> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://adamringler.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # #005 Derek Salvador - URL: https://adamringler.com/podcast/005/ - Published: 2017-03-27T19:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-20T06:57:19.000Z - Author: Adam Ringler - Tags: Decoding Excellence, #podcast, Strength Training In this episode of the Decoding Excellence show, I am speaking with **Coach Derek Salvador.** Derek is the Owner and Director of Sport Science at Athletic Solutions Inc., a company that specializes in strength and conditioning, athletic development and soccer specific fitness. Currently, Derek is the Head of Strength and Conditioning for the Oakville Soccer Club, Power FC Academy and KW United FC (USL PDL). **Derek and I discuss:** - LTAD approach for soccer development - Importance of movement variability - Differences of coaching approaches to U10s to U20s - Pedagogical approaches to applied kinesiology ## Key Takeaways From This Episode Derek works where development actually happens, in the messy middle of youth and academy soccer. Here are the principles from our conversation that apply far beyond the pitch. **1\. On Long-Term Athletic Development: Play The Long Game.** LTAD is patience as a training philosophy. The ten-year-old and the twenty-year-old are not smaller and larger versions of the same athlete. They are different organisms with different needs, different windows, and different psychologies. Coaches who chase early wins sacrifice late development. Build the base. Respect the stages. The athletes who dominate at twelve are rarely the ones dominating at twenty-two, and the coach's job is to develop the twenty-two-year-old. **2\. On Movement Variability: There Is No One Perfect Pattern.** The old model said find the ideal technique and drill it until it is grooved. The better model says build adaptable movers. Variability is robustness. An athlete who has solved a movement problem a hundred different ways owns that movement in a way the drill-repeater never will. Expose athletes to varied environments, varied constraints, and varied challenges, and let the nervous system do what it does best. Figure it out. **3\. On Coaching U10s To U20s: Coach The Person In Front Of You.** The coaching approach must evolve as the athlete evolves. Ten-year-olds need play, exploration, and joy. Twenty-year-olds need clarity, standards, and honest feedback. Same sport. Completely different delivery. This is what I mean when I say coaching is contextual. Jills and Joes, not X's and O's. Read the room, read the age, read the individual, and adjust. **4\. On Pedagogy: Teach Principles, Not Just Exercises.** Applied kinesiology is only useful if the athlete understands the why. An athlete who knows why they are doing something will do it with intent long after you stop watching. An athlete who only knows the what will abandon it the moment supervision ends. Educate. Explain the reasoning. Build thinking athletes, not compliant ones. That is how development outlives the session. Give the episode a listen above. Whether you coach soccer players or any other athletes, the developmental principles are the same. Start with the athlete in front of you, and build from there. You can find Derek on Twitter at [@ASI\_Strength](https://www.twitter.com/ASI%5FStrength?ref=adamringler.com) or at his website This episode of the Decoding Excellence show is brought to you by Vald Performance, the makers of the NordBord. They can be found at [ValdPerformance.com](http://www.valdperformance.com/?ref=adamringler.com) Stay updated with the podcast by following me on Twitter via [@AdamRingler](https://www.twitter.com/AdamRingler?ref=adamringler.com) or visiting [AdamRingler.com](https://adamringler.com/) or [DecodingExcellence.com](http://decodingexellence.com/?ref=adamringler.com) In addition to those social mediums, you can head over to [AdamRingler.com/Newsletter](http://www.adamringler.com/newsletter?ref=adamringler.com) and sign-up for my weekly newsletter. This is a newsletter for the curious. It's chalked full of interesting articles I've read through the week, things I'm exploring and finding fascinating through my week, and a collections of thought experiences and resources I've cultivated. *It's essentially a Birchbox newsletter for performance-related articles, research, and daily musings.* Thanks again for listening to the Decoding Excellence Show! I appreciate all the support growing this Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning, and High-Performance Coaching resource. If you have taken anything away from the show, please login to iTunes and navigate to the [Decoding Excellence](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/decoding-excellence/id1205636566?mt=2&ref=adamringler.com) page and leave us a review. --- --- ## Key Takeaways - Play the long game with long-term athletic development. The ten-year-old and the twenty-year-old are different organisms with different needs. Coaches who chase early wins sacrifice late development. - There is no one perfect movement pattern. Build adaptable movers instead of drilling one ideal technique. Variability is robustness. - Coach the person in front of you. Ten-year-olds need play, exploration, and joy. Twenty-year-olds need clarity, standards, and honest feedback. Same sport, completely different delivery. - Teach principles, not just exercises. An athlete who understands the why will train with intent long after you stop watching. ## About the Guest Derek Salvador is the owner and Director of Sport Science at Athletic Solutions Inc. and Head of Strength and Conditioning for Oakville Soccer Club, Power FC Academy, and KW United FC. He and Adam discuss LTAD for soccer, movement variability, coaching approaches from U10 to U20, and applied kinesiology. ## Listen and Subscribe Find this episode of the Decoding Excellence Show on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoding-excellence/id1205636566?ref=adamringler.com) and [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/093GVrPwd9l832q3EWhVKc?ref=adamringler.com), or use the player above. --- ## Go Further in This Episode Enjoyed this conversation? Here is how to get more from it: - **Read the transcript below** to revisit key ideas at your own pace. - **Share this episode** with a coach or colleague who would benefit. - **Subscribe to the Decoding Excellence Show** on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoding-excellence/id1205636566?ref=adamringler.com), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/093GVrPwd9l832q3EWhVKc?ref=adamringler.com), or your favorite app. - **Join the newsletter** at [adamringler.com/newsletter](https://adamringler.com/newsletter/) for weekly insights on human performance. --- ## Episode Transcript *This transcript was automatically generated. While we strive for accuracy, some words or phrases may be misheard.* \[00:00:00\] Anyone can make someone tired right and this is something I try to explain to to my players is that I can take I can grab anyone from the street here and come in and say to you and say to them You need to get these guys fit and I say what do you think they'll do and a lot of the players are like They'll probably just make us run and run and run until we're tired and I'm like exactly but at the end of the day Have you gotten better? Sports Science, Strength and Conditioning, High Performance Coaching. Welcome to the Decoding Excellence Show \[00:00:33\] Today's episode is brought to you by VOD Performance, the makers of the Nordboard If you haven't checked out their website yet, I highly suggest you head over there Whether it's return to play, injury prevention or just plain performance testing VOD Performance has the tools that you need. Check them out at VODPerformance.com Today on the show, I'm joined with Derek Salvador, the owner and director of sports science at Athletic Solutions Inc. Currently, Derek is the Head of Strength and Conditioning for the Oakville Soccer Club, Power FC Academy, KW United FC and GPS Canada Academy. \[00:01:13\] Today on the show, we discuss enriching kinesiology students' education By involving them in the practice of strength conditioning and different modalities We discuss his experiences working with different football academies ranging from U10s to U20s And the difference is in teaching in pedagogy that he has to employs to teach a 10-year-old versus a 20-year-old Later in the show, we start to discuss different books and mentors and resources that we've used to enrich our own coaching journey As a wide-ranging conversation with the coach who have seen all along the spectrum of a long-term athletic development model \[00:01:47\] You do not want to miss this show So without further ado, here's my conversation with coach Derek Salvador Derek, welcome to the show Hi Adam, thanks for having me aboard Hey, I wanted to just, again, I want to thank you for participating and agreeing to come on the Decoding Excellence show I know sometimes scheduling with both of us can be kind of crazy \[00:02:13\] But I'm finally glad that we can find a time to sit down and chat and share your experiences How are things in your neck of the woods? In our neck of the woods, it's not too bad We've had pretty mild winter so far I was kind of hoping winter was almost overdone with And then on Friday we got some more snow \[00:02:34\] So hopefully that will be gone soon But yeah, I know everything is good Just, you know, working away is always such as yourself And no, things are good, can't complain I'm trying to think So number one here at what should I'll say \[00:02:47\] And probably even during my graduate experience, assistant experience I never really got out of the country But the only other country I've ever been to is Canada But what parts of Canada do you reside at? So I live just outside of Toronto So I live in a small suburb \[00:03:08\] It's a small town called Georgetown Which is about 40 to 45 minutes outside the city So you're not too far away And stuff I do a lot of my work