A coaching career across collegiate athletics, the NFL, and the tactical sector offers plenty of opportunities to rethink how you work with people. For Jess Langvardt, those experiences reinforced the importance of relationships, communication, and remaining open to new ideas.
On the latest edition of the Samson Strength Coach Collective, Jess shares his journey through strength and conditioning and the lessons he carried from one environment to the next. He discusses how coaching approaches must adapt to the people being trained, their needs, and the expectations of each setting.
Jess also explores the connection between trust and athlete ownership. Understanding an athlete’s perspective, communicating clearly, and being honest about your own experiences can help build the credibility needed to encourage greater responsibility for development.
The conversation closes with a focus on continuous education. Jess explains the value of learning from different perspectives, connecting ideas across experiences, and surrounding yourself with people who push you to keep growing.
Key Takeaways
- Relationships matter at every level. Working effectively with people requires communication, understanding, and consistent attention to trust.
- Adapt your approach to the environment. Collegiate, NFL, and tactical settings present different needs that should inform coaching decisions.
- Build ownership through trust. Encourage athletes to take responsibility for their development through clear communication and a shared understanding of the process.
- Keep learning throughout your career. Exposure to new ideas and different perspectives can improve how you approach coaching challenges.
- Be open about your experiences. Sharing lessons from setbacks and failures can strengthen credibility and connection.
- Choose people who challenge you to grow. Seek out colleagues and mentors who expand your thinking and encourage continued education.
Featured Quote
“Surround yourself with people who push you to learn.” — Jess Langvardt
Jess Langvardt (00:00)
when I got there, he told me he’s like, these will be the most selfish people that you’ve ever worked with in your life. And he’s like, that doesn’t make them bad people, but they have to look out for themselves to be a part of this team. Like without without that selfishness piece, they won’t be here and there’s no team to talk about.
Connor (00:34)
What’s going on? Samson Strength Coach Collective Listeners. On today’s episode, we
Jess Langvardt (00:38)
Yeah.
Connor (00:38)
have strength and conditioning coach Jess Langvart. Jess, thank you so much for coming on the show.
Jess Langvardt (00:44)
No, thanks for asking me.
Connor (00:46)
Well, I’m stoked about it because we’ve known each other like by proxy, via Samson, kinda like side by side
Jess Langvardt (00:53)
Yeah.
Connor (00:53)
for years, you know, and actually saw you at CSCCA this year. but you know, we were just talking about it a little bit pre show. Like this is our chance to actually get to know each other. So I’m really excited.
Jess Langvardt (01:02)
Yeah, no for sure. Thanks for for bringing me on.
Connor (01:06)
Absolutely. Well let’s just get right into it. Can you just give me your background in strength and conditioning, a couple of different stops you’ve been and then what you’re currently doing?
Jess Langvardt (01:16)
Yeah, I guess kind of from strength coach side of things goes way back. my dad was a power lifter when I was growing up. we he was a huge Nebraska football fan. So powerlifting, Nebraska football, and Boyd were you know talked about in our house quite often. So I think truly about fifth or sixth grade that I’d already decided that strength conditioning was what I wanted to do. didn’t really know what that was outside of powerlifting.
So that never really fell off. Went to a small school in Kansas, Sterling College, and played there, coached there, and then was fortunate enough to get a GA spot at the University of Memphis. My second year there, Tom Meslinski came in and took the head strength coach job with Ryan Sidzik as an the assistant, and Tom or Milo
really just kind of helped me open up all the doors from there on. So I went and interned with John Terrine and Richard Howe with the Colts. Richard’s still there with the Colts and then was down at two lane for for a season and then Milo ended up with the Jaguars and had coaching change so had a couple spots open up and brought me down there. So I spent a eight seasons with him with the Jaguars and then when we got let go
Then ended up over in New Mexico and Albuquerque, working now on the tactical side with the air force.
Connor (02:47)
That’s awesome. And and you know, I appreciate the the quick
Jess Langvardt (02:49)
Mm-hmm.
Connor (02:49)
hits because it’s always fun just to hear about a coach’s journey. And like it’s so funny to always think about, okay, this was, you know, X amount of years, just an extended career. And then like you can break it down and just a quick like here XYZ, here’s my stops. I I’m always curious about this. You know, I’ve always been in the collegiate side. I I did a brief training camp internship with the Jets. you know, how was the strength and conditioning experien experience for you working in the NFL?
Jess Langvardt (03:15)
I loved it. I think the things that I really liked about being the NFL, obviously you get the some of the best athletes in the world. But I think the opportunity to work with people, you know, I think a lot of times on the collegiate side and obviously as we talked kind of before the show that college has changed to a a good amount, but I think on the the college side when I was there you are directing everybody, right? Like this is what you got next, this is what you’re doing, this is what you’re doing. And I think on the on the pro side
You have to be able to work with people, you have to be able to communicate with people, you have to be able to hear what they’re saying, and and work alongside. So we I was fortunate, especially while we were there, that with Milo everything was performance driven and so everything that we were doing was with the thought of how do we make people better and more prepared to to their job. you hear a lot of people talk about
You’re just trying to keep guys healthy. And I would say that was not our mission. Our mission was to get guys better. and then alongside of that, right, like you can’t get better if you’re hurt. So obviously there’s how do you do things to keep guys healthy? How do you get how do you do things to get guys prepared? but we spent that time, you know, thinking through and and and planning out those things. So then working with guys, you know, obviously you gotta sell what you what you’re you know, giving them and
And we were able to fortunately run things a lot more in a team based. So obviously there’s some, you know, individual, you know, times that you have that you’re you have things open up, but it definitely wasn’t personal training, like you know, we were training as groups. So, you know, you’re working with guys, but then I think you’re developing relationships with guys, you know, when I got in my first year in the NFL with the Colts was, you know, I turned thirty. Well, half that roster that was the the last year Peyton played
or sorry, last year Peyton was on the roster with the Colts. the year he didn’t play with the the neck injury. And half that roster was was older than me. so coming in and you know and and just you know telling guys what they’re gonna do is is far fetched. Obviously I was an intern with that, but just getting to watch how they interact the the the staff interact with guys. you know, so then getting to Jacksonville, we had a couple I think maybe two guys on that roster that were were older than me when I first got there and then there was some changeover. So
We didn’t have anybody else, but we had, you know, one or two that, you know, Mercedes Lewis, I didn’t work at the combos, but was the same age or a year younger than me. I think he graduated a year behind me. So you’re talking with people that have same amount of life experience as you and more experience or just as much in the NFL. so having to be able to to listen to them and make adjustments with them, you know, figure things out, kinda talk through things instead of just this is what we’re doing.
So think getting to work with people was something that I hadn’t necessarily had and you know and loved. and so that I would say kind of, you know, Milo’s philosophy, he developed me a lot, but I would say we were I was on board with, you know, majority of philosophical wise, and then you know, obviously that aspect of getting to work with people definitely is a is a different experience than I think it is in college.
