The Inside Shoulder

Tackle University

New podcast from the coaching team at Tackle University. The Inside Shoulder podcast is here to unashamedly celebrate and dissect the most physical sports on the planet, including rugby league, union and American football. We invite the finest minds working & playing in the toughest sports to share their wisdom, ideas and beliefs on success on the field and in all walks of life in unfiltered conversation.

  1. 29/10/2025

    History Maker: Departing Hull KR Defence Coach Danny Ward on Transformation & Rugby League Treble Winning Defence

    On this episode of The Inside Shoulder we are joined by incoming London Broncos Assistant Coach and recent Hull KR Treble Winning Assistant Coach, Danny Ward, the man who helped construct the best defence in Super League 2025 - conceding only 8-9 points per game on average, as well as only one try in the Grand Final against Wigan at Old Trafford. We discussed the decades in the making transformation of Hull KR, how a culture and environment of competitiveness and intensity was built, as well as the ingredients that went into the defence which brought Hull KR their first silverware in decades, including their fearsome line speed and kick chase. Danny Ward is now heading back to the revamped London Broncos RL, a club where he previously played and held the role of Head Coach. As a player, Danny played for Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers, Hull KR, and London Broncos (then Harlequins Rugby League). He was also capped for Great Britain.

    1h 18m

  2. 11/08/2025

    "Surf Your Own Wave" - Carving out a Unique Path in Strength & Conditioning with Coach Terrence Kennell, Director of Applied Football Science & Speed @ University of South Florida

    Coach Terrence Kennel (TK) is the current Director of Applied Football Science and Speed for the University of South Florida Bulls, a Division 1 school that competes in the American Conference. TK has worked at the elite level across numerous sports including rugby, MMA, basketball, baseball, soccer and of course, American football, carving out a path and trajectory that is unique to him - surfing his own wave. In this episode we discuss speed and conditioning extensively, especially what many people - including football coaches - get wrong about conditioning and what their conditioning is missing. We also touch on learnings from moving between rugby and football, the use of military style boot camps for sport and much more! TK is an excellent and insightful follow on social media, where he can be found under the handle @tkennellphysprep on Instagram and @TKPhysPrep on X/Twitter.

    1 hr

  3. 28/07/2025

    Culture Warrior: Michael Gragg, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Harding University Bisons Football on Culture, Going Undefeated & Building Staff Around Ex-Players

    Michael Gragg is Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Harding University Bisons Football program, a D2 team with multiple undefeated seasons in recent memory. Michael tells the Inside Shoulder podcast about the culture and recruitment behind the Bisons' formidable record, about his own transition from playing to the coaching staff within the same team, as well as touching on performance from the weight room, to speed and the kind of combative work needed to prepare athletes for contact. The Harding Bisons football program is a Division II member of the Great American Conference, located in Searcy, Arkansas. The Bisons football coaching staff is made up entirely of ex-Bisons players, including the Head Coach. The Bisons were NCAA Division II national champions in 2023 after a perfect season. Michael can be found on Instagram at @mdgragg50 and on X/Twitter at @MichaelGragg - go follow!

    56 min

  4. 02/07/2025

    Rhino Spirit: Chev Walker, Leeds Rhinos Assistant, Academy & Transition Coach, Former Great Britain International on Defensive Intent, Intensity & Systems Plus Developing Youth Talent

    Chev Walker is a current Assistant Coach at Super League juggernauts, the Leeds Rhinos, a role he combines with coaching one of the most consistently successful Academy systems in the world and his new role as Transition Coach - taking responsibility for those promising young players and their path into the top tier professional ranks. As a player, Chev had a long and glittering career with the Leeds Rhinos as well as stints with Hull KR and Bradford Bulls. He also represented both Great Britain Lions and England on the international stage. In 2006-7, Chev made the transition to top level rugby union with Bath, and was also selected for the England Saxons representative side. In this episode we discuss aggression and collisions versus control, the different types of defensive systems, nurturing young talent, the difference between generations and much more.