in Toronto still But yeah, so that's kind of where I'm at right now Oh, fascinating \[00:03:23\] See, growing up in Michigan We would cross the bridge and we'd go into Windsor Which at that time, there was not much of passports needed or anything You could literally just cross and declare or whatever But that was my only experience being in Canada So I need to make it up there for a conference or two next year or so \[00:03:49\] But yeah, absolutely The interesting thing is that I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Windsor So all the Americans used to come in across the border on Friday and Saturday nights It's kind of ring familiar a little bit Yeah, I mean, I've been in those, that was probably us back in the day So I can certainly relate to it \[00:04:11\] Hey, again, I'm so excited that we could finally get on the phone and have this interview Because I think the work that you're doing is exceptional Especially when it comes to what you're doing from an athletic development standpoint And even though in the beginning of the show, we talked about what you're bio And you talked the intro of the show But I'd love for you to give the audience just an updated bio in your own words \[00:04:38\] So what you're currently up to in your current position and then we can kind of expand on that Yeah, absolutely, absolutely So doing a bunch of different things, which kind of keeps me busy, keeps me on my toes And as of right now, Georgia Day is I work as an instructor at the University of Toronto in the faculty of kinesiology and physical education So it's a really, really unique kind of course that we teach \[00:05:07\] So the way it works is when you think about when you did your undergraduate You went to class, you sat in a lecture, you were given all this information And you kind of went and wrote an exam and kind of that was that And you know, really what are you doing with the information? What does the information really mean? How do we put it into practice? \[00:05:27\] And based on the course that I helped teach is I work closely with a professor named Dr. David Ross And we pretty much try to bring the learning to life, which is really, really cool Or at least I think of it And so basically what we do is we try to take all the concepts that we are learning in kinesiology and physical education And we try to put a practical component to it \[00:05:51\] So depending on if we're talking about agility or plometrics If we're talking about coaching, if we're talking about movement variability, if we're talking about physical literacy All these different terms that are thrown out there And we try and do activities where these concepts come to life So now the students get a better understanding as to what it is in their learning And how we actually put this up into practice \[00:06:12\] So I kind of do that throughout the week I teach first-second and third-year students Which I guess coinciding with without the college US college system Is it being a teaching your freshman and your sophomore and your junior classes So we do that so first-second and third year And then in the evenings is where I do my own training \[00:06:33\] So I'm involved with a bunch of different projects So I work with one academy in Toronto called Power FC And so I work with their U-10s all the way up to their under-20 groups And I also work with an institute here that we started in Ontario Where they're trying to raise the level of standards of soccer in the province And it's a program called the Ontario Player Development League \[00:06:55\] And so I work closely with the local soccer club And with other various other teams Another academy called GPS Canada And that throughout the summer I work closely with the US Sorry, USLPD team was called KWNited Which is under-20-3 team here in the province \[00:07:14\] And working with individual athletes on top of that So pretty much I get up at 6 a.m. And I don't come into the house sometimes until 10-10-30 at night And then we do it all over again So that's pretty much, that's pretty much me and a nutshell And I think if you were to isolate either of those roles \[00:07:34\] And just hold an academic position and post That is a full-time job in itself And likewise the evening position as far as the consulting and working and training And development with athletes That's also another full-time role I can certainly kind of relate to the time demands of both \[00:07:57\] And you are a busy individual for sure I'd love to kind of kick around a couple different topics As we go through this Because I think you have certainly an experience that can discuss The science behind the athletic development And I think that is a needed issue that I'd loved to address in the show \[00:08:20\] But to kind of maybe draw Some ideas as far as how you got into sport I'd love to because again as I've talked to other professors And I've talked to other academics For a lot of people it's not always like they've gotten into it Because of either a rich history of sport or their backgrounds \[00:08:45\] But for you why athletics, why this sort of emphasis And kinesiology, exercise, science How did it lead you into that academic position Well if you think about it for myself as growing up as a kid I was always involved in sport in some way And I guess I can thank my parents for that \[00:09:08\] I remember my dad always always always always back to Even up until his five years going to the gym all the time Trying to stay fit and things like that And it really, really rubbed out fun of you a lot So as a kid growing up playing soccer a lot That was kind of my main sport that I played \[00:09:27\] But growing up as a kid it was We played string hockey after school every day And we played basketball We played football and played baseball So there was always some friends always about being active Which was something I was sitting \[00:09:40\] Something I always really enjoyed And even kind of going down on the path that I am now What was interesting was when I was 16 years old I fractured my ankle in a slide tackle And so at a cast on couldn't play And then the cast finally came off \[00:09:59\] And I went to physiotherapy And I was like wow how cool is this One day you know because at that just kind of 16 You kind of figure you know what I love to be a professional athlete But with the opportunities that were available at that time My chances of going pro were probably slim to that \[00:10:16\] So how can I still somehow be involved in sport And all these kind of things And so then all of a sudden it's like This is kind of a cool career Where I can help treat individuals To have suffered some kind of injury and stuff \[00:10:29\] So eventually you know Pulling career kind of came to an end And you know mind you know mind Mind you I still was able to continue playing competitively For you know to loves my mid 30s and stuff Which was quite impressed with you know what I mean \[00:10:42\] But it also you know kept thinking about You know preparation and nutrition And how do I look after myself so I can still compete with You know players who were off my age right So I think it's then you know just kind of let me down the path where I am So then it became about rehab \[00:10:58\] And then from rehab it was you know working closely With the population that I was working with And you know how can we how can we help integrate a lot of these Interathies back into sport And then you know from there just kept kept you know evolving kept All lost and I'm like okay hold on a second \[00:11:14\] Why is it I'm trying to be so reactive So how why is it I'm trying to best how I can integrate these These these injured athletes back into the sport Maybe I need to look on the other side And you know what is it that we can do to try and you know Maybe reduce these types of injuries so that way \[00:11:29\] These people can spend more time in the field Court ice wherever To learn their support and not so much you know on the injured side of things And then from there just you know the lack of anything Just trying to learn and looking at the science and what the science And then so looking on the other end with the year of coaching \[00:11:46\] What what what what what does it take in order to implement all that science And you know kind of what I saw the rule that was available at the University of Toronto It was it was really interesting to be able to kind of blend the two where it's like You know essentially trying to provide all students with the experiences that I had experienced So basically how can we take all the science that you're learning And and how can we make an art of it? How can we help you implement it? \[00:12:11\] How can we teach you about you know all the different clients you're going to potentially work in this one day? How can we help you guys kind of create your own role? Where you can deal with maybe you're working with corporations You're implementing wellness programs Maybe you're working with youth development where you're implementing You know school literacy programs \[00:12:31\] Maybe we're looking at you active for life programs We're trying to keep people of all ages you know active for throughout their expanded stuff So when I look at that whole spectrum and kind of like where I was at kind of what I've learned and what I want to do It just it just all seems to have asked me And I guess the big thing is you know I don't want it to be cliche but you know it's about passion It's what really really really fuels me. It keeps me excited \[00:12:55\] And you know what like what job isn't great where you can go and be active every day And you can you know be kicking around a soccer ball every single day You know an interact with individuals where you can you can you know you can really influence or or or have an influence on some part of their life Right so I guess I guess for me that's that's kind of like what keeps going and what's what you know how it got me involved And it keeps me involved in everything that I do What's interesting