Episódios
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Today’s podcast guest is Chris Korfist. Chris is a veteran speed coach and founder of Slow Guy Speed School, known for blending sprint biomechanics, neurology, and innovative training methods to help athletes improve acceleration, speed, and movement efficiency.
In this episode, sprint coach, Chris Korfist dives into the intersection of speed development, neurology, biomechanics, and athletic performance. Chris shares insights from decades of coaching experience, discussing acceleration mechanics, movement efficiency, reflexive training, and the evolving role of technology in speed development. The conversation also explores how rhythm, coordination, and nervous system function influence elite performance, along with practical ways coaches can create more adaptable, resilient, and explosive athletes across a variety of sports and training environments.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen. -
On today’s episode, Gary Gray goes into a deep dive on movement literacy, biomechanics, and the power of variability in athletic development. Gary shares lessons from decades of coaching and rehabilitation, covering everything from locomotor patterns and rhythm to adductor function, sprint mechanics, and why authentic movement should “feel like a dance.” The conversation explores how coaches can better understand human movement through context, three-dimensionality, and the body’s natural problem-solving abilities.
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Today’s podcast guest is Chris Chase. Chris is a strength coach and performance specialist with extensive NBA experience, known for integrating biomechanics, movement quality, and strength training into practical systems for basketball athletes, with an emphasis on durability, adaptable movement, and long-term athletic development.
Chris Chase returns to discuss the evolution of modern sports performance training, from force outputs and plyometrics to deceleration mechanics, movement constraints, and load management in the NBA. Chris and Joel dive into the balance between “functional” and traditional strength work, the risks and rewards of plyometric training, resisted acceleration/deceleration methods, and why many athletes may benefit more from simplified, output-driven systems than excessive movement complexity. The conversation also explores basketball athleticism, reactive strength, tendon health, and the art of minimal effective dose training.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses -
Today’s podcast guest is Ryan Banta. Ryan is a leading sprint coach at Parkway Central High School, known for blending sport science with practical training. He has guided athletes to multiple state championships and national-level success, and is the author of The Sprinter’s Compendium.
In this episode, Ryan shares his unconventional path from politics to coaching, and how early success, and failure, shaped his evolution. He reflects on moving from ego-driven outcomes to athlete-centered development, emphasizing joy, community, and long-term retention. Banta dives into the growth of his “critical mass” system, blending speed, rest, and adaptability, while highlighting the importance of mentorship, self-reflection, and continual learning in building both performance and meaningful athlete experiences.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen. -
Today’s podcast guest is Håkan Andersson. Håkan is a veteran Swedish sprint coach with over 40 years of experience developing elite sprinters, jumpers, and team-sport athletes. Based in Sundsvall, Sweden, he has coached national record holders and Olympic finalists, and has played a key role in the evolution of Scandinavian sprint training.
For today’s podcast I join Håkan to explore the evolution of speed training, from early interval-based systems to modern high-velocity methods. We discuss the role of resisted and assisted sprinting, mechanized training tools, and how different athlete “types” respond to various workloads. Håkan shares insights on acceleration mechanics, overspeed training, and balancing intensity with long-term development. The conversation blends history, science, and practical coaching wisdom for building faster, more resilient athletes.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Topics
0:00 – Introduction and Background
5:34 – Evolution of Sprint Training Methods
7:16 – Environmental Influences on Performance
11:12 – Shifts in Sprinting Training Philosophy
14:14 – The Rise of Modern Sprinting Techniques
17:11 – The Mechanics of Resisted Sprint Training
24:08 – The Impact of Training Machines
27:47 – Exploring Overspeed Training Techniques
29:52 – Practical Applications of Assisted Sprinting
32:47 – The Impulse Problem
36:08 – Understanding Sprinting Mechanics
39:04 – The Future of Sprint Training
43:57 – Thoughts on Sprinting Strategies
1:08:20 – Håkan's Upcoming Plans
Håkan Andersson Quotes
"You try to do the best out of what you have, right? And if you focus too much on that [limitations of the environment], you're never going to succeed anyway."
"Remote coaching doesn't really work, you know. ...It's what you do every day that counts."
"I think your environment dictates how you train and your training program and so forth."
"Resisted sprinting, it slows things down; it makes it a bit easier to work with technical details."
"Resistive sprint, it can constrain the body into positions and timings that favors horizontal force acceleration. That is, of course, crucial for acceleration."
"I really, really never liked heavy sleds, you know, because I found that it disturbed the rhythm of the athletes."
"I find that below 10% decrement doesn't really give you enough stimuli."
"The goal is always to keep the mechanics intact, you know, not to overload this so much."
"Don't pull people to supersonic speed, but sometimes get exposed to almost competition speed. But never to go super maximum."
About Håkan Andersson
Håkan Andersson is a veteran Swedish sprint coach with over 40 years of experience developing elite sprinters, jumpers, and team-sport athletes. Based in Sundsvall, Sweden, he has coached national record holders and Olympic finalists, and has played a key role in the evolution of Scandinavian sprint training. Known for his practical, data-informed approach, Håkan blends traditional methods with modern innovations in resisted and assisted sprinting to optimize acceleration and speed development. -
Today’s podcast guest is Mike Guadango. Mike is a performance coach and founder of Freak Strength, known for developing athletes from youth to the professional level across sports like baseball and football. A former All-American collegiate baseball player, Guadango blends strength, speed, and movement quality into a systems-based approach focused on long-term development, resilience, and high-level performance.
In this episode, Mike breaks down his evolving approach to athletic development, emphasizing general preparation as the foundation for long-term performance. He discusses building capacity through high-volume med ball throws, tempo work, and progressive strength layers, alongside the role of isometrics and elastic training. Guadango also shares his perspective on fascia, intent, and movement quality, highlighting how simple, well-executed principles drive adaptation more than chasing trends or overly complex methods.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Topics
0:00 – Welcome Back, Mike Guadango
4:39 – Modern Lifestyle Challenges
10:40 – The Power of Fasting
20:56 – Sleep and Productivity
28:58 – Training Mindset and Mastery
36:33 – Intent vs. Result
42:41 – The Role of Environment
51:04 – Creating a Training Environment
1:06:43 – Training Individuality
1:30:24 – Coaching Philosophy and Bias
1:36:26 – The Role of Fascia
Mike Guadango Quotes
"The nervous system doesn't care about the weight; it cares about the intent."
