Patrick Sapp and I go way back to our rookie days with the San Diego Chargers, and this conversation starts right where it should: with relationships, loyalty, and what it means to take care of people when nobody is watching. We talk about how those early years in the league shaped us, what it really feels like to fight for a roster spot no matter where you were drafted, and the kind of leadership and mentorship that shows up in small moments but changes your whole path. Those Chargers teams had strong examples, and we both carried those lessons forward.

We also discuss one of the most unique football journeys you will hear, as Pat walks through his decision to switch from quarterback at Clemson to linebacker. He breaks down the frustration, the competitive edge, the willingness to bet on himself, and how daily execution matters more than the size of the challenge. From there we talk transition, identity, and how he never allowed football to be the only thing he was. That mindset led him back to finish his degree, learn business through the right people, and step into high level development work where performance is measured in trust, relationships, and consistency.

Thanks to our podcast sponsors, Sorinex and EliteForm, for making these episodes possible.

In part two of my conversation with Dr. Paul Comfort, we shift from exercises and metrics to the bigger picture of performance itself. We unpack what performance really means and why it can never be reduced to a single number or test. Performance is technical, tactical, physical, psychological, emotional, and relational. It is how the mind and body work together in real time and how individuals come together inside a team. Paul reinforces that we do not control performance, we influence it. That influence is shaped by belief, trust, communication, and cohesion across the entire performance team. This conversation challenges young professionals in particular to trade the illusion of control for the responsibility of leadership and adaptability.

We then move into practical application around testing, assessment, and return to performance. Paul lays out how to structure testing batteries so fatigue does not distort results, why standardization matters, and how athlete behavior changes when you put numbers on a leaderboard. We explore how these same principles extend beyond sport into the military, where similar force and jump diagnostics are used to guide rehab and return to duty. His current work highlights a major gap in rehabilitation, where athletes regain strength but remain deficient in rapid force production. That missing piece may be what drives reinjury. This episode reminds us that data only matters if it changes what we do, and that true performance development lives at the intersection of science, psychology, and leadership.

Shout out to podcast sponsors, Sorinex and EliteForm, for making these episodes possible.

In this episode of Research 2 Reps, we had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Paul Comfort, whose work has influenced how so many of us think about Olympic lifting, power development, and applied sports science. Paul walks us through how his early research on pull variations reshaped real-world training for athletes who may not be ready for or suited to full catches. We talk about what happens when you shorten the pull, how power and rate of force development can actually improve, and why removing the catch is not the step backward some believe it to be. What stands out is how curiosity in the classroom turned into research that now guides programming across professional sport, collegiate athletics, and beyond.

Our conversation expands into force plate testing, biological variability, and what data is actually worth acting on. Paul challenges the idea of collecting information for the sake of collecting it and pushes us to ask what meaningful change really looks like. We explore the difference between influencing performance and trying to control it, especially in complex team environments where psychology, leadership, nutrition, recovery, and belief play massive roles. This episode is a reminder that great performance systems are built through cohesion, clarity, and humility. We do not control outcomes, but we can shape environments that give athletes their best chance to succeed.

Big thanks to podcast sponsors, Sorinex and EliteForm, for making these episodes possible.

In part two of my conversation with Jason Dierking, we pick up right where we left off and go even deeper into leadership, identity, and what it really looks like to build a staff and a culture that lasts. Jason talks about how he structures his sports performance department, how he intentionally develops his coaches, and why character has to come first if you want sustained excellence. We get into the reality of retention, growth, trust, communication, and why leaders have to create an environment where people feel valued, challenged, and capable of doing meaningful work. Jason also opens up about the importance of knowing who you are beyond your job title and why identity has to be grounded in something bigger than wins, roles, or achievements.

