How can we get the Netherlands fit again? How do we make motor fitness FUN? How can you, as a coach, PE teacher, or physiotherapist, always work at the right training load? And what can we learn from approaches across Europe and the USA?
Join us on April 4, 2025, for the Masters of Movement masterclass featuring two top American speakers: Movement Scientist Dr. Joe Eisenmann, PhD, and S&C Coach Nicole Rodriguez, MSc.
We live in an era of fitness influencers, the rapid rise of CrossFit, and more knowledge about training than ever before. At the same time, concerns are growing about the increasing number of people struggling with obesity and physical inactivity—leading to sports dropouts, injuries from overuse or inactivity, and a rising burden on healthcare.
This calls for an innovative approach in physiotherapy, sports, and physical education to make the Netherlands fit and healthy again, laying the foundation for long-term athletic performance. Just as in the Netherlands, this issue is gaining global attention through scientific research and innovative practical applications.
April 4th: Masters of Movement masterclass.
The Master of Movement Community of Learners is a concept of the ASM Academy. During inspiring live masterclasses, movement professionals learn from top coaches, scientists, and medical experts from the Netherlands and abroad—led by captain Gregory Sedoc. The Masters of Movement masterclasses feature lectures, interactive Q&A sessions, and hands-on workshops, open to passionate physiotherapists, PE teachers, trainers/coaches, community sports coaches, and movement scientists.
Previous editions covered a wide range of sports and movement topics related to the Athletic Skills Model and were led by top coaches such as Guus Hiddink, Jeroen Otter, Jacco Verhaeren, Vern Gambetta, and Peter Heerschop, alongside leading scientists like Jean Côté, Keith Davids, Wolfgang Schöllhorn, Edwin Goedhart, Joe Baker, David Mann, Margriet Sitskoorn, and Janine Stubbe.
Who’s dr. Joe Eisenmann, PhD?
Dr. Joe Eisenmann, PhD, is an American movement scientist and practitioner with over 25 years of experience as a professor, researcher, sports scientist, and coach educator. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and lectures worldwide. In addition to his academic expertise, he actively works in the field alongside coaches, athletes, and sports medical professionals.
Eisenmann’s research focuses on exercise physiology, biological maturation of youth athletes, maturity-associated variation in training, bio-banding in sports, locomotion profiles, talent identification, and strength & conditioning.
During his keynote, this leading scientist will share the latest insights on training and rehabilitation during growth spurts—and why every teacher, coach, and physiotherapist should consider this in their lessons, training sessions, and rehabilitation programs.
He will explore the difference between relative age and biological age, a common confusion in selection processes and load management. Expect concrete strategies and real-world applications to create a fairer and more personalized sports and movement environment.
"Despite the recognition of the importance of evidence-based practice, many sports professionals experience barriers to its implementation. There is a need for better integration of scientific findings into daily practice to optimize athlete performance and health." – From: Practitioner Perceptions of Evidence-Based Practice in Elite Sport in the United States of America, 2019
A topic that has been receiving attention in youth sports for quite some time—particularly in soccer and physiotherapy—has already proven successful in practice. This is why strategically introducing variation in training load during this developmental phase plays a key role in the Athletic Skills Model.
In 2023, renowned Dutch coach Jacco Verhaeren also presented his initiatives during his Masters of Movement masterclass, focusing on aligning swimming competitions with biological development. His H2grOw project, developed during his tenure as Technical Director of the French Swimming Federation, is a prime example of this approach.
"Children undergo an assessment that determines their true biological age, considering factors such as height, weight, and body composition. These results are then used for an alternative ranking of competition performances. This process takes place behind the scenes, so it does not affect the official standings."
In France, Jacco Verhaeren is also working on redefining talent identification. Starting in December, they will introduce two podiums per age category, splitting the calendar year in half. Verhaeren explains: "This is a partial solution, as biological age is still not taken into account. However, it at least teaches you to look at results from a different perspective.”
- Topcoach Jacco Verhaeren in Sport Knowhow XL, October 2023
What are the latest insights regarding the biological development of youth athletes, and what implementation advice can the American movement scientist offer for physical education, sports training, and physiotherapy?
Who’s Nicole Rodriguez, MSc?
Nicole Rodriguez, MSc, is an experienced all-round strength and conditioning coach with an impressive track record in both the United States and Europe. With experience at national and world levels across 7 different countries, she can be considered a living S&C atlas. Nicole is currently working for the U.S. Soccer Federation, where she serves as Lead S&C coach for the team competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Additionally, she is the Lead Performance Consultant for Hospital for Special Surgery, where she is responsible for the ACL Prevention Program for High Schools in the USA.
With her extensive experience, this energetic S&C coach is uniquely positioned to highlight the pros and cons of physical training and rehabilitation across different countries.
World S&C expert in team sports
In addition to her work with American football and the medical sector, Nicole has been working at the international level for many years across both men’s and women’s sports. Her experience spans American ice hockey, Colombian rugby, Czech Basketball Federation youth teams, and American women’s basketball teams. In football, she has worked with the Polish and Czech national teams as well as the Belgian RSC Anderlecht Women’s Team. Nicole is also no stranger to the Netherlands. In 2018, she worked with the Dutch women’s volleyball team for the World Championship in Japan, where she helped them defeat her own home country and secure a fourth-place finish after leading them through the group stage.
In the Dutch Athletic Skills Model developed by Prof. Dr. Geert Savelsbergh and René Wormhoudt, a vision for versatile movement has been established based on scientific and practical foundations. This model combines specific training of sports and movement skills with transfers from other sports and games: “donor sports.” Especially when time for training and rehabilitation is limited, innovative insights into training and development are necessary to achieve higher and more lasting results. As a result, the amount of so-called ‘non-specific training time’ is gaining popularity in physical education, elite and recreational sports, and physiotherapy. Are American colleagues, with a larger proportion of ‘off-pitch training,’ ahead of the curve?
“In the US, we were spending the majority of our time inside in the gym, where in Europe, the majority of my time was being spent on the side of the pitch, working with the players and the teams. It was almost an inverse time relationship, where if in the US it was 80/20 in the gym and then 20% on the pitch, well, in Europe, it was actually the complete opposite.”
- Nicole Rodriguez
NSCA Coaching Podcast ‘Building Strength Beyond Borders’, November 2024.
NSCA Coaching Podcast ‘Building Strength Beyond Borders’, November 2024.
The development of the field of strength and conditioning continues to evolve within American sports culture. Earlier, another progressive American top coach also delivered a Masters of Movement masterclass: Vern Gembetta, the ‘guru’ and pioneer of functional strength and conditioning training. In 2023, he was able to succinctly summarize the evolution of the field over the past decades and sent participants home with a clear message:
“We have to stop to select the athletically gifted and give all the gift of athleticism”
- Vern Gambetta @ Masters of Movement masterclass, 2024
On April 4, 2025, the Masters of Movement masterclass will take your knowledge further on training during growth spurts, fitness training, and what we can learn from other countries. This full-day, English-language masterclass will take place in the capital city. The masterclass is accredited by all major sports federations, and accreditation for the Quality Register for Physiotherapy is being requested.
