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Jennifer George is the Women’s Basketball Strength Coach at Rollins College as well as the Director of Sports Performance at Bishop Moore Catholic High School. Jennifer is also the Founder of Girls Basketball Worldwide Foundation, a youth organization based in Orlando, Florida. 
 
Al and Jennifer talk about women’s sports and certain challenges that women face when they’re playing a sport to its fullest potential. Although the United States has done better when it comes to bridging the gap between male and female sports, it’s still not perfect. 
 
Key Takeaways:
[2:00] A little bit about Jennifer and her athletic career. 
[3:35] Jennifer shares the moment she knew she wanted to make basketball her career. 
[9:00] What kind of challenges has Jennifer faced in her sport’s career? 
[11:20] 40% of girls drop out of sports in middle school due to lack of opportunities. 
[12:50] Representation matters at all levels, and not just in sports. 
[14:30] Jennifer is passionate about closing the gap between male and female sports in the Caribbean. She explains how it’s different over there than it is in the United States. 
 
 
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Tweetables:
“I had a passion, I would do it for free. I love training people."
 
"40% of girls drop out of sports because of lack of opportunities and lack of skill sets."
 

Jennifer George is the Women’s Basketball Strength Coach at Rollins College as well as the Director of Sports Performance at Bishop Moore Catholic High School. Jennifer is also the Founder of Girls Basketball Worldwide Foundation, a youth organization based in Orlando, Florida. 
 
Jennifer joins Al to discuss her Foundation and why there’s a deep need to help underprivileged players that are on sports scholarships. Sports have the ability to elevate your mindset and your quality of life, and Jennifer shares why it’s important to encourage our youth of today to continue playing in these sports programs. 
 
Key Takeaways:
[2:00] A little bit about Jennifer and her athletic history.
[3:20] Why did Jennifer Found the Girls Basketball Worldwide Foundation?
[4:50] So few go on to play in the WNBA/NBA, but that shouldn’t deter people from playing sports. Sports can teach you so much. 
[7:15] What’s next for Jennifer and her Foundation?  
 
VertiMax
VertiMax on Facebook
VertiMax on Instagram
VertiMax on YouTube
VertiMax on LinkedIn
VertiMax Certification Education
Girlsbasketballwf.org
 
Tweetables:
“Even though girls can come or athletes can come to the states to have a better life for themselves, they still need help once they’re here."
 
"40% of girls drop out of sports after middle school."
 

Mario Garza is the Director of Baseball Development at the New York Yankees. As a former pro baseball athlete for the Houston Astros, Mario uses his expertise to help develop baseball players to maximize their full potential and make them better. 
 
Mario joins Al to discuss drill strategies for different baseball positions. He offers advice for both infield and outfield athletes looking to up their game and increase their explosive power. You don’t want to miss this quick 15-minute episode! 
 
Key Takeaways:
[1:35] A little bit about Mario and his work at the New York Yankees. 
[2:45] What kind of drills should infield baseball athletes be practicing? 
[3:45] It’s incredibly important to practice throwing at different angles. 
[5:00] Mario explains what a game clock drill is. 
[6:05] What drills should outfield athletes be practicing?
[8:25] You pay rent on speed. What does Mario mean by this? 
[10:10] You have to actively practice increasing your speed. Don’t take it for granted. 
[12:45] Mario offers tricks on how you can make your bat a little heavier to train speed. 
 
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Tweetables:
“When we’re playing catch, I think it’s important to move our feet while catching. We’re never going to make a throw from a standstill position."
 
"Put the constraint of a game clock on the player so that they have to make a play quicker or slower depending on the runner."
 

Mario Garza is the Director of Baseball Development at the New York Yankees. As a former pro baseball athlete for the Houston Astros, Mario uses his expertise to help develop baseball players to maximize their full potential and make them better. 
 
Mario joins Al to share insights into what it takes to nurture the next generation of MLB stars. They dive into the evolving landscape of player development, the role of a development coach, and Mario offers advice for parents on fostering athletic talent in young children in this week’s episode! 
 
Key Takeaways:
[1:25] A little bit about Mario and his work at the New York Yankees. 
[3:30] What does a player development coach mean? 
[5:35] How has player development improved over the years? 
[7:50] How should parents be thinking about cultivating athletic talent in their children?
[12:20] Is there a blueprint on what the MLB is looking for or does it depend on each team? 
[13:10] 8 months out of the year, you’re in full competition mode. 
[13:40] It’s important to note that baseball is a game of recovery. 
 
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Tweetables:
“A player development coach is looking at anything and everything that we can develop in an athlete. At the end of the day, our job is to maximize the value and potential."
 
"The crucial window of 8-12, you can actually impact the development of the athlete and their general athleticism."
 

Brett Kuehn is a sports and human performance enthusiast, athlete, and mentor to Team VertiMax. He is a USMC veteran and business development professional at VertiMax. Brett’s passion is to help others achieve their goals whether they are an athlete looking to improve their speed, agility, and verticals; a coach looking to help their athletes gain an edge, or a sports performance owner or trainer seeking new ways to increase their business. 
 
Brett and Al discuss ways to get your athlete warmed up and ready during football season. Here are some quick and easy runningback drills that you can practice. They offer different methods and variations so that you can trigger both lateral and vertical movements. 
 
Key Takeaways:
[2:00] The jumpcut drill. 
[3:20] Rapid response line drill. 
[4:25] The Lateral drill.
[5:35] Cone hop variations. 
[6:35] The sweep drill. 
[7:45] The VertiMax app also has a complete football training program! 
 
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Tweetables:
“Have your athlete run towards that cone and push off one foot to go left or right and then have them sprint to finish while performing a touchdown."
 
"Have your athlete shuffle back and forth over the line. It helps get their athletes' feet warmed up."
 

Brett Kuehn is a sports and human performance enthusiast, athlete, and mentor to Team VertiMax. He is a USMC veteran and business development professional at VertiMax. Brett’s passion is to help others achieve their goals whether they are an athlete looking to improve their speed, agility, and verticals; a coach looking to help their athletes gain an edge, or a sports performance owner or trainer seeking new ways to increase their business. 
 
Brett and Al discuss how the VertiMax Raptor is different from standard resistance bands and how you can leverage this equipment to take your performance to the next level. The Raptor does so much more than just look fancy and both Brett and Al dive into how you can hence your speed, agility, and more in this week’s podcast. 
 
Key Takeaways:
[1:00] A little bit about Brett and the work he does at VertiMax.
[2:35] What’s so great about the Vertimax Raptor?
[4:35] Forward acceleration is a great exercise to practice on the Raptor.  
[7:50] What’s the backpedal drill and how can athletes benefit from this movement? 
[9:15] How do you perform an ankle-loaded lateral drill? 
[10:45] Brett explains the final exercise you can do to improve your resistance on the Raptor. 
 
VertiMax
VertiMax on Facebook
VertiMax on Instagram
VertiMax on YouTube
VertiMax on LinkedIn
VertiMax Certification Education
 
Tweetables:
“The faster you can stop, the faster you can move, and you’ll just be a better athlete. That’s what the forward acceleration drill will do to help you."
 
"Not many people train this because it’s almost impossible to train with regular resistance bands, but with VertiMax technology, you can start the resistance off right away [at your ankles]."