Episode 42: Mitch Hauschildt - The Innovation of Sports Performance and Athlete Care: RockTape, Dry Needling, and NIL

 Mitch Hauschildt is the Prevention, Rehab, and Physical Performance Coordinator at Missouri State University, where for more than 19 years he has overseen injury prevention and rehabilitation for over 400 athletes across 21 varsity sports. Beyond his role at Missouri State, Mitch serves as a Lead Instructor with RockTape and an Instructor with MasterDryNeedling, educating healthcare professionals on advanced therapeutic techniques.

He is also the Founder and President of Maximum Training Solutions, LLC, a full-service sports medicine consultancy, and a Founding Board Member of Man Up and Go, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to strengthening families and communities worldwide.

On this episode of the Behind the Sports Medicine Podcast, recorded live from the NATA convention, hosts Andrew Rizza and Dr. Cameron Roth sit down with Mitch to explore some of today’s most impactful tools and trends in athlete care - from dry needling, cupping, and red light therapy to the evolving role of NIL in college athletics.

Meet the Guest

• Prevention, Rehab and Physical Performance Coordinator at Missouri State University
• Instructor at RockTape and Masterdryneedling
• Founded Maximum Training Solutions, LLC and Man Up and Go

Topics Discussed

• Being one of the only Dry Needling Athletic Trainers in the Country
• Impact of NIL and the Transfer Portal
• The Benefits of Kinesiology Tape

Highlights

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:38 Welcome to NATA 2025
• 1:15 Dry Needling Experience
• 2:40 Pathologies using Dry Needling
• 3:36 Tools used alongside
• 5:17 Addressing walk-in athletes
• 7:30 Overcoming barriers
• 11:22 Raising Awareness
• 15:54 Injury Management to Performance
• 19:10 Functional Movement Screens
• 24:19 Adapting in the Transfer Portal era
• 28:04 Thoughts on NIL
• 29:35 Kinesiology Tape/Rocktape
• 35:26 Foam Rolling
• 36:58 Go-to warm up drill
• 37:23 Favorite budget recovery tool
• 38:53 Worst Myth
• 42:03 Great Sports Medicine Team

Do you want to Get Well, Get Healthy, Look Your Best, Feel your Best? Then you need GeT Raw! A special blend, including ginger and turmeric to assist with Inflammation, Digestion, Immunity Cognition.

Met One Technologies: Enhancing healthcare quality and patient outcomes through innovative medical device solutions, driven by a commitment to excellence, safety, and continuous improvement.