Connor (06:37)
Yeah, I I know you said it, you know, at the very beginning of the work with people and I was like, All I’ve got to ask him about that. And I think I appreciate you you elaborating on it. You know, a a funny story that I have is, you know, with the team over this summer, the men’s basketball team, we had an NBA strength coach, you know, kind of he basically FaceTimed in, spoke with the team, and I asked him a question and his answer to the question was, you know, I basically just said, you know, what is a a peak performance staff look like to you?
How do the players know they’re being taken care of? You know, essentially, if you have the strength coach, PT, AT, dietitian, everybody’s working together. and then all the entire team is in the room at the time. And he talked about how if you have an injury, do your own research on it, right? And understand okay, this is if I have patellar tendinitis, what actually is patellar tendinitis? And then ask the PTs and ATs questions, ask your strength and conditioning coast questions, different stuff like that.
And obviously that’s a really positive sentiment. But because I’ve been working in collegiate athletics for ten years at this point, like I got like nervous and I like kind of like seized up
Jess Langvardt (07:43)
Yeah.
Connor (07:43)
a little bit. I was like, Well, they shouldn’t ask questions. You know, and then of course I was like, all right, relax. They absolutely should. Like everybody needs to have ownership of their own
rehab,
Jess Langvardt (07:50)
Yeah.
Connor (07:50)
ownership of their own maintenance, whatever it may be. you know, but it was like a little nerve-wracking for me to hear as a collegiate strength coach. And so you say working with people, you know, what’s kind of the philosophy behind that? How are you able to, you know?
make sure that both the needs of the strain coach and the needs of the athlete are being met.
Jess Langvardt (08:09)
Yeah, I think getting a chance to be a year in collegiate with Milo and getting to hear him talk through kind of how he saw differences. with the collegiate side, he was a lot not that he wasn’t demanding in the NFL, but he was a lot more demanding in college and this is how we’re doing it and this is what we’re doing. but talking some of his relationships with with guys that was much more
you know, human to human relationship, whatever. Obviously, you’re talking guys that have kids, you’re talking to guys that you know, been married or, you know, whatever on that. So I think the the that piece of one is everybody talks about relationships, you know, no matter where you’re at, and and totally get that. But I think that understanding of and it’s it’s and entering college now too, right? But that understanding of
If I get a guy, let’s say he’s, you know, fifth year in the league. Well, if he played at a you know, let’s say he played four years at one college, but there was potentially a staff turnover. So he had two college strength coaches. He went somewhere to go, private sector to go train for the combine. So he went, you know, to that facility. Maybe he goes back to that facility in the off season, you know, maybe he has in the past. Maybe he’s gone to another facility. So let’s just say he’s gone to another facility. So already
we’re at four strength coaches and we haven’t even talked about his NFL experience yet. If he’s a guy that, you know, spent two years with one team and then is kind of bounced around, let’s say, you in fifth year, he’s on his third team, well, that’s at least three strength coaches, if not more. And then depending on obviously how many guys, you know, the assistants and you count all those things, everybody is going to sell their program as this is what you need to do.
and then you’re gonna have enough guys that are gonna sell a program as in like everything else is stupid, right? so he’s having to decipher between that. Maybe he’s got some medical people that he works with in the off season too. So you realize, and I think realize you realize pretty quick that everybody kinda has their thing of why they think they’re they’re still in the league, right? They they have their their secret sauce of what they gotta do. you know, not I shouldn’t say everybody, you know, we
We talked about that there would be groups of three, not getting on a a sidetrack on that, but you know, potentially three groups, and you have your guys that they want to be a part of every decision that’s made, right? you come in and you tell them here’s the workout for the day, and it’s like, well, can I change this and can we modify this? and then those would be the same guys. If you had them write the workout up, then you they hand it to you, turn around and you’re telling them what the workout is, they’re gonna wanna modify something. You know, like and you’re like, All right, you gotta be a part of everything. And then you have the group.
That I think once they can at least hear you out just a little bit, you’ve proven, you know, knowledgeable enough or or you know, whatever word you want to say that okay, they trust you and now let’s go. And and it doesn’t matter. We’re at least training and and you’re trustworthy enough. We might have some questions along the way, but let’s go. And then you have that third group that if they’re training, they don’t know the difference. You know, we’d have so many guys come back, we did the exact same thing this offseason. And then you start like kind of asking questions and asking questions, you’re like,
You did nothing like what we’re doing. But because you squatted and because you bench pressed and because you were on the field that to you it’s the exact same thing. So, you know, you’re trying to educate those guys, but also like if they’re willing to work then then you just you know take them wherever they they’re willing to kind of go. But as long as they’re getting the work done for you. So you’ve you figure out that everybody’s kinda got their thing. So
I’m in the league because I haven’t squatted in the last five years. I’m in the league because I squat and I max out every Monday. I’m in the league because I max out on bench press every week. Whatever their thing is, right? Or I have to do this certain soft tissue routine. and so when you don’t match that, they start, you know, guys guys can easily start to like question things of like, this is what’s got me there, you know, maybe.
I I always clean or you guys, you know, don’t clean as much. Can I clean? And so you start figuring out like you have a guy that is mu that you’re asking them to be fully reliant on your staff to train them. But they’re sitting there thinking, like, that’s all good and well, but if I’m not as fast when I go out on the field, I’m not as physical, I don’t weigh as much or I’m too heavy and now I don’t perform, you guys are just gonna cut me and
All this team stuff is now just done, right? Like I’m not a part of your organization anymore, part of team. So as much as they have to work, you know, you know, be a part of things. John Terrine, when I got there, he told me he’s like, these will be the most selfish people that you’ve ever worked with in your life. And he’s like, that doesn’t make them bad people, but they have to look out for themselves to be a part of this team. Like without without that selfishness piece, they won’t be here and there’s no team to talk about. And so
you once you realize that they’re protective of their careers, same as, you know, a lot of coaches are protective of theirs. And you know, you look at, you know, you I this is an ignorant statement ’cause I don’t know enough of what all the teams do from a, you know, player standpoint, you know, or a on the field standpoint. But we’ve had enough players come in and they’ve talked about, you know, you start to learn different players fit different systems a whole lot better.
Different players are utilized by different coaches a whole lot differently. And those things can wreck a a person’s career by coming into the wrong system and not being utilized as appropriately. Cause you put a couple, you know, a a year or two of bad film on and all of a sudden you’re not getting calls anymore. Right. And you know, guys that you’re just like, man, he’s still fast, he’s still explosive, he still does this. but you know, you go out there, so you realize that.
how protective of of things they have to be and if you can earn their trust to a high, high level, then that’s you know, a really blessed thing. And if you don’t, then you have to understand that and be able to work with them and be able to constantly explain, you know, why. You know, I we had a an athlete come in and and he probably wouldn’t even remember saying it and I d I definitely won’t mention his name. But, you know, he’s you know asked me, he’s like, You ever ran a four four before? You don’t do you know what it even feels like? And I was like, I have not.
