EP 198: The Principles Of Athlete Development From High School to the Pro’s w/ Eric Cressey

Eric Cressey has been a friend and someone that has set the highest standard in coaching and being a pro at the highest level; and someone I have learned from and continue to learn from. I connected with him and started learning from him when I was still playing pro basketball 20+ years and flew out to Birmingham, England to attend a live event.

Eric Cressey is president and co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance, with facilities located in Hudson, MA and Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

A highly sought-after coach for healthy and injured athletes alike, Eric has helped athletes at all levels – from youth sports to the professional and Olympic ranks – achieve their highest levels of performance in a variety of sports.

Behind Eric’s expertise, Cressey Sports Performance has rapidly established itself as a go-to high performance facility for those that come from across the country and abroad to experience CSP’s cutting-edge methods. Eric is perhaps best known for his extensive work with baseball players, with more than 100 professional players traveling to train with him each off-season.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> When it comes to developing high school athletes, there’s the physical side and the ____ side (the 2nd one has changed dramatically and is affecting everything).

=> The rise of phones and social media and how it affects the athlete; and HOW to get the athletes to buy-in within the digital world.

=> How to block out the noise to improve training, nutrition, sleep, and improve athlete development.

=> The top 2 abilities in developing the high school athlete to the college athlete, that do NOT transfer to the pro’s.

=> The shocking length of the window of adaptation for body composition changes in college athletes (and how that affects their programs).

=> How Eric’s job and what he loves to do it solving puzzles and figuring out how to improve athlete’s performance and keep them healthier, longer.

=> The biggest bottlenecks for high school, college, and pro athletes; they are very different and you have to approach it from this frame.

=> Why you should take a “compressed” athlete and change their training to regain elasticity, explosiveness, and power, as well as better ranges of motion of movement.

=> Why understanding “transmutation” and how long it takes the body to adapt is very important when creating training programs structured to get athletes ready for the season.

=> Not being married to specific exercises but rather to specific adaptations and how to match the exercises to the athletes (hint: are back squats, deadlifts and bench press necessary with advanced athletes).

=> Eric’s and Luka’s thoughts on their own training being “athletes for life” and how they have changed their workouts and training philosophy.

=> What Eric’s injury taught him and how it changed his training, lifestyle and realizations on what matter.

=> The BIG changes in professional sports that are affecting injuries, the approach to training, and how to deliver the best for your athletes (the margin for error for elite athletes is smaller than ever).

=> Why the younger generations are more broken than ever and a mind boggling statistic on injuries before 2021 and after 2021.

=> How NIL and the trade portal in college is affecting team and athlete development, injuries, and creating a team chemistry.

=> Why the private sector may now have a huge advantage for training athletes in the off season.

=> The 3 things that Eric looks for when it comes to interns developing into great coaches (and who they will hire).

=> If you don’t have this one ability it will be very difficult for you to develop as a great coach and great career in the industry.

=> Which types of people do well as a coach; and what do they DO that make them stand out.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Eric’s website

Elite Baseball Development Podcast

Eric Cressey IG

Luka's YouTube