"Environment is the invisible coach. It's the thing that's working when you're not talking."
"You can have the best program in the world, but if the energy in the room is dead, the results are going to be dead too."
"Most people coach how they were coached or how they were successful as athletes. And that's usually the worst thing you can do for the person in front of you."
"Mastery is not about knowing more things. It’s about knowing the same things at a much deeper level and understanding how they all connect."
"We have to stop looking at training as just sets and reps and start looking at it as a way to manipulate the environment to get the result we want."
"If you can’t get the athlete to buy into the process, the science behind the program doesn't matter. You have to win the person before you can train the athlete."
About Mike Guadango
Mike Guadango is a performance coach and founder of Freak Strength, known for developing athletes from youth to the professional level, including competitors in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and Olympic sport. A former All-American collegiate baseball player, Guadango transitioned early into coaching, where he trained under respected figures such as Buddy Morris and James Smith.
He has served as a Director of Sports Performance at a high-level training facility and brings a holistic approach shaped by experience in both strength and conditioning and manual therapy, including work as a licensed acupuncturist. Through Freak Strength, Guadango continues to coach, consult, and educate, blending performance training with a systems-based view of long-term athlete development. -
Today’s podcast guest is Daniel Coyle. Daniel is a bestselling author and journalist known for his work on talent development and team culture. He is the author of The Talent Code and The Culture Code, and has written extensively on performance for The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
In this episode, Daniel Coyle joins the show to discuss why elite performance is rooted in relationships and shared environments. Using stories from Alaska to professional sports organizations, he explains the power of "connective pauses" and the importance of athlete ownership. The conversation bridges talent, coaching, and culture, constraint-led learning, and team rituals, as well as fostering resilience and creativity. This episode offers practical insights for coaches seeking to build more connected, adaptive, and high-performing athletes.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance gear. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Topics
0:00 – Introduction to Dan's Journey
6:47 – The Value of Relationships
8:42 – The Power of Connective Pauses
12:14 – The Curiosity of Writing
15:20 – Individual vs. Group Dynamics
19:07 – The Role of Coaches
22:52 – Insights from the Cleveland Guardians
34:20 – Adversity and Team Resilience
40:48 – Learning from Each Other
48:15 – Creating Space for Play
54:19 – Embracing Exploration and Mess
Daniel Coyle Quotes
"The group brain's always better than the individual brain."
"If you can get one plus one plus one to equal 10, whether that's on the coaching side or whether that's on the athletic side, all that happens in the space between people."
"Relationships are what make us go."
"Connective pauses, where we can feed the relationships, ends up being the simplest and the most powerful thing you can do."
"The job of a coach is to identify really good questions and see where they lead."
"It ain't about what you know, it's about the questions you explore with other people."
"Community happens in moments. It's not made of information being exchanged. It's experiences."
"Athletes develop themselves. You don't do development to someone."
"Your job as a coach isn't to deliver answers, it's to create an environment where people can self-organize around obstacles and figure it out."
"You don't get better when you're obedient. You get better when you own the process, own the effort, and fail and navigate and figure it out."
"The relational piece is foundational to the whole thing."
About Daniel Coyle
Daniel Coyle is a bestselling author and journalist who explores the science of performance, talent, and group culture. He is the author of several influential books, including The Talent Code, The Culture Code, and The Little Book of Talent. His work focuses on how great performers and teams are built, blending neuroscience, psychology, and real-world case studies from elite sport, business, and military organizations. Coyle has written for publications such as The New York Times and Sports Illustrated, and is widely regarded as a leading voice on skill acquisition and high-performance environments. -
Danny Lum is a Singaporean strength coach and sport scientist specializing in applied performance research. His work explores strength diagnostics, isometrics, and power development, and he is widely published and recognized for connecting sport science with practical coaching.
In this episode, Danny explores the intersection of sport science and real-world performance. Danny shares insights from his research on isometric training, PNF stretching, and velocity-based training, emphasizing how different methods complement rather than replace one another. The conversation dives into squat depth, unilateral vs. bilateral training, and the role of variability in power development. Throughout, Danny highlights a key theme: effective training is individualized, phase-dependent, and built on understanding how the body adapts.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance gear. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
0:00 – Welcome to the Show
2:42 – Journey to Sprinting
5:10 – Strength Training Insights
14:38 – The Power of Isometrics
15:44 – PNF Stretching Explained
24:54 – Programming Isometrics
28:46 – Unilateral vs. Bilateral Training
36:33 – Velocity-Based Training
44:20 – The Importance of Variation
52:42 – Research on Isometric Strength
1:07:38 – Yearly Training Plan
Danny Lum Quotes
"When you lift heavy weights, if you have maximum intent, even though the external movement looks slow, there is rapid neural firing. It doesn't necessarily mean that slow movement during heavy lifting means you are not having a fast neural firing, which is relevant to sprinting."
"For sprinters, when the knee is lifted up at the highest point, they don't just allow the leg to drop passively. They actually start developing force and hammer down right from the highest point. That is where your hip flexion angle is about 90 degrees. So if you're not strong at that position, then you're not maximizing the amount of force you can develop through the full range of movement."
"If you're going to do static stretch during your warm-up, you might as well just perform isometric contraction at that position as well. That helps to not only activate your muscle, but you actually microdose isometric training every day."
"You're strengthening your muscle at the long muscle length, and that long muscle length is where the muscular-tendinous system is most vulnerable. If you are not strong at that range, then your risk of injury just increases. But if you can get yourself stronger at the long range, you're actually protecting yourself."
"If we are talking about loading the tissue itself...loading the muscle and tendon tissue, then doing unilateral work is probably going to benefit more because you can actually load the quads more by doing single-leg squat as compared to double-leg bilateral squat."
"Having a variety of load actually gives greater adaptation. I think that why that's the case is because you allow the person to have a little bit of velocity focus and a little bit of force focus in the training."
"If I contract rapidly, and I sustain for three seconds, because that allows me to build to a higher peak force, my strength actually increased more, and I also significantly increased my rate of force development. It allowed me to get the best of both worlds; both rate of force development and peak force actually improved."