But I have never told you that I was faster than you. I have never told you that I was a better player than you. I’ve never told you this, this, this, this, this. Of course you’re a better athlete than me. But here’s why this, this, this is important. and it and so this is why we’re doing this, this, this. And really he just wanted, you know, to fight back against something he didn’t want to do or, you know, start an argument then and there wasn’t any player, you know, none of his teammates jumped in to support it and he didn’t get the response that he wanted. Like, yeah, yeah, I got.
You’re 100% correct. All of those things. And so, you know, that kind of died down right there. But I think that allowed him to understand I don’t think I have all of the answers, but here is why we do what we do. Is there other things that are different that are possibly, you know, gonna help too? A hundred percent. And if you want to talk through those things, we’ll talk through them. that door is always open. You know, we had, you know, guys, I worked with the skill guys there, and so enough of the skill guys that I have relationships with, you know, I just told them like,
You can not like what we’re doing. You can be a fan of what we’re doing, but you can always come talk to me. But be professional enough to come have those conversations in appropriate times. Like, you know, for me, if you’re if you’re going to try to start something in the weight room, like I also can’t just be walked over in what we’re doing, right? but you can come say anything you want to behind closed doors and I’m gonna listen to you. Now you may not like the answer when we get done, or the answer may be, hey, you gotta go talk to Milo.
That’s that’s gonna be a his thing. But I can at least explain where we’re coming from. You can air out all these things, and maybe we come to agreement, maybe we don’t, but you’re gonna for sure be heard. And I think at least guys knowing that that was true, you know, would shut some things down in the weight room of like, are you fighting because you want to do something different? Are you fighting just because you’re in a bad you know, having a bad mood today? You know, whatever. But I think those things, at least from a coach perspective, whether that, you know, the athletes believe you or not, I think
you have to be able to have that under that understanding of they’ve connected somewhere with somebody and that somewhere and somebody probably told them, you know, hey, back squats are going to be the worst thing ever for you. And we’re asking you to back squat. or, you know, cleans are the the worst thing ever, like, you know, you’re gonna hurt your wrist or whatever. Well, we’re asking you to do some cleans, but you know, we’ll work with you if that’s not what you want to do. We can, you know, do some other variations and stuff. and so everybody’s got their their answer.
And you just have to understand that you would be the exact same way if you were in their shoes. You know, like you know, how many strength coaches were also the guys that stayed after in the weight room when the workout was done, you know, to do extra because they felt that was what they needed to help, you know, get them on the field or help be better. Well, they’re being the same way and you would be the same way. So how do you at least acknowledge that to to bring that to that conversation or that interaction? So that’s a long way to answer.
with that, but I I I hopefully it answered your question.
Connor (17:41)
No,
you a hundred percent did. And and to be honest, you got my wheels turning a little bit with this too, right? Because we were talking about this pre-show, and you know, the collegiate sector is it’s very different now. And it’s really has it has turned into a pro model. You know, like it is literally athletes are getting paid to play sports at a collegiate level. But the things that you’re saying that are really interesting to me is w what you say about having different strength coaches or different philosophies or different systems as a whole within the sport, because of the transfer portal and because of how all these things have now
kind of turned around and it’s a much different looking NCAA than it was five, ten years ago, the athletes are gonna have the same philosophy, right? Like they’re gonna feel the exact same way that they need to be selfish. And again, it doesn’t make them a bad person, but they need to be selfish because let’s say, you know, you are a power four player, you transfer down to middle mid major school, kind of middle middle of the pack team, and you say, I’m gonna be able to go here and I’m gonna be able to get as much film as possible, then it’s gonna help me with the rest of my career. Well
If it’s a bad fit, if it’s a bad system, all of a sudden it’s not going to work out for them, exactly like you’re mentioning with the pro model. So you’ve really got my mind kind of thinking about, okay, well, maybe this is where some collegiate strength coaches, myself included, have gone wrong, which is, you know, again, trying to recreate or have the power dynamic of collegiate strength coach collegiate athlete, which is here and here, versus, you know, professional strength coach and professional athlete, which is what really the relationship is now.
And putting yourself in their shoes a little bit, like you’re saying, like understanding, okay, if I was in their situation, would I not feel the same way? You know, and and same as when I get I’d get, you know, hurt and people transferred or whatever it may be. But it’s like also, you know, if I’m getting paid, you know, breadcrumbs at this school and then all of a sudden another school offers me five hundred thousand dollars per year, I’m gonna say, no, I’m good, you know, and like if I’m a strength coach, I could guarantee you probably for a twenty thousand dollar raise, I’m gonna be looking at you know that job a little bit harder.
so it it makes sense. It makes a lot of sense. And I think it’s just really interesting and I appreciate your insight on that because it kind of makes my wheels turn a little bit on, you know, what’s the collegiate model and and it may have to shift to something like that a little bit more.
Jess Langvardt (19:50)
Yeah, and I s I’ve got a handful of buddies on on the college side and and talking through some of those things and obviously the the tough thing is you’re still dealing with eighteen to twenty two year olds and obviously that there’s your older players now as well. but how do you how do you do both? And I don’t know what that necessarily answer is where you still have to have some type of structure, like you still have to teach, you still have to educate, you still have to keep a certain level of this is how we’re doing it, but
For sure, I think the there’s more to that and when when eighteen year olds see themselves as professionals and as as adults, whether they are, whether they aren’t, you there’s probably a certain level that you have to still communicate to them in that fashion, to at least honor their dignity within to at least get them to to hear you. and it’s definitely not a free for all and I definitely don’t want to paint that picture in Jacksonville that it that it ever was that. but a certain amount of
You know, hey, okay, cool. Yeah, we can we can modify this or you can edit, you know, change this. you know, obviously those some of those things were were things that Milo was totally fine with us doing on the fly, and some of those things were, you know, conversations before or maybe after of, hey, are you good with us continuing to do this or this guy really liked this today? but I think when when at least guys know that you’re willing to to bend a certain amount, you know, for them, and obviously some of the stuff you’re bending on.
doesn’t matter and you know that, but like in terms of you have an exercise, if they did exercise A, B, C, D, E, any of those variations are getting what you’re wanting out of it. So there’s no magic in that one. But but maybe for them, you know, doing exercise D is it that is that is the silver bullet that allows me to to play at the highest level.
Connor (21:41)
Yeah, a hundred percent. And and I agree with you. And you know, honestly
Jess Langvardt (21:42)
But
Connor (21:44)
it’s I might just have to run this episode for like a year so I could just bounce all my ideas
Jess Langvardt (21:49)
Yeah.
Connor (21:50)
off of you. ‘Cause you’re right. You bring up a great point. You know, there’s a big difference between, okay, here’s a guy who’s professional, he’s married and thirty years old and has a couple of kids having a mature adult conversation versus some of the eighteen year olds I’ve worked with. The conversation is a little bit different, for sure.
Jess Langvardt (22:05)
Yeah, yeah.
