you go and Take some 10 year olds and have them do Flag tag yo you have been doing that for 30 minutes y because they're competing And you tell them somebody wins and Somebody loses and there's an out and Then you know they don't want to be the One so but I think those things the Gamification of of everything that you
Want to get accomplished as much as it's Not always possible because there's Certain skill sets you got to work on And but as much that you can do it I Think you know you're right like it's Not even it's like I don't even know if It's tricking as much as it is you're Just like Um they're just out there playing and When they're out there playing they're Not aware of it right Dave the awareness Is on the game rather than hey we're Working this to work this right because To them that's work you know what I'm Saying like right this is a game this is This is fun and ultimately if you end or They know something like that is coming Somewhere along the lines they're Probably going to be more conducive to Either you know paying attention or Doing something else that they don't Want to do that you have to do to get Done because they know like a reward Basically is Got somewhat like that that's how I view It look at it and and Dave Dave works With his younger you know his son you Know who's who's like you know 10 years Old nine years old like they're right in That age group right there where it has To be fun i mean you know when we're not Playing seven on seven games we look on The sideline they're playing tag or They're chasing each other around doing
Something like figure you know what the Like oh there's a game we got to go play Now like we Yeah We want to play we want to play the Games we want to play you know right so Right but but it's it's um but yeah There's a balance of it and and there's No doubt about it like I think that That's Even in older athletes um college Athletes the the more you know practices Is like a game like Derek said the more That they they enjoy it like scenario Scenarios right scenarios like here's a Scenario you So uh it's third and eight You who you know we're going to do five Of these uh who whoever wins is X right And so five whoever went gets the three First is the winner whether it's defense Or offense and those kind of things even In in training I think make a huge Difference it does it It takes more guys Like you younger guys that are creative Right that are thinking um that are Thinking of different ways to get the Most out of your guys um whereas like You you get um I would say you get like Older coaches they they're definitely Much more along the lines of like we got To get this done because their Assumption from the days when they're And they they have to adapt obviously as They get older but there are days from The time kids were young they played so
Those kind of things was already done by The time they came to them right so now They can work on the things they need to Now It's the It's almost flipped it's Like they're training as a young age as You get them as they're older the more You can gify it the more you're getting Out of them it's like flipped almost you Know what I mean so it's like um whereas Like in the older days it was like "All Right we have fun as kids and then as we Get older it's like a pyramid we get Older we get more serious as to it." It's kind of flipped it's like now now They're training as they're younger We're trying to make it more fun as they Get older yeah it's very interesting it It really it's an interesting like kind Of flip on it and it it challenges you Guys a lot more i'm sure it's Challenging because you got to create Scenarios and things like that where Before guys can be like "Okay hey you Know we're we're in we're in get after It mode you know and this is how it is And it's a it's a grind the grind has to Be more fun." But um but yeah no re really interesting Stuff um it's it's interesting to hear Your insights on on how things are going To be going forward and you know Obviously speed is at a premium Everything you do um sprint work Dave Like it's Yeah you're you're only going
To run fast if you sprint you got to do It you got to do it nothing can Replicate it yep and it's the ultimate Like uh uh fountain of youth they say Right like Tony Tony said I know I've Referenced him a bunch but on his most Recent podcast you know he's like you Know if you don't sprint like that's it Most people after the age of I think 28 You don't guys never sprint again i Think it was 30 i I some stats scared The hell out of me and a certain Percentage I want to say it was like 90% 90% of people over the age of 30 can't Sprint and I'm just like or like have or Never do it again right yeah like never Sprint for the rest of their lives yeah From now on yes so once a week my Assistant and I are getting some lasers Out we're sprinting so there you go Coach i mean we just had Brian Kula on And he was like he's like look I'm Whatever age i saw that that was a good I still get after it really really hard Appreciate that coach you know we get a Lot of those guys you know look they all Want to talk they all want to like get Out there and just let it fly they have Opinionated on something or whatever It's a great community that's very It's like they're crazy if you're if You're not ready for it You're going to get hurt yeah yeah well And I think that's essentially the CNS
