ASCA Podcast #73 - Glenn Corcoran, Rick Martin and Dr. Stephen Bird

Glenn Corcoran is the manager of the Bond University High Performance Training Centre and holds a Master Exercise Science (S&C). He is an ASCA Level 3 and PCAS-Master coach, and NSCA CSCS and RSCC*Emeritus. Glenn is a Life member of the ASCA, and was the 2019 ASCA Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. Glenn has over 30 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach in team sports: especially with rugby including the Australian National Womens’ Rugby Union “Wallaroos” and Premier Club Rugby. He is also on the Advisory Board for the IUSCA. Dr. Stephen Bird is an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise at the University of Southern Queensland. Stephen is currently the Athlete Health and Performance Lead for Basketball New Zealand Senior National Teams, Associate Editor of the Journal of Australian Strength & Conditioning, and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Strength & Conditioning. He has worked with many teams attending major sporting events, including Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Rugby League World Cup, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and World Championships, and FIBA Asia Cup. Stephen has worked in High Performance roles with teams in the NRL, NBL, WNBL, Suncorp Super Netball, and PNG High Performance Program. Rick Martin is the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at Bond University High Performance Training Centre. Prior to that, he was the Head Performance Coach for The Philippine Olympic Committee preparing athletes from 22 different sports for the 2013 South East Asian Games and also lived and worked full time (2010-2012) in China as Head Performance Coach for WCBA team Guangdong Dolphin and CBA Junior Men’s Basketball Team in preparation for the 2012 World Junior Championships. Rick has also coached elite, national and international athletes in Basketball (NBL 9 years) with Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane Bullets and Gold Coast Blaze. Men’s and Women’s Olympic Sprint Kayak (AIS and QAS), Professional Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Women’s Rugby 7’s, Olympic Swimming and Beach/Track Sprinting. Rick is an accredited Level 3 PCAS Master Coach with the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association and is the ASCA Gold Coast SIG (Special Interest Group) Coordinator. QUOTES “The first impression that teams or squads get is what you deliver on the field” “It is what you walk past, you accept as a standard” “Know your floor, know your equipment and have contingencies ready to go with any session” “In large groups, it can be more about managing people than coaching during sessions” “You don’t want to go overboard with having an extra friend during the workout, there is work that needs to be done but once that work is done, all good and well to be social” SHOWNOTES 1) How Glenn, Rick and Stephen got started in strength and conditioning and their pathway 2) The logistics around dealing with large squads of athletes and making the right first impression 3) Safety considerations and utilizing the equipment you’ve got in a weight room 4) Dealing with peer pressure in S&C session amongst athletes and setting up groups within sessions 5) Having a separation between coach and athletes in the weight room 6) Practical advice for getting across every athlete in large groups and dealing with sports coaches in setting a good weight room culture 7) Balls, bands and having contingencies if session logistics change at a moment’s notice 8) The differences between learning from science and from other practitioners 9) Training loads, strength and power advances and female health focus groups PEOPLE MENTIONED Will Kraemer Dan Baker Brett Robinson Rob Beveridge Brianna Larson Kylie Cox Tracey Kolbe-Alexander Meeta Singh Pero Cameron