Connor (22:06)
But but it’s interesting. It’s it’s interesting what the blend is and you know, you you bring up an
Another point that is this is a funny sidebar. one of my mentors, Dan Wirth, was at University of Arizona when Jim Wendler was a foot with fullback with Arizona. And Wendler’s whole thing was he had to squat 600 pounds before he stepped on the field. So like he would come into the weight room, he had to squat 600 just for one rep, and then he’d be like, Okay, I’m ready to go. So you’re right. Everybody certainly does have a silver bullet. And, you know, I think squatting six hundred pounds is a little little too much of a silver bullet, but obviously Jim Wendler, you know
Took that a little bit further and had a career out of it. So
Jess Langvardt (22:42)
Yeah, yeah.
Connor (22:44)
yeah. Well, you know, ultimately I I kind of think about strength and conditioning in a couple different buckets, right? So you have your tactical side, you have professional, collegiate, and high school. I think those are all pretty different, and you have private. You know, you worked for a long amount of time in the professional side and then transitioned to tactical. What was the appeal to move to the tactical bucket of strength and conditioning?
Jess Langvardt (23:09)
the first real answer is I got fired and a couple t talking to a couple NFL teams didn’t pan out. but
Connor (23:17)
I appreciate the real answer. Thank you. Yeah.
Jess Langvardt (23:21)
but my current boss here, Justin Schwin, he he had moved over to tactical from collegiate side and so he’d been talking tactical for a while. And at least, you know, when you you see the writing on the wall that there’s a good chance you’re not gonna be back.
after year and unfortunately in Jacksonville we had a handful of those years and and stuck you know with it for whatever two or three of the years that we didn’t know if we’d be back. But so I’d at least started looking at tactical that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to college or not. so tactical I had you know knew a few people that had gone the tactical side and then bounced back to NFL or you know back in those jobs. So
I
figured it would at least be worth, you know, going and giving that a shot before I was interested in going back to college at that point. So Justin ended up having a job open pretty shortly after I got let go. So me and my wife decided that w you know, we were gonna move everybody down and whether it was a year, whether it was two years, whatever that that looked like, and give it a shot. And so and I and I told Justin, Justin knew that same thing, that I’ll give it a year at least to the next hiring cycle and
and I’ve always told people like, you know, on that side that if the phone rings, somebody calling, I’m always gonna answer it. you know, and see what that that looks like. we’re happy where we’re at. Definitely, you know, miss the the sports side of things. But you know, been here five years now. So I think one of the things on on the tactical side is that I think I don’t want to say it gave me a leg up on on anything, but I think having
that whole conversation I just had with you in terms of like working with people, that’s what you’re going into work with people when you get there. Like you’re not going into, you know, you still have to run a room. You still have to run a group. You still have to, you know, be a a presence in there. but those guys don’t care where you’ve been at. We’ve talked sports the least I’ve ever talked with a group of people in my life, right? And when they find out that that’s where I was at, it’s cool. It and I but I knew full well if I had a walked in
And telling everybody that’s where I’m coming from, they would have quickly been like, nobody cares. you think that we’re professional football players, we don’t care. so you know, enough people find out and it’s you know, and they think it’s cool because I don’t, you know, harp on or whatever, but it’s working with people again. You know, like we have some of the people I work with are, you know, older and then we have all the way down to your, you know, eighteen year olds. So
you having those conversations across the board, but again, all those people see themselves as working a professional job and you know, they’re just coming in to utilize you and in whatever they are looking for. so you have the same it’s the same relationship, it’s the same thing, you know, that after groups or whatever you’re having sometimes life conversations about kids and whatever else or the next move or those things. So I think not coming in and having to or not
believing I was gonna be coming in and having to just like, you know, take over and I had to be, you know, the guy. But instead, like, I’m coming in to work with you. and we’ll figure things out together as we go. And, you know, obviously come talk to me. let me know when things are bothering you. We can modify whatever we need to. So I think, you know, quickly, you know, people, you know, realizing that some of our people have had a strength coach before. Some of our people have, you know, never even been in a weight room before. So you have that full, you know,
broad mix of of those things. So I think that that piece is is a very similar piece, you know, in that nature. Obviously college is a lot more similar to the NFL when you’re talking about the sporting world or high school even more so similar to to college than in those things. But I think that’s where that on the tactical side that piece definitely has a pretty big crossover. And I don’t know if I I got off on
Connor (27:18)
Yeah, I I was
Jess Langvardt (27:19)
that so
Connor (27:19)
No, no, no, no. But I was thinking the same thing when we were having the conversation about working with people. Just because obviously I’ve had a lot of different tactical strength coaches on the podcast and been able to spoke with them. And the number one thing they always say is first of all, you can’t have an ego. Nobody cares. Like nobody cares where you were, nobody cares what you did. And like it you just it’s funny you reinforce it because obviously like they didn’t even ask and then until that it comes up in conversation, it’s like, you worked with the Jaguars, that’s awesome.
You know, right? But like it’s not like hey, I’ve got to come in the first day or when we have recruiting visits, right? Like we’ll they’ll have somebody come in, they’ll be like, this was Connor. He he worked at Texas Tech and Tennessee. You know, like it’s like the first thing they say ’cause it’s like,
Jess Langvardt (27:57)
Yeah, yeah.
Connor (27:58)
Okay, well, you know, like if he hasn’t been places, why would I listen to him? Versus, you know, you go into a different
Jess Langvardt (28:03)
High percent.
Connor (28:03)
situation and and now it’s just based off of respect and it’s based off of you know, how can we help each other grow? So I really li I was really thinking about you know, your
initial ability with what you’re saying in the professional sector of working with people, right? And understanding, okay, if we can have that relationship where we get each other better and I can help you you know, operate at the highest level that you possibly can, that’s what’s really gonna matter the most. So I love the I love that you bring it back because it was kind of one of my main thoughts. I I also
Jess Langvardt (28:33)
Yeah.
Connor (28:33)
want to say too, I I really appreciate I love the real answer. Like of, you know, hey, like what you know, what what move
Jess Langvardt (28:37)
Ha ha ha.
Connor (28:38)
you tactical? And then you were real because like
It really does matter, you know, like a a lot of coaches, what I’ve noticed is just like, okay, they’ll leave something, they’ll go to a different position, and then they’ll give an answer of like, well, it was time. You know, or you know, like it was something
Jess Langvardt (28:53)
Yeah.
Connor (28:54)
else, right? And it’s just like, Man, I know you got fired. And it’s okay. Like, you know, I like the what is it? If you haven’t been fired yet, you’re gonna be fired at some point, right? Or
Jess Langvardt (29:01)
Yeah.
Connor (29:01)
like every coach has been fired once. You know, so like it happens to everybody. Strength and conditioning happens to also be the career where y you’re in this mix of
You’re part of the coaching staff, so you’re responsible for wins and losses in the minds of the ownership or athletic director, whatever it may be. You also don’t really have direct control over the wins and losses. And then on top of that, you’re not at the level of athletic trainers who almost always get retained, right? Because it’s kind of a non-coaching position. So like there’s there’s no I appreciate the candidness about it because there’s no embarrassment about getting fired. Like it happens and it’s because of the nature of this profession. So I really appreciate you being open about that.
