Close Space, Not Give Space: The Mindset Behind Elite Pass Rushers

Close Space, Don’t Give Space: Ben Creamer on Performance, Faith & Facing Pressure What does training elite athletes have to do with how we handle pressure in everyday life? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In this episode of the Sam Acho Podcast, Sam Acho and Clif Marshall sit down with Ben Creamer, Director of Sports Science for the Washington Huskies football team and a longtime friend and colleague of Sam and Clif. Ben shares what he has learned from years of working with athletes and explains why great performance coaching starts with relationships. For him, the job isn’t simply about making athletes faster, stronger, or more successful. It’s about being part of their journey as they grow from teenagers into young men and learning how to balance that demanding career with being present for his wife and three daughters. The conversation also takes a fascinating turn into hand-to-hand combat and pass rush training. With a background in taekwondo, wing chun, judo, and boxing, Ben explains how Clif encouraged him to bring those skills into football. His approach is simple but powerful: close space, don’t give space. Instead of instinctively pulling away when an offensive lineman reaches for you, the goal is to move toward the challenge, control the space, and make the opponent react to you. Ben explains how repeated movements can train athletes to overcome the natural flinch reflex until their reactions become instinctive. That lesson extends far beyond football. Ben also takes us inside the world of **sports science**, explaining how GPS tracking, force plates, and other technology help coaches understand an athlete’s workload and physical response. But despite all the data, he believes technology should support good coaching—not replace the human judgment that comes from knowing your athletes. The conversation becomes even more personal when Ben talks about moving his family across the country, the loneliness that came with the transition, and a dramatic car accident where he pulled a man from a burning vehicle. For Ben, the experience became a powerful reminder of purpose and the importance of being present when someone needs you. Sam and Ben then explore **faith, fatherhood, approval, and grace**, including the pressure many of us put on ourselves to perform in order to feel worthy. Their conversation challenges that idea and points toward something deeper: faith isn’t about constantly trying to earn approval. It’s about relationship, presence, and understanding grace. From elite football training to fatherhood and faith, this episode keeps coming back to one powerful idea: When pressure comes, don’t give space. Face it. Because sometimes the way we learn to face an opponent on the field is the same way we learn to face adversity in life.