From there, we dive into his work with Louisville swimming and diving and really break down what goes into training world class athletes in a sport that requires a completely different level of precision, creativity, and understanding. Jason talks about how he blends culture, athletic development, resiliency, and science, and why collaboration with sport coaches is critical to doing it right. We also spend time talking about their training facility, how it has evolved, and why environment matters when you are trying to develop champions. Jason closes this conversation with a powerful reminder about staying grounded in your values and knowing who you are no matter what role you are in. This is a thoughtful, honest, and incredibly insightful continuation of our discussion, and I think you are going to get a lot out of it.

Big thanks to podcast sponsors, Sorinex and EliteForm, for making these episodes possible!

In part 1 of this Beyond Sets & Reps episode, I get to sit down with my friend Jason Dierking, the Director of Olympic Sports Performance at the University of Louisville. We talk about his path from growing up in the Midwest to becoming one of the most respected leaders in our profession. Jason opens up about how his faith, values, and love for the training process shaped who he is as a coach and a person. We look back at how the field has changed, how discipline and gratitude were built into him early, and how those lessons still guide the way he serves athletes today.

We also get into his journey as a grad assistant, his first full-time jobs, and what it was like taking on more responsibility while trying to keep learning and growing. Jason talks honestly about long days, heavy workloads, learning to delegate, and the mentors who helped him along the way. He shares what it meant to step into a leadership role at Louisville and how focusing on relationships, culture, and doing things the right way has helped move their program forward. It is a real conversation about character, perseverance, and leading with purpose in a high-performance world.

Shoutout to podcast sponsors, Sorinex and EliteForm, for making these episodes possible!

In part 2 of my conversation with Brett Hayes, we move from technology and tools into the real glue that holds high performance environments together. Brett talks about what happens when biomechanics, sport science, and strength and conditioning all show up in the same room speaking different "languages," and how ego, vocabulary, and mixed messages can quietly tear teams apart. He shares stories from our days at Mizzou, working with people like Bryan Mann, and how using less threatening language, asking coaches to teach us their terms, and leading with humility builds the trust you need before any data, platform, or protocol can actually matter.

From there, we get into the weeds on the body and the brain. Brett walks through how issues like SI joint dysfunction can impact the entire kinematic chain and why quick fixes like heel lifts often miss the real problem. We talk about shifting from being "the expert with the magic hands" to being a teacher who empowers strength coaches, athletic trainers, and athletes to see what we see. That rolls right into return to play, where Brett explains why athletes must be included in the decision, educated on their own data, and trusted to understand what their body is telling them. Ernie ties it all together with research on "conceptual confusion" in healthcare teams, reinforcing that clear shared language is not soft skill, it is performance infrastructure. Brett closes with leadership book recommendations and a reminder that as you get older in this profession, the real win is not proving how much you know, but multiplying your impact by developing others.

Shoutout to Sorinex and EliteForm for making these episodes possible!

In this episode of the Research 2 Reps Roundtable, I sit down with my longtime friend and collaborator Brett Hayes, a physical therapist who helped us shape what we now call corrective biomechanics. Brett shares how his journey from the Pacific Northwest and years with the Seattle Seahawks led him to Mizzou, where we started connecting clinical rehab principles with what was happening in the weight room and on the field. We talk about how that shared vision turned into real systems, including our early work with the DARI markerless motion capture platform, and how that technology helped us move past opinion and get everyone on the same page with objective joint vulnerability data instead of just "coach's eye" arguments.

From there, we dig into how Brett and Dr. Ernie Rimer have taken that work to the University of Louisville, using sport science as the bridge between sports medicine, strength and conditioning, and performance. Brett walks through how baselining women's basketball with DARI and building targeted interventions helped reduce injuries five-fold over three seasons, and why the real separator is not the gadget, but integration, communication, and athlete education. We also get into athlete trust, why pros sometimes go outside the system to get scanned, and how explaining the "why" behind any intervention is now mandatory if we want true buy-in and long-term career longevity for our athletes.

Shoutout to Sorinex and EliteForm for making these episodes possible!

