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Episode 2: Matt Gifford

Joel Smith: Just Fly Performance Podcast, Podcast| ByMark Hoover

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Gifford

Matt Gifford is currently General Manager and Director of Sports Performance for NX Level’s Mequon, Wisconsin, location. Gifford started as a sports performance coach at NX Level’s facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 2009. He earned a degree in exercise science with a minor in coaching from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and was a member of the 2007 UWW DIII National Championship team. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA.

Coach Gifford takes a deep dive into his philosophy on football speed training and its common characteristics, as well as differences, from track speed training. He also gives details about his speed development progressions. Matt discusses his ideas on building an aerobic base in speed/power athletes. Additionally, he gives insight into the recovery, work capacity, and volume of training for an in-season athlete. Coach Gifford believes in creating mental images with his cueing system and discusses how he uses that to connect athletes to the workout.

In this podcast, Coach Matt Gifford discusses with Joel:

  • What a developmental speed session for field sports looks like, in detail.
  • The use of lateral movement in all aspects of training to improve movement and decrease the rate of athlete injury.
  • The possibility of diminishing returns in transfer to sport with strength training by field sport athletes.
  • What training max percentage range he believes transfers best to movement skill acquisition and power outputs.

Coach Gifford has also written a piece for SimpliFaster on the use of acceleration ladders in sprint training.

Podcast total run time is 39:04.

Keywords: cueing, maximal skill acquisition, tempo, strength

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Mark Hoover

Mark Hoover works for SimpliFaster in a coaching and technical consulting capacity and is the Director of Athletic Performance at Metrolina Christian Academy in Indian Trail, North Carolina. Coach Hoover started his career coaching football at both the high school and NCAA levels. After spending nearly 20 years in the dual role of sport coach/strength coach (including 11 years as a head football coach), he made the transition to full-time strength and conditioning in 2015.

Coach Hoover holds bachelor’s degrees in communications and physical education and is fully certified in K–12 social studies and physical education. He is currently pursuing an MS in Exercise Science. He is a USAW Level 1 and 2 Certified Advanced Sports Performance Coach, as well as an NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist.

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