to me about your background is both the the academic side of it \[00:13:25\] And being instrumental into teaching other teachers essentially teaching other future teachers or practitioners The protocols and the sort of the art or perhaps even more accurately the science of what we do But then to take it one step further and start to integrate that into a learning environment That's something that you know I'm hoping here in the next couple at least spring 2018 That we start to try to do at which state is to sort of blend our athletic department in what we're doing From a strength conditioning high performance program into teaching the academic side of it as well and making a strength and conditioning \[00:14:10\] 400 level class or something like that because I think that's sorely sorely needed How up with that I mean you talked about it in your bio a little bit about blending the two which I think is is fascinating What how are you doing that I mean like what is sort of the basis of a classroom setting and then trying to go into teaching The various modalities or differences of physical preparation to the students that enroll and what if you can put me sort of in that class right now I mean like if and paint the picture of it what's that look like? Yeah so like I said I'm very closely with one of our with one of our professors at university \[00:14:55\] And essentially what it is is that depending on what the you know what the top is or depending even what the course is entailing You would come into class and then essentially we would have so the students get their workshops ahead of time so that way they can review And they can get an understanding of the concept that we will be discussing and from there what we do is we sit down and we will give them a little bit of a background information So if the first 15 20 perhaps even the first 30 minutes of the class will be some sort of electric component That we're basically we're kind of getting a little bit of a background to the students So for example we are talking about a plyometrics so this would be a first student course \[00:15:36\] So with plyometrics we go into discussion on what makes an exercise truly plyometric And try to give them a little bit of a better understanding of what it is Because most people will assume that plyometrics are jumping based exercises So trying to really have them have a better understanding as to what that is And then from there what we'll do is we'll start thinking into some activities or some exercises where now the students can start to experience a little bit of the fact shortens the goal You know looking at different progressions so how can we do some sort of jumps \[00:16:09\] So say we're looking at a squat jump we're going to only focus on the concentric So say for example is you know in order to take advantage of stretch shortens the goal you have to have you know individuals who have some level of coordination But also some level of stretch too to be able to tolerate the demands of the exercise or the loads being posed on you know on their place And so how can we how can we you know start from from base level And so let's talk about the concentric contraction portion We will work through that you know then how do we integrate the eccentric component of that \[00:16:44\] And then from there how do we combine the two And then from there how does that affect performance and if we jump too far too soon Cannot impact performance negatively and so the students will work through these different activities They will treat pre and post scores and then from there we will have some discussion questions where then now we will discuss it as a group And not so much and what's really important here is not so much on what the right answer is But what did you as a student just experience so base your your answers off of what you just went through right and what your colleagues went or your classmates went through \[00:17:25\] And then from there we will you know we'll leave it to a summary kind of like how we wrap everything up and then we'll have some transferable So essentially we'll have some content pieces so some content that you know things that we want them really coming away from from today's lesson And then a transferable where something that we discussed or how we discussed or how it was taught or the coaching that the athletes went through with each other Or the instructions that maybe I would have provided ahead of time maybe the instructions didn't provide ahead of time And how did that impact their learning and how they can relate that to things outside of class So we also want things to be not just about kin and phys ed related and also not just about in class related stuff \[00:18:05\] But how can we take those concepts and then apply to other areas outside of the classroom And the big thing is that you know what we've realized or what we see is that you know the lot of people who come into do you know kin or phys ed Is what you're going to do with your degree afterwards? And apart from doing physiotherapy occupational therapy or going to med school, what else is there for you to do or what else can there be for you And I guess that's supporting because we talked to most of the students and said well what are you going to do after you graduate? I'm going to physical school, I'm going to go to an occupational therapy school, I'm going to med school or the fourth most popular answer is I don't know \[00:18:45\] So what can we do with all the information that we're giving you and how are we putting into practice but then how can we relate all those practices outside of the classroom And relate to whatever it is that you're going to be doing in life So that's kind of like how our classes are going stuff and I think it's a really really unique way to learn And then we try to address all the students different learning styles so you know some learn by doing some through experimentation You know others learn through you know just just through you know visual or verbal and there's so many different ways So we try to address each individual and hopefully we try to enhance their learning environments \[00:19:26\] No I think there's so many good things in what you just shared as far as a listener taking away and looking at sort of the pedagogy structure of this classroom Because I can certainly relate as an undergrad kin courses back then it seemed like here's the textbook, let's read the chapter But no real hands-on applied sort of teaching right which you know as you as you look at different learning styles and different students Right some exactly as you said learn by doing some learn by reading some learn by seeing And I think having that real world out of the lab applied aspect only enriches the education and riches the teaching moment So that's and I also think what you guys are doing brilliantly is that you're applying sort of not only the modalities in which you're discussing and you know prior of it \[00:20:25\] But you're applying it in what is otherwise a real world scenario because you know so often in coaching and this is sort of which will lend us to our maybe our next topic of the art of coaching It's dealing with the chaos that that arises in real world athletics and it's not it's not a laboratory it's not a there's not a structured protocol that you're following necessarily when your team reports to a training session and their you know bust was laid or they stayed up late because they had a misaflight because of weather delays And those are the things that they won't teach you necessarily in a textbook that you have to navigate as a coach as you learn and gain experience in the field So I think that's instrumental that you guys are teaching that But I think what's even one step further is that again it's it's it's the experience that providing our students is that like I don't know about you \[00:21:19\] But when when I grew up I was 14 years old and I had my first job I used to clean car on the weekends And you would have to interact with customers you'd have to interact I'd have to interact with with my boss and and fellow workers And a lot of students now as I notice is that some of them going out into you know some kind of a placement at the end of their at the end of their college university And then maybe you know early 20s that's their first work experience And to me it's like what we're also trying to try to give them is like you know you're going to be doing the presentation in front of the class Here's your chance in order to present yourself and it's much more than just about the material presenting but how you actually presented is very important as well \[00:22:05\] And then on the flip side is when the student acts as part of the audience We want you guys engaged but we also want you learning how to ask good questions in order to you know for clarification for intrigue to bring about the discussion And there's so much to it that like I said just apart from even just the material is just really trying to provide them a lot of experience with that when they when they do go into the real world It's like hey I've done this already and this isn't new to me so so again it's just again it's just you know trying to just give them experiences And again from all the years of that I've been working and just the years of the things that I've made as mistakes and trying to share a lot of my personal stuff So then to them it's like we're not just giving you stuff to do for the sake of doing it \[00:22:48\] But everything you're doing this is what I do every single day And if you're working in this field you're not going to be working in a cardboard box More often than not you're going to be working with other people so how do you relate to those people? How do you how do you find their passions? How do you engage with them? Because you know one strategy that you use for one person isn't going to work for somebody else Right so it's just this whole \[00:23:10\] Just just to relate to people like you're saying earlier building rapport There's