527: Josh Bray on The Hidden Layers of Athletic Development

In this episode, Daniel Back gets into the role of variety, play, and subconscious learning in developing speed and athleticism. He discusses resisted sprinting, why he avoids over-coaching acceleration mechanics, lessons from the dunk community, and the value of broad movement experience. Dan also explores extensive tempo, longer sprints, training volume, and why specialization and constant measurement can sometimes limit long-term athletic development. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer

In this episode, Josh Bray discusses how endurance training shaped his coaching perspective, the role of games and hidden intention in athletic development, and how roughhousing and free play build adaptable movers. He also explores bucketing athletes as elastic, muscular, or hybrid, using force-plate data without overcomplicating the process, balancing readiness with meaningful training stress, and employing open-ended prescriptions that let athletes self-regulate volume while preserving intent, quality, and engagement. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Joel Smith shares 20 coaching ideas that permanently reshaped how he trains athletes and himself. Drawing from influential books, mentors, training systems, personal experiments, and hard-earned mistakes, Joel explores intensity and recovery, potentiation, individualized strength, motor learning, games, rhythm, biomechanics, group dynamics, ritual, and athlete profiling. More than a list of methods, the episode traces his evolution from conventional programming toward a more adaptive, embodied, and human approach to performance. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses https://www.instagram.com/hammerstrengthofficial/ https://justflysports.thinkific.com/

Ryan Paul talks about blending sprint training with high-intent isometrics, plyometrics, and force-absorption work to build faster, more resilient athletes. He discusses the influence of Jay Schroeder’s system, using readiness data to adjust training, and creating environments that deepen athlete buy-in and intent. Ryan also explores “New Athlete shape,” the value of training through controlled failure, and why speed development requires more than simply running harder or adding traditional strength. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Kevin Mulcahy talks about using constraints to develop more complete athletes, helping gifted players move beyond their natural strengths, and designing practices that build decision-making, speed, and adaptability. He shares practical ideas for manipulating time, space, and rules to shape behavior, discusses balancing coordination work with game-based learning, and explains how individual athlete profiles, including explosive versus endurance-oriented players, should influence speed development, conditioning, and long-term injury prevention. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.

In this episode, Jake explores the principles that underpin resilient tendons and long-term athletic durability. The conversation covers key differences between Achilles and patellar tendon rehabilitation, how loading strategies should be adapted to each, and why avoiding dramatic peaks and valleys in training is essential for keeping tendons healthy. Jake also discusses the often-overlooked role of bone health and bone loading in performance, along with practical concepts coaches and athletes can use to build more robust, resilient lower limbs. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer

Scott Leech explores how constraints, games, and technology can enhance athletic development without sacrificing high-performance outcomes. Scott discusses adapting summer training around limited facilities, balancing speed and conditioning with GPS data, and using game-based drills to teach movement while maintaining athlete engagement. The conversation also dives into the psychology of coaching, variability in training, jump testing, vision work, and practical ways coaches can begin leveraging AI as a research assistant and organizational tool while preserving their own coaching philosophy and intuition. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer.

Today’s podcast guest is Joe Pedulla. Joe is a strength coach at the University of Oklahoma, where he oversees performance training for softball and women’s golf. Prior to Oklahoma, he coached in professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals organization and worked extensively in private-sector performance, helping athletes develop strength, speed, power, and resilience. This episode with Joe Pedulla explores how coaches can better identify what athletes truly need in speed, strength, and power development. Joe shares his path from small-college baseball player to SEC strength coach, including lessons from self-directed training, throwing development, and imperfect environments. The conversation dives into sprint profiling, athlete archetypes, resisted sprinting, tempo work, training buckets, and how coaches can balance general development with individualized performance needs. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer

In this episode, Julien explores resilience, energy allocation, and the deeper forces that shape athletic performance. He explains the phylogenetic hierarchy of the nervous system, how prior experiences influence behavior, and why emotions are better understood as questions rather than answers. The conversation also dives into competition, training environments, attention, and the role of meaningful challenge in athletic development. Throughout the discussion, Julien offers a unique perspective on performance that extends far beyond traditional strength and conditioning. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength

In this episode, Liz Gleadle shares insights about rhythm, throwing, emotional training, and the deeper human elements of performance. She discusses how hanging, rings, dance, breath, sound, and object-based play shaped her understanding of movement, coordination, and javelin technique. They also explore strength training, elasticity, gratitude, coaching energy, cultural rhythm, and how athletes can learn to move with more joy, confidence, reverence, and authentic physical expression. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses