Big thanks to Coach Boo Schexnayder for exposing us to the idea of stages of neuromuscular fatigue and how to identify the early onset of these stages for intervention.
Often times coaches will use reduction in absolute metrics such as jump height and peak power relative to body mass to identify neuromuscular fatigue. However, due to the chronicity of load applied to the athlete and the stability of these metrics, looking at absolutes may having a longer refractory period once decreased.
Check out the article on @sportsmithhq
S/O to @nathanreid23 for this awesome infographic!
Biomechanics is so 90s. 🚩 (And why elite injury rates are still rising)
We have more motion capture, force plates, and GPS data than ever before. Yet, ACL and soft tissue injury rates in the NBA, NFL, and MLB aren’t dropping. Why?
Because we’re treating the “Tiger in the Cage,” not the “Tiger in the Wild.” 🐅
If you’re a PT, ATC, or Strength Coach working with elite movers, you know that lab-based depth jumps don’t mirror a 4th-quarter deceleration or a reach-outside-the-base in heavy traffic
.
Here’s what the data (and the pros) are actually telling us:
1️⃣ Pathology
= Symptoms: Our G-League study showed 80% of players had tendon pathology, but only 2 became symptomatic
. If you’re treating the scan and not the athlete, you’re missing the boat. 2️⃣ The “Performance Muscle”: Forget the VMO obsession. Vastus Lateralis (VL) atrophy is the real red flag for jump performance and impending tendon symptoms
. 3️⃣ RFD > Peak Force: For hamstrings and calves, Rate of Force Development is a far stronger “signal” in the noise than peak force
. 4️⃣ Stop Being “Too Cute”: We often get lost in “nuanced” fads while missing the Big Rocks: MTP1 mobility, foot-ankle complex function, and heavy, isolated loading
.
Elite sports medicine isn’t about the coolest tech—it’s about clinical decision-making under pressure. It’s about clearing the neural path (Spine/Pelvis) before hammering the local tissue
.
SWIPE LEFT ⬅️ to see how I’m shifting the paradigm from the lab to the championship stage.
#SportsScience #NBA #NFL #MLB #PhysicalTherapy StrengthAndConditioning InjuryPrevention ElitePerformance AthleticTraining Biomechanics
Every pro team has a biomechanics lab now. But look at the injury rates—they aren’t dropping. Why?
Because we’ve been inferring elite NBA/NFL movement patterns from data based on adolescent soccer players doing depth jumps. In the real world, an athlete’s movement is a complex web of cognitive cues, defensive reactions, and deep biology.
As Scott Morrison puts it in our latest episode: “A tiger in a cage doesn’t move like a tiger in the wild.”
If your sports science program is only looking at “prescriptive tasks,” you’re missing the actual game.
What’s your take on translating lab data to chaotic, reactive environments? Drop your thoughts below. 👇
#SportsScience #HighPerformance #NBAStrength #SportsPhysicalTherapy #InjuryPrevention Biomechanics AthleteRehab LoadManagement PerformanceDirector ProSports
Stop Chasing Max Strength at the Expense of Elite Speed. ⚡️
In the world of the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL, the difference between a ”good“ athlete and an ”elite“ one often comes down to the precision of their stimulus.
As practitioners, we often ask: “How strong is strong enough?”
If you’re still pushing for a 3x Bodyweight Squat with a 300lb Lineman or a high-minutes Guard, you might be chasing diminishing returns—or worse, inducing unnecessary CNS fatigue that kills their ”pop“ on the field.
The Elite Performance Framework (Insights from Kris Robertson):
1️⃣ The ”Sweet Spot“ Thresholds: Data suggests that for speed optimization, once a male athlete hits a 1.4x – 1.5x Bodyweight Front Squat, the focus must shift. Beyond this, raw strength often stops aiding speed and starts hindering it. This is where we transition to Power and Variable Resistance.
2️⃣ In-Season Gains (Not just Maintenance): Maintenance is a myth. You can induce 1RM strength gains during a rigorous season with as little as one stimulating set. By utilizing Wave Loading (75% → 85%) and managing the ”Volume Mother of Fatigue,“ we keep athletes peaking when it matters most: the playoffs.
3️⃣ The ”Unconscious“ Athlete: Elite sprinting isn‘t about conscious track mechanics; it’s about ”light switches“—the rapid on/off firing of muscles. Our goal is to move athletes from conscious technical drills to an unconscious state where aggressive shin angles and violent arm swings become second nature.
4️⃣ Precision Force-Velocity Profiling (FVP): You don’t need a 50klab.Byusing∗∗VelocityDecrement(MattCrossMethod)∗∗andsimplelinearregression(y = mx + b$), we can solve for an athlete’s optimal power load with nothing more than timing gates and bodyweight percentages.