Jess Langvardt (29:40)
The lesson I did learn, so for anybody that’s listened to the podcast and tends to goes over the tactical side, you gotta do a background check and everything. Do not put that you were fired unless it was with cause. I thought I was being transparent
Connor (29:52)
Damn.
Jess Langvardt (29:53)
and put fired, and so then I had to speak with some people as far as my background check went, and why I got fired and what I did. and it was a very repetitive conversation to explain.
how things work on the sporting side. that I did nothing. You could call the team, ask, got a great relationship with call Okay, well, but what did you do? we didn’t win. So I definitely learned that you put let go or whatever other terms, but fired to them means with cause and that you did something to to lose your job and I was like winning.
Connor (30:36)
Yeah. Yeah, it’s it’s more about what we didn’t do. so understand that. No, that’s that’s hilarious.
Jess Langvardt (30:38)
Yes, yes.
Connor (30:41)
I appreciate the heads up because I mean seriously, it is something that could save some of our listeners here at some point. And so I asked you know, kind of a question that led us obviously into an important topic, but then, you know, maybe a better way to phrase it is you you said, you know, you’d be there for one year or two, and then obviously it’s been five years now. you know, what are the benefits of the tactical side? What are the things that make you okay with staying in it?
Or
did you like about
Jess Langvardt (31:05)
Yeah, so
Connor (31:06)
it?
Jess Langvardt (31:07)
yeah, I’m a contrarian in a little bit of these things of what I believe I hear like on all the podcasts. so one of the the things that I would say that I like is still working with we’ll say groups of people, still training. We still take a very athletic based model and in how we we operate. so we still get that.
staff that we have been able to be around is is been fortunately big on continue education. Those are the things that you know I I try to push really hard and and we hope that we get those people that you know other coaches that that want to be a part of that. I feel like the things that you hear when you do a normal podcast on the tactical side and maybe I don’t listen to enough tactical strength coaches.
But they talk about family balance, they talk about time off, they talk about getting to do vacation, they talk about only working forty hours a week. and I I told our people when I got there, it’s like I’m not I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but like I want to go somewhere, I want to work. Like I’m not looking to retire, I want to work. I want to continue to get better. so the things that I’ve definitely we’ve taken advantage of are my my family,
You know, we’ve got to go home for Christmas, we’ve got to go home for Thanksgiving, we get to go home for you know, during the summer over the fourth of July. So obviously gotta see, you know, we’re talking about our parents earlier, see them more often, you know, over the last handful of years. and so all those things were good and and to see my dad, you know, the last five years before he passed, more often, I guess on on saying that. So those things were all all things that
very much enjoyed and and have taken advantage of and those things. But I think the piece that the tactical side has offered is in college, especially if you’re working with multiple teams or you you know the the roster size I think has been cut down a little bit, but the number of groups you potentially have in the collegiate side definitely takes a lot of your time that you’re on the floor. I think the you know moving to the NFL, you know, especially with their restrictions just, you know, from the league,
you have less time than you’re on the floor. So I think you have more time to learn and more time to dig deeper into things, more time to to go to s some courses at different times. the tactical side is I would say is like football May or the NFL kind of off season where there’s never a bad time to go to a course. There’s never a bad time to go to a conference. you can do all those in
I’ve been able to do a lot financially a lot of courses in the basis of the way the contract’s written up and my boss being able to find extra money for for different things. So I’ve had more time, I’d say, to get better. you know, you have potentially less people on on some of those things that you’re working with. Obviously in college, you have that many groups you get hone in hopefully on your coaching ability and your coaching eye. Those things are probably less on this side of things.
But you have all the the stuff to to and the time to go learn. So I think those things you probably get a little bit more freedom to kind of play around and try some things out because you don’t have a camp coming up or season coming up or off season coming up. And you know, in in the sporting world, everything is on timelines, right? as soon as season’s done, you have X number of weeks before you know, non-OTA start up.
then you know OTAs finish and you have X number of weeks before camp starts. everything has a timeline. Here, nothing has a timeline. obviously, you know, with with some of the people that are, you know, potentially it and I’m I’m speaking for for my situation. Obviously, you have other groups that are are a little bit more on their their timelines as far as like deployments and different things getting spun up for for us that piece you know gives you a little bit more
level to you know have some creativity or try stuff, experiment with some of those things. So I think that I think the people are great. you know, that we get to work with on a daily basis. You know, I had one argument, I say argument. I had one time where a guy, you know, asked me a a question about our group times and he found out that there it was an hour and a half group and not an hour. And his response was I took it as he was like, you know, arguing with me.
I was like, you ain’t gotta be here. You can leave. And he quickly backed off. He’s like, no, I just had the wrong information. And I was I was hot with that. Like, you know, he didn’t necessarily know that, but I was hot with that probably till I went home. And on the ride home, I was like, I’ve got so soft because I would have had that conversation five times a day and not thought twice about it. Right. Like I would have had some type of conflict and it wouldn’t even have been a con like I wouldn’t even have viewed it as a conflict. I was like, it it has been so smooth here in terms of like the people you work with.
you know, you know, someone coming up, hey, do you care if I do this instead? Yeah, we can do that. Or, you know, maybe you find out why they want to do it. Is something bothering you, or is it just you some want to do something different or whatever? but the I would say the overall level of like, you know, respect that you that people come and talk to you with is a lot a lot more or it’s a lot softer tone than what you, you know, I think deal with in a daily basis in, you know, in the sports world that you just quickly just realize that that’s you just deal with that right or you know you interact with that.
And it’s no problem, like you’re not mad at a guy, you’re not frustrated with a guy, like that conversation was done, and like you’re good. And that one guy, so that that made me really like, man, if if I’ve been this stress free and and that one thing set me off, I was like, I’m I’ve got a little soft on this. that I let somebody get under my skin for that. but I think the getting to train, getting to train people, like you’re trying to develop athletes.
getting to to learn, getting to experiment and getting still that group side of things has all been things enough that it I’d say has fulfilled from the the coaching spot and been been fortunate enough to have you know staff around that I think is is for the most part looking for those same things. and that we just continue to push to see, you know, how far we can take things and you just obviously then you have to
Have those conversations of all right, are we trying too much? I’m the one that wants to do more and more and more. And then you ask yourself, Do you have the people that can do more and more and more or do these different things? And all right, we probably need to back this back off, but we’re gonna keep this, you know, keep it on the table you know, for a for a later date or for the right people. but, you know, technology, we’ve been good with technology, so it’s nothing I felt like that
Nothing I felt like I’m missing out on or losing out on that we’ve not had, you know, for the most part, opportunities to to utilize in some way, to at least be knowledgeable in it, to experiment with it and use enough. But that’s kind of my my answer is we get to work and we get to get better. But
Connor (38:24)
Yeah. But no, well, I mean, seriously, I really like what you’re saying about the continuing education piece because like I think working in collegiate athletics, you can get really wrapped up in the time. It’s like time, time, time, time, time, your practice on the floor, you know, helping guys stretch, whatever it may be. And then it’s just one thing after the other, and then you really get wrapped up. And it always cracks me up when somebody’s like they’re trying to recruit you somewhere or whatever, and they’re like, Hey, and we’ll pay for some courses for you and everything. And you’re like, When? Like, when am I gonna do that? You know, like
Jess Langvardt (38:51)
Yeah.
