From S&C coach in Germany to Director of High Performance in the MLS in 5 years - Lessons from moving up the ladder with Max Lankheit

This week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is Max Lankheit, Director of High Performance at the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS. Previously, Max was a strength and conditioning coach at Nurnberg and St Pauli in Bundesliga 2. in Germany, with a previous background as an acting coach. We’re going to learn how Max made that jump through the ranks, starting with his time as the owner of a gym where St Pauli’s players came to train.

Following his move to Bundesliga 2., he talks about the times he had to create full training programmes with minimal access to facilities, identifying the gaps in a training programme and plugging them, followed by when it’s time to leave a role once you feel you’ve fulfilled your potential. Subsequently, Max then tells us how he then made the big transition from S&C coach to the Earthquakes’ Director of Performance.

In his current role, Max discusses the influence he can exert over training programmes, and the particular processes and systems he prefers to put into place to achieve certain results. From his now more senior position, he also offers insight into how management and leadership differ, and how undertaking an MBA has impacted his day-to-day life. For all this insight and more into the routine of one of the MLS’s top coaches, hit the play button now.

This week’s topics:

• Max’s early coaching days with St Pauli
• How Max developed a full training programme with minimal facilities
• When it’s right to leave a coaching role for a new challenge
• Identifying the gaps in a training programme
• Max’s transition from S&C coach to Director of Performance
• The influence Max has on a training programme in his position
• The processes and systems Max likes to put into place
• How management and leadership differ
• The impact of undertaking an MBA on Max’s daily life