Good morning. The Dallas Stars reveal what makes their performance team work, a study recently resurfaced on X shows short videos weaken focus, and a debate is brewing over whether RSI should be retired. Let's get into it...
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🏒 Dallas Stars Build Player-Driven Performance Culture
The Dallas Stars hired Dr. Troy Van Biezen (Director of Sports Performance) and Mike Donoghue (Head S&C Coach) in 2023 to expand their performance department. The team now includes a nutritionist, sports scientist, and medicine specialist.
Van Biezen's approach: "I've always wanted a player-driven culture, where the players push each other." The staff created "power camp"—a series of pre-game activities customized for each player (pogo jumps, ballistic work) to prepare the body for competition. Post-flight stretching sessions started small but grew after captain Jamie Benn and leadership bought in. Dallas has the second-best road record in the league (18-7-6) this season. Read More
🧠 Short-Form Video Addiction Weakens Focus
Dr. Nicholas Fabiano recently resurfaced a study on X showing that short-form video addiction reduces brain activity in the frontal lobe, weakening the ability to focus.
The EEG study of 48 participants found a significant negative correlation (r = -0.395) between addiction tendency and theta power in the prefrontal region during executive control tasks. Higher addiction levels = diminished executive control and self-control. The effect was task-specific—no correlation appeared in resting-state EEG data. Read More
📊 Should the Reactive Strength Index Be Retired?
Lance Brooks, a leading sports scientist, argues the Reactive Strength Index (RSI) should be retired in favor of the Dynamic Rebound Index (DRI).
His case: RSI combines jump height and contact time into mixed units that make interpretation unclear. Athletes can boost RSI by decreasing contact time without actually jumping higher or generating more force—improving through technique, not actual power. Brooks says DRI accounts for gravity and squared contact time, offering a more accurate representation of how efficiently the body accelerates during ground contact. Will the field shift from RSI to DRI? Read More
🏈 Florida Passes the Gauntlet Before Spring Practice
Florida football completed Rusty Whitt's Gauntlet—a rigorous test designed to push players to their physical and mental limits—before spring practices begin March 3.
It took close to two months for the entire team to pass. Whitt, a former Army Special Forces sergeant, has only seen it passed 4 times in his career: 2x at Tulane, 2x at Troy under Coach Jon Sumrall. The test combines mat room culture from 1990s Nebraska with Whitt's Army experience and accounts for penalties that could be called during games. "There's a certain culture where they think if we just keep doing it, they'll give it to us. It's not going to happen." Read More
Academy Formation S&C Coach
Strength & Conditioning Graduate Assistant
Central Washington University | view
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