Today’s guest is Bill Smart. Bill is a sport scientist and physical preparation coach specializing in elite fight-sports performance. As the founder of Smarter Performance and the Strength & Conditioning lead for the CORE MMA team, Bill integrates cutting-edge evidence with real-world high-performance systems to enable combat athletes to show up on fight day in optimal physiological condition.
Much of the conversation in sports performance hinges on speed and power development, or conditioning, as a stand-alone conversation. Sport itself is dynamic and combines elements of speed, strength, and endurance in a dynamic space. Training should follow the same considerations to be truly alive and effective.
In the episode, Bill shares his journey from cycling and rowing to combat sports. He discusses how long isometric holds develop both physical and mental resilience, and their implementation in his programming. The conversation dives into muscle-oxygen dynamics, integrating ISOs with conditioning, and how testing shapes his approach. Bill also explores flywheel eccentrics, fascicle-length development, and why sprinting is a key element for maintaining elastic power in elite fighters.
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Timestamps
0:00 – Bill’s coaching journey and early mentors
6:04 – The importance of movement observation and intuition
11:35 – Why athletes plateau and how to identify limiting factors
20:42 – Strength training principles that actually transfer
30:01 – Using movement variability and play in training
40:36 – Coaching communication and creating connection
52:09 – The role of curiosity and creativity in coaching longevity
1:00:55 – Key lessons from years of coaching experience
Actionable Takeaways
6:04 – Movement observation and intuition
Bill emphasizes that the best coaches develop a trained eye for movement by observing, not just testing.
- Watch athletes move in multiple contexts before prescribing anything.
- Look for how they transition between patterns, not only the end positions.
- Use video less for judgment and more for curiosity. What is the athlete trying to do?
11:35 – Identifying limiting factors
Athletes plateau when coaches overemphasize one metric or capacity while ignoring the real constraint.
- Look beyond the weight room; technical or psychological factors often drive plateaus.
- Use minimal testing data to narrow focus rather than justify complexity.
- Sometimes the limiting factor is overcoaching. Let athletes fail and self-correct.
20:42 – Strength that transfers
Transfer happens when strength work complements, not competes with, the sport’s rhythm and intent.
- Prioritize strength that preserves elasticity and timing rather than just force output.
- Rotate exercises often enough to keep athletes adaptive, but not so often that they lose rhythm.
- Load movement patterns, not just muscles. Treat every lift as coordination under resistance.
30:01 – Variability and play in training
Bill describes play as a teaching tool that restores creativity and problem-solving in athletes.
- Use small games, uneven surfaces, or timing constraints to build adaptable movers.
- Variability should be purposeful. Expand coordination bandwidth without losing technical intent.
- Schedule “uncoached” time in sessions where athletes explore movement freely.
40:36 – Coaching communication and connection
Great coaching depends on trust and empathy before information transfer.
- Deliver feedback as collaboration, not correction; frame cues as shared problem-solving.
- Match your communication tone to the athlete’s readiness and personality.
- Be consistent and calm under pressure; emotional stability is contagious.
52:09 – Curiosity and creativity for coaching longevity
Curiosity keeps coaching sustainable; creativity prevents burnout.
- Study outside your lane: music, design, or art can refine pattern recognition.
- Avoid rigid “systems” that turn coaching into mechanical input-output.
- Revisit old training ideas with a new lens instead of constantly chasing novelty.
1:00:55 – Key lessons and philosophy
Bill’s long-term perspective is about developing people, not just performers.
- Build a coaching environment where learning continues on both sides.
- Focus on long-term process rather than short-term validation.
- Great coaching is about alignment between words, actions, and values.
Quotes from Bill Smart
“Observation is the beginning of understanding movement. You can’t coach what you don’t actually see.”
“If you only measure outputs, you’ll miss what’s driving them.”
“Strength is coordination under resistance; not just how much you can move, but how well you move it.”
“When training becomes too predictable, athletes stop learning.”
“Variability isn’t chaos; it’s guided exploration.”
“The best cues invite the athlete to think, not to obey.”
“Play keeps creativity alive. You can’t teach adaptability if everything is scripted.”
“Curiosity is what keeps good coaches from becoming stale.”
“Connection has to come before correction.”
“The longer I coach, the more I realize that athletes teach me just as much as I teach them.”
About Bill Smart
Bill Smart is a sport scientist and physical preparation coach specialising in elite fight-sports performance. As the founder of Smarter Performance and the Strength & Conditioning lead for the CORE MMA team, Bill integrates cutting-edge evidence with real-world high-performance systems to enable combat athletes to show up on fight day in optimal physiological condition.
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