In part two, I press into a word we throw around too loosely in college athletics: development. Rashard and I sort out the differences between strength and conditioning, scholar-athlete development across leadership, career, life skills and community, player development for team ROI, and capital or NIL fundraising. We also talk brass tacks on funding: start with your head coach and your development office, get everyone at the same table, and design experiences that help athletes grow while giving donors and corporate partners something meaningful to support. Rashard is clear that the NIL and portal era affects a small slice of athletes, while most still want to be led, challenged, and exposed to real world opportunities. That hunger shows up powerfully at D2, D3, and HBCU programs when you bring them access.

Rashard walks through his book, Scholar Athlete Elite, a practical four-quarter guide from freshman to senior year that tackles NIL, academics, mental health, redshirting, and more. He explains his company like a career agency for athletes, identifying talent, developing it through micro-internships and curated trips, and placing athletes on winning teams in business, with a nonprofit arm to open doors for underserved schools. We finish on his vision for NIL ownership, giving athletes micro experiences in entrepreneurship, and a look back at how his own yes to opportunities set the foundation. If you lead athletes, this is a blueprint for building people first, then watching performance follow.

Shoutout to Sorinex and EliteForm for making these episodes possible!

In this episode of Beyond Sets & Reps, I sit down with Rashard Hall, a man who's redefining what it means to be a scholar-athlete. From his days as a standout safety at Clemson under Coach Dabo Swinney to his current mission helping athletes find purpose beyond the game, Rashard's story is all about resilience, faith, and impact. We talk about the mindset that helped him go from a redshirt to an All-American, how adversity prepared him for life after football, and how his passion evolved into founding Scholar Athlete Elite, a company dedicated to developing athletes holistically in sport, career, and character. We also explore the power of relationships and mentorship through our mutual friend Patrick Sapp, and how the bonds built on and off the field can shape entire careers. Rashard's approach reminds us that success is not just about stats or accolades, but about who you become in the process and how you pour into others. If you have ever wondered how to prepare athletes for life beyond competition, this conversation will make you rethink what true development really means.

Shoutout to Sorinex and EliteForm for making these episodes possible!

In the second half of the episode, we take the discussion deeper into the evolution of sport science and the challenges of applying it across different environments. Emaly and I talk about how athletes transition from national teams to their college or professional programs and the difficulties that come with inconsistent resources and data. We also explore how sports scientists are learning to balance the practical realities of technology with the need for accurate and reliable data. The conversation touches on real issues like injury prevention, pain management, and how performance staff can use individualized approaches to make the biggest impact.

This part of the episode also focuses on how the role of sports science has become more athlete-facing. It is no longer just about the back-end data. It is about trust, education, and helping athletes make better choices for themselves. We discuss strategies that go beyond the lab, from sleep education to recovery tools, and how coaches and scientists can better listen to athletes about what matters to them. The takeaway here is that true performance progress happens when the science is individualized and when athletes feel empowered to take ownership of their development.

Shoutout to Sorinex and EliteForm for making these episodes possible!

In the first half of my conversation with Emaly Vatne on the Research to Reps Roundtable, we dig into her background as both an Ohio State soccer alum and a sport science researcher. She shares how early experiences with HRV monitoring and internal load metrics sparked her curiosity for performance science and eventually shaped her career path. We talk through her master's thesis work with the women's hockey program and how she was able to quantify the effects of training load on recovery and sleep. Hearing her perspective reminded me of how critical it is to bridge research with real-life application so that the numbers we collect can actually help athletes perform and recover better.

We also explore the role of culture and buy-in, which is something Emaly highlights through her experience working with championship-level teams. It is one thing for athletes to comply with wearing devices, but another when they compete with one another to improve their numbers because they understand what the data means. This first part of the episode really sets the stage for how sport science is more than just tracking numbers. It is about creating a culture where athletes are curious, engaged, and invested in their own performance.

Shoutout to Sorinex and EliteForm for making these episodes possible!