"Isometrics actually improved running economy more than plyometrics. My theory behind it is that runners, while they are running, is sort of like a low-intensity plyometric. So with a higher-intensity plyometric versus isometric, which is a totally new stimulus, they actually adapt more with the new stimulus as compared to plyometrics."
"Today, the athlete might be able to lift 100 kilograms for five reps before he feels fatigue, and on a bad day, three reps. If I standardize in the program five reps every day, then on some days he might be overtraining, and that’s where velocity training provides the advantage. I’m still getting him to lift at his daily maximal of effort, but it’s self-regulated."
"I don't really go too movement specific. Usually, I'll be more general in that sense because I prefer to build up the physical capacity rather than being overly specific. But having said that, most of the exercises have to be relevant to how they function."
"Isometric training is probably the best way to improve angle-specific force generation capability. On the other hand, we also know that tissue adaptation is greater when training at longer muscle length. So you're actually stretching the muscle and the tendon a little more, and that will result in greater improvement in hypertrophy as well as greater tendon stiffness."
"As they’re closer to the major competition, I’ll replace the dynamic heavy lifting with isometric training. I won’t replace everything, but I’ll replace part of it just so that they can recover better with a lower level of fatigue, so that leading up, they won’t have a fried central nervous system."
About Danny Lum
Danny Lum is a Singapore-based strength and conditioning coach and sport scientist known for his work in applied performance research and athlete development. He has held roles in both academic and high-performance sport settings, blending research with practical coaching. Danny’s work focuses on areas such as strength diagnostics, isometric training, unilateral vs. bilateral force production, and optimizing power for sport. He is widely published in peer-reviewed journals and is a frequent presenter at international conferences, bridging the gap between sport science and real-world coaching practice. -
Sarah Miller is a strength and conditioning coach at Georgia Tech Athletics, blending a background in dance, theater, and stunt performance with collegiate S&C. Her work emphasizes coordination, rhythm, and adaptable movement alongside traditional strength and power development.In this episode, Sarah Miller shares her unconventional path from dance, theater, and stunt performance into collegiate strength and conditioning, and how those roots shape her coaching philosophy. She explores how movement is deeply tied to psychology, emotion, and rhythm, challenging traditional, overly mechanical approaches to training. The conversation dives into habit, inhibition, and awareness, emphasizing the importance of freeing athletes from rigid patterns and reconnecting them with more natural, adaptable movement strategies.Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert TrainerUse code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert TrainerUse the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance gear. For this offer, head to Lilateam.comView more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)0:00 – Introduction to Sarah8:08 – The Art of Falling9:40 – Movement and Psychology13:04 – The Role of Rhythm in Performance19:54 – Exploring Movement Patterns25:02 – The Interplay of Mind and Body30:51 – The Trying Self vs. Non-Trying Self37:03 – Integrating Exploration into Training42:45 – Movement Archetypes in Dance51:56 – The Challenge of Bound Movement1:02:22 – Coaching Individualized Movement1:15:21 – The Complexity of Movement QualitySarah Miller Quotes"If you don't have complete awareness of your own physicality, of what your body communicates, you don't know what things you're selling and how that's being read.""Psychology influences movement and what I call affective qualities of movement... even in something as basic and foundational as a squat, your mental state is going to influence your execution.""We often want to chase automaticity, but you can really become a slave to habit. There's really great freedom in being able to break from what is habitual, especially if you're unaware of what's happening in that habitual action.""If you believe that the body and mind truly are one, it's not that you just have a body that's controlled by your head or a body that influences your head... there can be an emotional reaction to doing something physical.""The trying self is just focused on achieving an end goal. Rather than being grounded in the present moment, rather than being grounded in your senses and having an awareness, you're in your head because you're thinking about something in the future. The non-trying self is entirely in the moment, grounded in the senses, aware of what it's taking in from a touch perspective, sound, and what it feels like.""I don't want you to focus on getting the rep up; I want you to focus on the process of getting there and feeling the right things.""Ideally, they're not rigid; they're expressions of movement. They give the color to movement. I do find that athletes naturally tend toward one or the other, both in their personalities and then in how they move."About Sarah MillerSarah Miller is a strength and conditioning coach at Georgia Tech Athletics, where she works with collegiate athletes to develop speed, power, and resilient movement. She brings a unique background to coaching, having started in dance and theater before transitioning into stunt performance and strength training. Her path into S&C blends artistic movement, body awareness, and high-performance preparation, shaping an approach that values coordination, rhythm, and adaptability alongside traditional strength work. Miller’s coaching reflects a fusion of creative movement roots with applied sports performance in the collegiate setting.
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Richard Burnett is a sports performance coach with experience working across high-level athletic environments, including NFL Combine preparation, where he specializes in speed and power assessment, plyometric development, and preparing athletes for elite testing and competition.
In this episode, Rich Burnett digs into reactive strength testing, jump feedback, and what really matters when evaluating plyometric ability in athletes. Rich explains the differences between tools like the Just Jump mat, force plates, and Plyomat, emphasizing that context and consistency matter more than chasing perfect numbers. The conversation then moves into single-leg RSI, asymmetries, NFL Combine prep, and how reactivity profiles can reveal sprint deficiencies. Rich also shares how he uses isometrics, band-assisted jumps, and single-leg testing to build faster, more explosive athletes with greater confidence and movement efficiency.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance gear. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
0:00 – Introduction to Jump Testing
4:55 – Context in Performance Metrics
8:11 – The Psychology of Feedback
11:59 – Transition to Combine Training
16:10 – The Importance of Single Leg Testing
20:06 – Analyzing Reactive Strength Index (RSI)
32:02 – Asymmetry in Athletic Performance
36:24 – Gamifying the Test
44:59 – Band-Assisted Techniques
55:30 – The Power of Isometrics
1:01:51 – Single Leg Reactivity Insights
1:07:08 – Exploring the Plyomat
Richard Burnett Quotes
"As long as you're using a piece of tech consistently and coaching well and all the things are the same, that's really what it's all about. That's why Mike Boyle still uses the same deal from 15 years ago and will continue to use the same one because he knows what it's telling him."
"The more information you start to uncover the more context you need. Whether it's inflated or not, I know like a 40-inch standing vert on the Just Jump mat is legit. And I also know a 36-inch is good. It still provided us with some key context to allow us to track improvement."