The Art of the Buy-In: 🤝 Performance isn‘t just science; it’s the collaboration between S&C, ATC, PT, and Sport Science. It’s about ”rest-time coaching,“ under-promising, and over-delivering to the Head Coach through tangible, data-driven results.
Swipe through for the full breakdown of the Elite Performance Framework. ➡️
This is from the podcast I did with @krob23
Are you using the technology, or is the technology using you? 📊🚫
In an era of $4M weight room makeovers and elite force plate data, injuries in the NBA, NFL, and MLB are still at an all-time high
. We have more metrics than ever, yet we often miss the most critical data point: How the athlete actually moves in 3D space.
If you were put in an ”Empty Room“ with a star athlete and no technology, could you still get them back to 100%?
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Elite rehab and performance shouldn’t be a slave to a machine. Here is why the ”Standard Protocol“ is failing your athletes:
1️⃣ The ”Isolation Trap“: Chasing numbers on a NordBord or a hamstring curl machine ignores real-world sprinting mechanics
. For a Grade 2 strain, we don‘t just load the tissue; we ”pull the friends in“ by integrating the hip and foot to de-load the injury and restore function
.
2️⃣ The ”Symmetry Myth“: In pro sports, chasing 50/50 symmetry is a recipe for disaster. Pitchers, kickers, and linemen are specialized asymmetrics
. If you force a plant leg to function like a kick leg to hit a data point, you aren’t fixing a problem—you’re creating one
.
3️⃣ The 3D Reality: The hamstring and calf are tri-planar machines
. My approach utilizes a ”Safety Syntax“—leveraging 315 different stance and reach variations to find the ”Success Zone“ where an athlete can load safely before they ever hit the grass
.
4️⃣ Beyond FMS: Screenings designed for ”healthy people“ aren‘t enough for elite Return-to-Play (RTP)
. We need functional improvements, not just passing a static score
.
It’s time to bridge the gap between high-tech data and high-level biomechanics. Whether it’s a 10-month ACL journey or a 4-week Grade 2 hamstring recovery, the goal is the same: Resiliency over just Readiness.
“I recently had a 75-minute deep dive with Vahan Agbabian (38 years of experience in D1 Football) on a topic that every NBA, NFL, and MLB staff is wrestling with: The Technology Paradox.
We have the best force plates, markerless motion capture, and GPS—yet hamstrings and calves are still pinging. Why?
Because we’ve become myopic. We look at the ‘output’ on a screen but miss the relative motion between the talus and the calcaneus. We try to make a pitcher or a cornerback ‘symmetrical’ when their excellence is literally built on being asymmetrical.
Three takeaways for the High-Performance community:
The 315 Stance Matrix: If you only squat in one stance, you aren’t rehabbing for the field. You’re rehabbing for the gym.
The Spine/Talus Gap: Current motion capture can’t tell you how the SI joint is influencing tissue loading. Your clinical eye is still the gold standard.
RTP is a Psychological Load: A Grade 2 strain in the NBA isn’t just a 3-week biological fix—it’s a 10-game strategic hurdle.
Full interview link in bio. Let’s stop being used by the tools and start using them.
#PerformanceGuy #NBA #NFL #MLB #SportsMedicine AppliedFunctionalScience GrayInstitute StrengthAndConditioning InjuryPrevention SportScience
Elite Performance Isn’t Built in a Vacuum. 🚀
Whether you’re in the NBA, NFL, or the Premier League, the goal is the same: Translating physical capacity into tactical execution.
Many programs excel at linear speed, but the ”missing link“ is often the holistic integration of deceleration and change of direction (COD)
. It’s not just about how fast an athlete can go, but how efficiently they can absorb force, stabilize, and re-accelerate under the chaotic demands of the game
.
How we bridge the gap:
1️⃣ From Isolation to Chaos: We start with motor control—using bands at the waist to teach split-squat absorption and ”feeling“ the vector of force
. But we don’t stop there. We strip the bands and introduce reactive cues and 1v1 sport-specific drills to prepare athletes for high-velocity eccentric forces
.
2️⃣ Building Capacity Under Fatigue: Isolated drills have their place, but nothing beats Small-Sided Games (SSGs)
. Utilizing formats like ”5v5v5“ allows us to increase the ”accel/decel“ count in a game-specific environment, forcing athletes to make accurate decisions while neuromuscularly fatigued
.
3️⃣ The In-Season Paradox: Forget ”maintenance.“ High-performance means continuing to build strength in-season
. By hitting all targets on the force-velocity curve—low volume, high-intensity sets (e.g., 4x4 or 5x3)—we maintain structural integrity without overcooking the players
.
