PUEBLO, Colo. – PBR Sport Performance Center Executive Director Antwon Burton is chomping at the bit for his alarm clock to go off on Tuesday morning. That is, of course, if he will even be able to sleep amidst his excitement for the inaugural PBR Team Series combine taking place Tuesday-Thursday in Pueblo, Colorado.

Burton’s anticipation extends beyond the opportunity that will be presented to more than 50 riders who will showcase their talents to the eight coaching staffs and leadership groups in attendance representing the founding franchises of the PBR Team Series.

The 38-year-old former NFL defensive tackle is also looking forward to discussing the building blocks that franchises can consider offering to their players later this summer.

While Burton has had extensive talks with most of the PBR Team Series coaches, he can’t wait until 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday when he can finally sit face-to-face with every coach in the league and lead a roundtable discussion.

“We are trying to create the building blocks of PBR performance, and those blocks are going to be introduced to these coaches and athletes on the biggest scale as it has thus far given the fact of where we are trying to go with the PBR Teams narrative,” Burton said. “We will go over the building blocks and my vision. Not for just the interim, but the future. This is a hybrid combine/symposium not only for the riders but for the coaches too. This is getting us all in the same room.”

Burton will walk the coaches through the areas of focus he and his team will be stressing and testing for at the three-day combine through various exercises encompassing grip strength, hip/groin strength, balance and stability, explosive ability, and core strength/flexibility.

Riders in attendance this week will also go through cognitive testing via Ryzer’s TAP (Troutwine Athletic Profile) technology and undergo body composition testing (height, weight, and BMI).

TAP bills itself as an “athletic mindset assessment.” It was created by Dr. Robert Troutwine, a psychologist trusted by clubs across major pro sports, including Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, for almost four decades to help them figure out what makes players tick.

Participants will attempt practice bulls on Tuesday in Canon City, and Lou Giordano (Loutrition) will lead a nutrition seminar on Wednesday. Giordano has worked with various UFC fighters such as Jon Bones Jones and BJ Penn.

“I talk to the coaches on a regular basis,” Burton said. “They are excited and willing to learn. This is new for all of us. When we dropped the announcement at Madison Square Garden, there was some skepticism. I felt that. So it was my job, in that time frame, to help explain, ‘This is what we are doing. This is what it looks like. This is not about just the combine. This is about the future, and for all of us being able to set up multiple camps throughout the year.’ We got riders from INFR, PRCA, UTB, Velocity, so these combines could become a mainstay three or four times a year, and we can grow that participant number from 50-60 to 100-200. 

“I am selling the coaches on the platform of development to build our analytics in the sport. You need something like this as a proving ground moving forward, and they are bought in.”

Burton knows every team will have its own program and likely hire its own nutritionists. Still, he hopes the combine will be an opportunity to open the eyes of the PBR Team Series coaches about how they can go about finding an advantage and possibly a diamond in the rough heading into the inaugural season.

There will also be opportunities for coaches to speak with the participants and learn more about some riders who may not be marquee studs atop the teams’ draft boards.

These role players could prove influential later on in the season.

“We got a lot of Velocity guys and some UTB talent who can plant a seed with some coaches,” Burton said.

While the combine this week may not be about analyzing the No. 1 draft pick for the May 23 PBR Team Series draft at Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas, Burton believes the foundation is being built to give coaches even more assets for their scouting departments, and that will go a long way in the future.

“The truth of the matter is we are trying to create a baseline of analytics,” Burton said. “Some things do need to be figured out, but from me working with them and talking to these guys and coaches, the exercises I came up with are the most conducive to emulate what a riders’ foundation, as far as performance, needs to be.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko