Kick it with Kendall

mentoring, training, and recovery for footballers

  • About
  • services
    • Mentoring
    • Training
    • Recovery
  • Words
    • My concussion story & resources
    • Personal stories
    • Athlete Stories
Thorns.Training031416.CM061.jpg

Garga Caserta-Thorns FC strength and conditioning coach-on maximizing speed, injury prevention, and the Brazilian capoeira

May 05, 2017 by Kendall Johnson in Podcast, Interview

In today’s episode, I interview Garga Caserta. Garga is the Thorns FC performance management consultant and strength and conditioning coach. He is the owner of GC Strength,a sports performance center specifically for soccer players. He is also the father of two dogs, and soon-to-be human father, as he and his wonderful wife, Molly, are expecting a baby boy.

In this episode, we talk about how Garga grew up playing futsal in the streets of Brasil and how as a child, he had already calculated how many World Cups in which he was going to play in his lifetime. We discuss how Garga first gained interest in the power of movement through the capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music.

In the second portion of the interview, we dive into technical aspects of speed, agility, strength, and all things mobility.

 

Garga talks about:

-the most common mistake athletes make while training

-the importance of a meaningful warm-up

-how to prevent injuries, particularly acl tears

-the key components to increasing your speed

– why he makes Thorns FC players, wear gps and heart rate monitors every training

-why coach Mark Parsons and he plan out every single training session before our season starts

and more.

 

If you stick around to the end of the interview, Garga has a special gift for you!

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Garga Caserta.


Shownotes

:50 Who is Garga?

4:00 Garga’s art of coaching

5:21 His upbringing in Brazil

7:47 How and why did Garga move to the US.

10:07 What inspired his interest in movement?

17:00 When did Garga stop playing soccer?

22:06 Why did Garga come to Portland?

23:18 Garga’s transition to the Thorns conditioning coach

24:45 How does Garga prepare for Thorn’s pregame warmups?

27:35 What is central nervous activation response?

30:09 Benefits of warmups

30:48 Biggest mistake of running form

33:24 Tip for increasing running speed

36:08 Is speed and agility innate or taught?

37:47 How much does weight training influence speed?

41:01 Does Garga like heavy or light lifting?

43:46 Why is doing more not always better?

48:41 Importance of building fundamentals

51:00  biggest mistake rushing preparation

51:50 Garga & Mark Parson’s preplanning training sessions

55:07 Garga’s lighter day schedule

57:16 GPS systems & heart rate monitors

1:03:04 Garga’s video replay analysis

1:07.41 Garga’s new company

1:11.54 Fan questions

1:13.45 How can female athletes decrease the possibility of ACL injury?

1:16.35 What is the best method to increase speed and stamina?

1:18.04 How important is stretching?

1:20.01 What is one of Garga’s craziest beliefs?

1:21.38 Is there a body prep you do every day?

Share the love

If you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

  1. Click HERE

  2. Click “view in itunes”

  3. Click the “ratings and reviews” tab

  4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

Resources

Click HERE to become a part of Friday Feelz

Click HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read

Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content

Click HERE for Garga’s Free 1 month strength and speed workout

Click HERE for Garga’s Instagram & HERE for his Twitter

Click HERE for Garga’s Website

May 05, 2017 /Kendall Johnson
arrow liver, arrow living, female athletes, Garga Caserta, inspiration, interview, kendall johnson, Portland Thorns, professional athlete, soccer
Podcast, Interview
2 Comments

Praise

“There isn’t anything Kendall does without pouring everything she has to offer into it. She cares enough to not be scared to say what you might not always want to hear. She’s already been a great mentor. She is someone I admire so much. She doesn’t make excuses and will achieve what she is after.”
— Allie Long, USWNT World Cup Champion
“Few people have positively impacted me on or off the field as much as Kendall. She has a unique ability to help elevate all of the lives she comes in contact with. Through her own pursuits, triumphs, and trials, she has accumulated a wealth of different approaches to professional and personal growth. It is impossible to spend time with her and not walk away as a better version of yourself.”
— Michelle Betos, NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year
“In the world of professional athletes, you are surrounded by self-motivated people who are all working to a varying degree of “obsessive” to push themselves as hard and far as they can physically, mentally, and psychologically go. This doesn’t even begin to describe Kendall’s approach to all aspects of life. She lets nothing slip through the cracks and has a natural ability to put her passion to practice. Anyone who sits down in a conversation with Kendall will leave smarter, challenged, and with their perspective on life considerably altered.”
— Emily Menges, NWSL Champion
“I met Kendall at a challenging time in my life, and from the start, I felt comfortable sharing those challenges with her. After I first opened up to her about it, it was easy from then on out because she always helped me see my feelings are valid; my experiences and my story are my own, and I can make them to be what I want. She helped me find the beauty in times of struggle and she somehow managed to respond to my life hurdles, and her own, with an open mind and a good laugh. She has helped me to believe life works for us, not against us, and my life has become better for that. She is an amazing teacher.”
— EJ Proctor, Duke goalkeeper
“I have played soccer almost my entire life, and something that I have always struggled with is my mindset and confidence. As someone who strives to train, play, and perform at the highest level all of the time, it is very frustrating to be set back by my tendency to let my mind get in the way of my play. My goal is to play soccer at the highest level possible–to be recognized as a top player at Kentucky, play professionally, and compete on the national team. I have tried many mental techniques surrounding my game in order to help maintain a steady mindset throughout my seasons, but I have struggled to find strategies that are the best fit for me. 

I have calls with Kendall very consistently and she always creates a space that makes me feel completely at ease and comfortable to share whatever is on my mind. Something that I really appreciate about talking with her is that she really wants to know and learn about me as a person, and we never immediately get into the soccer portion of the call. It is really comforting to know that I always have someone as knowledgeable and thoughtful as Kendall to talk to about the highlights and setbacks of my life and soccer journey, and I feel really confident in my future plans after talking with her. Not only do I feel like I am doing everything I possibly can to accomplish my goals as a result of the training schedule that we often work on together, but we also discuss and build upon different approaches to improve my mindset, such as journaling, visualization, mental plans and steps going into training, and morning routines.

I have learned so much from Kendall and have felt such a big difference in my confidence not only as a player, but also as a person. I have grown to trust my own voice and opinion on another level, as well as increasing my confidence in my knowledge and preparation. I have seen such a big difference in my mental and physical space as a whole and I always look forward to our next call. Thank you so much Kendall, I cannot express how much I appreciate all of the time, effort, support, and thoughtfulness you put into and bring to every one of our calls!”
— Elle, University of Kentucky commit

SCHEDULE A FREE DISCOVERY CALL

Learn more