Stuff is is I mean obviously there Hasn't been a ton of studies yet on You know the the pure science of it some Of it's still an art form I guess you Know so we don't but yeah I think that Over time as we start to get more data On the you know it's going to obviously Only help you and what you do right and What things really do affect the CNS and Really help you run faster be more Explosive and and and what of it is Which which part of it is uh u really Truly is voodoo you know what I mean Like you're just thinking it's helping You like placebo effect so I I I think That that's going to become much more of A thing because I think once the sign And that pro that might not come out for Another 10 years you know five to 10 Years before you start getting real data On it but I think but but I think it's Going to you know as you start to get Older in your career you know like You're going to be like "Hey we got now We got this data like this stuff really Helps you like this." Yeah and that's Going to be really interesting because I'm sure with like AI and all the stuff You know the stuff that you're doing Collecting data and all these different Technologies that'll come out like You're going to be able eventually like Okay this is working this is not working Which which is what's so hard about the
Industry right like a lot of it is Anecdotal right like it worked for this Guy but for some reason it didn't work Exactly as well for this guy and you're Trying to constantly take as much data As you can get in your world antidotally And figure out okay like what is helping Guys more in general like and like you Said before about the strength of Conditioning like we know that bench Develops a certain amount of Explosiveness and this and we know that Squat back squats develop a certain Amount of power here and and hexar you Know there's some studies out about like Correlation to speed like strength there To to how fast people are able to get But but there's just not enough of it Yet like it's crazy because it's been Around so long and you you start to get Data on it and then you realize like Some of the data is fool's gold you know And then you it's different for Everybody it's crazy and it is a CNS System and everyone's primed differently And the rate of force development is Different through the body for certain Individuals based on biomechanics i mean You the list can go on and on and Like it's just the but I I I think yeah It's going to take some time to collect All that information and you're right Coach like with AI and everything you Just plug things in and you know figure
Out what the best approach is go Implement it and track results and if It's working awesome if not you got to Tweak something so yeah yeah and I think Like the like uh my wife works for Quest Diagnostics which obviously does the the Um uh you know all the testing and stuff And it's interesting because years ago They tried to they were with they might Still be sponsors of um uh the Giants There but they were trying they do all The Giants they you know blood work data And stuff like that but they they I Think the few times they tried to roll It out to the masses like athletically And they there wasn't A the ability to get the pay for the you Know demand for the pay for the blood Work to start to track these things so That stuff is out there like the Giants Are probably utilizing it as much as They can not that it's helping them that Much but um but but they're probably you Know they're they're util they're They're utilizing it you know and They're starting to get some of those Bio biioarkers and those kind of things But I think eventually like that part Too like as you start to understand like Your DNA can kind of do this and your DNA can do this and this there was a There was a again this is goes back to My useless facts here thing but there Was a horse I was a big horse racing guy
Had um I think it was named I think it Was Charismatic was the name of the Horse but it won it won the trip I think It won the triple crown but anyway the Horse was a a a a um a claiming horse Okay and they had given up on it and it Wins this claiming race And one of these uh uh you know big- Time trainers you know buys it it's like Ah maybe there's something There well the bottom line was the horse Was um like a a lazy worker okay had a Lot of lot of explosion in speed but was A lazy work and it was slightly Overweight for what it what it should be But was you know and so he got it to a Point where it wasn't at the optimal Weight for that for for who he was um And and put him into certain training Methodologies where um he was in Positions that was advantageous to him Um and it was like the psychology and And of this of this horse and he was Able and the horse ends up going on and Being like probably one of the greatest Investments of all time probably paid 25k for him you know right and wins wins Uh I don't know if he won the triple Crown or won two or three but you know Obviously made a boatload of money right Became one of the these great horses and I I always I always find that story Interesting because how many times do You have uh a horse is different in the
Sense that like they don't can't talk Back to you so you have to coers them in Other ways they can't tell you no I'm Not doing it but with athletes right Like you you you're not able to figure Out exactly what that guy could do and You just he just never gets there you Know what I mean like you're like ah That guy could have got I thought he Could have got there but we never got Him there and it's so frustrating um but I think eventually you you you know Hopefully biomarkers and CNS and all be Able to test and be able to get those Things where you can figure out that you Know what I mean where you can uh Because human beings do talk and they Can make a decision whether they don't Want to do it or not you know what I Mean whereas a horse you're going to You're going to put them in a scenario That eventually he might be able to get There because you're just going to keep Putting them in advantageous scenarios Right so it's really interesting i mean The movie Sea Biscuit kind of talks About the same thing almost right where That horse was Yeah was a struggling Horse ends up becoming a great horse but I think that it's amazing that in our Era we have all this data but we don't We still can't can't get the feedback Right yeah like you gota you got to go Through a still don't want to trust it
