Hot Takes Performance Podcast

Episode 9 - An Ecological Approach to Athletic Performance w/ Javi Miller-Estrada

What’s up everyone and welcome back to the Hot Takes Performance podcast.  On today’s episode I am joined by Javi Miller-Estrada.  Javi is the owner of Ignite Performance, which is based out of Arizona and is a partner in emergence, which is a company that provides resources for coaching within an ecological framework. I was really excited to record this conversation with Javi because he was one of my first influences in training in ecological methodology.  We connected about 3 years ago when I first started at UMBC and ever since then we developed a great friendship and have bounced ideas back and forth over the last few years.  Javi brings a wealth of knowledge to training and in the episode, we discuss his journey from a being a traditional strength and conditioning coach and how he has become more ecological as the years have gone on.  We talked about ways that coaches can implement ecological training both from a weight room perspective as well as conditioning and even in return to play protocols.  This is truly a unique episode because there are not a lot of coaches out there that utilize these principles as a part of their everyday coaching environments. I hope you all enjoy the episode!  Follow Us At: https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/ Follow Our Host Rob At: https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/ Follow Our Guest Javi Miller-Estrada At: https://www.instagram.com/thecoachjav/ Follow Ignite Performance At: https://www.instagram.com/_igniteperformance_/ Follow Emergence At: https://www.instagram.com/emergentmvmt/ Listen to Javi's Podcast At: https://www.theadaptableathlete.com/

Episode 8 - Transforming Basketball w/ Alex Sarama

On today’s show, we have Alex Sarama.  Alex is a basketball coach and the founder of Transforming Basketball, which is a company that specializes in coaching education and providing practical applications for sports coaches to implement sports training ecologically. Transforming Basketball is also the name of Alex’s new book, which was released earlier this year and is an absolute must-read for anyone trying to take on an ecological approach to their training environment.  In the show, we take a deep dive into all things motor learning, particularly how coaches can start to implement and utilize the constraints-led approach as part of their practice and game preparation design.  We also discuss various topics, such as tracking habits, identifying rate limiters, and other concepts that are crucial to developing a wholesome program within an athletic department.  This is absolutely one of our best episodes yet and I’m excited to hear what you all think about the episode.  If you enjoy the episode, feel free to follow us on Instagram at Hot Takes Performance Podcast.  Now let’s get to the episode with Alex Sarama. Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/] Follow our host Rob at https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/ [https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/] Follow our guest Alex Sarama at https://www.instagram.com/alexsarama/ [https://www.instagram.com/alexsarama/] Follow Transforming Basketball at https://www.instagram.com/transformingbasketball/ [https://www.instagram.com/transformingbasketball/]

Episode 7 - Applying Skill Acquisition & Motor Learning in Strength and Conditioning w/ Dr. Kevin Becker

What’s going on everyone and welcome back to the Hot Takes Performance Podcast.  I’m your host Rob Nelson, and we have Dr. Kevin Becker on the show today.  Dr. Becker is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences [http://cehhs.utk.edu/].  Dr. Becker graduated from the University of Tennessee, obtaining his PhD in Kinesiology and Sport Studies – Sports Psychology and Motor Behavior.  In addition to his formal education background, Dr. Becker was a very accomplished Track and Field athlete.  He competed twice as a throwing athlete in the Olympic trials and continues to throw and compete to this day.  In the episode, we deeply dive into motor learning theory and behavior.  We discuss concepts such as attractor stability in skill acquisition, internal vs external vs holistic focus of attention, using an ecological model in closed skill sports such as track and field, the challenge point framework, as well as many others.  We also talk about sports psychology and how student-athletes can work on their mental performance training even if they have limited resources available to them.  Dr. Becker is extremely knowledgeable and takes a deep dive into all the topics we discussed and I learned a ton from this episode.  All of his contact information and social media accounts will be listed in the show notes.  If you like the episode feel free to give us a review on the platform of your choice.  You can also reach out at Hot Takes Performance Podcast on Instagram.  Now let’s get to today’s show. Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/] Follow our host Rob Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/ [https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/] Follow our Guest https://www.instagram.com/drbeckerthrows/ [https://www.instagram.com/drbeckerthrows/] https://x.com/kbecker99 [https://x.com/kbecker99]

Episode 6 - Motor Learning and Mental Skills w/ Andy Bass

What’s up everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Hot Takes Performance Podcast.  In this episode, I am joined by Andy Bass.  Andy is a Mental Skills Coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Andy is a former professional baseball player, playing for multiple professional baseball organizations.  He also has multiple degrees including a PhD and he specializes in all things sport psychology and motor learning.  Andy and I met after we both were featured on  an Episode of the Coach Your Brains Out Podcast which is hosted by a previous guest on the podcast John Mayer.  Andy is a consistent feature on that podcast where he shares his experience working in professional baseball, but also his expertise in regards to skill acquisition, ecological dynamics, and motor learning theories.  This episode was a great conversation and we covered a range of topics including attractor theory, practical applications of the constraints-led approach in baseball, sport psychology resources for college athletes, as well as many other subjects.  I hope you all enjoy the episode and feel free to reach out to us on Instagram at Hot Takes Performance Podcast.  I hope you guys enjoy the show.   Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/] Follow Our Host: https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/ [https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/]

Episode 5 - Modernizing Baseball Training with Tyler Anzmann

What’s up everyone and welcome back to the hot takes performance podcast.  For all of the baseball fans out there, we have a great guest on the show today. Joining me on the podcast today is Tyler Anzmann. Tyler is the owner of Tyler Anzmann Performance which is based out of Baltimore Maryland.  I was introduced to Tyler by a few of my baseball athletes as well as by Rob Rowland who was a previous guest on the podcast. On the show today we talk all things baseball but in particular we focus on how Tyler has created his unique way to train Baseball players.  Tyler works with baseball athletes ranging from middle school athletes all the way to guys we see on TV in the major leagues.  We dive into the assessment and programming processes that Tyler uses as well as some of the non-traditional methods he has come up with, particularly as it relates to upper body plyometrics and athlete archetypes.  We also discuss baseball training as it relates to the college setting and Tyler’s thoughts on how some things in baseball could be improved.  It was an incredible episode and I hope you guys enjoy it. Tyler Anzmann Performance https://tyleranzmann.com/ [https://tyleranzmann.com/] Tyler's Social Media Links: https://www.instagram.com/tyler_anzmann/ [https://www.instagram.com/tyler_anzmann/] https://www.facebook.com/TylerAnzmannPerformance/ [https://www.facebook.com/TylerAnzmannPerformance/] https://twitter.com/tyler_anzmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor [https://twitter.com/tyler_anzmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor] Our Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/hottakesperformancepodcast/] Our Host's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/ [https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachrob/]