Tom Williams | Development & Data Storytelling in the LA Galaxy System

Tom Williams’ journey to Head of Performance and Sport Science for Major League Soccer (MLS) powerhouse, the Los Angeles (LA) Galaxy, began at a crossroads: pursue traditional coaching or medical pathways. As a soccer “Swiss Army knife,” he embraced early sport science alongside coaching, building a career defined by collaboration and innovation. At the Galaxy, Williams is part of a web of support that uses rich data storytelling tailored to stakeholders and players, guiding decisions and infusing value in every encounter. This system drives their three key pillars: winning championships — including their recent record-breaking sixth MLS Cup — developing a robust academy pipeline, and leading innovation. In MLS’s “cultural melting pot,” Williams balances diverse backgrounds and short-term demands like fixture congestion while employing sustainable long-term strategies. With a unique full-time cognitive department and creative approaches like dodgeball warm-ups, he combines trust and ingenuity to elevate performance and presents a blueprint for those exploring emerging sport science.

Reach out to Tom on LinkedIn: @tom-williams and X/Twitter: @Williams26Tom | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs  

Did you know MLS has a newly mandated Certified Performance and Sport Scientist® (CPSS®) role? Engage with NSCA’s Pro Sport Partner, the Professional Soccer Performance Association (PSPA), on social media to learn more:
Instagram: @pspa_performance 

X/Twitter: @PSPA_perform

LinkedIn: @professional-soccer-performance-association

“Our day in the life for us, it's to try and create that web of support, as I said earlier, and be across as many departments, and deliver our key messages specifically to those stakeholders rather than trying to work in isolation.” 12:55

“Be the best person in that role. Like, bring it. If you're the intern, be the best intern that they've ever had. If you're the fifth S&C, then be the best fifth S&C coach they've ever had. Because for me, everything matters all of the time, and those things never go unnoticed. Even though you might not see it eventually, you keep doing that every single day and being that best person. Then you will get there. It's just inevitable.” 28:30

“There's so many sports out there that need an edge. They need something that someone else isn't doing. And if you can provide that gap, then it enhances that team, that performance department, that medical department. It enhances all those things just by bringing that 1% something that's novel.” 29:55

[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING]

[00:00:02.62] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast, Season 8, Episode 16.

[00:00:08.32] Be the best person in that role. Like, bring it. If you're the intern, be the best intern that they've ever had. If you're the fifth S&C, then be the best fifth S&C coach they've ever had. Because for me, everything matters all of the time, and those things never go unnoticed. Even though you might not see it, eventually you keep doing that every single day and being that best person. Then you will get there.

[00:00:34.86] This is the NSCA's Coaching Podcast where we talk to strength and conditioning coaches about what you really need to know but probably didn't learn in school. There's strength and conditioning, and then there's everything else.

[00:00:45.68] This is the NSCA Coaching Podcast. I'm Eric McMahon, NSCA's Coaching and Sports Science Program Manager. And today, we're taking a day in the life of a performance and sports scientist. Our guest is Tom Williams, Head of Performance and Sports Science with the LA Galaxy. Tom, welcome.

[00:01:04.48] Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here.

[00:01:07.18] Yeah, we've been talking for a little bit now. You have a really cool role in LA with the Galaxy. And we've been learning a lot this season on the podcast about just some of the efforts and things going on throughout MLS as it is in strength and conditioning, but especially on the sports science front. So to get us started, could you describe your unique path with the MLS and leading you up to the Galaxy?

[00:01:36.97] Yeah. I mean, it's probably not too dissimilar to most people who sit in my position, apart from the fact that I've come from the UK. Ambitions to be a soccer player back in the UK, back in Wales. Didn't work out. So I found myself-- to be honest, I found myself at a crossroads. It was either the coaching side or the medical side because at that moment, there was no-- there was no sports science. There was no S&C around. I think that's something that developed further down my career.

