Robertson Training Systems Newsletter 4.33

MR:  Robb, thanks for being with us here today.  For those who readers who may not know who you are, please introduce yourself.

CR: Mike, I am a strength and conditioning coach with almost 30 years of experience in the high school, collegiate, professional and private settings of our industry. I currently work at St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis, Indiana where we train Indy Racing League pit crews and drivers, NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, collegiate, scholastic, amateur and emerging athletes. 

I am also proud to say I am a member of the Perform Better educational team for the last ten years and one of the partners of sbcoachescollege.com (a free educational website) and MyFitTube.com (a video based educational website) launched in the fall of 2008.

MR:  What originally got you into the field of strength and conditioning?  And what jobs have you had within the industry?

CR:  I knew I would be in the field of athletics from childhood and coaching from the age of fifteen.  I have coached youth soccer, swimming, football and basketball and been employed at Missouri State, Missouri, Southern Cal, Baylor, St. Louis Blues, Middle Tennessee State and now working at St. Vincent Sports Performance. 

MR:  You’ve worked with a wide variety of athletes in your career – what major differences do you see in training high school, collegiate and professional athletes?

CR:  Most young athletes do not understand and have not seen the work ethic involved at the next level and the need to go hard and finish fast in preparation.  Not having been exposed to high level competition, used to playing games and doing drills that are too long in terms of actual time involved or repetition length, many athletes learn to pace themselves early and it is very difficult to break that habit.  In addition, many times the athletes play and “practice” a sport and do very little to no general preparation, free play and or manual labor to develop work capacity and maintain mobility.

MR:  Unfortunately, you couldn't be more correct in that regard - I feel like a lot of kids today are flat out soft!

You’ve been presenting on the Perform Better tour for years now.  What topic did you discuss this year?

CR: This year my topic was the hip and how to address it in terms of optimal mobility, suppleness, strength and flexibility in a variety of planes of movement.  I addressed the thought process in creating the vectors of training and spent much of the time on the drills themselves and the actual implements utilized, from medicine balls to stability balls with a gallon of water in them. 

MR:  While doing some research for the interview, I remembered that you spent some time working with the St. Louis Blues.  What unique physical characteristics are specific to hockey?

And how do you go about addressing those characteristics with training?

CR:  Hockey athletes in the NHL are, in general, the most mentally tough and disciplined of all the athletes I have been involved with in preparation, save for a few individual sport athletes such as world record holder and Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson. 

Hockey athletes are anywhere from 20 to 40 years of age and the demands upon their body are extreme in terms of energy system requirements, preparation needed and competition.  I implemented a system of demanding core training; acceleration and change of direction dry land drills; short interval sprints on fields or tracks and long interval training on the bike in order to maintain the pattern of sprinting but not beat the joints and connective tissue unnecessarily with the longer runs.  Injury prevention strength training combined with some general weight training either utilizing giant sets or circuits was a common thread as well as plyometric drills for force absorption and force production skills. 

MR:  Dedicated athletes always make our lives much easier!  You’ve been at this for quite some time – what are some positive changes you’ve seen within the industry over the past 5-10 years?

CR:  The application of the science to strength and conditioning in addition to the art of coaching has been refreshing.  It used to be do what I did or what he does or what I heard or saw them doing and we are beginning to get a handle on how to do what and when to do it, in order to create the desired training effect. 

In addition, many athletes are beginning to understand the importance of nutrition, recovery and the need for focused injury prevention care in terms of keeping the body in balance from a joint/muscle perspective.  On the other hand, the money has created a problem from the hovering parents and agents as well as pampered/lazy athletes who want the best but have no clue as to what that is in terms of training and preparation. 

MR:  If you were to give someone advice on how to be successful in the industry, what would you tell them?

CR: Learn the basic science of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and biomechanics to become aware of why the body responds as it does to stimuli.  Then begin to learn what to do in terms of exercises and drills and why and when you should do it. As in martial arts, study from a variety of masters in order to learn strength, power, speed, core, corrective exercise, activation, recovery and on and on.  It truly is a never ending process.  Learn when to refer people to others that are qualified to do the things you cannot do well. Finally, stay client/athlete centered, be loyal and honest and remember that people skills and goal attainment separate the truly successful from the rest.  Have balance in your life because there is a difference between success and significance as success is measured in tangibles such as money and things and significance cannot be measured as it embraces such concepts as friendship and love.

MR:  Ok Robb, it’s time for the dreaded final question.  What’s one mistake you’ve made in the past?  And how did you correct that mistake over time?

CR:  Being too direct, too honest, too proactive and not tactful enough with people.  I’ve always been one to address it right now, fix it right now and get everyone together face to face and air the issue out on the table right now.  That is VERY uncomfortable for most people and they tend to take it personal.  For every character strength a person exhibits, others may view that as a weakness or flaw.  Name a character strength such as intelligence and someone else may feel they are conceited or talks down to others if that person does not take care in the manner in which they address others. 

MR:  Robb, thanks a lot for being with us here today.  Where can the readers go to find out more about you?

CR: I work at St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis where we coach Indy Racing League pit crews and drivers; NBA, NFL and MLB athletes; as well as amateur, scholastic and collegiate competitors. 

I am involved with the Perform Better speaking tour (Perform Better carries all my teaching materials in their catalogue and website) and usually present at one of the NSCA conventions every year. 

I do about 5 or 6 consults every year for gyms, performance centers and collegiate strength programs.  Over the past couple of years I have been to Chicago, Green Bay, Western Kentucky, the University of Arkansas and to Beijing China for the Chinese National Olympic coaches to mention a few. 

Along with Brijesh Patel and Shawn Windle we have www.sbcoachescollege.com which is a free, (did I mention it is free), educational website and it carries several of my articles as well as some of my power points I’ve given over the past few years. 

In addition, we are in the process of launching a video educational website which is called www.myfittube.com which will come on line this fall.  After coaching for almost 30 years it is great to have the opportunity to pass on the fruits of my experiences to those that are following in the profession.  I can be contacted at RARogers@stvincent.org.

MR:  Awesome Robb - thanks again for being with us today!