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Q&A with Joe Connolly

ASU Football's head coach for sports performance Joe Connolly celebrates a pick-six by DL Shannon Forman (97)
ASU Football's head coach for sports performance Joe Connolly celebrates a pick-six by DL Shannon Forman (97)

A bizarre off-season for the Sun Devils and the rest of college football began some seven months ago, as individuals such as ASU Football's head coach for sports performance, Joe Connolly, had to contend with the myriad of obstacles the pandemic presented. In our discussion, Conolly details how and he and his staff dealt with those challenges in preparing for the 2020 season and what lies ahead for this year's squad.


DevilsDigest: Even though the calendar has already flipped to 2021, in terms of strength and conditioning workouts, I assume there are some Covid protocols in place. What can you tell us about conducting these types of sessions in this type of environment, and what type of experience has it been so far?


Joe Connolly: “It's certainly been a learning experience. Having done this for a few years, conducting a program one way, and then in the blink of an eye, you have to change up the way you do things and adapt in the moment, just like anybody else. So, that's been the biggest thing. You got to be able, as one of my mentors used to say, ‘coach on your feet.’ And essentially, what that means is you got to be able to, to adapt in the moment and kind of have a backup plan or contingency plan right away, and be able to move into that option at any point in time.”


DevilsDigest: Was it truly impossible to really prepare for this new environment because there were such uncharted waters? Did you find yourself talking to some of your colleagues in the Pac-12 or just around the country about what they're doing and how to approach this unique environment?


JC: “Honestly, I have a pretty good relationship with a few of the Pac-12 head strength coaches. We had a weekly call with (Oregon State associate athletic director) Dr. Doug Ackerman, and the athletic trainers, doctors, and strength coaches. We were bouncing ideas off each other about what to do testing wise and how everybody was doing things. And ultimately, it came down to the states, as far as what we were able to and not able to do. You certainly have to have some people on speed dial you trust, so you can kind of get a gauge for what's going on nationally.”


DevilsDigest: During this pandemic, you hear about the laymen that obviously aren't working at the same level as a student-athlete, having difficulties working out while wearing a mask at all times. From your perspective, training student-athletes, many of them in peak condition, was the mask an obstacle that's maybe easier for a student-athlete to overcome? Or is it still an adjustment process that they have to go through like anyone off the street working out at their local gym a couple of times a week?


JC: “I would say that it was certainly a learning curve, initially. But our kids did a great job, and our young men understood the importance of it. When it's time to have a mask on, you have a mask on, and as coaches, we had to follow suit and do the same thing. From a physics perspective, you can make all the excuses you want. But essentially, what I always said was, ‘do you want to play or not? If you want to play, put it on, and keep it on because that's what they're telling us to do.’ The doctors are saying it helps mitigate it (Covid infection). There is no gray area there, and you know me, I'm not really a gray area guy.”


DevilsDigest: Did you feel that you maybe had to initially scale back, and maybe that is not the right word, the workouts because of the mask-wearing and gradually intensify the workouts over time as everyone adjusts to this new environment?


JC: “No. I would say that a good strength coach has a good progression, regardless of whether there's a mask or not. Especially after a period of inactivity, when we first got them back (in the summer) or starting this week for us, so it's not any different.”


DevilsDigest: When you started working out in smaller than usual groups back in June, was that environment business as usual and perhaps better, in some respects, because you just have fewer bodies to manage in a weight room at any given time?


JC: “I prefer the environment of a relatively large group. And as somebody that has a really good eye for technique and execution, we've adapted and learned to manage that. So I prefer that over a smaller group, to be honest with you. I think that environment is better. And initially, we had to have smaller groups in June, July. But we're about back to where we were; we've evaluated our space, our weight room, and our outdoor space. And we have enough space to follow state regulations with a relatively larger group. So we're still following protocols. But we don't have to have ten groups throughout the day. You know, we can get it done in three.”


DevilsDigest: Can you paint a picture of what did it look like back in June, in terms of the group size and how did it change over time?