"I love RSI as a teaching tool. It's fantastic because a lot of kids don't understand. It's still gluing us in to what's going on with the athlete, how their strategies are. It's helping them understand plyometrics to begin with."
"It's also from a symmetry thing, really enlightening to see the difference between a left leg and a right leg when you're testing them independently. You're like, 'wow, that is a massive difference.' And let's remember the fact that this athlete has had two ACLs on this side."
"Single leg ground contact time and why you do some of these single leg reactivity drills in the first place because you're dealing with mass in your whole body on one leg. Contact time being rewarded in that sense is not necessarily a bad thing at all. And we're just seeing this clear separation of some of our athletes because of their ability to be more reactive on one leg."
"DRI factors in automatically what your initial jump height is. I love it because they want to self-select that. As opposed to stepping off of a box that you just maybe don't feel as confident in, self-selecting that initial jump and then rebounding just feels more confident, feels more engaging and fun for kids."
"What I had seen is a really high correlation with single leg max RSI and sprint ability in athletes. Higher than force plate jumps, higher than pretty much anything else."
"The step further is now the cyclical five hop where I'm having to really tolerate all of this landing force from my own jump height that I'm creating on the single leg five hop RSI. That's the one that I'm wanting to really flesh out even more to know who's lacking reactivity."
"The sprinting is enough for them to get that midfoot forefoot work but there's no real need to specify some sort of plyo around that when they're sprinting already and we sprint so much."
About Richard Burnett
Richard Burnett is a sports performance coach and the creator of Plyomat, an innovative training system designed to enhance plyometric development, coordination, and reactive strength across a wide range of athletes.
With a coaching approach rooted in movement quality and progressive overload, Burnett has built a reputation for blending traditional jump training principles with creative, constraint-based environments that challenge timing, rhythm, and elastic output. His work emphasizes not just how high or far an athlete can jump, but how efficiently they can organize force, absorb impact, and transition between movements.
Through Plyomat, Burnett has introduced a practical framework for integrating plyometrics into both high-performance and general athletic settings, offering coaches a scalable system that supports everything from foundational movement literacy to advanced explosive training.
His ideas and methods have been adopted by coaches working in team sports, track and field, and youth development, particularly those looking to bridge the gap between structured strength training and dynamic, game-relevant movement. -
In this solo episode, Joel Smith explores the principles of programming for speed and power training. Drawing from his own evolution as an athlete and coach, he discusses early influences like high-volume jump programs, Soviet-inspired plyometrics, and classic periodization models. Joel outlines five key programming systems: high-low structure, potentiation sequencing, weekly changeovers, factorization, and autoregulation, while highlighting common mistakes such as excessive volume, overemphasis on one training variable, and over-programming. He emphasizes balancing speed, strength, and capacity, keeping systems simple, and using tools like AI as a thinking partner rather than a replacement for coaching intuition.Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.comUse code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert TrainerView more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)Timestamps3:30 – Early Training Influences18:50 – The Big Three: Speed, Strength, Capacity22:25 – System 1: The High-Low System31:14 – System 2: Potentiation-Based Training33:38 – System 3: Australian Jumps & Factorization38:53 – System 4: Bondarchuk’s Pyramid of Abilities43:24 – System 5: Triphasic & Wave Loading49:00 – Programming Mistakes57:25 – Principles that Work1:06:31 – Using AI as a Programming Sparring PartnerJoel Smith Quotes"We have to zoom out and look at that more slow-cooked, patient, or planned process to get the big picture of things.""Training is not just going out and doing skills; it is doing a set structure over a set of time.""We should understand what it's like to have that high-end training day and how long it takes to recover from it because a lot of training setups don't really account for that.""How do you know which of those stakeholders is really, if we look to the 80-20 principle, 20% of the program being 80% of the neural stimulus? How do we know how that thing is contributing?""To maximally simplify any training process, we want to achieve a polarization.""Doing those easy days really well is one of the pieces of the art of coaching that's not talked about so much.""The system of an athlete is an amazing thing; it can adapt to the simplest thing. That's actually what makes humans and training and adaptability pretty cool, we don't need that much complexity to adapt.""Do simple better. It's an important place to start and remind ourselves.""With aggressive programs, use them strategically, not permanently.""Don't live inside one system. I think it's valuable to have a few tools in the toolkit with the systems you're familiar with, so you know when and how to use them.""Make [AI] a sparring partner, challenge your thinking. If you can use it as play and challenge, don't let it do your thinking for you."About Joel SmithJoel Smith is the founder of Just Fly Sports and host of the Just Fly Performance Podcast, one of the leading podcasts in strength and conditioning and track and field coaching. A former collegiate strength and track coach, Joel has spent over a decade studying speed, power, and human movement. He is the author of multiple books and online courses on sprinting, jumping, and elastic training, and works with athletes and coaches around the world to develop more powerful and creative approaches to training.
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Tyler Franklin is a strength and conditioning coach and physical education instructor based in Murray, Kentucky. He works with athletes to develop strength, speed, and resilient movement through practical training methods. Tyler is also the founder of Feed the Dogs, a platform dedicated to sharing ideas on athletic development and performance.
On today’s episode, Tyler discusses building speed, intent, and athleticism through creative training environments. He shares how chase games, partner drills, and simple tools can drive higher effort and engagement than traditional drills alone. The conversation also explores balancing “fun and boring” training elements, teaching discipline through conditioning, and the philosophy behind Tyler’s Feed the Dogs approach; training athletes to be both fast and well-prepared for life beyond sport.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
0:28 – Journey in Physical Education
3:29 – The Music Connection
10:28 – The Art of Intent
14:12 – The Spectrum of Training
21:27 – Competitive Spirits in Class
26:36 – Embracing Fatigue as a Teacher
48:08 – The Art of Boring Workouts
50:20 – Feed the Dogs Philosophy
58:17 – Mixing Conditioning with Fun
Tyler Franklin Quotes
"Don't be a molded strawberry... let's meet the standard, let's infect others with good vibes, and don't bring someone down to your level."
"I finally had come to terms with I am a physical education teacher and I need to start incorporating some of this stuff because kids love it."
"The warmups for our sprints, it doesn't have to be so rigid and it's a perfect time to explore with some of the stuff we're doing."
