WHO DOESN’T LOVE A FREE RESOURCE?
Everything I wish I knew when I was trying to break into high-performance sport. This guide answers the questions I get asked most often about career development, networking, residencies and fellowships, skill acquisition, and standing out in a competitive field, while sharing the lessons I've learned working in collegiate and professional sport.
Residency and Fellowships are an investment in your future. Make sure you’re choosing the right program for you and learn more about how you can build a competitive application, tips for the interview process, and common mistakes I see.
FEATURED EBOOKS
FOUNDATION - RAMP - MECHANISM
These free guides provide the frameworks I use to assess foundational physical qualities, progressively expose athletes to the demands of sport, and restore performance through sport development.
Together, they offer a practical roadmap for building better return-to-performance processes.s.
Building physical capacity is the first step toward return to performance. This guide shares the framework I use to assess foundational physical qualities in rehabilitation, helping clinicians understand what different tests actually measure, how to interpret them together, and how to translate objective data into better rehabilitation decisions.
Progressing athletes back to sport demands is a critical—and often misunderstood—aspects of rehabilitation. This guide introduces the framework I use to build athletes toward the demands of competition on the court/field. It provides practical strategies for interpreting workload data, monitoring progression over time, and making more informed decisions as athletes transition from rehabilitation back to performance.
Integrating sport into rehabilitation is what transforms preparation into performance. This guide outlines the approach I use to progressively integrate sport throughout rehabilitation, helping clinicians bridge the gap between physical capacity and meaningful performance. You'll get an intro on how to increase sport complexity, create representative training environments, collaborate with coaches, and develop athletes who are prepared not just to return to play—but to perform when they get there.
MEDIA APPEARANCES
To inquire about speaking engagements, educational content, podcast appearances, consulting, or research collaborations, please complete the inquiry form below.
Podcasts:
ZELOS with Rocky Snyder
A wide-ranging conversation on what it really takes to prepare athletes for the demands of elite competition after injury. The episode explores the intersection of rehabilitation, performance, coaching, and sports science, covering topics such as clinical reasoning, avoiding analysis paralysis, integrating the coach's perspective, adapting rehabilitation throughout the season, managing injuries in collegiate basketball, the impact of NIL on athlete care, and why trust and collaboration are essential to long-term performance success.
The Lab Collective
A deep dive into rethinking rehabilitation through the lens of performance. We explore how clinicians can better integrate key concepts of return to performance into practice and move beyond isolated testing toward systems that connect physical capacity, athlete monitoring, workload management, coaching collaboration, and progressive sport exposure. The discussion emphasizes bridging the gap between medical clearance and meaningful on-field performance while sharing practical insights from elite basketball and return-to-performance.
Eric The Performance Guy
A conversation centered on bridging the gap between rehab and true return-to-performance in elite basketball, with a strong emphasis on sports science, athlete monitoring, and real-world decision-making. The episode explores wearable technology, load management, performance testing, communication across departments, and how data can be used more effectively to guide recovery, readiness, and long-term athlete performance.
Central Virginia Sports Performance
A conversation centered on integrating sports science, rehabilitation, and performance within elite basketball, emphasizing how interdisciplinary collaboration and objective data can enhance athlete evaluation, injury mitigation, and in-season decision-making. The episode explores individualized programming, force-plate testing, communication across performance departments, periodization strategies, and the balance between team-wide systems and the unique needs of each athlete.
Chase Jackson Elite Performance
A discussion focused on the evolving role of sports science and performance rehabilitation within elite basketball, highlighting how clinicians and performance staff can better bridge the gap between injury recovery and high-level performance. Topics include return-to-performance frameworks, integrating data and technology into athlete management, communication between departments, and the challenges of applying research within the realities of professional and collegiate sport.
The Jeremy Mullins Podcast
An inside look at the realities of working in elite basketball and high-performance sport, with discussion around return-to-performance, athlete monitoring, and balancing evidence-based practice with the demands of real-world competition. The episode also explores communication across performance departments, decision-making in high-pressure environments, and strategies for supporting long-term athlete development and performance.
Research 2 Reps Roundtable
An in-depth conversation on the difference between returning athletes to play versus restoring true high-level performance, with a strong focus on elite basketball and high-performance sport. Topics include return-to-performance strategies, integrating data into decision-making, improving communication between departments, and navigating the real-world challenges of optimizing athlete health, development, and performance.
PT Inquest
A discussion on how performance profiles in basketball can be shaped by game context, and why practitioners need to be cautious when interpreting patterns identified through data-driven and machine-learning approaches. The episode explores how factors such as score differential, playing situation, and athlete exposure can influence apparent performance profiles, while highlighting the importance of understanding what the data actually represent before translating statistical clusters or patterns into meaningful conclusions about athlete performance.
Optimize Your Game - University of Miami
An in-depth look at how sports science, wearable technology, and performance measurement strategies are being used within elite basketball to better monitor athlete readiness, recovery, and long-term performance. Topics include load management, collecting meaningful performance data, return-to-play decision-making, and how high-performance staff can apply technology and evidence in ways that actually translate to the realities of a long competitive season.
Coming Soon:
Simple Science with Mike Axler
Performance Talk
Upcoming Conferences
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Elite Basketball Rehab Conference
7.10-7.11.2026
Las Vegas, NV
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APTA Combined Sections Meeting 2027
2.4-2.6-2027
Philadelphia, PA
Return to Sport After Shoulder Stabilization Procedures: A Criteria-Based Testing Continuum to Guide Rehabilitation and Inform Return-to-Play Decision Making
Publications:
Automated LESS scoring using OpenCap: Validation and in-season application in collegiate basketball athletes
Cross-sectional analysis of faculty distribution and program characteristics: correlations with top 25 Doctor of Physical Therapy programs
Sink or Swim? Clinical Objective Tests and Measures Associated with Shoulder Pain in Swimmers of Varied Age Levels of Competition: A Systematic Review
Kinexon: How Can Player Tracking Be Leveraged to Improve Load Management?
Webinars:
Duke Sports Residency: Late Strength, RFD, and Acceleration
Notable Speaking Engagements:
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Play Does Not Equal Performance: Impacting Athletic Performance After ACL Reconstruction
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Restoring Impact: Evaluating Return to Performance Post-ACLR in Elite Football
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Maximizing the Middle Ground Post-ACLR: Leveraging Data-Driven Strategies to Enhance Outcomes
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From Sideline to Starting Five: Rebuilding Impact After Injury
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Fit to Play? Cardiopulmonary Fitness in ACLR Rehabilitation
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Wearable Applications in Basketball Sports Medicine
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Might as Well Jump
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Return to Run after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Field/Court Sports
Recognitions:
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH TOMMY?
Tommy is available for podcasts, continuing education courses, practitioner mentorship, elite athlete consulting, and more.
To learn more, please submit an inquiry at the link below.