The Team Behind the Team

Host Donnie Maib discusses coaching technique and theory with fellow coaches around the country.

The Team Behind the Team

coaching

E35 | Peter Twist: From the NHL to the Mountains

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E35 | Peter Twist: From the NHL to the Mountains
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All the way from Vancouver B.C., Coach Peter Twist joins us to discuss his long and successful career in sport performance. He talks about his experiences with the Vancouver Canucks and writing the book, Complete Conditioning for Ice Hockey before heading into the private sector. Coach Twist also walks us through the details of fascial line training and getting out of the weight room for running in the mountains. This episode is packed with positive and insightful tips that you do not want to miss!

Peter Twist is from Peterborough Ontario, where he was drawn to becoming a Physical Education Teacher. Peter instead progressed to achieve his Masters in Coaching Science at the University of British Columbia. He graduated to work as a sport scientist conducting brain-body research and coached for 11 years in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks. Coach Twist has worked with over 700 professional athletes, published over 400 papers, authored 10 books and 19 DVD’s on athletic development. Two major honors include the NSCA’s 1998 Presidents Award and the Can-Fit-Pro 2003 Specialty Presenter of the Year Award. You can find Coach Twist on Instagram @coachpetertwist and on Facebook: Peter Twist

This episode was mixed and mastered by Will Kurzner

E32 | Zach Dechant: The Baseball Guru

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E32 | Zach Dechant: The Baseball Guru
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The long wait is over! Zach Dechant joins us in the studio to share his thoughts on strength training and topics alike. Coach Dechant works primarily with baseball players both Collegiate and Professional. In this episode, Donnie and Zach go in depth on shoulder health for the overhead athlete. We also cover the nature of baseball today and how he manages the volume his athletes accumulate over a long season. Finally, Zach talks about the books he’s written thus far and what he plans on writing next. This is a great episode you do not want to miss!

Since 2008, Zach has been the Senior Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning at Texas Christian University (TCU) overseeing the development of Baseball. Zach also runs his own business, Zach Dechant Sports Performance Enhancement, where he offers numerous courses, blog articles, resources and (2) books written by him. You can reach Zach at his website zachdechant.com.

This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Alejandra Arrazola and Clayton Faries

E 31 | Craig Moore: Building Trust and Tackling Food Insecurities

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E 31 | Craig Moore: Building Trust and Tackling Food Insecurities
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Craig Moore joins us in the studio to talk about his career as a Dietician in the collegiate setting. Craig spent time with us explaining the importance of “Buy-In” with athletes and coaches. This helped him engage with athletes on a more personal level and in turn, allowed him to prescribe in-depth nutrition strategies. Lastly, we discuss an important research thesis Craig completed on Food Insecurities, and how it affected athletes at home over the COVID pandemic.

Craig has recently accepted the position of Performance Nutritionist at the Red Bull Athletic Performance Center LA (APLCA) in Santa Monica, CA. Over the past three years he was the Head Football Dietician at the University of Texas. Craig received bachelor’s degrees in both Medical Dietetics and Nutrition & Exercise Physiology from the University of Missouri, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He completed his master’s degree from the University of Utah in Nutrition and Integrative Physiology. To contact Craig, go to @craigmoorerd on Instagram or email him at Craigmoorenutrition@gmail.com

E29 | Dan Fichter and Chris Korfist: Using the Brain to Unlock Athletic Performance

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E29 | Dan Fichter and Chris Korfist: Using the Brain to Unlock Athletic Performance
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Dan Fichter and Chris Korfist join us during their weekend visit to speak at the University of Texas Athletic Performance Clinic. Both Dan and Chris come from a background of traditional weight lifting while playing football at the Collegiate level. When it came to athletic performance, they both knew there had to be more than just lifting and running. They share their thoughts on their findings and their search for the next key to unlock Athletic potential. Tune in for a jam-packed episode with content that will challenge your thinking and open your mind to new concepts.

Chris Korfist is a high school educator who has coached track and football for 30 years. He also owns Slow Guy Speed School which is a private training facility that deals with athletes from all levels and sports. He is also co-author of Triphasic Training for Football and the Triphasic Spring-Ankle Model. He co-owns trackfootballconsortium.com and is the Co-founder of Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR). For more information, Chris can be reached at https://slowguyspeedschool.com.

Dan Fichter owns and operates Wannagetfast Power/Speed Training, a performance training business in the Upstate NY area that offers training to elite athletes. Dan has coached football at the high school and college level for over 17 years and is currently the Head Football Coach at Irondequoit High School in Rochester NY. For more information, Dan can be reached on his handle @wgf1 on both Twitter and Instagram. Content from both Dan and Chris can be found on https://trackfootballconsortium.com.