"We still time all that stuff to just reinforce that what we're doing is working. You've gained weight. You're running the same speed, but you've gained 20 pounds. Those are all PRs in my mind."
"Don't ever stop doing athletic things. Don't stop sprinting, jumping. Because if you do, it's going to be a bugaboo to get back."
"I'm all about doing hard things... you're going to do it and you're going to compete and it's going to be fun and then you'll realize it wasn't that bad."
"Once you put the work in, I think that's a big factor of it is you got to kind of disassociate and just go out there and perform... The amount of hours that those guys put in, I think that's a huge thing is just go perform. Don't be the gold medal guy, just go do it."
About Tyler Franklin
Tyler Franklin is a strength and conditioning coach and physical education instructor based in Murray, Kentucky. Through his work with athletes and students, he focuses on building strength, speed, work capacity and resilient movement patterns that support long-term athletic development. Tyler blends foundational strength training with athletic skill work, emphasizing quality movement and practical methods that translate directly to sport. He is also the founder of Feed the Dogs, working a balance of important qualities in athletes. -
Today’s guest is Vern Gambetta. Vern is a world-renowned sports performance coach with over 50 years of experience across Olympic, professional, and collegiate sport. A pioneer in modern athletic development, he’s known for blending movement skill, strength, and long-term athlete development into a practical, coach-driven system.
The more coaching and training leans into data points, KPI’s, rigid standards and an overly specialized model, the more true athleticism, movement and skill development gets choked out. By understanding all aspects of the athletic movement equation, we can give athletes a better total experience in their sport and movement practices.
In this episode, Vern leans into his wisdom for a wide-ranging conversation on movement, skill, and the art of coaching. With over 50 years of experience across Olympic and professional sport, Vern shares insights on functional training, sport specificity, plyometrics, rhythm, and why skill expression, not rigid technical models, drives true performance. From jump rope to the dot drill to developing movement “signatures,” this episode is a masterclass in coaching the athlete in front of you.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
Use code “justfly20” for 20% off of LILA Exogen Wearable resistance gear at www.lilateam.com
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
3:00 – The Birth of Functional Training
10:39 – The Nature of Fascia
15:33 – Training Spectrum
28:16 – General vs. Specific Movements
38:00 – The Art of Movement
49:31 – Rhythm and Movement
55:15 – Plyometric Training Perspectives
59:50 – The Role of Technology
1:13:16 – Sketching Athletic Sequences
About Vern Gambetta
Vern Gambetta is a pioneering sports performance coach, educator, and author widely recognized as one of the foundational voices in modern athletic development. With more than five decades of coaching experience, Gambetta has worked across track & field, baseball, swimming, cricket, soccer, basketball, and rugby at youth, collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels.
A former track and field coach and longtime advocate for holistic athlete development, Gambetta helped popularize the concept of “functional training” in the 1980s, while consistently emphasizing that training must serve the demands of sport, not marketing trends. His work integrates biomechanics, skill acquisition, rhythm and movement literacy, strength training, and long-term athletic development into a unified system.
Gambetta has coached at the Olympic level, worked in Major League Baseball, and served as a consultant to professional teams worldwide. He is the author of multiple books, including Athletic Development and Building the Complete Athlete, and is a sought-after international speaker known for blending science, experience, and practical coaching wisdom.
Above all, Gambetta advocates coaching the athlete in front of you, prioritizing movement quality, adaptability, and lifelong development over rigid systems or trends. -
Today’s guest is Dan Cleather. Dan Cleather is a sport scientist, author, and lecturer specializing in biomechanics and strength training. He has worked across elite sport and higher education, helping coaches apply research to real-world performance. Dan is the author of The Little Black Book of Training Wisdom and The Little Blue Book of Training Wisdom, known for challenging conventional ideas and promoting evidence-informed coaching.
If you search the internet for training methods and advice, you’ll invariably get a “do this, not that” mentality woven in your brain. The mark of true progress over time, and reaching athletic potential, is more about principles and management than it is picking all the “S-Tier” exercises. Being able to balance paradoxes, hone belief, refine movement and hone the dance of capacity and output defines the training of elite athletes and Olympians.
In this episode, Dan discusses everything from developing exercise devices for astronauts in microgravity to the deeper philosophy of how performance truly evolves. We discuss Easy Strength, capacity versus skill development, fatigue as a motor learning constraint, and why adaptation is something we cultivate rather than force. The conversation weaves biomechanics, Tai Chi, Olympic lifting, and the yin-yang rhythm of training into a broader theme: great coaching isn’t about imposing perfection, but creating environments where flow, resilience, and high performance can naturally emerge.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
0:00 – Researching Exercise Countermeasures for Microgravity
2:51 – Recent Publications and the Learning Process of Writing
8:01 – The Science of Change and the Hierarchy of Coaching Skills
12:39 – Lessons Learned from Applying the Easy Strength Method
22:06 – Balancing Skill Building and Capacity Building in Strength Training
32:28 – The Benefits of Traditional Tai Chi Conditioning and Static Holds
45:22 – Historical Wisdom and Experiential Learning in Performance
1:02:15 – Leveraging Fatigue and Constraints for Relaxation and Flow
1:13:59 – The Yin and Yang of Accumulation and Intensification in Training
1:21:06 – Viewing Training as a Sustained Conversation with the Body
About Dan Cleather
Dan Cleather is a sport scientist, author, and lecturer specializing in biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and performance analysis. With a background in both applied coaching and academic research, Dan has worked extensively in elite sport and higher education, bridging the gap between theory and practice. He is the author of The Little Black Book of Training Wisdom and The Little Blue Book of Training Wisdom, where he challenges conventional thinking and promotes evidence-informed coaching. Dan is known for his clear, analytical approach to training science and his ability to translate complex biomechanics into practical strategies for coaches and athletes. Zac currently treats clients and consults internationally, while continuing to produce educational resources aimed at elevating the standard of movement practice in both clinical and performance settings. -
Today’s guest is Zac Cupples, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, a physical therapist and strength coach known for bridging rehabilitation and performance. He’s the founder of ZacCupples.com and is respected for translating complex concepts around respiration and movement mechanics into practical tools coaches and clinicians can immediately apply to improve efficiency, reduce pain, and enhance performance.