[00:02:06.32] So I took the coaching path to begin with, doing all my soccer coaching licenses with the Football Association of Wales. And then I think that's when sports science started emerging towards-- I don't know-- the end of my coaching badges or a part within that. There was a period where sports science was integrated into it. And I was like, oh, this is pretty different. It's pretty unique. It's not quite medical. It's not coaching.

[00:02:34.49] And then I found myself in this sports science realm. I went to school in Loughborough University, did my undergrad in sports science. And then from then, ended up being kind of a Swiss army knife in football. I was coaching. I was doing some early sports science things there that wasn't really anything to do with sports science, but [LAUGHS] just weighing players in and things like that.

[00:02:56.39] And then it turned out that that really kind of developed and really took off, especially on the sports science side in the UK. So I found myself moving away from the coaching side into sports science. My first role was with Mansfield town, who were in the fifth division at the time. So a long way away from anything that's Premier League.

[00:03:20.14] But it was my-- it was a big eye-opener for me to work with professional players three days a week and coaching the team, taking the warm-ups, weighing the players in, doing some taping, doing some strapping. Ended up being the Swiss army knife of it all, which is a great place to start.

[00:03:37.12] And from then, kind of moved into different roles at Sheffield United with a return to play specialist. I had four years there. Moved to Leicester City as head of S&C with the Academy, overseeing the whole pathway.

[00:03:49.94] And then that's when it kind of transitioned into MLS. Moved over to Toronto FC at the end of 2016 as S&C sports science in a position there, and haven't looked back since, to be honest. It was something that was always interesting to me to change paths, change cultures, experience something new. I mean, in the UK, pretty much it's the same exposure really dependent, like-- sorry.

[00:04:21.26] It's the same exposure in every league in terms of travel, in terms of environment. It's very similar. So coming out to MLS where you have to deal with so many other situations in terms of environment and different fields, travel was a huge pull for me to go and try something new in terms of a sport science exposure.

[00:04:42.55] So you mentioned there's the coaching path and the medical path. And obviously, now we're talking more about a sports science path or a performance path. Where do you see sports science positioned? Is it filling a void that wasn't met by those existing areas, or is it more of a blend of those areas?

[00:05:04.41] I think it's a bit of a blend, to be honest. I feel like sports science, it's on occasion kind of mislabeled into data science as opposed to out-and-out sports science. So I think there's a misconception of what it actually is.

[00:05:22.53] And I think-- like, listen. For me, data science is something that should exist within the majority of roles, if it's coaching, if it's medical, if it's S&C. You have to do your recon. You have to get information. And that will guide the experience or guide intuition.

[00:05:38.04] So data science for me comes within all of those areas. And sports science is slightly different in that side because you're not a true practitioner. I mean, the role doesn't really involve you to be coaching too much, but it's collecting a lot of different touchpoints from different departments and creating a good story, how you can help support the team. And by supporting the team, it's not just the team on the field. It's the team off the field, and interlinking as many departments as you can.

[00:06:07.80] So that's where I kind of see that sports science going. It's more collaboration. It's better storytelling through the information that's gathered. And then information that's coming from the coaching side or coming from the medical side. It's kind of interlinking that information and providing good reports that are specific to that stakeholder, that department, rather than having this unified report that's just like, well, here's the daily report.

[00:06:37.48] Well, that's different if it's going to the head coach, or the general manager, or to the players, or to the medical team. You're not really telling them a true story from that. So I feel like you have to have good people skills, good interpersonal skills to connect all this information. And I've been able to listen and pull that information together in the best possible way.

[00:06:58.17] That's something I found out early in my career when I was building a report way back in the day, and I was so impressed with it. I'm like, this thing is amazing. It was an Excel pivot table. It's all singing, all dancing. And then when I put it in front of the coach, it was like, they just didn't care.

[00:07:12.78] But I'm like, well, why don't you care? Because this is great. I've spent a lot of time doing this. It tells a good story, but it's telling my story. It's not engaging the end user. So I think that's where I see sports science going, is trying to integrate more into these different departments and draw out what people want from the department rather than what we want out of it.

