No fluff, just coaching that works. I sit down with Paudie Roche—former Arsenal & Munster S&C—to cut through tech hype, fads, and social-media hot takes. They get into using AI as an assistant (not a replacement), coaching female athletes the right way, navigating growth & maturation, and the real craft of coaching: tone, buy-in, and adaptability.

In-this-playbook

• Female athletes ≠ small men: training age, buy-in, and building autonomy without dumbing things down.

• Growth, maturation & bio-banding that actually changes your week: PHV awareness, late vs. early developers, and selection without bias.

• • AI without the hype: let it crunch trends (VBT, readiness, bandwidths) while you coach the room—mood periodisation, post-game top-ups, and load management up and down.

  
  

  Upcoming Webinar – 7th February

  On the 7th of February, I’ll be speaking at a live webinar hosted by the Italian Strength and Conditioning Society, focusing on leadership and soft skills in high-performance sport. This session will explore the practical, often overlooked elements of leadership that directly impact athlete buy-in, staff alignment, and performance environments. The webinar runs from 09:00–11:30 (GMT+1) and includes one educational credit. Secure your spot via the link below.

  Get your ticket ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠

  
  

  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

  Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

  Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

  
  

  Paudie's Social:

  Instagram - @paudie.roche

  
  

  Manny' Social:

  Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  Enquiries:

  mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com

Jump testing without the faff. Manny sits down with West Point’s Jared Woods and Kenna Smoak-Minnici to get real about force plates vs. jump mats, which metrics actually move programming, and how to build systems that don’t steal training time. If you coach jumping sports—or just want cleaner decisions from messy data—this one’s a blueprint.

In-this-playbook

• The two metrics that matter (MRSI + peak power/body mass) and the 4-quadrant model to flip testing into training decisions.

• How to run weekly post-practice jump testing (cascade style) without losing a single set—and use it as a primer.

• Seasonal baselines and athlete buy-in: why off-season jumps can dip (and how to communicate it so athletes stay bought in).

Featuring: practical trade-offs (force plates vs. mats/phone apps), readiness vs. performance testing, and adapting across facilities with limited time and space.

Upcoming Webinar – 7th February

On the 7th of February, I’ll be speaking at a live webinar hosted by the Italian Strength and Conditioning Society, focusing on leadership and soft skills in high-performance sport. This session will explore the practical, often overlooked elements of leadership that directly impact athlete buy-in, staff alignment, and performance environments. The webinar runs from 09:00–11:30 (GMT+1) and includes one educational credit. Secure your spot via the link below.

Get your ticket ⁠HERE⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

Kenna's Social:

Instagram - @kenna_smoak.minnici

Jared's Social:

Instagram - @coach__woods

Manny' Social:

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries:

mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com

Kosta (tactical S&C, based in Italy) went from banged-up high-school hooper to the guy tactical units trust to get strong, stay healthy, and still have a life. He’s blunt about the college grind, ruthless about simplicity, and laser-focused on building careers that don’t burn you out—or your athletes.

In-this-playbook:

• Tactical template that adapts itself. Build a 5-day master plan, then strip to 3-day and 2-day versions without losing intent. Color-code sessions for 20/45/60-minute windows (red/blue/black): hit the must-dos when time is tight, expand when you can. Consistency > perfection.

• Auto-regulate like an adult. Program by ranges (think 70–77% RI), push when the bar’s moving, pull when life’s heavy. Swap regressions on the fly (belt squat, front-rack split squat, DB patterns) so training never stalls just because someone hates back squats.

• Be first, then be good. Bridge U.S. coaching savvy with European science; bring basic S&C into sport cultures that never had it. Simple, repeatable work wins—ask the judo kids who stopped getting hurt and started winning.

Upcoming Webinar – 7th February

On the 7th of February, I’ll be speaking at a live webinar hosted by the Italian Strength and Conditioning Society, focusing on leadership and soft skills in high-performance sport. This session will explore the practical, often overlooked elements of leadership that directly impact athlete buy-in, staff alignment, and performance environments. The webinar runs from 09:00–11:30 (GMT+1) and includes one educational credit. Secure your spot via the link below.

Get your ticket HERE

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

Kosta's Social:

Instagram - @coach_telegadas

Manny' Social:

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries:

mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com

Dave Snyder (Baylor Basketball) is an athletic trainer with two decades in the trenches—football to hoops—who turns injuries into clear, fast return-to-play plans. He’s a systems guy: objective data, ruthless practicality, and athlete buy-in so players actually stay on the court.

steal-this-playbook:

• High-performance that works. One team across AT, S&C, nutrition, mental health, and sport science—clear roles, daily touchpoints, and a single goal: keep the wheel spinning.

• Triage like a pro. Sort long-term vs. short/mid at intake, then build the roadmap: protect tissue, preserve capacity, and integrate the weight room the moment an athlete is “allowed to sweat.”

