425: David Durand on Balancing the Nervous System in Gen Z Athletes and Beyond

This week’s podcast is with David Durand. David is a coach and author of "B.E.T. On It: A Psychological Approach to Coaching Gen Z and Beyond." He combines his expertise in coaching, strength and conditioning, and psychology to help athletes achieve their full potential. Through his company, Real Development LLC, he provides insights that address athletes' physical, mental, and personal growth, mainly focusing on the challenges faced by Gen Z. David advocates for a holistic approach that emphasizes the nervous system's role in enhancing performance and mental well-being. As technology and social media have facilitated a drastic change in the world, along with the prevalence of mental health issues, coaching athletes in Generation Z (currently ages 11-26, or under age 27 for current coaches in most situations) demands that we understand how stress impacts the training process. On today’s podcast, David speaks on aspects of the nervous system in light of modern life and technology and how we can use ideas based on Polyvagal Theory to help athletes have a training experience that gives them maximal benefit in their athletic journey. David’s concepts are a must-understand for those who work with young athletes, but the same concepts resonate with humans of all ages. In this show, David specifically covers how breathing, vision, and touch can drive beneficial responses from the body to the brain, providing mental and emotional benefits to the athlete. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. 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 TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 1:47- Holistic Approach to Athletic Performance Enhancement 5:58- The Impact of Social Media on Generation Z's Mental Health 10:02- Optimal Performance through Autonomic Nervous System Balancing 14:41- Behavioral Indicators of Athlete's Action Mode 17:07- Athlete Well-Being: Social Media Stress Impact 21:45- Nurturing Growth Mindsets Through Positive Training 25:57- Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation in Sports Coaching 32:58- Impact of Everyday Gamification on Generations 36:47- Balancing Data Insights with Present-Moment Engagement 46:02- Enhancing Performance Through the Bet Method 1:01:43- Enhancing Sports Performance Through Vision Engagement 1:13:38- Enhancing Team Performance Through Physical Interactions 1:16:14- Team Bonding Through Physical Gestures in Sports Quotes (15:17) "In action mode, I typically look for an athlete. You know, if it's before a competition, it's pretty easy to see it sometimes. Maybe their eyes are kind of darting around all over. Maybe they're looking into the stands a lot. They're kind of feeling a little tense or jittery" (25:57) "Sometimes, however, when that becomes like your tactic day in and day out where you're trying to motivate by yelling or fear-based tactics, It's like putting gasoline on a fire. You may get a big blow up, which is probably why coaches do, but again and again because they feel like it gets a rise out of players and helps. But at the end of the day, it's not sustainable and that fire is going to burn out." (33:35) “When I talk about gamification, I'm not talking about games like basketball and football and not talking about competitions and track and field more. So just like how our modern culture with social media and just media in general has really latched on to gamification because, you know, humans are the product.” (47:15) "If you extend your exhale longer than your inhale, you're engaging the brake, you're accessing the parasympathetic, and then that's calming down your brain and your body." (59:23) " Being able to play a game freely and with security rather than being in that survival, action shutdown mode and getting stuck, because I think when we, you know, when we play defensive, when we play scared to make mistakes, all these things, we're not playing to our potential because we're trying to survive rather than curiously and creatively trying to see how good we can be." (1:02:05) "So much of games and competition, it's the hindrance, the back brain, and not the forebrain. Like, yes, you need your forebrain sometimes. You need to be able to think through and make decisions, but the best athletes and most adaptable ones are the ones that, you know, don't have to consciously think through every motion or every decision or every move." (1:09:48) "Being able to use your eyes to stay connected to that present moment and stay connected to that task so that even when you're not feeling great, it helps kind of move you back into that connection." (1:17:45) "That power of people believing in you and showing that through (touch), I think communicates more deeply than we're consciously aware of a lot of times." About David Durand David Durand is a visionary coach and author behind "B.E.T. On It: A Psychological Approach to Coaching Gen Z and Beyond." David brings a unique blend of experience, insight, and skills to work with athletes, coaches, and teams through his business, Real Development LLC. With a background in coaching, strength and conditioning, and psychology, he is dedicated to helping athletes reach their full potential physically, mentally, and personally. Drawing on his own experiences as a member of Gen Z and working with countless youth and adolescents, David offers a fresh perspective on the modern challenges facing today's athletes. He believes that a holistic approach that considers the nervous systems of athletes can improve their performance and, more importantly, their mental health and well-being.