#23 | The Metrics That Matter In Athlete Development & Pro Sport with Tanner Care

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Aug 25, 2025

Tanner Care, director of performance for the BC Lions and Vancouver Bandits with experience across U Sports, NCAA, and pro sport. He discusses long-term athletic development and prioritizing movement skill before specialization. He covers the role of speed and deceleration training for all athletes. He explains key performance metrics and how tracking trends guides individualized programming.

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ADVICE

Fix Big Rocks Before Advanced Work

Prioritize big rocks first: training relationship, nutrition, sleep, and basic motor competency before advanced specialization.
Use simple assessments and conversations to confirm readiness for higher-stress methods like sprint-intensive or triphasic work.

INSIGHT

Keep All Archetypes In Year-Round

Use concurrent periodization: keep sprinting, jumping, throwing and lifting year-round with shifting priorities rather than strict sequential blocks.
Provide regressions and progressions so each athlete follows a linear pathway that integrates all archetypes.

ADVICE

Use Sprinting As An Antidote To Overuse

Treat sprint work as both performance and injury-prevention by pulling athletes out of sport-specific postures to refine pelvic and hamstring mechanics.
Use submaximal tempo, wickets, resisted sprints and tools (Run Rocket/1080) to safely train high-velocity shapes in-season.

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Summary

In this conversation, Tanner Care, the director of performance for the BC Lions and Vancouver Bandits, shares his extensive journey in strength and conditioning. He discusses the importance of maximizing athletic potential, the transition from U Sports to NCAA, and the differences in training models. Tanner emphasizes the significance of individualization in training, long-term athletic development, and the evaluation processes for athlete readiness. He also highlights the importance of speed development, deceleration training, and the use of metrics to guide athlete development. Tanner concludes with insights on balancing professional and personal life as a coach.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Tanner Care and His Journey
03:56 Transitioning from U Sports to NCAA: A Strength Coach's Perspective
11:10 Long-Term Athletic Development Philosophy
18:24 The Importance of Speed Development in Non-Track Athletes
24:00 Integrating Deceleration and Change of Direction Training
26:38 The Harmony of Skill and Physical Qualities
29:56 Metrics That Matter in Athletic Performance
34:42 Understanding Athlete Trends and Ecosystems
36:24 Navigating Athlete Buy-In and Health
39:34 Implementing Health-Focused Training
42:19 Game Day Preparation and Performance
45:34 Underappreciated Training Qualities in Experienced Athletes
47:45 Finding Balance in Professional Coaching

Links:

IG: @coach.care

Connect with me:

IG: Follow @evans.performance for additional insights and content.

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