Steph Mock, Assistant AD for Sports Performance at the University of Pittsburgh is on this week's episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast. Steph traced her journey from high school sports to a collegiate volleyball career at West Virginia University. She later transitioned into strength conditioning, working at Clemson University and Mississippi State University, before returning to her alma mater. Her mentors, especially Rick Franzblau, played a crucial role in her professional development.
The discussion turns to the experience of being a woman in the predominantly male field of strength and conditioning. Steph highlights the importance of viewing the role as one of leadership, emphasizing skills such as relationship building and managing complex situations, which are gender-neutral. She acknowledges the influence of female leaders within the University of Pittsburgh, including the Chancellor and the Athletic Director, in her career development. This segment underscores the evolution in the field, where gender is becoming less of a defining factor in defining one's leadership and professional capabilities.
A significant portion of the podcast is devoted to the topic of microdosing in training, particularly its application in collegiate sports. Steph delves into her first exposure to the concept at a conference in 2018 and how it influenced her approach to training the volleyball team at the University of Pittsburgh. She explains how microdosing, or splitting training sessions into shorter, more frequent sessions, is particularly effective for in-season training. This approach helps to navigate the constraints of athletes’ schedules, including practices, competitions, and academic commitments. She emphasizes that this methodology allows for more focused, specific stimulus in training sessions, aiding in better preparation and recovery for athletes. The adoption of microdosing was already in place at the University of Pittsburgh, thanks to the head volleyball coach, making it easier for Steph to implement and enhance the practice.
If you're looking to introduce micro dosing into your programming, check out this episode with Steph.
Main talking points:
#Bitesize - An athlete and coach’s view of an ACL rehab process with Alan Murdoch and Anthony Watson
Building a sports science department from the ground up: From “one-man bands” to large organisations with Teofe Ziemnicki
#Bitesize - How to use velocity loss to maximise adaptation with Dan Baker
Jump training and the specificity myth in athlete development with Håkan Andersson
#Bitesize - Training and testing agility versus change of direction with Shawn Myszka, Tom Dos’Santos and Ian Jeffreys
How to use the warm up as a movement screen and revolutionising technique analysis with computer vision and artificial intelligence with Jonas Dodoo
#Bitesize - Creating change of direction drills that transfer to the field with Shawn Myszka
Resisted speed training: Effects on mechanics, how to programme it and its impact on sprint performance with Jason Hettler, George Petrakos and Hakan Anderrson
#Bitesize - Using resisted speed training with youth athletes with Micheál Cahill
Understanding what we need to change to improve acceleration, and how we go about coaching it with James Wild
#Bitesize - How to increase eccentric strength which transfers to improved deceleration with Joey Guarascio
Analysing England rugby player Anthony Watson’s ACL rehab and how he got faster than ever with Alan Murdoch and Anthony Watson
#Bitesize - The most effective ways to use blood flow restriction training to increase strength with Stephen Patterson
Getting athletes fast on short timeframes and creating a long term speed system with Les Spellman
#Bitesize - Using isometric training to get specific with exercise selection with Danny Lum
Testing deceleration, reducing injury risk during cutting and maximising the use of the 1080 sprint with Ola Eriksrud
#Bitesize - Which assessments to use during the RTP process from athletic hip and groin injuries with Enda King
Testing and training the foot for rehabilitation and improving sports performance (part 2)
#Bitesize - Testing and training the calf to reduce injury risk with Colin Griffin
Testing and training the foot for rehabilitation and improving sports performance (part 1) with Romain Tourillon
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