• Reverse-engineer game day. Start from the tip-off and work backward: dose the day-before load, account for schedule density, and customize for nagging issues—basketball realities, not theory.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

Dave's Social:

Instagram - @dpsnyd

Manny' Social:

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries:

mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com

Tim Suchomel is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a rare research-meets-weight-room operator—equal parts lab brain and barbell coach. He builds stronger, faster athletes by turning messy training into clean data and making strength science brutally practical.

steal-this-playbook:

• Weight room = lab. Monitor in real time, adjust in real time. Track sets/reps plus simple outputs (CMJ, RSI) and let the session’s data steer the next block—no ivory tower required.

• Pulls for power. Use pulling variations (clean pulls, high pulls, jump shrugs) when catching isn’t the priority; match loading intelligently to get equal—or better—stimulus with fewer technical bottlenecks.

• VBT with intent. It’s a tool, not a religion. Lock technique first, then chase the right metric for the exercise and athlete. Remember: bar speed ≠ body speed.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

Tim's Social:

Instagram - @drtsuchomel

Manny' Social:

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries:

mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com

Michael “Coach Steg” Stegemoeller is the strength & conditioning coach at the University of Pittsburgh, leading Women’s Lacrosse and Swim & Dive. A former undersized soccer kid turned performance nerd, he built his chops at MJP, Houston, Texas A&M, and Cincinnati—and now engineers teams that hit harder, move faster, and don’t fade.

Steal-this-playbook:

• Periodize under constraints. Vertical integration + APRE (6/3) to touch all qualities; front-squat base → box-squat peaking; manage “high” days when the sport staff wants Tue/Thu Olympic-only sessions—keep qualities alive without frying athletes.

• Readiness that actually works. Conversations > gadgets, plus CMJ/RSI twice weekly; if outputs dip or practice smoked them, swap full-ROM for pins/boxes, trim accessories, or chase singles/doubles. Remember: how you feel can lie—let performance set the throttle.

• Culture that travels. Show up at practice, own warm-ups, coordinate with coaches in the open; build enough trust that when it gets dark, they toe the line and keep going.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

Steg's Social:

Instagram - @coachsteg

Manny' Social:

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries:

mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com

Rett Larson is an Olympic and pro volleyball S&C coach who turns warm-ups into real training and intent into horsepower. He gamifies everything—measured jumps, landmine throws, reverse treadmill sprints, and sneaky isometrics—so athletes get explosive, durable, and hooked. Creator of No Zombies, he thrives under constraints and builds teams that leave the gym sweaty, smiling, and better.

steal-this-playbook:

• Warm-up = development block. Games that earn the grind (tag/volley variants → 2–3 min micro-dosed isos), then one tracked jump per lift (weighted block/approach/drop-catch), constraints rotated daily (broad-in, left-only, band-accommodated, <200 ms contacts), pairs/leaderboards so intent stays real.

• Constraints > cues (perception–action). Replace cone mazes with spikeball/pickleball/table tennis, copy fencing-style decel, and if you keep ladders, make them leader–follower for rhythm + reactivity. Design the drill so the body learns without the speech.

• Shoulders + posterior chain the volleyball way. Straight-arm capacity (ring hangs + L-sits, handstand holds), landmine coiled-core jerks and throws to vertical (heavier if it still hits vertical), plus Bulgarians/RDLs/Nordics and curved-treadmill badges (chasing top km/h) for the other side of the force–velocity curve; early season hides eccentrics/isos in warm-ups, late season skews reactive/play.

• Creativity under constraints (and the toolbox tiers). No flywheels? Use BOSU (ball-up adduction squeeze), bands, noodles as “swords,” partner backpedal knees-over-toes starts. Build a living library: explore in warm-ups → promote what works, demote what doesn’t. When the HC says “arm speed,” the next two weeks of warm-ups look like arm speed—med-ball throws, landmines, sprint cues—measured and scored.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

Rett's Social:

Instagram - @rettasaurus

Manny' Social:

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries:

mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com

Christina Bernal (Penn S&C) sits down for a raw, no-BS deep dive on building buy-in in the Ivy League, coaching rowers and jumpers in the same room, and why the team-around-the-team matters most when athletes get hurt. We get into contrast training you’re probably not using yet, the micro calls she makes between practice and lift, and coaching the human first—data, nuance, and a little Nickelback for good measure.

Steal-this-playbook:

• Contrast beyond “just load.” ROM contrasts, uni ↔ bi, assisted ↔ resisted, pins/quarter squats for sprinters & jumpers, plus how she stacks plyos (POGOs → depth drop to box jump) with cleans—and why heavy lives Monday while neuro-prep and “feel fast” work land late-week.

• Rowing realities, solved. Long warm-ups after class, CNS “wake-ups,” keeping rib-stress and lat fatigue from nuking the session (trap bar → belt squat/leg press swaps) while protecting water time through daily AT collaboration.

• Coach’s eye + simple data. Weekly RSI/CMJ to catch midterm dips, Perch for athlete ownership, and the 15–30 minute window she uses to rewrite a lift after watching practice.

• Culture that sticks. Buy-in without scholarships, pairing leaders & followers on racks, non-negotiable standards (clean the room, raise the bar), coffee check-ins, and using music requests as a sneaky intent switch.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TeamBuildr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customised workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data-all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.

Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.teambuildr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.

Christina' Social:

Instagram - @coachxtina_

Manny' Social:

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_coachmanny_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries:

mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com