Alabama Hires David Ballou as New Strength and Conditioning Coach

[T Bone]

oh something tells me this is gonna be good........real good..........roll tide

 

[smith5753]

Just reading about what these two have done at IU has me excited. It will take time and a full buy in, getting the YaYa out of them, but this sounds like another grand slam hire by the GOAT.

Much more excited about this hire than I Feld after reading about these two. I think many are right that Feld was more of a personality similar to Cochran. I like the sound of the potential these two bring to the table so much more.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring to the table...…….....I think the S&C program is about to really take off

 

[Ole Man Dan]

Sorry....I really hope he works out. I actually think SC was more of a motivational factor than a weight training coach and sometimes change is needed.

Some kids need different motivation techniques.
Scott's Rah Rah motivated some kids in the gym.
Other kids respond better to a calm urging to respond.
I know that I wasn't in to Rah Rah. I responded best to my internal pressure. I didn't go for the calm approach either, but when I needed it I managed to dig down and find a little extra to give. Self motivation was my thing.
I'm not sure self motivation can be taught to others, some guys seem to need to be kick started...

 

[Rolltide51]

I think Mullen and Florida will become more than just a yearly irritant for UGA on their way to the SECCG. I think Mullen and Co are going to be equal competitors to Kirby's bulldogs. Mullen has access to a lot better talent at UF than he did at Starkville. I think he's the type offensive coordinator (given the right QB for his system) that will always give Kirby's defense fits. It's not an automatic for Jaw-Juh.

Agree with all of this but does Mullen recruit at a high enough level?

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Agree with all of this but does Mullen recruit at a high enough level?

I know he's not known to be the best recruiter. But even with his recruiting shortcomings, he'll still get a lot better athlete and more of them just by being at UF compared to Miss St. I think he's a better coach than Kirby and can make up for any shortcomings in his recruiting with that.

 

[TideEngineer08]

I know he's not known to be the best recruiter. But even with his recruiting shortcomings, he'll still get a lot better athlete and more of them just by being at UF compared to Miss St. I think he's a better coach than Kirby and can make up for any shortcomings in his recruiting with that.

They both have their moments of derp moves in game management. So far, Mullin has out-derped Kirby in that game, but the talent gap is narrowing.

 

[Saban4Ever]

I thought this was a good article about the hiring of Ballou and Rhea. Interesting comments from Jeff Allen and Dr. Cain too. I am glad Saban hired them. RTR! I saw it on rolltide.com.
new.aspx

 

[cuda.1973]

Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced the hiring of David Ballou as the Crimson Tide's Director of Sports Performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as the Director of Performance Science on Tuesday.

Notice the absence of "S&C Coach".

"Our program has been working toward these type of advancements with the development and construction of our own sports science center, and with the addition of David and Matt, we believe our student-athletes will be better equipped to reach their goals for many years to come."

Sure makes it sound like this was planned. CSC may have been "encouraged" to seek that on-field position.

 

[BamaMoon]

Notice the absence of "S&C Coach".



Sure makes it sound like this was planned. CSC may have been "encouraged" to seek that on-field position.

I asked that question earlier. Sounds more and more like CNS may have orchestrated this whole deal. If it was SC idea...once again, CNS shows he's always got a plan, if needed.

 

[davefrat]

Some kids need different motivation techniques.
Scott's Rah Rah motivated some kids in the gym.
Other kids respond better to a calm urging to respond.
I know that I wasn't in to Rah Rah. I responded best to my internal pressure. I didn't go for the calm approach either, but when I needed it I managed to dig down and find a little extra to give. Self motivation was my thing.
I'm not sure self motivation can be taught to others, some guys seem to need to be kick started...

i've always been more motivated by the fear of failure than i have the allure of success.

 

[TiderJack]

Some kids need different motivation techniques.
Scott's Rah Rah motivated some kids in the gym.
Other kids respond better to a calm urging to respond.
I know that I wasn't in to Rah Rah. I responded best to my internal pressure. I didn't go for the calm approach either, but when I needed it I managed to dig down and find a little extra to give. Self motivation was my thing.
I'm not sure self motivation can be taught to others, some guys seem to need to be kick started...

I think rah rah/loud is the nature of the beast for a S&C coach (now director of sports performance). I think we will soon be hearing reports about Ballou's structure and the way he motivates but I don't think it is going to be quiet and it will be highly demanding.

 

[theshow4jsu_13]

Well, the writer did say his impact wounldn't be fully recognized until 2021, which I agree with, as it takes time to see where the players are, what their strengths and weaknesses are, adjust your methods to the new facility and equipment, integrate yourself into the culture, etc. We will see some differences, in 2020, but I expect Ballou's full impact will be seen next year.

I think we will see results as early as fall practice. These guys are phenomenal athletes, very genetically gifted and respond very quickly to strength and conditioning. Yes, the full effect won't be realized for about a year, but we and the players will see a difference after summer workouts.

 

[The Ols]

i've always been more motivated by the fear of failure than i have the allure of success.

Total opposite...I loved the glory, team and individual.
Probably not supposed to admit that these days, but I grew up in the 70's and 80's when you could voice your opinion...not too many folks noticed, but you could!!!

FTR...that's not a TF shot, that's a shot at Political Correctness...

 

[TDBama78]

Notice the absence of "S&C Coach".



Sure makes it sound like this was planned. CSC may have been "encouraged" to seek that on-field position.

I wouldn't be surprised if coach Saban engineered the whole deal, spun the pr so Cochran could leave on good terms and everybody gets what they want, especially coach Saban.

 

[davefrat]

Total opposite...I loved the glory, team and individual.
Probably not supposed to admit that these days, but I grew up in the 70's and 80's when you could voice your opinion...not too many folks noticed, but you could!!!

FTR...that's not a TF shot, that's a shot at Political Correctness...

i grew up during the same time.

i just put more pressure on myself than anyone else does...it's not necessarily a good thing btw.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

I wouldn't be surprised if coach Saban engineered the whole deal, spun the pr so Cochran could leave on good terms and everybody gets what they want, especially coach Saban.

Almost seems that way......………...…..that Saban is a calculating one, isn't he?

 

[bigjue24]

2018 article on Ballou

That was an interesting read. I think this type of training being explained to a recruit will be a very good recruiting tool along with making the on field product better.

 

[BJ4TIDE]

That was an interesting read. I think this type of training being explained to a recruit will be a very good recruiting tool along with making the on field product better.

I agree. I think it will really appeal to parents of recruits, especially moms, who want to know their babies are going to be taken care of in every aspect.

 

[deliveryman35]

Like any other position—We won’t know definitively if these were good hires for a couple of years. But Saban has forgotten more about S/C needs than I will ever know.