In this third episode of Between the Shifts from Stop and Starts, the host welcomes Erin Bratcher of EB Athletics to discuss off-ice training and athlete development for parents and players. Bratcher shares her background as a Division I basketball player at Charleston Southern, four-year pro in Germany’s Bundesliga, and her path into strength and conditioning, including building EB Athletics during COVID and developing a 5,000-square-foot facility. They cover how strength gains translate to speed, power, injury prevention, and confidence, and discuss early specialization versus multi-sport benefits, recovery and readiness (sleep, hydration, nutrition), and age-appropriate progression from coordination to loaded lifting. Bratcher explains her TeamBuildr-based in-person and remote coaching, form feedback via video, pricing guidance, and sport-specific programming like groin prevention for hockey and ankle focus for basketball.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:39 Erin Bratcher Background

03:54 EB Athletics and Results

05:39 Old School vs Modern Training

06:39 Why Strength Matters

09:15 Sports She Trains

10:46 Early Specialization Debate

13:19 Building the Gym

16:02 Online Platform TeamBuildr

18:16 Remote Assessments and Testing

18:50 Remote Training Intake

19:09 Stop and Starts Mission

21:14 Building Athlete Confidence

22:47 Recovery and Body Awareness

24:21 When Kids Should Train

26:07 Assessments and Body Types

27:43 Online Coaching and Pricing

29:01 Form Checks via Video

30:16 Fitness Fundamentals and Readiness

31:56 Sport Specific Programming

32:42 Wrap Up and Giveaway