Sports participation alone will develop an athlete’s sport-specific skills, but sports participation alone fails to provide all of the ingredients necessary to promote significant gains in an athlete’s sport specific skills. Often athletes and coaches lack the athletic-skill development. Additionally, it is common for athletes who solely participate in sport to acquire muscular or mechanical imbalances as a result of specific repetitive movements or the under development of muscles that are indirectly related to the movements in sport. These sorts of imbalances can have a negative impact on performance and ultimately may steer an athlete to injury.

Pelot Performance’s training philosophy is geared toward the development of complete athleticism. Athleticism for the team sport athlete is product of speed, reaction, coordination, agility, balance, mobility, strength, flexibility and explosive power. These characteristics are the pillars of athleticism and serve as the backbone for which sports skills can be built and maintained. Training for these characteristics will not only improve game speed and performance during competition, but can increase the body’s tolerance and resiliency to the physical stress of sport.

Evidence Based Approach

When it comes to training(building) athletes, there are many methods that coaches use. Often times, coaches introduce training methods to their athletes that they used when they were an athlete, not knowing the scientific logic behind the exercises or the design of the training process. Often times, athletes are asked by their coaches to perform specific exercises  or are asked to put their body in a situation that may not only be detrimental to their sports performance, but may jeopardize the safety of the athlete. 

Tim's approach is evidence based; this approach is founded by scientific research in the area of sports performance. Not only is it important to have a very good understanding of the body (the anatomical and physiological systems), but it is important to know how these systems work under training stress , how these systems respond to training and competition stress, as well as the understanding of biomechanics to prevent unnecessary injury from poor movement mechanics. Tim's is heavily involved in many national and international recognized organizations that continually investigate methods and philosophies for improving athletic performance.

Building Athleticism

Tim’s philosophy is focused on creating a more stable athletic platform that athletes need to enhance all sport specific characteristics. Strength is a necessary component for any athlete looking to reach their maximum potential. Increasing strength can increase durability, increase tolerance to physical sport demands and increase the ability of sport specific actions. In top performers across all sport disciplines, there is an underlying similarity. Not only do elite athletes’ posses a great deal of strength, they have the ability produce large of amounts of strength very quickly. 

Tim's unique background has given him elite level coaching knowledge for not only speed based sports, but individual, endurance based sports.

Building Confidence 
(more than just physical preparation)

Along with helping athletes develop physically to better meet the demands of sport; Tim places a high value on helping athletes improve their self confidence and in their ability to believe in themselves. 

Tim is a builder and not a breaker. This is a quick way to sum up Tim’s positive attitude. Athletes are often put down or told how they cannot perform and often this is done without being given the direction to help become better. Tim’s goal is to help get the most out of every athlete and the feedback he provides during his workouts play a major part in his coaching and athlete’s success. Tim’s positive attitude is an important ingredient within his workouts.

Tim believes that a more confident athlete will be able to compete at a higher level regardless of physical development (to a limited degree). To help improve self confidence, Tim focuses on creating a positive environment for his athletes and he gives athletes the recognition for small accomplishments throughout the course of a training session. These small recognized accomplishments, serve as a frame work to help build athletic confidence and promote positive self-esteem in his athletes. 

Building relationships

To help promote training success, Tim strives to develop a relationship built on trust and respect with his athletes. Tim strongly believes that if a relationship built upon trust and respect can be established between him and his athletes, training can produce even greater results. Tim values the relationships with his athletes. His ability to connect with his athletes allows him to know how his athlete’s tick. For example: Some athletes need more external motivation and some are more intrinsically motivated. Additionally, the relationship allows Tim to begin setting expectations and creating accountability. If an athlete does not believe that his coach is sincere or if his coach can provide the proper guidance it can greatly impact an athlete’s commitment to the training process.

Servant Leadership

To be an effective coach it is important to understand the role that a coach must play in order to be as effective as possible. It is easy to order or boss an athlete around, but that does not always result in effectiveness. It is not always easy for coaches to be effective. Being effective means caring, it means sacrificing and it means investing in the athletes that are under your supervision.

A coach’s job is not only to provide insight, instruction and guidance (LEADERSHIP), but a coach’s role is to serve his/her athletes. This responsibility is often taken lightly or overlooked completely. Often coaches get on a soapbox or they get a boost in their self-worth by yelling and screaming. Yelling and screaming is easy, investing and serving takes effort and the right attitude. To be an effective coach, a coach must help/assist their athletes in reaching their goals or helping them attain their potential. In many cases, athletes are unaware of what they are capable of or of what potential he/she may possess.  This is when the assistance and the service of a good coach comes into play. If a coach is not willing to serve his/her athletes he or she is in his/her role for the wrong reason. Being an effective coach takes time, energy and effort. The reward is great, but the investment from the athlete and the investment from the coach must take place in order to be an effective.  

Leading with Meaning: Being Effective
"Providing Direction without Dictating or Losing Athlete Motivation" 

2: Integrating training techniques that an athlete needs to perform that can stress or stimulate an athlete’s physiology that will heighten its capacity.

Often times, these two ingredients are not the same. It is common for athletes to dislike training methods that they are not proficient at, but often times integrating training methods that athletes are not proficient with can help an athlete push through a performance threshold or plateau.  What athletes like and what athletes need may not be the same thing.

Being able to recognize these two coaching considerations and being able to delicately balance them is the ART in being an effective coach, and doing so is a constant juggle for the coach. Too much of one and not enough of the other can lead to; an unmotivated athlete during training or training techniques that do not influence gains in performance. 

Athletes often hear me say: “We can do what you want or we can do what you need”, some athlete’s know what I mean and some athletes don’t get it. The best athletes I have ever worked with GET IT.

Training for the unpredictable

Obviously, the competition playing field or court, etc... is an unpredictable environment. Athletes must react and respond to all aspects of the game, this is an important factor to be aware of, Tim's training philosophy of movement training is not to create "robotic" movements or athlete's that move very mechanically, but by having athletes participate in movement training curriculum in a controlled environment can help promote the development of more efficient movements (muscle memory) that can begin to increase the fluidness and efficiency of how an athlete may move when in the game. 

Specific Training Examples

It is common for throwing and striking athletes to sustain shoulder injuries for multiple reasons, the likelihood of injury is much higher if the shoulder is not properly warmed up prior to not aggressive movements and it is common that do not properly develop and train the structures that support and anchor the shoulder during throwing and striking movements.

For the athlete that spends a great deal of time sprinting, decelerating and changing direction (soccer, basketball, lacrosse, tennis, volleyball, etc...). If the athlete does not know how to properly plant his/her foot, decelerate and accelerate efficiently out of a cutting maneuver, not only will the athlete be slow in his/her change of direction ability, but poor change of direction mechanics can greatly increase the likelihood of sustaining injury. 

For the volleyball player who is must jump, land, re-set and then jump again, explosive power is very important, but if the athlete has is lacking efficient jumping and landing mechanics, it could be detrimental to jumping height and may lead to knee, back or knee injuries(ACL injuries, shin splints, patellar tendonitis (jumpers knee), low back strains)Incorporating technical movement training and a proper strength and power development program can make a significant improvement in jumping and landing efficiency. This strategy can also lead to extra inches in vertical jump height and can help reduce the common volleyball injuries such as knee and ankle pain, keeping athletes in the game and off the sideline.