Just Fly Performance Podcast

Allan Wells shares his unconventional approach to sprint training, including extensive speedball work, bodyweight circuits, plyometrics, and training through Scotland’s harsh winters.

He discusses the importance of rhythm, coordination, competitive training environments, and the influence of his wife and coach, Margot.

Throughout, Allan emphasizes the power of discipline, mentality, and a supportive training environment in achieving elite performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.

Vern and James dive into the development of agility and game speed, challenging conventional approaches to change of direction training. They discuss the limitations of speed ladders and isolated drills, the importance of rhythm and tempo, and the role of small-sided games in building adaptable athletes. Topics include movement variability, reactive decision-making, and creative training environments, along with how coaches can better integrate physical preparation with sport skills to develop more instinctive, capable athletes.

Bob Thurnhoffer returns to discuss the balance between specialization and athletic versatility and the role of variability in high-level speed and power development.

Bob shares his approach to coordination-based strength training, balancing linear progression with movement exploration, and creating both competitive and learning-focused practice environments.

He also discusses practical applications of velocity-based training, Olympic lifting, and sprint technology, including how variable resistance can help athletes bridge the gap between acceleration and maximal velocity.

In this show, Frank Forencich explores rhythm, adaptability, and what it means to train the “human animal” in a modern world.

We discuss dance and percussion, specialization versus exploration, the costs of screen-heavy living, social movement games, heckling and partner interaction, and the idea of the “long body.”

Frank also shares thoughts on effortless action, balancing discipline with freedom, and using environments, objects, and human connection to build richer, more adaptable movement.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer

Cody discusses how his sprint training has evolved toward a simpler, more dynamic, and intuitive approach.

He explores the role of tempo running as both aerobic work and a high-volume elastic stimulus, building lower-leg capacity and preparing the body for faster sprinting.

Cody also shares thoughts on flexible warm-ups, training around real-life constraints, general-to-specific strength development, resisted and loaded sprinting, and why experimentation and self-awareness can be powerful tools for long-term speed development.

This episode is sponsored by Hammer Strength and LILA Exogen Wearable Resistance

Joel Hansson joins to discuss youth athletic development, movement variability, and the role of play in building adaptable athletes.

We explore how physical preparation can be integrated directly into the sporting environment, why young athletes benefit from broad movement experiences, and how coaches can develop speed, coordination, and agility without over-structuring the process.

Joel also shares his perspective on long-term development and creating training environments that encourage exploration and problem-solving.

In this episode, Andrew Iselin joins me to discuss athlete development, sprint coaching, and the value of exploration over rigid technical models.

We get into developing Lachlan Kennedy (9.85s 100m dash and Oceanic Record), coaching asymmetry, relaxation and sprint mechanics, game-based speed work, movement literacy, resisted sprinting, tempo training, and why coaches may need to “shut up” more often and give athletes space to self-organize.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses

Jamie Smith joins me to discuss his transition from gym ownership into full-time education and coach mentorship.

We dive into client-led exploration, simplifying movement assessment, avoiding nocebo language, and helping athletes discover better movement solutions without overcoaching.

Jamie also shares his thoughts on breathing drills, ribcage mechanics, strength technique, sensory versus motor learning, and why good coaching often comes down to creating better environments for athletes to feel, explore, and learn.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses

In this episode, Ted Kroeten joins me to explore free play, underloading, and the idea of movement as a language. We discuss why great athletes often emerge from less-structured environments, how excessive coaching can interfere with creativity and fluency, and why doing less can sometimes produce better performance. Ted also shares lessons from Joy of the People, Brazilian soccer culture, ecological dynamics, late development, and the ideas behind his book, The Talent Thief.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.

In this show, Kristina Centenari explores the connection between breathing, nervous-system literacy, and athletic performance.

We discuss her journey from Division I tennis to endurance sport, managing pressure and frustration, building awareness of physiological stress, and using breath training to improve composure.

Kristina also breaks down breathing “gears” for runners, the relationship between relaxation and high performance, and why learning when to release tension may be just as important as learning to produce it.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength

In this episode, Clifton Harski discusses athleticism through the lens of movement variety, adaptability, and lifelong physical practice.

He explores his background in jumping and multi-sport play, developing athletic kids without premature specialization, and why training should create opportunities to express athleticism.

