Things were looking quite good in East Lansing, Michigan last Saturday! Michigan State Head Football Coach Mark Dantonio rallied his Spartan squad that was slightly depleted by a bunch of injuries that included their star starting quarterback, Brian Lewerke. along with a big time time wide receiver in Felton Davis. among other notables, prior to this contest against the Purdue Boilermakers. So, right before the United State Air Force Color Guard and Spartan Marching Band performed the National Anthem, I asked Spartan Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Ken Mannie about what seemed as grim prospects for the game, especially at the quarterback position. Coach Mannie, who is in his 24th season with the Spartans, personifies the utmost of unflappable of personalities. He answered my question: "Quarterbacks???? We've got three of them Eddie. We've got quarterbacks"
And he wasn't kidding! Redshirt freshman Rocky Lombardi, a 6'3" 218 pound monster with the longish bleach blonde hair trotted out onto the field and calmed all Spartan fan nerves. This dude is a multi sport athlete who, it appears, can do it all. He's a former Iowa high school wrestler who placed 2nd in the state championships there. And,he played baseball there and did track and field, too. In fact, Coach Dantonio stated in the post game presser that if you'd go out on the golf course with Rocky, he'll basically blast the ball to the green.
Back to coach Mannie. This veteran coach knows how to prepare his teams for Saturdays in the fall. A huge point of emphasis in his storied strength and conditioning program is his "Spartan 4th Quarter Program", which is definitely a bonus in today's Big 10. Mannie's program is also the perfect complement to Coach Mark Dantonio's brilliant defensive force that's one of the stingiest in all of NCAA college football. In fact, the Spartan Defense is currently ranked #1 in FBS in rushing defense.... allowing only 77.4 yards per game. As good as Rocky performed against the Boilermakers, Dantonio's 'D" kept Purdue in check for most of the game. Purdue was coming off a huge defeat vs Ohio State while on a four game win streak. Yet, MSU always seemed to have an answer for their opponent's explosive offense and propelled Dantonio's win streak over Purdue to eight straight wins, as he's never lost to the team during his tenure in East Lansing. It was the 699th win for Michigan State football.
By the way, if you're interested in learning more about this strength and conditioning program, mark your calendar for February 8/9th 2019 and attend their annual clinic. ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power has attended over 100 strength training clinics over the years from coast to coast. This is THE clinic and Associate Strength Coach Mike Vorkapich directs the clinic and he's got it down to a science. Sports Science. Stay tuned in to ASAP as we are one of the major promoters to this event.
ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power checked in at the Glazier Clinic-Cincinnati held at The Hilton Cincinnati Netherlands Plaza and caught up with Cincinnati Bearcats' Director of Football Sports Performance Brady Collins who was a featured speaker at the event. Coach Collins spoke three sessions: the 1:30pm Neck Training for football, 2:45pm Building a Culture in the Weightroom, and finally the 4:00pm Alternative Training Methods. Folks, this guy is a polished speaker and will no doubt be called upon for many other football and Strength & conditioning clinics. It's easy to see why his name will be surfacing at future clinics.... He has gained coaching experience and guidance from some of the best in the business. Ray Rock Oliver and Ted Lambrinides UK Wildcats, Mickey Marotti Ohio State, Matt Balis & Rick Court Mississippi State have all influenced Brady and his coaching philosophy. Collins has recently kicked off year two at Cincinnati and reports to Head Football Coach Luke Fickell who has the Cincinnati Bearcats pointed on an upward climb!
“Tips from the Trenches with the Spartan Strength Staff” will again be a FREE event on Friday evening.
As per usual, Saturday’s line-up will include an wide array of clinicians who are certain to give the Spartan's clinic a very well-rounded appeal. And as always, Ken Mannie and the Spartan Strength Staff will be on-hand throughout to provide answers and advice for sports coaches, athletic trainers, strength & conditioning professionals, physical therapists, ! Stay tuned for further details and plan on making the trip to East Lansing for what will be another great weekend! Somehow, this annual clinic gets better every year. This is a "don't miss" event. And, whether you're a young, aspiring coach or a veteran, experienced one, it's important to attend great clinics like this one in order to gain the latest knowledge...... the kind of knowledge that can help you gain an edge in competing, or defeating an opponent.....it's the kind of knowledge that can help you coach your players to "Earn the Jersey".