Connor (38:51)
I
like if I have May off, I’m gonna spend May off. Like that’s like the last thing I want to do, right? Because you’re so invested in everything you have going on with the team. But the learning part is really fun. Like that’s where you get better, right? And every strength I like if every strength coach, you grab gathered them all in the world, probably like CSCCA, right? But you know, you just said, like, hey, who wants to be a better coach? Like everybody’s gonna raise their hand, right? And so the process of getting better.
You know, the the end result of getting better is always really fun. But the process, if you start to enjoy it and kind of buy into it, can be really, really fun and and something that you know you want to spend your time on. So I really like that you mentioned that you can spend your time on the continuum education. You can actually go to these conferences. Cause like I can’t tell you how many times, like if there’s a conference
Jess Langvardt (39:34)
Yeah.
Connor (39:35)
from September to April, no shot. You know, and then it’s like, okay, May, like I can make CSCCA.
Jess Langvardt (39:41)
Mm-hmm.
Connor (39:42)
And then our guys are back over summer and we’re training again. So, like you just get very limited in what you’re able to do. And then, like you said, with football, it’s even larger. So actually having the opportunity to learn, actually having the opportunity to get better is a really fun process. But then it also just obviously makes you a better coach. And then it’s a great model because if you can spend the time on getting better, then you’re gonna see better results from your athletes.
Jess Langvardt (40:04)
Yeah, no. That’s for for sure that’s how I look at it. And obviously the I shouldn’t say obviously the learning and getting better w you know, especially when I was first getting into things, definitely was super interested in it. You know, I didn’t have the the path I went, I just I didn’t have anybody that was telling me what I needed to do and there was probably pieces that I needed, you know, for that. Obviously social media and you know, internet and access that way was not
what it is today. I’m not old by the way. I definitely wanna but I think Facebook came out when I was in college. and that was the student only version. never was a MySpace guy I don’t think. but
Connor (40:50)
No top five.
Jess Langvardt (40:52)
no, no. so in in that, right, like it was really just in being at a small school I didn’t have people that had done it before me necessarily.
You know, so in that I I I remember a a one of my buddies’ teammates said introduce me, you know, obviously like online stuff to to Joe DeFranco and I thought I found gold when I found that. and then just reading Joe DeFranco stuff, all of a sudden, you know, like and and you get kind of lost in these little bubbles and you think like you you’re the only ones that have found this. and so he hit through his writings and stuff, programs, well he was the first one that, you know, introduced me to West Side.
introduced me to Charlie Francis. so I was really like hungry and kind of passionate about those things, but I felt like I had I had found it, right? and then got a chance to had some alumni at school put me in contact with at the time Scott Bird was the the head strength conditioning coach for K State baseball and he had played a year at Sterling. So put me in contact. So I went up to him and then he introduced me to the FMS and so all of a sudden now this is a way of like, hey, we’re looking at movement, whatever you think about the FMS, but like
Now had a lens in which to like, there’s you know quality and movement with this piece too, right? So I had the you know, the strength side of things, I had the you know, speed side of things and this quality and movement side of things. you know, and I got to Memphis and and still felt like I I knew a lot, you know, had my eyes open to it, you know, a few things, and then Milo got there, and then Milo was buddies with Charlie Francis, and Milo had trained at West Side, and so knew Louie well and
So all of a sudden now these things were like the the stuff that I had started to be exposed to, you know, they’re there. and so like I think the you know he was the one that, you know, continued to just open doors of like then, you know, being around Milo, the some of those conversations that we had. Again, I was interested in learning. It’s just a matter of like where where are you going to find this information and then who do you trust even within that, right? ‘Cause well
know if you listen to someone in the private sector, well the NSCA is the stupidest thing alive. You know, if you were gonna get certified, you just have to learn what what they tell you to do and then forget it all. Like, okay, well what am I supposed to know then? what do you want me to know? you know just you know you gotta learn our system or whatever. so you’re like okay you’re you’re you know trying to figure these things out and like okay well West Side’s the golden ticket and Charlie Francis is the golden ticket. and then that’s where and then obviously I could get there with with Milo
and then I remember we sat down, Malum and I went to dinner or something one night or lunch or something, and he’s talking through speed strength continuum or force velocity continuum or something. And so I’m like, Hold up, you know, wait, can you like talk through that again? And stuff that like a year later after being with him were the simplest, most basic concepts to me. And like looking back on those conversations, I was like,
You know, I I was so lucky to get a GA and and blessed within that that, you know, truly I got hired for my GA because boss at the time or that was there, saw that I had FCA president on my resume and he wanted to bring in he w you know, somebody of character. had nothing to do with anything coaching wise. You know, I thought I was going there ’cause I was a qualified coach. and then I, you know, talking to the assistant
Josh Medler and he was there. Josh was basically talking through and he said it in a nice way, but like you were not our top candidate. you know, basically you were not qualified and at at some point you realize like I was not. You know, like and I was fortunate enough to to be already there. Milo would have never hired me. but I was hungry to learn, you know, once he got there and so that and then I saw how
how intentional of a learner Milo was and how much he was learn and you’re just like, all right, well, I thought I was like, you know, running down this path and getting better. And now I realize like I haven’t even got on the path yet. and I better hurry up. And now you you like it’s like I gotta work just as hard as these guys to you know, to leave and start to like get on the path and they’re like, you know, running down this, you know, road and the people that they’re talking with. And so I think that really I’m gonna say
That was the really the catalyst I’d say falling in love with like learning and then so and then having those opportunities to continue to do that. And then you you’re just because of who and the experience you know, being getting to be in the NFL and getting to to meet the people that I’ve met, right? And you realize like how many good people now you may not like the way they train or you may disagree with that, you may disagree or they may not get as good a results as they could if they did this or whatever, but you realize how many smart people are out there and you’re like, All right, I got so much more work to do and and
I said just getting the chance to to be around or get introduced to some of these people, and people that, you know, are traveling around the world to to go talk or go speak or whatever on all the podcasts and you’re, you know, having, you know, personal conversations with them all, it’s like, all right, like I need to take in this as well and realize like how blessed I am, and then how do I soak up everything I could possibly soak up from them? And then like said, coming to this side and saying, like, all right, like I gotta put my foot on the gas.