    1h 8m

  5. 19/06/2025

    Line Speed: France Head Coach Laurent Frayssinous on Missed Tackles, “French Flair” & More

    Laurent Frayssinous is the current Head Coach of France and was previously St Helens Assistant Coach when the Saints were crowned World Club Champions, beating the formidable NRL champs the Penrith Panthers on their own turf. In addition to this he was previously Head Coach of the Catalans Dragons in Super League, having been a player for the club in their inaugural season. In this episode we discussed some of the ingredients that made St Helens world champs, their fearsome line speed and defensive intensity - and how they won Super League titles with the most missed tackles. Or in other words, why not all missed tackles are created equal. Most pertinently for his current role, we discussed what leading the French national team entails on a daily basis, what exactly is meant by the oft-cited term "French flair" and why it matters.

    1h 2m

  6. 12/06/2025

    Wigan Wall: Sean O’Loughlin OBE on Building the Best Defence in Super League | Wigan Warriors

    Sean O’Loughlin is current Assistant Coach at the Wigan Warriors, the most successful club in the history of British rugby league. As an assistant coach responsible for defence, Sean is the leading architect behind arguably the best defence in the Super League era, having not conceded a single try (!) in back to back Grand Finals. As a player, Sean was also the long-term Captain of Wigan, as well as having had the honour of captaining England at international level. He was also capped for the Great Britain Lions on 11 occasions. We discussed what it is that makes Wigan’s defence so special, aggression, culture, contact, wrestle and building a defensive system. This is a must peak behind the curtain into one of the most successful professional sports organisations in the entire world. You can follow Sean O’Loughlin on Instagram at @seanol13 and his team the Wigan Warriors @wiganwarriorsrl

    1h 13m

  7. 03/06/2025

    Battle Ready: Preparing Human Beings for Contact, Physically & Psychologically | Coach Scott Leech

    Scott Leech is the Head Strength & Conditioning coach at the University of Rhode Island, a D1 Football Program. He is a pioneer in the area of “contact prep”, implementing & rigorously planning contact dosing into off and pre-season workouts for his football athletes. Scott has thought long and hard about athletes’ needs in terms of contact, both physically & psychologically, and in this episode he shares some of his ideas & observations on what it takes to prepare human beings for the unique and sometimes crazy demands of contact & collision sports. This is a must listen for both athletes and coaches in any contact & collision based sport, be it rugby league, union or football - or as Scott mentions, the many other sports where contact is part of the game and likely under prepared for! In this regard he has created a number of courses and online resource packages available online to help coaches make informed decisions around contact & conditioning, including “Contact Prep” and the “Gridiron Warrior” packages. Scott can be found on Instagram @sleech72 and on X/Twitter at @ScottLeech72

    45 min

  8. 27/05/2025

    Embrace Aggression: The Philosophy of Collision Sports & Their Place in Society | Andrew D. Ryland

    Andrew D. Ryland is a former D1 College Football and Rugby player at Penn State University, as well as international representative for the USA rugby team. He is a tackling and contact specialist coach who advises multiple teams across both sports at the elite level. In this episode we discussed learning from both football and rugby, as well as a deeper dive into the philosophy of contact and collision sports and their place in modern society. We talked about whether or not aggression should be a dirty word, and what coaches can do to help both teams and individual athletes become more physical, aggressive and comfortable in contact. Andrew can be found on Instagram at @adrcoachdevelopment and Twitter/X at @ADRCoachDev

    1h 26m
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About

New podcast from the coaching team at Tackle University. The Inside Shoulder podcast is here to unashamedly celebrate and dissect the most physical sports on the planet, including rugby league, union and American football. We invite the finest minds working & playing in the toughest sports to share their wisdom, ideas and beliefs on success on the field and in all walks of life in unfiltered conversation.

Information

  • Creator
    Tackle University
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Tackle University
  • Show Website
    The Inside Shoulder