The bridge between sports performance rehab is an important one. In the midst of movement mechanics that drive good rehab, and high intensity lifting, lies the knowledge that can help athletes make continual gains while staying robust and healthy for their sport.
On today’s show, Zac explores how an athlete’s structure influences movement, strength training, and even injury risk. He shares his track background and how it shaped his coaching, then unpacks concepts like narrow vs. wide “ISA” builds, why some athletes struggle to feel their hamstrings in traditional lifts, and how tools like front loading, box squats, machines, and sprinting can solve it. He also digs into long-duration isometrics, mobility vs. flexibility, and finishes with a fun lightning round.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
1:23 – Early Athletic Experiences
5:36 – Muscle Activation Challenges
11:22 – Structural Constraints and Movement
25:17 – Rethinking Traditional Strength Training
29:17 – The Role of Machines in Training
36:54 – Weight Shifts and Mechanics
40:45 – Long Hold Activities in Rehab
53:21 – Internal vs. External Rotation
59:27 – Flexibility vs. Mobility
1:07:06 – Lightning Round Questions
1:14:04 – Future Plans and Coaching Focus
Zac Cupples Quotes
"You got to preserve moving fast because that's how you catch yourself from falling."
"It assumes everyone has the same body but no two people are going to perform both of those movements the same way, and it's not going to load the same way."
"I start the majority of people with a box squat, because the way I think about a hinge is it's different from a squat because the hips are going to be moving more along that horizontal path."
"It's way more useful to think, am I moving up and down? Am I moving side to side? And then just pick exercises within what a person has available."
"If someone can't produce certain rotations, and I know that you need those rotations to do this movement, you probably got to find something else to train that pattern within their constraints."
"You just have to find the hinge variation that they can execute. And if they don't have much to do that, you have to create constraints."
About Zac Cupples
Zac Cupples, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS is a physical therapist, strength coach, and educator specializing in human movement, respiration, and performance optimization. He is the founder of ZacCupples.com and has become widely known for translating complex biomechanical and neurophysiological concepts into practical strategies that clinicians and coaches can immediately apply.
Zac earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Marquette University and is board certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. He has completed extensive post-graduate education through the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) and integrates principles of respiration, pelvic mechanics, thoracic positioning, and neuromuscular control into both rehabilitation and performance training.
Through his online courses, seminars, and educational content, Zac has influenced thousands of clinicians and coaches worldwide. His work bridges the gap between rehab and high performance, helping athletes move more efficiently, reduce pain, and unlock higher levels of strength and speed through better positional awareness and strategic breathing.
Zac currently treats clients and consults internationally, while continuing to produce educational resources aimed at elevating the standard of movement practice in both clinical and performance settings. -
Today’s guest is Tanner Care. Tanner Care is a high-performance specialist, currently serving as the Director of Player Performance for the BC Lions (CFL) and the Director of Athletic Performance for the Vancouver Bandits (CEBL). Since 2023, he has also held the role of Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Simon Fraser University, where he oversees the physical development of athletes across 13 collegiate sports.
On the surface, strength and conditioning is about increasing an athlete’s physical strength and capacities. To dig deeper and help athletes reach their highest potential, an understanding of sprint-specific forces, athlete archetypes, and dosage of inputs is essential.
On today’s show, Tanner talks about his practical framework for elite athlete development. He shares how he integrates max-speed work into sport-specific drills, such as full-court basketball overthrows, and explains his “layered” coaching model, which progresses from foundational health and general capacity to more specific archetyping. The conversation also dives into the technical side of his toolkit, including the use of run-specific isometrics for sprint transfer, plyometric training, and how he balances force-velocity profiles across different athlete types. Ultimately, Tanner advocates for a “health-first” approach in the pro setting, favoring consistent, high-quality inputs over unnecessarily complex training schemes.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
0:03 – Introduction to Athlete Classification
2:19 – Innovative Training Drills
6:26 – Understanding Movement Signatures
11:32 – Exploring Strength Qualities
19:53 – Classifying Athlete Strength
32:02 – Benefits of Single Leg Strength
45:17 – Adjusting Training Based on Athlete Type
49:30 – Implementing Quasi-Isometrics
56:25 – The Complexity of Training Modalities
1:04:17 – Foot Positioning and Athletic Outcomes
1:07:47 – Closing Thoughts and Future Plans
Tanner Care Quotes
On Speed in Practice: "So the problem I was trying to solve was how can we check these speed residual boxes within the constraints of practice."
On the Priority of Training: "That's layer one health has to come before performance. So removing any potential inhibition."
On Dynamic vs. Passive Screening: "I've seen so many people get on a table, assess passive hip internal rotation and say there's some kind of limitation. But when we see it dynamically at sports speed, it's like, oh, there it is."
On General Movement Competency: "I can't tell you the amount of professional guys I have come in that like can't do like rudimentary plyometrics like they can't hop or bound stationary let alone locomotively"
On Local vs. Global Issues: "Do we have a Ferrari? Do we have a Honda Civic? Do we have a Ferrari with a flat tire? Like, sometimes we just have to deal with local issues, not necessarily broad systems of improving the overall organism."
On the Limits of Strength: "We know that the strongest individuals aren't necessarily the most forceful individuals. At some point, there's a clear cutoff."
On Stiffness and Propulsion: "Rate of force development and stiffness isn't always a good thing if they don't have the propulsive qualities necessary to actually displace their hips horizontally"
On Force and Sprint Performance“If you’re able to generate adequate force at adequate time and attenuate high braking force, that’s always going to correlate positively with sprint performance.”
On Weight Room Philosophy: "I try to remove skill or as much skill as I can within the context of the weight room."
About Tanner Care
Tanner Care is a credentialed strength and conditioning professional specializing in elite athlete development across pro and collegiate levels. He currently serves as Director of Performance for the Vancouver Bandits (CEBL) and the BC Lions (CFL), overseeing strength & conditioning, load management, sport science, and performance nutrition to enhance athlete readiness and longevity.
Previously, he was Head Coach of Strength & Conditioning at Simon Fraser University (NCAA), leading programs across multiple sports including men's basketball and track & field, where he built evidence-based training systems. Tanner holds RSCC and CSCS certifications (NSCA), is an EXOS Performance Specialist, and earned his Master's (MS(c)) from the University of Florida.