Twenty-five years ago, Hammer Strength began a series of training seminars and strength clinics.The objective was to share training philosophies, network with other strength professionals, and conduct professional development opportunities to educate strength coaches, personal trainers, athletic trainers and sports coaches on the ever growing landscape of strength training and conditioning of athletes. Despite some differing philosophies on how best to conduct a program, the root was the coaching desire for having the strongest and most well conditioned athletes. And, ultimately more WINS for their respective teams. Some of the younger strength coaches at the time like University of Toledo Coach Ken Mannie and University of Cincinnati Strength Coach Mickey Marotti seemed to surgically dissect the best of all the methods and bored right through it creating hybrid training philosophies that maximized the best of all the programs. Both were clinic "regulars and fond of gaining new knowledge at clinics. Football coaches like Nick Saban (Toledo) and Urban Meyer (asst Notre Dame) took notice of these guys and made sure they were anchored in as their right hand guys. And the clinics, where else could coaches from places like Troy, Ohio or Fowlerville, Michigan or the Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (CAPE) have one-on-one conversations about training with some of the top strength guys in the profession.... coaches like Dan Riley of Penn State, Kim Wood of the Cincinnati Bengals, Boyd Epley of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Bruno Pauletto at the Tennessee Volunteers or Mike Gittleson from the Michigan Wolverine football program? And at the same time, the clinics also provided the chance to see the latest and cutting edge strength equipment. Hammer Strength produced the heavy-duty model of everything strength training. Clinic attendees could try many of the latest models and prototypes that the company was producing. It was great. And still is!
Twenty five years later, right in Cincinnati, Ohio is the anniversary of the Hammer Strength Clinics will be appropriately held at The University of Cincinnati on May 19/20. One of the speakers, Mickey Marotti (Ohio State) will be back at his old stomping grounds. Another speaker Brady Collins worked under Marotti at Ohio State and (clinic speaker)Ted Lambrinides at the University of Kentucky. Collins has come down from Columbus with UC Bearcats Head Football Coach Luke Fickell. Boyd Epley will speak as will Al Johnson! Other speakers like NFL guys Chip Morton (Bengals) and Joe Kenn (Carolina Panthers) will also share their knowledge. Throw in West Virginia S&C Coach Mike Joseph, Heather Mason, Loren Seagrave, Dr. Ken Leistner, Lance Walker and Brian Clarke into the mix! WOW. #BOOM
ASAP PODCASTER Ed Cicale traveled up the Clifton incline toward The University of Cincinnati, where just down the road, lives retired strength coach Kim Wood. He spent over thirty years with the Cincinnati Bengals and hung around with the legendary NFL coaching great, Paul Brown. During his coach days, Coach Wood took a stand against drugs in sports and hasn't backed down! In fact, he's more feisty than ever and has his sleeves rolled up to take on anyone who disagrees. He's old school in a new school NFL. If he was in charge, there'd be few drug problems and less glitzy training centers around.
Interestingly, despite having a decent retirement nest and benefits, he's only mastered Maxwell House Instant Coffee in the days of Keurig Coffee Makers and French Presses! His Facebook page is a tip-of-the hat to the days without smartphones, uploads and Tweets..... though done quite icely using the Facebook format. His front yard has weightlifting decks should you feel the need to hoist and olde time barbell or Russian kettlebell. Out back, where some might have their Weber grill.... Coach Has a Lat-Pulldown pulldown machine. His home gym resembles a Swiss ski chalet with fine woods and lighting that cascades inside. Outside, giant evergrees keep the room shaded from the afternoon sun. Each room in his spacious home has training equipment, yes, even the bedrooms.... some of which is highly regarded as collector items by museum types but for Kim, just basic stuff for a daily training regimen. Like good music during the workout? He's in possession of over 10,000 record albums and music CDs. Fancy cars? Nope..... just a 1989 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck with lapbelt seatbelts.