[00:07:36.85] I love that you said data science exists really in every area, because we have a lot of strength and conditioning coaches who listen who maybe don't consider themselves full-fledged sports scientists yet or just in the roles that they have. But testing, monitoring, these are all things that exist within strength and conditioning, independent of all the things that are going on in the sports science space, which is emerging.

[00:08:04.11] So it's interesting to hear that because there is that huge misconception of really just, how good do you want to be with your testing program, with your monitoring information? And I love that you said being a better storyteller, because there comes a point in every coach or professional's life where you're not just communicating with fellow coaches and the athletes you have. You're communicating with a general manager or a leader of your front office who really doesn't understand all the things we know.

[00:08:41.94] So how do you put it in terms they're going to understand? And then how do you make it meaningful? I think you really-- you hit the nail on the head in terms of how you relate that information. I think it's so meaningful for all of our listeners to hear that.

[00:09:01.85] As you show up at the pitch every single day, as you show up at the stadium, what does a typical day look like for someone in your role? What kind of staff do you have working under you, with you? Who do you collaborate with most? Take us through that a little bit.

[00:09:25.41] Yeah. I mean, that's kind of the beauty of it, that you get to spread yourself across so many different departments and so many different people. And something for me is one of my core values is to try and make that person in front of you feel special at every moment and try and engage them.

[00:09:43.97] So I spend a lot of my time first thing in the morning in conversations with players, with coaches, with the medical staff. We try and be as collaborative as possible and give them time to share their concerns, their thoughts on the day, and try and bring all that information together.

[00:10:05.47] So that leads me to have a richer story when I go and speak to the coaches, as opposed to going in and saying, hey, we need to hit x amount of high-speed distance today, or hit x amount of [INAUDIBLE] today. That's something that I need to share, but it needs to come in from a more collaborative path.

[00:10:22.48] How are the players feeling? How are they checking in? What are the medical teams saying? What did the data say from yesterday? What am I hearing the coaches wanting to do today? How does that fit into the training week?

[00:10:33.10] So it's organized chaos. It's never just this simple way that I can come in and just speak to the coaches or any department and share the information. Like I said earlier, it's trying to create the richest story possible that leads that-- that leads meaningful information for the guys.

[00:10:53.62] So the way I see our department blending-- so we have-- Jim Liston is our Director of Innovation and Performance. We have Adam Waterson who's our strength and conditioning coach. And then we have a second team, S&C coach in an Academy and an individual development performance coach that sit around us. And we'll work throughout the entire organization from the first team to the Academy and try and follow that similar blended approach where we have lots of communication and collaboration.

[00:11:23.09] And when we came into the Galaxy, it was important for us to create something different, trying to create something sustainable in terms of a sports science department. So obviously, the Galaxy being a big brand, it's a big organization within MLS there. The expectation from our ownership group is to compete for championships, right? We want to develop as many players as we can from our Academy, and we want to be a leader in performance innovation and different winning strategies.

[00:11:52.45] So for us, it's trying to support that vision as best we can. And from our performance standpoint, we need to link and support as many departments around those three key pillars that give us that foundation to really go and help support the organization's goals rather than working in-- I'm going to use a cliche, but in silos. It is trying to spread ourselves very broad across departments.

[00:12:19.63] The way we see it, we are the experts in our area of taking 1% of doing work in the gym, of testing and monitoring. We already know that. But it's taking that and making what we get from it as meaningful as possible to fit the organization's goals.

[00:12:37.07] And I think it can be easily said [INAUDIBLE] our team, we run the most in games. Our output is high. We have the least amount of injuries. But if the team are faltering, and they're not making the playoffs, and they're not around it, then we're not really supporting anything. We're just looking after what we want to do. So our day in the life for us, it's to try and create that web of support, as I said earlier, and be across as many departments, and deliver our key messages specifically to those stakeholders rather than trying to work in isolation.

[00:13:10.30] And a key thing around it, around our athlete we try and build something called our H structures. And our H structures are kind of split into multiple departments. So if we look at our Sports Science Performance Department on the physical side, the key areas that we look to affect from a player would be motor general, which would be their physical abilities and lifestyle, which would be sleep, nutrition, and habits around off-field issues that we'd look to have as our key pillars.