Yeah uhhuh yeah and and it's still not a Perfect It's not a perfect science yet You know what I mean like it's it's um There there's so many other things along With it there's a a feel that strength Coaches like yourself have like okay I'm Getting this guy to the right place you Know and and this one's getting to the Right place and this one's getting the Right place and this guy over here I Can't like I we can't get him there like What do we got to do to get him there You know and it's it's it's very it's Very interesting i think that's what Makes the field so fascinating Never ending field of study that's right Field of study it's a field it's a Neverending field of study like Constantly looking and and studying what Your guys are doing every single day and If you're not you're going to get passed And you're going to get fired yep You don't want that coach we don't want That the good thing is you have the same Last name as a head coach and I don't Care what people say it's just like my First name is David when I meet someone Else with the name David I always kind Of like them That's it Hey coach thank you so much buddy having You on yeah guys this was a blast thanks For having me on i appreciate it take Care coach we'll talk we'll see you soon
Bye see you later All right that was that was a ton of fun That was a ton of fun coach did a great Job really a great job yeah yeah really Really great it's it's it's especially Guys that have to work you know do a lot With le like you know less i mean I Don't want to say less right because he Had you know but pretty good yeah They're always pretty good yeah yep yep Yep but it's a lot man like you know You're wearing a lot of different hats He doesn't have a staff that's five guys Deep and guys that care you know what I Mean and you know he's got some of those Things he's got to figure out with going Away for summer and not coming back and You know he's got to he's got mandates Too like that head coach whether his own Guys don't work in the summer or not He's going to look at the strength coach And be like "Buddy we you know like Coach I sent home the pack." Like you Know I get it he's got to implement Those mentalities when he has those guys That it's not a fearsome you know They're already programmed when they go Away from him for those weeks in the Summer that we're going to get it done Because he's demanded a standard and a Level of accountability so it's a lot But good for him man like there's a lot Of that's a lot of cool stuff that you Know I took away from that a lot no no
No no doubt about it really I think his Test is interesting like I think he's on To something i think he's got to keep Tweaking that but I think he's on to Something i think he's on to like I was Trying to think like what is too much in That test there's a few things I think Might be too much but but I think that Like I like that he's on to a path where It's like hey this test he's trying to Figure out a test that's more realistic To what it is in football you know That's one and he's got the overarching Like look I got to develop something That doesn't fatigue them from the jump That we're already working behind the Eightball to go okay here it is up top How can I do that all right well let's Try this let's try this let's try that With ultimately that in mind of how do I Keep them at the top and not kill them Right away from the jump you know what I Mean so I think he's on to something There and just keep tweaking that thing And seeing you know just publish and Figure it out and somebody else might Have a help like maybe somebody else has A tweak or somebody maybe somebody's Already doing it like that's what's Great about this community everybody I Think is willing to to help each other Nobody's keeping secrets you know what I Mean no I think they do a good job of Sharing more and more they almost need
Someone like that's collecting data While they're doing their stuff like That's the hardest thing about the Industry like of course the data is Actually there it's just that they're Not all they don't have a collector at Every location collect if they were all Collecting it and then sharing it and at The end of the day they're that's not What they do no you know what I mean Like they need a a scientist behind them You don't need like a scientist behind There to to be like you know like Literally like a a a co guy who has a Degree in you know quantitative Yeah yeah like a professor yeah who who Could go and study all these things and Take the data and make sense out of the Data you're like what is this guy doing Here oh he's on the he's on the football Payroll like why he's a sport like he's A he's a scientist like he's a he's a Numbers guy he's a this he's a that he's A data collector why is he part of it Well I mean I think the big universities Division one they're all I bet you but That's what I'm saying working with le You know what I mean like he's getting a Lot working with less help he's going to Have to rely they're all the division Three level they're eventually going to Have to rely and hope that like division One guys do collect a lot of that stuff So they could pass it down to them and
They could say "Okay this this is like a Better way to doing it." said I think One of the benefits of a division three Level or those smaller universities is That the alignment the vertical Alignment from top down right like They're all in in line with it and the Communication is you know cuz you don't Have to go through this person to get to This person to get to this person it's Hey here's what it is here's the Conversation let's sit down let's talk About it where everybody knows what's Going on everybody all is all in for all That kind of good stuff like that's Important No that's what those smaller schools Have that some of the other ones don't It's awesome all right we're back Thursday Thursday okay cool we And we have um Uh who do we have Thursday do you know Him coach uh I don't want to butcher his Name uh uh Coach Pervit from Rochester University oh oh Yeah yeah cool perfect football coach Right yes sir all right till Thursday Sounds good
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