you know, and that was, you know, even coming over to this side, I think my wife would be fine with me saying this, but she heard forty hours a week. You know, she’s been married to a college and and NFL coach. And I’m coming home and writing programs and coming home and doing s this other learning and stuff. And and so at some point she’s like, I thought you were gonna be working forty hours a week and you’re working whatever. I was like, I am working forty hours or forty five or whatever a week. And she’s like, Yeah, but you’re doing all this stuff here. I was like
And I and I think at at that point, you know, we had a good conversation and just, you know, resetting kind of structure. But was like, I don’t know how to do this job any different. And I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but like I couldn’t like whether I’m a terrible strength coach right now or average or whatever, right? I can’t imagine staying there and being content with that. You know, it’s like I’d rather go get a job that I don’t have to use my mind and then I can just come home and hang out, right? I’d rather go work at Lowe’s and I’m just arrogant enough to think I can get a job there. you know, but
I don’t know how to do this strength job and and being around the people that I’ve been around and seeing how they have done it. I’m not saying it’s right, it’s wrong. That’s just at some level has brainwashed me into saying like if you’re gonna be if you want to be good at something, like be good at it. Like, you know, it we’re ask asking all these other guys to keep getting better, keep getting keep getting better. And then I’m just gonna to to stalemate this. Like that’s not fair to anybody else, you know, either as well. So I think I said coming back to that of having just that time to
to do it and take advantage of it and you know and and then you know whatever out of pocket, you know, you gotta come out to to keep, you know, doing the stuff that you’re you’re wanting to do. But like I said, that that time thing is is massive. and like coming back to the you know that the people side, you know, if if I didn’t like the people that I was working around then, you know, whatever I’d, you know, be trying to move on. So it’s a a whole whole piece on that. But the the education is huge.
Connor (48:14)
Yeah,
I think you bring up two really good points there. The the first is I’ve never regretted having a conversation with somebody when I don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. Right. In a good way, right? Like now, you know, I’ve had a conversation where I’ve yeah, I’ve talked to people,
Jess Langvardt (48:24)
Yeah.
Connor (48:26)
I’m like, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. And not in a good way, but in a in a
Jess Langvardt (48:29)
Yeah.
Connor (48:30)
way where like, okay, can you re like can you go back through that with me, please? Like really hold my hand. Like I’m an idiot. I need you to really, you know, hold my hand through this. And then like you said, like the stuff that’s really high level all of a sudden becomes basic for you, and then you just get better.
you know, so I’ve never regretted surrounding myself with people like that. And it’s made it’s made a huge difference. and you know, the the second piece that I really appreciate about what you said, is that ultimately like we ask these athletes nonstop to get better. We we try to push everybody else. Like, so like yeah, what kind of a hypocrite would you be to not try to get better yourself? Like that’s the whole part of the process. Like in it would really I think you lose your edge a little bit as a coach too if you stop.
Going through that getting better process.
Jess Langvardt (49:15)
No, I think thanks so much. And I think getting a chance to be around. I got to meet Al Vermeal when I was younger, you know, in the the field. I met him at a a titleist conference of all things. you know, and so getting to talk with him and you’re finding out who he’s talking to and who he’s learning. He the the man’s retired, right? I was when I was down at Tulane, a name that I don’t know how many people know, but Mackie Shillstone.
So he was a guy that was just kind of around, but he’s worked with a lot of high level athletes. He’s been in, he helped re rehab like Peyton’s neck. I think Ozzy Smith mentioned him in his Hall of Fame speech. But Mackie was an alumni, so he just come work out in our facility. And you talk to Mackie, and Mackie’s like, I read four research articles this morning. I get up and I have my, you know, I don’t know if he said coffee, but get up, have coffee and and I read, you know, just research. I’ve got my stack of research that I read. And you’re like,
This guy’s working with a handful of people, but he’s really kind of shut it down. he was Serena, he when I met him, he was just working with Serena Williams at that time. and you’re like, this guy’s going 100 miles an hour and I’m half his age. like I got catching up to do, right? And then getting a chance to be really, I say like around Boo and the conversations that he’s having with people. Milo was good.
friends with Dan Paf and so getting to to hear, you know, and obviously Dan was on the later side of coaching career now, you know, if he’s retired or whatever, you know, he would call that now. But you hear who he’s you know he talks about who he’s talking to on a daily basis. and these people like it’s just it’s wired within them. And you know, like I talk to Mile all the time and find out what he’s doing. but you just realize like
These people aren’t putting in work. Like this is their passion to do this. and it’s like that’s just, you know, and and seeing them and it’s like, you know, and I c I can’t imagine, you know, and I’ve told my wife this or whatever, like I can’t imagine asking, you know, someone to hire me back and find out that I haven’t done anything over the last five years to get better. Right. And it’s like, and I know actually, you know, after working on the tactical side, like if I was ever back on the
you know, the football side, if I ever interviewed somebody from the tactical side and I said, Hey, you know, what’d you do this last year to get better? You know, or to prepare to get back into football. And if their list wasn’t like this to, you know, over a year or two years or three years, it’s like I don’t know if I want anything to do with you. Cause you’ve you have now had the opportunity to to do that and you haven’t. And does that make you a bad coach? No, for sure not. Like
Can you still have a great coach’s eye? Can you have are you can you are you great with relationships? Maybe, yeah, maybe sure you are. But just the idea that like you’ve learned what there is to learn and you know it now, i is so I don’t know, that it it it that’s hard for me to even wrap my head around, right? and so it’s like, you know, if if someone’s gonna ask me what I’ve done, like I, you know, okay, here’s what I’ve been preparing for. And at worst case, I shouldn’t say worst case ’cause I like I said, I’m
Go where I’m at. But our people know that we’re learning a lot of stuff that we may never use with them. And our people know that we’re learning a lot of stuff, like, gosh dang, where what course did you go and learn this from? Right. But there’s a level of like, hey, these people like they’re passionate about this. This is their like this their world, like that we’re coming into. This isn’t a hobby. This isn’t whatever, like, okay, like, I may not like it, I may just want to do these things, whatever, you know, on that. We can have those conversations too, you know, with them, you know.
dumb stuff down and not talk near as high level. But I think those are the things like I I also can’t imagine working with and I tell, you know, all of our staff to like do you you know, if you can look yourself in and I’ll press say it this way, but if you can look yourself in the mirror and be fine just being the same, and I don’t use these words with them, knowing that we’re, you know, helping people that are supposed to be, you know, helping us, and you’re fine just being that, like that’s
You know, there’s there’s a problem to that. And I obviously I I think I explained it and have a a a slightly better conversation around that. But you know, so I those are things that are huge. And I said that’s all mentors of of who I’ve got to be around and and realize like you just have such a long way to go. and I think you know, we talked a little bit off four or whatever. My I’ve I’ve definitely realized like my learning style and it took me a while to to to figure this out.
