Advertise on podcast: The NHSSCA Podcast

My guest this month is James Burke, strength coach at Merkel High School, located west of Abilene, Texas. Coach Burke has a career spanning decades, with stops at various levels, including Hardin-Simmons University. In this episode, we discuss his journey into strength and conditioning and how the profession has evolved throughout his career. Coach Burke shares insights into the tools and philosophies he has brought from the collegiate level to the high school setting, as well as some of the lessons he believes collegiate strength coaches can learn from coaches working at the high school level. We also dive into how his own training philosophy has evolved over the decades, including his changing perspectives on agility training, the back squat, and much more. This is a fantastic conversation packed with decades of experience, perspective, and practical wisdom. Enjoy! Coach Burke's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/coachjburk Check out this episode's partner sponsors! Sorinex: https://www.sorinex.com/ RockDaisy: https://rockdaisy.com/

My guest this month is Coach Brian Bott, owner of Sports AdvantEdge, a group of private training facilities located throughout Wisconsin. We sit down and discuss his journey from collegiate baseball player to strength coach, including his time at the University of Wisconsin working with the Badgers’ offensive players. From there, we dive into his transition to the private sector, the challenges that came with it, and how he built Sports AdvantEdge into what it is today. Throughout the conversation, Coach Bott shares how he has utilized and evolved the conjugate method to fit the needs of the wide variety of athletes he trains. This is a great conversation packed with practical tips, coaching wisdom, programming ideas, and lessons learned throughout Coach Bott’s career. Enjoy! Coach Bott's email: [email protected] SportsAdvantEdge website: https://sportsadvantedge.com/ Coach Bott on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianbott23/ Coach Bott on X: https://x.com/23botter Coach Bott's interview on Dave Tate's Table Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAVsIVNjfn4&t=821s Coach Bott's interview on WestSide Barbell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EesPo73DwJg Check out our two partner sponsers for this month's episode Olympus: https://www.projectolympus.app/ Power Locker: https://www.powerlockersports.com/

My guest this month is Coach Tim Kettenring. Tim has coached at every level of strength and conditioning—from high school and collegiate athletics to professional sports, and now in the private sector as the founder of Maverick Human Performance. In this episode, Coach Kettenring delivers a masterclass on conditioning. We dive into the importance of aerobic development, how a well-developed aerobic system enhances other physical qualities, practical ways to integrate conditioning into a weekly training plan, and much more. We even discuss why coaches should prioritize their own conditioning and physical preparedness. Whether you're a veteran strength coach or just getting started, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply immediately. Enjoy! Check out Maverick Human Performance-https://www.maverickhumanperformance.com/ Check out Coach Kettenring's Coaches Conditioning Course which he has discounted $50 for listeners! https://www.maverickhumanperformance.com/offers/KeuYPFBv/checkout Coach Kettenring on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim_kettenring/ Check out our two episode sponsors for this episode- Hawkin Dynamics and Vitruve Hawkin Dynamics-https://www.hawkindynamics.com/ Vitruve-https://vitruve.fit/

Season 4 is here! We're kicking things off with another National Conference recap after an incredible week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was fortunate enough to bring my mic and laptop to the 10th Annual NHSSCA National Conference and capture conversations with people from every stage of the profession. From college students exploring strength and conditioning for the first time, to collegiate coaches presenting at the conference, to Hall of Fame inductees who have helped shape our profession, this episode offers a wide range of perspectives and experiences. A huge thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to sit down and share their story. I'm already looking forward to doing it all again next year in Nashville. Enjoy! Our two partner sponsors for this episode: Icon Group and Matrix Icon Group- https://www.team-icon.com/ Matrix Fitness-https://us.matrixfitness.com/

My guest this month is Coach Amber Burson. Coach Burson is the strength and conditioning coach at Lexington High School, located in Lexington Nebraska. She is also the Nebraska state director for the NHSSCA. We sit down and discuss how she became an athletic trainer as well as a strength coach, what winning the COTY award means to her and what training at Lexington looks like. Coach Burson drops some great knowlege throughout the episode.Enjoy! Coach Burson on X: https://x.com/lexhighstrength Check out our partner sponsors for this month's episode ! PlayerData at https://playerdata.com/ StrayDog Strength at https://straydogstrength.com/