His background includes roles like Head S&C Coach for University of Ottawa rugby. He contributes to the field as a SimpliFaster author, podcast guest on performance systems, and CSCA advisory team member. Passionate about sprint training, speed, and mechanics, he's a dedicated husband, family man, and 49ers fan. -
Today’s guest is Paul Cater. Paul is a veteran strength and conditioning coach with over 25 years of experience spanning professional baseball, collegiate athletics, and high-performance team environments. Paul is known for blending traditional strength training with rhythm, timing, gravity, and a deeply relational, art-driven approach to coaching. His work challenges purely formulaic or data-driven models and puts the live training session back at the center of athlete development.
In an era where training is increasingly automated, optimized, and reduced to dashboards and numbers, it’s easy to lose the human element that actually drives performance. This conversation explores how rhythm, feel, load, and coaching presence shape not just outputs, but adaptability, resilience, and long-term athletic growth. If you’ve ever felt that “something is missing” in modern training environments, this episode speaks directly to that gap.
In this episode, Paul and I explore training as a live performance rather than a static program. We discuss using early isometric and axial loading as a readiness anchor, how downbeat rhythm and eccentric timing drive better outputs, and why chasing numbers too aggressively can undermine real performance. We dive into music, movement, art, and coaching intuition, and how creating alive, rhythmic sessions builds stronger athletes, and better coaches, without relying solely on rigid protocols or excessive monitoring.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Timestamps
0:00 – Mountain Training Inspirations
6:00 – The Role of Community in Training
12:15 – Performance and the Observer Effect
23:27 – Shifting Training Protocols
32:32 – Balancing Data and Intuition
42:14 – Efficacy of Isometric Training
47:23 – Five-Minute Wonders
53:28 – The Art of Adaptation
57:44 – Embracing the Subconscious
1:28:06 – A Playlist for Performance
Quotes from Paul Cater
"We're really just trying to create meaning with our training, to justify it to other people, or wives, or coaches, or whatever, but also to really harness what the weight's doing or the external stimulus is doing for us"
"I do approach it like it's a performance. A coaching session. And if you pawn so much off to the to the robotics or the formula, it becomes almost like it's a prison."
"20 minutes of rolling around on the ground and trying to do the stretching warm-ups- I've just almost eliminated those. Full stop. I can't remember the last time I did an active dynamic or same static stretching things like that."
"Can you match time, and beat? ...And that's really everything, because what else is there in the transfer of training if it's not related to that timing tempo and rhythm"
"I use the tech throughout the session quite heavily actually, but I don't use it as the primary validator or guider."
"The world's greatest warm-up for me is always, we've called it bartending. Where the progression is how much can you hold on your back for five minutes... I just do whatever. Walk around. Rules, you just can't touch the bar to the ground."
"Get to that at that perfect point where you feel the adaptation happen then you walk away, and you don't need to do anymore. Like what's the minimal dose you need to do?"
About Paul Cater
Paul Cater is a veteran strength and conditioning coach with over 25 years of experience working across professional baseball, collegiate athletics, tactical populations, and high-performance team sport environments. He has served in leadership and performance roles with organizations including Major League Baseball, NCAA programs, and private high-performance facilities, and is known for his ability to blend high-intensity strength training with rhythm, coordination, and ecological skill development.
Paul’s coaching philosophy emphasizes gravity, timing, and rhythm as foundational drivers of athletic performance. Rather than relying solely on rigid programming or isolated testing, his sessions are built around early exposure to meaningful load, isometric and inertial work, and rhythmic constraints that reveal readiness, alignment, and intent in real time. His work integrates elements of sprint mechanics, change of direction, elastic strength, and movement artistry to create training environments that are both physically effective and psychologically engaging.
Currently working in a collegiate performance setting, Paul is deeply interested in coaching as a live, relational craft; treating each session as a performance that develops not just outputs, but awareness, adaptability, and ownership in athletes. His approach bridges traditional strength training with concepts from sport, art, music, and survival movement, offering a perspective that challenges purely automated or data-driven models of performance. -
Today’s guest is Martin Bingisser. Martin is the founder of HMMR Media, one of the most trusted independent voices in throws and track & field education. A former competitive hammer thrower, Martin blends firsthand experience with deep historical and technical insight to analyze training methods, athlete development, and coaching culture. Through articles, videos, and interviews, his work bridges elite practice and practical coaching, earning him respect from coaches and performance professionals around the world.In a world of rapid-information delivery and short attention spans, the wisdom of master coaches is becoming increasingly rare. Martin has spent substantial time with two legends in the coaching world, Anatoliy Bondarchuk and Vern Gambetta. Spending time discussing the work of the past, and wisdom through the present is a critical practice in forming an effective coaching viewpoint.On today’s episode I chat with Martin in a wide-ranging conversation in coaching lessons on efficiency, adaptability, and performing under pressure (two throws, no warmups, huge crowds). We transition into Bondarchuk’s training philosophy: exercise classification, consistency, “strength” as sport-specific force production, and why weight-room PRs can distract from performance. The episode closes with motor-learning insights on rhythm, holistic cues, and how Vern Gambetta’s “general” work complements specificity.Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online CoursesUse code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert TrainerUse code “justfly20” for 20% off of LILA Exogen Wearable resistance gear at www.lilateam.comView more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)Timestamps0:00 – Martin’s background and training lens7:05 – Why eccentric strength matters15:40 – Isometric intent and force expression24:30 – Tendons, stiffness, and elastic qualities33:50 – Managing fatigue in strength training42:15 – Applying eccentric and isometric work51:20 – Athlete readiness and daily adjustment1:00:10 – Long term development and durabilityQuotes from Martin Bingisser"You think, okay, big heavy rock, like it's all about strength. And instead it's about efficiency." "Even the most simple sport that looks like it's all about strength, it's not really just about strength." "It's measurable strength versus this kind of adaptable strength that can fit into different situations." "Is strength how much I can move on a barbell, or is strength how much force I can create in the ring?" "No one is saying you don't have to be strong. Everyone agrees you have to be strong. It's just how do we define strength? and how do we define that? Because all these guys are strong. They're just strong in different ways." "We're doing all the categories the whole year and you need to have that general stuff in there too. So you look at our program throughout the year, we put a lot of work into those general categories, but they're not the highest priority. And we're not doing stuff in the specific preparatory or the general preparatory stuff that's going to hinder our first priority stuff." "Probably 80% of the benefit of Bondarchuk's program comes down to two or three key things. And you can apply those to any type of program. It doesn't have to be Bondarchuk's methods, but one of the big ones is just consistency." "If I see something I like, I try not to say very much except do that again. Like, I don't care what you had to think about to do that, but just do that again. Like that's just reinforcing, those good habits." "Am I just trying to copy a good thrower or am I trying to find a solution that'll fit my athlete? ... But if you don't understand what they're trying to get out of it, you're just trying to copy what you see the video of, it's useless."About Martin BingisserMartin Bingisser is the founder of HMMR Media, one of the most respected independent platforms covering throws, strength training, and track & field performance. A former competitive hammer thrower, Martin combines firsthand athletic experience with a sharp analytical eye to break down training theory, competition trends, and athlete development across all levels of the sport.Through HMMR Media, he produces in-depth articles, interviews, videos, and educational resources that bridge the gap between elite coaching practice and accessible learning. His work is known for its clarity, historical context, and willingness to challenge oversimplified narratives in modern training.Martin has collaborated with coaches, athletes, and federations worldwide, and his content is widely used by throws coaches, sport scientists, and performance professionals seeking thoughtful, evidence-informed perspectives. His approach emphasizes long-term athlete development, technical mastery, and the craft of coaching; making him a trusted voice in the global track and field community.