Clifton also dives into kettlebell training for rhythm, relaxation, explosiveness, multi-directional strength and deceleration, along with programming ideas that bridge traditional strength work, movement skill, and real-world athletic performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Athletic Fusion Cohort
https://www.instagram.com/hammerstrengthofficial/
https://justflysports.thinkific.com/courses/athletic-fusion

In this episode, Daniel Back gets into the role of variety, play, and subconscious learning in developing speed and athleticism.

He discusses resisted sprinting, why he avoids over-coaching acceleration mechanics, lessons from the dunk community, and the value of broad movement experience.

Dan also explores extensive tempo, longer sprints, training volume, and why specialization and constant measurement can sometimes limit long-term athletic development.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer

In this episode, Josh Bray discusses how endurance training shaped his coaching perspective, the role of games and hidden intention in athletic development, and how roughhousing and free play build adaptable movers.

He also explores bucketing athletes as elastic, muscular, or hybrid, using force-plate data without overcomplicating the process, balancing readiness with meaningful training stress, and employing open-ended prescriptions that let athletes self-regulate volume while preserving intent, quality, and engagement.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Joel Smith shares 20 coaching ideas that permanently reshaped how he trains athletes and himself. Drawing from influential books, mentors, training systems, personal experiments, and hard-earned mistakes, Joel explores intensity and recovery, potentiation, individualized strength, motor learning, games, rhythm, biomechanics, group dynamics, ritual, and athlete profiling. More than a list of methods, the episode traces his evolution from conventional programming toward a more adaptive, embodied, and human approach to performance.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses
https://www.instagram.com/hammerstrengthofficial/
https://justflysports.thinkific.com/

Ryan Paul talks about blending sprint training with high-intent isometrics, plyometrics, and force-absorption work to build faster, more resilient athletes. He discusses the influence of Jay Schroeder’s system, using readiness data to adjust training, and creating environments that deepen athlete buy-in and intent. Ryan also explores “New Athlete shape,” the value of training through controlled failure, and why speed development requires more than simply running harder or adding traditional strength.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

Kevin Mulcahy talks about using constraints to develop more complete athletes, helping gifted players move beyond their natural strengths, and designing practices that build decision-making, speed, and adaptability.

He shares practical ideas for manipulating time, space, and rules to shape behavior, discusses balancing coordination work with game-based learning, and explains how individual athlete profiles, including explosive versus endurance-oriented players, should influence speed development, conditioning, and long-term injury prevention.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.

In this episode, Jake explores the principles that underpin resilient tendons and long-term athletic durability. The conversation covers key differences between Achilles and patellar tendon rehabilitation, how loading strategies should be adapted to each, and why avoiding dramatic peaks and valleys in training is essential for keeping tendons healthy.

Jake also discusses the often-overlooked role of bone health and bone loading in performance, along with practical concepts coaches and athletes can use to build more robust, resilient lower limbs.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer

Scott Leech explores how constraints, games, and technology can enhance athletic development without sacrificing high-performance outcomes. Scott discusses adapting summer training around limited facilities, balancing speed and conditioning with GPS data, and using game-based drills to teach movement while maintaining athlete engagement. The conversation also dives into the psychology of coaching, variability in training, jump testing, vision work, and practical ways coaches can begin leveraging AI as a research assistant and organizational tool while preserving their own coaching philosophy and intuition.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer.

Today’s podcast guest is Joe Pedulla. Joe is a strength coach at the University of Oklahoma, where he oversees performance training for softball and women’s golf. Prior to Oklahoma, he coached in professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals organization and worked extensively in private-sector performance, helping athletes develop strength, speed, power, and resilience.

This episode with Joe Pedulla explores how coaches can better identify what athletes truly need in speed, strength, and power development. Joe shares his path from small-college baseball player to SEC strength coach, including lessons from self-directed training, throwing development, and imperfect environments. The conversation dives into sprint profiling, athlete archetypes, resisted sprinting, tempo work, training buckets, and how coaches can balance general development with individualized performance needs.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Vert Trainer

In this episode, Julien explores resilience, energy allocation, and the deeper forces that shape athletic performance. He explains the phylogenetic hierarchy of the nervous system, how prior experiences influence behavior, and why emotions are better understood as questions rather than answers. The conversation also dives into competition, training environments, attention, and the role of meaningful challenge in athletic development. Throughout the discussion, Julien offers a unique perspective on performance that extends far beyond traditional strength and conditioning.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength