Joe Geletko, collegiate athletics extraordinaire, joins the show today to talk about strategies and models for developing collegiate athletes, acceleration and energy system development, culture, and relationship management in collegiate athletics. Joe is a Strength & Conditioning coach at UCLA, where he oversees women’s soccer, beach volleyball, and track & field. Joe played 4 years of soccer at Azusa Pacific University and found the S&C field through internships and an outstanding culture in the Azusa Pacific weight room. Joe obtained an internship at UCLA directly out of college, which led to his current role, where he’s been for 5 years.
We dive in discussing the pivotal role collegiate S&C coaches play during an exciting life transition phase for 17-22 year old kids. S&C coaches are put in a unique position to form meaningful relationships with their athletes and serve as a mentor of sorts as they grow up and mature over 4 years.
We then hit on the unique challenges that collegiate athletics presents, and how to maximize your efficiency when training entire teams. In particular, we discuss Joe’s systems of training, how to balance the bigger picture with individual athlete needs, and the 4 qualities Joe prioritizes for his athletes: acceleration capabilities, aerobic capacity, movement quality, and maximal strength.
Towards the end of the episode, we discuss measuring total training load and WHY this matters for both winning soccer matches and athletic development.
Lastly, we discuss the culture of various sports and the stigma of data science and strength & conditioning in those realms.
Enjoy and hit that subscribe button if you learned a thing or two.
Episode Highlights:
4:30 – Joe’s Background
9:00 – UCLA’s coaching structure and Joe’s decision to join the program
16:20 – Joe’s systems and training structure for athletes
21:30 – Acceleration/Deceleration and training load data
33:00 – Seasonal training changes
38:00 – Joe’s conditioning protocols
46:20 – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and what is driving adaptation
56:00 – Joe’s recommended resources
Links and stuff:
• Joe Geletko: [email protected]
• James Cerbie: @jamescerbie
• TRAIN: https://train.jamescerbie.com
• Silverback: https://www.silverbacktrainingproject.com
• Multi-Mechanical Models: https://bit.ly/2QCOPhb
• Range: https://amzn.to/36emrsd
• A Short History of Nearly Everything: https://amzn.to/37z4i8z
• Speed Strength: https://amzn.to/2QIdDUL
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