[00:13:45.27] Then that moves into the technical or tactical side, and then motor-specific. So they're the key areas that the coaching staff are looking to develop. And then the other four areas-- we're lucky as an organization. We have a Cognitive Department, which is very unique to have a full-time Cognitive Department within the MLS, even in football in general.

[00:14:06.36] That department would look after the emotional side, the personality, the cognitive, and the socio-affective. So there are now H structures collaborating around every single player, every day. And we're trying to affect each of those elements from our departmental values, and then how those H structures then affect the key pillars to the organization's success of competing for championships, develop and refine players, and then being a leader in innovation and research. So that was a very long-winded answer.

[00:14:37.74] No, it's great. Yeah. Yeah. So what I'm hearing is you have a comprehensive program across the entire LA Galaxy system, and athletes have a lot of opportunity to receive services. But I want to ask you kind of a sport culture question. When you hear the words sports science-- and I'll just put my US bias into this-- I automatically think soccer and I'm thinking rugby, the international sports that make their way to the US. And some of these concepts have evolved from that.

[00:15:14.35] There's a lot of sports where you might have athletes maybe not as open to the level of service or intervention that you have with sports science. And so how do you-- one, does this exist in your world where athletes-- hey, I don't want to be a lab rat here. I just want to go out there and play.

[00:15:33.71] Or is it something where-- I'm thinking of a reserve or somebody that needs to do extra work to maintain their playability out there. Do you have culture challenges within the sport around sports science, or do you feel like sports science and soccer is a little more evolved?

[00:15:59.18] I mean, I think you've hit the nail on the head there talking about cultural differences, really for me, because MLS is such a melting pot of different cultures. And if you've had players that have come through the collegiate system, they understand. They understand strength and conditioning. They've been in the gym before. You can kind of let them go through it in physical development and feel they understand it.

[00:16:20.12] If you were dealing with a player from South America that hasn't had an infrastructure around them, they don't speak the language, it's very, very difficult when we're trying to-- and you can't throw a blanket over it. And that's kind of my point of being-- you want to make that person in front of you feel as special as possible.

[00:16:36.46] And to quote Martin Bashir on it, it's the laser-guided missile. So I'm making sure that that person understands exactly what they need to achieve out of today. I'm not putting as much information as maybe a player who has come through the collegiate system. They understand data. They understand physical development.

[00:16:56.41] But then maybe this player has never seen data before. They don't know why it's important to sprint and train. So it's sitting down and having those quick conversations as to giving them the why. This is why it's important. It's education. It's building trust in our program of why we're looking to enhance this without bombarding them with information.

[00:17:17.97] And then slowly increasing the information day by day, session by session so they start to then develop this more rounded approach as, oh, this is why we're doing it. Because I think it's arrogant for us as practitioners to come in and just assume everyone knows, everyone can do what we do. You have to respect where players have been.

[00:17:41.67] And they might have been doing something way better than they've done at the Galaxy, so it's important for us to listen, to gain information. Again, we're data science. We're getting some recon. We're getting some information from these players of what they've done, what they like to do, and how we integrate their training backgrounds into our system.

[00:18:00.04] And that's something that's really difficult to do because you've got 28 players. And we've got Japanese players. We've got African players, Europeans, Americans, South Americans. And it's a difficult task to really engage every single one of those every single day.

[00:18:17.88] So then we look at the players who can handle more information. You can say, hey, this is what you need out of today. Good. Yes. Move on. And now I can spend more time with the players who need a little bit more of an arm around them or some more development into why it's important.

[00:18:35.76] So I like the analogy, that laser-guided missile. And one thing that jumps out is we can't just be responsible for the information or the data that we're communicating. We actually have to be teachers of the concepts at large, almost like an elementary school teacher or a primary school teacher where you really have a blank canvas in terms of, OK, you're giving me all this. I don't really know what it all is. You put it in really simple terms at first.