E27 | Adam Pecina: Leadership in Athletic Training

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E27 | Adam Pecina: Leadership in Athletic Training
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Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Texas, Adam Pecina joins us to discuss his career and some of his experiences that have affected him as both a leader and Athletic Trainer. From mentoring young, up and coming Athletic Trainers to working closely with Head Coaches in some of the most demanding positions in the country, Adam walks us through his mindset and daily approach. Additionally, Joe Krawczyk, the new co-host is introduced to the show. Tune in and enjoy!

Adam Pecina is the Assistant Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Texas, where he currently works directly with Men’s and Women’s Golf. Additionally, Adam helps oversee all other Olympic sports as well. Prior to Texas, Pecina worked as the Director of Sport Medicine at the United States Naval Academy from 2015-18 While at the Naval Academy he oversaw all aspects of medical care for 33 varsity sports with primary coverage of Men’s Basketball.

E25 | Tyler Friedrich: Becoming a Director in Athletic Performance

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E25 | Tyler Friedrich: Becoming a Director in Athletic Performance
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Stanford coach, Tyler Friedrich, joins Donnie Maib and Anna Craig at the 40 Acres while away from The Farm. Tyler explains the benefit of working with a variety of sports and elaborates on qualities he looks for in hiring coaches. He dives into how he’s utilized technology and the skill of presenting data to coaches. Tune in for more!


Tyler Friedrich is the Director of Olympic Sports Performance at Stanford University, where he currently works with Women’s Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Rowing, and Men’s Gymnastics. Prior to Stanford, Friedrich coached at Arizona State where he played a large role in integrating sport technology in the sport performance department.

This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Morgan Honaker

E24 | Nicolai Morris: Exploring Movement through Gymnastics

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E24 | Nicolai Morris: Exploring Movement through Gymnastics
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From across the world, Coach Nicolai Morris makes time in the midst of the Olympics to share her lens on training a variety of sports. She expounds on her use of gymnastics as a training strategy, the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach, and her joint founding of ‘Women in Sport’. 

Nicolai Morris is a Strength & Conditioning Specialist with High Performance Sport New Zealand. She coaches the New Zealand Women’s Field Hockey team, and has worked with a variety of sports including rowing, swimming, rugby, track & field, and more. Most recently, an athlete she coaches won the Silver Medal in the Women’s High Jump at the 2021 Olympics.

This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Kaia Daniel and Sofia Salter.

E23 | Zack Zillner: Anecdotes and Lessons in Sport Performance

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E23 | Zack Zillner: Anecdotes and Lessons in Sport Performance
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Zack Zillner joins us in the studio to share experiences and anecdotes from his career as a sport performance coach. Zack elaborates on characteristics of high performing teams, collaborating with sport coaches, the simplicity of specificity, KPIs for basketball players, and more. This episode is packed with coaching principles and lessons specific to strength and conditioning.

Coach Zack Zillner is starting his 5th season as the performance coach for Texas Women’s Basketball. Prior to Texas, he coached at Kansas, Illinois, and Southern Mississippi, working with a variety of sports that include women’s and men’s basketball, volleyball, women’s golf, and more.

This episode of The Team Behind the Team was mixed and mastered by Alejandra Arrazola.

E18 | Bonus episode: Coaches Round Table with Dan Pfaff and Loren Landow

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E18 | Bonus episode: Coaches Round Table with Dan Pfaff and Loren Landow
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Dan Pfaff and Coach Loren Landow join Donnie Maib and Anna Craig to take training back to the “Fundamentals and Foundations of Coaching and Performance”. This episode includes evaluation of sport and athletes, starting points in programming and conditioning, instilling fundamentals into high level athletes, the significance of movement literacy, and creating buy in.

Coach Dan Pfaff is a world-renowned track and field coach: including 49 Olympians, nine medalists, 51 World Championship competitors (also nine medalists), and five world-record holders. He has directed athletes to 57 national records across a multitude of events. He is currently the Head Coach for Altis-elite training for athletes, and a global leader in education for sport performance.

Coach Loren Landow enters his third year as the Broncos’ head strength and conditioning coach and is owner/founder of Landow Performance. He is a world-renowned movement and sports performance expert who is highly sought after for his ability to analyze and correct biomechanics. He has trained thousands of athletes of all ages and abilities.

E12 | Zach Even-Esh: Strength & Conditioning

The Team Behind the Team
The Team Behind the Team
E12 | Zach Even-Esh: Strength & Conditioning
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Well renowned coach, Zach Even-Esh, joins Donnie Maib and Mike Hanson to dive into Zach’s perspective as a veteran coach. Key topics discussed include coaching the modern athlete, the impact of training in different environments, the benefits of being a multifaceted coach, and a lot more. As always, Coach Even-Esh will leave you fired up with plenty of takeaways!

Zach Even-Esh is the founder of The Underground Strength Gym and creator of The Underground Strength Coach Certification. He has served in both the collegiate setting and private setting, working with hundreds of athletes from a number of sports. He is the author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning, and continues to provide many training resources on his website and speak to coaches around the country.