is I just need to take in as much information as I can possibly take in. And there’s gonna be so much that that I’m not qualified to use yet, whether like my knowledge base isn’t qualified to use it yet, or maybe it doesn’t fit what I can, you know, do in a, you know, in my job actually, you know, from my legit qualifications. but in all of this I’ve realized like
I’m gonna fly through information of people like, well, how are you retaining any of that? there’s a lot that I’m not. But the next time I get exposed to it, I’ll know that I’ve, you know, gone through that and it’ll be reminding me. So, like, you know, how many books that I’ve read that it’s like you hear a, you know, a a point or a another book title or whatever, and it’s like all of a sudden now you’ve read a third book that’s all pointed you to this other book or pointed you to this course or pointed you to whatever. It’s like, okay, well, dang, now it’s stuck in my head because I’ve accidentally hit it three times. And now, all right, I’m gonna
Obviously if I there’s so many people saying that I need to go do this. you know, and I I figure out like the put this in a couple presentations I’ve given, but like, you know, you hear people talk about like the Bruce Lee quote and and I’ve seen it kind of written a couple different ways, but basically take what is useful, disregard the rest and incorporate your own creativity or however he however he says it. And
And I’ve heard so many people say that, and I’m like, no, that’s a really cool quote. And I’m glad that you’re a Bruce Lee level practitioner that you can decipher what is good and what is bad. I’m not. So I have a bookshelf over here that all the stuff that I don’t know how to use or doesn’t make sense to me yet sits over here. Because at some point it may, but I’m gonna learn as much as I can within those things, and at least to be exposed to it. And at some point I’m gonna go like that actually fits in this bucket.
And now makes total sense to me and how you could use it. That’s not how they saw it maybe, but it now it makes sense and and so it that’s and I figured out like when I just would grind through stuff, you know, like I’m gonna find a topic and just grind through it or I’m gonna read as much research on this one topic. I’d fight myself so much like, all right, get it done, get it done, instead of just like, all right, if I wanna jump to something else every few months or whatever the interest, I’m gonna do that.
And I’m gonna probably come back around. And chances are if I’m looking at a therapy side of things, that’s gonna explain something in the speed world. If I’m looking at something in the speed world, it’s gonna explain something in the strength world. If I’m looking at something in leadership, that’s gonna help me do something better here. And all of a sudden you just start realizing that like there’s so many dots that are then connected and at least, you know, whether I would connect the dots the same way somebody else would, that’s at some level irrelevant, right? but it’s connecting dots for me that maybe I’ll unconnect dots later and connect them up somewhere else. but I’ve I’ve
Definitely have given myself permission a you know a long time ago to to learn in that way. that it didn’t have to just be this learn everything you can about strength, learn everything you can about the ACL, learn everything you can about speed, learn everything. It’s like if it interests me right now, I’m gonna go down that path. and then when I’m move on to something else, and then at the end of the year I’m gonna realize how much stuff that I’ve done. at the end of five years, I’m gonna realize how many dots have been connected for me.
on those things, but you said you liked long-winded answers, so I gave you one there.
So
Connor (57:12)
No, no, no, no. I love it. Seriously. And you know, I will say
the other thing too is like for for you know you you call them the Bruce Lee level practitioners, right? Like I I think so a lot of people think they’re the Bruce Lee level practitioners, but then they just kind of go down this giant rabbit hole of confirmation bias, right? And then so they think they can cipher out decipher, you know, what’s good from what’s bad, and then all of a sudden they’re just reading everything that confirms what they thought was appropriate.
Right. And then it’s just not beneficial in the long run. So no, I love long winded answers, seriously, because it just helps me learn more. Like I said, I’ve I’ve you know, I kinda wanna keep this podcast going for a year and then you know, we can just
Jess Langvardt (57:47)
Yeah.
Connor (57:48)
bounce ideas back and forth off each other. You’ll see you’ll see me brush my teeth tomorrow morning and everything like that. And tonight as well, by the way. I do brush my teeth twice a day. So let’s
Jess Langvardt (57:54)
I got you.
Connor (57:56)
let’s be very clear on that. So well, I’ve got one last question for you, and I’m just I’m very curious about this in general. Jacksonville, Albuquerque, which city is hotter?
Jess Langvardt (58:09)
Jacksonville with the humidity, which I didn’t know this until I got out here, but Albuquerque were higher than Denver elevation wise. So being in the high desert,
Connor (58:18)
Really?
Jess Langvardt (58:19)
this was the most days, I think, in a row that they hit over 90 this year, in whatever time frame that was. Jacksonville wasn’t the extreme
Connor (58:29)
Really?
Jess Langvardt (58:29)
heat, but with the humidity, I would definitely say I would put my money on Jacksonville being
being hotter with that, but I didn’t know Alba I didn’t know New Mexico had any of the landscape that it does. I didn’t know how to mountains, I didn’t know any of that stuff. moved out and I was like, there’s a mountain range right there and then find out, yeah,
Connor (58:46)
Yeah.
Jess Langvardt (58:47)
we’re at five thousand feet elevation. And so you go to games, you know, if you go to Lobo’s games and they play there at five, you know, whatever thousand feet you start to experience these symptoms and you know, that that Denver does with with some of their stuff.
But yeah, so I mean it gets it gets hot, don’t but we have very, very little humidity. today I think was like it was raining, which we go through a little bit of the seas the rainy season. but I think it maybe got up to seventy degrees today. I imagine it will will heat up a little bit, but I’m gonna go with step outside in Jacksonville and immediately you’re pouring. Talked about like wearing a raincoat,
Connor (59:26)
Yeah.
Jess Langvardt (59:27)
raincoat out in Jacksonville, like going to practice because it’s raining and you’re like, you got two options you can
not wear a raincoat and be soaked from the rain, or you can wear a raincoat and you’re basically wearing plastics and it’s humid.
Connor (59:39)
Yeah.
Jess Langvardt (59:39)
So then you’re gonna s be soaked from the inside out. It’s like all do I have papers that I need to keep dry? All right. That’s the answer then I need a raincoat. but
Connor (59:49)
Well that just goes to show I don’t know my topography at all or geography, because I really I was I completely forgot, like you said, that new Albuquerque’s actually at a a higher elevation. I’m thinking when I was over in Lubbock, West Texas, you know, like when I first
Jess Langvardt (1:00:01)
Yeah, a hundred percent.
Connor (1:00:02)
drove over there in July, it was one fifteen, you know, and you’re like,
Jess Langvardt (1:00:05)
Yeah.
Connor (1:00:05)
All right, this is this is getting a little ridiculous. So all right, well there you go. Now now
Jess Langvardt (1:00:08)
One hundred percent.
Connor (1:00:09)
I know Jacksonville. Well hey Jess, thank you so much. Seriously. Yeah, I really appreciate you coming on. Like
I really love doing the podcast ’cause it, you helps me learn, but it also motivates me, you know, and and it’s really cool for me to have guests on and who are so passionate about learning in the process of coaching as you, ’cause it it helps me. So, you know, at the very least you help me out, which I really appreciate. But I know our listeners love the content as well. So thank you.
Jess Langvardt (1:00:33)
No, I appreciate having me. Hopefully it was somewhat entertaining.
Connor (1:00:37)
a thousand percent. And I will say this, I’m gonna put I’m gonna put Jess Langvart not old in the in the show title.
Jess Langvardt (1:00:43)
Yeah.
Connor (1:00:46)
So well thank you, Jess. I appreciate you.
Jess Langvardt (1:00:49)
No, thank you.