just so much that goes into it and this one you're going through to them sometimes they don't snap but from our end as instructors It's like this stuff is just so valuable and I just and I'm really really excited about about the direction that we've taken Because I just think that it just provides so much more for a student that just like here's a textbook here's some information Go off and learn it, write a test, good luck to you that see you later I related to a story that I share with my staff all the time as far as coaching goes right \[00:23:46\] Like the parallel I make is to a musician playing an instrument And our instrument just has happens to be the science and the understanding of how to train athletes Whatever modalities that we select that's the prerequisite of it right You need to know how to play the instrument but ultimately for me what gets me fired up in the morning is seeing Sort of the crowd respond to the instrument and you know like as the and which is lends itself to the art of coaching Which is essentially building engagement building by and getting them excited the athletes about the session \[00:24:25\] For me that's just like a natural high I leave the weight room you know thrilled that the athletes I have bought into a program But very rarely do I ever see in an undergraduate or graduate level kinesiology courses is that art of communication And that rapport building and that buy in and then engagement Which has been something for me post collegiately that I've had to study through resources and books and podcasts and audios Because you know like you said I mean most of the students will leave university or leave high school and never Never even have really a human relationship or communication with the customer or another coworker or someone like that \[00:25:17\] Where do you think you said that a lot of that course as well was sort of built and formulated around the audience asking learning how to ask good questions And where do you think in your experiences the mentors or the resources that you've cultivated and curated Was there anyone that stands out as far as mentors or significant part particular resources that you refer back to that that shaped your ability to ask good questions And to build that relationship with the athletes and the coaches that you work with Yeah for me growing up like with mentors and interactions and just things that have helped shape me I think you know maybe not knowing it back then but I think every and knowing so now that obviously every interaction you have \[00:26:10\] Is going to shape you in some form or another with a positive negative You can always learn something from those interactions and I remember growing up Or even when I was in my you know mid to late 20s is again still trying to figure out my path and trying to figure out what it is that I really wanted to do And the thing is is that you know I had a mentor who from a you know knowledge and and hands on approach was very good And it wasn't until years later that I realized that a lot of the message I guess sending or just being a good person Or just being a humble person wasn't as good as it should have been \[00:27:00\] So some of the advice I remember getting is that you know hey you've taken this course You shouldn't share the information that you've got because that's what's going to make you better and that's what's going to do And I remember struggling with that in the beginning because I was like I don't know what that means because to me it's you know if you're sharing information You're making other people better and it's going to help make you better and maybe lead to some kind of discussion or things like that And not realizing that that mentor actually ended not being a good mentor to me which kind of helped me to I guess I hope I'm making sense when I say all this But you know with some of the mentors I ended up getting later on is just realizing how much how beneficial they were for me \[00:27:41\] And actually made me understand what made them good mentors And one person that comes to mind is as a professor that I work with closely at Sheridan College was a guy named Trevor Cutrell And he's been great and he really helped shape you know who I am today Just with you know providing me with a lot of experience You know give me a lot of good advice helping with resources that you know later I would That I would later you know dive into and kind of learn from but also to be you know to really question what it is that we are doing \[00:28:14\] And to never be satisfied with just you know to really try to dive in to find out what people are doing And not necessarily and this is what I mean by trying to help our audience to become you know better at asking good questions But it's never to it's never to go in to try and make someone feel insecure or to really question what they do Or to put anyone on the spot and try and make them feel you know you know not as knowledgeable or to try and make them feel dumb I guess in a sense But it's to you know let's really dive into what it is that you did because I'm really truly fascinated with what you're doing And maybe by me trying to really question some of the things that you're doing \[00:28:52\] We'll help give you more verification as to why you're doing it But then we'll also help us go into this interaction where maybe we can find an even better way to do it And so I guess you know helping both of us to to become more knowledgeable on the topic And and then who knows where it leads to afterwards So like said Dr Trevor Cartra was a really good mentor So a gentleman that I'm working with right now Dr. David Frost he's been a really really good mentor as well \[00:29:19\] And just honestly I just find a lot of the interactions I have with a lot of my fellow coaches Like a lot of people that I hire now I bring them on board because like I want them to be better than me And I want them to be better than me so that way it helps me become a better person Because in the end of the day you know what I'm not doing anything you know Extraordinary that nobody else is doing is you know we're called kind of doing the same thing But how can we all you know make each other better how can make this industry better \[00:29:46\] You know even this interaction that you and I are having now is that you know I'm really as interested in knowing about things that you do as you are about me And and from there it's like you know how could we learn from this how can we build from this how can we you know Wow look at he mentioned this well let me try that next time I'm doing something like this Or this is a you know this is a procher or or something that you had with your athletes where you're like you know We were trying to really try to implement this and it wasn't working \[00:30:09\] So here's a strategy that we used or vice versa So I guess for me that's that's kind of you know the whole full circle is as to why we're really trying to teach these students You know how to ask good questions how to be engaged you know what does it lead to afterwards Can it lead to some intrigue and and knowing what each other is doing and thinking and you know and again It's it's with these courses that it's not just about me up there instructing It's not just about me giving them all this knowledge you know upfront but through their interactions \[00:30:39\] What can and their discussions what can they teach each other you know and the classes almost kind of built in a sense Where that's what we really really encourage because we want the students to kind of take charge of their own learning And you know we may have some structure as to things that we need to cover and things that we need to You know to go through and go over and things like that is from a content point of view But you know where it leads to after that is really up to the students and if they really grab the opportunity You know and really take charge of it it can lead to so much more for them \[00:31:08\] And that's something that we're really hoping that that that they'll come they'll come to understand Yeah you know and when you were talking about and you made crystal clear sense to me But I think to expand on it a little bit when you're talking about mentors both maybe you know demonstrating both good characteristics Classically good characteristics and bad characteristics. I think it's important to realize that regardless It's still a learning opportunity. I mean I've had some some really great people in my life that's done some exceptional things That in reflecting back on it I said positively shaped my life \[00:31:48\] And then also and maybe just as equally important that there's people that's done things in hundreds of different ways Or communication or whatever it might be that's made me only upon reflection say there's a better way of doing that I'm gonna make sure that in my future that I go a different course or I do a different path And I think that's just as powerful as a mentor sharing you know the successes that they've had That the tried and true sort of ways of doing things but I think sometimes that can be lost If you're not taking the time or the white space to reflect upon maybe that there is a better way of doing things \[00:32:32\] So I think that's a powerful, powerful statement that you had as far as just being aware and kind of aware that There's you know I think there's no difference between sometimes that you know the good qualities The good things that mentors do and maybe some of the bad ones the bad things they do With that set as we go into this I know that with your position and your work of at Power FC You tens to you 20s I mean that's a huge age gap with a wide variety of different physicalities Different sort of physiological sort of states that each athlete are in so it lends us off to a nice kind of transition \[00:33:23\] Into maybe some some of your work from a long-term athletic development standpoint to the differences of communications I mean I'd love for you to share a little for a little