JC: “Initially, we had a protocol where there were nine student-athletes and one coach with each group, and there couldn't be any overlapping without sanitizing. And we're still following a similar protocol that the groups are just a little bit larger. Because our weight room can hold 20 athletes at a time, all on their own station and our stations are 10 feet apart; it allows for that to happen. And then, if you overlap that with a run group outside, you can get it done in a little bit more of a timely manner. But I know some of my colleagues around the country if there are 100 athletes on the team, and you can only have nine in the weight room at once, you got 10, 11 groups throughout the day, and each one of those groups is in there for an hour and a half….that’s a long day, man.


"That's how we started…we would start at 6:30 am and finish it whenever we were done, which usually was around 6:30 pm. And that was only for a couple of weeks. And then, we refined our protocol; we figured out that we don't necessarily need to do this. In this extreme of a situation, we can follow protocol and still make it a little bit more efficient for coaches, trainers, and for everybody.”


DevilsDigest: When you talk about “workouts outside,” are you strictly talking about conditioning workouts, or are there some strength workouts that can be done outside and maybe had to be done outdoors due to the circumstances?


JC: “In the beginning, we did. We had to have a couple of different groups that were just lifting outside. So they would essentially do their warm-up out there. They're running, whether that was speed or agility, and normally it was both, and then we would do our weight training session with a kettlebell or a dumbbell or a barbell. And then we would do our conditioning at the end. So that session right there would last about an hour and a half, two hours, but we were outside the whole time.”


DevilsDigest: Before the pandemic hit were there any new concepts that you wanted to try out this year or fully implement that the pandemic prevented you from doing so and now you need to put it on hold for possibly later this year?


JC: “I think there are always little tools you have in your toolbox. I think a good coach always evaluates the roster and evaluates where your team in its maturation, so to speak. Being that last year was year three, for us, there were some things that we had planned from a performance perspective that we didn't get a chance to do. There were also some things that we had planned from a leadership and team-building perspective; we didn't get a chance to do. And so you just got to take a step back and prioritize the things you want to prioritize and make sure you do those really, really well. With our roster and the way it is now, we still have a chance to do that. We have a good veteran corps that still has some experiences they can go through, and it's going to make them better, and it's going to make the team better. So we're looking forward to that.”


DevilsDigest: On that note, did you feel since last summer and all throughout the year that this veteran group of players, especially on a defense that showed up the way they did on the field on Saturdays also showed up the way they did in the weight room and the conditioning workouts? In other words, maybe needing less instruction, and seeing more leadership from the players themselves…are those are some of the things that you got to see it and maybe expected to see anyway?


JC: “Absolutely, and I expect to see more of that this year. Our biggest goal last year was to limit injuries. We wanted to prepare these guys physiologically, for practice, and for games. And so in order to do that, you really got to follow good quality progressions. So that was our number one goal last year. Some of that other stuff you talked about, like leadership and, and older guys holding younger guys accountable, that happened because of our roster. But that wasn't necessarily our focus. We wanted to keep everybody healthy, and for the most part, we did. We didn't really have a whole lot of any major injuries. That’s always your goal in any year.


“This year is one of our goals is really dig in and put guys in situations where they have to respond. That, something that we're looking forward to doing this year…put those leaders, those veterans, in a spot where they have to lead. See how they lead in a training situation where they can learn from it. And then you sit down, and you evaluate, and you say, ‘hey, maybe you could have done this, or this.’ And so when it's September, and we're playing somebody, and they know how to respond to adversity. It's a little different because we weren't able to do a lot of stuff as a bigger group, as a team. But hopefully, we'll get there this year with some of that.”


DevilsDigest: Even under all these adverse conditions, which were naturally not unique to ASU, when the season opener arrived, did you feel that conditioning-wise, this team was as ready as they would have been in a normal year?


JC: “I thought we were ready. There were things going on all year that were out of our control. And all we could do as sports performance coaches was make sure the guys were physiologically ready to play. The ones that were able to play were physiologically ready to play, and I think we did that. And we did it right from the start. In that USC game, we were ready to go from a physical perspective.”


DevilsDigest: And after that USC game, you have the Covid hiatus that the team had to encounter for the next three weeks. What does that do for and your staff? What do those conditioning sessions look like with not as many players that were able to practice?