My guest this month is Tony Pascolla, strength and conditioning coach at Latin School of Chicago. We dive into the world of kettlebell training—how he discovered it, how he implements it with his high school athletes, how to properly teach the swing and more. You can really feel Coach Pascolla’s passion throughout the episode, and it’s guaranteed to educate and inspire you to take a closer look at this unique training tool. Enjoy! Tony Pascallo on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tony_pascolla/ Coach's training programs: https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/brand/the-strength-kollective Primal Foundations Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/primal-foundations-podcast/id1701163989 StrongFirst Kettlebell Certification: https://www.strongfirst.com/certifications/sfg-i-kettlebell-instructor-information/ Check out this month's sponsors below Drip Drop-https://dripdrop.com/ FCA- fca.org

My guest this month is Coach Elton Crochran, strength and conditioning director for Veterans Memorial High School in San Antonio Texas . Coach Crochran is the state director for the lower half of Texas. He was also this years recipient for the Southwest Region COTY award. We sit down and discuss his journey as a strength coach. From college football player, to head collegiate s&c coach, to now being at Veterans Memorial. He talks about his roles in the collegiate setting, such as what it was like training football and golf. We then dive into strength training for middle school athletes. What model they use in Texas, how he builds comfort in the weight room for young athletes, how he views progressions/regressions and more. Coach Crochran gives a great framework for vertical alignment of 6-12th grade strength training. Lastly, he takes us through what training looks like at Veterans Memorial High School and their varied, but unified approach to programming. Enjoy! Coach Crochran on X: https://x.com/TheCrocShow Coach Crochan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alamosportsperformance/ His Website: https://www.instagram.com/alamosportsperformance/ The Croc Show on Simplifaster: https://simplifaster.com/articles/author/eltoncrochran/ Our Two Partner Sponsors For This Episode: Powerlift and Teambuildr. PowerLift: https://www.powerliftusa.com/ Teambuildr: https://www.teambuildr.com/ Natcon information page: https://nhssca.us/event/2026-nhssca-national-conference-10-year-anniversary/

My guest this month is Lilly Solesbee. Coach Solesbee is this year's recipient of the NHSSCA State COTY award for South Carolina. We sit down and discuss numerous aspects of sports nutrition. We cover topics such as how she is implementing nutrition education at Dorman, actionable steps coaches can take to start nutrition education and more. Lot's of insightful and actionable information throughout. Enjoy! Coach Solesbee on IG: https://www.instagram.com/coach_solesbee/?hl=en Our two partner sponsors for this episode are Dashr and Optimum Nutrition. Chem them out below. https://www.dashrsystems.com/ https://www.optimumnutrition.com/ NHSSCA State Clinic Schedule: https://nhssca.us/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=state Glazier Clinic Iron Giants Strength Summits: https://www.glazierclinics.com/strength-summit

My guest this month is Coach Ross Garner. Coach Garner is the strength and conditioning coach at Effingham County High School in southeast Georgia. Coach breaks down how he views work capacity and why it's important for athletes. He then gives examples of how to train it, both in the weight room and outside of it. We discuss complexes, marches, circuit training and more. Coach Garner then breaks down how he views the deadlift in regard to speed training, why they snatch but not clean at ECHS and more. There's tons of great, practical advice throughout the entire episode. Enjoy! Coach Garner's Linktree where you can find his socials, articles, products, and more: https://linktr.ee/coachrgarner Our two partner sponsors for this episode are Critical Reload and OVR Performance. Check them out below. https://criticalreload.com/ https://ovrperformance.com/ Iron Giants Strength Summit Dates and Locations: https://www.glazierclinics.com/strength-summit NHSSCA State Clinic Info: https://nhssca.us/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=state

My guest this month is Brad Fortney. Coach Fortney is the performance and wellness coach at Enterprise High School, located in Enterprise Alabama. Brad is also the head track coach as well as the head coach for girl's flag football. We sit down and discuss some ways to incorporate neurology into your strength and conditioning program. From teaching proper breathing techniques to training the feet, eyes, and more. Coach Fortney shares with us some of the tools he's implemented at Enterprise and some of the influences that lead him down these rabbit holes. We also discuss coaching girls flag football. Enjoy! Coach Fortney on X: https://x.com/CoachFortney Coach Fortney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachfortney/ Coach Fortney Article on TFC : https://trackfootballconsortium.com/adapting-to-feeding-the-cats/ Our two partner sponsors for this episode are PLAE and RockDaisy. Check their websites out below. www.plae.us www.rockdaisy.com Iron Giants Strength Summit Dates and Locations: https://www.glazierclinics.com/strength-summit NHSSCA State Clinic Info: https://nhssca.us/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=state

