Jack Skille

Jack Skille Show Episode 9: Steve Myrland on adaptable athletes

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On Episode 9 of the Jack Skille Show we are joined by my former athletic development coach and mentor in all things physical Steve Myrland. After a long career with collegiate and NHL coaching experience, Steve Myrland always operates against the grain, and his approach provides a needed balance when discussing how to develop athletes. On this episode we talk about his background, training philosophy, and approach to developing athletes young and old.

Learn more from Jack and Steve in HMMR Video Lesson 21, where both break down one offseason of training. Steve also contributes articles to HMMR Media.

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Show notes

  • 0:00 – Steve’s background and path to coaching.
  • 5:15 – What is strength? “Strength is not the end goal. While can’t be a good athlete without being strong, you can be strong without being a good athlete.”
  • 11:45 – First impressions of Steve and Jack from working together.
  • 16:00 – Conformity and training.
  • 21:30 – Finding the need for something new.
  • 27:45 – Thoughts on equipment, barbells, etc.
  • 37:30 – Early specialization, learning to move the body, and the value of being a generalist.
  • 47:45 – Training for the new NHL.
  • 56:00 – Asking questions of your coach and understanding the why of training: “If your coach doesn’t have a good reason why, they shouldn’t have been doing it.”
  • 1:01:00 – How should young athletes train and how to create movement puzzles.
  • 1:08:15 – Progressing the athlete and finding graceful movement: “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
  • 1:15:30 – How athleticism links to performance.