485: James de Lacey on Rhythm, Reactivity, and the Art of Athletic Power

Today’s guest is James de Lacey. James is a professional strength and conditioning coach and the founder of Sweet Science of Fighting, a leading platform for combat sports performance. He has coached in professional rugby leagues across New Zealand, Europe, and the United States, and has trained athletes in MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, and BJJ. Through Sweet Science of Fighting, he delivers evidence-based programs and education for fighters and coaches worldwide. Strength training for athleticism typically focuses on sets, reps, and general forces, but rarely gets into aliveness and skill management of the resistance itself. The former is great for building basic physical competencies, but in integrating the latter, we can breathe more life into a performance program. On today’s show, we dive into James' approach to building athletic strength and power across multiple mediums. We explore how Olympic lifting, especially pull variations, connects to real sport actions, and how striking and collision sports highlight the importance of timing, rigidity, and effective mass. We also break down resistance methods like oscillatory work, flywheels, and accentuated eccentrics, focusing on their alive, reactive qualities rather than just load. These principles carry into speed and power training, including plyometrics and sprinting, with rhythm and movement quality as a central theme. The episode makes strong connections between field sports and combat sports, showing how momentum, relaxation, and rigidity at impact shape performance. Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen wearable resistance. Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/) Timestamps 0:56 - Olympic Lifting Philosophy and Sport-Specific Implementation 4:26 - The Role of Bar Flex and Slack in Block Pulls vs. Rack Pulls 7:03 - High Block Work for Impulse and Technical Refinement 12:22 - Oscillatory Training and the Limits of Maximal Strength 24:49 - Upper/Lower Body Dissociation for Fluid Movement and Game Speed 52:25 - Controlled Eccentric Overload using Flywheel Technology Quotes "High pull was probably my favorite variation of all time, just because you're supporting heavy loads, you're having to maintain positions over the bar, and then you're having this violent extension pulling it vertically." "I found snatch variations tend to be easier on the shoulders for a lot of athletes, like especially in rugby and stuff. They're not actually that easier to learn than the clean variation because the front rack is so difficult for so many people." "The power rack holds the bar, whereas the blocks hold the plates. You have no slack. So it just makes it way harder." "I stole from Vern (Gambetta) the power lunge and lean. So like the medicine ball out in front, and as you step forward, you kind of rotate over, and it's like continuous. And then the same thing overhead and lean. Those two, I use those on warmups all the time. They're great." "Regarding the actual eccentric, people will say it's not eccentric overload because it gives you the same as what you put concentrically. But you can modify the way you either do the concentric or the eccentric to be able to create the overload." "I think a lot of these machines, the best applications are in the eccentric overload stuff, because you're limited with traditional lifting where you either have to do super heavy loads, multiple spotters, or weight releases." About James de Lacey James de Lacey is a professional strength & conditioning coach and the founder of Sweet Science of Fighting, a leading platform for combat sports performance education. He holds a Master’s degree in Sport & Exercise Science and has worked as an S&C coach in professional rugby leagues across New Zealand, Europe, and the United States, as well as with MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, and BJJ athletes. Through Sweet Science of Fighting, he creates evidence-based programs, courses, and research breakdowns focused on strength, power, conditioning, and technical performance for fighters and coaches. His work bridges sports science with the practical demands of combat sports, making high-level training methods accessible and applicable worldwide.