[00:19:05.83] And from there, it grows and expands. And ultimately, someone has a deeper understanding of, one, how these things help them, but two, how they can activate the system or engage with the information to be like, how am I actually doing? Use it as performance feedback.

[00:19:26.55] So in terms of a question here, do you see a lot of what you do as providing instantaneous feedback? I think of players on the sideline reviewing video or something that just happened. Or do you see it more long-ranging in terms of, hey, what you're doing today, you're focused on the game, but we want to really make sure you're going to last the whole season here?

[00:19:53.76] Yeah, it's both, to be honest. We need it to have one eye on the long game and what's around the corner, but also giving them the right information at the right time. Obviously, MLS is getting to the point now where fixture congestion is a big deal, where Champions League, Leagues Cup, these new tournaments that are coming into this season end up being physically taxing on the players.

[00:20:22.11] And it's similar in Europe. I mean, the big teams deal with it, but the big teams don't have to deal with a salary cap. They don't have all the roster restrictions that we have over here. They don't have to deal with the travel as much as this. So it's more taxing, and it takes more out of the players in MLS than it does. And so it's harder to say, well, it happens there as well.

[00:20:41.04] So we have to have one eye on what's happening down the season and when we can get players ready to perform in those fixture congestions, when we need to rotate players, what information needs to be delivered to the coaches around their robustness. Like, can they turn around games in 48 hours, or are they players that they're a little bit older, they have a longer injury history? Maybe it's not the best thing to take them to play on turf in Seattle on a Wednesday night when you've got games either side of it.

[00:21:10.51] So having one eye on that is vitally important. But to get there, we need to start to build that case study around each player so we know what they can do, what they're capable of doing throughout a normal training week.

[00:21:25.99] So yeah, in a simple sense, you have to take each training cycle. So a week cycle and go, how do the players respond to this cycle? Now what's a worst case? How do they respond to that? And then we start to create that clearer picture of what the players can do and how we communicate that information to the other departments.

[00:21:50.39] So now to the long-term side of it, I want to ask you about the Academy level. You have the opportunity to develop players for an extended period of time so that they can help you at the highest level with the Galaxy. How well integrated are those systems in today's MLS? Do you see a lot of growth there with the areas you're working on?

[00:22:16.37] I do. And since I've come into MLS, I've seen a huge change in the Academy setup. I think when I first came in, there was not many teams that had a full Academy structure, and there was a lot more riding on the draft and players coming through there when the draft is still in-- you can bring-- you can get some diamonds coming out of the draft.

[00:22:36.95] But now with the Academy structures, you can find out so much more about a player early on and then see how that information and that player then develops over their journey through each Academy team. So we can get far more information on what they look like, how they're progressing.

[00:22:56.98] If we get a player from the collegiate system, we basically get a quick snapshot. And that's someone coming from a three-month season as opposed to someone we've had for six years in the organization. So it's something that our department tries to do is to have a clear pathway from a physical development standpoint, from the first team all the way through to our full-time Academy team.

[00:23:26.69] So we a school on site, which is unique. I think Philly Union are the same. Maybe Salt Lake have a school on site. So we have our players-- we have access to our players all the time. So we don't really have to wait for them to finish school, then come in, and then we've got to start training with the Academy group there.

[00:23:43.56] We have them on campus all day, every day, which then starts to create, again, more of an ethos of, this is the Galaxy way. This is the methodology. There's more clarity in how we're trying to develop it, which I think really kind of gives that some more richness in terms of the physical development side. And also their technical, tactical, H structures development because it all ends up being within the club all day, which is a big win for us.

[00:24:16.11] So digging into your background a little bit, I saw you came up with the UKSCA. Obviously certified with us at the NSCA. And a lot of our members and certificants are here in North America.

[00:24:31.53] In terms of jobs and opportunities-- I get asked all the time, OK, I know sports science is here. This is a window of opportunity for me professionally. How do I pursue that maybe for a student or someone getting their bachelor's or master's degree? What advice do you have for those that maybe want to follow in your footsteps, but from this side of the world?