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Today’s guest is Aaron Uthoff. Aaron Uthoff, PhD, is a sport scientist and coach whose work sits right at the intersection of biomechanics, motor learning, and sprint performance. His research digs into acceleration, force application, and some less conventional forms of locomotion, including backward sprinting, with the goal of connecting solid science to what actually works on the field, track, or in rehab.
Backward running shows up all the time in warm-ups and general prep. Most of the time, though, it’s thrown in casually, without much thought about what it might actually be doing for speed, coordination, or tissue loading.
In this episode, Aaron walks through his path into performance science, which is anything but linear. From skiing in Montana and playing desert sports, to football and track, to a stretch training horses in Australia, his journey eventually led him to research mentors in Arizona, Scotland, and New Zealand. That broad background shows up clearly in how he thinks about movement.
One of the big takeaways from our conversation is Aaron’s overview of research showing that structured backward running programs can improve forward acceleration and even jumping ability. We also get into how backward running can be used as a screening and coordination tool, and where it fits into rehabilitation, including what’s happening at the joints, how muscles are working, and how to progress it without forcing things.
We finish by digging into wearable resistance, including asymmetrical loading, and why this emerging tool may have more upside for speed and movement development than most people realize.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.
Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com
Use code “justfly10” for 10% off the Vert Trainer
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)
Topics
0:00 – Aaron’s background and coaching lens
6:40 – Seeing movement through posture and orientation
13:25 – Why breathing changes how athletes move
20:45 – Tempo, rhythm, and shaping better movement
30:10 – Constraints based coaching and problem-solving
40:55 – Sprint mechanics without over cueing
51:20 – Using environment to guide adaptation
1:01:30 – Blending strength work with movement quality
1:12:15 – Coaching intuition, feedback, and learning to see
Quotes from Aaron Uthoff
"Backwards running is about 70 % of the speed of forward. 60 to 70 % of the speed of forwards running. So whatever your maximum speed forward is about 70 % of that backwards for somebody who's been doing it for a little while. So just there tells you that there's not going to be the same magnitude of force as there is with a forward sprint."
"If you've got anterior knee pain, which happens with lot of plyometrics, jumping, you think a lot of court-based sports, jumping track-based sports, things like that, you can simply reduce their patellofemoral joint loading by having them go backwards."
"What we see that I love preferentially is that we actually get really high hamstring activation concentrically, which is not the case with forwards running."
"I've got an injured athlete who had a hamstring injury and just wasn't able to decelerate his shank when he was sprinting forwards. So I had him run backwards. And what that's done is that's trained his hamstring concentrically to basically contract really, really quickly without putting that undue eccentric stress onto the joint on the muscles."
"I think it's a good screening tool to see, well, where are they at from a coordination proprioceptive perspective? And you might have somebody that's super duper fast going forwards, but you know, if they actually can apply that skill, then you know, their proprioception is likely off a little bit."
"By removing that vision... you're just having to tap into a different system a little bit more. And I find that that's one of the things that allows athletes to really expand their skillset majorly.
"Backside mechanics plays a large role in the elasticity that's going to happen and the power that you're to be able to deliver on the front side of the body. And if you shorten that up or you're inefficient or uncomfortable in that space, then you know, backwards running is a really cool way to learn how to do that in a way that is a little bit safer at a slightly lower speed where it's a new drill."
"I want you to be racing your belly, basically your belly button and your chest are going to be racing to the finish line. But unlike forward running, I want your belly button just to slightly win. And that just puts them into a posture that allows them to have that, that slightly lean, but still be upright."
"Another thing I really like is I want them to stack their hips, basically their ribcages on top of their hips. They've got nice intra-abdominal pressure to allow that elastic recoil to happen through the core."
"I think there's a lot more spinal engine utilized intensively with a backwards run than we might realize. And that's one of the major things I'm seeing. So we integrate a lot of spinal engine work into our drills just to help with the ability to carry that in.
"If you actively, concentrically contract the hamstring and try to kick that heel out back behind you, and use that as a leading mechanism, then that allows your hip flexor to act concentrically more powerfully as well as it comes down. So you're able to train the anterior side of the thigh much more exclusively."
About Aaron Uthoff
Aaron Uthoff, PhD, is a sport scientist, researcher, and coach focused on human movement, sprint mechanics, and motor learning. He holds a doctorate in kinesiology, with research centered on how neuromuscular factors influence speed, coordination, and efficiency.
He is especially known for his work on acceleration, sprinting, and unconventional locomotor strategies such as backward running, and how these methods affect force application, tissue stress, and motor control. His work blends strong scientific foundations with practical coaching insight, making it highly relevant for track and field, team sports, and rehabilitation environments.
Alongside his research, Aaron works closely with coaches and athletes to translate complex biomechanical and neurological ideas into simple, usable training concepts. His approach values curiosity, experimentation, and respecting how the body naturally adapts when it’s exposed to new movement challenges. - Mostrar mais
