Henk and I had an awesome conversation. He and chatted about all manner of speed training. We talked about what he believes coaches need to do less and more to help their athletes reach their potential. We discussed how to differentiate training for different types of athletes. How to identify the different types of sprinters. He talked about what a warm-up should be if we should warm up at all. Coach discussed what mental training should be and who to establish what type of mindset you are...

Today is the fourth and final installment of my talk at the Central California Coaches Clinic. We discuss what is active recovery. I chat about how to layout plyometric training and cool down methods. I finish the talk with quick suggestions about the weight room and injury prevention.  For elite performance technology please visit: https://store.simplifaster.com/sku/83/ To purchase the Sprinter's Compendium visit: https://store.vervante.com/c/v/V4081803315.html --- Support this...

It was a treat to spend time chatting with World Champion and Olympian Ronnie Baker. We covered a lot of bases in our chat. From his early beginnings all the way through to becoming a World Champion and earning a spot on the Olympic team. Our discussion on his strength training changes is worth the price of admission as well. Ronnie is a humble and gracious guy. However, don't let that fool you, this man is a serious competitor and no one wants to win as much as he does. Click and listen to...

This is Part III of my talk about sprinting. I take you quickly through a number of different workouts based on the still intense but extended sprint training. Clear your mind and open it to the possibility of longer options. Different events require different loads and interval lengths.  For elite performance technology please visit: https://store.simplifaster.com/sku/83/ To purchase the Sprinter's Compendium visit: https://store.vervante.com/c/v/V4081803315.html --- Support this...

We dive right in with a unique conversation on the podcast. In episode 35 we meet four-time Olympian & multi-time medalist Roland Schoeman. He and I went into the deep end on training young people, mental resilience, the myths of swimming, his training parameters, and MORE! Listen in, subscribe, and share.  For elite performance technology please visit: https://store.simplifaster.com/sku/83/ To purchase the Sprinter's Compendium visit:...

In Part II we discuss the intricacies of rest and recoveries between intense workouts. I explain how to use games to make sports performance fun with acceleration. We talk about the load minimums and maximums that are unique to acceleration. I also explain how to use different systems to blend the training and keep it interesting. We explain the value of having actual cues for different movements for different contacts through challenging workouts. In maximum velocity, we discuss how to do...

I thoroughly enjoyed my talk with Dr. Avedesian! We went WAY down the rabbit hole on injuries and sports performance. A lot of our discussion is cutting-edge research from a number of different sources.  Jason Avedesian is a post-doctoral researcher at the Emory Sports Performance and Research Center. His research interests include ACL injury, sports-related concussion, and sensorimotor contributions to athlete performance and injury. Jason completed Bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical...

Today we start part one of our Central California Coaching Clinic Session: Coaching the Sprints A-Z. In this part, we break down how to set up a proper warm-up and attack daily drills for sprinters. Sprinters can be trained and you can move the needle for them through technical work. Click and listen to this episode and see how it's done.  We talk about protocol, rotations, surfaces, and how to take advantage of the bodies desire for novelty.  For elite performance technology please visit:...

Jonathan Marcus is an American running coach, meet director, podcaster, and total running geek. Jonathan has over 15 years of experience and success developing runnings of all levels and abilities. He’s coached several US Olympic Trials and US National Championships qualifiers as well as individual champions at the high school, college, and professional levels. In 2015, Jonathan founded High-Performance West. Originally a track & field club for national class athletes based in Portland,...

1- Physically Resilient   2- Always Competing & Being Challenged  3- More Skill to Be Used at the Highest level   4- Different Coaches to Sheppard Talent  5- Bigger Network of Relationships & More a Part of the Community For elite performance technology please visit: https://store.simplifaster.com/sku/83/ To purchase the Sprinter's Compendium visit: https://store.vervante.com/c/v/V4081803315.html --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ryan-joseph-banta/support

Mike takes us through his development and mentors to bring him to the pinnacle of strength and conditioning. Coach Boyle talks about his time at Boston University and their hockey dynasty. Coach shares with us a story on if you can coach something you can coach everything! He educates us on the myth of fitness. Mike cautions against expert beginners’ syndrome. However, there is nothing wrong with listening to people with extreme points of view to understand the context. Boyle uses the feed...

Saturday Night Fight Debrief Answering questions we didn't discuss from Tony Holler & my debate over how to train the 400m.  For elite performance technology please visit: https://store.simplifaster.com/sku/83/ For a copy of the PPV Fight between #feedthecats vs #criticalmasssystem  here: https://sellfy.com/fieldfocus/p/saturday-night-fights-400m-debate/    For the Sprinter's Compendium:...