He loves football, but doesn't like the direction that it's heading sometimes. Especially when it comes to the safety of the players. Coach Wood has seen many of his former players and friends encounter difficult times as they've aged and believes that the forces and hits that they've come in contact with are directly responsible for their present condition. Therefore, he's continuing his stance that more has to be done.... more research on the brain as it relates to football and even further advanced training of the head and neck to further prepare the players' bodies for the violent contact. The longtime coach and Nautilus training advocate was also one of the original founders of the world renowned HAMMER STRENGTH training equipment. Presently, he's well known for his annual head & neck training clinics and though he's placing those clinics on the shelf, he'll surface this summer (July 21 and 22, 2017) in a new location within Cincinnati, Ohio and a fresher topic and updated theme. Coach Kim Wood has been a regular guest on the ASAP PODCAST. Here's the May 2017 Kim Wood Podcast:
There's construction going on at the University of Cincinnati. Yes, The Fifth/Third Arena is undergoing a huge renovation...... but there's more, the UC Bearcat Football team is under new direction after the hire of Head Football Coach Luke Fickell and the his football squad is under construction, too. Enter Coach Brady Collins. He's the guy that Coach Fickell has entrusted to lead his young Bearcats as the Director of Football Sports Performance. Once Fickell had landed from the short flight south of Columbus, Ohio, he summoned Collins for the task. Coach Collins has been well schooled for the assignment, as he spent a few years at the University of Kentucky with Ray "ROCK" Oliver and Ted Lambrinides. From there, he made his way south and deeper into SEC Football at Mississippi State at first with Matt Balis and then under Rick Court. Then it was on to Columbus and the Ohio State Buckeyes where he worked under Master Strength Coach Mickey Marotti. What a ton of great athletes and coaches whom Brady Collins has been around! Now, Collins is on his own and is prepared for the new journey at The University of Cincinnati! Good Luck Brady! This ASAP PODCAST is sponsored by THE DIFFERENCE
One of the featured speakers at the 34th Annual University of Tennessee Strength & Conditioning Clinic was Coach Darl Bauer. He's the Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning for the West Virginia Mountaineers Football Team. You've probably seen him in several of our past ASAP Features & ASAP Videos and he has become a sought after speaker for several clinics, including Coach Kim Wood's FOOTBALL STRENGTH CLINICS. Coach Bauer is a very knowledgeable coach...... and a definite winner! So, it was a no brainer to add Coach Darl Bauer to our ASAP Podcast Guest List. This is Episode #293....if you're keeping score! And, here's even more pics from Morgantown, WV
If anyone had thought that this annual strength clinic attendance had topped out after last years big turn out that followed a 2016 College Football Playoff appearance, forget about it! The 2017 Michigan State Spartans 10th Annual Strength & Conditioning Clinic welcomed a record turnout The adage that "you win with people" holds very true here. There's a lot of folks up there in East Lansing who have passion and commitment to the coaching profession and enjoy sharing the knowledge that they've acquired. It starts at the top and that's where the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, Ken Mannie and his leadership skills step to the forefront. He's in his 22nd year of coaching at this Big Ten power member. Try doing that! Pretty much amazing. Coach Mannie gave the opening night clinic kick-off and touched on great topics about learning...and taking on new knowledge, and the process of building relationships.
Assistant Strength Coach Mike Vorkapich...the clinic's director, definitely has a feel for how to make it all work. He's found a format that has really kept past attendees returning and new coaches on the way. One thing that's really added a professional flair to this clinic is when they made the addition of clinic emcee Ted Lambrinides. He's a speaker, professor, coach and true expert in the strength coaching & conditioning realm.... and a true authority on many of the branches of the field. In fact, over the past several years, he's become a specialist at understanding football player tracking data and consults with many of the nation's top collegiate programs, as well as all NFL teams... which he does through his work at Zebra Technologies, the leader in player tracking. Ted keeps the clinic on the go and interjects some sidebar facts regarding all things strength & conditioning. He also has an unusual memory to reel off coaching profiles of all of the speakers.... without any note cards or teleprompters!
Power MSU Spartan RB Gerald Holmes
Coach Vorkapich also makes sure that the annual event has a well rounded speaker list..... a litany of professionals who know how to share information in a great way. This year, we saw the University of Maryland's Assistant A.D.for Football Sports Performance, Rick Court give a polished talk in the newly refurbished Spartan strength training complex.that boasts a brand new floor and completely updated Rogers Athletic Rack System. And, with the help of Spartan G.A. Danny Foligno, the practical demos contained info and techniques that could be added to a coaches' toolbox. ETSU Strength Coach Al Johnson delivered. He's a seasoned veteran of the strength industry and he gave a great talk on teaching mental toughness, as well as Tim "Red' Wakeham on leadership roles and development . Round that out with CMU Coach Jason Novak and Warren Michigan's Mott High School Strength Coach Shaun Tahrebandi and you have your self a nice speaker list.
But wait, in the MSU Strength Clinic tradition, there's always a Spartans on hand to 'keep it real!'. Star Running Back Gerald Holmes gave up a Friday night as a college kid to help out one of the practical application parts of the clinic: This year, MSU Assistant Strength Coach Lorenzo Guess came through on this segment. Coach Guess, not only talks it...but he walks it, too. Lorenzo was a four year letter winner for the Spartans...playing in cool bowl games, and..... if that's not enough, he also starred on the Spartan's basketball squad with a couple of letters there, too. And, an NCAA Final Four gig! Anyway, they conducted a very nice football performance session out in the Michigan State Indoor Facility. Holmes (#24), a power RB, looked effortless as he demonstrated a a lengthy list of drills for Coach Guess. It should be noted that shifty runner had worked previously that day with the morning training groups. Hopefully, the NCAA allowed that dude some extra protein that day! As for Coach Guess, he looks like he could still don the Green & White!