about sort of your experiences working with this You tend to you 20 sort of range for some of the coaches that might be listening to this show That don't have the experience working with you know anybody outside of 19 to 22 years of age Because they fall outside the collegiate realm. I mean what are the big things, the big experiences, the differences Your overall sort of experience working with this wide ranges of athletes \[00:34:10\] Yeah, it's challenging. It can be it's not a joke, I'm not gonna lie There's nothing fancy about it. Sometimes it is extremely chaotic where you want to pull your hair out And then there's some days where like it is awesome and you come away with some amazing amazing moments And I guess I guess the big thing is is that you know what we realize is that and I'm sure you can speak from this is that Anyone can make someone tired, right? And this is something I try to explain to my players is that I can take I can grab anyone from the street here \[00:34:54\] And come in and say to you and say to them you need to get these guys fit And I say what do you think they'll do? And a lot of the players are like they'll probably just make us run and run and run until we're tired And I'm like exactly but at the end of the day have you gotten better? And I kind of really hope that they understand that message I'm trying to give them Because then what I try to explain to them is that you know no matter what it is that we're doing I am never gonna waste your time and everything that we are doing has a purpose \[00:35:23\] I want you guys becoming better and the way I try and word it to them that that they get a really good understanding for what I try to do is that I tell them that you know where is it that you are going to become a better soccer player And I really try to have I try to impose a lot of questions on them and I want them to answer me because I want them to be a part of the process too And it's kind of you know they'll say well I learned better from from being on the soccer field I'm like exactly I said will you get better if you're sitting on the sidelines injured? And they're like no and I said okay so that's kind of where I'm coming in and that's where I'm starting from \[00:36:02\] Let's focus on things that are going to keep you guys on the field so you can do what you love Right and at the same time maybe help you become a little bit of a better soccer player I'm like the stuff that I teach I can't guarantee that but I will give you all the tools that you can apply to your sport And in order to help you become better now when you're talking to your under 20s This conversation goes a lot better than when you're talking to your under 10s by this point you know two minutes in not even two minutes And I've already lots of their you know ready to jump all over each other and they're doing whatever it is and things like that \[00:36:35\] So now it's like how can I yeah it's it's awesome because sometimes walk in there it's like holy cow like I've got By the time I'm done I've got a robbing headache but it's awesome when you see how much energy they have and just the things that they're capable of doing And then again it's like it's coming down to you know key features so what is it about movement that we are trying to ensure with every exercise And then we think about movement patterns and then we think about you know fundamental movement skills And think about physical literacy and just having an understanding now that you know what kids aren't as active as you and I once were when we were younger But remember we were talking off earlier when you know as a kid like you know I didn't have any of these video games or tablets and they like we played sports \[00:37:20\] We played street hockey we played football we played soccer we played basketball you know we played tag we played hide and go seek We played Red Rover there was all these different things that we did that like we just gave us all these abilities to develop all these different movement skills And become proficient with movement and stuff so with with with those age groups there it's kind of like okay if I think of a professional player You know I think of maybe that's kind of the finished product maybe not necessarily because they always have something they can work on but maybe that's the finished product And then from there's how can I divide it up into different age groups where it's like this is what we're striving for And you know again thinking about you know like I said earlier you know physical literacy and thinking about movement variability and just adding constraints and taking away constraints \[00:38:07\] And just all these little different things where now we give them you know even abilities to solve the problems And when we're doing exercises you know I may even impose different instructions I may give them a lot of instructions A front on this is how exactly I want you to do it but there may be other times where it's like you know what I'm not going to give you any instructions I'm going to show you once how to do it but then I want to leave it up to you to kind of figure out And that you can you can learn a little bit more your your body you can learn your how your body moves a little bit better And just by providing them a lot of education give them a lot of opportunities just you know self discover right I think is so beneficial \[00:38:45\] And maybe that more of that approaches on the younger side of things but then as we progress things become a little bit more structured And now there are specific things that they need them to focus on because again once we hit the U20 age group which is usually a lot of our U17 players A lot of these players are now getting ready to head off to college and college programs So it's basically trying to instruct and get them get the fundamentals down packed so that way when they come to school such as yours A lot of these athletes are ready to go and they have so much movement variability they have a good movement vocabulary And now they are just ready to go and then start to excel a bit further \[00:39:20\] Yeah I think I can certainly relate to the age gaps in some respects as this was maybe my first semester where we've conducted an LTAD camp for youth volleyball athletes from ages 18 to 14 is one group and then we have a 10 to 14s And you hit it right on the nail you know your ability to capture an attention of a 10-year-old You have about 30 good seconds and then it is then they're pulling hair out or playing with the sand or running around or completely lost focus So I'm always looking at that as you know like a coach I respect I mean from you know John Wooden and his ability to clearly communicate with crystal clarity And the fewest words as possible to deliver sort of a movement outcome \[00:40:19\] You know like I think I can get away with explaining the why the how with 22 to 18-year-olds So then a little bit less from 17 to 14 but boy by the time you get down to those 14 to 10-year-olds It is your verbal queuing as a coach has to be spot on because you don't have that time delay or that attention to detail as they certainly age and mature a little bit And I love the fact that you talked about earlys providing these athletes a medium of self-discovery And I'm curious I mean I think in the age of sort of you know obviously a being a parent but in the age of helicopter parents I mean I don't know if self-discovery is as proficient as rampant as it used to be you know back in the 80s the 90s to 70s \[00:41:15\] I mean what are your thought process I mean as you're providing this open space for them to sort of work the strategies out Initially without any coaching early on do they struggle with it and if so why do you think they do? You know what Adam I think it's amazing when you actually empower them a little bit And to me it's like you know I always tell the kids that no matter what when we do our strength conditioning work or fitness work You know I have three rules and the first rule is you have to listen So when I'm speaking or if any one of the other players is speaking we all have to listen \[00:41:51\] Right because then and then I always tell them you know when we listen what happens and then you know most of them are like we learn I'm like great that's what I want So the second thing is you always have to try your best And I say explain to them that you know with that I'm going to give you a lot of things that you may have never done before I'm going to give you you know activities to do that you might not be very good at but all I want you to do is try And if you try you might see something amazing might happen and then the last rule I usually tell them is that you know we have to put a smile on our face We have to have fun when we're doing all of this and and based on that that's what I always tell them as long as you try I don't care \[00:42:30\] So for example some things we was like hey guys no we're going to do right now cartwheels And some kids are like I don't know how to do cartwheels I'm like you know what I don't care I'm like figure it out I'm like have fun with it look at how one person does it and just try to do it yourself And if you can't do it think of maybe a different way you could do it and just let them just let them do it Right and eventually over time they figure it out or you know what guys we're going to do some results today Or we're going to do some kind of crab crawl or you know what they absolutely love is they love relays \[00:43:00\] Right and I'm like awesome because then it all becomes about he cheated he cheated no he cheated We're we didn't cheat he cheated it's amazing right and then you can't joke around with them about that But again it's like how can I put all these little different activities into each little station part of the relay So how can we work on some hopping how can we work on you know some skipping movements How can we work on some quadruped movements and even for example I'll say to them okay here's what you have to do Here's