JC: “During those three weeks, I think we had three days off when that initial wave hit us, and then we were right back to work, Hod. We were training the guys that were able to train, and communication was so important with Gerry (Garcia, team trainer), the docs, and the coaching staff. We were always making sure everybody's healthy, and we're following protocols. But we, we got right back to it with everybody that was able to do so. So there wasn't a lot I could do or anybody could do about that situation. So we just did everything we possibly could, like we have all year, and in every situation, we turned over every rock, we questioned everything, trying to make sure we were following the right protocols. We were managing what we could manage. It might not seem that way, but I think it came to fruition in the last two games of the year when we were in a little bit better situation, and we could show everybody what we were really all about.”

DevilsDigest: Objectively speaking from a conditioning perspective, you look at the UCLA game, a game that where the team takes the field literally a month after the USC game, and the team is leading in the fourth quarter and probably should have won that game. Sure, there were some issues during that game, but being out of shape wasn’t one of them…


JC: “There's a lot that goes into it, man. It's hard because everybody always wants to put their finger on the one thing, or one reason, and normally it's a whole bunch of stuff, and that's the hard part. But I appreciate you saying that. Let’s put it this way; I don't think there was a game we played where we weren't ready to play physically.”.


DevilsDigest: You mentioned starting the spring workouts this week, so how different are the January 2021 versus June 2020 workouts procedure wise, etc.? Are you now able to manage the offseason weight and conditioning program as you anticipated?


JC: “It looks a little bit more like August or September than it does June. We know a little bit more about it. We've been very good in the building. None of the issues we had stemmed from the building. So our process, knock on wood, has been good. And we're gonna continue to follow that process. I'm working closely with Gerry Garcia, the doctors, (Executive Senior Associate AD) Jean Boyd, and (chief of staff) Nate Wainwright to make sure that's what we're doing. And, that's what we're going to continue to do until somebody tells us otherwise.”


DevilsDigest: This collective group of players has to be both frustrated from the 2020 season but also really hungry and really encouraged the way they finished that season. They know now that 2021 can really be their year. They’re still are about two months away from taking those frustrations out on the practice field, so are you seeing them right now taking it out in the weight room? Are you seeing any increased level of confidence with the way they're conducting themselves these days during the conditioning sessions?


JC: “Our team has much higher expectations of themselves and of their teammates. This year, Hod, our offseason mantra this year is P.A.C.

“It's an acronym for poised, ascending, and committed. And I think those three words could not describe this team any better.

“We're poised in that we have a veteran crew that has been through it, and they understand what it takes. We're ascending in that our trajectory is trending up, and that's where we think, we believe we're going, and we're all committed. We're all committed to the same goals and the same causes, and we know what to expect. And, we're ready, we're ready to get to work. Those three words really describe this program and this team here.

DevilsDigest: have you seen any players that you felt under these adverse conditions really made some sizable gains, no pun intended, from last year to this year?


JC: “I think every player on the team is going to ultimately benefit from this situation for the rest of their lives, not just when they're in college. When there's adversity, and there's a situation that you're thrust into, that you have no control over, you learn so much about yourself. You learn a lot about how to manage situations and adapt and get used to things that are uncomfortable. To me, all those things, all those situations, they create a different response and a different person. And so, when somebody doesn't get what they want next year, they can always lean back on that. A call doesn't go their way on the field or whatever, well, at least we're plugged, we’re playing football- next play. I think we'll all benefit from this, in our instance, as men more than anything else.”


DevilsDigest: There's only so much a freshman or a newcomer can do on their own because it's always going to be an eye-opening experience once they come to your weight and conditioning program. But you probably, for the first time, now have a good number of freshmen that didn't even get to play their senior season this past fall. And here they are, diving right into your program. Do you think it will feel different with some of these freshmen that didn't get to play September through December when it comes to their conditioning?


JC: “As a coach, you have to temper your expectations. You have to start relatively slow and understand that every athlete on the team has a different training age, a different experience, a different background. They have a different amount of resources that they can use to get through something. So you got to slow cook. You can't rush strength; you can't rush movement; you got to get them in shape. You got to do all these things, but you got to do it slow and steady, and you got to do it over time. Consistency trumps anything else in regards to numbers or attitude. The consistency part for us is the most important, so that's what we're going to do.


“We're excited to go and get to work and, and see what 2021 brings, I can tell you that we're ready for anything, and we will be ready for anything.”


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