The PBSCCS Podcast Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society

Yannick Plante is entering his sixth season within the Kansas City Royals organization. He is working the 2024 season as the Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Surprise Royals after working three seasons in the same role with Triple-A Omaha. He is also serving as a Rehab Strength & Conditioning Coach. In the fall of 2019, Yannick was a staff member of the Surprise Saguaros during the Arizona Fall League. Plante has a master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Calgary and a bachelor’s degree in human kinetics with specialization in biophysics from the University of Ottawa. He is from Ottawa, Ontario and currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.Topics covered in this episode:-Advice for others-Finding success at different locations-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"We have an unbelievable privilege of working with athletes that come from all over the world" (1:45)-"I think in due time everyone can find a place in a different setting" (9:48)-"You've gotta be able to immerse yourself in a setting where other people are already comfortable in" (15:07)If you'd like to learn more from Yannick, you can follow him on social media:Twitter:@YannPlantzInstagram:@yannplantz

Yannick Plante is entering his sixth season within the Kansas City Royals organization. He is working the 2024 season as the Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Surprise Royals after working three seasons in the same role with Triple-A Omaha. He is also serving as a Rehab Strength & Conditioning Coach. In the fall of 2019, Yannick was a staff member of the Surprise Saguaros during the Arizona Fall League. Plante has a master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Calgary and a bachelor’s degree in human kinetics with specialization in biophysics from the University of Ottawa. He is from Ottawa, Ontario and currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.Topics covered in this episode:-His journey throughout the Minor League system-The benefits of working in Rookie Ball-The balance between technology and the human element of coachingQuotes:-"In Arizona, with the younger group, we're working on building solid routines, having consistency in their training, understanding exercises and why they have to do them" (8:32)-"I think as we go forward the Arizona Complex is gonna have a lot of people looking for those positions if they can't move up or for whatever reason" (12:08)-"If you can just take a moment and just appreciate what's in front of you and the person, and enjoy the session with them and coach them through it, over the course of the long-run you're gonna get buy-in from that athlete, and you're gonna be able to measure the things that are deemed important" (23:56)If you'd like to learn more from Yannick, you can follow him on social media:Twitter:@YannPlantzInstagram:@yannplantz

Mark Weisman is currently working in the Chicago Cubs organization as the Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. Mark has been part of the organization since 2022. Prior to the Cubs, he worked at the University of Iowa as both an intern and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with football (2016-2020), was the Director of Sports Performance at Southeast Missouri (2020-2021), and was a Performance Coach at SPEAR Training in Chicagoland (2021-2022).Mark completed his undergraduate work at the University of Iowa (BA Health and Human Physiology) and his graduate work at Cal U in PA (MS Performance Enhancement & Injury Prevention). Mark was born and raised in Buffalo Grove, IL.Topics covered in this episode:-Being Minor League Coordinator and developing a culture-Advice for others and finding success-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"As coaches we're holding you accountable, but as players, you also need to take accountability for what you're going to do" (2:15)-"We have the backing of the whole organization right now, which is huge" (15:53)-"It's crazy because a lot of the stuff that people think is new and sexy was old Russian training" (21:47)If you'd like to learn more from Mark, you can follow him on social media:Twitter:@CoachWeismanInstagram:@mweisman45

Mark Weisman is currently working in the Chicago Cubs organization as the Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. Mark has been part of the organization since 2022. Prior to the Cubs, he worked at the University of Iowa as both an intern and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with football (2016-2020), was the Director of Sports Performance at Southeast Missouri (2020-2021), and was a Performance Coach at SPEAR Training in Chicagoland (2021-2022).Mark completed his undergraduate work at the University of Iowa (BA Health and Human Physiology) and his graduate work at Cal U in PA (MS Performance Enhancement & Injury Prevention). Mark was born and raised in Buffalo Grove, IL.Topics covered in this episode:-His time spent working with football and his journey into baseball-His introduction to Minor League baseball-"Traditional" strength trainingQuotes:-"Just having that consistency. Being able to do well with the highs and be able to overcome those lows. I think that's what a lot of baseball players aren't missing, but need to learn, especially these young guys" (5:40)-"I think we've gotten away from training. The basics. The foundations" (17:01)-"It should never be we're the 'old school' guys, we're the 'new school' guys. It's we're the guys that want to get these guys to be the best baseball players, in this case, that they possibly can be, and what we need to do to get them there thinking long-term" (21:44)If you'd like to learn more from Mark, you can follow him on social media:Twitter:@CoachWeismanInstagram:@mweisman45

Andy King is in his 11th year with the Giants and his fourth as Coordinator, Minor League Strength & Conditioning. Prior to this role, he spent the previous three years with Triple-A Sacramento. He also had stops with Richmond, San Jose and with short-season Salem-Keizer. He previously spent a year and a half as the Athletic Performance Graduate Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he worked with all 19 NCAA teams. King has his B.A. in Exercise & Sports Science with a concentration in Physical Therapy from Hamline University and a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Central Missouri. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach with Distinction (RSCC*D) through the NSCA. He currently resides in Phoenix with his wife, Daniella, and their twins, son Morgan and daughter Raegan.Topics covered in this episode:-Being a Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator-Finding quality new hires-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"I think adversity is beautiful" (1:27)-"We want you to get your hands-on coaching experience because that's the best way to learn" (3:13)-"This is an area we're passionate about because staff development is player development. If our staff are continuing to get better then ultimately our players are gonna get better, too" (16:40)If you'd like to learn more from Andy, you can follow him on social media:Twitter:@CoachAK15Instagram:@CoachAK15If you'd like to learn more about the camp discussed in the previous episode, you can follow the link below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m1qxXoPfUA

Andy King is in his 11th year with the Giants and his fourth as Coordinator, Minor League Strength & Conditioning. Prior to this role, he spent the previous three years with Triple-A Sacramento. He also had stops with Richmond, San Jose and with short-season Salem-Keizer. He previously spent a year and a half as the Athletic Performance Graduate Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he worked with all 19 NCAA teams. King has his B.A. in Exercise & Sports Science with a concentration in Physical Therapy from Hamline University and a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Central Missouri. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach with Distinction (RSCC*D) through the NSCA. He currently resides in Phoenix with his wife, Daniella, and their twins, son Morgan and daughter Raegan.Topics covered in this episode:-Spending over a decade with the San Francisco Giants organization-His best professional baseball moments-San Francisco Giants Minor League Strength and Conditioning Camp in San FranciscoQuotes:-"When the players have success, we all have success" (12:14)-"But what I've always appreciated is the process of getting better, whatever better means for that individual. It's not always cute, but consistency is key" (13:41)-"We've gone throughout the city to give them an experience of being in the city of San Francisco. But also they play catch, take ground balls, hit BP on the field because it's a Major League stadium, and no matter how many times you're there, it's one of the coolest things you're ever gonna do" (26:36)If you'd like to learn more from Andy, you can follow him on social media:Twitter:@CoachAK15Instagram:@CoachAK15If you'd like to learn more about the camp discussed in the episode, you can follow the link below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m1qxXoPfUA