August 25, 2016
WYC 089 – Performance Training – Former NFL wide receiver Corey Bridges talks training athletes – from NFL quarterbacks to Olympic ping pong players
Corey Bridges is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Bears, Vikings, and Browns. He also had an outstanding football, track and baseball career at Newnan High School and football and track star at the University of South Carolina, including many All-SEC honors and the SEC 60 meter sprint champion. He has spent the last 10 years training athletes from the youth to the professional level. Corey founded C4 Performance, Personal and Professional Sports Performance Specialist. C4 specializes in the following: Toning & Sculpting; Flexibility/Stability/Mobility; Body Fat Reduction; Stretching; Injury Preventive Program (FMS); Strength and Conditioning; and Speed Training. He was recently featured in a Sports Illustrated article leading up the the Olympics: si.com/vault/2016/03/29/ping-pong-physicality.
Website: nsta.net
Twitter: @CoreyBridges004, @NSTA_ATL
Facebook: /Norcross-Sports-Training-Academy, C4-Performance-trainingfitness
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Quote
‘If it is to be, it’s up to me’ – Max Bass
Sports Illustrated article – training a ping-pong player for the Olympics
- Corey trained Timothy Wang, Olympic table tennis player
- Corey didn’t know much about the sport, so he watched Timothy play and analyzed the movements, then created a workout routine to focus on the critical areas
- Article: si.com/vault/2016/03/29/ping-pong-physicality
Coaching your own kids
- Let them play. Keep it fun.
Strength and Conditioning
- Always think through the purpose of every drill – ask a lot of why’s. Why are we doing this drill? Why are we doing it this way?
Mental Toughness/Achieving Peak Performance
- Give kids the opportunity to see improvement.
- Take the emphasis off their individual achievement and turn it around to have them want to run through a wall for the team and for you
Culture
- Corey was part of a World Bowl Champion team. This team had great culture because:
- They alternated starting every other game. Took away jealousy.
- They sometimes had to play both ways because they were short on players
- Being in a culture outside of their own (they were in Germany) helped them bond
- Army term: ‘You gotta know who’s got your 6’
Connecting with and Impacting Kids
- Corey coached who a kid who made some bad decisions and got kicked off his high school team. Corey was patient and just committed to being a great listener with him. After earning his trust, the young man opened up more and more and Corey now is a mentor who has changed the direction of this young man’s life.
Best borrowed/stolen idea
- Everybody steals most of their ideas, the key is to make it your own and individualize everything based on the needs of the team/person
Favorite coaching book/quote
- ‘If it is to be, it’s up to me’ – Max Bass, Corey’s high school coach
Norcross Sports Training Academy
- Gray Institute – Gift Fellows – Corey did 3 year training program that changed his paradigm. Specifically on biomechanics.
- Check out more at: nsta.net
Parting Advice
- Don’t make it about you. Make it about the kids.
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Related Episodes
WYC 085 – Performance Training – Bryan Schwebke talks Building a Strong Base
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