Sports Training Evolution with Ted Rath

Philadelphia Eagles Director of Sports Performance, Ted Rath, joins me on this episode. Coach Rath has been coaching in the NFL most of his career working with the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and most recently with the L.A. Rams.

We start off by talking about this importance of data collection and how it has changed over time. Ted also goes into talking about how technology helps make some decisions in his programming, and how they can progress during a long 16 week season where they are looking to PEAK every Sunday, and where he can fit his super compensation effects. Coach Rath touches base on what pieces of technology he believes to be the best to use, and also what internal measures he utilizes and believes to be the best.

 

We chat a bit about GymAware units as well, and tracking change over time. I personally love to utilize the GymAware for all the same reason Coach Rath does, and I believe that he hits the nail on the head with quantifying “work sets” and athlete improvements based on power outputs.

 

DATA CONFIRMS THE COACHES EYE – IT IS NOT THE COACHES EYE

 

During the middle of the episode, Coach Rath and I talk about how, in the game of American Football, the old adage of “hey you’re a linebacker you need to be 'X' weight”, and talk about how certain athletes perform optimally at a certain body weight based on their frame and body composition. Athletes come out of the NFL Combine every year, Coach Rath talks about how his system of “body typing” for placing athletes in generalized categories in order to develop the most efficient player for on field performance.

 

Franchise players are the cornerstone to an NFL team’s success and Coach Rath has worked with many players of this stature. We get into the talk of how to keep these guys healthy and on the field all the time and what happens when a franchise player becomes a chronic injured guy, and how programming and thought process changes.

Older athletes (veterans in their 30s) versus younger athletes (rookies, guys in their mid 20’s), very different type of training for these two age groups, and Ted attacks how your thought process should shift attention to other key areas such as: joint degradation, spinal stenosis, disc degradation.

 

To wrap things up, Coach Rath sheds light on how the COVID pandemic could probably have made a larger impact on athlete performance and nutritional digestion. Nobody is in their “normal” routines and how a lot of things that were once at our immediate disposal are not there anymore and could have an effect on how the stomach digests and absorbs certain nutrients they have not consumed in over a couple of months.