Ep 52 - Les Spellman Stumbles - "I was too obsessed with targets."
About this episode
Les Spellman discusses his coaching mistakes and the importance of vulnerability in athlete development.
What happens when a coach is willing to admit what they got wrong? In this episode, Les Spellman, founder of Spellman Performance, opens up about the mistakes that shaped his coaching — and why vulnerability, not certainty, has been the real driver of his development. Having worked with athletes across the NFL, NCAA, MLB and Olympic sport, Les has earned the right to be confident in his methods, which makes his honesty about where he's got it wrong all the more valuable. At the heart of the conversation is the danger of rigidity — how being too wedded to targets, technology and technical drills can quietly hold athletes back. Les reflects on his early mistakes in speed training and the shift towards a more holistic approach, including the role of eccentric work in keeping athletes fast and healthy. We also get into why context is everything in performance training, how feedback from teams has sharpened his coaching, and the often-overlooked challenge of hiring and managing staff in the private sector — and what it takes to build an environment where both athletes and coaches thrive. Output Sports are the sponsors of today's episode. One portable sensor, one platform — helping…
Sponsors
Output Sports
More episodes of Performance Strategies & Stumbles
- Ep 53 - Peter Hughes Strategy - "Working back from the game is fundamental."
- Ep51 - Les Spellman Strategy - "Speed is an expression of physical resilience."
- Ep50 - Tim Kettenring Stumbles - "I grossly overestimated my impact!"
- Ep49 - Tim Kettenring Strategy - Back to Basics in Multidirectional Speed
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