a ball you need to get this ball from point A to point B right you have to have both feet and both hands on the ground \[00:43:31\] And I don't care how you get the ball there So some of them will do a front crawl where the ball is you know in in their stomach area and they'll get it from one end to the other And someone might do it where you know they're trying to do some kind of a bear crawl where now all the sudden the ball is in between their links And you know then by looking at each other they kind of figure things out maybe someone comes up with something different But again at the end of the day it's just you know here's a little problem that I'm gonna give you and I want you to figure out some way to solve it And I don't care how you do it right by might give them some little restrictions and might keep it completely open \[00:44:04\] And just let them have some fun with it without without someone telling them how to do it or you know that you're not doing it wrong or get mad at them Or anything like just you know what guys just experiences and then you know because then you do get some parents who are like well wait a second I thought I sent my kid here for soccer why is he doing all this other stuff this isn't soccer stuff And that's where now you have to have that dialogue with the parent and even the coach to say you know what like the soccer stuff that that's your domain I'm not gonna try it upon that but you know what let me work on some different types of movement skill Like I said you know fundamental movement skill we look at different types of movement patterns \[00:44:43\] You know just trying to build their their movement vocabulary so now when they are presented with some kind of problem They've got all these different ways on how to to figure that out And I think what I'm doing that is just you know what it just it just lets them have fun You know what I mean no one is telling them what they have to do and how to do it There are times where it's like you know again you have to be careful with how much you give them because then it can get out of control really fast Like really fast and it's like okay guys told not a second everybody come on back in for a second you know what were my instructions \[00:45:16\] Okay, let's try and do this again and and then sometimes you know what you have to sometimes it's okay You know what guys everybody leave here go run a lap around the field and as much as I hate to do that Sometimes you need to just hit the reset button and it's like okay everyone comes back let's start again And 45 minutes can go very fast sometimes and sometimes 45 minutes can seem like three hours And but like I said it keeps me on my toes and like we talked about earlier is that you know any type of like interaction Like that just just helps shape what the next session is going to be like and how can we keep building off of all these things \[00:45:53\] And you know instead of just kicking about can we throw a ball can we you know all these different There's there's so much endless possibilities with these guys and and that's why I have so much fun with them It's just because you can throw anything at them and a lot of them are just are really excited about being the give the opportunity to try and learn and do something new. I think back in like 2010 for myself was the moment when I started to program a little bit more movement veritability And with some of our basketball athletes and what I found is that these guys could do amazingly athletic things on the basketball court But struggled to do a summer saw or do a cartwheel and it just shows that there's a huge lack of movement variability or vocabulary for athletes that sort of assign \[00:46:44\] And then we all know this I think at least in our profession our field but that that sort of prescribed to I'm going to do a you basketball Then I'm going to move into summer basketball and fall basketball and then I'm prepared for my winter season And that there's no other sort of medium or outlet for them to a learn about different fundamental movements that all support and engage them on the basketball court Or in your environment on the football or the soccer field I think it's something that's sorely needed and why I've seen certainly with our LTAD sort of camp is that the athletes that move the best in our weight room When they're coming in as freshmen and I'm like hey you score really great on our movement screens \[00:47:41\] You're really gravitating to the progressions that we're prescribing for you Do you have a background in any other sport outside of say tennis or outside of whatever sport they're here to play? And most of the athletes will say I've done I was in gymnastics as a kid or I did rhythmic gymnastics or some sort of other sport at a higher level And I think that movement variability only helps them exceed and as we know through early specialization and injury probability and injury likelihoods of it I just find that fascinating that there's still this sort of approach from a parental standpoint, from a coach standpoint, to be resistant of prescribing different movement variability and different skills I think too what's really important to Adam is if you think about is that we are both in a performance related field where maybe more so on your end because of the collegiate level and just having to get the results that you need to do \[00:48:47\] But also from my point of view is that I also have to somewhat get these results as well You know because just a whole other factor side things but at the end of the day is this is that you know like you said you may have that collegiate player right now who like I said they play spring ball the play summer ball they play you know collegiate ball then they play whatever it is they're playing basketball constantly But what happens when those four years are up? What happens if they don't get drafted or they don't continue to play sport after that? Is now what is left of them and at the end of the day like I like to think of it is you know how are we also making sure that these people you know stay active for life? \[00:49:27\] So how are we ingrained in these good habits where now it's not just about playing the basketball or playing soccer or about it It's about you know how can we just keep them active? So now again building on all these things of physical literacy how do we give you know these athletes the confidence you know in the confidence in order to do other things So say for example it's like you know they're with a group of friends now they're in their work career and they have a group of friends now that you know join a volleyball team And this is this person's way of staying active well if they're not developing some of these skills on the front end then maybe this is something that doesn't appeal to them because they just don't have that confidence or that confidence of being active And now all of a sudden they don't engage in these activities you know lifestyle has changed and maybe now they're not as healthy as they need to be \[00:50:18\] Right so at the end of the day is that how can how can I help that how can I make them excited about physical activity not necessarily just about the sport but just about being active in general right Because you know I know for my age now it's it's I don't play as much soccer as I did and now it's I need to find ways that I can stay active in order for myself to lead a you know an active lifestyle now Is it is it going for a walk is it you know now shoveling the snow on my driveway is it mowing my lawn or raking my leaves and you know and just going for jobs or you know now that I cycle I get on my bike and I ride and just in just doing different things now to stay active all the time to build on that what's so important too I mean for most athletes their collegiate career will end and they probably won't have a professional career that bridges on afterwards but I think it's so important too If we were to look at our positions and our jobs holistically to make sure that we are teaching and we're empowering and giving them the tools to then be able to carry on these skills for the rest of their life \[00:51:25\] You know not only the athlete development standpoint from a physical standpoint but I've always told and and demand of our staff that when an athlete leaves they should leave with their degree in hand Championships rings and the other and a whole toolkit of knowing how to eat and how to sleep and how to take care of their their work life balance or their academic social athletic sort of domain balance they should know how to recover after tough physical activities and to use a wide variety of different modalities they should know basics of applied sports psychology and how to defeat negative self-talk and how to use visualization and how to meditate and if they don't then ultimately the student hasn't learned and therefore we haven't really effectively taught them those things So I think it transcends just the four years that they're here in university but it should be a toolkit that they use for the rest of their life whether or not they're in sport or they're dealing with a tough time in the business world that they're in or in a family as a father as a mother as a daughter as son whatever it might be They should have the toolkit and the skill set to be able to employ those strategies at any time Yeah, I think that's really important to the exactly what you're saying and then just you know building even off of what you just said now is that you know I may be an instructor at the university Toronto \[00:52:56\] I may have my own business you know athletic solutions incorporated which is where I do my strength and conditioning but if I were to wrap all of those rolls up you know like I'm an educator and and that's what I do like I teach people you know constantly and exactly it's all the things that you just brought up You know and and it's even as it's even the youngsters that I work with with my under 13s that I honestly last week I had