[00:24:57.25] Beg, steal, or borrow. Knock as many doors as you can. Volunteer as much as you can. Stand in front of as many different people as you possibly can. For me, it's huge.

[00:25:08.50] Like, when I first started coaching, I'd coach community. I'd be out in high schools doing PE. I'd be coaching girls teams. I'd be coaching whoever I possibly could just to stand in front of a group and gain that experience and work with them. This is before even sports science was a thing.

[00:25:28.19] But it gave me the confidence to be like, I can do this. I can take a session with whoever is standing in front of me. So that's something I definitely think is important, is to gain that confidence, gain that experience to be in front of different people, because it will teach you so much more than a textbook will teach you or a class will teach you.

[00:25:57.46] When things don't go well, you have to pivot. You have to adjust on the fly to do that. And then when you're in a performance center or a sports science setting when the coach said, hey, we're not doing that, you've already had experience of having to pivot or adjust to some information. It doesn't come as so much of a shock to you.

[00:26:16.57] So that's something I think is really, really important, even if you're-- and that's S&C. That's sport science. That's coaching. It's the same thing. It's have that ability to be in front of different demographics at any point, different ages, and how you can communicate information and get the group to do something that you want them to do.

[00:26:36.72] Mm-hmm. And one thing I think about just from what you're saying-- I mean, obviously, sports science is pretty well established in soccer, the international sports that we were talking about. But I challenge coaches and professionals to actually think of how you could apply this information in other sports. I mean, talk about, uncharted territory where you could go to a sport that really doesn't have the full presence that we're talking about of these areas and be someone leading it forward. That could build your whole career.

[00:27:14.78] I mean, so it's encouraging to think that way for professionals, that we're a quickly evolving field. Like you said, even within soccer in Europe, there was so many things that we're doing now that we weren't doing years ago. And I just want coaches to know that there's so many other areas of our field that are untapped.

[00:27:38.90] And it can be really encouraging to think that way so that maybe when you're just getting started, you don't feel so far behind. Because I think that's a common emotion or feeling that coaches have, is like, OK, I'm the fifth guy on the football staff, or I'm the last assistant. I'm the intern.

[00:28:02.30] I'm doing all the grunt work. When am I going to get an opportunity to build my expertise and gain some experience in this? And I like what you said. Get in front of any group you can.

[00:28:15.73] Yeah. And I think that comes with it. Like, even if you are-- even if there is a big hierarchy ahead of you and you can't see that break in the wave, then be the best person in that role. Like, bring it. If you're the intern, be the best intern that they've ever had. If you're the fifth S&C, then be the best fifth S&C coach they've ever had.

[00:28:35.71] Because for me, everything matters all of the time, and those things never go unnoticed. Even though you might not see it eventually, you keep doing that every single day and being that best person. Then you will get there. It's just inevitable.

[00:28:51.77] The moment that you don't see the break in the wave and then you lose confidence or you lose sight of it, then you're not bringing-- you're not bringing the best you to the table. And then that's when you're like, eh, OK. Someone else can come in.

[00:29:04.61] Yeah. Your character and professionalism are always on display in any of these roles. Your athletes see it. Your fellow coaches, the front office, athletic directors, anyone around you. And it's really-- I mean, there's something to say of keeping some positivity in our profession, even when it gets challenging, because these can be challenging roles to break into.

[00:29:32.16] Certainly. And that's part of the role is it's a challenging role when you're in it. So if you've had challenges to get there, then it makes things far easier when you're in. Not saying it's easy, but you've had that experience in doing it. So yeah, I think it's-- there's so many more opportunities than there used to be.

[00:29:54.15] And like you said, there's so many sports out there that need an edge. They need something that someone else isn't doing. And if you can provide that gap, then it enhances that team, that performance department, that medical department. It enhances all those things just by bringing that 1% something that's novel.

[00:30:13.82] So something that I'll do when we're taking the warm-ups on the field-- and it stuck with me since early, early days when I was at Sheffield United of a traditional warm-up in soccer is that you get guys in lines, and you're just running. And you're doing dynamics. You're doing these things like that.