All that plus ample restrooms, a very comfortable auditorium-style learning setting, plenty of Panera coffee and bagels along with a power box lunch selection makes for a pretty BIG deal. GO GREEN!
The Ohio State Buckeye Strength Staff, once again, did a stellar job churning out practical training information for coaches and clinicians trying to further their knowledge of the complexities of strength training & conditioning for athletics. Ohio State's Asst A.D. for Football Sports Performance Mickey Marotti doesn't stand upon the mountaintop to proclaim that his way is the best way to achieve results. He encourages that coaches find what works for them and roll with it. Don't get too caught up in all the percentages schemes and numbers games that are out there. Take basic philosophies and develop your program around very hard work, effort and discipline. He purports that there are several ways to accomplish training... but to make sure that it's proper, safe and age appropriate. Marotti has been training championship caliber athletes for over 30 years. He's been able to take the sound approaches of the different training methodologies and combine that with proper nutrition and timely rest. Walking around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and seeing his football athletes engaging in non-training activities and then seeing them in training as well, there's no question that "Coach Mick" has a handle on the situation and the guys look the part, too!
Coach Mickey Marotti:
"Building a Program"
Clinic Director Jeff Uhlenhake had all his assignments down big time. The registration and parking process was smooth. Plenty of coffee and bagels and spreads were available for all. Vendors and booths were easy to access product information for coaches. The big strength companies...Hammer Strength, Rogers Athletic were all represented. Power-Lift was there, too and all provided clinic materials and take home note sheets. Coach Uhlenhake also organized a Clinic Speaker Staff that laid down the practical stuff that coaches on hand can add to their training tool boxes. Coach Quinn Barham gave a polished talk on Developing & Maximizing the Posterior Chain. It couldn't be covered and explained more thoroughly than what Coach Barham put down! Explanations, the exercises and the demonstrations all easy to understand and follow. And he put new addition assistant strength coach Niko Palazeti through a few of the paces!
One of the other speakers, a quite familiar face at "The Woody", was Coach Brady Collins who covered the gamut of Alternative Training Methods. This talk covered all of the warm-ups, dynamic warm-up, neck training and upper & lower body training guidelines. Collins is now the Director of Football Sports Performance at The University of Cincinnati. Brady has been featured in several ASAP Videos from his previous strength coaching stops at Kentucky Wildcats, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Ohio State. His hyped up enthusiastic style is right out of the "Marotti-Court-Oliver & Lambrinides" Handbook. When Luke Fickell accepted the Cincinnati Bearcats head football coaching assignment, he grabbed Brady Collins for the ride down I-71. Booom!
ASAP Sponsor: Zebra...The Leader of Football Player Tracking
An interesting addition to this year's clinic was when Uhlenhake tabbed OSU physical Therapist Adam Stewart who gave a really interesting talk and explanation of the Buckeyes' approach to Functional Training. Again, practical information that one can take back home and use! Also, strength intern Jimmy Rodenberg, emerged as a very good demonstrator of proper form coach!
Coach Phil Matusz covered the psychological aspects of training with his "Mental Approach to Training Under the Bar" session. University of Toledo Rockets' Director of Football Strength & Conditioning discussed and explained some effective methods to overcome budget and staff restrictions. Just about everyone can use information like Brad described!
Michigan State Football Strength & Conditioning, is presently prepping for its annual S & C Clinic that's to be conducted on February 10th and 11th of 2017. Clinic Director Mike Vorkapich, a Spartan Assistant Strength Coach, has assembled quite a strong list of clinicians that includes Ted Lambrinides who will serve as the clinic emcee. Other headliners include longtime strength professional Al Johnson of the ETSU Buccaneers and the Maryland Terrapins' Coach Rick Court. Spartans' Assistant Strength Coach Lorenzo Guess, a former football star at MSU will speak as will Coach Tim Wakeham, who heads the Olympic sport strength training programs at the Big Ten school in East Lansing. In addition, Jason Novak of Central Michigan will speak.
Rounding out the speaker list is top notch high school strength coach Shaun Tahrebandi of Mott High School in Warren, Michigan.