I had the pleasure of returning the favor to my good friend Mike Cunningham by having him on my podcast. Mike is was a long-time coach and former instructor for USATF education. Now his current position is chief of sales at Gill Athletics and host of his very own podcast. He has had the unique opportunity through his previous and current career(s) to create a wonderful fellowship with coaches. Mike is wise and has a great perspective that we all should consider.  Mike and I discuss the...

Mike Cunningham one of the nicest people in the world of sport honored me by having me on his Gill Athletics Connections podcast. It was a unique conversation about sports without "X's & O's." I know you will truly enjoy it plus.... I make a fool of myself numerous times it should make you chuckle. I am sharing our conversation now because following this Thursday's Thoughts I had Mike return the favor on my podcast. Without Mike's support, this podcast would not exist. I am humbled to...

Kelly Starrett is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, author, speaker, and CrossFit trainer. His 2013 fitness book, Becoming a Supple Leopard, was featured on The New York Times' bestselling sportsbooks list. He is a co-founder, with his wife Juliet Starrett, of the fitness website The Ready State, formerly MobilityWOD. He has been described as a "celebrity" and "founding father" of CrossFit, as well as ranking on Greatist's 2017 list of the 100 most influential people in health and fitness. It was...

A while ago I have the pleasure of being a guest on Jimson Lee's site Speedendurance.com where we discussed a massive and comprehensive testing system for athletes. Today's post will be the SECOND of a two-part series. It is VERY important to watch part I here. We give a rationale for testing. Mr. Lee and I lay out how to structure on how to build guardrails for your data collection. We dive deep into talent identification for track & field. In our conversation, we educate the audience on...

Gerry DeFilippo serves as head trainer and owns and operates Challenger Strength while also serving as the strength coach for the Jersey Hitmen. He orchestrates the programming and training for eight different Hitmen teams, which range all the way up to the Elite and Premier Junior's Level Programs. Since founding Challenger Strength in 2016, Gerry has worked with college and college-bound athletes across multiple sports. In addition, he has had numerous articles published on EliteFTS,...

A while ago I have the pleasure of being a guest on Jimson Lee's site Speedendurance.com where we discussed a massive and comprehensive testing system for athletes. Today's post will be the first of a two-part series. We give a rationale for testing. Mr. Lee and I lay out how to structure on how to build guardrails for your data collection. We dive deep into talent identification for track & field. In our conversation, we educate the audience on testing for speed, power, agility,...

Coach Anderson joins us to educate us on a myriad of topics centered on speed. Vince is one of the very best sprints and hurdle coaches on the planet. His list of Olympians and All-Americans is off the charts. He is on my Mount Rushmore of sprint coaches. He is an absolute gentleman who isn’t afraid, to tell the truth. He first shares his experience as an architect and eventually made his way to Houston as a volunteer coach. He shows respect to all of his mentors driving him down a unique...

This is the final entry of our III part series on Building a Culture from Zero. Before listening to Part III please make sure you have listened to Part I and Part II. How to handle injuries, attendance, and absences through google forms. I go on to talk about the ability to be flexible by being empowered with details ahead of time. We want to have answers to better create a plan to help organize training and have a healthy attitude when dealing with young people. I then dive into how we group...

Graham and I discuss his entry into coaching and all the people who helped set the path for him into the sport. We chat about the influence of Carl Valle on our development into coaching! Coach Eaton talks about the content he has developed for Simplifaster and his desire to create value for other coaches around the world. Coach goes further into the process of research and writing about training organically begins to shape your system into belief. Graham and I talk about the power of...

This week we get deeper into the HOW to build a winning culture. With a large number of actionable strategies for improving and maintaining successful programs. Listening to Part here is MANDATORY before beginning Part II. In this installment we further discuss our team Theme days, then we dive into the specifics of running off a team breakfast at school. We talk about our secret buddy, captain of the week (COW), milkshake mile, and other team-building activities we implement throughout the...

This week we dive deep into a number of subjects like nutrition, diet, health, and lifelong wellness with Wendi Irlbeck. Wendi is one of the biggest names in sport's nutrition. Wendi combines her roots on the farm with her experience in strength & conditioning, and college sports to create strong connections for global health. Irlbeck has worked with teams, individual athletes, and the general public to be an absolute positive on the lives she works with daily. We had a good conversation...

Learn how to build a program that lacked identity into a team that everyone respects. Improve culture not only for your team but the entire school's program. Increase roster size and learn to develop an off-season program to dominate in the season. Learn from my mistakes. Why it takes five years. Cornerstones will be a good staff and continued education. Creating standards for athletes, yourself, and the program in its entirety. Plug and play fun culture ideas for your team to grow together:...