4️⃣ Communication > Technology: GPS and force plates are essential, but the ”Gold Standard“ of fatigue monitoring is still informal communication and the coaching journal
. Correlating objective data with subjective player feedback—like sleep quality and perceived load—is what allows for true ”audibles“ in your programming
.
The Bottom Line: We are not islands. Success is a collaboration between the S&C, Medical, and Technical staffs to ensure the training environment reflects the game‘s actual demands
.
Coaches & Clinicians: How are you integrating tactical chaos into your speed and return-to-play protocols? Let’s talk shop in the comments. 👇
From the podcast I did with @ivicasagrande@ivi.casagrandeperformance
#PerformanceCoaching #SportsScience #StrengthAndConditioning #nbacoach
Precision Over Prediction: The Next Frontier in Tissue Resilience 🚀
Why do elite athletes—who pass every strength and symmetry test—still face secondary failure during game-speed maneuvers? 📉
We sat down with Dr. Stephanie Cone from the University of Delaware’s Orthopedic Tissue Mechanics Lab to bridge the gap between bench science and the championship window
.
If you are managing high-value rosters in the NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL, the standard RTP battery might be leaving 10% of the risk on the table. This slide deck breaks down the biomechanical “blind spots” you need to address:
🔍 Inside the Deck:
The “Hole” in Achilles Testing: Why neutral-ankle testing fails to capture the “Step-back Mechanism” risk. If you aren’t testing in 15° of deep dorsiflexion, you aren’t testing the injury zone
.
Subtendon-Specific Loading: The Achilles isn’t a single unit. Learn how to differentially load the Medial Gastro vs. Soleus subtendons to maximize rehab ROI
.
ACL Bundle Dynamics: Moving beyond the Lachman. Why the PL Bundle is the key to rotational stability in the pivot-shift, and how to manage the “40% Partial Tear” mid-season
.
The Fatigue Gap & Burst Testing: Why symmetry is a lying metric when fresh. How to use electrical stimulation to identify the “Neural Gap” in voluntary muscle activation
.
The takeaway? Tissue structure changes slowly, but neuromuscular habits and habituation to high-risk postures can be trained for immediate protection
.
Stop relying on 9-month timelines. Start relying on Tissue Mechanics. 🧬
👇 Tag a Performance Director or PT who needs to see this data.
#SportsScience #SportsMedicine #NBA #NFL #MLB NHL PhysicalTherapy ACLRehab AchillesHealth Biomechanics HighPerformance RTP TissueMechanics UDel
Why your “Return to Play” protocol might be missing the mark. 🚩
I recently had a deep dive with Dr. Stephanie Cone from the University of Delaware regarding the latest in tissue mechanics.
Key Takeaways:
1️⃣ Position-Specific Testing: Are you testing force output in deep dorsiflexion or the “step-back” posture?
2️⃣ The Fatigue Factor: We discussed the necessity of testing kinematics under fatigue to catch mechanical failures.
3️⃣ Ligamentization Timelines: Understanding the 18-24 month remodeling phase is crucial for long-term career longevity.
Full interview is now live on YouTube. Link in bio. 🔗
Why your “Perfect Program” might be failing your Elite Athletes. 📉🏆
We’ve all been there. You have the best science-backed protocol, but the athlete isn’t “feeling it.” Whether you’re in the NBA, NFL, or training Olympic squads, the secret isn’t just the sets and reps—it’s the Psychology of Buy-in.
I’ve spent 20+ years refining this, from training NBA All-Stars like Jermaine O’Neal to leading National Volleyball teams across the globe. 🌍
In these slides, I’m breaking down the “Elite Performance Blueprint” I use to bridge the gap between rehab and high-performance:
🧠 Kill the “Warm-up Zombies”: 85% of pre-game prep should be consistent, but the other 15%? That’s where we turn the brain ON. I’m sharing how “Neural Prep” and movement variety can give your team a psychological edge
.
🤝 The “Yes, And” Philosophy: Borrowed from improv comedy, this is my secret weapon for managing superstars. Don’t tear down their beliefs—join them, then pivot to the science
.
⚡ Micro-dosing Strength & Rehab: Why wait for the weight room? I’ll show you how to bake shoulder maintenance and isometrics directly into daily warm-ups for maximum frequency and “bulletproof” results
.
📊 The Quad Set Framework: How to structure a 60-minute session that prioritizes “The Big Rock” (Power/Strength) while using active recovery to hit the fillers
.
Elite performance is a puzzle. My goal? Find the smallest dose that makes the biggest difference.
SWIPE through to see the logic, and let’s talk shop in the comments. ⬇️
This is from the podcast I did with @rettasaurus
#StrengthAndConditioning #SportsScience #NBA #NFL #HighPerformance PhysicalTherapy ATC PerformanceCoach AthleticPerformance StrengthCoach MovementScience