you know an amazing moment with them where You know all the things we're working on I give them a lot of I give them a little bit of education up front and you know I question them and I want them to learn at the at the at the end of every training session I'm like okay guys what are some of the things that we learn today and I don't want them to understand that we're doing exercise just for the sake of exercise We're not usually these modalities just for the sake of using them but these are the important things that we need to understand when we do this And what was awesome was one of the kids brought up something where one of their coaches or something gave them an exercise where where it had crunches \[00:53:57\] And they were kind of given this fitness challenge and they had to do all these crunches for for so many months and things like that And they're like hey when the coach gave it to them they're like hey wait a minute Coach Derek said we shouldn't be doing crunches because it's not necessarily safe for our spine And you know is there anything else we can do and I'm like this is an under 13 kid who has just said this And I'm like and he wasn't the only one there was several others who came up to me afterwards And I'm like this is amazing and I'm like so guys what do you think? \[00:54:33\] And they're like well you know you taught us about these lines on our back and how they shouldn't get further apart or closer together And you know that we should be maintaining this and you know and I'm like so what about all the exercises that we did today How did those challenge your spine and how to keep your spine nice and safe and I'm like well we had to do this And the fact that they could run this off to me I'm like these kids are like 12 or 13 years old and this is amazing And now the coach was caught off guard and he didn't know what to say So now they approach me and they're like well what else can we do? \[00:55:03\] I'm like what do you guys think you could do and they're like well could we do this exercise and this exercise I'm like exactly would it challenge the same things that a sitter could do And they're like yeah what and I'm like then you guys know what to do And after that I walked away I'm thinking you know to me that is powerful right that is like that's a job well done And that's something that like you know now that gives me like a good goosebumps just thinking about that I'm like you know that now that that's what drives me forward to go and work every single day \[00:55:33\] Is just knowing that in these kids I made a huge difference and now they understand that a third age they've just found a much safer way You know a better way to keep their body safe and and still get some of the things or the adaptations that we're trying to impose on them So and and and this is where I just think that we you know we're not just straight to conditioning coaches We're not just in strap but like but we're educators and this is what we are doing every single day You know I was going to ask you which is kind of funny that you've led to that But I was going to ask you what how do you commonly answer the question that we all get at some point in time in our lives is we're traveling moving on \[00:56:11\] What do you do and I love the fact that your response is an educator because I absolutely think that that's what our roles are Despite what you know ESPN or sports illustrator that the sort of inflation of salaries might be collegially professionally At the end of the day we should be teaching we should be educating we should be empowering Yes, there's high pressures to perform and high stakes to perform But at the end of the day it should still be about educating the student athlete And I just absolutely loved it like made the hair on my arm stand up when you responded that way because that's the same way that I respond when I'm traveling \[00:56:58\] Yeah, I'm an educator which then you know most of them. What do you teach? It's like well I teach I teach athletes how to optimize their athletic potential and they're like oh that's weird when you know like where do you teach that And then it goes into a kind of a long a power response of it but I as we kind of come towards the end of the show I want to dive in to just a couple more questions that I again to sort of scratch my own itch Since I have you on your line I have you on the line, but a lot of the listeners that might be listening to the Decoding Excellence Shows Is searching is interested is motivated by trying to truly encapsulate what excellence is and I would love to hear in your experience in your career \[00:57:51\] What what advice would you give your younger self or a younger coach getting into physical preparation, education, training athletes? What is that piece of advice that you might tell them? Well, there's the where do I start? No, I'd have to say that for myself I guess one of the biggest things was Have you have read mine set by Carol Dwells? Yes, great book. Yeah great fantastic like I I recommend that to so many people And I can relate to myself back in high school and and this is this is the God's honest I was a smart kid I would have to say that I was lazy and that things came very easy to me \[00:58:38\] But when it was time to put in the work when I wasn't getting things, Derek tuned out And Derek started to think that you know what again like the whole fixed mindset that that this is as good as I was going to be And I can't do the things that I want and I'll have to lead those up to the people that that you know are much smarter than me Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera and I'd even have to say when I was going through my undergrad you know sort of the same thing It's just not really having much direction in the things that I wanted to do not really sure what I wanted to do I always knew what my interests were but how to go about them was just something that you know I wasn't sure of \[00:59:20\] And I guess the biggest thing for me is that and again I think it's just even going back to you know we were saying earlier with interactions is not being afraid to ask And I think those are some of the things that that I was afraid of doing in the beginning was not talking to people to get more information And just kind of you know on the shy side and and just you know because again I had really no direction and stuff like that But again, it's that if you if we're searching for excellence is is always trying to find out the why and you know and just have it and just asking people for you know for advice and help And and because there are a lot of people out there who who are willing to do that and it's just something that you know as silly as it sounds like you know Twitter I think is such a great great platform for for things like that because there's so many different people you can reach out to who are always willing to help and and and lend a hand of some sort or to provide some sort of direction \[01:00:18\] And it's always you know not being afraid to to answer maybe those burning questions you have inside you and just trying to go and find those answers And and I guess if I had to look back at myself is that you know what like yeah there's all those things that you were curious about and things that you weren't sure of is just just to go and find out about them and to ask you know and and and and gain that knowledge from people who have gone through and stuff And you know I know what the purpose of your podcast here which I think is fantastic is is you know despite all the science side of things Let's let's get to know you know about individuals and and what makes them click and and and how we can actually help each other progress in this profession Not just from the profession side of things but also you know to help us grow as people and to become better every single day And I guess maybe you know like I said searching for excellence is just is just trying to answer those questions \[01:01:11\] And maybe maybe that's not the answer but I know for me it's just now it's like when I'm not sure of something is is I'm going to go and find out more about it and and and just trying to progress in there and how will this make me better And I think sometimes asking other people for help you know some may view it as a sign of weakness but at the end of the day if I don't ask for help that information that I'm trying to find I'm never going to know it so to me that's probably more of a sign of weakness Right I guess I hope that makes sense. No no I you know like learned helplessness is obviously something that Carol direct talks quite a bit in that book Yeah. And I think it is one of the hallmarks of it is you know the no willingness to ask for help and to sort of be isolated in this helplessness position So I do think that that ability to ask for help when it comes when it comes up is a something that I look at as a position of strength because very much you know people do not know that you need help Unless otherwise you ask for it and that seems a tendency that I've seen sort of across the board and in societies everybody sort of assumes that everything and everybody is doing okay unless somebody asks for help but so many people I think are powerless or afraid to ask for it \[01:02:31\] So I definitely my sort of paradigm of that has shifted to a position of strength and for me as well to kind of bridge on that that response is that you know classically though you know one of the reasons why this show exists is so that not only do I have an opportunity to bring people like yourself on the show and get to know you and learn from your experiences and the things that have made you successful and excellent but it's also a medium for me to work on the communication aspect of it. I am a classical based on and we could talk about the efficacy of the Meyer Briggs sort of personality profile but I'm classically an INTJ. So like as a you know borderline clinical introvert you know it takes quite a bit for me to open up to other people and to share despite