My guest this month is Steve Schween. Coach Schween is the strength and conditioning coach at Cienega High School, located in Vail Arizona. Steve also serves many roles in the NHSSCA, such as the first ever Arizona state director, the current Rocky Mountain regional director, and also currently serves on the executive council as the regional board chair. Most recently he was the recipient of the Arizona Health and Physical Education 2025 High School P.E Teacher of the Year. We sit down and discuss how he went from upper state New York to one hour away from the Mexican border in southern Arizona. Then we dive into all things conjugate. How Steve defines the conjugate method, how he's adapted it over time, why coaches should use it and more. He gives us a great inside look into all the incredible training that is going on at Cienega High School. Enjoy! Coach Schween on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steve_schween/?hl=en Coach Schween on X: https://www.instagram.com/steve_schween/?hl=en Coach Schween on Simplifaster: https://simplifaster.com/articles/rapid-fire-steve-schween-tech-tools-school-schedule/ Coach Schween on CoachLogik: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syp9B8RrIz4 Our two partner sponsors for this episode are Teambuildr and Williams Strength. Check out their websites below. https://www.teambuildr.com/ https://williamsstrength.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqyDnZ5O0ruMFKMDgEqF7dDLtaVFAudUMIP3O0iyRSpCK5m9N8k Once again, the NHSSCA is partnering with Iron Giants Podcast and Glazier Clinics. Check out the link below to the Glazier Clinics that will feature speakers from the organization! https://www.glazierclinics.com/strength-summit

My guest this month is Coach Thomas Dellota. Coach Dellota is the director of strength and conditioning at Niles West High School, located in Skokie Illinois, about 5 miles north of Chicago. We discuss his background and his early days working in the Chicago Public School system and then his transition to NW. We also discuss the process of a weight room rebrand and redesign. Coach Dellota also talks about what it's like as an Asian-American in the field of strength and conditioning. Lastly, we dive into some awesome things going on outside of his work at Niles West such as his private coaching and being featured in Men's and Women's Health magazine. Enjoy! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strengthcoachdlo/ School Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_w_strength/ Coach Dellota's Teambuilr articles: https://blog.teambuildr.com/author/thomas-dellota Interview with Prep Strength Coach: https://prepstrengthcoach.com/videos/transforming-high-school-strength-coaching-with-teambuilder/ DLO Performane Website: https://dloperformance.com/

My guest this month is Coach Amanda Berg. Coach Berg is the strength and conditioning coach at Dassel Cokato High School, located west of Minneapolis. Amanda also serves on the executive council for the NHSSCA. Coach Berg has a passion for curriculum development and that is what we cover in this month's episode. She discusses how it has developed over her teaching career, her assessment methods for classes, and the importance of education within a strength and conditioning class. Lot's of great tidbits and ideas from Coach Berg. Enjoy! Amanda Berg on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/chargertough/ Teambuildr Course: https://content.teambuildr.com/building-a-strength-training-curriculum Discount Code for 25% off: pestrength Simplifaster Interview on Curriculum: https://simplifaster.com/articles/episode-18-how-amanda-berg-used-systems-curriculums-to-build-a-sc-program-from-the-ground-up/ https://www.xlathlete.com/ Youtube Video of Interview with Wendi Irlbeck referenced on show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vdFZnOaNZng Amanda's email: [email protected]

My guest this month is Coach Cody Coley, Director of Athletic Performance and Assistant Athletic Director at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee. In this conversation, we dive into his unique background in law enforcement, the logistics of running an effective training program, and the vital role of culture in building athletes and teams. We wrap up by exploring how he trains the Purple Wave, including his emphasis on neck training for performance and safety. Coach Coley brings energy and practical insights throughout—this episode is packed with takeaways you won’t want to miss! Enjoy! Follow Coach Coley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachonemore/

My guest this month is Joe Stokowski, the director of sports science for Grayson High School in Loganville Georgia. Joe is also the special teams coordinator for football as well as the head coach for track and field. Coach Stokowski is a multiple coach of the year winner by Parker Resources. We discuss his journey from small town coach in Illinois to how ended up at one of the largest public schools in Georgia. We then discuss his role as a sports scientist, how and what data he tracks for football and then discuss a little speed training and more. Joe drops lots of great knowledge the whole interview. Enjoy! Coach Stokowski on X: https://x.com/CoachStokowski Check out his pinned twee to see all of his previous podcasts appearences as well as articles he has written. Coach Stokowski on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachstokowski/?hl=en