SportsCoachRadio

Rebecca Soni, Jessica Hardy, Kosuke Kitajima, Jason Lezak           Rebecca Soni, Jessica Hardy, Kosuke Kitajima, Jason Lezak, the now-legendary relay anchorman - they have all been guided to gold by Dave Salo. Dave is head coach of the swimming program at the University of Southern California and was assistant women’s coach for the dominant U.S. swim team at the Olympics in London. The show is hosted by sports psychologist Glenn Whitney and is available to for listening on this site or on Apple iTunes. Dave is one of the most innovative and even iconoclastic coaches you’ll come across. A man who likes to mix lots of hard work with the pure joy of movement in the water and even a decent dose of fun - radical stuff by the standards of top-tier swimming. In addition to those mentioned above, he has also coached Lenny Krayzelburg and Eric Shanteau. Dave has even been dubbed "The Breast Stroke Whisperer" for his uncanny ability to coax out even more performance from swimmers who are already the best in the world. Interview topics  How to win a gold medal in swimming and still have fun... sometimes  Stronger, more flexible athletes created by intense dry-land work plus with single session in the pool  An innovative mix of core strength work, Pilates, pin class & lying motionless on top of the water  Details matter. Start and finish on time. Do the exact level of intensity and be held accountable  Less volume; more detail. More sessions at race pace. Make it interesting Dave earned a PhD in exercise physiology in 1991 and was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame in 2010. He is the co-author of Complete Conditioning for Swimming.

Greg Everett is talking to us this week about Olympic weight lifting and strength training for all kinds of athletes from football and soccer players to runners, swimmers and cyclists. And of course Greg will be saying one or two things about CrossFit. Keen listeners will recognize Greg as Robb Wolf’s co-host on the wildly popular “Paleo Solution” podcast. Greg is a competitive weightlifter himself as well as head coach at Catalyst Athletics, a world-class strength and conditioning facility in Sunnyvale California. We see Greg Everett as the thinking man’s weight guy – with three books under his belt already – including his latest: Olympic Weight Lifting for Sports. There’s lots of great information available on his website: catalystathletics.com

Even Usain Bolt has acknowledged that Ashton Eaton is currently the World's Greatest Athlete   We’re honored to have Eaton’s coach, Harry Marra on the show. Marra is one of the leading lights of ultra-elite track and field coaching. He’s been instrumental for over four decades in helping some of the world’s best decathletes become world beaters. The show is hosted by sports psychologist Glenn Whitney. Harry Marra touched Decathlon gold the first time way back in 1996 in Atlanta, with Dan O’Brien. He has coached throughout every Olympic Games cycle since then, and helped seven different decathletes score over 8,000 points. Eaton currently holds the World Record for highest score in the Decathlon, at 9,039 points, set at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Harry touched decathlon gold the first time way back in 1996 in Atlanta, with Dan O’Brien. He has coached throughout every Olympic Games cycle since Atlanta and has helped seven different decathletes score over 8,000 points. Harry is based at University of Oregon at Eugene. At present he is working simultaneously with Eaton and top Canadian decathlete Brianne Theisen. Not coincidentally Eaton and Theisen are enaged to each other. Key topics - The coach and athlete have to become one in their communication skills - Ashton Eaton's Decathlon amounts to only 18 verbal "cues" i.e. "perpendicular" for the long jump - Thorough preparation makes the Olympics feel like a simple dual meet - A few (Oregon) athletes are so intense sometimes you have to tell them to lighten up, have some fun - Eaton and other top Oregon athletes mean business; no messing around - Top goal is to develop trust. You achieve it by being consistent with your athletes - Behind most successful coaches is a supportive spouse

St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs: We're looking at the minds of Major League Managers Tony La Russa and Lou Piniella, two of the most successful and controversial coaches of the past couple of decades. Coincidentally (or not) the two men grew up playing against each other in West Tampa, Florida. We're talking with Rob Rains who has written Man on a Mission, a biography of Tony La Russa during his time at the Saint Louis Cardinals, and with George Castle, who has written Sweet Lou, A Year Inside the Dugout, an examination of Piniella’s tumultuous time with the Chicago Cubs. The show is hosted by sports psychologist Glenn Whitney. First up is Rob Rains, a renowned sports reporter of over 30 years’ experience who you can read regularly on www.STLsportspage.com. Batting second in this line-up is another acclaimed sports journalist George Castle. George, who is based in Chicago has written numerous books about baseball. In addition to Sweet Lou, he’s penned When The Game Changed: An Oral History of Baseball’s True Golden Age 1969 to 1979. You can type George’s name into Amazon.com and see lots more.

Bob Daniels of Ferris State is the NCAA Hockey Coach of the Year for 2012. He brought the Big Rapids Michigan-based underdogs all the way up to the "Frozen Four" and into the Men's Hockey Championship Final. Bob has a refreshingly open and humble in an inspiring way. He’s also living proof that patience and persistence pay off. Bob arrived at Ferris State in 1989 as assistant coach and has been head coach since 1992. Boston College prevailed over Ferris in the hard-fought final. But the whole experience has been a huge boost to Ferris State's hockey program and has left Bob hungry for further success. Topics covered in the interview with Bob Daniels, head coach of Ferris State University Hockey include... - As a coach, the importance of identifying your weaknesses and filling the gaps. - Replicating success requires humility at least as much as talent. - Often your team’s best leaders were your best followers when they were freshmen. - Coaching is about giving athletes concrete ideas on how to improve Key questions Bob has been described as having a “no-nonsense” coaching style. What does that mean in actual practice? Also, are there things Bob sees other coaches doing at the college level that he considers non-sensical? It looks like being committed long term to a team is important to Bob. If so, why is that commitment important and what is he able to do that a coach who goes to a new team every three or four years can’t do? Bob has said that his best leaders were your best followers when they were freshmen. He talks about followership and how you develop followership in highly competitive athletes. What does Bob advise the coaches of high school-aged athletes do to prepare their athletes optimally for success at the college level? What are some of the most problematic errors Bob sees the coaches of high school and college athletes making? Bob’s view on non-sports (hockey) specific training, e.g. weight lifting, running, etc? How has his approach to strength and conditioning evolved over recent years? What Bob has learned so far being the parent of teenagers that he hadn’t already learned having worked extensively with college athletes. How Bob’s approach to dealing effectively with pushy parents changed over the years.

Ben Greenfield is a highly active Ironman, 70.3 and sprint triathlete and a triathlon coach to a wide range of athletes from the super serious to the recreational. Ben chats this week with Glenn Whitney, a sports psychologist and mentor to sports coaches. Ben runs the hugely helpful bengreenfieldfitness website and hosts a weekly podcast, with his sidekick Brock. And that’s not all, Ben is the Get Fit Guy on the Quick And Dirty Tips dot com network and the author of several books on fitness and sports nutrition, including the latest titles: The Get Fit Guy’s Guide to Achieving Your Ideal Body and Tri Ripped – Get the Ultimate Triathlon Body. Ben is pretty much an all-around master of the fitness universe, and we’re very glad he could talk with us.