TheJustKickinItPodcast

Dr. Brian Shrum
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Just Kickin’ It Podcast is where coaches sharpen how they think, train, and develop players. Built on years of conversations with top minds in the game, the podcast returns with a renewed focus on connecting theory, science, and real-world coaching. Each episode delivers clear, actionable insight to help you design better sessions, improve decision-making, and create training that transfers to the game.

  1. 4 days ago

    Rethinking Preseason: Fitness Through Football with Raymond Verheijen

    If your preseason is designed to exhaust players, don’t be surprised when your best players are unavailable in the postseason. Too many coaches still treat preseason as a fitness test: More running. More sessions. More volume. More fatigue. Then injuries accumulate, the starting lineup constantly changes, and the team never develops the communication needed to perform under pressure. Raymond Verheijen challenges coaches to rethink this approach. In football, the order matters: CommunicationDecision-makingExecutionFootball fitnessFitness is important—but it should be developed through football, not separated from it. A successful preseason should: Progressively prepare players for football actionsDevelop position-specific communicationImprove decision-making within the team’s playing styleBuild fitness without accumulating unnecessary fatigueKeep the strongest players consistently training togetherPrepare the team for the entire season—not merely the opening matchPreseason is not about proving how much your players can tolerate. It is about preparing your strongest team to still be available when the matches matter most. If you arrive at the postseason without your best players, the problem may not have started in October or November. It may have started with what you celebrated in preseason. Listen to our conversation with Raymond Verheijen on the Just Kickin’ It Podcast. #SoccerCoaching #FootballCoaching #Preseason #FootballFitness #InjuryPrevention #CoachDevelopment #SportsPerformance

  2. 29 Aug

    Stress Immunity: How to Think Clearly Under Pressure with James Smith

    What if stress is not something you simply have to manage—but something you can learn to become more resistant to? In this episode of the Just Kickin’ It Podcast, Dr. Brian Shrum speaks with author and performance consultant James Smith, “The Thinker,” about stress immunity and our ability to direct our thinking under pressure. James explains why genetics, environment, and past experiences may influence us without permanently determining how we think or behave. The conversation examines how strong emotions can interfere with memory, judgment, and decision-making—and why remaining calm allows athletes, coaches, and leaders to access the knowledge they already possess. They also explore: • Why predicting a negative outcome can create unnecessary stress • The difference between emotional language and factual description • Why anger may not improve athletic performance • How repeated thought patterns reinforce themselves • Why solution-oriented writing may be more productive than repeatedly documenting problems • How coaches and parents can help young people develop clearer thinking This episode challenges common beliefs about stress, emotion, and performance while offering a practical principle: direct your thinking toward the next useful solution. Learn more and register for James Smith’s live Stress Immunity seminar series, beginning September 5th, at 11 am. You can locate the details by clicking the link below. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stress-immunity-a-live-seminar-series-with-james-smith-tickets-1998112721939?aff=oddtdtcreator

  3. 23 Jun

    The Coaching Lie We've Been Telling for Decades

    In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Steve Smith — academic, author, and former competitive badminton player — to unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in sport coaching: ecological dynamics. We dive deep into why isolating skills in practice can actually create bad habits, how perception-action coupling shapes real athletic development, and why so many talented athletes never reach their potential because of how they're trained. Dr. Steve also shares the story behind his book Ecological Dynamics in Sport Coaching and why he wrote it to bridge the gap between research and the coaches on the ground who need it most. Key topics we cover: Why "teaching" athletes may be the wrong approach entirelyThe scanning myth — what coaches get wrong about vision in sportRondos, isolated drills, and the perception-action problemWhat great coaching actually looks like (hint: it's not about win/loss)Developing youth athletes without sacrificing exploration and enjoymentNeurodivergence and ecological dynamics — Dr. Steve's next research frontierWhether you're a grassroots youth coach or working at the elite level, this conversation will challenge how you think about skill acquisition and athlete development. 🔗 Find Dr. Steve Smith on LinkedIn📖 Ecological Dynamics in Sport Coaching — available on Amazon and Routledge🌐 Emergent Performance Lab

    The Coaching Lie We've Been Telling for Decades

  4. 7 Jun

    What Is Coaching? Brett Ledbetter on Questions, Trust, and Removing Interference

    What if coaching isn't about giving better answers—but asking better questions? In this episode, Brett Ledbetter challenges conventional thinking around coaching, leadership, and performance. Rather than focusing on instruction, control, or motivation, Brett explores how great coaches help athletes take ownership of their development by thinking for themselves. Together, we discuss why questions often outlast answers, how trust is earned in the present moment, and why standards matter more than expectations. Brett shares insights on helping athletes develop an internal coach, navigate adversity, and perform without becoming trapped by external validation. At its core, this conversation explores a powerful idea: the role of a coach may not be to add more, but to remove the distractions, fears, and limitations that prevent athletes from becoming who they are capable of becoming. If you're a coach, leader, parent, or athlete seeking a deeper understanding of performance and human development, this episode will challenge the way you think about coaching itself. #WhatDrivesWinning