[00:30:30.20] And then I thought, you know what? Some of these guys have been doing this for maybe, like, 20 years, and it's just mindless. It's not engaging. It's not giving them anything. It's just, do what we've always done, because this is the one in football.

[00:30:42.95] You can learn so much from other sports. There's so much out there that you can take from a physical development side. Like, we played dodgeball the other day, which was a-- it's great. The guys had a blast. They're not running in a straight lines. You've got 35-year-olds that have never done this before. But they're having fun. They're engaged in a different way. You can do so many different things there.

[00:31:07.23] If it's like martial arts with the Academy players and teaching them how to fall, how to roll, how to get up in different positions. And it's not just, hey, we're going to do A skips and B skips-- and I'm not saying that there is no place for that. But be creative, right? As a coach, put yourself out there to be different, right? It doesn't have to be just the same way all the time.

[00:31:31.44] And I think that's something that goes back to your original point of when you're coming up in coaching or sports science performance then, you've been in front of different groups, you've gained some confidence, you can try something different. And there's times I'll do something that will completely fall down, but I'll know when to stop it. Just go, that was terrible. I'm never going to do that again.

[00:31:52.06] [LAUGHS]

[00:31:52.29] But if I hadn't have done it, then I wouldn't know. But then if you have a relationship with a group, you've made those guys feel special over the course of the time they're at the club, you can have that relationship to do that with the group. Like, it doesn't matter so much, right? If the coach is doing it and they're a little bit separated from the playing group in terms of relationships and the drill is terrible, the guys are like, that sucked.

[00:32:18.32] But from the performance side, you can throw something out there that's different. If it didn't work, you'd be like, oh, well. It didn't work. And they can all kind of have a bit of a laugh at you, so you're not taking yourself that seriously.

[00:32:29.73] And I think that's something that we can take in the industry to be a little bit more lighthearted with what we're trying to develop. It doesn't have to be so stringent and strict and by the book. Open it up and you might find far more answers.

[00:32:45.59] I like that. And I like the point about exploring other sports, especially if you've been in one sport for a long time, because you might just see a whole different culture or energy or enthusiasm or activity that you can just apply. Like, you were talking about warm-up. I mean, warm-up is important, but is it the be all and end all, the daily warm-up that you're doing every day? It can be very mundane. It's important to spice things up and make it fun and engaging, like you're saying.

[00:33:16.06] And that's really a time that you can do that as a strength and conditioning coach or performance coach. So I think that's a really refreshing take for all of our listeners to think about is, find those opportunities when you can interject something fun, something engaging, yourself a little bit.

[00:33:36.80] Even if it doesn't work out, get them on board. Give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, just own it and say, hey, we're not going to do that again, and they can laugh. But you're doing that together, and that builds the team culture. It really helps things when maybe you're not out there. With the LA Galaxy in front of fans in a huge city with just all the things that go with at the highest level, there's a lot that comes down on the performance staff that we can do to really create a positive experience for our athletes.

[00:34:13.79] So Tom, this is awesome, man. I love your perspective and how you've kind of brought it from coaching to some of the performance and analytics. I like that you really put it on all of us, regardless of your role in the field, to explore that analytical mindset.

[00:34:32.55] But it's not the be all and end all. There's context. You have to know the sport really well. I'm sure you're going to have some people wanting to reach out and ask you some more questions. What's the best way for them to reach you?

[00:34:44.46] Probably on LinkedIn, to be honest. I mean, I'm not great on the social side, so that's probably your safest bet is to hit me up on LinkedIn, and then I can get back to you on that.

[00:34:58.16] Awesome. So if you want to connect with Tom, I'm going to put his LinkedIn into the show notes, whether that's looking for a dodgeball warm-up routine or anything else that we talked about today. Really appreciate you being with us. Appreciate everyone tuning in today. And I want to thank Sorinex Exercise Equipment. We appreciate their support.

[00:35:20.78] Hey, this is Kenna Smoak Minnici, the 2024 Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award recipient. You just listened to an episode on the NSCA Coaching Podcast. Go Army. Beat Navy.

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