407: Cameron Josse on Optimizing Speed and Strength in Football Development

Today's podcast features Cameron Josse, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Auburn University. With experience at Indiana University Football and DeFranco’s Training Systems, Cameron has worked with athletes from various levels and sports like NFL, NHL, UFC, and WWE. A former football player at the University of Rhode Island and current PhD candidate at Jean Monnet University, Cameron's approach to performance training is both practical and comprehensive. As we move forward in sports performance training, there is more data around speed training for athletes than ever, as well as corresponding logistics and systems. We are understanding that physical preparation is not a one-sized fits all approach, not only between sports, as well as within positions in a single sport. By better understanding key aspects of speed development on an individual level, as well as in knowing the evolving role of strength training over time, we can better serve the needs of the individual athlete. On today’s episode, Cameron will cover the process of optimizing resisted sprint protocols in college football athletes, as well as important individual differences he sees between positions and maximal speed ability. We will cover strength training in light of long term athlete speed and power development, sprint biomechanics and injury prevention, as well as concepts of integration between strength and sport skill staffs. Cameron is a brilliant coach with an expansive view of the training process. This conversation is a valuable addition for anyone interested in long term development of speed and athleticism. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr, the Plyomat, and LILA Exogen. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off of any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer head to Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30 day trial of the TeamBuildr software at https://teambuildr.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing. Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 4:08- Optimizing Power Output Through Velocity Variation 11:27- Position-Specific Biomechanics in American Football Players 19:31- Position-Specific Force-Velocity Profiles in Sprint Performance 27:50- Enhancing Sprint Training in Team Sport 31:08- Neural Efficiency in Skill Player Performance 36:20- Neural Processes in Sports Performance Optimization 42:30- Optimal Pelvic Alignment for Efficient Running 47:53- Enhancing Movement Quality Through Motor Techniques 57:47- Optimizing Performance by Removing Physical Constraints 1:07:06- Optimizing Training Programs for Athlete Profiles 1:15:02- Explosive Velocity Training for Muscle Hypertrophy 1:17:14- Optimizing Athlete Performance through Strategic Training 1:20:52- Sprinting’s Impact on Weight Room Training Integration 1:25:49- Collaborative Communication for Athletic Development Success Cameron Josse Quotes "It's like you're not going to get a ton of return on it if you just keep chasing (gym strength) forever and ever and ever. It seems like there's a certain point where enough is enough, right?" - Cameron Josse" What we're finding is that the, like, the step velocity itself, like how fast the leg moves through the push phase, is really, really important for the bigs. It seems like it. There's a big correlation to performance for those guys, but it's not really. It doesn't seem to be as big of an important factor for the skill guys. Cameron Josse The bigs are so big, they have less opportunity to compensate to a certain degree. Yeah, like, they. It's like, I got to get this big body moving, and, like, we all kind of need to self organize to do this better or else we're not going to move, you know. Cameron Josse As soon as you go from, like, a 50% (velocity decrement) to a 20% (velocity decrement), and now they're operating at 80% of their relative maximum speed, they. Those fast guys are blowing everybody else out of the water. I'm talking by, like. Like miles per hour, plural. Right? Like, it's. It's off the charts different. And so it's. It's pretty interesting how you're right, like, those who are more elastic, more reactive, faster in general, have better, more efficient nervous systems. "When we watch a skill guy in American football, everybody's enamored with the 40-yard dash, and, like, how fast is this dude? Or when he's got the ball in his hands, can he just take the top off or make everybody look silly around him? And so all of those factors that we're enamored with are indicative of a very high functioning, efficient nervous system, to me, very elastic, very reactive." - Cameron Josse" "If we don't understand things in context or even try to understand things in context, then we're probably doing more harm than good." - Cameron Josse" "I just use it as an example of, you know, can we potentially over fatigue the hamstring? And how does that then affect the neural recruitment pattern and all that?" "Each type of stimulus, be it eccentric, isometric, normal electro stim plyometrics. It's like, okay, here's what this does for you. And then here is the drawbacks." - Joel Smith "The biggest performance indicator of your entire system is going to be communication." - Cameron Josse Transcript About Cameron Josse Cameron Josse is currently an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for football at Auburn University. Before joining the Auburn Tigers, Cameron served as an Athletic Performance Coach for football at Indiana University. His journey in sports performance began with a 7-year stint at DeFranco’s Training Systems, where he held the position of Director of Sports Performance from 2014-2020. Throughout his career, Cameron has collaborated with a diverse range of athletes, from high school and collegiate players to professionals in the NFL, NHL, UFC, and WWE. A former football player at the University of Rhode Island, Cameron holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in exercise science from William Paterson University. Cameron is currently a PhD candidate at Jean Monnet University in Saint-Etienne, France.