    What Is Coaching? Brett Ledbetter on Questions, Trust, and Removing Interference

  5. 30 May

    Performance Is a Side Effect - 3rd Conversation Dr. Kapil Gupta

    What if everything you've been told about performance psychology is wrong? In our latest episode of Just Kickin' It, Brian and Josh sit down with Dr. Kapil Gupta — advisor to professional athletes, CEOs, and performing artists — for one of the most thought-provoking conversations we've ever had. Kapil doesn't prescribe. He doesn't hand out frameworks, four-step processes, or the three Cs. He does something far more uncomfortable: he tells the truth. Some of what he shares will challenge everything you think you know about coaching, confidence, and performance: → Why thought is the enemy of elite performance — and what actually replaces it→ Why sports psychology's answer to "thinking problems" is... more thinking (and why that makes everything worse)→ Why prescriptions — even correct ones — destroy performance→ Why meditation as we know it is largely a social performance, not a path to transformation→ Why chasing results (the World Cup, the Super Bowl, the championship) will never fill the hole you're hoping it will This isn't a comfortable listen. It's designed to make you stop, question, and look in the mirror. As Kapil puts it: "Performance is not a goal. It is a side effect." If you've ever had an athlete tell you they lack confidence, or watched every tool in your toolbox fail to move the needle — this episode is for you. Just Kickin' It — built to push ideas forward.

    Performance Is a Side Effect - 3rd Conversation Dr. Kapil Gupta

  6. 16 May

    The Interference — Dr. Kapil Gupta on Why Coaching Might Be the Problem

    What if the biggest obstacle to greatness isn't a lack of information — but too much of it? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Kapil Gupta for a raw, unfiltered exploration of coaching, human potential, and the relentless pursuit of greatness. Dr. Gupta challenges nearly everything we take for granted about how athletes are developed — from the obsession with instruction and certifications to the illusion that more coaching equals more growth. We dig into why true greatness is rare, why great teachers are even rarer, and why the most important question a coach can ask has nothing to do with technique. We also explore freedom from the mind, the interference of good and bad labels in sport, the role of suffering and seriousness in human achievement, and why life — not your coach — is your most unforgiving teacher. If you've ever questioned whether more information is actually making athletes better, this episode will challenge you to think differently about what coaching really is — and what it should never be.

    The Interference — Dr. Kapil Gupta on Why Coaching Might Be the Problem

  7. 11 May

    Kapil Gupta: Why Coaches Are Teaching Athletes to Think Too Much

    In this powerful first installment of a three-part series, joins the Just Kickin’ It Podcast for a conversation that challenges many of the foundational ideas surrounding coaching, confidence, mindset, and performance psychology. Kapil explains why thought may actually interfere with elite performance, why prescriptions and “mental skills” often make athletes worse, and why greatness may come less from adding more techniques and more from removing the interference that blocks instinct, rhythm, and freedom. The discussion dives into: Why overthinking destroys performanceThe illusion of confidence-building techniquesWhy athletes perform best in states of “no thought”The problem with prescriptions in coaching and psychologyMeditation, mindfulness, and the pursuit of performanceWhy performance is a side effect — not the goalThe difference between sincerity and self-improvement theaterFreedom, identity, pressure, and the human being behind the athleteThis episode is not a tactical conversation about systems or drills. It is a deep exploration into the nature of performance itself and the truths many coaches never stop long enough to question. Part 1 of a special 3-part series with Kapil Gupta. https://www.kapilguptamd.com/

    Kapil Gupta: Why Coaches Are Teaching Athletes to Think Too Much

  8. 1 May

    “High Performance Isn’t a Feeling—It’s a Framework”

    In this episode of Just Kickin’ It, we sit down with leading sports psychologist Dan Abrahams to unpack what it truly means to perform under pressure. This conversation goes far beyond surface-level “confidence” and mindset clichés. Dan introduces a clear, actionable mental framework built around attention, intensity, and intent—and explains why most athletes and coaches misunderstand what mental performance actually is. We dive into: The difference between mental health, wellbeing, and performance psychologyWhy today’s athletes are experiencing more pressure—and how language is shaping itHow coaches can identify what players are really dealing withThe power of match scripts, game face, and controlling your response—not your thoughtsWhy high performance isn’t about feeling good… it’s about executing actions under pressureIf you’re a coach, athlete, or leader trying to build consistency in high-stakes moments, this episode will challenge how you think—and give you tools you can apply immediately. This is more than mindset. This is a system for competing when it matters most. Questions or information on podcasts or other content reach out at: justkickinitmedia@gmail.com

    “High Performance Isn’t a Feeling—It’s a Framework”
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About

Just Kickin’ It Podcast is where coaches sharpen how they think, train, and develop players. Built on years of conversations with top minds in the game, the podcast returns with a renewed focus on connecting theory, science, and real-world coaching. Each episode delivers clear, actionable insight to help you design better sessions, improve decision-making, and create training that transfers to the game.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Brian Shrum
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dr. Brian Shrum
  • Show Website
    TheJustKickinItPodcast

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