In our latest episode of Powering Performance, we were lucky enough to sit down with Sacramento Kings’ Director of S&C and Performance, Ramsey Nijem. He has quickly climbed up the ladder in Strength and Conditioning, starting as UCSB's first intern in their athletic department, to assistant strength coach for the Kings, to where he is now, entering his third season as the head of the Kings' Strength & Conditioning and Performance. He attributes some of his success to good fortune and luck. But, looking more closely at Ramsey's accolades and his ability to thrive as one of the youngest S&C coaches in NBA, we quickly discover his success can be attributed to much more than luck. From his customized, state of the art training facility, to the work-flow he established early on, his passion and determination makes it no surprise that he's quickly become an influencer across the industry. His quintessential thirst for knowledge has allowed him to enter each new stage of his career well prepared to excel and advance his team to the next level. So join us as we dive into how Ramsey Nijem is transforming the landscape for Strength Conditioning and Performance in Sacramento.

Would rather read with your ears? Listen in on this episode here. 

After reading last weeks blog, Treating Everyone Like An Athlete, you may be wondering how does Sports Academy do it? How do they create such a dynamic environment, train a vast array of athletes and stay current with their methods and tech? Well, we don’t want to spoil too much - but a lot of it can be attributed to quality research. In part I, Tracy Axel, Manager of Sports Performance & Research Analytics, filled us in on one of her secrets for success - communication. But, this week we take a closer look at how this two-year-old start-up is able to establish themselves as a powerhouse for athlete training.

“Everyone's an athlete in our mind. We are machines and that’s the way we have to approach it.” - Tracy Axel

This is part two of our two part breakdown of Powering Performance Episode #2 with Texas A&M Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance, Tanna Burge.

In our latest episode of Powering Performance, we caught up with a leader in the world of sports conditioning, Tanna Burge. This month’s podcast was packed with insights on managing athletes of different levels, creating a culture of excellence, and most importantly building trusting relationships. Texas A&M’s Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance, Tanna Burge shares the knowledge she's gained from her years in the industry to you in this killer episode. So let’s unpack it together in Part I of our Texas A&M blog.

Becoming Creative in the Training Center

In part one of our AS Roma breakdown, we explored how Director of Performance Darcy Norman and Head Performance Coach Ed Lippie adapted a structure around a core mission statement; “putting the athlete at the center of all decisions.”  And how this structure allowed them to create a performance ecosystem. In part two, we’ll explore the benefits from leveraging this structure and how coaches gain more time for creativity while in the training center. “Creating systems allows you to be more creative because if you’ve got a framework that you can fall back on, it frees your mind to come up with some creative tweaks.”  While routine is key, breaking out of the mundane in the training center can help both the staff and the athletes feel refreshed every time they come in.

Haven't read Part I yet? Check it out here

To compete at the highest level in any sport, young athletes must focus on the early development of an athletic foundation that will give them the tools they need to train efficiently and safely. By starting this athletic development at an early age, the athletes develop a sport-focused foundation that gives them an advantage in overcoming the physical challenges of sports training. To clarify, the goal of early development is a focus on simple movements and exercises to develop fundamental movement skills and overall motor skills including agility, balance, and coordination. These skills will be used to not only build into more complex exercises and movements, but also assists athletes in moving skillfully and developing posture and balance.