The Just Fly Performance Podcast #3 is one that covers a route that many coaching resources tend to downplay, which is the relational aspects between athlete and coach, and how to optimize the psychology and cultural aspects of the weightroom.
For this podcast, we have on the show, Scott Thom, who is currently the lead strength and conditioning coach for Washington State University, and was formerly in the same role for the University of California Berkeley.
Scott is a good friend of mine, who I learned a lot from, not only in terms of programming and workouts, but also, how to create a powerful team culture and build effective relationships with athletes. I’m excited to have him on this episode, as we can all learn a lot from him on managing an exciting and effective team environment that not only makes the process more enjoyable for coach and athlete, but also gets great training results.
Also, be on the lookout for Scott’s upcoming book “Season of Strength”, where he covers all aspects of creating effective programming for basketball players.
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Main Points:
- Scott’s philosophy on the coach/athlete relationship
- How to inject energy into the weightroom
- How to manage difficult athletes
- Gaining “buy-in” in your program
- How to build confidence in the weightroom, and what mental toughness really is
- Managing the emotional ebb and flow of the competitive season
- How to turn negative energy from a game outcome into positive practice energy
- What it takes to get an “NBA body”, and how to impress scouts
- The relationship between hypertrophy and confidence in basketball athletes
“As far as creating buy in, it boils down to relationships”, “Any good relationship boils down to trust”
“You have to give respect to get respect”
“At the root of mental toughness is self-belief and self-confidence, and if you can build up your athlete’s self confidence and belief, when they hit hard times, they can get through it”
(Regarding athletes) “You’re either a drain, or a faucet. You are either giving to the group, or you are taking away from the group, there’s no middle ground”
“Make the weightroom a place where an athlete can experience success”
“There are a ton of exercises, choose the ones that provide the greatest bang for the buck, that your athlete will succeed in”
“With basketball, there is a lot banking on the “eye test”. Intimidation starts right when you are walking out on the floor” “With the NBA scouts, you can take a player that might not be as defined or muscular, and take another player who is a little more muscular, all other things being equal, but you’ll look at the more muscular player and instantly think “oh that guy is more athletic”, he is more ready for the game.”
Scott Thom
Scott Thom is the head strength coach for men’s basketball at Washington State University. Previously, he was the strength coach for University of California-Berkeley men’s basketball team and the head basketball coach for Vintage High School (Napa, Calif.) He has over 10 years of experience working with athletes at the high school, collegiate and professional level. You can check out his website at ScottThom.com
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