you know maybe what my Twitter looks like I you know this this show is a medium of you know this idea of trying to work on communication and I think the high pressure stakes of putting a microphone and publishing this online is hopefully my attempt of sort of self improvement and what is otherwise a challenging position but because you reference that book I do want to say that another tremendous book that sort of when you said you know you found yourself kind of in this position where you know when things got hard that it wasn't like the easiest time and granted many many many years ago which probably led you to this response in the position that where you're in now as far as learning how to deal with it but for the audience that might be listening to it I think it's a great reference that if you've read Carol Dreux book and you feel and you sort of wrapped your head around the ideas of learned helplessness and a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. \[01:04:29\] Angela Ducksworth's book called Gritz the power of passion perseverance is another tremendous read that I kind of feel like bridges on top of Carol Dreux book as well and one that you know I recommend to a lot of our own staff here and former athletes and current athletes as well. I'd be curious to hear you know first of all with with that I know we've talked about you know good Carol Dreux book and now just referencing grit. Are there do you you know I've had other guests on the show that talks about that learners are leaders and that a common characteristic of people that lead and teach are just the proficiency in the sort of frequency of reading. Are there any books that you highly recommend to your students or to other people or books that you've commonly given as presents or or anything that that you commonly referred to. Yeah there are there are a few now as far as reading goes I'm really behind on my reading I have a sister who last year her goal was to read 150 books in one year and she got up to 135 I believe and she's handed a lot of those over to me so it may take me about 13 years to read all of those but yeah so I'm slowly but surely trying to get through some but some of the good ones that that I've really enjoyed is apart from Carol Dreux book their mindset is legacy by James Kirk and I think it's such a great read just for just about establishing culture \[01:06:10\] And good culture and if I would have to say from a lot of the different environments I've worked in is is I think a lot of that is lacking like a good clear common culture so I know with with with with with my business and and the staff that I bring on that you know I really try to focus on that and so I find that to be an amazing book. Another one that I would like is a tool go on days checklist manifesto I just think that it's an amazing read I just think having you know a checklist of things you do and how you go about your daily life and just trying just for me to help stay organized and just to make sure that these are all the different things that I've gone through with every program with every individual that I mean kind of thing those are probably the other two that that I really like to recommend and like just so many other good ones out there and stuff but those are probably the top three that I recommend to most people. I have legacy on my shelf that sits next to urban Myers above the line because I think those two books do a tremendous job as at teaching and providing a pretty good framework for the development of high standards and building a culture of success in an organization and I definitely agree with the checklist manifesto and then you know I know in my own sort of notes as I'm whether it's you know for for any reason if I'm preparing a packet for my staff or whatever the same sort of ideology that he includes or that the story he shares about Van Halens Brown M&Ms you know like I always try to sneak something in there so that you know I can tell whether or not they've actually read it. \[01:08:06\] I think also for those that have read that book that sort of story you know resonates for a lot of different people so great great tremendous books on that by all means. I want to respect your time I don't want to keep you here for too much longer I know that you know busy day children running about you know life and business and it's you know you already share that you know for for most days it's from sun up to sundown so when there are days when there are days off you know I always try to advocate for our own staff to go get out of the gym get away from here like you need to have that work life balance and you know it's pervasive in this industry. I think to actually get on to actually get on social media I should get on Twitter I should read a book I should read this article I should do this I should go to this workshop but I also don't want our coaches to lose themselves in the process of really trying to be an excellent coach so in in respect of that in respect of your time and that balance I want to kind of put a put a bow tie on this thing. The audience that is listening to this number one you do have a Twitter it's ASI underscore strength and that's where I first followed you and I started to share and retweet in favor a lot of your things and then. At one point kind of worked up the courage like I need to have you on the show because I think the materials that you're sharing with what you're doing in your business and academically and elsewhere are tremendous you need to be able to share this continue to share this in a long form not 140 character sort of fashion so. So if there if there are other areas or ways I mean if you were to say you know request of the audience that I have listened to the end of this podcast what what might that request be to them and then to build on that where can they find you what's the best way of reaching the reaching you. \[01:10:06\] Yeah so yeah if anyone wants to get a hold of me they can use my Twitter account which I'm pretty active on Twitter becomes more for me Twitter I think is an amazing resource and again it's like yeah like you said this is how we connected you know just finding good people such as your. Such as yourself who who like to share him information so I like to post a lot of research papers that I've come across like to retweet a lot of things that researchers are putting out there sometimes just having some good dialogue. With with people talk about different topics different concepts. So they can reach me through Twitter like you said so my my Twitter handle is at ASI underscore string. But people want to get a hold of me maybe to even more than just 140 characters like you said they can reach me at my email address which is Derek at AthleticSolutionsInk.com. So like I said anything you know I mean I can help out I'm willing to help people out in any way that I can and if I can't and you know steer them into the direction of the people who can. \[01:11:07\] So yeah so those are probably the two best ways for for for people to get a hold of me yeah excellent now make sure that I include your Twitter and resources in the show notes so that the audience members could find what you're posting and begin to follow you on Twitter probably won't plug your email so that you don't get a hold of me. So that you don't get hit up by spam and have you know advertisements come to your email box but that will all be included in the show notes. So Derek I cannot thank you enough for coming on the Decoding Excellence Show and spending a little time and investing it here and just your experiences with the various organizations your experience with working with youth athletes up to 20s up to to order your academic experiences. The successes the things that that you have found to be instrumental in your career I think can be a tremendous resource that the audience listening to the show can walk away from this podcast and begin to start to formulate their own ideas is how to navigate. And otherwise cloudy world of shrinking conditioning and athletic performance potential so thank you for coming on Derek I appreciate it. And until next time and let's let's connect again. \[01:12:25\] Yeah absolutely thanks for having on it was a real real pleasure chat with you about this. Hopefully the audience has has quite a few takeaways from the stuff but no this this was amazing and I really appreciate all the work that you do. I think you're pretty stand up guy you put yourself out there and you know what people people are going to be better because of it. I appreciate it man and until next time let's reconnect sounds good my friend. Thank you. I want to thank coach Derek Salvador for coming on the decoding excellence show. \[01:12:56\] I took a lot of away from this conversation including some of the differences between training you tens and you 20s and the ideology that the higher you advance and sport the more difficult it becomes. I couldn't agree left with that statement in the aspect of trying to wrangle and train under tens is a difficulty and a challenge that many coaches probably won't have embraced and one that you should try because it really because it really forces you to become a better coach and use better queuing to capture their attention span. This is a wide-ranging conversation and his thoughts as far as training and the enrichment of the academic process involving kinesiology students and strengthening and the design and differences of modalities is one that I will apply to which I'll stay continued to try to grow our internship program. Coach shared tremendous insights and his experiences and like always the show is about truly understanding what goes into making an excellent coach. The intangibles, the behaviors, the tactics, tools and techniques that coaches utilize to become expert at what they do and a master of their craft. Like always this show is designed to truly understand and dive deep into the intangibles of excellent coaches and until next time this is the decoding excellence show. \[01:14:27\] Thank you.