Neurological Training Systems, Strength and Speed: Q&A with Joel Smith

Today’s episode is a question and answer show where I take user questions off of social media and give my best answers.  It’s always good to see what people want to know.

Questions on today’s show came in clusters often focused on similar topics, many asking about patellar tendonitis prevention, weightlifting and squatting in relation to sprinting, as well as the training methods of Marv Marinovich and Jay Schoeder and what I’ve done in my own programs having that knowledge.

Commonly asked as well is what I am doing with all the info I gain from the guests on this show, and what has been a big game changer for me.  I covered this a lot in my last solo show, but there have been training ideas even since then that continue to spur me on towards giving my athletes the best training I can.

Doing enough of these Q&A’s I’ve felt like eventually I might run out of topics but after 50+ questions, you all have given me plenty to talk about.  I hope you enjoy today’s show, there is a lot of things I was really excited to cover.

Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster, supplier of high-end athletic development tools, such as the Freelap timing system, kBox, Sprint 1080, and more.

Joel Smith Podcast

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Key Points

  • What the biggest programming game changer in the last few years has been for me
  • An over-rated training intervention in the world of sport performance
  • How I address patellar tendonitis and knee issues in training, and how to prevent it
  • Similarities and differences of the Marv Marinovich and Jay Scheoder training systems and styles (a big question!)
  • How to make the weight room more environmentally similar to sport
  • Lifting and its impact on sprint performance
  • Heavy squatting and its impact on reactive strength
  • How I approach neurological testing and training on athletes given my background in Z-health, NKT, Be Activated, and other systems
  • The biggest change I’ve made to my resistance training programs recently

About Joel Smith

About Joel Smith

Joel Smith, MS, CSCS is a NCAA Division I Strength Coach working in the PAC12 conference.  He has been a track and field jumper and javelin thrower, track coach, strength coach, personal trainer, researcher, writer and lecturer in his 8 years in the professional field.  His degrees in exercise science have been earned from Cedarville University in 2006 (BA) and Wisconsin LaCrosse (MS) in 2008.  Prior to California, Joel was a track coach, strength coach and lecturer at Wilmington College of Ohio.  During Joel’s coaching tenure at Wilmington, he guided 8 athletes to NCAA All-American performances including a national champion in the women’s 55m dash.  In 2011, Joel started Just Fly Sports with Jake Clark in an effort to bring relevant training information to the everyday coach and athlete.  Aside from the NSCA, Joel is certified through USA Track and Field and his hope is to bridge the gap between understandable theory and current coaching practice.

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