Athletes and parents ask me the same thing before a first session: “What are you actually going to do?”
It’s a fair question. “Speed training” can mean anything from a few cone drills to a real, individualized plan. Here’s what happens at our speed assessment, and why we start there instead of jumping straight into drills.
Why assess first
Every young athlete is different. Two soccer players can be the same height and play the same position, yet one is limited by strength and the other by sprint mechanics. Putting them through the same drills helps neither of them as much as it should.
When I worked at EXOS preparing athletes for the NFL Combine, training started with testing. The same principle applies to a middle schooler, a college athlete or an adult: measure first, then train what actually matters for that athlete.
What we look at
Acceleration. How well does the athlete get out of a start? We look at body position, arm action and how they push into the ground over the first few steps, which is where most game-deciding plays happen in field and court sports.
Top-speed mechanics. At full speed, we watch posture, where the foot lands, and how the arms and legs coordinate. Small fixes here can make an athlete noticeably faster.
Change of direction. Can they slow down under control, plant, and re-accelerate? Deceleration is both a performance skill and one of the biggest factors in staying healthy.
Jumping and landing. How they jump tells us about power; how they land tells us about control and injury risk.
Basic strength and movement. Squatting, lunging, single-leg balance and trunk control. Young athletes often get faster just by getting stronger and more coordinated.
Growth and training history. Growth spurts temporarily change coordination and can make certain areas like knees and heels more sensitive. We factor in where the athlete is developmentally, what sports they play, and how much they’re already training.
What happens after
After the assessment, you get a clear picture of where you are strong, what’s holding you back, and what we’ll work on first. From there, athletes train in small, semi-private groups so they get real coaching while still competing alongside others.
Training is progressive. As mechanics and strength improve, the drills get faster, more reactive and more sport-specific.
Who it’s for
Our speed and performance program is for athletes of all ages and levels in any field or court sport: soccer, football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, track and more. Whether you are just getting into sports, preparing for high school or college recruiting, or an adult who wants to move faster, the assessment gives us a starting point built around you.
Get started
Training is semi-private, 1 to 2 sessions a week. The first step is always the assessment.